Kang Freshwater Food - Bagan Samak

This is Udang Galah , a freshwater river prawn with blue extended arms , most prized for a flesh that has a tight swirling texture quite similar to lobster  . Today , what is offered in seafood restaurants are mostly bred in ponds , so do not expect an exceptional flavourful taste ( cross between a crab , prawn and lobster ) to the meat , unless you personally know and can manage to coax individual anglers into selling their just caught live bounty to you .

The farmed ones here cost MYR 100  a kilo . Some restaurants owners when they have the wild ones in stock might tell you something like 

" I dare not sell this to you "

or

" I don't know how to charge you "

or 

" You might not like me after you hear the price "

of which you will have to assure them that you are willing to pay for genuine wild live river prawns ( because you personally saw the angler walk in with the prawns ) and make sure he knows that you will do awful things to him if he tries to pass off farmed ones as wild specimens .

Kum Loong - a very old gem

Never seen anyone order Kaya Kok by the bags full before . Actually , I've seen people buying a lot , in that Raub kopitiam but that Raub cha pou  , cannot even compare nor come close to this outlet .

One lady before me , wanted 40 pieces of this and that , which made me wonder if she was going to eat this by herself or resell them elsewhere . 

And that's how I needed no persuasion to get 2 of each for our table which turned out to be quite scrumptious with surprising underlayers of crust enveloping the thick kaya and so much minced meat encased in the siew pau , it felt like I was dining in a more generous and extravagant miners era , rather the year 2016 .

See the glossy texture and flakes . You tell me if this is going to be keng or not .

Din Tai Fung - Gurney Plaza

Have put off coming here for months already . 

Well , we finally took the plunge today but alas I have no extra pics to prove that we tucked in at this outlet , because my phone was er ...overtaxed and undercharged .

Thus you will have to make do with just one photo ( updated with photos as we went back a 2nd time ) of this house speciality , the starter ....a kelp, tofu , beansprout and glass noodle pickle which tasted so Taiwanese , I wore a puzzled look on my face till I checked out their facebook page . Which is laughable because I assumed from the set up that Din Tai Fung was Hongkie in origin .

No , Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant with fine dining Chinese cuisine that will knock you off your feet , you Alishan bumpkin you ( I'm talking about me ) !

Hong Kee Wan Thun Mee - bamboo kungfu for ultra springy wantan mee

Update : the problem with this operator is , it can be quite unhygienic . There , I've said it . If you go please make sure you either keep your eyes wide open or half shut .

-------

Was very direct with the noodle man , when I saw him .

" I've been waiting for you for a really long time to resurface already "

( they were the original hawkers at the formerly famous corner kopitiam called Yi Garden Cafe on Macalister Road , you see )

Kim Poh Roasted Chicken & Duck Rice - Golden Triangle

In Penang , it is common knowledge that there is a coded number for ordering a combo of roasted meats at the local roaster .

You let the order taker know you want a 3 or a 4 in Hokkien , and then something like this will arrive at your table . Without costing you an arm and a leg at a swankier joint , this platter of roasted pork , chicken and duck comes with a price tag of less than 20 ringgit . 

Hong La Jiao Steamboat - deadly , very deadly

Though we arrived close to midnite , the restaurant was running full  .

Open till 4.30 am , I consider this a necessary service that caters to the many hungry night owls in Georgetown who otherwise would have to make do with the same ole boring mamak or fastfood .

Grant Place - comfort food in San Francisco Chinatown

Hubs likes San Fran ( the way he likes to call it ) but me , I'm not very fond of the city except for the landmark bridge and the Transamerican Pyramid below . 

Restoran C.H.Tay - Jalan Gangsa

Each venture into Alor Setar turns up something new . Stumbled upon this restaurant while searching for another place .

Restoran Riverbank - black pomfret claypot curry

Riverbank is just a few doors away from the old Hupsa .

From the outside , it looks all quiet with no action ....

Best Porridge - new chu cha place in town

From the shop name , we thought we'd come across a new Teochew Moi place where a big variety of dishes to go with plain boiled rice porridge , are the order of the day .

So there we are looking at the food on display in the glass case when 2 ladies coax us into entering by showing us the chu cha menu .

Chai Poh Fish - somewhat like the old Hupsa

Perseverance was the key to pin pointing the old Hupsa / Yan Yan Ho's new location .

Restoran Mints - Taman Bagan

Half the fun is in finding the place .....or not at all . Instead ,when you stumble upon another place while searching for the first and it turns out better , as opposed to what happened at Taman Saga , it comes as a little reward , as a payback for all your effort .

This restaurant and its local workforce , they work in complete unison . There are no foreign workers here but they're managing extremely well because men are in charge of the most stressful part of the show . Being waiters and cooks , they're fast and make sure all dishes are delivered simultaneously. Watching the Chinese kitchen in action is nothing short of amazing.

On the other hand, the women , were left to handle more miniscule tasks , but we ( I say we since I'm Chinese and although I can cook well , I can understand how they feel being thrust into such an environment ) we wither under such hot and uncomfortable conditions. Except for the lady in the kitchen in charge of retrieving ingredients , the drink lady screwed up our order and the lady in charge of scooping rice , dropped the scoop onto the floor and I don't even want to know if she washed the scoop after that or not at all. 

French beans with minced meat.

Crunchy and bursting with natural sweetness . Delicious !

Another way Penangites enjoy giant garoupa fish

There's a famous breakfast place near Sunway Hotel which serves this noodle. Very expensive for such a stuffy establishment , I tried it once and never went back again .

However, I do enjoy fish , every now and then . Sometimes when a giant garoupa is caught and successfully bidded for , the masses head to places recommended by the local newspapers. No mad, mad crowd for me thank you . 

Prefer to eat at this place near the Queensbay roundabout . They're open for dinner and prices are more down to earth .

Giant Garoupa - Burma Food Paradise

Some people will take the next flight in just for this fish.

Considered a delicacy , it seems whichever shop owner successfully bids for the Big Ones most times sees enthusiasts clamouring for a portion.

Sum Sook Restaurant - Bukit Tengah

 Based on how unappetizing this dish looked ,we really never expected the unlikely combo of sweet sharp lime sauce and tofu that's been deep fried till so dry, it looks all wrong , could turn out to be  winner .

This plate of Kerabu Tauhu just proved that. So addictive that after the first careful nibble , we began fighting over it. 

Chicken Claypot House - Phoenix Reincarnation , an Imperial soup you can now afford

Chicken Claypot House has managed to draw in quite a crowd. Located in the former Joo Seong restaurant on Macalister Road , it is Singaporean in origin with 3 outlets on the republic and Penang is so blessed to be chosen as the venue of their very first foray on Malaysian soil .

White Sugar Seafood - Sungai Petani

There are pockets full of Penangites who have set up businesses in Kedah and this place is one of
 them .

Photo from Foursquare

Hokkien Mee 1173 - Permatang Tinggi

Some people call this Ah San or Ah Shan hokkien mee but I would rather refer to it's address 1173, because you'll need it. 

Locating the shop, is no easy feat .Wedged inside a Chinese New Village enclave , where roads are narrow and challenging to navigate and decipher , we actually got some help from local folks at the local town hall to show us the way .

Coming all the way , having gone through all that trouble to finally arrive at the right place , was worth it. 

Requested for additional ingredients such as a whole egg and one chicken feet and the hearty , filling portion just blew me away  .

However , if you are from the island , you need to know that you will probably find this salty . But if you are say, from KL or Ipoh , you might agree that the very tasty prawn and pork broth brewed together with a lethal dose of pounded dried chillies , is what one would refer to as ....Mee Yoke. 

Small portion with additional ingredients .

Delicious .

Butterworth Curry Noodles House - Jalan Raja Uda

The shop is always crowded and after ignoring it for so long, we intend to find out why. 

Yes , why is it always so crowded ?  

Kampar Fish Jelly Restaurant - Jalan Aziz Ibrahim

There are many people from Perak working and living in Penang. Hope that explains the popularity and proliferation of joints selling staple Perak favourites such as pakcham kai and Kampar fishballs.

Having patronised this shop from the first time they set up shop near Bayan Bay , I can tell you the changes they have undergone. 

First up is the workforce. Today , there are lots of foreigners who can communicate in English here. In the beginning there were more Chinese staff. 

This batch is very efficient and so hardworking to boot , I am sure some girls will be eyeing the more capable ones already.