Duck rice in New Lane

Sometimes I wonder how come our many excellent roast duck rice stalls, are hardly featured on the must try list for tourists . 

Every neighbourhood on the island, has at least 2 stalls that specialise in this, with operators coming from as far as Kulim to tempt islanders tastebuds .

New Lane is no exception.

There are two rivals here, operating on the same street, opposite one another.

Although I prefer the younger man's juicier, more tender version, hard luck. He's sold out.

Thus here I am today, at the stall run by this older guy .

Check out the bottom left corner .

See how many duck heads there are ?

Eaten by Penangites not tourists .

My order.

Duck drumstick and breast meat $10 only for the entire plate.

Super cheap .

The thing about this older guy's version is, it is best to eat it on the spot .

Try not to take away, as the meat starts to get very greasy the longer it stays wrapped .

Where's my rice ? Who needs rice ?

Look, you're in New Lane.

Take the duck to a bowl of Curry Mee, together with not one but TWO spoonfuls of sambal, so you are guaranteed to spit fire.

Dragon breathing hot.

Extinguish the heat with a cooling bowl of Si Koh Thng

Location : Duck rice and si koh thng -entrance of Maxim Cafe, New Lane .
Curry Mee- the first stall on the right row, nearest to Maxim Cafe.

Directions : from Traders Hotel on Magazine Road, take the middle road at the intersection and heads towards Sunway Hotel Georgetown. The road is right in front of this hotel.  

Chowtime : the younger man who operates from starts at 5.30pm, the older around 7pm. Both sell out in 2 or 3 hours.

( NH ) Hokkien Mee, Lebuh Cecil

What I love most about Lebuh Cecil wetmarket, is the adjoining hawker centre, where prices of hawker fare is still so incredibly low.

My favourite Hokkien Mee stall is this one.

A short step away, in front of a Malaysian flag hung up on the roof. Nearest to the two red lanterns. Next to a small yellow telco booth.

( NH ) Keat Duck Rice, Fettes Park

Update : I've found them again .
They were the couple that was pictured inside the viral picture in the surau after the floods .
 They are now operating from a corner kopitiam also in Fettes Park just 3 or 4 shops away from their old premises .
Open during lunch , you can find this couple in the back of that shop .
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To me, this is the best chicken rice shop in Penang.

The irony is, he sells more chicken,char siew and siew yoke, than duck, although the shop name denotes otherwise.

But that doesn't mean that his duck isn't good.

It is. The skin is crispy. The meat most delicious.

 Just that Penangites prefer to see more ducks hanging not just 1 or 2 .

More as in 20 ducks hanging before taking your duck rice claim very seriously.

But who cares which is the best seller, when what they serve here is so good, they even get Mat Sallehs as regular customers.

( U ) Nameless Tomyam shack, Tanjung Tokong

Update : Closed down due to the development in Tg Tokong
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This is another tomyam shop operated by a Thai-Malay husband and wife team.

Always friendly and obliging, they even help cook fish, that local villagers bring to their shop, for a small fee.

Tanjung Tokong Rempits often hang outside this pathway for a drink and a smoke.

( U ) Tomyam at Mutiara Ombak, Tanjung Tokong

Update : the outlet has changed hands . This review is no more relevant . As the other operators across from Tesco are Indons and Cambodians , if you want Southern Malay Thai cuisine , Nurmee Seafood just outside Fettes Park is the closest to this 


The people that run this Tomyam outlet are Thai-Malays .

This restaurant attracts a sizeable number of chinese customers because the chef whips out seafood dishes as if he had been under the tutelage of a chinese sifu.

As it is located along the main road

frontal, fringing the 100 year old or more, kampung Tanjung Tokong,

I don't know how much longer they can hold fort before UDA Holdings takes back the land.

( NH ) Tapioca Fried Fish Noodles,Min Jiang, Air Itam

When the rare tourist comes here, they tend to take locals word for it, that the tomyam stall is the best there is.

I beg to differ.

Most locals are enraptured by the tomyam because the level of spiciness is on a psycho scale of a gazillion sweat beads and a paralysed tongue .

This you can savour in one of the many small mom and pop stalls in Prangin Mall.

However, nobody on the island has been able to replicate what these men have been churning out night after night.

( NH ) Supper at 999 Seafood, Fettes Park

999 Seafood is a cheap place for a great home cooked meal . Run by a husband and wife team, many singletons come here as they offer one dish rice meals that are cooked on the spot .

The sambal, belacan and gulai dishes are awesome but I seriously think that they are not from the northern states as it is not typical Penang fare. The lone cook whips out everything on his own and has given an edgier,more exciting take on those kinds of dishes Penangites love so much .

Kiam Chye Pork Soup, Nan Shan, Paya Terubong ( NH )

While this soup dish is available in many places on the mainland,it is a rarity on Penang island. Especially more so at night, it is near impossible to find.

Now you don't need to cross the bridge anymore. Just head on over to Nan Shan coffeeshop in Paya Terubong.

Look for this particular stall.

Siam Yeong Curry Mee, Mount Erksine ( NH )

I have to say that I am quite a fan of this curry mee .

If you subscribe by the saying " never trust a skinny chef"

this one must definitely rank as trustworthy.

Heng Kee Koay Teow Soup, Chai Leng Park ( NH )

Update , August 2014 : have not seen the old man in a long time and the noodles are just not the same anymore

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 This is the famous Wai Sek Kai in Chai Leng Park. 

Dark and dimly lit but alive with great hawker food.

I trek across the bridge quite often for the chicken koay teow thng, sold by Heng Kee, a mobile hawker stall run by this old couple.

Bangla Char Mee Hoon, Jalan Kimberley ( NH )

The change is telling, especially since the younger generation is unwilling to take up menial, sweaty jobs like these and the older, still dependent on it for their continued livelihood.

(U) Nasi Campur with kampung cats and chickens- Teluk Bahang

A lady and her teenage son, man, this small roadside hawker stall, in front of a block of flats, a short throw away from the Penang National Park entrance.

Her stall lies in front of a small detailing workshop with the Jetron signage you see in this picture.

Porridge & Noodles on Jalan Cintra ( NH )

This is Jalan Cintra.  A street that's famous amongst local gourmands of Snakehead fish .

The fish is reknowned amongst the Cantonese clan for its ability to accelerate healing from within, but scares the shit out of a whole lot of American people, for its ability to 'walk' on land.

Follow the road to the end and you come to Jalan Chulia, a famous backpackers area.

At night, there are two coffeeshops that people patronise.

The green coloured one which sells porridge is called Sin Seng Vood.

( NH ) One night at Super Tanker - Lip Sin

Judging from my 'night' posts, you might think I am a 500 year old vampire's descendent by now.
Coincidentally, I am not alone as there are lots of Penangites roaming the streets from 11pm onwards for a drink or a bite. Or maybe I am just consoling myself over my tendency to want to wander around when the moon is up.

( U ) Hammer Bay Ikan Bakar, Jalan Bayan Bay

Lots of people like to come here because of cheap seafood dining by the sea with stunning views of the Penang Bridge.

There are 3 operators here. Two of them use gimmicks to attract customers.
One features a sampan ,the other a water feature. The last one nothing . 
If you order from anyone of them, you need to know where their designated seating area is.

All this time I have been I patronising the more run down, no frills, no gimmicks place, run by this guy with an army haircut.

( U ) Nasi Lemak 3+1, Jalan Lunas

Better known as the Edgecumbe Road Mamak, this is another all time favourite supper spot on Penang island.

 Most people head here for the mee goreng which I will introduce you to later,but what exactly is Nasi Lemak 3 + 1 ?

168, Sin Kim San - Jalan Macalister ( NH )

Good variety, good food, great supper hangout ....that's Sin Kim San for you. Even at 10.30pm it is still teeming with supper hunters and tourists from the nearby budget hotels.

While the Char koay teow is nice, satay addictive , western is good, wood fired pizza a horribly long wait and fish head curry one of a kind, today we are having the bland Pork Mee Sua,hot as hell Hokkien Mee and nutritious Oyster Omelette .

Oh Chien ($6) from the Grill Ikan Bakar stall always tastes fantastic. Varied in size, they are very fresh unlike a lot of other places today.

Chee Cheong Fun ,Tien Lai - Jalan Macalister ( PF )

Tien Lai is located next door to the famous Sin Kim San on Jalan Macalister.

I really regret not trying the Chee cheong fun from this stall earlier.

We were in Sin Kim San,  for the usual stuff,  when a stroke of inspiration made me pop next door .

What he brought to our table, was a masterpiece.

Hokkien Mee, Pasar Pulau Tikus ( NH )

Update February 2018 : the old couple is no more. In their place is another person but the noodles are not as good as before

Pasar Pulau Tikus is a gluttons corner with a good selection of Penang hawker fare .

Tourists rarely come here, preferring to explore Gurney Drive, effectively making this a local haunt. So hard to find a quiet place that is not crawling with tourists these days, you know ?

My personal favourites are the koay teow thn'g stall (the one with a picture of a tuna) , apom balik (excellent ! ) , ikan bakar (very hot & very spicy !), lok lok (middle stall) and the very plain ang tau thn'g from a pushcart that opens after 9pm.

Though I also fancy the Hokkien Mee, that is situated at a lorong on the right hand side of this wetmarket, I have not been able to 'land' myself a bowl  for the past one year.
Always either too late or closed for the night. Unbelievable.

Frog Porridge, Goodall Cafe ( NH )

Some people believe that frogmeat is supposed to be beneficial for cleansing our blood and perking up our constitution.

It is considered good for treating exhaustion, great for strengthening the immune systems in small children. Even better for women who seek a radiant complexion.

Almost wiped out and hunted to extinction, most of it that makes it to our table today is farm produced.
The method of slaughter however is starkly cruel on the same level as dog and whale meat.
Thus if you find this delicacy shockingly unagreeable, I would advise you not read on.

To make it sound more palatable, it is sometimes called 'tin kai' or padi chicken.
Whether it is farmed American bullfrog or river frog,whatever they label it,it is still frogmeat.