Padang Brown hawker food ( NH )

It's been years since I last came here . Think there are less hawkers these days .However unlike ten years ago,today, there's rubbish all over the ground, discarded by couldn't care less customers.

Ordered wantan mee because it seemed to be a crowd favourite here.

At $3 per bowl (crazy cheap),I think they're actually doing everyone a great service . The dumpling has more meat than other places and the whole dish provides a substantial meal.

Sin Chew coffeeshop - Lak Tiao Lor ( NH )

It's easier to walk here than to drive .

But who cares when they serve radish or lobak soup as good as this....

Eng Lee Grilled fish stall- Song River cafe ( PF )

This stall is actually more reknowned for whipping up the most spicy small shellfish (lala) on Penang island, but you have to come later due to some agreement he has with another stall owner not to sell this bestseller earlier

Not to worry, his ikan bakar is just as crazily addictive.
It's nicely charred, tender, moist,sweey and spicy with tons of garlic slices encased in banana leaf.

The more you eat, the more water you'll need,yet you just can't stop.

Know what I mean?

Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Wongkok ( NH )

Never expected this corner kopitiam to bear some nice hawker food.

but it did.

Hakka mee,Restoran Xin Feng ( NH )

My first introduction to Hakka mee was at a hawker stall underneath the Kenanga flats in KL. The noodles were fantastic ! Handmade on the spot .
I still salivate at the thought of the red stewed pork belly dish that one could order, to put on top of the noodles .

I don't know if it is still around today but this is where I come if I want something close .

 Dry hakka noodles $3. Yum yum..very nice.

Asked them to leave out the char siew because I didn't want any sweet and smoky flavour to seep in and spoil the sauce.

Price is ridiculously low if you ask me.

Kedai Kopi Soon Yuen ( NH )

What's there to eat here for breakfast?

Believe me....a lot ....

Start with the best game textured duck meat dish you'll ever come across.

 Garnished with fried garlic, sawi and beansprouts.

Make sure you order this early or they'll only have the kampung chicken left ( which is way tougher ).

Mall's Cafe, Prangin Mall ( NH )

Originally operating from the popular corner kopitiam on the same floor, today,they have relocated to this new spot .

Like other regulars I was not fooled. Checked out that original shoplot ( two new boy chefs in their place) before heading back here

How Ji Roaster Rice Noodle, Restoran Hup Kee ( NH )

The thought of coming to this coffee shop gives me quite a headache, as it is one of those places that attracts smokers.

Usually nobody dares to light up until the first one does. Then it sparks a chain reaction which makes us non smokers wanna get up and give them a hard swat.

However, the lure of How Ji's roasted duck paired with dry wantan noodles was far too great for me to abstain for too long.

I march in hoping for an invisible screen against the bunch of light upers who don't seem to understand that we DO mind inhaling second hand smoke.

Tai Lok Mee stall, Chai Leng Park ( NH )

If you love KL Hokkien Mee, this is the only place in Penang that makes the cut .

Have tried one stall in Datok Keramat Road (nowadays fail already) and another in Kimberley Street but both are just too dirty for me to stomach. The rest are just plain ugh ! Totally terrible.

One thing you must remember is that in Penang, the dish is called Tai Lok Mee and not Hokkien Mee.
If you insist on ordering Hokkien Mee, you will end up with a bowl of Har Mee instead .

 

These two handsome chefs are part of the 5 man tag team who run this perpetually busy stall

Lean Huat for 6am Hokkien Mee ( NH )

Everyone refers to this famous stall as Swee Kong hokkien mee .

So did I until I snapped this picture and realised that they DO have a name after all ! 

Alila, Red Garden Food Paradise ( NH )

When I want cheap,good and authentic Thai food cooked by real Thai people , this is where you will find me.

Walk all the way to the back and look for this counter.

Sotong Boat - Gurney Drive ( U )

There I was in Gurney Drive. About to start on this yummy sotong bakar below

When all of a sudden .... whoooshhh......the wind came. "Lai liao lai liao !" the hawkers yelled as they looked in the direction of the roundabout

Things went helter skelter when the sky opened up.

My boat almost overturned, the filmsy sauces spilled blood red ketchups and bits of pounded peanuts onto the rickety plastic table.

Drat ! Had to sprint for cover.By the time I was in the car the sotong was limpish and not as crisp as when it would have been when it was hot. Damn it.

Bee Hooi, supper time

It's 10pm and business is still going full swing 

The assam laksa is my favourite.

I think they use a certain amount of sardines here, but I don't mind because they're extremely generous with the vegies such as mint, cucumber,lettuce, bunga kantan and onions.

Yum !

Popiah sold by the same seller has a fantabulously thin membrane for the skin .

Filled to the brim with sweet turnips, chopped omelette, carrots and very tasty filletted small prawns.

Never dunk mine in sauce. The operator obliges.

A bowl of Loh Mee.

Doesn't really need introduction as this stall is already famous.

Hardly draws a huge crowd because the opening hours are reliable, supplies never run out and fans pour in slow and steady from evening till night.

In case you don't fancy such sticky noodles, you can try out the tender Chicken feet that are also sold by the same person.

Something different for a change.

Location : Pulau Tikus

Directions : from Berjaya Midlands hotel, go towards the direction of town. Pass by a church on your left. Look out for a Hong Leong bank on your right. The coffeeshop is on your right

Chowtime : 6pm to 11pm

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 ) 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.

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.

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.