CRIZ BON APPETITE

savoring the best in town…

Archive for the ‘hawker’ Category

FATTY MEE HOON KUIH HOUSE

Posted by Criz Lai On August - 19 - 2008

FATTY01

Sometimes I would spend half an hour until an hour plus just to wait for my hawker food to be served on my table. Is it worth the time waiting? Well, as Penangites, somehow we have the in-built food detector in us. We can sense that whenever there is a large queue in any of the hawker stalls or restaurants, the food served there must be real good. We would willingly and patiently wait for our turns.

One such stall which I visited recently was the famous Taman Berkeley Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih stall. The Mee Hoon Kuih was actually another version of Pan Mee. The dough (Mee Hoon) came as a ball. Before cooking, it would be flattened using both hands (instead of rolling through a mini machine as in Pan Mee) and then peeled into a pot of boiling water to cook. The cooked dough would then be mixed into a pot of soup stock with slices of pork and Chinese cabbage (choy sum). It would then be garnished with fried anchovies (ikan bilis) and fried onions.


FATTY02

This shop has been getting a lot of publicity from overseas as well as local food reviewers such as Ho Chak! You can see lots of advertisements and write-ups from various magazines stuck on the walls. To know how good it is as advertised, you have to try it out yourself. To some, this dish is good. To others, it’s only normal and nothing spectacular. The only difference is that they will allow you to add in fried lard to enhance the taste.

FATTY04

What the pricing then? Did all the publicity affect their pricing? Well, no. I ordered the bowl shown above and paid only RM3.50. It was RM3.00 for the normal bowl of noodle plus an additional 50sen for the egg. Not expensive right? Here is the latest price list as displayed on their wall. They can even pack for you the dough and ingredients separately to allow you to cook at home. Don’t you think this is a wonderful service as you can cook the dish and eat whenever you feel like it? Everything will cost you only RM3.00 a set.

FATTY03

If you are driving from Klang towards Bandar Baru Klang, drive into Jalan Batu Tiga, then Persiaran Sultan Ibrahim. Use the Federal Highway and turn left into Persiaran Rajawali. Drive on until you reach the fourth junction on your right. That is Lebuh Bangau. After two junctions, you will see the fully packed restaurant somewhere towards the end of a row of shoplots.

FATTYMAP

Name: FATTY MEE HOON KUIH HOUSE @ RESTORAN SIN HOOI HUA
Address:
19, Lebuh Bangau, Taman Berkeley, 41150 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-336 6183, 017-336 6183 (Mr. Choo)
Opening Hours: 10.00am – 11.00pm
GPS: 3.058158, 101.465113

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 3% [?]

PETALING STREET (CHINATOWN) YUMMY CURRY CHICKEN BREAD

Posted by Criz Lai On August - 13 - 2008

YUMMYCHICKEN01

I always thought that I could get the famous Curry Chicken Bread only in Kampar, Perak but I was wrong. As I was moving through the busy streets of Jalan Petling into Jalan Hang Lekir, I came across a stall selling this type of bread right in front of the Tang City Food Court. It was called the Yummy Curry Chicken Bread and was selling at RM12 each.

YUMMYCHICKEN02

Since I was on my way back to Penang, I decided to get hold of one. To my surprise when I cut open the bread (quite similar to our Bengali Bread), there was this aluminum bowl filled with curry chicken to the brim with a layer of plastic wrap on top to avoid the gravy from spilling out. What a great way to maintain the gravy and at the same time avoid the bread from being soggy.

YUMMYCHICKEN03

There were all together 6 choice pieces of chicken meat in the bread and the thick curry gravy was cooked in Indian style with lots of curry leaves. This new discovery was indeed appetizing. The chicken meat was tender and the spiciness of the curry was just right. One loaf of this dish would be enough to feed two to three person as the bread can be rather filling.

YUMMYCHICKEN04

Finding the stall would not be hard. Walk into Petaling Street, Chinatown’s main entrance from Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (opposite Kota Raya) and you will reach a crossed junction. Hong Leong Bank is at the corner on your left. Turn left into the road (Jalan Hang Lekir) and you will the stall just in front of the Tang City Food Court on your left.

YUMMYCHICKENMAP

Name: YUMMY CURRY CHICKEN BREAD @ TANG CITY FOOD COURT
Address: 22-26 Jalan Hang Lekir, 50050 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-698 3499
Opening Hours: 10.00am – 2.00pm
GPS: 3.144589, 101.697972

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

KIM MAOU CAFE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 28 - 2008

KIMMAOU01

I just read about What2See’s review on the all the nice places to eat along Lebuh Cintra but he missed out one nice hawker shop along the way. He was not the first one too as the shop which sells Fried Hor Fun looked just like any other hawker stalls in Penang. Unless the person resides within the town area, he or she would have overlooked the small stall hidden at the corner of the old coffee shop.

My friend and I paid a visit to the shop not long ago, although I had frequent the stall for takeaways all the time. We ordered a large Fried Hor Fun (RM6) with lots of freshly fried grouper meat and also a normal sized Fried Ee Foo Mee (RM4) with big fresh succulent prawns. Although the portions served were quite small, the tastes were wonderful. What mattered most was the freshness of the seafood used at the stall. In fact, majority of the patrons there would order their Snakehead Fish Rice Vermicelli Soup (Lay Hoo Bee Hoon Th’ng). If you happen to be around that area, do drop by to try them out. Here are the two dishes which we had ordered.


KIMMAOU02

KIMMAOU03

You won’t miss the shop as it is at the junction of Lorong Kampung Malabar and Lebuh Cintra. In fact the stall is the row as the famous Rice Dumpling (Bak Chang) shop. Although the shop is located at the heavy traffic area, you can easily find ample parking space along Lorong Kampung Malabar.

KIMMAOUMAP

Name: KIM MAOU CAFE
Address: Lebuh Cintra, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 5.30pm – 10.30pm
GPS: 5.418497, 100.333672

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

KEDAI KOPI KONG HENG

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 25 - 2008

KONGHENG01

With barely few hours left in Ipoh, I had a quick breakfast in one of the coffee shop along Jalan Bandar Timah upon the suggestion of my non-food blogging friend. How unfortunate… haha. Where was J2KFM when I needed him around most? LOL! Anyway the shop we went to was called Kong Heng. It used to house one of the good Ipoh Nga Choi Kai (Chicken with Beansprouts) but they original stall had moved somewhere else.

I ordered the Beef Noodles (RM6) which was supposed to be one of the best around but it did not suit my taste bud as I personally felt that there was no sweetness at all in the soup. All I get was the taste from the lots of ginger-filled meat ball and pepper taste. I would think those from Penang such as the stalls at New Lane/Macalister junction, Chulia Street/Beach Street junction, Lorong Kampung Malabar or the one at GoodAll Café, Gottlieb Road tasted even better.


KONGHENG03

Next on my list was their famous Poh Piah (RM1.70 each). I ordered the wet one as well as the fried one each to try out. Not bad as the filling was full of fried dried flounder (Phnee Hoo). I can taste the crunchiness of the flounder in every single bite. The wet Poh Piah looked somewhat like our Penang Mamak Poh Piah as the sauce is spread on top. The fried one looked like the Penang Choon Phneah but the filling was not with any crab meat or any sauce to accompany. Although the Poh Piah tasted great, I somehow still love the one in Penang along Jalan Anson (Padang Brown opposite Convent Datuk Kramat) as the Poh Piah is filled with lots of crab meat at only RM2 each.

KONGHENG04

We also ordered the Ee Mee Soup (RM3) and Shui Kow Noodle (RM3.30) but those are just normal and nothing to brag about.

KONGHENG05

KONGHENG06

To get to the shop, just drive along Jalan Bandar Timah and you will see the shop on your left between Jalan Market and Jalan Panglima.

KONGHENGMAP

Name: KEDAI KOPI KONG HENG
Address: Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 8.00am – 3.00pm
GPS: 4.596498, 101.077845

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

TANJUNG BUNGAH MARKET WAN THAN MEE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 9 - 2008

TBWANTHANMEE01

It really amazed me how an elderly couple could work almost without any rest practically every hour of the day for years without ever taking time off to relax for their old age. You got me right! They have been selling Wan Than Mee 24 hours a day for years, only taking a 10-hour break every Tuesday from 12.30am until 10.30am. Gosh! I won’t want my life to be this way when I get old. Surprisingly, they still get a lot of supporters going for their Wan Than Mee at odd time as the pricing is dirt cheap! But there’s a catch, you might have to serve yourself as the old man could be rather slow in serving as it’s a one-man business.

Out of curiosity, my friend and I went over to try out the noodles. It was cheap indeed but the taste was just average. I guessed this stall is catering to those lower income groups as well as the TAR College students staying around that area. We ordered a dry Wan Than Mee (RM2.50) each with barely a few pieces of char siew pork and a slice of fish cake. It is quite expensive for a plate of almost nothing noodles. Maybe the rest of garnishing were added into our side orders. I’m not sure about that as it was my first time there. The noodles appeared to be as below.


TBWANTHANMEE02

We ordered a bowl of Wan Than Soup (RM2). There are about 20 plus Wan Than. The soup based was fine but the filling for the Wan Than was little and a little lack of flavors.

TBWANTHANMEE02

We also ordered a plate of Fried Wan Than (RM2 for 24 pieces). Instead of waiting for the old man to serve us, we did the frying ourselves. I saw quite a few people did that.. I guessed that must be the trend there as everyone willingly helped out the old man. Well, the taste was the same. The Fried Wan Than also lack of flavors as the filling were little.

TBWANTHANMEE04

Next was the mixed vegetable (RM2) with some dark soy sauce added. As for the drinks (RM1 per glass), we made our own. You can have a choice of Chrysanthemum, Nutmeg, Rose or Keat Poh. Overall, the noodles were just average but considering the crowd and orders, I guessed there were still many compassionate people out there who loved to support this old couples.

TBWANTHANMEE05

Just drive into the Tanjung Bungah Market and you can see only one stall in the hawker centre opening up for business during the wee hours of the night. You sure won’t miss it as there will be continuous flow of people patronizing the stall each night.

TBWANTHANMEEMAP

Name: TANJUNG BUNGAH MARKET WAN THAN MEE
Address: Jalan Sungai Kelian, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 24 hours (Closed Tuesday 12.30am – 10.30am)
GPS: 5.464038, 100.284898

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 4% [?]

GUANGZHOU CAKE HOUSE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 6 - 2008

GZCAKE01

Whenever you think of having some little tarts or some finger food, you would think of having them in Dim Sum shops. Maybe you are not aware that there is this little shop along Lebuh Carnavon that sells those yummy delights fresh and hot without having to pay as much if you were to dine in a Dim Sum shop. Guangzhou Cake shop has been there for many years and is manned by a few elderly folks. They produced different type of delicacies that will suit your breakfast, lunch as well as tea needs. Some of the food are ideal if you were to have parties.


GZCAKE02

Egg Tarts, especially those mini ones are the hot items in the shop. These are normally sold out before 10am. I was so engrossed in munching my Mini Pandan Egg Tart that I totally forgot to take some shots. Quite typical of me when something that nice are laid right in front of my eyes. Anyway, you can still take a peek at those mini tarts in the photo above.

On a normal week day, the shop will produce tens of different type of delicious treats such as Egg Tarts (Mini Plain and Pandan Flavored as well as plain normal sized ones), Yam Cake, Fried Yam Cake, Radish Cake, Pineapple Tarts, Coconut Tarts, Ma Lai Gou (Pandan or Brown Sugar), Woo Tao Kok, Char Siew Buns, Siew Bao, Glutinous Rice Ball with peanut filling, Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball with peanut filling, Char Siew Sou, Or Nee, Rock Biscuit and many more yummies. Here are some of the items which I had taken shots of.

GZCAKE03

GZCAKE04

GZCAKE05

GZCAKE06

GZCAKE07

GZCAKE08

If you are coming from Prangin Mall along Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong, turn left into Lebuh Carnavon. Drive further until you have passed the second road (Lebuh Kimberley) on your left and you will see the unnamed shoplot displaying those yummy delicacies right in front of the shop. Normally, it would be an elderly lady selling those yummies. Make sure you reach there early to get the best choices or just give them a call to place your order. My recommendation would be the Mini Pandan Egg Tarts (a box of 10’s @ RM4). Make sure you consume them fast while they are fresh. Leaving them for later consumption will make the surface dry and crack.

GZCAKEMAP

Name: GUANGZHOU CAKE HOUSE
Address: 158, Lebuh Carnavon, 10100 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 016-470 3392
Opening Hours: 8.30am – 4.00pm
GPS: 5.415442, 100.334712

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

VIDEO

TAG CLOUD