CRIZ BON APPETITE

savoring the best in town…

SHABU SHABU ON A RAINY DAY?

Posted by Criz Lai On October - 8 - 2009

It was a cold and chilly afternoon, thus Steven and I decided to go food hunting for something hot that would warm up our bodies. We ended up at a corner café located along Jalan Perak for our lunch. Was our meal Shabu Shabu? Well, not exactly but the beef slices was indeed thinly sliced and there was the hot pot that was solely manned by the ever smiling boss, Mr. Tiger. Yup, we were at the 2828 Café Famous Beef Koay Teow Soup stall.

On top of those few famous beef noodles stalls in Penang, this stall also has its own loyal followers. You can practically see that the whole café would be packed during lunch time and majority of the patrons would go for the beef noodles. There are so many beef parts available here which you could select for your bowl of soup. The soup base here would be of a clearer and milder herb version compared to the rest and one thing you can be sure of is that it would not contain too heavy beef taste. Your bowl of beef soup (as low as RM6) can go well with your bowl of rice (RM0.60).

Another option you can have here would be the selected ingredients taken with noodles. There are two types available here, namely the yellow noodles (mee) and flat noodles (koay teow). Each bowl would cost as low as RM6.

There’s one thing that I find rather inappropriate for my bowl of beef noodles – the condiment. It was too chili sauce sweet like. I rather have my beef slices dipped into a blended version of red chilies, garlic and ginger. At least that would cut down on the strong taste of certain beef parts.

Overall, this is still a great place for those who do not like their beef soup to be overpowering with herbs and beefy taste and the price here is still reasonable for all. Do also watch out for my next post on what to get from the same café during dinner time – affordable home cooked dishes at Kim Hooi Seafood stall.

It’s easy to find the stall as it is located at a corner lot of Perak Plaza, Jalan Perak. The easiest way to reach the place from town would be by using Jalan Macalister (as you would not be able to turn right from Jalan Dato Keramat). Drive all the way until you see the Jalan Macalister/Jalan Anson traffic lights (EON Automobile Showroom on your left). Turn left into Jalan Anson and drive all the way until you see the Jalan Anson/Jalan Perak T-junction traffic lights. Turn right into Jalan Perak and keep left. You can see the corner café immediately after a stretch of the General Hospital Officers’ residence on your left. Turn left into Jalan Lim Khoon Huat and park your car along the service road in front of the Perak Plaza.

Name: 2828 CAFÉ FAMOUS BEEF KOAY TEOW
Address: 56K, Perak Plaza, Jalan Perak, 10460 Penang, Malaysia.
Business Hours: 10.30am-3.00pm (Closed Monday)
Contact: 012-450 8177 (Mr. Tiger)
GPS: 5.416874, 100.316519

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (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: 7.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 27% [?]

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET WAN THAN MEE @ KEDAI KOPI KEAN LAI SENG

Posted by Criz Lai On November - 3 - 2008

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Nowadays, Braised Beef Brisket Wan Than Mee, a Cantonese delicacy, is getting to be quite scare in the list of hawker food available in Penang. The younger generation of hawkers today barely wanted to continue with this traditional yet delicious dish as it involved a lot of preparations. Choices of beef, mainly the brisket part (the lower chest area, above the shank, which overlies the sternum, ribs and connecting costal cartilages), were braised in some spices (eg. fermented red beancurd, fermented soy bean, etc.) until the meat became soft and tender. The braised beef is then topped on your chosen noodles with some soup broth.

Braised Beef Brisket Wan Than Mee (RM5) also known as Ngau Lam Mee has a more herbal taste compared to the usual beef noodles. Recently, I brought Steven and Allen to try out this dish in Georgetown area. You can opt for either the thick or thin Wan Than Mee noodles.


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If you are not adventurous to try out the Braised Beef Brisket Wan Than Mee, you can always choose to have the plain Wan Than Mee served with Char Siew and Chicken slices or you can even order an additional bowl of Shui Kow Soup (RM3 for 5 pcs). But I can assure you that the soup does not have the overpowering taste of beef, neither is the braised beef brisket.

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It is very easy to find this stall as it is strategically located along the roadside of Jalan Kampung Malabar off the main road of Jalan Penang. If you are coming from Upper Penang Road, just keep to your left. You would pass Jalan Chulia (Opposite Odean Theatre which aired Tamil movies). Just turn in the road on your left after that. You can see there is another coffee shop by the name of Kedai Kopi Ho Ping at the junction. The stall is just on your right next to this coffee shop.

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Name:
BRAISED BEEF BRISKET WAN THAN MEE
@ KEDAI KOPI KEAN LAI SENG
Address: 55, Lorong Kampung Malabar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 11.00am – 8.00pm (Closed Monday)
GPS: 5.419103, 100.332319

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (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: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 2% [?]

MEE MANJA

Posted by Criz Lai On October - 17 - 2008

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I have reviewed Mee Manja when I first started on food blogging but I guessed not many would have known about its existence except those regular customers. Manja is the Malay word for “Pampered”. You would have asked why the name “Pampered Noodles”? You might have interpreted it wrongly as that’s the family name for the cook cum owner Encik Aman Manja. He had followed his father and uncle as early as 13 years old when they were located just opposite the recently relocated premise at Jalan Hutton. For over 40 years and 3 generations, Encik Aman has served thousands of loyal customers with his delicious Mee Goreng and Mee Soup. Encik Aman is in fact the elder brother of the famous CRC Mee Goreng stall located in a coffee shop next to Dorsett Hotel, Jalan Larut, Penang.

While most of the Mee Goreng stalls in Penang are using the modern technology to blend their ingredients, Encik Aman believed in using the traditional way to grind his ingredients with the old fashion Batu Giling (Metate Millstone). According to him, that would preserve the original taste of the blended items. Mee Manja’s style of cooking the noodles is totally different compared to the rest. Their noodles (Mee, Bee Hoon or Koay Teow) are more towards the salty chicken bones soup based flavor, whether fried or soup. You can opt for plain, chicken, beef or mixed meat too. If you do not want spiciness, you would have to inform him.

The Chicken/Beef Mee Soup (RM4) is the most popular in his stall as you can taste the sweetness from the chicken stock. This is really good for eat in. Takeaway would make it soggy.


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Somehow, I preferred his Beef/Chicken Mee Goreng (RM4). I felt that the amount of spiciness and taste was just right for me. I do not even have to squeeze any lime juice or sprinkle any vinegar soy sauce served with fresh cut green chillies as provided.

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Encik Aman is quite a sociable and friendly person. You can ask him anything in English or Bahasa Malaysia. Finding the place now would be easier compared to previously. His shop is just on your right at the traffic lights between Jalan Penang and Jalan Hutton. Parking might be a problem as it is illegal to park next to a traffic light. You may opt to park your car at his previous shop at Lebuh Clarke or Lebuh Dicken (next to Mydin Supermarket) and walk to his shop.

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Name: MEE MANJA
Address: 1 Jalan Hutton, 10050 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 5.00pm – 11.00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Contact: 016-480 3568 (Encik Aman)
GPS: 5.419022, 100.331483

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: 9/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 2% [?]

CHICKEN/BEEF MEE GORENG AND MEE REBUS

Posted by Criz Lai On April - 28 - 2008

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There are so many different versions of Mee Goreng and Mee Rebus around town. It could be in tomato puree, lemon grass spices, dried squid or prawn flavor and even beef/mutton soup based. Most people would not notice the differences but I did as the noodles are cooked by different races in Penang, namely the Indians, Malays, Chinese and Indian Muslims (Mamak). If you are in for the not the normal tomato based Mee Goreng or Rebus, you should visit this place along Lebuh Clarke. This Malay guy has been selling his version of noodles for years, same as his brother (the former famous CRC Mee Goreng stall, now located in a coffee shop next to Dorsett Hotel, Jalan Larut).

The noodles (Mee, Bee Hoon or Koay Teow), whether fried or soup are cooked with thick bone soup. The sweet fragrance taste the soup will all be seeped into the noodle, giving it that tasty flavor. You can opt for either chicken or beef to be cooked with your noodles. Each plate will cost RM4. If you are a big eater, do ask for extra noodles. Please take note that you have to ask for non-spicy if you do not take chilly. All noodles will come served with fresh cut green chillies with lime and soy sauce.


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Most people would order the soup based noodles as they love the taste of the soup. Drop in there to enjoy your freshly cooked noodles, take away would not taste that good when cold. Getting there is easy. As you move along Jalan Larut (KFC Larut Road branch) towards the town center, you will reach a traffic light. Drive ahead and you will see a road on your left. The stall is just on the left. Prominent landmarks – a Nasi Kandar shop at the junction and Eden Steakhouse diagonally opposite the road. Please refer to the map for a clearer idea of the location.

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Name: MEE MANJA @ KEDAI KOPI CLG
Address: Lebuh Clarke, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 5.00pm – 11.00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Contact: 016-480 3568 (En. Aman)
GPS: 5.420195, 100.330775

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: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 6/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: unranked [?]

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