Last day in Penang: Street food opposite Traders Hotel

Before you groan, “Not another Penang post!”, this is the FINAL post on our June ’09 Penang trip.

We were supposed to leave our hotel at 3pm to catch our flight back to Singapore. Because we had a late, big breakfast, we still weren’t hungry by 2pm. However, I was determined to squeeze in one more meal before leaving Penang!

Plate of fried fritters (3 pieces for RM2.20) & red bean soup, RM1.00

The day before, based on CK Lam’s recommendation, we went to an alley along Magazine Road. It’s at the traffic light junction opposite Trader’s Hotel. However, it was already evening, and the stalls had already closed. This time, we were lucky. All the stalls were open!

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枪摊大行动 2, Buzzing Cashier 2: Fried Hokkien mee

On the same day I bought muffins from Bliss Haven, I also checked out the 枪摊 Fried Hokkien mee stall (the stallowner is a single mom with a teenage son). I do enjoy this series for its entertainment value (the episode where that tattooed dude Jason withdrew was damn drama, right??!!). And even though recipes aren’t revealed, we can still pick up some cooking tips from the chef.

Fried Hokkien mee, S$3.00

Anyway, back to the food. I rather enjoyed it. It’s the dark sauce stewed type of fried Hokkien mee. I think the selling point is the noodles. The texture is unique, different from the usual flat Hokkien yellow noodles. It’s soft but QQ (al dente) and bouncy at the same time. There’s also no strong alkaline taste. Quite similar to udon, actually. This kind of noodle isn’t commonly found; mentor chef Eric Teo made special arrangements for it to be supplied to this stall.

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Huat Heng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

There’s this little hawker centre in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 that comes alive in the evening. Yup, they do mostly dinner and supper business. A few stalls are familiar haunts of the residents in the area, like this fried Hokkien prawn noodle stall.

Fried Hokkien prawn noodle, S$3.00

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Peranakan lunch buffet @ Spices Cafe, Concorde Hotel

Since the airing of The Little Nyonya, there’s been a revival of all things Peranakan, particularly food. Even this year’s Singapore Food Festival’s (July 17 – 26) focus is on Peranakan cuisine. In support of the Singapore Food Festival 2009, Spices Cafe at Concorde Hotel is spotlighting Peranakan dishes for its weekday lunch buffet in July and August.

The Peranakan dishes on bain marie section.

82-year-old Baba Jolly Wee, a renowned Peranakan cooking expert, was specially invited to helm Spices Cafe for this authentic and traditional Peranakan spread.

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Aung Myanmar Food

Let’s take a break from the Penang trip posts! I was surprised to see a new stall at this Clementi coffee shop which we drop by from time to time. Then again, I’m happy that Myanmar cuisine is making its presence in the HDB heartland. I’m still discovering Myanmar cuisine, and the more I do, the more I find myself liking it.

Coconut chicken noodles, S$2.50.

The coconut chicken noodles is Hokkien noodles in thick coconut curry sauce, topped with chickpea fritter and crackers, and a couple of chicken cubes. The sauce is thick, smooth, and mildly spicy, but definitely too salty, especially when paired with yellow noodles that’s also salty.

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Crystal Jade Kitchen (Ngee Ann City)

This place really doesn’t need any more endorsement; it’s filled to full capacity nearly all the time, so much so that they have a queue number system!

It was only 12pm on Saturday, and already, the restaurant was full. But we didn’t mind waiting as we were first in the queue.

Steamed pork rib in black bean sauce, S$3.50.

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Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun

Fried wanton Ipoh hor fun, S$3.00.

This stall was a serendipitous find that’s surprisingly good! We were here to grab a quick meal and were wondering what to eat when I spied some tables having these irresistible-looking fried wantons and Ipoh hor fun.

My hunch was right! The golden, crispy wantons were delicious! Instead of minced pork, they were stuffed with a bouncy paste of minced fish and chicken. Tastier and smoother than the conventional pork version!

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Bi bim myun (instant ramen with sweet spicy sauce)

Bi bim = mix, myun = noodles.

We hardly eat instant noodles at home, keeping some packs only for emergency situations, but I must confess to having a soft spot for Korean instant ramyun.

Especially popular among Korean kids is this non-soupy, dry version. It’s a cold noodle dish — instant ramyun boiled, drained, cooled, and then dressed in sweet, vinegary gochujang (hot chilli paste).

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