New Lane hawker centre, Penang…avoid this place like a leech-infested swamp

People usually don’t have high expectations from hawker centres. Hot and delicious will do.

New Lane used to be a street food paradise with concentrations of about 50 street side food vendors. USED TO BE!! By all that is holy and good in the world, I say unto you, eat anywhere else in Penang, except at New Lane. For nostalgia reason, I went there recently, and, oh my, I paid the price. The food is, simply, diabolical. It is probably the worst, most overpriced and inedible food I’ve endured in all my visits to Penang since my first trip twenty eight years ago.

The good: the congee with pigs innards was decent. But lest we get lulled into complacency, the texture of the congee was more like porridge than congee.

The bad: The char kway teow was perversely bad, chewy and insipid and completely devoid of “wok hei”- the flavour imparted by a flaming wok.

The bladdy horrible: The gummy or chien (oyster omelette) contained a lot of starch but hardly any egg and very few oysters. One spoonful of it and you realise it was probably not intended for human consumption. The viciously overcooked ikan bakar (chargrilled fish) was dry and totally inedible that I took one bite and then leave untouched.

I have to stop writing this review, my blood pressure is thru the roof just thinking about that pathetic place. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Malaysian food street, Singapore…quality has markedly declined

I loved this place when it first opened…not sure if my taste buds matured or the quality has markedly declined?

Despite its name and marketing, nothing about Malaysian Food Street, is Malaysian anymore. Lest anyone think me an unbiased observer, let me dissuade you of that notion. The whole concept of Malaysian Food Street is an affront to me. Malaysia is my country of birth and I’ll admit I’m touchier than most.

Using udon noodle makes the KL hokkien mee no longer brilliant and the Penang Prawn Noodle Soup has absolutely lost its magic. The Penang char koay teow has seen better days.

Those who remember its glory days, though, may be particularly prone to thinking it “doesn’t sparkle” nowadays. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Hiong Hiong Char Kway Teow @ Batu Lanchang Food Complex, Penang…shadow char kway teow

Whip me with a wet noodle, if you must. I suppose I deserve some kind of penance for the following confessions: It looks OK, and tastes OK, but it’s shadow char kway teow.  It really isn’t the same char kway teow from Lorong Selamat or MacAlister Roundabout.  It’s a shadow of that char kway teow. In a word, it was LOUSY.

The good stir-fried flat rice noodles, popularly called char kway teow, usually has a robust flavour, smoky aroma and is low in oil. The cockles and prawns are well-fried but not rubbery, and the thick noodles pack bounce and spring. The one at Hiong Hiong is none of the above. Not good. There is an extreme lack of flavour.

I’m pretty sure I won’t ever be going back.  There are plenty of better locations for solid mediocre and above average char kway teow in Penang. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Penang Place Restaurant, Singapore….as good as being in Penang

Penang is an island best known as Malaysia’s unofficial food capital. After many trips to Penang, I am hooked on the food and this restaurant is as good as being there.

The buffet line was quite expansive – 30 specialties. There’re hits and misses, with the Penang Fried Koay Teow faring very very well, while the desserts and Assam Laksa less so. This is a no pork no lard restaurant, but the char koay teow, is a winner – not oily but equally fragrant with that smoky flavour as any others around and topped with generous amounts of fresh and big sized prawns and cockles. The nasi lemak was just ok. The rice was not particularly fragrant but the rending was very tender, though a tad too spicy. The curry chicken is also a must try. The assam laksa was a DIY station but sad to say, this dish was not up to par. I actually enjoyed DIY-ing my own rojak because I decide what goes into the mix: cucumber, pineapple, guava and starfruit.

Being an ex-Malaysian, I would say this is the closest to authentic Penang food you will get in Singapore. I had to waddle out of the restaurant stuffed to the eyeballs, moaning that I could never, ever, possibly eat another thing. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Kafe Heng Huat @ Lorong Selamat, Penang…what can I say, apart from…..just go and try for yourself

If heaven exists,  there will be a plate of char kway teow always waiting for me. Most of my Penang friends wouldn’t recommend this place because of its high pricing and bad, arrogant, grumpy service. I got to say, I haven’t experience this myself but it’s maybe because I don’t go very often. Char Kway Teow, which stands for “stir fried rice flat noodles” is big in Penang. Do not be confused, char kway teow or otherwise also known as Char Koay Teow, Fried Koay Teow, Char Kuih Teow, Fried Kway Teow noodles are all one and the same.

Now let’s get down to business: the food. The char kway teow  here are served with succulent plump juicy and crunchy prawns, fresh and big cockles, bean sprouts, chives and chunks of crispy pork lard. The tasty and relative moist kway teow was filled with smoky wok hei (loosely translated: “breath of the wok”) essence and fragrance from the usage of charcoal fire and pork lard and a testimony to a well-seasoned wok.

One may argue there are many other Char Kway Teow stalls which are better, cheaper and friendlier than this one. But there’s no doubt her Char Kway Teow is one of the best in Penang. Hey, I am hungry already just writing this! This is the true truth as I say it as it is…