A while ago someone asked me where to go for good Hokkien Mee (or Prawn Noodle for those in KL) in Bukit Mertajam 大山脚. Honestly I didn’t know because they taste pretty much the same to me. Although some were quite good, none of them was really outstanding which is worth recommending. That’s why I never blogged about Hokkien Mee.
Then I stumbled upon Ah Xian’s blog about this Hokkien Mee stall just behind the Pek Kong Cheng temple. He blogged about it last year and I am pretty sure it was shown in his popular TV show - 阿贤人情味 on AEC. It is a good thing he came because this would help to promote Bukit Mertajam to other Malaysians.
A normal bowl is RM3 with two fresh medium sized prawns, body shell removed. This makes it much easier to enjoy the prawn, you just need to remove the big prawn head. I saw him boil the prawns in the soup briefly before serving on top of the noodles. I think that helps to add more flavor to the soup. And a lot of chicken feet is also given, which is quite unusual for Penang hokkien mee. So, you better remind the boss not to include it if you are not daring enough to enjoy it. For me, I enjoyed them. The chicken feet is cooked separately braised style so it’s very soft and tasty. In overall, I feel the Hokkien mee is above average at best.
This is the boss, happily preparing the orders from the customers. You could see he is still wearing the red t-shirt given by Ah Xian’s crew lol. He is a lucky guy for being featured in Ah Xian’s eatery program and blog. No doubt it has boosted his noodles’ popularity considerably among BM lang and outstation people. Because even though your food is good, you would still need a little help from the publicity. Else, nobody would know.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Bukit Mertajam - Roast Chicken and Roast Pork Rice
13.06.2009
The stall of roast chicken and roast pork rice that I am going to introduce is a very classical and traditional stall. According to local folks this stall has been here for more then twenty years and it has been passed down from generation to generation.
The rice is prepared in a short “cylinder” shape, with the slices of roast chicken and roast pork on top. The rice is served together with the gravy which makes the rice spacial. It’s not the usual gravy that we have tasted in Penang.
The bowl which contained the rice previously was now used to serve with vegetable soup. For only RM2.80, you could enjoy this set of roast chicken and roast pork rice which I find this to be very reasonable. We won’t be able to get such deal back in Penang Island.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wantan Mee @ Tua Pek Kong Bukit Mertajam
05.06.2009
Bukit Mertajam(BM) “Tua Shua Ka” has a lot of good food to offer, the infamous duck egg Char Koay Teow which only opens at night, the Dried Hokkien Mee in Sri Sentosa, Taman Sri Rambai’s Curry Mee, BM Market’s Koay Chap etc.
In a sunny Sunday morning, there’s nothing better than enjoying a bowl of “Tok Tok Mee”. It is also known as “Tokong Noodles” as the stall operates beside a temple. It has been there since my father’s childhood, which means 50 years of business!
The name “Tok Tok Mee” cames from the process of making the noodles. Early in the morning everyday, “tok tok” sound can be heard caused by bamboo sticks hitting and pressing the noodle’s dough.
It looks like Wantan Mee soup, and tastes a little like Sarawak Mee. The noodles can be ordered in 3 different ways: dried, half-dried or in soup.
Bukit Mertajam Famous Malay Char Koay Teow
BUKIT MERTAJAM| CHAR KOAY TEOW| FOOD AND DRINK| HAWKER FOOD| PENANG STUMBLE IT!
05.06.2009
Another famous food in Bukit Mertajam (大山脚) is the Malay Char Koay Teow, or also known as Koay Teow Goreng Basah. This is the first Malay food in my food blog so you can be rest assured of its tastiness. Bukit Mertajam is the place where this variant of char koay teow originated. It is so well received that many have taken the opportunity to setup their own char koay teow stalls in Penang.
Abang Is’ Malay Char Koay Teow’s ingredients include thin flat rice noodles (koay teow), beansprouts (taugeh), egg, lots of cockles (si ham) and huge sized fresh prawns. I have to admit the presentation is not that great. It will give the first timers a “oh my god, can this be eaten?” feeling. But trust me it is really good because I was one of the skeptics lol.
I remembered a story my friend (if you are reading this, you know who you are) told me where he brought his cousin from KL to try this kueh teow basah. At first his cousin thought it would be the regular Penang or KL char koay teow. So, he had this priceless OMG look on his face when the koay teow arrived.. But after he took the first mouthful, there’s no stopping for him. And he kept saying “wah, not bad wor”. Haha, that’s funny.
Usually when people talk about char koay teow in Penang, they will relate it with the Chinese. So, when I was told its a Malay version and basah (wet) some more, I didn’t even consider to try, like my friend’s cousin. But after listening to many good reviews about it even from my friends I decided to try it before leaving for Cyberjaya. Else, there won’t be any chance of reviewing it in the next few years to come.
The many cockles and prawns are the biggest contributor to the koay teow’s tastiness. From the looks it may seem like it should taste sourish like tomato sauce, because of the gravy’s color. But in fact it’s sweet. Sweet here doesn’t mean sugar that type of sweet, it’s more of the seafood’s sweetness. A usual plate costs RM3 and comes with 4 big prawns! The special one @ RM5 like the one I had has more koay teow, an extra fried egg and 5 prawns. It is so good I even finished all the gravy!
This stall used to be a small push cart manned by two guys only. The good business has helped it to grow into a small restaurant and now hires a few people to do the cooking. Opposite the restaurant would be Bukit Mertajam’s post office, it’s pink. Can you see it? Using the post office would be the easiest way to find this place. Or you can also look beside the old court house next to Telekom Malaysia.
Another stall I went is located in front of Courts Mammoth opposite AIA building, their koay teow is not bad too. The only difference I noticed is the thicker gravy. So, it’s up to your personal preferences.
Although the business is not as good as Abang Is’, it has managed to build up its own loyal customers.
Because of the dark photo, this is another one I took away from the same stall as above. Just to show its original color. I bought it for my sister and mother who were both curious about it. And if you didn’t know, Ah Xian from AEC came to Bukit Mertajam not long ago to promote this. Take a look at his review too if you can understand Chinese.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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