Champ's by Mr Chardonnay

This place obviously does not need any further introduction as it is highly reputable for its "luxurious" version of the Penang Prawn Mee (known as Hokkien Mee in Penang). Luxurious because it comes with huge chunks of pork ribs, cooked nicely in a superior prawn base soup with a premium pricing of RM 21! Anyhow, Smooth Aji and I, who both grew up in Penang decided to stroll over to Champ's yesterday night to try out their other Penang delicacies instead. For the uninformed, Champ's is located on the 1st floor of CenterPoint Shopping Centre at Bandar Utama.

Smooth Aji decided to have the Fried Flat Noodles (more commonly known as Char Koay Teow) whilst yours truly decided to have the Soya Sauce Pork Stew (otherwise known as Tau Eu Bak) which is a traditional Hokkien home made dish. Since I am still pretty new to this whole food blogging thing, I forgot to bring a camera with me and hence the photos appended with this write-up are from my mobile. Apologies in advance if the picture quality does not do justice to the actual food :P.

The "Char Koay Teow" was definitely loaded with an array of ingredients. In fact, I commented to Smooth Aji that the ingredients seemed more than the flat noodle itself, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Now, both Smooth Aji and I think that the best "Char Koay Teow" is the one dished out by the notorious "Goggles Lady" at Lorong Selamat, Penang, so we do have a certain level of expectation on our "Char Koay Teow". This one is seriously quite decent by our standards, the flat noodles were skillfully fried with the flurry of ingredients- heaps of cockles, prawns, shredded crab meat, bean sprouts, egg, chives and chinese sausages (lap cheong). Of course, the chef also used quite a substantial amount of lard which definitely enhances the flavour of this dish but it is something that Smooth Aji and I carefully tried to avoid from swallowing. The unique ingredient that we discovered that differentiated this "Char Koay Teow" with the regular ones is that it comes with "Chai Por" which is the hokkien phrase for pickled radish , commonly found in fried egg dishes to go with Teow Chew porridge as well as fried rice flour cakes ("Char Koay Kark"), which is another Penang Hawkers' treasure. The version at Champ's probably cannot compete with the one cooked by the "Goggles Lady" as it was fried over a gas stove whilst the quintessential art of the "Goggles Lady" lies with the fact that she painstakingly fries her "Char Koay Teow' over charcoal stove in individual portions. Nevertheless, the "Char Koay Teow" at Champ's is definitely worth a try.

Next up, was the "Tau Eu Bak" which is not commonly available in Restaurants, even in Penang as it is very much a cook-at-home kind of dish for the Hokkien people. They were very generous with the chunks of pork and one good thing for me was, there were minimal visible fat on the pork in the stew (however, most people might disagree with me as I noticed a fair bit of people do enjoy the fatty pork when it comes to this dish). This dish typically comes with whole Chinese mushrooms and hard boiled egg and the one at Champ's is no exception. Two other must have ingredients in cooking this dish are whole garlics and whole white peppers. Though I detected the taste of garlic and pepper, I think the dish would have been a touch better if there were more whole garlics and peppers. Nevertheless, I would still say that this dish is definitely tasty by general standards.

The "Tau Eu Bak" was served with a plate of piping hot rice, accompanied by a simple cucumber salad (dressed with chili paste and lime juice) and "sambal belacan". The "sambal belacan" adds an interesting twist to the meal and makes the entire dish even more appetizing. However, I did not like the cucumber salad as somehow the dressing did not quite complement the cucumbers and furthermore, the cucumbers did not taste fresh either.

As the portions were generally huge to justify the premium pricing (RM 17 for the "Char Koay Teow" and RM 21 for the "Tau Eu Bak"), both Smooth Aji and I were full to the brim at the end of the dinner, coupled with the fact that we decided to wash down the food with two mugs of beer each :). My verdict is that both dishes definitely warrants a try and rates quite highly in terms of authenticity and taste -this coming from a Penangite himself!

Ban Chen Kuih, Penang

We were so full from dinner at 747 cafe, but piglets that we were, we needed the dessert. Ok, maybe that's just my excuse...haha

Another family haunt for Ryan's family (and extended family) for after dinner dessert, we reached rather late..about 10:30? Most of the stalls at this corner has closed, except for the Ban Chen Kuih stall, the thong sui stall next door and the local kuih stall.

We ordered the Original (RM0.80) and Peanut (RM0.60) flavour The skin was very crunchy and had the lovely santan-ish and eggy flavour. The centre is slightly thicker than usual, giving the ban chen kuih another level of texture..soft and spongy, rather than crunchy all the way. They were really generous with the filling too..there were ample crush peanuts, corn, dessicated coconut and margerine..making this ban chen kuih really delicious.

After 2 ban chen kuih each, I spotted the tauke cracking some eggs into the ban chen kuih that another customer order.

Curiosity got the better of me; I wanted to try it..Fresh from the pan..egg ban chen (RM1.30). This is really good. A slightly savoury flavour of the egg matched the sweets to perfection. Wonder if I can find this in KL?

The Ban Chen Kuih stall is located inside Kompleks Pasar & Balai Bayan Baru, Jalan Lintang Mayang Pasir 3. Next to Sunshine Square, on the way to Bayan Lepas.

747 Cafe, Penang

From the bad tasting durian, we prepped ourselves for a sumptuous dinner...

Cafe 747 was rather hard to find as the road and signage was so badly lighted; we didnt realise that we drove pass this eatery 2 times before we saw it..

Located inside YMCA Building, it was nearing 9 pm when we walked in.

Most of the diners were already busily tucking into their meals or were leaving the restuarant already. We were quickly seated and after a few recommendations from the waitress, we waited for ous dinner..

Luckily for us, the wait was short..

We had asparagus stir fried with sambal and prawns.. This is very scrumptious, the asparagus was young, hence it was crunchy and very sweet. The sauce which is spicy and sourish goes really well with the asparagus and the prawns..

The Guiness Stout pork ribs..Seriously, I could not really detect any guiness stout in this dish. It tasted like marmite pork ribs. The pork ribs were tender and juicy, the flavours were a little different from those I've tried in Klang Valley though. Quite tasty.

The waitress recommended the Salad Yu Char Kuey..And we got this. Not impressive at all, as the salad was a big portion of coleslaw. And the yu char kuey was stuffed with fish paste, which have a weird lingering after taste. Dont like this dish.

The star of the night..

The Assam Fish Head

Looks very pretty and rather impressive. We got a humonguous fish head, topped with thick assam gravy. The sauce was sour and spicy; very appetising to have it with white rice. All of us love the sauce, as it was really good.

Last dish was the belacan chicken..It was deep fried, very crunchy fried chicken. The belacan flavour was not there though; It was more like ayam goreng kampung. Some of my friends find the belacan chicken too hard and over fried..

Total bill was RM97.20. Overall, a satisfying meal.

747 Cafe is located inside Bangunan Y.M.C.A, 211-B, Jalan Macalister, 10450 Penang. Tel: 04-229 6897. You can park in the YMCA Building, walk in and look for this entrance (quite easily missed too)

Joo Hooi Cafe, Penang

After the sumptuous loh bak brunch, we went along Jalan Penang as Ryan had some errands to run..

And since we were parked so near Joo Hooi Cafe, it was inevitable that we sat down for some ice cold cendol and a bowl of assam laksa...

This old coffee shop oozes nostalgic charm like no other. Everything seems to be in the 1970s, except for the music which fills the air..well, that might be from the 40s to 60s..hehe

Some cendol for the sweet tooth.. The shaved ice, gula melaka syrup and creamy coconut milk combo does wonders to cool us down on a very hot afternoon.Very nice indeed. Oh, we did not managed to eat the very famous cendol stall that was located just outside of Joo Hooi Cafe. We thought we ordered from the stall, but after a while we realised that we had the cendol from the coffee shop as this bowl is larger. Not much difference actually.

The assam laksa..Not the best I've tried, but it was ok. The soup was thick with loads of fish and have it piping hot; it's quite satisfying.

Joo Hooi Cafe is located at the junction of Penang Road and Lebuh Kheng Khee. About 5 mins from Komtar building.

Kheng Pin Cafe, Penang Road, Penang

For breakfast, we'll have loh bak, Ryan told us
I thought he was joking, I mean who takes loh bak for breakfast?
Maybe I was the oddball here...


Apparently everyone eating at Kheng Pin Cafe eats loh bak for breakfast..

Ryan went to select the food while we waited patiently..
Would you look at that? Gosh, such sinful food in the morning...

We had a mixture of stuff..

The loh bak was crispy on the outside and the meat was well marinated, tender and juicy. Really delicious. So was the prawn fritters had more prawns that flour so it was lovely as it was really flavourful. The squids were fresh and the batter, light. The fried plain tau foo and filled taufoo were also good. Dip all these into the sticky sweet sauce and the chilli sauce, very lip smacking indeed.

Some CKT to fill our stomach..Tasted rather mediocre after the loh bak...kakaka

Ryan said that this loh bak stall has been operating for 30 years and is famed in Penang. I'm not surprised though as it's utterly delicious:)

The loh bak stall is located in Kheng Pin Cafe (it's actually an old kopitiam), corner shoplot. At the T junction of Jalan Sri Baharin and Jalan Penang. Opposite Hotel Oriental.Very near Cititel Hotel.

Terubong Seafood, Paya Terubong, Penang

Our first dinner in Penang was located at a rather secluded area; well, it seemed rather far and secluded to me anyways :). It was the only shop that was brimming with activities as the rest of the shops were closed in the evening..

We were lucky to get a table immediately..

The choice of seafood were ordered right at the 'kitchen' (or tai chow place) located right at the entrance of the restaurant..

The steamed fish with assam sauce was lip smacking

The fish was very fresh, the meat texture was firm and cooked to the right time and the sauce..well, it was totally seductive. It was somewhat like a mix of chinese and malay sauces; there's blended chilli padi, sour plum sauce, lime; the sauce was spicy and burning my tongue but I just can stop eating this. Very addictive.

We noticed lots of tables having the small promprets, hence we ordered too..It was served deep fried, with some fish sauce and lime juice combo. The prompets goes very well with the sauce, the fish were crispy that we could eat the fins and tails too. The meat managed to retain it's juiciness although it's deep fried.

The balitong was next..

The sauce was excellent; but I wished I knew how to eat balitong. Lily, WF and I tried really hard trying to get the meat out from balitongs..but seems like we'll never succeed..Ryan's the pro here..

Some fried rice for that carbs we're missing..Though it looks simple; fried rice with garlic, eggs and topped with fried anchovies, this is also very tasty. The rice was full of wok hei and accompanied by their special sauce again (the same used for the steamed fish), I really enjoyed every mouthful of this.

The steamed squids came in a lovely snow white..So pretty. Lightly drizzled with bits of garlic oil. The squids were so fresh, sweet and springy. Delicious. Again served with their secret sauce.

The kam heong prawns..I was surprised that they allowed us to order( and willing to cook) just 4 prawns for 4 of us. Large prawns nonetheless. About the size of my palm. Another scrumptious dish, other than the really fresh prawns, the kam heong sauce is a little different from those in Klang Valley. Very yummy.
Some lady's fingers cooked in banana leaf. Very spicy but lovely.

By then, we were so stuffed, but there's still grilled sting ray..

Grilled with the same secret sauce (maybe with some additional concoction), it was really good. The stingray meat, grilled on the banana leafs, absorbed the aroma wonderfully. Though it was smothered with the spicy sauce, the flesh is still very juicy and we could still taste the sweetness of the fish.

Total bill was RM119.50 (including many cups of drinks)

Terubong Seafood is located at 1238T, Taman Indah, Paya Terubong, Penang. Tel: 04-855 0903. H/p: 012-4103303. Bits of direction I managed to jot down on the way there..you'll see SRK Batu Lancang on your right, drive straight on. Pass SMK George Town, Sekolah Teknik. You'll see cemetary on your left. Drive on, take first turning left. You'll see union hotel (cemetary), drive straight, reach Y junction, turn right and keep a look out on your right, Terubong Restaurant is on your right.

Char Kuey Teow, Lorong Selamat, Penang

This is so famous; I should not be writing about it.

Then again, I was there. And I made my friends wait while I took photos...

Yes, I am talking about the famous red beret-huge goggles combo char kuey teow lady; who's either hated or liked (love is too strong of a word for this..hehe).

I wonder why Goggles Lady stir up such emotions in people; one of my uni friend hated her arrogance and swore never, ever to eat her char kuey teow for the rest of his life. Another friend hated waiting and queueing under the hot for some char kuey teow; while others find it utterly ridiculous paying RM6 for a plate of CKT..

Of course on the flip side, she has legions of fans, who swore her CKT is the best they have ever had...

Me? Well, I wont say I'm a fan, but I cant deny that she does whip up a darn delicious CKT. Most people say you'd get swayed by the plump, sweet, juicy prawns to say it's good.

But I rarely eat the prawns until I'm halfway down my CKT. Usually, I'd enjoy the CKT on it's own before eating the other ingredients. I like my CKT to be on the dry side; but the kuey teow should remain springy, with good wok hei and have garlicky bits to it. Goggles lady outdid it by adding crushed and small chunks of zhu yau char; stir frying with the kuey teow; giving it a lovely fragrance and crispy texture with each bite. Sliced waxed sausages, fresh clams and juicy beansprouts completes this good plate of CKT.

Lily and WF loved it. Ryan refused to take a bite. I like it. Think it's really delicious. But is this the best? Well, I'm keeping that space empty in my list.. for now..

Oh, by the way, to those who hated to queue for Goggles lady's CKT, fret not. She has moved her stall to a new kopitiam..the waiters takes orders and serves us..This famous CKT starts at RM6 (small plate).

Penang Cravings, Damansara Jaya

It was a lazy, lazy sunday.

We were at Atria Shopping Centre, I wanted to grab some books and groceries..

SL and Bollywood Queen called and decided to join us, and since we have yet to try Penang Cravings ......

We got ourselves a nice, cosy corner and checked out the menu..Very much reminds me of Penang Village actually..

Got some snacks of Nyonya Pie Tee..Pretty good; the shells were crunchy, the usual filling of turnips and carrots topped with a bit of twist..sliced crab stick and cashew..

Chicken Lorbak..Average. Meat was rather dry and lacked flavour..

I had Char Mee Suah. I think they've forgotten the salt.

SL's Prawn mee. Again, it's average.

Jane had Hokkien Char with Oysters..Definitely better than SL's and mine.

Jane seemed to enjoy it.

Bollywood Queen's Char Hor Fun... Since hers was served last, she kinda gobbled it down. When asked about the taste, It was just okay..BQ said in her haughtiest fake bristish accent. Oh the drama :p

The Lemon Barley was nice..and quite pleasing to the eye..

Total bill: RM56. Food was average though..

Penang Cravings is located at Atria Shopping Centre, Lot G-B, G1- G2, Ground floor, Jln SS22/23, Damansara Jaya, PJ.