Kedai Kopi New Cathay at Pulau Tikus, Penang - Breakfast at Penang Rat Island

Kedai Kopi New Cathay (New Cathay Coffee Shop), located at 425-E, Burmah Road in Pulau Tikus area is famous for its variety of delicious local non-halal Chinese street food. To be more exact, the coffee shop is at the intersection between Burmah Road (Jalan Burmah) and Kucing Lane (Lorong Kucing).

Opened for breakfast, this coffee shop is known as "Sin Kwok Tai" in Penang Hokkien or   新國泰茶室 . Here, you can find Curry Mee/Noodles, Penang Prawn Mee/Noodles, Penang Hokkien Mee, Penang Char Koay Teow, Fried Fish Meat Beehoon Soup, Koay Chiap With Duck Meat, Pan Cakes, Chee Cheong Fun, Eggs with Buttered Toast, Apom Manis and Roti Babi .

The kopitiam is always full and it is difficult to find parking.

Here's the stall that sells pan cakes.

Just look at the bunches of fresh bananas hanging beside his stall and you can guess that Banana Pancake is his best seller. The banana pancake comes with raisins and a sprinkle of white sesame seeds.

It is difficult to find an empty table here. You may need to share tables. Some customers don't even mind standing while having their meal! We waited a long time to be served because quite a number of customers were ordering takeaway too. But never mind the waiting, it was fun filling up our stomachs with the many varieties of food available here. 

“Kedai Kopi New Cathay at Pulau Tikus, Penang - Breakfast at Penang Rat Island”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com

This is Apom Manis or Indian styled pancake made the traditional way.
The apom isn’t too sweet. It is fluffy and crispy. The taste is just right.
The best part is that it is served on a real banana leaf. I love this!

The first time I tried Penang Apom was at a stall parked in front of another coffee shop in Pulau Tikus many years ago. The stall belonged to a Chinese guy. I can never forget the experience. It tasted so good that we even "ta pau" (takeaway) some to enjoy in the car during the journey home. Thereafter after each trip to Penang, we would try to allocate some time in search of THE APOM Stall! Unfortunately, we couldn't locate the same stall anymore as we cannot remember the exact location. Now, whenever I visit Penang, I always have this craving for apom and it is difficult to leave Penang Island without tasting apom. Yes, the apom sold here is really different and special!

This apom peddler parks his stall along Lorong Kucing, beside Kedai Kopi New Cathay in Pulau Tikus. S. Ravindran and wife have been selling apom manis for more than 15 years. Their son is here today because it is a school off-day. Just look at how Mrs Ravi can manage 6 apom stoves cooking simultaneously in one go!

They use non-stick pans (woks) and the apom is cooked over a charcoal stove. The main ingredients in the batter are eggs and santan (coconut milk). The apam is served on real banana leaves and this applies to dine-in as well as takeaways. The "kiosk" or workstation is actually a modified trishaw.

The stall is opened from Monday to Saturday from 7am to 1pm.

He's still young but already helping mom and dad in the family business.

Both of them are shy but friendly.

On the way to New Cathay Coffee Shop, we passed by this beautiful landmark; Church of the Immaculate Conception just next to Pulau Tikus Convent school. This was because our car was parked at quite a distance away.

The signage in the picture below reads:

Father Jacques Chastan - Saint

4th Parish Priest of Immaculate Conception Church

From 1830-1833

21st Sept 1839 - Martyred in Korea

6th May 1984 - The only parish priest in Malaysia

Declared a Saint by Pope John Paul II.

St. Chastan, pray for us.

Pulau Tikus, meaning "rat island" is an affluent district in Georgetown, Penang named after an island of the same name located off the north-eastern coast of Penang island.  Pulau Tikus island is shaped like a rat, hence the name. 

There has been a lot of development in this area with mansions, bungalows, high-end condominiums as well as colonial buildings and pre-war shop houses dotting the landscape. Some interesting facts include:

1. Our first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman lived here along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (formerly Ayer Rajah Road).
2. There are heritage buildings along Burmah Road. 
3. The Church of the Immaculate Conception, a Roman Catholic church founded more than 200 years ago. Their website here.
4. Wat Chaiya Mangalaram with Reclining Buddha
5. Dhammikarama Burmesh Buddhist Temple 
6. Buppharam Buddhist Temple 
7. Gurney Drive along the esplanade is famous as food haven with breathtaking sea views.
8. Pulau Tikus wet market is also a food haven.

Note: The above pictures were taken in December 2010.