Famous Penang Asam Laksa at Air Itam Market

A trip to Penang is never complete without a visit to the famous Penang Asam Laksa stall at Air Itam market. Actually it is very near to Kek Lok Si Temple.

After all these years, it is not difficult to locate the same old stall. 

We call this sidewalk stall, a "Tai Pai Dong" (大牌檔) but now you can also say that this is "al fresco dining Malaysian style", yeah?

There are other stalls in Penang that serve equally good or better asam laksa, but for me, this is the Penang Asam Laksa I'll always remember and cherish. My parents brought me here. So did my school friends, colleagues, acquaintances and loved ones. How many times I had sat on the stools here and enjoyed the asam laska served through the ages. Then it was their elders, now it is the younger generation who are manning the stall. It's the memories you know.

“Famous Penang Asam Laks at Pasar Air Itam”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com on Oct 3rd, 2012.

The secret? Besides the poached, flaked and crushed mackerel fish (ikan kembung), shrimp paste, rice noodles and tamarind in the fish broth, can you see the tiny pieces of finely chopped pinkish raw torch ginger (Etlingera eliator) flowers (bunga kantan)?

The garnishing used here are mint leaves, thinly sliced cucumber,onion and chili. I can just wallop everything inside the bowl; garnishing, noodles and soup.

This dish is sweet, salty, sour, spicy and flaming HOT! There is a burning sensation on my tongue and I will always sweat and have a running nose. Its the capsaisin in the chillies! But no problem. This asam laksa is worth the 'torture'.

The antidote? Some cold desserts of course.
Its like using iced water to douse the flames!

Cendol with red bean, kidney beans, tapioca pearls and coconut milk.

Bubur Cha-Cha
- Yam, tapioca and sweet potato dessert with coconut milk,
agar-agar jelly, sago and tapioca pearls with ice-cubes.

Iced lychee drink.

Asam laksa on the double for each person.

The Assam Laksa stall is located at the Air Itam Market Pasar Road (Beside the Air Itam Market) at 11500 Air Itam Penang. It is just 5 minutes walk from Kek Lok Si Temple.

A stall selling traditional You Tiao (油条), our Chinese styled fast food fritters.
I call these Yau Char Kway (油炸粿) and Ham Chim Peng (咸煎饼).

Young coconut juice freshly prepared by hand.

Freshly pressed sugar cane drink with no sugar added.

That's the beauty and charm of PENANG.

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.

Duanwu Festival 2011

Today on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month is Duanwu Festival. It is a working day in Malaysia.

HAPPY DUANWU FESTIVAL!

Duanwu Festival is also known as Dumpling Festival, Dragon Boat Festival or Chang Festival. The festival is about Qu Yuan, a much loved and admired ancient Chinese poet cum scholar who committed suicide by jumping into the river. He was devasted because the king refused to listen to his advice. To prevent his body from being devoured by fishes, the people made chang (dumplings) and threw them into the river hoping that the fishes would feed on the dumplings instead of his body. Now, every year during this festival, the Chinese follow this tradition of making and eating chang to commemorate Qu's patriotism and loyalty towards the king and country.

“Duanwu Festival 2011!”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on June 6th, 2011

Dinner at The Ship Batu Ferringhi, Penang

Whenever I come to Penang, I'd like to have dinner here at The Ship Batu Ferringhi.

I like the ambience, good food and good service.

Hawker Food at Gurney Drive Penang

Gurney Drive Penang is famous for hawker food, 'open air' style. Many locals and Penangites tell me this is not the place to go if you wish to sample genuine and delicious Penang food. I ended up at this place because earlier on my family and I had been enjoying ourselves basking in the beauty of the sunset along the promenade.  By sundown, the place was be very congested which would make it very difficult to find a parking space. The hawker center is just a walk away from where we parked our car.

Paradise Sandy Beach Resort Penang - A Night Stay

This is our leisurely drive along Tanjung Bungah as we were heading for Paradise Sandy Beach Resort. Usually, whenever we visited Penang, we'd like to stay at the more popular beach resorts along Batu Feringghi. IMO, I think the most beautiful beach is located along the Batu Feringghi stretch. This time we decided to try Tanjung Bungah which is nearer to Georgetown.

Tanjung Bungah is a former fishing village. A stretch of the beach was hit by a devastating tsunami on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) 2004. Currently, it is a good choice for budget travellers. There are 4 hotels here, all 3-star, namely Paradise Sandy Beach Resort, Flamingo, Copthorne Orchid and Tanjung Bungah Hotel.

Paradise Sandy Beach Resort is situated at 527, Jalan Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia. A very tall building with swaying palm trees. Not bad. We book this budget hotel via http://www.agoda.com/. We find that it is cheaper to book online than to call in directly to their hotel reservations department. We also checked on the travellers reviews and compared the rates before we made the decision to stay the first night at Paradise Sandy Beach Resort and the second night at Copthorne Orchid.
 
“Paradise Sandy Beach Resort Penang - A Night Stay”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on January 11th, 2011.

We selected the Deluxe Paradise Suite rooms which were quite spacious and cosy. Each suite is about 70 sq metres and there are 2 separate balconies for us to enjoy the sea view. The bedroom is separated from the outer area which consisted of a lounge, dinning and kitchenette area. The bathroom is spacious and has a bath tub which is not bad considering that this is a 3 star hotel. For broadband internet access in the room, we need to pay an additional RM 10.00 for the cable.

This is the view of the sea from the bedroom balcony.

This is the view from the balcony at the lounge area. We should be able to see the sunrise from the balconies but it was rainy and cloudy weather during our visit. We could go to the beach or the swimming pool but we were too tired. We spent the late afternoon resting and relaxing.



Another view of the surrounding Tanjung Bungah residential area from the balcony.

The package included simple breakfast, the choices are the usual mix of continental, american and local breakfast fare.

Overall, the stay was okay and the food, accommodation and service was up to my expectation of a budget hotel.

This is my entry for That's My World Tuesday, Season 3 Episode 14. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

This is also my entry for Watery Wednesday #122, the link is here. 

Rob and Mandy of Barcelona Daily Photo is hosting the Food for Thoughts meme every Thursdays, do join them here.

Kek Lok Si Vegetarian Restaurant Penang

Just as we were finished with our sightseeing at the hill top of Kek Lok Si Temple, it started to rain. So we headed back to the same place where we had parked our car at the hillside entrance in front of this souvenir shop.

As we were already very hungry and had no more strength to search for food in an unfamiliar place, we decided to try out the Vegetarian Restaurant at the lower ground level of Kek Lok Si Temple. Well, you won't miss this restaurant as signages are prominently display at the steps leading down to the lower ground below. People who need to use the washroom will also pass by this restaurant.

Looking at the menu, the prices seemed quite reasonable, so we went in to have our lunch. Besides, it is good to go vegetarian once in a while. It is stated that rice and tea is Free, i.e. included in the package. There was also no service charge.

How often do you take a vegetarian meal?

“Kek Lok Si Vegetarian Restaurant Penang”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on January 6th, 2011.

We selected the selected the 3 dishes and 1 soup for RM 35.00.  We were really hungry then, so we had already walloped the first serving of vegetables when I took out my camera to capture this picture.  The dishes were simple but it tasted good.

The Maneki Neko cat is purchased from the sovenir shop at the Incline Lift Station, not a free gift from this restaurant.

Further down from the Vegetarian Restaurant, there is a Liberation Pond aka Sacred Turtle Pond.  Turtles are symbols of longevity, protection and wisdom. Some cultures, e.g. Chinese, Buddhist, Taoists, believe that releasing captured turtles and tortoises is a good deed or good karma. Here, at the Liberation Pond, you can also do a good deed by buying some water spinach (kangkong) and feeding it to the turtles here.

This is my entry for That's My World Tuesday. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

Foh San Dim Sum Ipoh - Day 2

Early morning the next day, we were already out in the streets. Our next destination was Penang and we were eager to start our journey. However, there is something that needs to be done first. We need to fill up our empty stomachs, so off we went for some famous Ipoh dim sum.

The weather looks fine with bright blue skies. Those wispy cirrus clouds above remind me of fish scales.

Actually, there are a few more dim sum restaurants along this road. Our family calls it the 'Dim Sum Street'. The other dim sum restaurants along this street are Ming Court Hong Kong Dim Sum, Chee Fatt Hong Kong Dim Sum, Chang Keong Dim Sum and Yoke Fook Moon. All are worth a try and in fact, Ming Court is a close contender for Foh San. My late father love to go to Ming Court.

The Hua Nam coffee shop which serves coffee, eggs on toast, char koay teow, chee cheong fun and other hawker fare is also located at Jalan Leong Sin Nam.

Foh San is operating at its new premises at no. 51, Jalan Leong Sin Nam now. The building is quite awesome and majestic looking. There were already many people when we reached there at around 8 am and the ground floor tables were already fully occupied. The second floor was still okay. In fact the view was better. I like the ambience and the clean and cool surroundings.  We sat near a waterfall where we could enjoy the scenic outdoor views while having our 'yum cha'.

'Yum Cha' (drinking tea) or 'Yum Cho Cha' (drinking early morning tea) are Cantonese words commonly used in Hong Kong where people drink Chinese tea while enjoying dim sum for breakfast. We can select the type of tea we want, e.g. chrysanthemum, ti kuan yin, du shu xiang, jasmine, oolong, pu erh or cha wang (teh raja or King's tea). I think their cha wang tea tastes better than the one I had at Bao Xiang Bah Kut Teh in Klang but it is a bit pricey at RM 4.00 per head.

Waiters will come is pushcarts and trolleys that are laden with piping hot dim sum and we get to select those that we like. On the table is lo mai kai (glutinuous rice), egg tarts, har gow (shrimp dumplings), steamed fish balls and siu mai (pork dumplings).

This is surely instant fast food!

Hubby's favourite is the 'tai ji gow' (scallop dumpling) but it was not available. This substitude tastes just as heavenly. This steamed 'wrap' with mushrooms and minced meat is topped with toasted sesame seeds, a little bit of spring onions and light soya sauce. If the soya sauce is not good, it will spoil the whole dish.

My son like this 'Beijing gow ji' but I don't like the sweet chili sauce topping that they have automatically added. I prefer it plain.

“Foh San Dim Sum Ipoh - Day 2”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on December 18th, 2010.

I like this lo mai kai which is actually steamed glutinuous rice with chicken, mushrooms, Chinese sausages and dried shrimps. It is not too oily.

This is stir fried turnip cake (蘿蔔糕) or 'lo bak go' with Ipoh bean sprouts. Turnip cake is sometimes also called Chinese radish cake or daikon cake.

This dessert of water chestnut cake is my daughter's favourite dessert.

Steamed custard, another of my daughter's favourite but too heavy for me.

The dim sum we had costs about RM 3.50 to RM 5.50 per container. Pau, fish balls and egg tarts are charged at RM 1.60 per piece. Our total bill came to about RM 60.00



If still not enough, here's another option - dim sum takeaway.

Gone are the old days where we had to reach there as early as possible, i.e. from 6:30 am to 8:00 am, otherwise there would be no tables left. I still remember when we had to stand and wait next to people enjoying their breakfast. Even when we could find a table, food was late to arrive and some of us had to search for the dim sum trolleys and grab our own selection. The place was so crowded and noisy that sometimes, things got out of hand and there would be arguements and black faces. What a stressful way it was to start the day.

I like Foh San's new image and surroundings. The food tastes better and it is less oily. By the time we left this place, we were so full we could hardly walk straight!

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #65. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Rob and Mandy of Barcelona Daily Photo is hosting the Food for Thoughts meme every Thursdays, do join them here.

Hawker Food at Menglembu Glutton Street - Ipoh Stopover Day 1

For a light dinner, we'd like to go off the beaten track and drove to Menglembu 'Wai Sek Kai' or Glutton Street which is located along the main road of old Menglembu town.  There is a row of hawker stalls here that opens for business at night. Some examples are the curry mee, noodle soup with yong tow foo, char koay teow, hor hee and the famous Wonderful Honey Chicken.

I came here for 3 of my favourite dishes which are chee cheong fun, pork offals porridge and wantan mee. The wantan noodle is served in very small portions but we like it this way. It is normal to go double, tripple or quadruple though! We like their springy egg noodles and tasty wantan. I'm sorry there's no picture of the wantan mee because we had already walloped everything before I took out my camera!

The above is curry chee cheong fun. The curry tastes just like the traditional Chinese homecooked style with fried pork skin, cockles, long beans and a hint of lemongrass flavour. Fried shallots are added as garnishing. Home fried shallots have a nice aroma and slightly sweet savoury taste. The pickled green chilis and lots of toasted sesame seeds is a must for me. It is the onion infused oil that make the chee cheong fun dish really stands out.

This is pig offals porridge (chee chap chok). The ingrediends are minced meat, deep fried intestines, blanched liver and pancreas. The porridge is smooth with just the right thickness. I think it tastes great when garnished with some spring onions, sesame oil and a dash of white pepper.

“Hawker Food at Menglembu Gutton Street - Ipoh Stopover Day 1”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com on December 16th, 2010.

I can sit inside a proper restaurant and order my drinks there. The wonderful part is that I am not obliged to order food from the stalls inside this restaurant. I can order them from any hawker stall outside and they are allowed to bring it in, even from those accross the road. For drinks, we can choose soft drinks or desserts like ice kacang, jelly ice, homemade herbal drinks, barley or tong sui. The picture above is ice kacang.

Menglembu, is a big township in Ipoh city that is located at the foot of the Kledang Hills. It is about 15 min drive from Ipoh city centre. This is where the famous Menglembu groundnuts got its name and The Pagoda Brand Groundnuts has its origins here. There are still quite a number of prewar shop houses here.

The Menglembu market nearby is also popular among locals for breakfast and lunch. The char koay teow there is quite well known. I wonder if anyone still remember their famous bak chang (chinese dumplings) and tong sui.

There are many new food outlets attracting the crowd at Menglembu New Town, but in my humble opinion, I still like to come back here once in a while to savour these traditional stalls. This is where I get to sample family recipes that had been perfected and handed down from generations. My parents brought me here and now it is my turn to tell my kids. I still remember how my grandpa yearned for a hot bowl of black sesame porridge from a certain stall at the Menglembu market at his dying bed. I also remember the laughter, jokes and wise words my parents and grandparents used to say and the table manners they taught me when we sat down and ate together as as a family. These are instances where fond memories and cherished moments build around food or 'makan-makan' as we locals call it are made to last a lifetime.

This is the end of Day 1 in my Ipoh-Penang trip. Practically a makan-makan first day!

How to go to Menglembu Wai Sek Kai?
When you are coming from Ipoh, just follow the road signages to Menglembu or take Jalan Lahat. When you reach a roundabout with 2 peanuts as a monument (you have reached Menglembu now!), take the 1 o'clock turn. On the first junction on your right, you should see Public Restaurant. Travel on to the third or fourth junction, then turn right. You should be able to find the Wai Sek Kai where the hawker stalls are opened from around 6pm onwards.

This is my entry for Thursday Challenge, the Photo Theme this week is FOOD (Farmers Market, Vegetables, Meat, Cooking, Restaurant,...). To view what others have for today, click here.