Food haven in Penang

NST Press

Lebuh Keng Kwee is home to good fare but you have to queue up for it, writes Shuib Taib

LET’s face it. We love food so much we travel far and wide for it. Food aficionados go the extra mile for that fish with that special sauce even if it requires driving from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh.

We patronise a certain stall or restaurant because we like the char kway teow. Sometimes, it is the generous serving and fast service. And food lovers don’t mind queuing for good fare.

You see this a lot in Penang, especially on Lebuh Keng Kwee, off Penang Road. There are two hawker stalls there selling ais kacang and cendol.

My rule of thumb is go for the crowded stall. And so I head for Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul at 475, Lebuh Keng Kwee, within walking distance from Komtar and Prangin Mall. It opens daily from 10am to 7.30pm.

Although you may see many people enjoying the street food alfresco, not far from the stall is a coffee shop where you can enjoy your street “snacks”.

CENDOL

A sizeable crowd has already gathered around the cendol stall. Some are sitting on plastic stools, a bowl of cendol in hand. The coconut-milk-sugar mix must taste so good for these customers to look so engrossed. The “uncle” manning the business is multi-tasking. Using a ladle, he serves generous amounts of cendol into bowls while talking to customers. At times, he pours too much cendol into the bowl and it flows back into a big container.

Now what is it about this cendol that everyone makes a beeline for? The kidney beans are unusually bigger.Yummy! On a hot day, the cendol not only looks inviting, it is also delicious. The cendol is RM2.30 (eat-in) and RM2.50 takeaway.

ROJAK PENANG

Cendol is not the only thing you can enjoy here. A fan of rojak buah Chinese style, I order a plate of this fruit salad. The sight of dark shrimp paste drizzled over the fruit with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds sprinkled on top is mouthwatering. The combination of crunchy fruit, shrimp paste and crushed peanuts gives a sweet, salty and sour flavour. That can never go wrong. Just heavenly.

ASAM LAKSA PENANG

Another must-try is asam laksa, the quintessential Penangite favourite food. Leaning towards the spicy side, the broth, which has a hint of sweetness, is full of flavour, just to my liking. The secret to wonderful laksa lies in the broth. It should be slightly dark and thick. For kicks, I add shrimp paste and voila! My palate approves.

NASI KANDAR

A trip to Penang will not be complete without eating nasi kandar. Friends familiar with Penang tell me that Nasi Kandar Line Clear is the one to eat. Others say Penang has so many good nasi kandar restaurants that it really doesn’t matter which one you go to. But when we stumble upon nasi kandar at Restoran Deen on Jalan Jelutong, we just have to stop. Although I haven’t tasted the nasi kandar yet, I can tell that it is going to be fantastic, going by the queue. True enough, the mildly flavoured steamed rice accompanied by a variety of curry-based meat dishes and vegetables is simply out of this world!

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