Where to eat Char Koay Teow

Char Kway Teow

Penang Char Kueh Teow (Fried Koay Teow)
Stalls selling ‘Char Koay Teow’ (sometimes spelt ‘Char Kway Teow’) seen in many parts of Malaysia often has a sign saying 'Penang Char Koay Teow'. Char Koay Teow  certainly has its origin in Penang.
‘Koay Teow’ is a soft flat white (flat) noodle made from rice flour, and is fried with lots of bean sprout, prawns, cockles, eggs and spring onions.
Check out some of popular and best Char Koay Teow stall in Penang:

  • 82, Lorong Selamat and Other coffee shop along Lorong Selamat, George Town
  • Ah Leng Char Koay Teow, Jalan Datuk Keramat, opposite former Federal Theater , George Town
  • Ping Hooi coffee shop, Lebuh Carnavon and Lebuh Melayu junction, George Town
  • Kafe Mandarin, Lorong Delima 5, Island Glades
  • BB restaurant, opposite Hawker centre, (Sunshine Square area), Persiaran Mayangpasir 2, Bayan Baru
  • Stall No 42, Hawker Centre at Batu Lancang market, Batu Lancang; afternoon
  • Sisters Fried Kway Teow, Lam Heng Cafe, 185, Macalister Road, Pulau Tikus
  • Stall outside Kedai Kopi Sin Guat Keong; Corner of Kimberly Street and Cintra Street, george Town; Open 6pm-12.30am.
  • Char Kway Kak : Pushcart outside Seow Fong Lye Cafe 94C, Macalister Lane. Open 7.30am-1pm. Days off not fixed.
  • Siam Road Char Koay Teow, stall at Junction of Jalan Anson and Jalan Siam. Open 3-9pm; closes Sun and Mon.

Where to eat Penang Laksa

Penang Laksa
laksa is rice noodles garnish with vegetables and served in a spicy, sour fish flake light gravy.
Laksa is of Malay origin but the Nonyas have their own version - (Penang Laksa). This is certainly Malaysia's unique dish and the most popular noodle dish. It is rounded rice noodles (similar to but thinner than Japanese Odon noodles) served with gravy made from fish flakes and rich spices. The dish is garnished with vegetables and is certainly a healthy dish not cooked with oil.

Air Itam laksa

Popular Penang Laksa............

  •  Air Itam Market (beside fruit stalls), Air Itam
  • Kedai Kopi Genting, Island Glades, Loring Delima 6, off Jalan Yap Choy Yee; morning and afternoon
  • Balik Pulau Market
  • Today Café, Lebuh Perak, near traffic light; afternoon
  • Loke Pin Café, 72 Anson Road, George Town
  • Joo Hooi Café, junction of Penang Road with Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town
  • Nam Kuang coffee shop, Balik Pulau
  • Stall at Hawker centre, Jalan Johor, beside Datuk Kramat Padang (Padang Brown). 
  • Kek Seng, 384 Penang Road (opposite KOMTAR), George Town
  • One Corner food court, laksa stall, behind Penang Plaza, George Town
  • Assam Laksa Wan Li ; Stall next to Tua Pek Kong temple, Jawi town. Open noon-6pm.
  • Stall at 6, Jalan Seri Aman 1, Pusat Perniagaan Seri Aman, SG. BAKAP

How to make Penang Laksa here......

Heritage Hotels in Penang

Unique Heritage Hotels in Penang
There are many hotels in George Town offering affordable accommodations. Some are modern high-rise while others offer visitors a unique traditional or old Penang experience. For those who want a feeling of old Penang, or have a feel of 'British Colonial' Penang, checkout some of these heritage hotels.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, 3*    This Chinese house with Straits Settlement designs dates back to the 1880s and is a winner of the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award in 2000 for conservation. Check out and compare rates for Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion here

Cheong Fatt Tze Heritage hotel



Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O), 5*     Fondly known as E&O, this grand hotel has a seafront location in the city. The brainchild of the Armenian Sarkies brothers, who were also associated with the Singapore Raffles Hotel, this historic hotel with a colonial flavour dates back to 1885. In the old days this the place where the rich and famous wine and dine too.
Compare E&O Hotel lowest rates from multiple sites and book online here.

E & O Hotel

 

Seven Terraces, George Town - "....Seven Terraces, a boutique hotel with the relaxed ambience of an island resort." – The Wall Street Journal
SEVEN TERRACES – this newly opened small private hotel of only 18 suites is by the award-winning hoteliers Karl Steinberg and Christopher Ong. (Winners of the 2007 UNESCO Award of Distinction for heritage conservation and regular Conde Naste Hot List nominees).

Check and compare Hotel Rates of Seven Terraces in GeorgeTown

7 terraces Penang

 

Hutton Lodge Experience unique colonial-style living in a restored guesthouse located in the heart of the George Town. At 17, Jalan Hutton, just off Penang Road, it is ideally located within walking distance of George Town's many tourist attractions.

Compare hotel rates of Hutton Lodge

 

 

The Chinese and Peranakans

The Chinese and Peranakans (Baba and Nyonya)

[The following is extracted mainly from the book myPenang]

Khoo Kongsi - Khoo Clan House

From China to Malaya

Chinese traders began their venture into the Malay archepelago mainly from the fifth centuiry AD. Chinese settlers who came as early as the 15th century, mainly traders, sailors and labourers, eventualy setttle down in here and became involved in the agricultural, mining and commercial sectors.

The outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion (1851) in China, simulated migration, especially from South China, from the provinces of Guangdong (formerly written as Kwangtung), Fujian (Fukien) and Guangsi (Kwangsi). As a result, the sizable Chinese population in the Malay archipelago in the 19th century were from the Chinese clans of the Teochew (from Guangdong), Hokkien (from Fujian), Cantonese (from Guangdong), Hakka (from the three provinces) and Hainanese (from Hainan Island).

The majority of the Chinese settled the Malay world to escape porverty in China. Chinese participation in the plantation agriculture and mining contributed vastly to the economy of the Malay state.

Many Chinese settled in the Straits Settlement (Penang, Melaka Singapore) and eventually small communities were scattered in the other Malay states.

The Chinese in Penang
The Chinese community in Penang grew in large numbers, especially in the middle of the 19th century. Hoping to escape the poverty and famine in China during the Manchu rule, many Chinese immigrants, mainly men, came under an iniquitous credit ticket system. The sinkeh (meaning ‘new men’ in Chinese) had to bond themselves to a Chinese employer in return for their passage from China. They worked off their term of service, often under harsh conditions, and received no wages apart from basic sustenance.
As the British considered the Chinese the ideal immigrant, because of their organisational abilities and willingness to endure hardships, their immigration was encouraged. Later waves of Chinese came as settlers who pursued their traditional crafts and business.
 
 
The Chinese Peranakans – The Baba and Nyonya (Nonya)
 
 Nyonya Bride - baba and nonya wedding

The Chinese who arrived came from the Fujian (Fukien) province in China, settling mainly in the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and Singapore). Some intermarried the locals and assimilated the practices of the local population, and developed a unique culture that is a blend of Malay and Chinese. These people were known in the region as Peranakans (meaning local born in Malay), or Babas (men) and Nyonyas (women), or Straits Chinese.  [note: spelling in Malaysia is Nyonya, spelling in Singapore is Nonya]

Unlike the Chinese men who settled in Malacca (Melaka) and who adopted more Malay culture, the Chinese immigrants in Penang had strong ties with their families in China, and so retained many of their Chinese traditions. However, their dialect Hokkien, became peppered with local Malay words and later some English words as well. This unique Hokkien dialect, often referred to as Penang Hokkien, is widely spoken in Penang and the northern part of peninsular Malaysia.

Assimilation of some Malay culture is also seen in the Straits Chinese cultural practices and art. Penang Nyonyas adopted the wearing of the sarong kebaya (a costume of sarong with a translucent, embroidered top), and produced exquisite embroidery and decorative beadworks. Beaded shoes and the Nyonya kebaya are highly priced today. Penang Peranakans also adopted some English practices, with many sending their children to English schools. This blend of culture is unique to the Chinese in this region. (The Peranakan network or diaspora extends to Phuket, Medan, Melaka and Singapore corresponding to pattern of migration in the region)

The Nyonya cuisine, which is well known in Penang, Malacca and Singapore, also originated from the Straits Chinese. Nyonya cooking in Penang is usually a mix of Malay and Chinese ingredients and style, with some Thai influence. [Photo: Asam Pedas - Nyonya cuisine]

 Asam Pedas

Chinese Clans

The Chinese also brought to Malaya the clan or kongsi system; a tradition characterised by group cohesiveness and brotherhood. The word kongsi has also been absorbed into the Malay language, taking the meaning ‘share’.

To the Chinese, a kongsi is an association of individuals from the same dialect group or clan from the same area in China. These kongsi played a benevolent role to their members and often gave help and protection to the new arrivals. Many kongsi houses were also built during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and some like the Khoo Kongsi is a landmark on the island.

There are five major Hokkien clans or kongsis (of five major surnames) in Penang known as the Goh Tai Seh consisting of the Khoo, Lim, Cheah, Yeoh and Tan kongsi.   The Chinese also formed welfare associations among those of the same dialect group (for example the Hokkien or the Hakka dialect), usually referred to as hoi kuan (welfare associations). Kongsis are still active associations in Malaysia. (some of the kongsi houses of Penang HERE)

[Main Reference Source: myPenang – the inside guide to where to go and what to eat by Lim Bee Chin, 2005]

Ooi/Ong Kongsi House

 

 

Additional information