First food stop of the trip – Lorong Selamat!
The first association one will make with Lorong Selamat in Penang is Char Koay Teow/Char Kuay Teow aka CKT. Having missed it the last last time that I was here, I am quite happy to see that the stall is bustling! Yeah! Finally gonna fill my stomach with this famous CKT!
Tiny parking area beside the kafe
We found a parking lot beside the kafe quite quickly as it was past 2 pm on a Friday afternoon. The moment you enter the carpark and leave your car, you will be charged RM3 even if you decide to change your mind about eating there. That was what I learnt during my previous trip as we could not afford to wait 45min (as what the auntie told me) to eat the CKT and had to leave.
You will not miss the Auntie with her signature red artist hat deep in concentration frying the CKT. Prices for the CKT range from RM9.50, RM10 to RM12.
Close up of the liap chiong (chinese sausage) and hum that goes into the CKT
Auntie assisted by her helper
See that container in her hand? That is a super clever way to tabao the CKT!
The takeaway CKT in a plastic in her hands. That is how most of the food are taken away here – in plastic bags.
Another Auntie frying the CKT and from what I understood, she does the cooking of the non-spicy version
You will have to walk past the CKT fumes to find a table yourself in Kafe Heng Huat. On weekends, all you will see is heads and more heads and people hawking for tables.
Once seated, we were swarmed and touted by food vendors from other roadside stalls and each has their own specialty like Otak-otak, fried oyster, lor bak, rojak, cuttlefish, etc.
This Loh Bak looks damn good.
So I learnt that you can actually eat other food while waiting for your CKT. We left the ordering to the only Penangite who has been here numerous times and you will see what we ended up with while waiting for the CKT!
Do note that you will need to pay an extra RM0.50 if you do not order any drink when eating here. Something we saw plastered on the walls which we did not have any problem with cos we were too thirsty!
First up is my thirsting quenching fresh coconut
Ice Kacang with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Soso only.
Penang Assam Laksa, RM5
After mixing in everything.
I am not a fan of assam laksa as I do not like the fish in it but this one pleasantly surprised me as not only did it not have a fishy smell, there is a nice citrus-y fragrance to it. Also, the noodle is slippery as you slurp it in but it bounces when you bite on it! Very nice and the soup is so appetizing that we keep drinking it! Thumbs up!
Next came the Hokkien Mee, RM5.
The Hokkien Mee in Singapore and in Penanag is different so please do not confuse them. Hokkien Mee in Singapore is the stir-fried version while we would have called the Hokkien Mee in Penang Prawn Noodles (Hei Mee) in Singapore where you can have the soup or the dry version. Another difference is Singapore’s prawn noodles does not have egg in it but Penang one has, probably to naturalise the spiciness. 🙂
After mixing the soup, noddles and chilli.
Love the rich broth and lovely combination of egg noodles and bee hoon! YUMS!
Fried Oyster, RM15.
The oysters are big, fresh and delicious and the sour and spicy chilli dips makes it less greasy and more tasty!
Loh Bak, RM25, served with chilli and braised sauce dips.
Loh Bak in Penang is like our ngoh hiang in Singapore where you pick a variety of items like beancurd, century egg, hei piah, fish cake, etc.
The special item would be the loh bak as it is pork slices wrapped in beancurd skin and deep-fried. Singapore’s version used minces meat which has less bite compared to Penang’s version.
Another worthy mention is the prawn crackers here which is made up of real prawns and they are pretty generous with it.
Close up of the hei piah (prawn crakcers).
The prawns are meaty and the shells are soft and easily swallowed unlike those in SG which I will definitely remove.
After eating all the other dishes, our CKT finally arrives after a 25min wait.
The large Char Koay Teow, RM12 with chilli
There are 4 huge prawns in it and it is really so big that after putting one in my mouth, I hardly have any space left to chew. 😛 They were succulent and it was very shiok eating it whole. The hum were thoroughly cooked and there is no hum taste that I am very afraid of. Love the crunch of the bean sprouts with every mouthful of kway teow and the little kick from the chilli in it. A very nice savoury plate of CKT but portion is pretty small. Next time I am here, I am gonna have one plate on my own – no sharing! 😛
It was so good (though a tad ex) that we decided to tabao for our friend who is arriving soon.
The plastic bag of tabao-ed large CKT
View from where I was seated. The CKT came in non-stop
On our way out and saw the charcoal and fan blowing at the flame. No wonder it tasted different!
Back view of the other Auntie frying the non-spicy version (wonders if hers is charcoal stove too? )
On our way down Lorong Selamat, was told this was the stall the Hockien Mee that we ate came from. Remember to order it!
Kafe Heng Huat 兴发茶室
108 Lorong Selamat,
10400 Pulau Pinang
Malaysia
