Lorong Seratus Tahun at SS2 used to be one of my favorite places to go whenever I think of Penang food. They had real Penang hawker food prepared with authentic ingredients and was one of the very few places where you could fine Curry Mee served with coagulated pork blood, which is to me, one of the most crucial item in the that dish.

I was so happy when I first discovered it and wrote a glowing food review.

Lorong Seratus Tahun at SS2, now PORK FREE (yawn)

We ended up there again this afternoon to find that the places is now renovated in the to a familiar Old Town/Kluang Kopitiam style. The menu expanded to include quite a few dishes that you can’t find in Penang hawker stalls, and prices too were increased by some 15-20%. The lady boss told me I can’t snap a picture of the menu, hmm..

Which to me, was still fine if they are still serving good old fashion good. I just wanted my curry mee with coagulated pork blood.

And then I was shown by Suan that the menu said PORK FREE! THE HORROR!

Curry Mee, and Char Kueh Teow without lap cheong (Chinese sausage)

Well since we were already there, we ordered anyway. The place was noticeably busy, so our food took a while to come. However, it was a bit of a bad job for them to serve Horng’s char kueh teow a full 15 minutes before Suan’s.

The Char Kueh Teow now does not come with Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage), nor do they still use any pork oil in cooking it. A rather good good plate of ckt is now a very ordinary one, RM 7.50.

The Curry Mee, without coagulated pork blood, is not too different from any curry mee you can find anywhere else. Nothing special, RM 6.50. (3 years ago it was RM 4.50).

Horng also ordered a plate of Loh Bak at RM 9.50, and as expected, instead of pork we found chicken breast inside the loh bak. Quite a turn off.

In total, we spent RM 63.95 (5% service charge). Being slightly priceir than other places is fine, but removing all pork ingredients and still calling it “authentic Penang food” is just wrong. Granted the food isn’t terrible, but it’s not at all close to what it used to be.

I’m disappointed, that would be the last time I step foot in the restaurant if it stays this way.

p/s: Happy Merdeka.

Tags:  ckt,  curry-mee,  Penang,  pork free,  SS2 SS3 SS4

Posted by KY | 43 Comments »

Following the post on mee goreng at the Mount Eskin hawker center, some of you have commented on other food available there, such as the kueh teow soup. Yes, there are more than a few awesome hawker stalls there. I went to the same place the second time in as many days and had the Curry Mee, since I was too lazy to drive to Lorong Seratus Tahun for the same thing that tastes just as good.

with plenty of sambal, the way i like it

The ingredients in this curry mee is slightly different from those you get in other places. The main thing is of coruse, the noodle/meehun with bean sprouts in the coconut milk based soup. Coagulated blood, prawn, cuttle fish, cockles, and curiously, two fishball (though it’s more of a squarish than ball shape). And of course, the sambal paste on the spoon.

the stall, and the people

Since the Penang curry mee’s soup is rather plain without the sambal, the first thing you have to do is to mix it up with the proper amount of sambal according to your personal tolerance and taste. I particulary like the sambal here, it has a trace of those “burnt” smell to it, sort of remind me of the flavor in the sambal stuffed fried fish. While not very spicy, it has a very good aroma and taste to it.

The fishballs, while a little unorthodox for curry mee, does provide a good contrasting taste in compliment to other ingredients. It is a little hard to explain, you should try it.

here’s how you get to mount eskin in Penang

The hawker center operates from around noon to about 4 something in the afternoon daily.

Address:
Jalan Mt. Erskine,
Tg. Tokong, Penang
GPS: 5.450560, 100.302064

Tags:  curry-mee,  hawker,  hawker-center,  Penang,  sambal

Posted by KY | 7 Comments »

How many of you are true curry mee (also called curry laksa in Klang Valley) fans who wants the dish served authentic in santan curry with shrimp, cockles, cuttle fish, and coaguated blood? If you are one of the rare breeds who loves it the true Penang style but have a hard time finding a place that serves it, you’re in luck.

they serve more than just curry mee

The (somewhat famous) Lorong Setarus Tahun Curry Mee in Penang has a branch here at SS2. I have been to this palce on serveral occasions whenever my taste buds yearn for some juicy coagulated blood and the all-you-can-eat curry mee sambal. Masak-masak reviewed this place before too.

very nice sambal and the otak otak

The santan based soup comes in pale white color without any hint of chili, you will have to add the sambal paste to get the familiar curry color and taste. This is a good serving method as you are able to personalise the spiciness based on your own tolerance level and taste. I would say that the curry mee’s flavor is on par with Penang’s offering.

the version served up at Penang island

The Penang restaurant serves little other than curry mee. However, the SS2 branch offers various other dishes too. I like the otak-otak (Penang style, big and chunky), the mee goreng was pretty good too. Loh Bak though, was mediocre.

map to the Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry mee @ SS2 branch

Curry mee is priced at RM 4.50 per bowl. You save about 2 bucks per bowl if you are willing to travel to Penang. No air conditioning in the restaurant on the island tho. It’s your call.

map to the Penang Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry mee @ Anson Road

The 3 branches:

Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee
55, Lorong Seratus Tahun, 10400 Penang
GPS: 5.416099, 100.320534

Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee
56, Jalan SS2/66, 47300 PJ Selangor
GPS: 3.120055, 101.620907

Village Cafe [Pork Free]
Block D-105, Phileo Damansara, 46300 PJ, Selangor

Tags:  curry-laksa,  curry-mee,  hawker,  kopitiam,  Penang,  SS2 SS3 SS4

Posted by KY | 17 Comments »