On one of the earlier visits back to my beloved hometown, Penang, we chanced upon Ping Hooi kopitiam while in search for a meal between lunch and dinner, this was actually due to the fact that both the Pitt Street kuih teow soup I was trying to have and my favorite oyster omelet were not available.
Tiger Char Kuih Teow at Ping Hooi Kopitiam
Since the busiest corner at the kopitiam seems to be this char kuih teow stall by the name of Tiger CKT, I ordered myself a plate of this favorite Penang hawker dish of mine.
There’s three versions to choose from – without egg (RM 6), with chicken egg (RM 6.50), and with duck egg (RM 7).
Tiger Char Kuih Teow with duck egg
Whenever there’s duck egg available for char kuih teow, I never fail choose it. Duck egg always offer that extra richness & creaminess that chicken egg simply won’t match, and the version at Tiger char kuih teow did not disappoint, it was rich, creamy, spicy, and with cockles that were done just so, and prawns that were fresh. This is one of the best CKT you can get below RM 10.
operator even has a company t-shirt
Next time when you head to Penang, remember that awesome char kuih teow aren’t confined to only Lorong Selamat or Siam Road where you have to wait for over half an hour to get a plate of Penang’s best. I for sure won’t mind heading back to this one again.
Koay Chap is one of the lesser known Penang hakwer food, and I would guess that the reason is probably due to the amount of work needed in preparing the dish. The ingredient of koay chap includes duck meat, duck innards, duck egg, coagulated blood, some of which aren’t as easily available as others.
There are only a handful of koay chap stalls in Penang, and perhaps the most popular among them is the one by Kimberly Street in Georgetown that operates in the evenings till late (just by the chicken feet stall). You can’t miss this place, it is almost always packed with tourists and locals alike, with huge amount of ingredients proudly displayed out in the open. Makes one think how many bowls are moved each night.
wholesome koay chap, if you love duck meat you’d love this
While back for Horng & Yuki’s wedding, David and I took a short walk from Komtar to this stall just as the sun was starting to set and got us each a bowl of this good stuff as a pre-dinner tummy liner, and it was absolutely satisfying.
David approved this meal
You can have the koay chap with traditional thick flat noodle (quite close to mee hun kuih), or with rice. Can’t go wrong either way.
Address: Koay Chap Stall Lebuh Kimberley 10100, Penang GPS: 5.416537, 100.332473 Hours: 5:30 pm till late
Last weekend when we went back to Penang for a friend’s wedding & Haze‘s art exhibition finale, we took the opportunity to meet up with mom for good old fashion street hawker food. The destination of choice was mom’s new favorite char kuih teow place – No. 5 Char Koay Teow at Macalister Road, Penang.
no 5 char kuih teow at Macalister Road
No. 5 char kuih teow is shares the same premise with a mixed rice place right at the corner of Macalister Road and Lorong Kinta. It is a perfectly walk-able distance from Komtar, and just a stone’s throw away from the famous New Lane street hawker center.
There are two versions of char kuih teow here, normal for RM 5.50, and big prawn + mantis prawn version for RM 9.50. You can’t go wrong with either version, both comes with cockles, Chinese sausage, bean sprout, chives, egg, and served on a sheet of banana leaf.
wet & packed with goodness, check out the prawns too
The ckt has plenty good wok hei with prawns & kuih teow just ever so slightly charred to perfection, the egg is purposely prepared to a slightly runny consistency giving it that moist and flavorful finish that we really love. This is really becoming my favorite ckt in Penang right now.
normal vs big prawn and mantis prawn version
The normal version is served with plenty decent size prawns, with the RM 9.50 version really push it up a notch with huge tiger prawn & bits of mantis prawn throw in the mix. You can’t go wrong with either one.
If you’re a ckt fan, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. Waiting time can be a bit long even when customer volume isn’t particularly high.
Address: No. 5 Char Kuih Teow 104 E, Jalan Macalister, 10400 George Town, Penang GPS: 5.415535, 100.325867 Hours: 930 am to 730 pm
A few weeks ago we went back to Penang and instead of staying at home at mom’s place, it was a short staycation at Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, a place with fond memories from my teenage years as I used to work there as a casual workers (as mentioned on the entry on their Spice Market buffet). It was a like a 20 years fantasy come true of sort.
Rasa Sayang at Batu Feringghi, Penang
Rasa Sayang has always been one of the best hotels from the Shangri-La group. Situated at the East side of Batu Ferringhi beach, it is some 20 minutes drive from Geogetown, the capital city of Penang.
In addition to the access to sandy beach and all the fun beach activities such as parasailing, banana boats and such, the hotel also spot a huge garden with some of the oldest and biggest trees you can find. The landscape is simply amazing, and from someone who’s just started to work on a bit of a green patch at home, I can only begin to imagine amount of effort required to upkeep this huge garden.
our Rasa Premier Wing, as big as some apartments, with mom!
Rasa Sayang is separated into two different wings – Garden Wing & Rasa Wing.
Rasa Wing is catered more towards couples and adults while Garden Wing welcomes family oriented holiday goers. Each wing has its own swimming pool, with Rasa Wing pool allowing only 16 year olds and older and the Garden Wing main pool accessible to all.
there’s a huge outdoor soaking tub at the balcony
Rasa Wing guests also enjoy several additional privileges, such as a balcony with private soaking tub, complimentary high tea, semi buffet breakfast at Feringgi Grill, and in-room express check-in and check out.
The service is definitely more exclusive and personal for Rasa Wing guests.
the gym at Rasa Sayang is rather well equipped
Other recreational facilities at Rasa Sayang includes a par-3 pitch & putt golf course, a tennis court, an adventure zone, and a rather well equipped gym which we made full use of on our 2-night stay.
Rasa Wing guests get to have breakfast at Feringgi Grill
Ferringi Grill has won awards an often regarded as one of the best restaurants on the island, so when we had the opportunity to sample the breakfast buffet as a staying guest on Rasa Wing, it was a no brainer.
The breakfast is served as a semi-buffet style, with a rather decent selection of pastry, cheese, and other breakfast dishes in addition to several main dishes you can order. Haze had fresh waffles with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, berry compote and pistachio powder, while I opted for roasted sea bass with spinach and mushrooms. They were quite delightful, a class above ordinary buffet for sure.
there’s complimentary afternoon tea at Rasa Lounge
We also took advantage of the complimentary afternoon tea at Rasa Lounge, again available for free to Rasa Wing guests. I had a cup of coffee while Haze opted for tea to go with scones, sandwich, and other carefully crafted pastries. I particularly enjoyed the little sandwich with grilled capsicum & onion, simple and exquisite.
Was our stay at Rasa Sayang as good as I thought it’ll be 20 years ago when I was serving the guests? Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t say no to retiring at this place.
Address: Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa by Shangril-La Batu Ferringhi Main Road, Kampung Tanjung Huma, 11100 Batu Feringgi, Pulau Pinang GPS: 5.478865, 100.254181 Tel: +604-888 8888
The weekend prior to Hari Raya, we went up to Penang for a little staycation getaway at Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa. The trip was quite a special one for me for reason that may be different from most. Close to two decades ago, I worked at the very same hotel as a casual worker and used to think “what if I was a guest there one day…”, and that day came true.
The Spice Market Cafe at Rasa Sayang, Penang
I will write about the hotel and our experience staying there next, but today let’s talk about their huge dinner buffet at Spice Market Cafe located at the Garden Wing (the “right” side).
seafood on ice, baked salmon
Dinner starts at 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm every evening and it’s the all you can eat affair. Priced at RM 185 nett for adults, it is also the buffet that offers one of the biggest selections of dishes on the island.
You have a choice of indoor seating that requires fewer steps to get to all those dishes, or alfresco dining area right next to the unique free-form swimming pool surrounded by their huge garden complete with giant rain tree by the beach.
Indian & Malay cuisines, selection of salad
The dishes include authentic ethnic cuisines from diverse cultures – including Chinese (with chef from China doing freshly made “knife slice noodle”), Indian, Nyonya, Japanese, Thai, Malay, and Western.
freshly made noodle, slipper lobster, local dishes, juices
Some of the must-tries are the slipper lobsters either as-is, or covered in sauce, sashimi, roast beef, and snow crab. We also really enjoyed their selection of cheese, but the number one favorite for all three of us for the night though, was their deep fried soft-shell crab, it had just the right amount of seasoning that reminds me of some of the best banana leaf side dishes I’ve had the pleasure to taste.
desserts, ice cream, fruits, and even roast beef
If you just try a spoonful from each dish, you’ll probably need at least several visits to sample everything, the selection is huge. Unlike most buffet places that only serves water, there are also a selection of juice to go about.
mom, Haze, KY & Kit the F&B guy at Rasa Sayang
If your wife or girlfriend can’t decide what to eat, this is not a best place to be. There bound to be something that’ll tickle her senses. I know my mom was more than satisfied.
Address: Spice Market Cafe Rasa Sayang Batu Ferringhi Main Road, Kampung Tanjung Huma, 11100 Batu Feringgi, Pulau Pinang GPS: 5.478865, 100.254181 Tel: +604-888 8888
