When I was growing up in Penang, I remember there was a period of time where we’d head go grandm’s over the weekends and more often than not, having Hokkien Char for breakfast at the old shack right outside Weld Quay. That was how I developed a taste for this particular dish.
Ai Jiak Penang Food, PJ Seapark
Hokkien Char (ç¦å»ºç‚’) simply meant Hokkien style fried noodle in Penang. While sharing almost similar name as Hokkien Mee in KL, the two dishes are quite different from each other.
While KL’s favorite comes with thick, fat noodle drench in very dark sauce, Penang’s style is quite a lot lighter and usually done with yellow noodle and meehun. Additionally, the Hokkien Char sambal is often a lot hotter and less mushy.
Back to Ai Jiak Penang Food restaurant.
I’ve actually heard about this place when it was situated in the old location at the Chung Ling Alumni Association in Jalan Utara, KL (fun fact, I am from the same school), the restaurant has since moved to Seapark, directly opposite Public Bank.
The restaurant offers a few Penang classic dishes to go with rice, such as asam fish head, curry chicken, pineapple curry prawns, pork trotter vinegar, sambal petai prawns, and so forth.
Additionally, they also offer single serving dishes such as asam laksa, chee cheong fun, herbal chicken meesuah, and what I came here for – Hokkien char!
Penang style “Hokkien Char”
So is their Hokkien Char any good?
The answer is a resounding yes! To be perfectly honest, if you didn’t grow up having Hokkien Char, it may not be a dish that speaks to you, but if you love spicy sambal and a dish of fried noodle that’s not overly strong or starchy, you may want to give this a try.
Address:
Ai Jiak Penang Food
9, Jalan 21/12, Sea Park,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS:
Tel: +6 011 2778 8428
I am visiting Penang soon. Hopefully I can drop by at this place 😀
Tekkaus: but this is in PJ!
I think I’d rather stick to my Hock Chew char! LOL!!!
suituapui: you need to experiment!
pls return and try the CKT and tell us if it’s worth having too! 🙂 i admit i’m one of those who don’t really love hokkien char, compared to other noodle dishes which feel a bit more flavourful for me. i did have hokkien char this year at sisters kopitiam though, and i liked that it came with lots of chicken liver 🙂
Sean: chicken liver can’t go wrong! OK will try the CKT. haha.
I can’t remember if I’ve ever had Hokkien Char. I guess it’s not as famous (or as popular) as their counterpart Char Kway Teow! 😉 Perhaps it’s the extra wet sauce that makes people like them less.
eatwhateatwhere: You should try it one of these days!
From the appearance, it doesn’t attract me, pale and drenched in gravy 🙁
Choi Yen: hahah, ya it’s not gonna win any beauty contest but that’s how Hokkien Char typically looks like, I love it!
woahh penang hokkien char. must go liau
taufulou: yaa so hard to find!