Penang once more...

While there, we also made a beeline for Peace & Joy coffeeshop located at Lebuh China. This distinctive building, houses to me, one of the best curry mee stall. The boss was rather generous with the toppings made up mainly of beancurd skin or "tau pok", cuttlefish, cockles and best of all, pigs blood.

Noodles were cooked right and the gravy was not milky with enough spice and Ooomph...!!!Add the sambal for more kick and to give a refreshing twist, mint leaves was added which gave it another dimension. Try it...

This trip was partly about curry mee and we made a trip to another stall located at Lorong Seratus Tahun just off Jalan Macalister. There we had a bowl of curry bee hoon which was also loaded with the same toppings as the one at Peace & Joy.

Though the gravy was a little diluted compared to the previous one, the sambal was simply fantastic. Adding a dollop of it made a world of difference to the dish, one can tell that a lot of effort was taken to slowly cooked the sambal giving it that deep color and a spicy fragrance which to me can be called a "poor man's XO sauce" Thumbs Up for the sambal!!! I would say that if I were to add this sambal to the curry mee at Lebuh China, it would be the best combination...

While happy after breakfast, we decided to take a stroll along Chowrasta market and soak in the atmosphere, the walk took us all the way to Lebuh Keng Kwee and the cendol stall. This time though, we tried the stall that's opposite the famous teochew one. To my surprise, it was so much better than the famous one that everyone recommended. The green strands of cendol was springy, not mushy with better flavor and texture. Somehow, the dark palm sugar was also more fragrant and I must say, one must not be blinded just because the other stall is highly recommended. I was a culprit of this and I would now change my vote. Give this stall a try and you will know what I mean...

With our stomachs filled, we took a leisurely stroll to our hotel and checked into our room.

Rested and refreshed, we headed straight for Ah Teik durian stall yet again, this time for the long awaited "Ang Hay" or aptly called "Red Prawn". Even though it's the short season towards the tail end, the durian was still good.

The flesh was tight, sweet and creamy, followed by a dose of bitterness and a prolong finish with a hint of alcohol. It's really wonderful, my vote for the King of Fruits...!!! While there, we also tried another that's called "butter" which Ah Teik recommended and to my astonishment, it really tasted somewhat like butter.

The flesh was thick, really creamy like how you would taste butter except that it's sweet and milky. The creaminess can be a little overwhelming so take your time to appreciate it and I would likened it to having a really thick "milkshake".

Fabulously sweet with a short finish, another wonderful specie. The durians here tasted and smelt so much fresher due to the close proximity to the plantations and Penangnites truly has an edge when it comes to good quaity durians...

After a short rest and chat with ah teik, we took a short walk across to Lorong Selamat, towards Cafe Heng Huat for Char Koay Teow.

There, we were greeted with a coffeeshop full of customers waiting patiently for their noodles. We managed to find a table and placed our order. Be warned, the waiting time is easily half an hour so order a drink, chat and wait. When it finally arrived, the plate of koay teow smelt so good, loaded with the usual prawns, cockles, bits of lard and chives.

The noodles was fried to perfection, with what I called "wok hai" or a slight burnt smell due to the use of charcoal and the intense fire. It's been years since I last tasted such a wonderfully "controlled" fire plate of char koay teow. Nothing more said, the description ends here... My personal vote for the best char koay teow in Penang!

While in Penang, these are the other food we've tasted and recommend, the "chee cheong Chok" or "mixed pig innards" porridge, the cuttlefish and kangkong salad, roast duck stall outside new lane coffeeshop, where the duck is flavorful and succulent.

The dessert stall that serves equally good almond tea and the stall that sells kuih ketayap. All these stalls are located along New lane, just off Jalan Macalister. Staying at Sunway hotel, these stalls will be of easy access.
If you still have the time or stomach, take a walk to Cafe Kek Seng along Jalan Penang and try the Lor Bak.

Though not as well known as the one further up at Cafe Kheng Pin, this stall serves it equally well and the rolls comes with tender pieces of pork. Try also the chicken wrapped in beancurd skin. Not forgetting also, the "tau sar piah" at Him Heang along Jalan Burmah is a must get for some people too...

Till the next review, eat well and be happy...!!!