The "Hidden" Penang Old School Eats

The “Hidden” Penang Old School Eats.    

Unknow to most, a “Hidden” Penang Exists, undisturbed by tourist arrivals, and islanders, where many “old school eats” still exists, and thrive, with many sticking to their “original” premises or environments in Traditional Kopi Tiam, while some have upgraded themselves to stand along establishments. 

Finding out and trying these “Old School Outlets”, have been a Culinary Adventure for Myself and My Family for the Past 5 Years, and here are 7 “Top Old School Iconic Food Establishments in Butterworth” that I have enjoyed dining at.   

Click on the Establishment Names for More information, locations etc    

Chain Ferry Curry Mee (Also Known as Jln Assumption Curry Mee) - Mention Butterworth food, Even to islanders, they will have heard of this place.  Force to Relocated to “Old Market Food Court” along Jalan New Ferry, they still stick to their old roots, dishing out Delicious “No Frills” curry mee for Breakfast.  Go Early or return disappointed – Breakfast Only       

Char Hu (Tokyo Restaurant) 

Tokyo Restaurant – An Affordable Chu Cha Home Cook Non Aircon “Restaurant” in old town along Jalan Kampong Banggali. They are Open for Lunch and Dinner, again do go early.       

Baked Crabs (Ah Chong Canteen) 

Ah Chong Canteen – Beach Front Seafood, You come here to enjoy the view and more importantly the fresh seafood, at affordable prices.  They have expended and neaten up the place, and somehow maintain their Canteen feel.   Lunch and Dinner

Sweet Paradise Tim Sum -  King of Butterworth Tim Sum, best around with same old school Feel.  Open Breakfast and Lunch        

Weng Seng – Superb Roast Duck / Meats Stall, with their own premises, Once at night it’s a Cantonese Restaurant, Now they just open for Lunch selling their Roast Meats    

Ah Khoon Loh Mee :  Basically just the same as it was year ago,  sticks to its origins, bottle of vinegar and chili is still given at each table for self service, Lots of Add on Options, Open Breakfast till Lunch     

“Beach Street” Braised Pork Hock : Originally at Beach Street, Butterworth, near to the Ferry Terminal, they have relocated as the original shop have burnt down.  They are now located at “City Gold Champ” along Jalan Kampong Gajah. 

Superb Koey Teow Th'ng

Superb Koey Teow Thng @ Sri Bandar Market (Heng Choon Thean)

I usually don’t have Koey Teow Thng early in the morning,  need some thing spicy and hot to wake me up. 

It was one of those days where all my regular makan stalls at the Market were not open, or have not open yet, its  6.15am …   this Koey Teow Thng stall was the only thing open that was not 100% carbo.  So hubson choice.   (there were a few economy noodles shop already open) 

Verdict:  Superb, One of the best I ever had, soup was delicious, and I do think they use the Ipoh Hor fun which is imported in daily.  Definitely will be back for more.

Location :  Refer to my Sri Bandar Post for Map,  Here.  Stall is close to the “Back” near road. 

7 Village Koey Teow Thng

The Original Koey Teow Thng 

7 Village (Koey Teow thng) 

7 Village is a chain of Noodle soup house which originated in Butterworth in 1956, from tricycle push cart hawker roots.  In 1970 they begin to operate from a Kopi Tiam as a stall, and in 1998 they set up their first restaurant, call Lin Restaurant in a place that has 7 Village.  

Lai Men Dry  

Looks Messy,  taste heavenly.  

Now they are spreading all over Malaysia, and may be there is one in you town.  While they are famous for their Koey Teow Thng.  Other Noodles and food are also serve, such as Cold Pork Knuckle (German Influence?), Poached Chicken, Steam Egg (Japanese Influence), Deep Fried Water Tauhu topped with Mince Meat,  Loh Bak, and Kwan Jiang ( a cake of yam, white carrot, radish, peanut )

Deep Fried Taufu 

What I like best is either their Dry Laimen, dry style, serve with a giant mince meat ball, and slices of Grilled Honey Pork and half boil egg, or their Pork Belly Laimen, serve with herbal soup, braised pork belly, and slightly undercook (Japanese Style) hard boil egg and their loh bak. 

Cold Pork Knuckle

Cold Cut Type

Reminds me of the German Jelly Pork Knuckle

Photos are taken over 2 visits.  Location Map is Attached to their Head Quarters at Butterworth, off Jalan Raja Uda near the Petronas. Opens from 7.30am  

 Photos From subsequent Visit

Poached Chicken 

Kwan Jiang

Very Filling, Pork Belly Lai men in Herbal Soup

Steam Egg - Very similar to the Japanese Style

May Fong Restaurant

 May Fong “Restaurant”

An Old School Food Outlet, in the Old Town Butterworth along Jalan Kampong Banggali,  May Fong is a Lunch only establishment that serve and known for it’s  Boiled Chicken, Shrimp Dumpling, which is serve with Chicken Flavor Rice or Ipoh Style Kuey Teow Soup.  Its Usually Packed during lunch time. 

Verdict :  Decent Boiled Chicken, tasty enough, the only one that open for Lunch. The “Ipoh style” koey teow is only an approximation of the actual Ipoh Version, while the Prawns Dumpling is not bad  

Location Map Attached: 

Tokyo Restaurant

Char Hu  

Tokyo Restaurant 

One Famous Old School food joint at Butterworth goes by the name of Tokyo Restaurant, which you may imagine dish up Japanese Food such as sushi or ramen.  Well Tokyo Restaurant is well know among locals for its Tasty Chinese Homecook style food.  😉 

The Restaurant 

This Kopi Tiam Style Restaurant opens for Lunch and Dinner (Close early though), and fills up fast and early, at 7pm you may end up waiting for a table, though there are ample street parking along the Jalan Kampong Banggali for easy car parking. 

Dishes order up this evening is their version of Char Hu, (Fried Fish with soya sauce), Tu Kar (Braised Pork Trotters), Claypot Herbal chicken, and Stir Fried Pea Sprouts & Bean Sprouts, all which comes up to RM50 with 2 rice and some herbal drinks.     Verdict:  Excellent 

Location :  Tokyo Restaurant is a corner shop, located at the southern end of Jalan Kampong Banggali, Butterworth.  Location Map is attach     

Famous Butterworth Curry Prawns @ Bee See Heong Restaurant

Bee See Heong Restaurant

One famous old school restaurant in Butterworth, Bee See Heong  is a very well know for its Prawns Curry, I have hear many people talking of this place on and off line, however I could not find this restaurant, no matter how many times I drove up and down this short street.  It’s so well hidden, until a friend told me that the restaurant is actual in a Cle de sac / a spur off the Main Road Jalan Kampong Banggali facing some Tennis Court, and Behind Ambassador Kopi Tiam.   

My Friend who is a regular there gave me some tips,

1.       The order taker is not rude, that is just his way of order taking     

2.       They have a “Limited” Menu 

3.       Go early 

The Restaurant. 

So we drop by early one evening, just two of us, and duly was guided to ordered the following items, Of course the Curry Prawns, Deep Fried Chicken, Kai Lan, Rice and Chinese Tea. 

As we were early @ 6.30pm, we got serve very fast with the food, which I believe was precook (to increase service speed) while we were there, the restaurant started to fill up, most patrons ordering about the same items as we did. 

My comments, which may not be the same as yours, we had a “Not bad, decent meal” for around RM40. See picture for portion size).

So now I can finally after 4 years say I have been here and done that.  😊   at this Home Cooking Style Restaurant,   Location Map Below, with GPS coordinates to assists.  

Weng Seng Roast Duck, The Best in Butterworth .......

Weng Seng Roast Duck,  Best in Butterworth. 

Weng Seng Restaurant, is another old school restaurant in Butterworth.  Its speciality Roast Duck. 

Weng Seng is located just next to Sweet Paradise Tim Sum in the Vicinity of the Seri Bandar Market, Off Jalan Heng Choon Thean.  (Near Butterworrth Police Station.    As stated their Speciality is Roast Duck, and they are definitely the best I had in Butterworth.   Also available are the usual Roast Pork, sausages, and other roast meats. 

All this are only available during Lunch,  At night Weng Seng operate as a Chinese Restaurant serving Cantonese Dishes. 

We usually Ta Pau Half a Roast Duck for Dinner, as seen in this picture.  I only wish they serve roast duck at night, so we can patronise this restaurant at night. 

A Family Favorite.

Nasi Lemak Bungkus @ Butterworth Old Town.

Nasi Lemak Bungkus, OUB Bank / TM Point Jalan Telekom, Butterworth

Nasi Lemak Bungkus is a staple food of all Malaysian, for all meals, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and all other meals in between, and can be found everywhere, cooked and sold by all races that makes up Malaysia, though there will be variations. 

Basically, a simple meal of rice cook in coconut milk, and other seasonings, with accompaniments of sambal, ikan belis, peanuts though there others things may be added.  All this is usually wrapped, in Banana Leaf, In Plastic, in Wax Paper, in Newspaper.   And may cost from RM1 upwards all depending of the ingredients. 

There are some stalls that you can choose what accompaniments, however for this stall, at the road side all come prewrapped, there are a few choices, chicken, Ikan belis, and so on, all waiting for you choice,  nice, worth a visit.  

 Location :  TM Point / OUB Bank, Jalan Telekom Road Side.   

Kim Seng @ Jln Kg Banggali, Butterworth Old Town.

Kim Seng Restaurant is one of the old school one stall wonder kopi tiam located at the Center (off the Main Road) of Butterworth at Jalan Kampong Banggali  (Pls See map Below for GPS).  

Their one dish wonder is Siew Yoke Koey Teow, which can be serve with soup or dry style, today we had just the Koey Teow Soup biasa, with out any add on or frills.  You can have roast pork (siew yoke added on or on the side.  

Flat Rice Noodles in Soup / or Dry Style ie with Soya Sauce is serve / topped with delicious Roasted Pork and it pack in the crowd from morning till midday.   

Verdit :  Good, worth a visit.    

Kim Seng is a corner coffeeshop, along this road full of India Provision shops and Electronic Shops 

Bukit Emas Kopi Tiam, Jln Permatang Pauh, Butterworth, Richard Western Food, & Good CKT

Richard Western Food @ Bukit Emas Kopi Tiam

Bukit Emas Kopi Tiam a corner lot kopi tiam that operates for Breakfast and Lunch at the intersection of Jalan Permatang Pauh and Jalan Bagan 1 (Taman Bagan) which offers a good verity of Chinese Kopi Tiam food, such as Duck Leg Noodles, Char Koey Teow, Loh Mee etc, with a large seating area.   

What surprising to me is that it also houses a Western Food Stall, which is unusual as most customers will not choose such items for lunch.  This told me that food serve here must be pretty good to attract lunch clientele.    

Well I was right,  I had the Chicken Chop,  RM10/-,  it came will all the usual trimmings French fries, Mix vegetable.  Verdict :  Excellent,  We will be back for more,  we only wish they are open at night, as I am usually not in the area during lunch time.  

Update :  Also tried the CKT here,  pretty good,  now have more choice.   

Jamal Mohd Nasi Kandar, Butterworth

Jamal Mohd Nasi Kandar

There is this Road Side Nasi Kandar Stall, @ Jalan Telekom Butterworth, that open at 11pm and will have that has a que of around 50 person or more lining up on the road for their mid night meal, daily.     

 I am curious, but definitely not interested enough to line up in the middle of the night, no matter how wonderful the food is.   Finally I found out that in the Morning, Afternoon, and Night they will operate from a shoplot not too far away,  Jamal Mohd Nasi Kandar, and only operate as a street stall late at night. 

So I decided to give it a try at their shop which has a much lesser que especially during the day time,   Their shop is located at the intersection of Jalan Kampong Banggali and Jalan Telekom, The food is all laid out as a Street stall in a cart (same cart) outside their shop with seating inside and outside. 

As the seating area was a bit warm, I decided to ta pau (takeaway) and also for a chance for the rice to soak up all the curry flavour (traditional way to enjoy nasi kandar), which also result in a not so nice picture you see here. 

Verdict :  Not Bad, but would I line up for this in the middle of the Night?