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Motormouth From Ipoh

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Penang Food Tour (Part 2)

After the heavy SECOND breakfast of the day, we proceeded to burn off the calories. No, we did not jog,swim or cycle, but instead chose to brisk-walk in Prangin Mall. =P

An hour or so later, MayI kept nagging us to go for an early lunch, as she did not poke at the roti telur much, because she avoided the mutton and beef curry like the plague. Hehe. Forced into submission, we gave in and walked to Joo Hooi Cafe, a coffee shop on Penang Road selling the famous Teochew Cendol, laksa, lor bak, and etc.

Front view of the shop, amidst the construction work
A horrible traffic jam ensued, due to road maintenance/widening project, and we were glad we were on foot. The cendol stall moved further behind, must be to avoid the dust, we assumed. We entered the shop and was slightly surprised as there were quite a number of empty tables. Previously the place would be packed, especially on weekends, as the locales, as well as outsiders would come for the delightful cendol.

The famous laksa (RM3.00)

We avoided asking the owner to order cendol for us, as previous experience proved that whenever they have the power to do so, they would order from the opposite stall, which although is good, the taste is a few rungs lower than the original/popular one. And the shop charged an extra 10 or 20 cents per bowl, just because you are sitting in their seats. But this time around, you have to pay an extra 50 cents (!!!) per bowl if you want to order the cendol from outside. We thanked him graciously, and waved him off, but he insisted that we order at least ONE drink. Hmm ... Material Boy ordered herbal tea (RM1.30) which was pretty tasteless.

Lor Bak (RM5.00)

Char Kuey Teow (RM3.50)

The laksa was one of the best on the island. Previously. This time, although still pretty nice, the ingredients were lesser, and the price was increased to RM3/bowl. The char kuey teow had enough 'wok hei', and a tad spicy, and fared better than the laksa in my humble opinion. The lor bak (RM5 for 4 pieces) was OK, though I find the dark sweet sauce a bit lacking in egg shreds and taste.

Penang Road's Famous Cendol Stall

After the so-so meal, we just had to compensate by visiting this famous stall. Luckily there was no customer waiting in sight. We ordered 3 bowls and were ushered to our seats???!!! Huh?

The sweet, refreshing cendol with gula melaka

The crowded stall in front of their newly-acquired (?) shop

Oh, it seems they have a shoplot of their own now! Situated right behind Joo Hooi Cafe on Lebuh Keng Kwee, now you can sit in the comfort of fans and air-conditioners, while enjoying your bowl of sweet delight. At RM1.60 per bowl, the sweet syrupy flavour of the gula melaka infused concoction, with cendol and red beans, will definitely soothe your craving for something refreshing on a hot day. In fact, some customers 'ta-pau' (take away) packets of laksa from Joo Hooi and had them in this shop! Such a brilliant idea. ;)

Location : At the Penang Road-Lebuh Keng Kwee junction. A short walk from Komtar, crossing the 3-way overhead bridge on Jalan Penang-Jalan Burma-Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong.

10 comments:

Min said...

I really miss that Laksa and Chendol so much...why didn't u all 'da bao' for me?? Where is my share??

J2Kfm said...

hehe, next time buy 4 u ah? bring u and go together lo, since this time too short, can't 'finish' my list of outlets to visit. ;)

ai wei said...

i love that cendol! had it once but i m seriously addicted to it!

er... din really know the direction to find this perefct cendol. u have map?

J2Kfm said...

yeah! and some say, cendol only ma, everywhere also same la.. which in fact it's wrong! probably the secret is in the gula melaka they use?

no map, but its on the same side of Penang road as Chowrasta market. u know the 3 way pedestrian overhead bridge at Komtar? it's VERY near the bridge.

ai wei said...

this simple big bowl of cendol can definately bright up ur day. i miss that cendol very muchie now.

er... i dun really know penang's road/ area. aiks

J2Kfm said...

sorry ai wei, I've tried my best.
:( maybe u can find a street map, and have a look. or ask any Penangite. I'm sure this stall is popular enough to warrant a following of its own.

Hong 阿豐 said...

Not sure if you went to right famous Chendol or not? ^^

Anonymous said...

may i know what are the operating hours of this chendol and if we drive there, where can we park? by the roadside?
thks
octopusmum

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