Char Koay Teow (CKT) in Penang is highly regarded as one of the best in Malaysia, and there are fews well known such as the infamous Lorong Selamat CKT, Ah Leng CKT with the options of adding big prawns or mantis prawns, the legendary Siam Road uncle CKT, or the big juicy prawns Tiger CKT. Nevertheless, all this famous CKT shared a same trait - they only open in the morning till late evening, with the exceptional Bukit Mertajam duck egg CKT.
Hence what should you do if you are craving for a plate of decent CKT at night? Fret not, head to Jalan Perak and look for this standalone modest stall, remarkable by the fire sparks around the wok during the frying process. Manned by a senior couple, they are insisting on using charcoal to fried the koay teow still.
I always opt for a plate of duck egg Char Koay Teow here (RM4.50, price captured end of 2014) as the aroma of the plate of noodles is elevated significantly, comparing to the one using chicken eggs. The insistence of using charcoal to fry the koay teow by the senior chef has imparted a very strong wok hei to the noodles. Do not expect fancy big prawns or mantis prawns in this CKT because they added only the simple ingredients such as prawns and lap cheong. However, the wok hei has made the presence of juicy big prawns neglect-able.
I have dine in or take away CKT here numerous times and I do realised inconsistencies in the CKT. Sometimes the koay teow was over burnt while sometimes it was fried to near perfection level. Perhaps it was due to the difficulty in manipulating the charcoal fire.
The patron usually take away as there are only 1 or 2 tables provided. A small stall selling red bean soup is neighbouring to this CKT stall, as you will definitely need something to soothe your body after consuming such a heavy wok hei noodle.
Charcoal Char Koay Teow @ Perak Road
Operation hours: 7:30 - 11:30pm (Supposedly close on weekends)]
Landmarks: On your left after the first traffic light past Jalan Perak fire station if you are coming from Georgetown
Location map refers here.
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