If I was backpacker visiting Penang for the first time, I would stay around the historical part of Georgetown close to Chulia Street. Why? On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings (correct at the time of writing this), a special talent comes out to cook the best Char Koay Teow ever.
That might sound like a big, enormously bold statement, especially in Penang, the home of this amazing dish. (For those of you not so familiar with Malaysian cuisine, this dish is composed of flat rice noodles, egg, beansprouts, chives, soy, chilli paste, prawns and cockles stir-fried in a fiery wok). But this Chulia St based hawker makes char koay teow using a special touch, by using a traditional charcoal-based flame. It imparts an unbelievably addictive smokeyness which a conventional gas-based flame cannot compete with. Furthermore, all his ingredients are super-fresh, culminating in a treat which can even make the fullest of stomachs feel hungry again (this was another Penang supper after a deliciously enormous dinner).
Chulia St also has another trick up its sleeve; awesome Curry Mee. A flavour-packed, rich, coconutty broth envelopes fresh egg noodles, crunchy bean sprouts and an abundance of seafood make this another flag-bearer of Penang’s embarrassment of culinary riches.
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