[Penang] Battle of the char kuey teow: which is best?

There is no dish that symbolizes Penang more than char kuey teow.

Char kuey teow (ckt), or essentially fried rice noodles, was invented in Penang and is the city’s most beloved dish. I swear they revoke your Penangite card if ckt isn’t one of your top 2 favorites. This noodle dish has just a few ingredients: pork lard, prawns, cockles, egg, Chinese sausage (optional, but always better with it!), bean sprouts, fresh spring onions, soy sauce, and a spicy paste. And the key? A delicious “char” flavor from a sizzling hot wok.

It’s so simple, but it takes skill to make it right. A proper one should be made over charcoal fire to get that necessary “char” flavor. And each small batch should be made fresh to order. Don’t trust the ones made in a huge batch.

I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with this dish. Literally unhealthy, because nothing about this is diet-friendly. If I see ckt anywhere, then it’s very hard for me to want to order something else (though this may now be rivaled by asam laksa).

In Penang, any shabby roadside stall labels itself as “Penang Famous Char Kuey Teow”. However, while this is grammatically correct, the connotation is misleading.

This implies that that particular stall is famous, when its really the specific dish that is. There are actually only a couple handfuls of very famous stalls. The most famous, of course, is Siam Road Charcoal Char Kuey Teow (know as Day King). It’s just one old man making it on a pushcart on the side of the road. The wait is often over an hour long. However, he is getting very old and only opens when he feels like it. I attempted to go 3 times and each time, arrived only to find an empty street. So I officially give up. But I made it my mission to seek out other famous vendors.

I’m quite picky with my ckt. My requirements for a good plate are:

• must not have soft or soggy noodles. Noodles must be dry and slightly chewy.
• no extra or heavy sauces
• a bit of spice but not too much
• fresh plump prawns
• Chinese sausages is a HUGE plus, and sausages must be charred a bit too

Trust me, not all ckt meet these requirements. I’ve had soggy ones and bland ones and ones with prawns that tasted funny (which I’m pretty sure gave me food poisoning). I’m very weary now of eating char kuey teow from any random stall.

Sooooo with all this said…. which ones wins my favor? Let’s see how they compare! I also brought in some help from locals to give you their honest opinions.

By the way, you may see it spelled a number of ways: char kuey teow, char koay teow, char kway teow, fried kuey teow… etc. All the same thing. 

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Contender #1: Bee Hooi, Gurney area

Where: 415 Jalan Burma & Pulau Tikus Lane, George Town
Hours: 8:00 pm – 11:00 (closed Tuesdays)
Price: 7rm ($1.16 rm)

This is a popular night food court in the Gurney area, where I was staying. The char kuey teow stall here has made quite a name for itself.

Take it from a local: “This isn’t one of the top 5 famous char kuey teow, but still one of top 10. Almost every Penangite will know it because everyone has a friend in this area.”

The stall is manned by a husband and wife team. He cooks and she takes orders and sous chefs him. It’s amazing to watch them work together. They work in perfect unison. She throws in the ingredients at just the right moments. His job is to man the wok and cook them just right. As a result, each batch is made very fast.

A local friend said that this used to be the best char kuey teow stall in this area. But he feels like it has slightly gone down since. “20 years ago, it was one of the Penang must haves. Husband and wife getting old now,” he said. I think it’s decent to fill a craving, though the noodles are a little bit soft for my liking.

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Contender #2: Sister’s Char Kuey Teow, Georgetown

Where: 185 Jalan Macalister, George Town
Hours: 8 am – 4 pm, closed Mondays
Price: 8rm ($1.87 US)

Sister’s is one of the most popular char kuey teow stalls in Penang. It’s consistently on every single “top ckt” list. A local Malaysian reader even mentioned to me that it’s the only stall her family goes to when they visit Penang. So when I went back to Penang, I made it a point to visit.

I believe this was originally two sisters who ran the stall. They made a name for themselves because it was rarer back then to have women stall owners. A local friend said he believes they’re the first women-operated stalls to become famous.

I was super excited for this since it’s so famous. AND because they give their ckt an extra ingredient: crab meat sprinkled on top.

I’m just gonna say this. I was SUPER disappointed. The dish seemed greasier than usual (and this is already a greasy dish!) and there was no flavor, even though I had asked for spice. The prawns were nice and tender, but not enough to save it. And the crab meat was absolutely tasteless and added nothing to the dish!

Take it from a local: “Sister’s used to be good, but it’s very touristy now. Go to Brother’s ckt down the street instead.”

Was it just a bad day? Did I hype it up too much in my mind? In any case, I would not recommend anyone waste their time and money to come here.

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Contender #3: Night market by the Chew Jetty, Georgetown

Where: Chew Jetty, Georgetown
Hours: I can’t be sure, but around 6 pm
Price: 5.50 rm ($1.25 US)

The clan jetties are old Chinese settlements along the waterfront, when they built houses on stilts over the water. Each jetty and its houses belonged to one family. The most popular one today is the Chew Jetty (where the Chew family live).

It’s quiet touristy now with souvenir shops and ice cream vendors. However, locals secretly know that there are some great food stalls by the jetty. In the evenings, there are a dozen or so street vendors that set up shop next to the Chinese temple (which serves as the entrance into the Chew Jetty). Don’t overlook these stalls! They’re great.

Take it from a local: “Oh yes, the stalls by the jetty are great. Tourists go to CF food court across the street because that’s where Anthony Bourdain ate, but locals eat here.”

And guess what? I believe this to be one of the BEST plates of char kuey teow. The noodles had the perfect texture – not soggy or stuck together – and the taste was wonderful. The spice level is perfect too. And the best part? They give A LOT of Chinese sausages, just the way I like it. This stall wins for the most sausages, for sure!

I ended up coming here to eat a few times because it’s just that good. And especially for only 5.50rm, you just can’t beat it.

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Contender #4: Ah Leng, Georgetown location

Where: Jalan Dato Keramat, Kampung Makam, 10150 George Town
Hours: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm (closed Wednesdays)
Price: 8.50rm ($2 US), or 14rm for the special ($3.25 US)

After being sorely disappointed to find Siam Road ckt closed every time, a friend suggested I go check out Ah Leng. It’s his favorite since little, he said. It was only a short walk away, so I went. Ah Leng has a couple of locations now, and the one I went to is manned by his children.

Take it from a local: “Ah Leng is next in line to become the char kuey teow king in Penang, since the Siam Road uncle is old now.”

On my friend’s advice, I ordered the special. It’s pricier at 14rm ($3.25 US), considering that an average plate costs only 5rm. But it comes with 4 large prawns and mantis shrimp! (There is a normal version with 2 prawns for 8.50rm.) The restaurant wasn’t busy when I went but I still waited quite a while for my plate.

I don’t know what else to say except that it was sooo good. (Really good food blogger I am, huh.) I’ll try harder: the noodles were perfectly dry yet soft, with just the right amount of bite. It’s also satisfyingly spicy (I found myself wiping a runny noise at the end!), but not so much that it takes away the flavors. And the prawns – so incredibly plump and fresh, cooked just right. The cockles are nice and fat too for those of you who like them. This is probably the least photogenic ckt, but trust me, it’s SO good!

I only had one complaint: the portion size is definitely too small. I wanted an entire bucket of this! And there are no Chinese sausages. But this is so good already that I don’t mind.

Next time I’m back, I’m living right next to Ah Leng so I can eat here every day. Kidding. Sort of. Maybe.

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Contender #5: Chulia Street night stalls, Georgetown

Where: Lebuh Chulia & Lorong Cheapside
Hours: 6 pm – 12 am daily
Price: 4.50rm ($1 US)

This is a backpacker area with a ton of hostels and backpacker cafes. And in the evenings, there’s a very lively night market with about a dozen stalls. I avoided this area for a while because it felt too “backpacker-ish”. But when I finally ate here, I actually think the food is pretty decent. I shared a few dishes with friends and I liked almost everything. Wanton noodles and char kuey teow are the two most famous stalls here.

Take it from a local: “It’s decent. Not the best, but it’s one of the better stalls that I would recommend when the famous ones aren’t open.”

There’s not much too complain nor rave about this ckt. Everything tasted as it should. I even went to have it a couple of times. I guess only one thing – I noticed there’s no Chinese sausages used here! I’m guessing this may be to keep it halal?

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Conclusion: and the winner is…..

Surprisingly, as much as I LOVE the Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow, I’m going to have to give this one to the stall by the Chew Jetty. 

Huge surprise, I know, especially as I don’t think that stall is actually famous. But overall I definitely prefer it the best. I love the amount of Chinese sausages they give you, and the texture and flavor is just right. And for that price? It’s a clear winner in my book.

What other famous stalls do I need to check out?? I’m back in June for a few days and would love to complete the mission of eating all the char kuey teow!

Which ones have you tried and what did you think?