We crossed over to Butterworth yesterday morning for our Sunday breakfast, and settled on Teochew koay teow at the 40-year-old stall operated by the Ang brothers at Kim Seng Kopitiam, Jalan Kampung Benggali.
Owner-chef, Ang Ah Yee, preparing his Teochew-style noodles like clockwork - his movements fluid and incredible fast, honed through decades of repeated practice, like the most skilled ramen chefs we see in Japan.
They serve either koay teow th’ng, or dry koay teow dressed in a tasty dark soysauce-light soysauce blend. We opted for the dry version. Each bowl came with one large pork meatball (reminded me a bit of Shanghainese “lion head dumpling”, springy Teochew-style fish-balls and thick slices of fish cakes. Crispy golden brown shallots and chopped green scallions were scattered on top, lending extra textural dimensions to the dish.
We noticed that most of their customers there also ordered the crispy-skinned roast pork as a side - something unique to this stall - so we followed suit. Turned out, it was a marvelous idea.
It was a rustic, traditional coffeeshop, but the locals kept coming in the entire morning, and the place was filled to the brim by just a quarter hour past 9. We were pretty fortunate to be there by 9am sharp.
The owner-chef, Ang Ah Yee, took over the cooking duties from his father about 20 years back. Despite being busy blanching the noodles, tossing them in dressing (for the dry option) or pouring the pork broth over (for the soup version), besides cutting up the roast pork, and sprinkling garnishing atop the bowls of noodles before serving, he was even able to chat with us.
Address
Koay Teow Noodles @ Kim Seng
4468, Jalan Kampung Benggali, Kampung Benggali, 12200 Butterworth, Malaysia.
Tel: +6012-490 5186
Opening hours: 8am to 3pm daily
