Yes, it is. The old man is 77-year-old Tan Chooi Hong, who hardly utters a word when spoken to. His assistant is actually his 53-year-old son, Tan Kean Huat, who takes orders and serves the char koay teow to customers.
The older Tan did try to pass down his business to his son, but finicky Penangites insisted that his son’s version “was not very good”. I think they are being too hard on the younger Tan.
Poor guy, sounds like a page out of Jiro …
Do you consider his CKT the best in Penang?
Very, very subjective when it comes to Penang hawker food - everyone seems to have their personal fave and I’m hard-pressed to find even two Penangites who can agree that the Siam Rd one is the best in town.
Personally, I ranked him behind my fave, the CKT lady at Kheng Pin coffeeshop (corner of Penang Road and Sri Bahari Road).
The CKT lady in red hat on Lorong Selamat would be next, but she hasn’t been frying for the past year or so ever since she broke her hip in a traffic accident.
The Siam Rd old man is my #3 - his version of the CKT closely approximates what the Teochew-Chinese like about the dish: lightly-done with just a touch of light soy-sauce, not too greasy with lard, and not too wok-charred (unlike what the Cantonese look for).
Dying for a CKT bang-bang in Penang 
I can’t find authentic-tasting CKT once I get out of the island - and especially not in Ipoh (less than 100 miles away) or Kuala Lumpur (210 miles). Somehow, the different dialect group’s preferences (Cantonese in both Ipoh & KL) will get in the way, and you end up with a totally different rendition of the CKT which resembled more closely the fried flat rice noodles one finds in Hong Kong.
My old list from a couple of years back:
I’m totally deprived but thought the version at Nam Heong in Ipoh was quite decent especially with the use of the stubby local sprouts
Nam Heong’s version satisfies the Cantonese palate - much greasier than what the Teochews/Chiuchows can tolerate. But there’s no beating Ipoh’s beansprouts - best in the country.
CKT vendors all have their own “secret sauce” which they add into the mix when they are frying - a blend of light soysauce (usually from their own supplier - there are 160+ artisanal soyssauce brewers in Penang alone), oyster sauce and other condiments. Their sauce will set the taste of their CKT apart from their rivals’.
Care to recommend any?
I guess that’s where the super strong white coffee comes in handy to offset the greasiness.
This is my personal fave. But it’s hard to find even in Penang, not carried by the major supermarket chains (cornered by Lee Kum Kee and other big boys) - I always get it from a specialty grocery store at Cecil Street Market in Penang.
Thanks!!! Going to track it down next time I’m in Penang.
Alas, the only place I knew to get decent CKT in London (Sedap) closed a few years ago, and I’m sure it would have been a weak comparison after my trip to Penang anyway. Not sure when I’ll get back to Malaysia so I’ll just have to feast on these memories instead!
Didn’t know the beret woman hadn’t been cooking recently, must have done wonders for the goggles man’s stall down the road.
Indeed. But the social media went to town in recent months over the Siam Road CKT man - so now, CKT fans’ attention has shifted from Lorong Selamat to Siam Road!
I wonder what happened to Mary Yeoh & Co. I must ask around when I’m in London this July (to catch the Man Booker 50 at Southbank Centre). Maybe we can also organise a chowdown among the UK-based HOers. @Harters @paprikaboy Interested?
Say it ain’t so!!! Never got a chance to try it
Yup, the news seems to be all over these past few days. The news first came out on Chinese daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, a few days ago but has since been picked up by the social media mob and went viral.
77-year-old char koay teow vendor, Tan Chooi Hong, has been feeling under the weather for much of this year. The last time I was at Siam Road two weeks ago, there was a notice at the coffeeshop that he’s off for 10 days. Looked like he never came back.
The older Mr Tan’s 53-year-old son, Tan Kean Huat, would have been the natural successor - but finicky Penangites claimed the younger Tan’s cooking skills were nowhere near his father’s. A few years ago, the Tans did make a concerted effort for Kean Huat to start his own char koay teow stall - at Red Garden foodcourt in the evenings. The older Tan would stand next to his son, instructing his son whilst ensuring quality control. But business was so poor that the stall closed down after some time. The Tans seen here at Siam Road (Kean Huat in blue t-shirt).
Somehow, I feel the younger Tan will make a comeback - try his hand at continuing where his father left off. Penangites just need to be more forgiving this time - everyone has to start somewhere.
I need to go check out another char koay teow stall run by Mr Tan Chooi Hong’s younger brother in Taman Penang Free School foodcourt in Caunter Hall. Some friends said the brother’s char koay teow is different in taste & texture - loved by some, but dissed by others. Individual preferences, I should think.
How very unfortunate his son is not ready to take over the reigns, thanks for the additional info.
Have you tried it, was it so bad?
I agree, or maybe he should do something different from his father, find his own style.
No, I didn’t have a chance to try it - I only moved to Penang in April 2017, and only heard about it from my Penang friends afterwards.
