Kow Low Wan Tan Mee has been operating in its current premises on Carnarvon Street for 9 years now, but its brand name goes way back longer - at the now-defunct Yi Garden Cafe on Lorong Selamat whence it was set-up by Thum Soon Hong and Pang Kim Poh. Their wantan noodle dish’s soup stock followed a chicken-based recipe which they learnt from a Hong Kong master chef.
Thum Soon Hong had broken their partnership a decade or so ago, and subsequently opened his own wantan noodle spot, the now-defunct Hong Kee.
His younger brother, Thum Soon Choong, ran Kow Low Sar Hor Fun at Yi Garden, but currently operates his own very popular sar hor fun eatery on Campbell Street.
The current owner of Kow Low Wan Tan Mee operates from 7am to 2pm daily, off-days are not certain - which can be quite a bother for anyone wanting to plan a visit ahead.
The wantan noodle rendition here has quite a springy texture, much sought after by its Penang clientele. The dark soy sauce-based dressing is subtler than other versions in town, slightly unctuous, and with very well-balanced flavours. A basic order of wantan noodles here come with Cantonese-style BBQ pork (char siew), choy sum greens, and three wantan dumplings served in a small side-bowl of chicken consomme.
I also ordered sui kow - larger dumplings with minced pork-shrimp-water chestnut filling. A sui kow vis-a-vis wantan shown here:
This place has one of the better renditions of wantan noodles in Penang. Remember to call ahead before one makes a trip there. But Carnarvon Street is full of good food places, so there’s really no shortage of alternative stuff to eat there.
Address
Kow Low Wan Tan Mee (高佬云吞面)
169, Lebuh Carnarvon (Carnarvon Street), 10100 George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: +6016-470 1996
Operating hours: 7:00am to 2:00pm daily. Call ahead to confirm if it’s open on that day.
