For the longest time, Chulia Street in Penang had 3 popular Hainanese chicken rice restaurants: Goh Thiew Chik, Pak Hock and Sin Kuan Hwa. Sadly, Sin Kuan Hwa closed down in Sep 2017, and was promptly replaced by a run-of-the-mill pub. Thankfully, the other two eateries had been going strong till today, despite the challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, and the frequent lockdowns and bans on dining-in whenever the number of infection cases go up - like now.
I’d had a quick lunch at Pak Hock earlier this year. The eatery (est. 1946) is located right across the road from the bigger Goh Thiew Chik. The standard at Pak Hock is pretty good, as well, actually.
The chicken rice here is a tad saltier than other renditions elsewhere, but is pretty palatable, all the same.
The Hainanese-style poached chicken here was much better than I expected: moist and with the silken-smooth texture from perfect timing of the poaching of the chicken:
Poached chicken livers and pan-fried tofu:
Pak Hock is quieter than the very busy Goh Thew Chik across the street, but I think the food here is actually tastier:
Address
Pak Hock Penang Famous Chicken Rice
393, Chulia Street, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6016-406 7853
Opening hours: 10am to 4pm daily