[Penang, Malaysia] Home-cooked flavours from See Kong Ooi (西公園飯店)

Home-cooked flavours from See Kong Ooi (Est. 1936) on Transfer Road. Currently run by 45-year-old architect-turned-chef, Peter Tan, the grandson of the restaurant’s founder, Tan Kong Chye, an immigrant from Fuzhou, China, who came to Penang in the early 1930s.

From its Fuzhou beginnings, the menu offered at the 82-year-old restaurant has changed over the past decades to encompass a polyglot of Penang-Chinese flavours: Hokkien, Cantonese, even Nyonya.

Our lunch today:

  1. Black pomfret “gulai tumis” - this is my first time here, and I was given to understand that this is one of its signature dishes. Something missing from their rendition - the indispensable “bunga kantan” (torch-ginger flower) was not used here. Flavours were also pretty bland compared to the one from Tek Sen (Carnarvon St).

  2. “Asam heh” (prawns cooked with tamarind) - the prawns tasted pre-frozen and lacked the bouncy, sweetness of fresh-from-the-market prawns which Penang’s street hawkers usually used. The flavours were also not as sharp or pronounced as I’d expected.

  3. “Tau-hu cha sua-nah” (Tofu cooked with leeks & shrimps) - I quite enjoyed this dish, which has pretty light flavours but, here again, the rendition here seemed bland compared to what I’d expected this dish to taste like.

  4. Steamed minced pork patty with salted fish - one of See Kong Ooi’s most popular dishes. It was leaner than I’d expected, i.e. more pork fat to lend the richness and flavour would be nice.

  5. “Kangkung sambal belacan” (water spinach cooked with chilis and fermented shrimp paste) - by far, my favourite dish at lunch today. The water spinach was tender and well-cooked through, and the “sambal belacan” spice mix was perfectly balanced.

It’s a popular lunch and dinner spot for Penangites, most of whom are regulars and probably grew up on the brand name. For a first-timer like me, I don’t think the bland flavours at See Kong Ooi really suits my taste.

Address
See Kong Ooi (西公園飯店)
7&9 Jalan Transfer (Transfer Road)
10050 George Town, Penang
Malaysia
Tel: +604 262 7845
Opening hours: 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm daily except Thursdays (closed)

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Great Googly-Moogly!

I’ve travelled through a fair bit of SE Asia, including Malaysia, but Penang still has escaped my grasp thus far. I really need to change that soon…

i do often make Kangkung Belachan at home though…it’s a fairly easy dish by which to attempt a quick tele-portation to the region :wink:

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One of the oldest restaurants in town, 84-year-old See Kong Ooi Restaurant, is closing down amidst the F&B industry bloodbath caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has totally changed the public’s dining habits here.

Sadz! We watch them go/close one by one.

This virus is causing much sadness and suffering every single day.

I have spicy fermented shrimp paste. Just ate it yesterday in a stir-fry with shiitake and sous vide confit duck leg. Basically I can flavour all sorts of things with this shrimp paste.

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That sounded really good.

See Kong Ooi is back! There were huge cries of dismay when the nearly nine-decade-old eatery closed down back in Mar 2020.

But the owner, Peter Tan, has decided to resurrect it recently - at a newer, spiffier location, no less. So, See Kong Ooi has started operations on 14 Feb at 27 Noordin Street.

The crowds have been packing the place since it re-opened, though, so be prepared to wait 1-2 hours for your food!

What we had last night:
:small_orange_diamond: Steamed minced pork with salted fish & ginger - a popular comfort food, done very well here this evening. The salted fish gave a nice tang to the rich, fatty pork patty, whilst the finely-julienned ginger lent a floral aroma to the whole ensemble.

:small_orange_diamond: Fish gulai asam tumis - like much of the food here, the rendition here is blander and not as concentrated in flavours as I’d have liked. But the fish (threadfin) fillets were very fresh, and the okra was perfectly cooked.

:small_orange_diamond: *Asam prawns - again, a rather bland, almost tasteless, version here.

:small_orange_diamond: Chicken with ginger and sesame oil - very liquid gravy, and none of the sharpness from the sesame oil and ginger which I’d have liked.

:small_orange_diamond: Beancurd with leeks, carrots, shrimps, pork and carrot - good rendition, perhaps the only dish that I’d think was done according to how it should be.

:small_orange_diamond: Kangkung sambal belacan - liquefied rendition.

Good to see an old brand name back. It has its band of loyal followers.

Address
See Kong Ooi
27, Lebuh Noordin (Noordin Street), 10300 George Town, Penang
Tel: +6016-444 9990
Operating hours:
Mon to Thu: 6.30pm-9.30pm
Sat & Sun: 11.30am-2.30pm, 6.30pm-9.30pm
Friday: Closed

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