Back to Seng Thor this afternoon to take-away some lunch options. Dining in is now allowed in Malaysia for fully-vaccinated individuals, but many coffeeshops in Penang are still reluctant to allow dining-in, preferring to stick to offering take-outs or home deliveries only.
Our lunch take-outs included:
- Oh chien (oyster omelette) - this famous stall is now run by Lim Nan Sheng, 52, who took over from his famous late father, Lim Teong Lai, whoβd made the oyster omelette here one of the most sought after in Penang.
Penangβs βoh chienβ is the Hokkien/Fujianese sort - the same as those one finds in Taiwan or Fujian, China - eggs, streaked through with tapioca slurry (which imparts of gelatinous texture to parts of the omelette) and incorporating tiny, sweet oysters. Coriander leaves, garlic and 5-spice were among the aromatics used in the cooking. Those, and a whole lot of pork fat.
- Lor mee - Seng Thor coffeeshop has been operating since the 1950s, and there has always been a very popular lor mee stall in there. Ownership of the stall has changed hands a few times in the past 7 decades, and we understand that itβs now run by the coffeeshop owner himself.
Lor mee is a Hokkien/Fujianese noodle dish of yellow wheat noodles and rice vermicelli, smothered with a gooey, gloopy brown gravy, scented with Chinese 5-spice and soy sauce, and streaked through the egg ribbons. The lor mee here was garnished with soy-braised pork, hard-boiled egg, and braised tofu.
Lor mee in Penang has a gentler flavor than its Singaporean counterpart. In Singapore, lor mee may also include fish-meat and crisp-fried batter crumbs for additional texture. Singapore lor mee will also be topped with minced raw garlic, and a splash of black vinegar.
Penang lor mee, on the other hand, will never have fish-meat, whilst some places offer soy-braised chicken feet and pigβs intestines, which one cannot find in the Singapore version. So, stark regional variances for the same Hokkien noodle dish.
- Koay teow thβng - the quintessential Penang-Teochew flat rice noodle soup, usually served with Teochew fish-balls, slivers of chicken-meat, pork-liver, chickenβs gizzards and minced pork. It was utterly flavorsome, and is a close cousin of Vietnamese hu tieu Nam Vang, which is also of Teochew origin.
- Wantan noodles - a surprisingly good rendition of Penang-style Cantonese wantan noodles here: dressed in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, shallot oil, sesame oil and other secret condiments. Itβs garnished with poached wantan dumplings and char-siew (Cantonese-style caramelized BBQ pork).
In typical Malaysian-style, wantan noodles here would be served with sharp, pickled green chilis, to cut through the noodlesβ richness.
- Baked char siew bao and yam puffs (wu kok) - these Cantonese pastries were bought from Guangzhou Cake House next door. Owner-baker, Tham Wai Tuck, perfected his craft working in Hong Kong, and now produces artisanal Cantonese snacks back in his Penang hometown.
