We heard quite a bit from other Penang chowhounds about this place on the other side of the island which serves amazing Chinese roast duck.
For some strange reason, the guy who runs this roast duck stall chose to ply his trade in a little coffeeshop called Kedai Kopi L P Hoe, hidden away in an isolated little fishing village of perhaps less than a hundred people, mainly fisherfolk, and, get this, opens for business only on Saturdays & Sundays! I donโt know what he does the rest of the week: research new ways to perfect his roasting technique, maybe? Or nurture his ducks so theyโd reach the optimum size and yield the best-tasting meat when roasted?
Anyway, we sallied forth to Balik Pulau last Saturday - to that district on the western side of Penang island. In fact, โBalik Pulauโ, in Malay, literally translates to โThe Other Side of the Islandโ. The eastern half of Penang island is highly built-up and urbanized, divided from the western half by a long range of granite hills. The western half of the island remained largely undeveloped, with a string of fishing villages on the coastal areas.
Kampung Pantai Acheh is one such village, a languid, sun-drenched collection of tiny wooden houses with zinc-roofs. The main street is all of one-hundred feet.
The villageโs school took the pride of place in the centre.
And right across the village school is Kedai Kopi LP Hoe, a spartan structure which also happened to be the only dining establishment for miles around.
The eateryโs claim to fame is the roast duck stall - โroastโ is a loosely-coined term here: Cantonese-style โroastingโ sometimes meant the whole fowl was being held over a wok whilst being bathed with ladlefuls of sizzling hot oil, until the duck was cooked and a glossy, mahogany sheen had been obtained.
The resultant roasted duck which we had was utterly delicious: moist and juicy meat, covered with paper-thin, ultra-crisped skin - by far, one of the best Iโd ever had in Penang. It was served with a spicy chili dip, and a sweet, smoky fermented soy-bean sauce dip.
The other much-recommended stall served oh chien - Hokkien-style oyster omelette. Penangโs โoh chienโ is similar to those one gets from Taiwanโs night markets, similarly Fujianese-inflected oyster omelette incorporating gelatinous streaks of tapioca flour slurry, crisped at the edges.
Garnished with fresh coriander leaves, and served with a spicy red-chili dip, the โoh chienโ here was also one of the best Iโd had in recent times.
Tiny pearl-sized Penang oysters, sweet and fresh from the sea, were used:
We ordered three cooked dishes from the anchor stall at the eatery. The owner-chef, Mr Thor, opens for business on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon till his food sells out. He churned out Hokkien comfort food with strong flavors. What we had:
Steamed clams with ginger, garlic & green scallions - the flavors reminded one of a strong, concentrated gravy from an Italian spaghetti vongole: one simply couldnโt resist finishing every single drop. The clams were fresh, and tasted of the sea, which was a few hundred feet away from where we were sitting.
The steamed white pomfret was delicious: topped with slivered ginger, minced garlic and tomatoes, then drizzled with good quality light soy sauce before being steamed.
Location: Just use Google Maps to find Kampung Pantai Acheh. Once you get to the village, you wonโt miss L P Hoe coffeeshop. Itโs a tiny hamlet where everyone knows everyone else.
Opening times:
Roast duck stall - 11.30am onwards, Sat & Sun only.
Oyster omelette stall - 11.30am onwards, Sat & Sun only.
Cooked food stall - 12 noon onwards, Fri, Sat & Sun only.
