Dinner at Teow Kee Beef Noodle Kongsi on Victoria Street this evening, after leading a bunch of visiting volunteers from Hong Kong for Selfless Together, a Penang-based NGO which helps refugee children adapt to life here.
The Teochews (Chinese: 潮州人 , Mandarin: Cháozhōu rén, Cantonese: Chiuchow yan) are the second largest Chinese ethnic group in Singapore and Penang, after the dominant Hokkiens (Fujianese). They are also the largest ethnic Chinese group in Thailand and much of Indo-China. Their impact on local cuisine is tremendous - Teochew beef noodles are believed to be the forerunner of Vietnamese pho.
3-month-old Teow Kee Beef Noodle Kongsi (opened May 8) offers a unique combination of Teochew-style beef broth and Japanese ramen, in place of the Teochew koay teow (flat rice noodles).
We ordered two different options:
- Soup noodles
This is the signature dish where ramen noodles are steeped in beef broth, garnished with lightly-cooked, very tender beef slices, fatty beef chunks, Japanese-style onsen egg and chewy Teochew-style beef balls. The dish is topped with generous amounts of chopped cilantro and scallions, and golden-fried garlic crumbs.
It’s a very rich-tasting dish that is heavier than I’d have liked, and quite a departure from the usual light-tasting characteristics of Teochew cuisine, which I surmised is resultant from the restaurant’s adaptation of Japanese-style ramen broth preparation techniques.
Diners can also order add-ons, which I did. The beef tendons were beautiful.
The radish (daikon) came in a huge chunk, and had a bitterish after-taste. I’d somehow it’ll be cooked Taiwanese-style - cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, softer and flavorsome from having absorbed the broth. This one was nothing like it!
- Dry noodles
The “dry” version is actually the noodles sans the broth, but bathed in generous lashings of an intensely-flavored dressing which tasted of soy sauce and hints of Chinese spices. It’s very good, and I think I might just stick to this version the next time I come back here.
The crinkly noodles were absolutely perfect for absorbing the dressing, and were very tasty.
This little eatery, ensconced in what used to be an old store-room in George Town’s historic old district, is narrow and its tables can fill up quickly during peak meal periods. The diners last night were an equal spread between local Penangites (recognisable from their uniquely-accented Hokkien dialect) and Mandarn-speaking Chinese visitors/tourists.
Address
Teow Kee Beef Noodle Kongsi (潮记牛肉面公司)
88, Victoria Street, 10300 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6017-221 1912
Opening hours: 5.30pm to midnight daily, except Wednesdays (Closed).
