Boey Chong Kee was named after its founder, who started his restaurant in the 1960s at the People Court block of flats behind Cintra Street, offering rustic, home-cooking-style Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant is currently run by the founder’s grand-daughters, the Chan sisters. Be prepared for a 45-minute to 1 hour wait before you see your food - the sisters cook very, very slowly.
“Hong Siew Yu Tou” - deep-fried fish-head pieces in a thick unctuous gravy, with tofu, roast pork, shitake mushrooms and leeks.
“Keong Chau Ngau Yuk” - braised beef fillets and ox-tripe, with ginger, scallions and eggs.
Braised pork-ribs with sweet-sour “taucheo” sauce.
Crisp, golden-fried prawn fritters.
Address details: Boey Chong Kee, C-6 People’s Court, Cintra Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It opens from 6pm till about 10pm daily.
It’s all in the family, as the three Chan sisters run their kitchen with clockwork efficiency, as they carry on the legacy of their maternal grandfather, Mr Boey Chong Kee, when he started his eponymously-named eatery to feed the inner-city residents and tradesmen.
We ordered the Chan sisters’ rustic Cantonese staples: a delicious stir-fry of soy-marinated slivers of beef quickly tossed with a generous scattering of ginger and scallions;
One can’t help but admire the train of aromatic dishes, gleaned from an old culinary tradition, that emerged from the kitchen under the sure hands of the Chan sisters. It’s a good feeling that some things never change.
a delicious stir-fry of soy-marinated slivers of beef quickly tossed with a generous scattering of ginger and scallions;
