har kway teow article this review focuses on one particular hawker stall and one particular dish. The dish in question is Hokkien Prawn Mee and the stall, Kedai Kopi Swee Kong, is on the Burma Road on the corner of Solok Moulemein and is directly opposite the Pulau Tikus police station. By public transport you can get to it either by taxi or by bus, the Rapid Penang 101 stopping directly outside the stalls. Now the only snag with this place is that it is VERY popular AND it stops serving at around 8:30 – 9:00 am as they start at around 6:30.
Now the friend who took me here suggested that this prawn mee was the only thing that would be worth such an early morning rise on a day off and when we went we got there at about 7:45am. The place was already buzzing
and had, judging by the depleted stocks, already seen a lot of trade!! I say it closes at around 8:30 am which mostly is the case, but it will close earlier if it's all sold out!!
and had, judging by the depleted stocks, already seen a lot of trade!! I say it closes at around 8:30 am which mostly is the case, but it will close earlier if it's all sold out!!
We ordered a coffee and some Apom (Indian coconut milk crepes) which are very nice first thing in the morning when piping hot and fresh. After only a few minutes wait the prawn mee arrived. The foundation for a prawn mee is the stock soup made from prawns shells and pork bones and a closely guarded recipe including a concoction of other spices which varies from vendor to vendor and which are simmered for hours. Coupled with the prawns, pork, noodles, beansprouts, kang kung and other vegetables it can be a very tasty dish. Now I have to say that I have had very nice prawn mee at a variety of hawker stalls but NOTHING compares to this. The stock is deep and intense in flavour and really aromatic and the combination of prawns, meat vegetables and noodles is spot on and when combined with a very fiery chilli paste (mix in sparingly if you don’t like your food too spicy!!!) this prawn mee was spectacular.
I’d have to agree that some foods would need to be pretty darned good to get you out of bed if there was no other need and this certainly fits the bill. It was a very tasty, warming and hearty breakfast and all for around RM 7-8. It is easy to see why this place is so popular with a constant flow of locals who eat in or order take away and it earns a very well justified ‘Top Pick’ from me!!!
Thanks for dropping by my blog, you have a great blog too. It's fun to read a foreigner's perspective of local food.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, now I know why I dun get many goodies at Swee Kong cos we always arrive around lunch time! Loved the bubur cha cha stall behind Swee Kong
Thanks for the comments. While it was not my job I'm a qualified chef and have always loved Asian food. All of my friends in Penang are local, mostly Chinese so that helps in finding the best places quickly :-)
ReplyDeleteThat stall is great too. I'll likely do a write up on your blog as well as just the link to it, I tend to do that with the better ones I find. Keep in touch la!