5 must-visit Penang street stalls

The Lim sisters preparing noodles for the endless drone of customers at their curry mee stall in Air Hitam. – The The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.Everybody knows Penang is a true foodie heaven, especially if you love authentic street food.

The back lanes of Penang used to be filled with street stalls peddling all manner of culinary offerings, but of late, many have moved to operate from coffee shops or even air-conditioned food courts.

Well, we love our food with a touch of nostalgia, and so we hunted down five of the best stalls in Penang where you can find good, old-fashioned street food – sold right on the streets!

Sisters curry mee, Air Hitam

This curry mee stall has evaded many people on the lookout for it, mainly because it really is quite a challenge locating it in Air Hitam’s narrow and busy lanes. Run by the Lim sisters, the curry mee isn’t even technically served from a stall – the pots of bubbling stock and condiments are perched on stools and charcoal stoves placed at ground level.

Charm aside, the curry noodles are satisfying. The stock was lovely and flavourful, a slightly thinner and lighter version than other Penang curry mee variants which tend to be rich and spicy.

A delicious, hot bowl of curry noodles, served with a lot of love. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.Customers can choose to add coagulated pork blood and “sambal” cuttlefish to their noodles. We highly recommend the latter (also because we get extremely queasy at the thought of the former).

The sambal, mixed in with the curry broth, made for an absolutely delicious and hearty soup which was soaked up beautifully by the noodles and bits of tau pok (fried bean curd puffs).

Despite being quite well-known among foodies, both local and international, the sisters are approachable and happy to indulge customers’ photo and interview requests. That gives them extra marks in our books.

Sisters curry mee | Add: Jalan Paya Terubong, Air Hitam, 11500 Penang | Opening hours: 7am-1pm daily | GPS coordinates: 5.400442, 100.278211 | Non-halal

Siam Road char kway teow

This stall is one of the island’s most well-known and sought after by those looking for authentic Penang-style char kway teow, complete with sliced Chinese sausage with lots of wok hei (heat from the wok).

The stall uses an old-school charcoal stove which many swear gives the noodles a delightful earthy aroma. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.The downside is, there is almost always a wait you have to endure – 30 minutes if you’re lucky, and up to an hour on busier days.

This plate of noodles is so worth the long wait in the hot, hot Penang sun. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.Each plate of noodle is consistent in taste and texture, and a combination of great frying technique and an awesome savoury-sweetish sauce results in an extremely satisfying dish. The rice noodles are evenly coated with sauce and the lovely subtle flavours of fried garlic and chives makes it easy to understand why there is always a queue at this stall, rain or shine.

Siam Road char kway teow | Add: Intersection of Anson Road and Jalan Siam, 10400 Penang | Opening hours: 3pm-8pm, closed on Mondays | GPS Coordinates: 5.415397, 100.320298 | Non-halal

Kareem pasembor rojak, Union Street

Kareem pasembor has been appealing to lovers of Indian-Muslim style rojak for decades. They have a wide range of fried fritters and condiments to keep everybody happy, from their signature deep-fried prawn fritters to fish cakes and even boiled vegetables and squid.

We picked up an insanely huge serving (it’s easy to get carried away here) and handed the dish over to Abdul Kareem, the owner of the stall, who then cut them all up to bite sizes before mixing in a generous amount of thinly-sliced cucumber, turnip and blanched bean sprouts.

Abdul Kareem is the bubbly, friendly owner who dishes up your awesome plate of pasembor with a smile. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.We then waited with baited breath as he doused the entire heap of goodies with the secret spicy-sweet sauce.

The fried condiments readily soaked up the warm sauce which, unlike many versions in KL, only had the faintest trace of peanuts. Eaten together with the fresh, juicy vegetables, the flavours and textures all just worked so well together!

Union Street Kareem Pasembor Rojak | Add: Along Union Street, opposite Standard Chartered Bank | Opening hours: 11am-7pm daily | GPS coordinates: 5.418344, 100.342396 | Halal

Toh Soon Cafe

So technically, this place isn’t a stall more than it is a sidewalk cafe. It is, however, located literally in an alleyway which serves as an open kitchen right next to dining area for customers.

The attraction here is really old-school style Hainanese toast and coffee, both served thick and made the way grandma and grandpa used to enjoy.

A unique oven works as a water heater as well as at Toh Soon Cafe. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.To toast the bread as well as to keep a huge pot of water boiling, a modified oil drum has been transformed into a charcoal oven. Fluffy Hainanese/Bengali bread slathered with butter and kaya is placed on a wire platform which is then inserted into a small opening at the base of the “oven”.

The bread was crispy, with a slightly charred aroma from almost-direct contact with the burning charcoal, and it was lovely with two soft-boiled eggs cracked on top.

While the end result is honestly not much different from regular oven-toasted sandwiches, the novelty of this method is enough to bring us back for some good old-fashioned coffee and toast.

Toh Soon Cafe | Add: 184 Campbell Street, Georgetown, 10100 Penang | Opening hours: 8am-6.30pm, closed on Sundays | GPS Coordinates: 5.418830, 100.332031 | Pork-free

Teochew cendol, Penang Road

Founded in the 1950s, this cendol stall is arguably one of the most famous names and exports of Penang island.

You can find branches of it even in Kuala Lumpur, but nothing beats slurping down an icy cold bowl of cendol as you stand by the side of the street, as is practised at this stall in Penang Road.

There is always a line at this stall, but the good news is service is really fast, and you’ll get your dessert in no time! – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 29, 2015.

Using good quality gula Melaka, fresh coconut milk and bouncy, chewy cendol, the icy dessert was wonderfully satisfying. The sweetness and nutty aroma of the palm sugar was well complimented with coconut milk, and little bits of boiled red beans added a lovely texture to the dessert.

If standing by the roadside isn’t your thing, you can also have your cendol with a meal at the Joo Hooi coffee shop next to the stall. – June 29, 2015.

Teochew Cendol | Add: Lebuh Keng Kwee, Penang Road 10000 Penang | Tel: 04-261 8002 | Opening hours: 10.30am-7pm weekdays, 10am-7.30pm weekends | GPS Coordinates: 5.417139, 100.330677 | Halal

* All of The Malaysian Insider food reviews are incognito and represent the personal opinions of our merry band of foodies. If you know of any restaurant serving awesome grub and you’d like to share it with the rest of the world, drop us a line with details at [email protected].