Air Itam Market's Curry Mee and Koay Chap

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and we woke up early at 7am for something different, something we don't do so often - marketing.
It's not business marketing, but grocery marketing to prepare a lot of stuffs for tonight's invited barbeque dinner by the beach.
So we decided to go to Air Itam Market, which is a known spot for some of the very good food in Penang.

It's so lively and crowded out here, where people walked by the side of the road, just inches away from the vehicles. It's amazing how Penangites are always active all day long.

the oldest Sunshine in Penang

inside the wet market

Since we all woke up without having breakfast at home, and after an hour of marketing, we were ready for the food hunt. One of my friends suggested the infamous Koay Chap for a try since it was also a favourite of hers.





Koay Chap originates from Singapore, which is influenced by a multi-ethnic background, mainly Chinese. It is a dish made of rice noddles sheets dipped in soya soup together with various parts of pork, vegetables and tofu.

koay chap

The rice noodles of the Koay Chap has indeed a very smooth texture, making it very soft and blends well with the sweet soya soup. I'm not a fan of Koay Chap, but from the look of my friend, I think she really enjoyed it.   8.0

apom (pancake)

While waiting for her to finish, we ordered Apom Manis (apong or pancake) just outside the coffee shop, a known local delicacy which is made of flour, eggs and sugar on a claypot and originates from India. It is never stomach-fulfilling to eat Apom at any time of the day, but it is a very good add-on for meals and snacking. The Apom tasted really crunchy and sweet, and once inside your mouth, it melts itself in a slow manner - really delicious.

Right one more thing, I used to think that all the drinks in any kopitiam is the same, but I was wrong when my friend, once again suggested and ordered the Milo Ice for us. At first look, the cup, the straw, the ice do look the same, but one thing's different, the taste. It tasted better than what my mum used to make for me when I was a little boy after I'd helped her with the housework, because somehow the Milo had a thick chocolate flavour.

milo ice

It was my turn, as I just ate 2 pieces of Apom and it wasn't even enough as an appetizer. We went to the other corner of the market, beside the river, where a legend resides. I sincerely think that she's a legend because of the years she has served as a hawker, and she might even be older than most of our grandmoms. and therefore she is known as - the Curry Mee legend. And what's more spicy than the Curry Mee was the fact that the ah ma sits all day long on a bangku (wooden stool), preparing and scooping the necessary ingredients for the perfect Curry Mee.




The last time I ate her tradisional Curry Mee was nearly 10 years ago, and I am really glad that I have the chance to eat again.

curry mee

ah ma and stools

The Curry Mee has very interesting details of the tauge (bean sprout), tau pok (stuffed friend tofu) and sotong (squid) placed on top of the noodles. What I like most about the Curry Mee was it's tau pok which is very soft and juicy. Although it wasn't the best Curry Mee ever, but the reputation is there and some of the customers even enjoy eating on the bangku.   8.0

If you have never try before, I recommend you to try it as this is a really good experience which you can't find elsewhere in Penang.

Prices .
Koay Chap - RM 4.50 a bowl
Apom - RM 0.40 a piece
Milo Ice - RM 1.40 a cup
Curry Mee - RM 3.00 a bowl

Bonus .
To find good food, you always have to sacrifice, and that includes waking up early on a Saturday morning.
Air Itam Market is located near to the Kek Lok Si Temple.
This is also the place for some other famous good food like Laksa and Susu Lembu is sold at night but that would be next time.
The ideal hours for marketing and breakfast is about 7 - 9am .

Read More