Laksa and Yam Rice at Seang Tek Road

People often think that in order to promote their food business well, one of the criteria is to have a good location, a hot spot, or a slot where all the commotion is in town. But in Penang, that's not always the case.
Good location does not make a food good, but it is good food that makes a location good.

So earlier today, I was invited for a food review at my friend's place. To be honest the kopitiam is rather small, but again the size of the location is never the deal to begin with.

big banners will do .

Since it was lunch time and our stomachs were supposed to fill in a few pounds of food, we decided to order everything (all the food in the pic above).
We were seated on the narrow pathway, while looking at the handful of customers (not in pic) who were waiting to ta pao (take away) the purportedly delicious Laksa.

lady in apron

The great thing about this place is that the food is always served within minutes, somehow that I supposed is an important criteria for food business. It was odd to order Laksa and Yam Rice together, which was my first time eating the combo.

I think the Laksa gave a promising first impression, with the colourful combination of onions, mint leaves, cucumber and red chillies which were sprinkled on top beautifully.

The different point to note for the Laksa was also its white noodles. The noodles were very soft and succulent. And for the soup, I thought it was a little not-so-spicy but tasted not too bad altogether.

yam rice

On a different course, the Yam Rice. It was served and to be eaten together with the Laksa. Although we usually eat Laksa with Popiah, I have to admit that the Yam Rice was terrific. I've always remembered how a perfect Yam Rice tasted, and frankly this one is close to it.
Remember we ordered all the food above, do you know what's missing ? Right, it's the Prawn Cracker or heh pia in plain Hokkien or keropok udang in Bahasa Melayu.




Altogether there were many different ways of eating this local snack food. You can dip it inside the Laksa soup, to add a spicy savoury flavour in it. You can also break it into small pieces and eat them as a dish with the Yam Rice. Or to make things simple, you can just eat it by itself which is already very satifsfying and good enough for me.



To finish things off with a sweet note, the Ai Yu Ping (Jelly Ice) did a really great job on cooling down our tastebuds. It tasted almost similiar to the famous Okio (which is located near the jetty) with a mixture of different jellies. So now you can always save a trip to that far if you're craving for some sweet and sour dessert right ?

Overall, it was definitely a sweet experience and something new if you have never tried eating Laksa with Yam Rice before, not to mention with the 100% homemade Prawn Cracker.


Prices .
Laksa with Yam Rice - RM4.00 a bowl
Ai Yu Ping (Jelly Ice) - RM 2.50 a bowl
Prawn Cracker - RM 0.50 a piece

Bonus .
This kopitiam is located down the street of Seang Tek Road, just the beside of Anson Market.
It is open from 11am to 5.30pm and only closes on Monday.

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Shell's Laksa

Recently, I talked to an Australian who came here for a summer vacation. We exchanged a few questions before I asked him, " what do you think of Penang's food ". His Australian accent sounded awkward when he replied, " wow the food here is just amazing, everything's nice, especially the Laksa".
As a Penangite, Im proud to hear compliments although they weren't for me, but it made it sound as though Im part of it, we're all part of it.

Since this is the very first post on food, I'll make an effort on giving a brief description on the food.
Laksa originates from the Peranakan (Chinese and Malay) culture and is also one of the most popular delicacy you can find in Penang. This bowl of spicy yet sour noodle soup is found almost anywhere, from the corners of the street to the fine-dining in the hotels. There are mainly two types of Laksa, Asam Laksa which is friendlier to all Penangites, and Curry Laksa which is more of a delicacy in places like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

asam laksa

curry laksa

sarawak laksa . ?

And so I think all of us have our own preference on the debatable and arguable question, whether which Laksa is actually the best in Penang. But to be honest, it is hard to judge which Laksa is the best as the taste is not measurable. You know, food can't be like, oh that Laksa scored 98 points on the Food-o-meter. So, I decided to share this place with you that I think is worth visiting, probably not the best, but again definitely worth a try :)

imagine eating laksa on a hot afternoon

If you were to wonder where did all the Indonesian maids or "kakaks" in your housing area go, you can happily find them all working here. =D

I remembered the Laksa I usually have in other places are always lack of something, the key ingredient, which is the fish (mackerel or ikan kembung). Sometimes, they tend to replace this key ingredient with fishballs which in my opinion is tak betul lah. But worry not, this stall has everything prepared for you to satisfy your tastebuds. There is fishball, mackerel, and smashed-fish inside the nutrious (fish got vitamins one mah) Laksa.




Review .
Aside from the balanced spices of onions, red chillies, slices of pineapple, the fragrant torch-ginger flower and hiao ko (asam), you notice that there is something more to the soup. Filled with sweetness from the spices and sourness from the asam, there is this smashed-fish in the soup (where when you drink the soup, you can actually taste tiny bits of fish inside melting in your mouth). Back to the main character, I think that the texture of the white noodles of the Laksa is just beautiful, and it blends in very well with the soup.

look at that fish

To relieve the burning sensation from the Laksa, you can always order a bowl of qing bu liang (leng chee kang) of which I think is far better than the ice kacang or cendol. If you happen to have the appetite to eat a horse, worry not as you can also try the Roti Bak Kua on the stall beside. p/s he's also the owner of the Laksa stall.

roti bak kua

One more thing, remember how popiah (springroll) tastes so good by itself, but what happens when popiah meets laksa ? right. you eat them both together, crunchy and juicy at the same time.

popiah

combo

At the end, I would always end up wet eating Laksa. No it's not because I'm clumsy and splash the soup with my poor chopsticks-skills nor because I eat like a horse, I'm wet because I sweat a lot when I eat something spicy.
And also I have to give a point to the exterior decoration for the toilet . lol




Prices .
Laksa : RM 3.50 a bowl
Popiah : RM 1.00 a pc
Roti Bak Kua : RM 1.40 a pc
Leng Chee Kang : RM 2.50 a bowl

Bonus .
Address: 1-G-01, Medan Angsana 4, Ayer Itam 11500 Penang.
This shop is located on the row behind KFC /Pizza Hut in Farlim and opens from 11am to 8pm .
The service is fast, and if you would like to avoid the crowd, it's better to pay a visit in the afternoon.

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