Jawa Mee at Seasons (Vegetarian)

The 1st and 15th day during each month of the Lunar calendar is celebrated by the Chinese simply by visiting temples, praying or practicing vegetarianism. The enigma in many people is that vegetarian food does not taste good or at least not as good as non-vegetarian food, and therefore people only eat vegetarian food when they need, especially during auspicious occasions. But one thing I noticed is the mindset of the people has changed ever since the vegetarian food industry bloomed in Penang years ago.

Believe it or not, I used to patronize this particular vegetarian restaurant, be it an auspicious day or not. It's simply because the food here, so basically nowadays people prefer to eat vegetarian food not because they need to, but because they like to.

 

 

This stall sells a great variety of local delicacies, comprising food like Wan Tan Mee, Jawa Mee, Curry Mee and also Chee Cheong Fan. I have always wondered how a small kiosk like this alone can sell such variety of food, but somehow they (the husband and wife) still managed to do just that.

 

   soup for both curry mee and jawa mee

The alleged rumour was that the prices of vegetarian food are always expensive and sometimes throat-cutting. But in this place, this is never the case as the food here is priced reasonably (as below).

 



While waiting for my food, I ordered a bowl of Almond with White Fungus Soup. This nourishing dessert is a very good way to start the day with the nutrients prescribed by the Chinese which also contains red dates and longans.It tasted average probably since it was meant to be herbal, but nevertheless I enjoyed it.

wan tan mee

The Wan Tan Mee was served in a short 10 minutes. Apart from comparing it to it's non-vegetarian cousin which contains real pork meat, I think the taste was good and everything was just in place. There were pinches of small pork meat cubes (literally) which added more munch to the noodles. The fried wan tan (friend dumpling) was indeed crunchy and if you would to be eating this blindfold, you would never guess they were actually made from vegetables or vegan recipes. Now that's another reason why vegetarian food is getting more popular.

jawa mee

The best of all is none other than the Jawa Mee. First impression, it does already look like the real thing. First bite, it still tastes like the real thing. Amazingly, this jawa mee is capable of making you reconsider whether is it really a vegetarian dish. I think the taste is really good and might even surpass some of the famous jawa mee(s) out there. The fact that this jawa mee has no prawns or egg may sound disappointing, but the use of crispy vegetarian fritters (prawn crackers) and fresh orange potatoes had actually compensated the use of poultry. The gravy itself is fantastic with a little bit of spiciness, blending together with the noodles, making each bite so rewarding.

The one thing I don't fancy about this place is the unfriendliness of the hawkers (both husband and wife). But if you're in for the food, there is much to fancy.

Prices .

Almond with White Fungus Soup - RM 2.00

Wan Tan Mee - RM 2.70

Jawa Mee - RM 2.70

Bonus .

16-G, Medan Angsana 4, Bandar Baru Farlim, Ayer Itam, Penang.

It is located in Farlim Business Centre on the row opposite to Shell's Laksa or directly behind Farlim's KFC.

Business hours are from morning 7.30am to 11am .


View Farlim Business Centre in a larger map

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Genting Wan Tan Mee

It was early Friday morning and the night before, my aunt and I planned to have our breakfast at our usual place. We have been customers - regular customers for Genting Kopitiam for a long time, dating back to the time when I was still in primary school.



People used to say habits are always hard to change. Having breakfast here is a habit :)

The thing about this place is that it feels very comfy, probably because of the years that I've been here, or probably because of the people who comes here often. This kopitiam has only a few stalls, but it's business is good enough to cater a big crowd.



Most of the customers here are either young working people in their uniforms or old people with their gossip gang members. Although there is other food which is relatively good as well, but I always prefer to order the same-ol'-thing, Wan Tan Mee ta ta (dry Dumpling Noodles). While waiting, we usually order a set of Kaya Toast Bread which is really tasty as appetizer.

kaya toast bread

I was first introduced to this food by my aunt, who is also an expert in cooking and food tasting. And I remember she told me this, "I think in the world of Wan Tan Mee, the hardest challenge a hawker could get is when a customer orders dry Wan Tan Mee".
This is because it takes great skills to produce this kind of Wan Tan Mee, and most hawkers fail to perfectionate this Cantonese dish because a little too often, the noodels is too dry (without enough soy sauce) or too wet (which defeats the purpose of ordering a dry one).

husband and wife in action


dry wan tan mee

We usually order our dry Wan Tan Mee without sio bak (roasted meat) because .. err I think it's just a habit also. :)

dumpling soup

It was probably habit that always brings us back here, simply because the food is affordable (very affordable in fact) and taste is averagely-good .

Prices .
Toast Bread - RM 1.40 a set
Wan Tan Mee - RM 2.10 a plate (without roasted meat)

Bonus .
This shop is located at the end of the row of Bandar Baru Supermarket, Farlim.
It only closes on Sundays, opens from 7.30am to 11.00am for breakfast, and if you would like to join the crowd, please reach around 9.00am .

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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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