There are “cafes” all over the city in George Town that are essentially like little food courts. Each one has three or four vendors, usually specializing in one thing. And like a food court, you order, then walk your food over to one of the nearby tables.
I had heard good things about the laksa at Joo Hooi Cafe, but when I got there, the char kway teow vendor had the longest line by far. So I called an audible.
There are only three choices at this particular stall: char kway teow made with a duck egg, a chicken egg, or no egg at all.
I ordered it with a duck egg, the lady skillfully did her thing behind the wok, and I was good to go.
Char Kway teow is a stir-fried rice noodle dish with shrimp, cockles, various sauces/chilis, and bean sprouts, among various other things. Man, it was good.
There was a depth of flavour here that was pretty remarkable — it’s seafoody, salty, and spicy, with that subtle smokiness that you can only get when you cook something in a blazingly hot pan.
The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the whole dish had a really great texture thanks to the chewy noodles, the rich egginess, and the various crispy bits interspersed throughout. It was a pretty amazing plate of noodles.
Location: 475, Jalan Penang, George Town, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
How to find it: The vendor in question in called “Penang Road Famous Chao Kuey Teow.”