Chinese New Year threw a huge monkey wrench into my Penang plans; something like 75 percent of the restaurants I tried to go to turned out to be closed.
But in the case of Tong Lek 8 Cafe, I’m not even mad. I randomly found it after the place I wanted to go to turned out to be closed; I’m so glad I got to try out their amazing food.
They specialize in fried fish bee hoon, an amazing noodle soup with vermicelli noodles and fried, boneless fish.
This is insanely good. The clean seafood broth has an irresistible flavour that feels perfectly tuned; there are chilis and various condiments on the table, but the soup is so perfect that I didn’t want to mess with it.
Other than the fish and the noodles, the soup features greens, scallions, a thick slice of ginger, and a handful of crispy little fried garlic bits. That garlic, in particular, really adds a ton of flavour to the soup.
The noodles are firm and perfectly cooked, but it’s those fried fish pieces that are the real star of the bowl. They’re so profoundly crispy that they manage to retain their crunch despite being submerged in soup. And yet the exterior isn’t overwhelming, and the fish itself isn’t dried out. It’s so good.
Location: 156, Jalan Macalister, George Town, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
How to find it: The sign is in English; it’s not difficult to find.