Wanton Mee

In a neighborhood coffeeshop opposite the wet market, I have found a unpretentious collection of eats while I allow the cares of the world to shrug off.

Every bowl of wanton mee in Penang is made to order. The man pulls off the requisite amount of egg noodle and dunks it in cool water to rinse off the excess starch. Then he blanches the noodles in boiling water, jumping them in a wire basket to keep the strands loose.

Meanwhile, he makes up a batch of sauce in the bowl--soy, sesame oil, and other secret ingredients. When the noodles are al dente, he slides them into the bowl and tosses them with a large soup spoon making a hollow cupping sound. He adds a few wanton in the steaming broth in the meantime.

He adds freshly sliced charsiew (Chinese BBQ Roast Pork), blanched kailan (broccoli rabe), rescues the wanton and drops them into a small bowl and ladles broth into it.

Finally, he garnishes with white pepper, pickled green chilis, and rushes it out to hungry customers. I was fortunate to find an outstanding example of Wanton Mee in my neighborhood, and would have a bowl of it once every two weeks if not weekly.

In that same coffee shop, there is a roast duck vendor whose duck and roast pork is so good, I often order a serving without rice to eat with my wanton mee. The coffee and milo here is also particularly strong.



I came here so often that the normally curt vendors warmed up and greeted me with a smile. Even the coffee lady would ask if I would have my usual iced black coffee with a touch of sugar before bellowing out the order. It is nice to go someplace where you are known.

~ Shien

Claypot Rice Farewell with Koay Family

Our final meal in Penang was with the Koay Family whom we had grown to love.

My makan kaki, Benny brought us to his favorite Claypot Rice man opposite Jelutong Wet Market.

He opens 6:30pm every day except Sunday.

The owner and cook was a bit wary of me taking pictures, but then Benny explained that I wanted to make sure I remember him and the stall for posterity, so he warmed up.

One round was insufficient, so we went for a couple more with extra saltfish in the mix each time!

It is a very aromatic, bold dish with very comforting elements that cause you to crave more as you dive towards the caramelized crust. 

Thank you Benny, Jelise, Sean and Isaac for sharing this last iconic meal with us, and making Penang a tougher experience to leave behind.

~ Shien

The Barber

Johri swept locks of hair crisply into position with a comb perched nimbly between slender fingers. The voracious scissors in his other hand never hesitated as they felled tufts of hair to the floor, snipping sharply like crunching apple.

We had already exchanged pleasantries, having greeted him in Tamil as I entered his little shop, and he asked about me and my family in English as he fluffed the pillow on the barber chair with a sharp slap and turned it to receive me.

“Same?”, he would always check. “ Of course.” Why would I amend what was already an fabulous experience. Glasses off, I would settle into the leather chair and square my shoulders just as he trained.

Every so often, he would exchange the comb and scissors with the pair in a small rice pot of simmering water. Johri was always dressed neatly with a crisp white button down shirt and pants, clean shaven and groomed. He always smelled nice and his fingernails were trimmed.

He would greet and receive anybody who stepped into his shop warmly, and ask about them and their family too. And apologize if they left because the line had grown too long.

In the morning, he would leave the sliding door open to circulate the cool air, but he switched on the air conditioner when it got warmer in the afternoon or if he saw that you were perspiring. Whenever I saw him eating when I approached the shop, I would insist I come back in a bit so that he can complete his meal at peace. At first, he insisted that he serve me, but later, he would thank me profusely and allow me to offer him that courtesy.

Hair cut complete, he would dip his fingers into lather and swab it deftly around my ears and neck. Then he would unwrap a fresh blade for his straight-edge razor, and carve a precise hairline. Next, he would run his trimmer through my goatee and trim it impeccably with scissors, checking often in the mirror for the stray hair. Finally, he would use the neck towel to dry off my neck and shave the back of my neck before giving me a 30 second back rub.

“Okay! Thank you! Come again!” I would pay him and offer him a tip which he often refuses. But he accepted on future visits when I say it is something small for the kids.

Johri was on long vacation visiting his wife and kids in India when I dropped back in to tell him I was leaving. I never got to say good-bye.

Ian's Recital with His Tutor

After several rehearsals the time for the recital was upon Ian!

It was really neat to have Ivy, the bassoon tutor who carried him past the novice stages, be in attendance.

She was on Summer Break after being in the Yong Siew Toh conservatory, NUS for a year!

Siew Yin, concert pianist.

Thank you, Ms Low from Bentley Music for supporting the Music Fine Arts!

~ Shien

Goodbye to Wet Market Stalls, Visiting Shoyu's New Family

We were now days away from leaving Penang, so we chose to let our morning market stall owners know that we were leaving soon.

It was quite tense and awkward saying goodbye after seeing them on almost a daily basis for four years.

I got to eat the super kampong durian that tasted of almonds one more time from the Wanton Mee Vendor.

Final taste of Uncle Robert's Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun.

Saying good-bye to AhLian who shouts out our coffee order when she sights us.

Later that day, we took a drive to visit Hasra and her family to see how Shoyu was doing. Along the way, we passed the 288 durian stall and had to stop to say good-bye.

Shoyu was still skittish with the new sounds in her new home, but it was very nice to get to cuddle her one more time.

We left Hasra with some fine kampong durians from the 288 stall, which delighted her!

Hasra's outside cats were also very calm and cuddly.

So we knew that Shoyu is in a great new home.

~ Shien

JumpStreet Goodbye to Loh and Family

Loh, Matthew and Esther chose the Jumpstreet trampoline experience for our farewell!. We had heard about this place in Bayan Baru near PISA but had never made time to visit it until now! Thank you Loh and family! We will miss you!

~ Shien

Final Night Market Visit

We wanted to record some of the more unusual food vendors on this last visit, since we might not get to see them again when we come back... this steamed roti jala served with sugar and coconut for example.

And the soybean milk with gula melaka and sugarcane juice.

Chicken murtabak. Not my favorite example but unusual for Penang.

We loved this Kerabu Beehoon and Nasi Ulam stall. Awesome!

And of course, our fantastic Pau (Steamed buns) stall that would rival any Hong Kong dim sum restaurant for its fluffy bread and lean, caramelized charsiew, tausar (Aria's favorite) and lengyong (lotus paste) fillings.

~ Shien