One thing patrons of beef koay teow need to look out for is to make sure that the sellers clean the ingredients very well, especially the innards like beef tripe. Otherwise the lingering smell will spoil any appetite.
Sin Yin Nam Cafe, New Lane
Situated at the corner of New Lane and Macalister Road, the beef koay teow stall here is very popular amongst tourists and locals alike.
However, quality is somewhat inconsistent, with the broth having a sourish undertone, most likely from coriander, which is more pronounced on certain days while conspicuous on other days.
Understandably, they cater to local taste buds, who feel that the smell of beef is less than appealing. Therefore, majority of beef koay teow sellers tend to use copious amounts of herbs like coriander to mask the smell.
Other than that, it is still appetizing, with beef balls, strips of beef, beef tripe and tendons.
Prices start from RM10.00
Kang Beef House
This establishment takes beef offerings to a new level with more dishes than just beef koay teow.
If you want something that is less soupy, try their crystal beef fried rice (RM12.80). They add rice krispys to the fried rice so every mouthful is a delightful crunchy experience. For those who prefer their rice a little moist, they may add soup that accompanies the rice.
For an appetizer, try their crispy deep fried beef balls with croutons (RM4.80).
Their beef koay teow comes in 3 different versions:
* Regular
* Claypot
* Herbal (tastes like bak kut teh)
If you happen to have a vegetarian in your midst, they will not be left out as well. Their vegetarian fried hor fan is just as tasty, even for a meat lover like yours truly.
They also have beef steamboat for big celebrations (RM20.00 per pax) with a variety of beefy-licious ingredients such as rib, tripe, balls, intestines and sirloin.
By special request, customers can also get the penis. What does that taste like? Well, the shaft is pretty much like tendons - opaque and tasteless. The balls, however, are an acquired taste but the texture is smooth. Will I eat it again? No thanks.
Overall, Kang Beef House trumps in terms of variety of dishes. However, my one complaint is that the taste of their broth can be more bold. As it is, the flavor is very diluted. At times, it feels like boiling water with a hint of beef.
Again, I'm not sure whether it is because locals tend to shun the smell of beef and they try their best to mask the smell, which to me is really unnecessary.
Kang Beef House is located on Perak Road, just a stone's throw away from the Jelutong police station. They open during lunch time and dinner as well and are closed on Tuesdays. However, the fried dishes are only available from dinner time onwards.
Kedai Kopi Lam Ah
Also popularly known as Bomba Beef Koay Teow amongst Penangites as it is situated just opposite the fire station, the beef koay teow here definitely rules the bull pen.
The coffee shop is at the corner of Beach Street and Chulia Street.
The thick broth filled with beefy goodness always gets slurped to the last drop. The pretty lady who runs the stall there has been selling beef koay teow since 1997.
Customers can have the choice of choosing koay teow, egg noodles, a combo of koay teow and egg noodles or rice. They can also choose to have dry koay teow instead of the soupy version.
Toppings include strips of raw beef that are seared with the hot beef broth, beef balls, tripe and tendons.
Note worthy is their sauce which accompanies the beef koay teow. It is a special blend of sweet sauce and chilli sauce that is created by the proprietress. You are not going to find this anywhere else.
Prices start from RM10.00.
The downside is that due to its popularity, finding an available table, especially for lone diners, can pose a challenge. Due to its location in one of the busiest sections of Georgetown, parking is also a problem, especially during weekdays when offices are opened. It doesn't get any easier during the weekends either.
The coffee shop is also pretty warm, so if possible, try to get a table that is near the doorways.
And again, because business is so good, it can be quite a long wait before you finally get your bowl of beefy heaven, so while waiting, customers can order the fried oyster, the only other stall in the coffee shop.
They open from Mondays to Saturdays from 11.00 am till around 3.00 pm or the beef koay teow is sold out, whichever comes first.
So that's the run up on the good beef koay teow available in Penang. If you have any other recommendations, please let us know and this bak ong will head over to the place to get the scoop ;)
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