When I told Mervin that I wanted to go Siam Road for Charcoal Char Koay Teow, he asked me if I was prepared to wait for 1.5 – 2 hours. Well, not really as we had a jam-packed itinerary ahead of us. Even if I had the luxury of time, I probably still wouldn’t wait that long just for char koay teow, lol.
Mervin commented that Siam Road CKT was good but it was not worth the long wait as we could also get a good wok-hei-laden CKT elsewhere. And thus he recommended us Ah Leng Char Koay Teow, which he thought was on par with Siam Road’s if not better. Anyway, the Siam Road CKT wasn’t open in the morning so even if we were to go, it wouldn’t be available.
Ah Leng Char Koay Teow is located in Restoran Tong Hooi. About a 6-7 minute walk away from Classic Cafe where we had Ah Koo’s Hokkien Mee – our first breakfast of the day.
We arrived early and Ah Leng Char Koay Teow wasn’t open yet. The auntie at the drinks stall told us to wait a while so we ordered drinks first.
Yay, we were the first customers, lol. Ordered CKT with duck egg.
Char Koay Teow with Duck Egg
It was the best choice made as always. Penang CKTs just taste so good with duck egg. Somehow the duck egg imparted an umami flavour to the CKT. And when combined with the wok hei fragrance of the CKT, the end result was just brilliant.
This was one of the best Penang CKTs I had. Ample wok hei. Plump, juicy cockles. Fresh, crunchy prawns. Perfectly balanced flavour. Not too sweet. A little spicy. Not too oily. This CKT was simply executed to perfection.
Lian Bang Shao La Ji Fan 联邦烧腊鸡饭
The roast meats from this neighbouring stall looked really tempting. So we decided to order some to share.
To our surprise, the taste was really not bad. Better than expected.
The roast pork was fantastic. Crispy crackling. Strong smoky flavour.
Char siew looked lean but melted in the mouth. Loved the sauce that was doused over the meat. Very flavoursome and not too salty.
Roast chicken was fragrant and moist too.
Even the side bowl of salted vegetable soup was tasty. My only gripe? The rice was too soggy for my liking.
What a surprising find of delicious roast meats and roast chicken though we were here initially just for char koay teow! This stall is definitely worth trying!
Final thoughts
If you’re a Penang char koay teow fan and you’ve the time to spare when in Penang, it’s definitely worth exploring some of the best CKTs in town and see which one you like. Personally, I think Ah Leng Char Koay Teow does a really good CKT that one shouldn’t miss. Come give it a try if you haven’t!
Closed on Wednesdays