Tuesday 13 April 2021

Madam Leow Penang Koay Chap, SS2

Last Saturday as usual my partner asked me "chiak hamik?" (eat what?). So I took the opportunity to tell him let's try Madam Leow at SS2.


On our way there, it started raining, just a light drizzle fortunately. It was almost 7:00pm when we got there and I was concerned if the restaurant would be crowded. But no. Only one table was occupied and we were free to sit anywhere we liked.


We were attended to by a young man who spoke Penang Hokkien. So confirmed lah that this is betul-betul a restaurant run by Penang lang. Since my partner is from Penang, they had a nice friendly banter.

We were given the menu and we took our time to study what they served. 


These were the rice sets and I liked what I saw. 


The young man informed us that the four most popular dishes are the Penang Koay Chap, Igor's Penang Char Koay Teow, Nasi Lemak Pork Rendang and Nasi Lemak Curry Chicken.


Then there are the add on dishes, thong sui (dessert) and beverages.


That evening they had only four thong sui - Black Glutinous Rice Porridge, Red Bean Soup, Mung Bean with Sago and Santan and Bubur Cha Cha.

Since I have never eaten koay chap before, that was what I wanted and bubur cha cha (my favorite!). My partner chose the Braised Angelica Roots Pig Trotters rice set. This set came with Chinese tea. For dessert he chose Black Glutinous Rice Porridge. 


Our desserts came to the table first and we were quite excited because we have not had these desserts for some time. I tried a little bit of my partner's black glutinous rice porridge and I thought it was very good.


My bubur cha cha was also very nice although I thought that it needed a bit more santan. It was not too sweet and had sago pearls and big chunks of orange sweet potatoes and yam. My partner commented that usually the sweet potatoes and yam are cut into small cubes. Yes, I would have preferred it the usual way but it's no big deal. 


My partner was happy with his order and I tasted a little bit of the pork trotter gravy and found it very flavorful. Perhaps I should order that next time.


Let's see what I thought of my koay chap.


The herbal soup was light tasting and I found it pleasant.  It's something like bak kut teh soup but much milder. There were adequate  meat and innards and half an egg. The koay teow come in broad ribbons unlike regular koay teow


The koay chap was not bad but it is not something that I would rave about. 

We also ordered the Igor's Penang Char Koay Teow for sharing. I wonder why this CKT is called Igor's. Who is Igor? I kept thinking of Igor, Dr Frankenstein's or some mad scientist's lab assistant hah..hah...hah...


The portion size is quite generous with big fresh prawns. My partner ate his portion first as I was still eating my koay chap.

When I tasted this char koay teow, the first thing I noticed is the absence of wok hei. hmmm...this does not fulfill my criteria for a good CKT. I also would have preferred the lap cheong to be fried until browned.


I asked my partner what he thought of the CKT and he said it was so-so only and that he preferred Robert's from Damansara Kim. What a pity because I don't think Robert's is all that good either hah...hah....


Overall, my partner and I had a good dining experience. The food here is not outstanding but I would say it is better than average. I don't mind coming back again. I think my partner feels the same.

Halfway through our meal, it rained very heavily and when we were done, we waited a little bit for the rain to subside. When it was time to pay, we noted that the lady cashier used a magnifying glass to read the screen. I should get one for myself too to use in the office hee..hee...


Our dinner costs RM34+ and only cash is accepted here. I do hope that the owner would consider at least e-wallet for customers' convenience. 


When we got home, Belle Belle was waiting for us at the front door. I was glad to see her because I had let her out in the morning and was concerned if she would return (after being confined indoors again for more than a week).


After I fed her, she went inside her box to relax.


Well, Belle Belle knows that she has found her forever home.

16 comments:

  1. Glad you finally made it to try Madam Leow. I see we both agreed that the bubur cha cha wasn't too sweet but need a bit more santan. Next time I'm here, I must try the black glutinous rice tong sui. Ah, you found the pork trotter sauce very flavourful (haha, when you say very flavourful, I've to think twice but, anyway, me no likey fatty pork trotters).

    Again, we both thought the koay chap broth is mild in herbal taste and enjoyed the light tasting soup. I don't eat koay chap often, so I'm no authority on what makes a good broth although I liked the ching taste of this one. I see that their koay teow now comes in broad ribbons unlike before when it's more rolled up (too lazy to roll them up properly now?...hehe).

    As for Igor's CKT (next time I eat there, I should ask them if they're related to the Igor CKT in Damansara Perdana), I wouldn't mind a bit more charring too and I can see yours had even less charring (and ultimately less wok hei lah). I also noticed you eat CKT like a Penang lang, only with kway teow. I like to eat mine KL style, with both yellow mee and koay teow.

    Locking Belle in her cage and bonding with her at home over time has let her know that this is HER forever home. She knows that now and you'll find her coming back to the house to wait for you or when you call out to her. This is a happy ending indeed...for all, for mommy, for Belle, for all readers who have a soft spot for Belle...yay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After I wrote this post, I googled Madam Leow and found your old post hah..hah... I had forgotten about it and I read it for comparison. So we share the same opinion on the bubur cha cha and koay chap. I will be sure to ask my partner to enquire, Igor si hamik lang? LOL!

      Yes, a happy ending indeed! I have been giving her cuddles although she is not too receptive to it. Belle does not really like to be held unlike Girl. But she tolerates her Mommy's attempts at being lovey dovey to her hah..hah...

      Delete
  2. Ooooo...pulut hitam!!! I want!!! I want the pork leg, I want the kway chap, I want the char kway teow, I want EVERYTHING!!! I am dying!!! My low carbs, low sugar, low salt, low oil, low everything diet is killing me!!! I am always hungry. Sobssss!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aiyoyo...woe is you! I hope your restrictive diet is not meant to be long term.

      Delete
  3. the koay chap looks good...nice soupy meal on a rainy day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's something new to me and I find it pleasant.

      Delete
  4. I am eyeing the desserts! IN the end, I always opt for bubur cha-cha at these dessert shops cos I know I won't do them at home. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bubur cha cha is my favorite, so that is always my choice hee..hee..

      Delete
  5. Wah, they open at night also ah. The Teoh Chew Lor restaurant in one utama has kway chap too. You can try it to compare with this one if you are interested. Sounds like a romantic dining out with all the raining so must have walked a bit together in the rain. Since your partner is talking to the guy in Penang Hokkien, it is easier to ask who is Igor, hahahaha. Thanks for giving Belle a forever home! Fingers crossed that she won't run away again. 🙏🙏🤞🤞🤞🤞

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yah, next time I will make him ask who is Igor. LOL! Thank you, Belle seems to be happy to come home to her cage.

      Delete
  6. I can see the koay teow wasn't charred at all which is proof of lack of wok hei. The menu got typo, CKT with duck egg but the Chinese translation is "chicken egg" LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh hah..hah.. My partner can read Chinese but he did not notice the typo.

      Delete
  7. I am eyeing both your desserts as I am a dessert person. The price is so reasonable with so many dishes! By the way, I had left comments in both your cat posts, your ah girl never fail to make me laugh. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will come back again for the other dishes and desserts! Thanks for leaving your comments :)

      Delete
  8. I would go for char kway teow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a nice big portion but need more wok hei. LOL!

      Delete