Sunday, January 18, 2009

Kedai Kopi Seng Thor, Penang - Lor Bak and Loh Mee

Add: Kedai Kopi Seng Thor @ 160, Lebuh Carnarvon, Penang

Waking up early one morning, I decided to look for some nasi lemak in Penang. Realised that many Penangites don't have 08:00am breakies on a Sunday, and the stalls (few and far between!) didn't have the "sign of good food" i.e. queues. So I drove around for half an hour, until I stumbled on to ... Kedai Kopi Seng Thor.
Looked like a "local place for local people" so I gave it a go!
Everyone was eating this thick-sauced noodle dish, so I had to try it! Turned out to be Penang-style Lor Mee, took some getting used to as the first few mouthfulls were rather bland!
Friends joined me at this stage ... so we also tried the Kuay Teow Th'ng (Flat noodles in clear soup, with pork bits), which was delicious.
The lor bak was the highlight! The meats were so delicious, and perfectly complemented by the thick Lor sauce and Chilli sauce.

Nice description from epicurious.wordpress.com
Lor Bak is the term for lean pork seasoned with five-spice powder, onion/garlic, wrapped in a thin sheet of beancurd skin and deep-fried to a browned crisp before being served with the lor sauce (dark gravy thickened with cornstarch and beaten egg swirls).
However in penang, one eats lor bak with other deep-fried goodies such as beancurd, prawn fritters, sausages, fish cakes etc, and even century egg slices. the uncle manning the pushcart, Mr. Bor Choo Kooi has been selling his lor bak since 1955! And he’s there everyday without fail, with the exception of chinese festivals. had a chat with him as I selected some items and he was very friendly and spoke fluent cantonese. at least i didn’t have to use my half-past-six hokkien.

I later found out that the lunch-time Or Chien or Oyster Omelette here is what makes Seng Thor famous, besides the Lor Mee. Perhaps next time!

Ps. Passed by this interesting temple on the way to Seng Thor...

2 comments:

Ciki said...

ah.. so the lor mee didn't impress you huh. It's not my fav eithr.. feels like i am drinking glue/starch .. haha.. better save my stomach space for other better things!
Love the kwey teow thang in Penang.. esp with pork innards.. the best! Also the prawn mee!

Unknown said...

the previous lor mee owner have move to the other place to sell lor mee and har mee... their stalls is beside Penang New World Park..
what I can say is it taste better than the stall is carnorvon