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Nothing political about this great food outlet on the island.
CONTRARY to what you may think, it’s not a recently set-up political party, and neither is it the slim-line version of our Chief Minister, who has apparently lost a fair bit of weight since he took over the running of Penang.
No, the New Kit Siang is actually a kopitiam on Burmah Road, thus named because its current proprietors, who have been running the place for about a year, wanted to differentiate it slightly from the previous owners – it used to be called simply, the Kit Siang, which means “good sign” in Mandarin.
New era: The New Kit Siang in Burmah Road. Situated in a fairly large corner plot, Soo Eng Chong, 36, who runs it with help from his wife Ng Hooy Pheng, 31, used to work there himself, selling Fish Head Curry. They rented it from the previous owner when he retired. It used to be fairly lucrative, but according to Soo, it’s now much tougher. “It’s hard work,” he lamented, “as fewer people are eating out now”.
Competition is fierce, too, as there are many other eateries along that stretch of thoroughfare, and it’s got even worse lately. “There are many unemployed people coming out to sell hawker food,” he said, referring to the fall-back plan many Malaysians resort to when times are hard.
In order to maximise on their high rental, they stay open from 11 in the morning right through to midnight, taking only a well-deserved day off weekly on Mondays.
As with most kopitiams, it’s not really the drinks which make the place – it’s the food provided by the various stallholders who set up there. And the New Kit Siang can boast of several who have made their mark on famously fussy Penangites, although many of them have only just started operating there since Soo took over. Some start early and continue until everything is sold; others start mid-afternoon and go on right through till late evening. It’s a great way of utilising the space.
During the day, there’s a popular Hong Kong Roast Meat stall, Char Kuey Teow by Ah Sin, and Seik Mooi’s quite palatable Chicken Congee which comes with a whole host of condiments, including chopped salted egg, which adds an extra dimension of taste.
Special spice: Grilled Fish with Sambal and a home-made spicy sauce. The Beef Hor Fun made by Goh Chee Chuan, 30, who learnt his choo char skills in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, is rather good. The meat is soft and succulent, and its sometimes strong flavour is well-disguised by thinly sliced ginger and lots of crunchy spring onions. He also serves a delicious-looking KL-style dark Hokkien Char which uses thick fat noodles rarely found in Penang.
There’s Wantan Mee made by Yang Chong Keoh, 40, who used to help his father, one of the original “tock tock mee” sellers in George Town. He’s adapted the recipe slightly, offering an unusual “spicy” version of the popular noodles made with his own home-made chilli sauce. Round about mid-afternoon, Seok Hoon, 27, starts serving Hokkien Prawn Mee, which she learnt from an aunt who used to sell it, helped by cousin Sieh Lee.
In the evening, the famous Duck Rice stall, run by the third-generation of the family from Ayer Itam, is opened, as is 26-year old Saw Wen Chung’s Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish) stall at the back. He and partner Lian Jin Ching, 21, moved there from China Street. Their grilled Ikan Pari (stingray) served Japanese-style with a teriyaki sauce, is popular, as it’s not spicy, although there’s also Shark Steak grilled with sambal, served with their special sauce made without belacan.
Other stalls include those which sell western food and burgers, as well as the pizza man who has been there for more than five years.
At the end of the evening, the Lok Lok stall opens, catering to late-night supper hunters and revellers with a large selection of popular siew yeh, skewered delights cooked in boiling hot stock, and spicy condiments from 9pm to about 4am.
Helen Ong is a self-confessed foodie who loves to hunt down the best of Penang. She is the author of the book Great Dining in Penang.
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