Char Kuey Teow is the staple food for Malaysians. It is synonymous with Malaysian Chinese just like how Nasi Lemak is to Malays, and Thosai is to Indians here in Malaysia. This dish is said to originate from the Nothern state of Penang. Many years later, it is found in every nook and cranny of a restaurant, from posh hotel ones down to your neighbourhood coffee shoppe.

A typical good Char Kuey Teow would consists of flat noodles or “kuey teow”, garlic, cut up chives, shrimps, cockles, bean sprouts and eggs. The kuey teow is fried in a big wok with all the ingredients and given flavour by a little soy-sauce, chilli paste and pepper. The original recipe consists also of deep-fried pork fat and lard is used instead of vegetable oil. I must confess the traditional recipe is to die for but in this modern healthy society, it has died a slow and painful death. These traditional gems are still available in the far corners of the country where brave men and women unafraid of blocked arteries chow down their daily lard laden char kuey teow. If you do happen to come across one such stall, please do inform us.

The Restaurant of interest today is Retoran Yon Len, tucked away in a corner of Jalan Tun Mohd. Fuad 3, Taman Tun (opposite the KFC in TTDI). Over here, a couple does their best interpretation of Penang Char Keoy Teow. The stall is tucked away at the deep far end of the shop, so it will be missed by most newcomers, but it has garnered a good number of loyal customers. Be warned that the restaurant has fairly limited seating space, so do prepare to wait a while for your seat or share seats with strangers. The waiters are fairly attentive, and orders are normally served quite promptly.

The Char Kuey Teow here is cooked usually in plates of one or two, which is the ideal number. Anymore, and the consistency of the flavour and texture will be lost. Hence be prepared to be the last among a group to receive your food.

 

The dish arrived with a decent amount of normal ingredients. Non-cockles orders are not given fish cake as replacement. In my humble opinion, fish cake just does not go well with char keoy teow. The shrimps are of medium sized and the dish not too oily. The right amount of chilli paste was used so that it doesn’t become the most prominent taste of the dish. The cockles are fresh and the noodles fried till just nice, with just a hint of being charred by the wok. In fact they are so popular it’s often sold out by 1.00p.m.

All in all I give 7/10 for the Char Keoy Teow. Well worth the visit for your leisurely sunday brunch.
Cleanliness: 6/10
Capacity: 5/10
Ambience: 4/10 (not a place you would want to go dating at)
Price: RM 3.60 (small), RM 4.00 (big)