Kheng Pin Cafe, Penang

[Non-halal] Let’s kick off our Penang series with a favourite from this trip – Kheng Pin Cafe.

This corner-lot kopitiam is known for their Lobak – and it is truly one of the best we’ve had.

[UPDATE: We revisited Kheng Pin Cafe in Dec 2021 – exactly a year after this visit, and tried their wanton mee. Read the additional text below]

Famous lobak at Kheng Pin Cafe

The prawn fritters here were so good! The “cucur udang” had a nice crunch without being too oily, with a perfectly seasoned batter. We wanted to order more but had to hold ourselves back.

The lobak rolls were yummy too with mild five-spice seasoning and a light crispy skin. Our plate of two prawn fritters, two lobak rolls and a century egg only cost RM6.80. 🦐🍳

Char Kuey Teow at Kheng Pin Cafe

The Char Kuey Teow (RM7 with duck egg) here was also sedap! Memang cukup wok hei 🔥 with just the right amount of chilli 🌶️ to provide some kick. The noodles were pretty moist, with added creaminess and “egg-iness” provided by the duck egg. 🦆🍳

Hokkien mee

We were less enthused about the Hokkien Prawn Mee 🦐🍜 (RM6) though. We prefer a stronger prawn essence for the broth – and also more soup as well.

This cafe is also known for their wanton mee, porridge and chicken rice. But we simpan perut for the next spot. Hehe.

Second visit – Lobak still excellent!

We visited Kheng Pin exactly a year later in Dec 2021, and we are happy to report that the lobak tasted just as good. There was no drop in quality at all.

This round, we also ordered the tofu topped with fried crispy prawns. This was really good as the tofu tasted so fresh you can almost taste the soybean sweetness with lovely crisp skin. The prawn on top had the perfect crunch too. It was so good that we ordered another serving of tofu right after.

Penang-style Wantan Mee

The Wantan Mee (RM5) here is pretty decent too, with a stream of steady orders when we were there.

Penang-style wantan mee tends to be wetter as they use chicken broth, while the ones in KL and Bentong tend to rely heavily on soy sauce and thick dark soy sauce.

This results in a dish that is lighter on the palate.

The dumplings are also served on the same plate of noodles (vs. being served separately in a bowl of soup in KL), along with sliced char siew, shredded chicken, mushroom and choy sum.

This is a good option for a light meal in case you find the Hokkien Mee or Char Koay Teow too heavy for breakfast.

This stalls appear to be very popular with locals based on the number of orders when we were there.