[Non-halal] Penang Lang, le hor bor!
After reading so many good reviews from fellow IG foodies, we finally tried this plate of Penang char koay teow (CKT).
[July 2022: Updated with the new address for Penang Lang Cuisines. Find the address below]
Penang Lang in Kota Damansara
Penang Lang (which means Penang person, or Penangite, in Hokkien) is located in the KD Food Court in Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara [they had since moved here in early 2022]. It took us a while to figure out the location (we almost went to a different food court) – but it is just located opposite BIG Pharmacy in the commercial area.
Penang Lang is one of two food stalls currently operating on the premises.
The place is really clean and comfortable, with plenty of seats.There was only one other table occupied when we came over to tapau (take away) at 2pm on a Saturday.
The Penang Lang also operates the drinks stall – offering kopitiam favorites like kopi peng and Teh C.
Penang Lang is formerly known as Georgetown Penang CKT
We found out that the owners had only recently moved here from another kopitiam.
The owners had previously operated as Georgetown Penang Char Koay Teow at the 48 Ho Chiak kopitiam – just a stone’s throw away at the Strand (also in Kota Damansara).
In fact, a quick Google search showed that the CKT was one of the most popular offerings at 48 Ho Chiak. Some even claimed this as one of the best Penang CKT in PJ!
(Wok) hei, how you doin’?
We ordered two plates of regular CKT – one with chili paste, and one without (RM9 each) – to take away and enjoy at home.
The verdict? This was a legit satisfying CKT that hits the spot!
Let’s start with the regular plate with chilli, which had that beautiful brown colour with bits of fiery red. This denotes that enough chilli paste had been used.
The plate had sufficient wok hei (meaning “breath of the wok” in Cantonese) – with lovely charred, smoky bits. With less skilled hands, flat noodles can end up too dry and parched, but these were sufficiently moist and soft.
The spiciness level was just nice as well – providing enough heat with each bite. Plenty of garlic is used as well, which is to our preference.
Don’t talk cock(les), unless they’re fresh
In most CKT plates, the cockles tend to be an afterthought. The ones here were fresh and sizable. They also spent the right amount of time in the wok – hence they were not rubbery or undercooked.
While the two prawns were fresh and succulent, we definitely wished more were provided. But this can be remedied in the future, as more prawns can be added for extra RM4. Something to keep in mind for our future order.
Crispy pork lard, where art thou?
A disappointment for us was the lack of crispy pork lard on our plates. Let us explain.
From the many pictures our fellow foodies shared, we noticed that the CKT was served with a generous toppings of pork lard (chee yau char 猪油渣).
However, we now surmise that it could have been an add-on (in hindsight, it was probably good for our cholesterol haha).
A check at their menu showed that clams, prawns, sausages, and eggs can be added for RM1-4.
Note to self for future visits: add-on the sinful toppings!
More than CKT
Apart from CKT, Penang Lang also serves White Curry Mee, Wantan Mee, Prawn Mee, Koay Teow Th’ng and Fried Rice. A friend said the curry noodles were good and fragrant – noting that this stall warrants repeated visits.
Overall – we were very pleased with the dish, and will return to try the other offerings on the menu.
For Li Ming, the mark of a good CKT is how delicious the dish tastes without the chilli. This one had enough wok hei and “flavour kick” – and even trumps her favourite at Yum Me Place in Plaza Batai, Bukit Damansara (which needs to have chilli for it to be tasty).
Do check it out!
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Other recommended hawker food
Char koay teow is one of our favourite Malaysian hawker food dishes. For more hawker food, check out these recommendations:
Here are some of our favourite hawker food served at restaurants nearby Penang Lang:
Learn how to cook CKT
Also, check out our Char Koay Teow recipe if you want to cook this at home.
Penang Lang
Address: 61, Jalan PJU 5/21 Sunway Damansara, The Strand, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Hours: 8am-3pm Daily
Phone: 012-695 9379
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penanglangcuisines/
