Out of the blue, dad suddenly suggested that we go for porridge with ‘siew yoke’ and ‘char siew’. The mere mention of those words conjured up images of fatty slices of roasted pork goodness. So I said ‘let’s go! what are we waiting for?!’
He told us it was at China Street. And it was apparently a shop dad frequented in his younger days but subsequently forgot about it until now.
We arrived at a small, unpretentious kopitiam. With a tiny signboard, and a small stall at the front. The place was quiet and almost deserted. Had dad not brought me there, I would have easily missed it!
They only sell one thing – Chee Cheong Chok (pig intestine’s congee) and you can add a side of ‘siew yoke’ or ‘char siew’. Talk about specialization! Word is that they marinade and prepare their own ‘siew yoke’ and ‘char siew’ too.
And don’t expect the usual Kopi O, “Teh Bing” and Milo drinks here. If you want drinks, they will gladly order for you from the kopitiam two doors away.
My bowl of porridge promptly arrived and I was a bit puzzled to see a few bits of ‘chee cheong’ (fried pig intestines) floating on a bed of white watery porridge. Didn’t look very appetizing at all!
What I didn’t know, was that all the ‘goodies’ were at the bottom of the bowl and you had to stir it up!
Give the congee a good stir and you will find lots of ‘chee cheong’ (you can opt for either boiled, fried or a mix of both) and surprisingly, even ‘char siew’ slices! All these meats lend great flavor to the otherwise bland congee. I did find the congee here quite watery, as ‘chee cheong chok’ usually comes with a thicker, smoother congee.
But the add on ‘siew yoke’ and the ‘char siew’ definitely makes up for the watery congee/porridge. The ‘char siew’ is definitely unqiue, as I’ve not tasted ‘char siew’ quite like this before. It’s sweet and caramelized well, and for some strange reason reminds me of the taste of ‘bak gwa’!
Meanwhile the ‘siew yoke’ is pretty good too – crunchy salty crust with just the right amount of fat! And I love the unique ‘plate’ they use for the add on meats. One portion of ‘siew yoke’ and ‘char siew’ -RM3. One bowl of ‘chee cheong chok’ – RM2.70
Although my first impression was that the place was devoid of customers, I soon noticed, as I sat there with my bowl of piping hot congee, that there was steady stream of people coming over to take away. There were also people who came by to order the congee to the kopitiam two doors away.
So why do I call this the weekend chee cheong chok? Because its only available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Mornings only!
This wickedly good weekend ‘chee cheong chok’ is located at Kedai Makanan Heng Kee which is next to the Magnum 4D shop along China Street, just off Pitt Street/Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. China Street is just opposite the famous Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng)
Go and try their lunch. It’s cheap and nice too. But only limited choices. ^-^ I will go try their congee next time. Thanks for sharing!
FoOd PaRaDise´s last blog post..Gim Hin Cafe @ Sungai Dua, Penang
Wow… this is new to me. Never expect there’s a good food down there. Thanks for sharing!
New Kid On The Blog´s last blog post..113 ??? Lebuh Melayu Koay Teow Th’ng
Business must be good, the one & only stall in that coffee shop…really a good fine, especially selling on weekends 🙂
ck lam´s last blog post..Penang Food – Hock Chuan Heong, Macallum Flat
wow! What a discovery! Must go try d… btw, do you know the operation hours? As I normally wake up late during weekend :p
allie´s last blog post..Photography | Light Trail Shooting at E-gate
aiks, no name one ah?
no wonder wickedly good lah … 🙂
the metal tray presentation’s so old school.
like KL’s Meng Kee’s.
J2Kfm´s last blog post..Indulgence Restaurant & Living, Ipoh – Teatime on a Lazy Saturday Afternoon
food paradise – i didnt know they serve lunch too! will go check it out soon! 🙂
NKOTB – hope this congee is to your liking!
CK – i’m also very amazed by the hawkers who only open a few days in a week…guess they’re really doing it for the passion of the food and not for profits eh?
allie – i forgot to ask them abt their opening hours. but i think it should still be available ard 11am. i was there ard 9am.
J2Kfm – got name! a small small signboard with the words Kedai Makanan Heng Kee. lol
Lennie – 🙂 now you can go try! breakfast before going to work? hehe
Ooh, that looks like really good char siew, not like the typical bright red on the outside, but pale white on the inside type they serve with wantan mee (remember?).
Btw, I’m back in KL oredi — thanks so much for the memories and the makan crawl on Monday nite. I’ve already told all the KL foodbloggers about The Sire: We would definitely love to meet up with the Penang Foodbloggers there when we come up! 😀
Life for Beginners´s last blog post..Fried Chillies & Feisty Chicks
wow.. the car siu and sioh bak looked yummy!!! Happy dumpling festival!
wendy´s last blog post..Glutinous Rice Dumpling (?? – Zong Zi)
Lingzie,
Great photography! Great macro shots and the use of black & white make the pic a timeless piece.
Hope I can find the place. I like congee!
Alan´s last blog post..Ko-Fu Loft
do u try adding in the char siew and roast pork inside the congee and have it together? haha
ladyironchef´s last blog post..The City Kid (Part 6): The land of memories
wah, only open on Fri, Sat and Sun only. Sure is very good one. I have to loose more weight first before going to wallap at this place. I am gaining a lot of weight lately 🙁
StevenGoh.com´s last blog post..Penang Food On Any Occasion @ JL Steamboat, Georgetown
good chee cheong congee? sure will try it out sometime 🙂
gill gill´s last blog post..Penang Delicacies-Joez Coconut Jelly
oh! shit did I see that! I want that! lol!
I want I want, aku mau . . . . but got lingzie’s name embossed onto it . . .lol! next time bring me there, I love the food! so awesome so so . . .cannot say it out! 🙂
Big Boys Oven´s last blog post..OUR NEW WEBSITE
Hi Lingzie,
Visit your site and wow! How I miss Penang. The next time I have the chance to go there, I will drop by some of the places that you’ve introduced. Good day!
Yin Teing´s last blog post..Check out the Listing of Top Malaysian Blogs
Thanks to friends who matter. For informing us about such a thank you to the site owner
Hi Ling Zie,
It’s Donald here from Scotland. Throughly enjoying your blog. Desperate for Penang food!!
Please keep up the good work.
hi donald!!! i didn’t know you read my blog!! 🙂 thanks for the kind words and hope to see you & your family soon (perhaps CNY next year?hehe)