Kakilang Char Koay Teow (Balwyn) — Restaurant in Melbourne

Family-run Penang restaurant that serves up amazing authentic dishes that teleports you abroad. Pieces of lard can be found in all but the vegetarian dishes, and though small, it’s the key to luxurious bursts of flavour. As we’re sitting, there’s the aroma of smoke and fish sauce wafting from the kitchens.

We tried: 🍜 Kakilang Koay Teow Thng ($17.9) light broth that’s comforting with silky flat noodles, bouncy fish balls, and also slices of tender chicken breast lining the sides.

🍤 Penang Char Koay Teow with big prawns ($25.9) plays a starring role on the table because ooof, those prawns are majorly tender and cooked just right to which there’s softness in the centre. Every piece of noodle is coated with that signature wok smokiness, and the hint of spice that we had along with it is incredible. Couldn’t recommend this enough.

🍳 Penang Char Mee with duck egg ($17.9) these are fried rounder noodles, and they’re just as good with the egg fried to perfect crisps around the edges while maintaining that gorgeous gooey yolk 💛

🍢Combination of Lok Bak and Po Piak ($13.9) so the lok bak are little bits of meat with a bean curd fried exterior that’s extra crispy, and they’re dipped in this special slightly spicy sauce that’s just perfect. It honestly tastes like something from a street food market, so flavourful and well textured. And the pok piak is not to be underestimated either, coming with a laksa sauce on the side that’s bursting with flavor ✨

☕️ Teh tarik ($4.5) very strong with a dark, slightly bitter undertone that’s sooo soothing and not too sweet.

🦕 Milo dinosaur ($5.5) great option for kids since it’s a bit sweeter and has that chocolatey taste that’s so good.

Gotta say, the portion size and the flavor is definitely there. It’s a great spot to gather with family and bring friends to, and I’ll definitely be back every time I crave kuay teow.

Thank you for...

I have always wanted to dine at Kakilang after hearing so much about their char kuay teow (CKT). So I was glad that they moved to Balwyn.

Of cos I must try their signature dish during my first visit. I ordered the CKT with blood cockles. My friend ordered the dry prawn noodles and we also shared the friend chicken wings.

I love the CKT and I was glad that there's an option to have it with blood cockles which is hard to find in other restaurants. There was wok hei and the portion size was just right. You get 3 decent sized prawns, cockles and some lup cheong in the CKT. Oh and not forgetting the fried pork lard that they put on top of the noodles. No complaints about the CKT, it was absolutely delicious.

My friend didn't really like the dry prawn noodle. She said that the sauce was a little sweet which she didn't like. Otherwise, the portion size was good. You get slices of pork, an egg, 3 decent sized prawns and fried pork lard.

The chicken wing was ok, quite ordinary in taste. It was freshly cook and that was great.

To order your food, you scan the QR code on the table and you can either pay through the app or pay cash at the counter. Under each item, there are options that you could choose like the level of spiciness,type of noodles etc. One thing I thought was funny on the order app was that for the CKT, there was an option for wok hei... LOL 🤣... Shouldn't wok hei be a standard?

The restaurant is beautifully renovated and it's spacious. Parking can be a bit challenging depending what time arrive, as there are limited lots in front of the restaurant. Alternatively parking can be found at the side street or opposite the restaurant.

Staff was friendly albeit forgetting to serve the tea we ordered.

I'll definitely be back again for the CKT and maybe some other items on the menu.

If you love CKT, definitely do give...

Another CKT (char kway teaow / chinese stir fried rice noodle) challenger that just recently joined the Melbourne CKT world. I wonder if Melbourne will be the battleground for all these CKT joint 😅

We arrived before 6pm which is good as it can get busy. The place itself is right on the main road hence parking can get a bit tricky during lunch time or dinner. If you can reach this place by tram or other public transport you will save the hassle in finding parking spot etc.

Now the venue is quite cozy, service is warm and friendly.🤩

Ordering can be done through the cashier directly for cash transaction or you can order through your phone by scanning the barcode on the table and you can pay directly by card through the ordering site.

We ordered through the barcode or site and found our order come through quite fast.

We ordered regular penang ckt, penang ckt with cockles, and penang hokkien mee. We also ordered sides of fried popiah and loh bak.

The char kway teaow - wok hei is there 🔥 quite tasty but far too many bean sprouts

Less 1 star as extra pork lard cost extra $$ and no options for extra noodle.🍜

Penang hokkien mee - I'm not a fan but missus said it bring memories of her time in Penang so I will leave it at that.

Popiah - it's ok 🫥

Loh bak - it's ok 🫥

Ais Teh tarek - decent 👌

Serving size is more on the small side.😑

Would I go again? Due to the location which I'm not a fan of I might say no but if someone want to tapao for me I would say ok lor.

If you are in the city and crave for something similar there are other alternatives but Kakilang is also not a bad option but if you are in the burbs there ate definitely...