Bee Hooi Coffee Shop — Restaurant in George Town

On a Monday night, we were on our way to one of the more well known markets when we passed by this coffee shop. There was a crowd and buzz which caught our eyes.

When the well known market turned out to be closed, we returned here instead. Wifey and I shared a few dishes:

Something the locals call "鲜鱼" (literally "fresh fish"), but it's more like a rojak of sort and contains no fish?? I was having this for the first time, so I wasn't used to the taste. Wifey said it was average; not the best she's had.

You can't get away from Cha Kway Teow on this island. Every stall claims to be the first with the longest heritage etc. I let my taste buds be the judge. We shared a RM$10 plate, wife said it's good (in fact this was her favorite of all the food we had here). It wasn't oily. There's a hint of wok hey. Good effort.

Wifey had satay craving again so we got 10 chicken satays (RM$13). This was the biggest letdown. Chicken (all breast) was dry and cold. Peanut gravy was watery and not fragrant. My advice: avoid at all cost.

The busiest stall that night seemed to be the fried oyster. When I place my order, the stall owner asked for how many. I replied "2". He said RM$20 ok? I said sure. What I didn't know was RM$20 is a lot! We just wanted to sample, so RM$10 would have suffice. So before you order, consider this. Compared to what we have back home, this version is less oily, more moist, has mostly eggs (no flour), and is less charred. So if you must have the Singapore version, this could disappoint. There were plenty of plump and delicious oysters though. Overall I give it 6.5/10.

There are a few other stalls that we didn't try as we ran out of tummy space. I think this place is worth a visit at least once if you want to sample...

Bee Hooi Coffeeshop is a very popular hawker outlet for the people living in the vicinity of Pulau Tikus. However, with the success of Medical Tourism in Penang, it has also become popular with Indonesians who come out to Penang to seek medical treatment and are staying in hotels and Airbnb in this area. Good Penang street food always attracts the crowd , This outlet opens around 7 pm and closes around 11 pm. So, what are the gems in this eatery? The Char Koay Teow is a must to eat as the old Uncle still fries the delicacy over a charcoal fire to ensure it has ' wok hei ' or literally translated ' pan fragrance , which gives the flat noodle its aromatic fragrance , which you have to taste to know what I mean. For Rm 9 you also get some cockles, some Lap Cheong ( Chinese Sausage , a hen egg and 2 big prawns. If you want a duck egg, it would be an extra Rm 1. Do not forget to ask for the fragrant Chive which the seller adds before he scoops up your dish. The Chive is so essential in a plate of Char Koay Teow. When you are there , do not forget to order your " Chinese Pasumbur " . She also sells " Or Kuih ". Both are pretty good food served by a very neat lady from her neat stall. The texture of her Yam Cake is just of the right softness and contains soft yam - very yummy. Dip it into the chillie sauce for a complete taste that is out of this world. More sellers should emulate her tidiness. A high five for her.from me....

This coffee shop is one of the institutions in Penang - having been in the same location for about 50 years now. Located at the junction of Burmah Road and Pulau Tikus Lane, it used to be open throughout the day from the wee hours in the morning, but now it only comes alive at night for dinner.

I have dined at this same place for over 40 years now, and it has remained as popular since the early days right until now. This results in a bit of problem finding parking in the evenings, so it's better to be early, before the peak dinner crowd packs the place.

Probably one of the reasons for the success and longevity of this coffee shop is the fact that the hawkers there have not changed much through the years. They have become friends.

The same Char Koay Teow man (Ah Kow), still fries at his same spot that he did all those years ago. The wantan mee is still in the same spot. Same goes for the lor bak, poh piah, sar hor fun, lor mee, and more.

The food served here is above average and therefore makes this coffee shop a perfect stop to sample the Penang delights in one location without having to dart all over the place for the more "famous" locations.

Prices are always reasonable and you could have a satisfying meal for around RM10 per person (drinks included). I pay a visit everytime I'm back in Penang, as it's a must-go for me and the family, and am always greeted warmly.

That's the charm of this long-standing...