Ah Khoon Loh Mee — Restaurant in Penang

猪脚 Loh Mee (Small) = RM7.50 (Mee and Mee Hoon Mix) No Service Charge

Located within Restoran Lucky Kopitiam in Butterworth, this is a 40-Years Old Lor Mee Stall that according to Many Food Blogs and Youtube Channels when I did my research on Penang, is a Favourite Breakfast Spot for the Locals.

The Kopitiam is located at a Corner of a Street, definitely looks Old with alot of Local Folks although Not Full House on a Wednesday Morning at 10.30am. Despite other Food Stalls in the Kopitiam, this Lor Mee was the one that most Locals ordered here. Run by a Friendly Young Chap, there were No Queues and was quickly served up in 2 Mins.

猪脚 Loh Mee (Small) = RM7.50

When it was served up, its quite a Small Bowl, with not alot of ingredients. There are maybe 3 Thick Cut Pieces of Pork Trotters 卤猪脚, a Small Braised Egg Quarter, Noodles and A Few Seasonings thats all. You are not going to find any Fried Wantons, Ngoh Hiang or even Fish Cakes. Ingredients wise, this was a Very Spartan Bowl of Lor Mee.

The Chilli that comes with this has an Interesting Intense Slightly Earthy Taste. Don't taste like the Conventional Sauce you normally get when you eat Lor Mee. Not Super Spicy as it gently bite your Tongue although the Spicy Heat will linger long.

The Lor Zhup is Surprisingly Very Light, not at all like the Type of Lor Zhup we have in Singapore. Not Salty at all and even borders towards Bland. There also isn't alot of Zhup too, perhaps just enough to cover the Noodles only.

I chose Mee and Mee Hoon Mix for my Noodles because according to the Young Owner, this is the Carb that most of their Customers will order. They're Soft and Smooth, not Nua Nua, but I feel these are probably from a Package.

Braised Pork Trotter is Tender but Not the Super Soft Type and is Noticeably Porky. Because the Rest of the Dish felt so Light and Almost Bland, I feel these Pork Trotters are the Only Ingredients in this Dish with any Taste to it. The Whole Dish just seems to be a Vehicle for them.

Really Light Tasting (bordering towards Bland), even adding 1 Tbsp of Vinegar and Chilli also cant shake off how Light Tasting this tasted. People who prefer Less 重口味 and Lighter Style of Lor Mee will probably like this more.

The Whole Dish has a Very Soft Soft Texture to it. This wasn't a Good Combo when the Dish itself is so Light Tasting. While eating, I wish there was something Crunchy like a Veggie to help break up the Overall Soft Overly Light Tasting Flavour Fatigue I had.

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At RM7.50 (S$2.25), it is affordable to give this a try, but I am afraid to say I'm personally not a Fan of this Lor Mee at all.

Perhaps I'm too used to Singapore's Version of more 重口味 Lor Mee? I find this version to be Too Light Tasting and too Devoid of Ingredients in Comparison which was quite Amusing because almost all Penang Grab Drivers I spoke to felt this Stall is Good because they find this to be Very 重口味 and Flavourful for them.

While this Version of Lor Mee is not to my Preference and taste Very Average for me, I reckon that this will appeal more to People who enjoy a Much More Lighter Variation of Lor Mee. They have been around for 40 Years, so obviously they must be doing something right that can allow them to survive for so long.

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Love the Loh Mee here, the vinegar and garlic is what upgraded the flavour of their soup/sauce. There is no obvious overuse of the 5 spice powder (thankfully), it is melted pork fat, collagen, skillfully balanced out with five spice powder, and brought to the next level with their in house sambal, black vinegar and pureed garlic. Price remains competitive with RM 6/ standard bowl with all cuts of pork. You can choose to have with either all bihun or mix bihun-mee or pure yellow mee. Portion is enough for a person but could always have another bowl since I'm greedy. Less one 🌟 only because the pureed garlic now is more watery and no longer have sambal on the table for us to add ourselves incase we want more, so extra hassle to ask the lady/boss for more sambal. Chicken feet is also good, because they used the same sauce for their loh mee, definitely a rival to Kimberly Street in Penang. They only open till 2pm, and the popular pork cuts(skin,ears, off cuts) are sold out by 1.00pm, so better go early if you want all the good stuff. However doesn't mean the ones left are bad, it's just the pork leg and loin;more lean meat?it's still soft and falls apart since these meat were stewed for so long. Open air sitting under Zinc roof, hence recommended to go during breakfast. To cool off the heat during lunch, have some iced red...

1. It is a challenge to get a parking lot, as the coffee shop is situated in a hot spot of Butterworth.
2. Service is OK as for a coffee shop. The wait staff are attentive and helpful in getting us our seats and taking our orders of beverages.
3. The setup and dining atmosphere is rather "nostalgic", feel like having breakfast in a coffee shop in the 90's. It is a "luxury" to expect a hygienic handwash station and dining environment.
4. Subjectively, my taste buds are not tuned well to appreciate the Lor Mee, from the perspectives of aroma and taste. Even with the garlic paste, chillie paste and vinegar, the combination still not able to boost the flavor to the level of an authentic...