Kopitiam Kheng Hai 瓊海茶室 — Restaurant in Penang

UPDATE 2023: I wouldn’t want to come here again. This place is a huge contrast from the old restaurant. The toast has lost its flavour and aroma (they also changed the bread). Coffee is just average. The cha kuey teow is borderline ok, some stalls in the big cities are better than this… not much taste and the shrimp have shrunk. I won’t go out of my way to be here.

Here’s proof that truly affordable food is also great food. I dare say the dishes here are as good if not better than those found on Penang island. What seals the deal is the price! The lowest priced food found in Malaysia. At this time of writing, a plate of delicious chow koay teow with slices of waxed sausage, shrimps and fish cake slice costs only RM 4. Toast bread is crispy and not too dry, sealing in its charcoal-roasted fragrance. There’s the unique 3 layer toast of butter, kaya and peanut butter. The butter is evenly spread and not lazily dumped as a whole cube onto the bread. Really yummy. Eggs are free-range Kampung chicken eggs that’s served sans the shells. The coffee is also full bodied and aromatic, a surprising find for a simple...

Very warm and humid if you sit inside even it's early in morning. Air-cond are hanging on the wall, but turned off to save electricity. The ceiling fans helps to circulate the hot steams from the stalls to create the sauna atmosphere.

Long wait at the self service drink counter, especially if you order hot drinks. Drink quality is acceptable by local standard.

The famous kaya toast didn't live up to its reputation. It's not bad, but they already turned soft by the time we got our drinks. At least they use traditional sliced bread instead of the Gardiner bread. Just keep your expectations low.

BTW, roti canai stall has been discontinued. But apom is cheap.

Conclusion: A good place for local folks. Tourist...

Overly crowded and warm environment on a weekend. There was not even any space to stand and wait for order. There was a waiting time at every stall and did not get to try the famous toast. Only managed to take away some dim sum, chai kuih, wantan mee, prepacked nasi lemak, kuih and coffee/tea. Food were so-so only, Coffee/tea were good.

Good demand, bad supply. Why wouldn't anyone take full advantage of the good business? There were less than 10 tables available for dine in. They could at least expand the space and cater to more customers when clearly there's lack of space and seatings.

Pro: Variety of choices, popular toast bread.

Con: Congested/Overcrowded/Narrow space, super warm and stuffy, long...