Sin Bee Chew Restaurant — Restaurant in Penang

Hainanese Chicken Chop = RM18.00 Homemade Barley (Hot, No Sugar) = RM2.00 No Service Charge

This place definitely looks like it has some age, probably have been around for at least a Few Decades already. Very Classic Old-School type of Kopitiam. Its not Air-Conditioned but is quite Airy and Breezy. The Staffs running this place are mostly Elder Aunties and they are Friendly but keep to themselves.

It was actually quite Crowded although not Full House on a Wednesday Lunch Hour at 12.40pm but I could still easily find a Seat as a Solo Diner. Their Speciality is their Hainanese Chicken Chop which took about 4 Mins to serve up.

Homemade Barley (Hot, No Sugar) = RM2.00

Smooth, almost Creamy Barley Taste, there are Generous Amounts of Barley Oat Groats provided in the Drink.

Hainanese Chicken Chop = RM18.00

I am Impressed with how Beautiful and Old-School this is Presented. There is 1 Huge Slab of Chicken Chop, bits of Veggies, Baked Beans with a Portion of Crinkle Fries.

Having said that, the Chicken Chop only looks Big. While it is Meaty, it also has Quite a Thick Batter Crust. Feels like 60% Batter, 40% Actual Meat. To make this, of course you will Fry it first before you lum the Sauce on it. But from the Only Slightly Warmish Temperature I tasted, I don't think this is Freshly Fried. It tasted more like I was eating an Already Pre-Fried Batch that was left on the Rack for awhile.

This is a Recipe for Disaster. Just imagine, the Chicken Chop itself is Not Freshly Fried and has been sitting on the Rack which means it is already abit Nua Nua. Now imagine you still lum the Sauce all over it, making it Even More Nua Nua.

The Fries were almost certainly from a Supermarket. They are not Salted and Not Crispy at all. For some reason, they gave me the impression that baked in an Airfryer instead of Deep Fried. Very Dry to the Throat.

The Sauce is probably the Only Thing I like about this Dish actually. Its not just a Tomato Sauce as you might imagine. Savoury, Not Overly Sweet when mixed with the Combination of Peas, Baked Beans, Carrots, Onions and Tomatoes.

This is actually a Childhood Sort of Taste

Having said all that even though the Chicken Chop was Too Nua Nua for me, eating this actually gave me a Very Nostalgic 童年 Childhood Sort of Western Food Taste.

Its hard to describe it further. If you have lived thru this Era and eaten this sort of Old-School 1980s sort of Faux Western Food, you will know exactly what I'm trying to say here.

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At at Total Combined Price of RM20.00 (S$6.00), I personally don't feel this is worth the Money, because I feel I have outgrown this sort of Old School Nua Nua Lum alot of Zhup sort of Overly Thick Batter Chicken Chop.

This Chicken Chop certainly cannot compete with More Modern Interpretations. Heck there are so many Things they can improve, such as Frying it Fresh, coating it with a Thinner Batter, using Real Potatoes for their Fries or just simply Don't Banjir the Sauce all over the place.

But then, Doing Everything Correctly may actually wreck the 童年 Childhood Taste of this Dish.

If you are someone who prefers a more Conventional Taste for your Chicken Chop, this is probably not for you, as are most people, including me. If however you don't mind the Very Old School Nua Nua Chicken Chop sort of Taste, you will probably enjoy this more.

This Chicken Chop feels like it is stuck in the Past, while the World has long since moved on. Nobody makes Chicken Chop like this nowadays.

Personally, this is not for me. But I'm glad that such an Eatery still exist for People who still enjoy such taste.

From the Amount of Lunchtime Crowd I observed even on a Weekday, I'd say this Eatery can still survive longer for many more years to come. This does seems to be a Popular Lunch Spot for the Locals from what I see.

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I think Sin Bee Chew is a very solid choice if you're after classic Malaysian Chinese / Hainanese food in a relaxed setting and you don’t mind paying a bit more for the “authentic” or “nostalgic” feel. If this is the kind of food you like (chicken chop, fried rice, cooked dishes, etc.), it’s worth trying, especially for the signature items.

Signature dishes stand out The Hainanese Chicken Chop is repeatedly praised: juicy chicken, a batter well made, and a sauce that many find nicely balanced—not too sweet, salty, or sour. Other favourites are the fried rice, fried mee hoon (both wet & dry), Inchi Kabin (double deep-fried chicken), and some cooked “tai chow” dishes like sambal kangkong or assam prawns.

Authentic / nostalgic feel Many reviews mention that Sin Bee Chew gives a homey, old-school kopitiam vibe. If you enjoy Malaysian Hainanese / Hailam style comfort food, this place delivers that nostalgia.

Halal-friendly & inclusive Useful for many diners: it’s a Halal Chinese-style restaurant. That means people who avoid pork can still enjoy the style of food.

Reasonable pricing For what you get (portion, taste, service), many feel the price is fair. It doesn’t compete with high-end restaurants, but for lunch/dinner as casual dining it holds up well.

Good service & ambience Staff generally described as friendly; food served hot; premises clean. Though it’s not fancy, many say the ambience helps—comfortable, unpretentious.

If you go, I’d recommend:

Arriving earlier to avoid peak times and ensure you don’t miss closing.

Trying the chicken chop + fried mee hoon or fried rice as combo to see the contrast.

Skip parts that people said are weaker (like side-items) until you’ve tasted the stronger ones.

Be mentally prepared for a casual, slightly old-school environment — the charm is in...

Arguably one of the best Hainanese Chicken Chop in this part of the country. And I understand why. Chicken is fresh, juicy and the batter well made. Lots of eggs was used. Chicken by itself was very tasty. Then the sauce, it's thicker than most I have tried before. That's a good thing because it's tasty that it coats every part of the chicken. Sauce is perfect, sufficiently sweet, salty and slightly sour. Well balanced! Baked beans has been added as the thickening agent. This dish is a Must Try! 👍👍 The Fried Hainanese Noodles is prepared true to how it should taste. Skewed towards a strong caramelised salty flavour. My only gripe is the sauce is on the watery side but it did not compromise the taste. Then the butter kaya toast. Its not bad, kaya honestly taste normal but the butter smells great. That distinctive toasted butter smell. Finally drinks is good especially the Kopi. It's got that mocha-ish and nutty taste. Overall a must come if you are into good traditional Hainanese offerings. - Follow up visit. It's still good and I highly recommend to try out their Inchi Kabin Chicken which is good for sharing. Chicken is well marinated with lots of aromatic spices that gives it that natural sweetness. Honestly the Fried Rice is on the bare side as in there's literally nothing else in it besides egg, garlic, some chicken pieces...