Feasting in Penang: Sin Hup Aun

breakfast with family

Breakfast in Pulau Tikus...its a must-do in Penang. The Pulau Tikus market is a veritable treasure of interesting hawkers and nooks and crannies selling all kinds of wares and food.



Amongst one of the more famous coffee shops is Sin Hup Aun...an old establishment at the corner of Jalan Pasar and Jalan Moulmien.



Situated just across the Pulau Tikus market, where all manner of food can be purchased, the cafe...curious how Penang coffee shops all call themselves cafe...I suppose they think its a higher class moniker than coffee shop, or kopi tiam.



I love the Indian mamak mee goreng:



Unlike the ones found in Singapore, which is in deep red hue due to use of coloring, the Penang ones are different. The noodles are fried with eggs, bean sprouts, and bean curd cubes, and just before being served, a wallop of sauce, like a very thick rebus sauce, is added and stirred till it becomes a thick and moist, clinging to every bit of noodle. Some crispy bean curds are added, and the divine concoction served. Simply shiok.

Another famous hawker plying his trade in this coffee shop is the Indian Apong stall.



The Indian apong is diffeerent from the kind served up by Ah Guan...in that the cook allows the sides to form a thin crust around the succulent, moist apong into a crispy part. As you can imagine, the apong is a round pancake...the outer edge is thin and crispy, the inside is moist, soft, succulent.

We also had some wan than mee (note spelling in Penang)



This was not the best WTM in Penang...though acceptable. The noodles are springy, but not sufficiently qq. The sauce is lacking a bit. Not recommended...save your calories for better WTM elsewhere.

Around the corner from the coffee shop is a famous Ban Chang Kuih store. BCK is a Chinese pancake, made in a shallow pan. Batter is poured into the pan, and allowed to cook...crushed peanuts, creamed corn, and sometimes a small slice of margarine is added for flavour. The pancake is served folded into itself...and a thin, crispy crust and outer, with a soft, moist, succulent interior. I did not take photographs, but imagine it to be like Mr. Bean, but 1000% better.

We also moved into the market and found an old favourite...the soya bean store:



Also different is the soya bean sold in Penang. It is sold throughout the day, unlike in Singapore where it is predominantly a breakfast drink. But the Penang variety is thicker, more concentrated with bean flavours. And fortified with black sugar (ohr thng in Penang Hokkien)...which is actually a syrup made from sugar mollases and gula melaka. Fragrant!


Sin Hup Aun and neighbourhood stores
Pulau Tikus Market



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