Word has it that the Top 7 CKT places in Penang includes one obscure stall - without a precise location but just along Siam Road and business starts daily at 3pm until they sell out. This was the queue that greeted me, and I possibly struck gold with the location since there was only one CKT stall along the entire stretch.
Right in the middle of a buzzing road with cars and tractors making their way through - if this is not anywhere near death defying, I really do not know what else.
The uncle was the star of all the attention, singlehandedly churning out plates of CKT without taking a sip of water or taking a break to rest.
And watching him cook was an intriguing experience indeed. Nifty handiwork involved in cracking eggs, tossing the noodles and occasionally ladling lard and chilli paste into the heated wok.
Sparks flew, literally.
His helper was an amazing multitasker as well. The speed at which he washed plates were impressive though I would seriously question the hygiene levels. The side drain was most utilised after every dish wash.
The oddest thing about this two man operation is, all dine in customers made their way to the coffeeshop just opposite from this cart. It baffled me to no end why this was the case. Would it not be more convenient and more efficient cooking up a storm in a proper kitchen?
After an hour in line, I went from ordering a small packet to large, to make sense of the time spent waiting. Every person who left the queue had a jubilant grin, so did I. How the queue system works I have no clue but dining in and takeaway takes roughly the same amount of time.
Unlike the rest of the CKTs in Penang, this has the basic chicken egg and hum with normal kuay teow noodles. For the hype, I thought it was underwhelming. Perhaps stellar in Singapore but in Penang, this lacks some oomph.
Char Koay Teow
Siam Road
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