Red Hat Auntie's Char Koay Teow, Penang

I've lived in Penang for a good number of years and yet, this specific Char Koay Teow stall has never popped up. Now that I am away and am no longer staying in the Island, this has been introduced to me. What I have missed out for close to 10 years during my life in Penang has been this all along.

We arrived at close to perfect timing! There was no queue upon arriving but the shop was sooo tiny. There were only about 4-5 tables so we were seated pretty near to where the wok was, which can sometimes cause you to cough when they add chili paste into the wok. 

I believe the Char Koay Teow stall is operated by "The Three Sisters". They are quite entertaining to watch as they seem to sometimes have disagreements among themselves be it miscommunication or the way they scream at each other. It is quite THE hawker experience if you ask me.

We waited for a bearable amount of time but they messed up one of our orders, so the screaming began among The Three Sisters. As they were preparing our food I couldn't help but notice one of the sisters (who was in charge of placing prawns into the wok) tossed in some prawns with her bare hands, then continued to wipe her hands on her shirt and pants.... walking away from the wok to the back of the stall and this went on for quite awhile with every order coming in. I didn't feel very hygienically secure when I witnessed what was going on.

Char Koay Teow (RM 11)

When my plate arrived, I felt really excited because at first glance, the koay teow noodles looked glossy and silky and the eggs were nicely incorporated with the koay teow (this takes a lot of experience and skills for the eggs to be stringy and fine). The prawns are bigger than the usual ones you would get at other stalls and they were so plump, juicy and sweet with a crunch like texture, which meant these prawns were fresh! While I was chomping down my first bite I already knew that this would be my favourite Char Koay Teow. It is not in any way overcooked! The eggs are not mushed up with the koay teow and the wok hei taste was on point with the fragrance of chilli paste. It may have been a tad bit oily for me. Just a touch. If not, THE BEST TO ME!

Oh Chien (RM 11)

This was ordered and delivered from across the street! Super friendly uncle who attended to us. We had a combination of oysters and prawns in our Oh Chien. Now, I have very high expectations when it comes to Oh Chien. To me, the perfect Oh Chien must be a 80/20 egg to flour batter ratio. Most of the time, some stalls that will want to save cost will serve the total opposite! Which makes me boil inside because I want to eat eggs and oysters! Not a goo of flour. This wasn't the best nor was it the worst. It was an average plate of Oh Chien that had a nice amount of eggs but I would have preferred if there was less flour batter.

Comment below your thoughts on Red Hat Aunty Char Koay Teow!

RATINGS

Food : 9/10 (Char Koay Teow)

Price : 5/10

Service : 4/10

Parking : 6/10

Ambiance : 5/10