Penang Food | Kafe Kheng Pin - lobak, chicken rice & wan tan mee
Kafe Kheng Pin is located at the corner of Penang Road and Jalan Sri Bahari, opposite Body Glove outlet. This café is quite old and nostalgic with most of the tables and chairs being the wooden type with marble surface.
This place was quite packed during the lunch time but we did not have to wait long before getting a seat. Dining inside this café did resemble the old, nostalgic coffee shop that we used to go while we were kids.
If you happened to be eating here for lunch, remember to try out the famous dishes here which are lobak, chicken rice and wan tan mee. Of course, there are also char koay teow and porridge available if you decide not to have these.
Lobak is considered the most famous here since every table had the orders and do expect a certain amount of waiting time though it will not be that long.
There is no ordering system here but the lobak seller seemed to be able to memorize all the orders in his mind while frying those lobak. Talk about multitasking and good memory power!
What we realized about the lobak here was they used slices of meat instead of minced meat to make the lobak. You could actually taste the pieces of meat inside the lobak and it was quite crispy too.
The oil used for frying them must be hot enough to make the lobak crunchy.
As the companions to lobak, the sauce had got to be good as well to make the food really nice and delicious. The chilli sauce and the gravy were quite thick and can stick to the lobak when you dip into them… Yum
Chicken rice was another dish worth trying as well. The Hainan Chicken Rice sold only cooked chicken and not roasted one. This is the typical chicken rice unlike the one at Chai Leng Park.
Despite selling only one type unlike others, the response was quite good. The cooked chicken (white skin) was not oily and quite tender.
We did try wan tan mee too and the taste was just like the old style type. They did put lard (bak eiu) which made the wan tan mee quite fragrant. Another place for tradiational wan tan mee is just few blocks away at Argyle Road.
Even the presentation looked like old style, slices of bbq pork, wan tan, shredded chicken and mushroom. Taste wise, it was a similar to other wan tan mee.
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Their lorbak just like the one in Kek Seng Cafe. A long slice of pork is used to made up one lorbak. I like this type of lorbak when eating out.
But at home, I just love my mom’s traditional lorbak. Yum yum.
little inboxs last blog post..Seafood Char Koay Kak @ Batu Lanchang Market
I love the pek cham keh here, it’s really excellent and the way they prepared it is just nice. Not too rare nor over cooked.
Steven Gohs last blog post..VIP Flogger Gathering @ Edelweiss Cafe
I found your blog from Rasa Malaysia and so glad that I did!!! First, I love Penang, used to visit there twice a year when I still lived in Indonesia. My last time there was this past May.
Second, I have to comment because I LOVE Kafe Kheng Pin’s Lorback and Wantan Mee! Used to go there with my grandparents. Oh..this brings back memory. Can’t wait to read through your blog to reminiscence Penang food scene.
Cecils last blog post..Roti Jala & Kari Kambing / Laced Crepe with Goat Curry
oh this place now charges 40cents for ppl who don’t order drinks. I don’t like it when shops do that!!! but, times are hard and they need to survive too, so just make sure everyone orders a drink
duckies last blog post..Duck Rice, Carnavon Street
oh, wantan mee, my all time favourite. i can have it everyday!
allenoois last blog post..Taiwanese Crispy Fried Chicken
Little Inbox,
Agree!!!! Traditional home made lorbak are definitely the best… The ingredients are always a lot and taste soo nice… Somemore you can eat them full stick, without having to slice into smaller pieces… hehehe
i believe the hokkien mee stall is also one of the best. Cant believe you didnt mention that!!
Ah, the wan tan mee is quite good! Though I hate to go there because it’ll be packed every weekend morning!
Ree Nees last blog post..I’m feeling a little bit high right now so…
The hokkien mee was another favourite? Hmmm, we could have missed that out.. .ahhaha
We were there mainly for lobak.. the rest kind of secondary although they are also famous…. :p
The wantan mee stall does not run by the same person anymore.
The previous wantan mee stall owner has moved to coffee shop next to SMJK Heng Ee.
I have been visiting Kheng Pin for more than 20 years, I still think the previous wantan mee stall owner is the best!
No doubt, the Lobak stall owner and chicken rice stall owner is still the same. These 2 stalls are the anchors for the cafe.
Last time, the anchors were Chicken Rice, Wantan Mee and Lobak.
Thanks for writing this entry, it reminds me of the good old days. =)
I love this place, I have been visiting Cafe Kheng Pin since I was little. My personal favourites are the Lobak ( deep fried fish in particular!!), Char Kuey teow and satay. Thank you for putting it on your blog, it is one of the places worth recommending!
I’d some lunch in this kopitiam when last time i worked nearby. I do recommend on those Wan Tan Mee, Lor Bak n the porridge but i highly not recommend on the chicken rice due to the service by them are really below par. They tot they r d oni chicken rice seller in d island, oh plsssss… i can simply speak out some even better chic. rice in d island which r at any corner in it like in Chulia Strt n Dato Keramat area.
[...] Penang Food: Kafe Kheng Pin - lobak, chicken rice & wan tan mee [...]
I want to highly recommend the LOBAK and the chicken rice !!!!!!
There are only 2 stalls of chicken rice I really enjoy, one is here and one at the sky hotel coffee shop.
The LOBAK, I can say no other place has this kind of quality
jack,
looks like you’ve found your favourite lobak stall in penang … and chicken rice too…
Good for you..
i love the lobak is very famous.
i love the lobak ,penang famous.
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I was just realised that there is new branch of the kheng pin Hainan chicken rice at Mid Town Cafe along the Lorong Selamat . I heard the business run by the couple’s son and the customer service is better. I will go and taste it during Chinese New Year Holiday.
The pek cham keh auntie very lan si one…..last time i wanted to order one pek cham keh, she told me that if i cannot wait, then dun order!!!! i will definitely boycott her!!!!!!1
I just don’t understand why these so called ‘famous’ hawkers are so lan si. There is another one from Lorong Selamat, char kuey teow. I’m just wondering, are they thinking they’re doing us a favor? They’re not giving away their food for free, the customers are paying for it. I was at the kopitiam before the lunch rush hour and ordered a take-away chicken rice with the liver. Came home and found it was gizzard instead of liver!