bak kut teh Archives - PEGFeeds

Char Penang Foodie – Campsie NSW Restaurant Review

I’ve been getting a lot of char kway teow content on my Instagram feed recently. This meal is the result not of any specific paid advertising for the restaurant in particular, but possibly influenced by the Sydney Malaysian food cabal.

The Penang Famous Char Koey Teow 著名炒果条 ($18.50) was pretty good. I guess there are a number of ways to romanise the same Chinese words, and this is what it’s listed as on the menu. The dish was savoury, and not too salty. It featured quite a few large prawns, though not much char siu or other meats. There was a reasonable degree of smokey wok hei flavour, though probably less than that of nearby competitor Hokkein Kia. There was a degree of crispiness, but again less pronounced than Hokkein Kia, which had quite prominent pieces of fried lard. As a trade-off it felt less oily overall, which I guess is a plus.

The Loh Bak 卤肉条 ($5.50) was pretty good, well priced for a quick snack. Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, served with a brown slurry that wasn’t pictured on the electronic menu. The lady explained to us (after I had tried drinking it) that it is a soup base that they use for one of their noodle dishes, designed for dipping.

I didn’t love the Bak Kut Teh (Dry) 肉骨茶(干) ($26.50), rice included. It was meaty, full of pork and fish balls, and having a mild bak kut teh aroma and taste, but in comparison with the CKT just didn’t wow or astound.

The 槟岛式茶冰 Penang-Style Iced Teh Tarik ($7.50) was pretty good, however tasted pretty close to the green can of Mesona grass jelly herbal tea drink. It was just around the right level of sweetness, which is not something that I can say for all iterations of this drink. It seemed quite overpriced to me though, probably not worth more than a nasi lemak or half a CKT.

The Bungkus Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭 ($6.50) we had for take-away, because we obviously ordered too much food to eat in one go. I liked it. It was fragrant, the rice was moist, even after a stint in the fridge and another stint in the microwave, and the flavours were umami and well balanced. Note that only half the serving is pictured, because my girlfriend ate her half without me.

Overall
The char kway teow was pretty good – a slightly different approach to that of Hokkein Kia across the road, but just as valid.

Char Penang Foodie
239 Beamish St, Campsie NSW 2194

Ho Jiak – Strathfield NSW Restaurant Review

My first visit to Ho Jiak’s Haymarket restaurant last year didn’t leave me with a lot of great feelings, but my most recent visit to their Strathfield food court store did. Barring the involvement of serious live shellfish and other seafood, East and South East Asian food generally has an upper price point that most patrons would be willing to pay. I can only imagine that the higher overhead costs in the CBD are part of what makes Ho Jiak’s Strathfield Plaza branch a more attractive option.

Food is reasonably priced, and service is fast. There is no in-restaurant seating, with only a few tables and plastic chairs outside shared with the kebab shop across the corridor. While some may baulk at this lack of formality, I think it’s important to consider this is the kind of thing that keeps food as cheap and accessible as possible. I’ve certainly never thought that char kway teow needs a tablecoth, though if the presence of a few less savoury characters roaming the halls of Strathfield Plaza could be managed that would be more ideal.

The Bah Kut Teh Rice ($19) was good. From the garlic infused rice to the you tiao to the herbal soup and pork ribs, each bite was full of flavour. The rice was warm and moist, and the serving of pork belly was quite generous for the price. I didn’t quite feel that the bak kut teh was the standard flavour – it had more of a dark soy sauce component – but it was good nonetheless. The you tiao was a bit tepid in temperature, but somehow incredibly crispy, great dipped in the soup or on its own.

If the bah kuth teh rice was good, the Indomee Goreng Salted Duck Egg & Crab Meat ($22) was even better. Every single bite of this was good. The noodles were al dente and delicious, completely transcending the expectations set by its 40 cent per packet price. The rich soy, spicy, and umami flavours of the noodles were amplified by the mince, fish balls, and vegetables, and duck egg accompaniments. The crab meat, though probably the bigger money ingredient here, didn’t really add as much as I had hoped. This was just an amazing dish (if a little salty), though next time I’d save $4 and get it without the crab.

The Inchi Kabin (4 for $13) were Nonya-style deep fried chicken mid wings. Mid wings are, in my opinion, the optimal part of the chicken wing, and I much prefer them to drumsticks. These particular wings were quite good, with a nice crispy skin and moist interior. They reminded me of those at Nam2 in their construction.

The Teh Susu ($3.50) is a very cheap milk tea.

VERDICT
I really enjoyed Ho Jiak’s Strathfield Plaza outlet. The food was great, and the prices quite reasonable. There are both pros and cons to its food court location. We were asked for spare change by the same guy twice during our quick meal.

Ho Jiak Strathfield
Shop 33 Strathfield Plaza, 11 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135
(02) 9008 8020