I miss Penang food all of a sudden - right now it's asam laksa and popiah swimming in my head. Both of which are available at Kek Seng. I was introduced a little late to this kopitiam of a gem, probably only during my 2nd or 3rd trip to Penang with LC. But after a taste, I was hooked!
Kek Seng is located on Penang Road and has been there since 1906.
It explains the dated look of the kopitiam. The signages have surprisingly withstood the test of time and remains in good condition. A kopitiam surviving for so long has to be a testament to the food yes?
The Asam Laksa served here had a light fishy broth with a perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty. The laksa noodles was not overcooked and there were lots of vegetable to accompany the noodle. The broth was good to the last drop, it gets thicker towards the bottom of the bowl. There's lots of fish flakes at the bottom so be sure to give it a good mix before eating.
The popiah is the best I've tasted in Penang - tasty with a good balance of fillings. The chilli paste actually makes a presence so there's an oomph to the popiah! I'm not used to the soggy-ness of the popiah but the taste and texture was good enough for me to completely disregard it.
Also good at Kek Seng is the lobak.
Delicious lobak with actual strips of pork (not minced!) and tau kwa (soft tofu) that rivals Kheng Pin cafe is the highlight of the lobak here. The smooth and soft tau kwa with a strong soy taste will have me dreaming about Kek Seng's tau kwa now. The cucur udang came with lots of prawns but I was too distracted by the discovery of delicious tau kwa to pay proper attention to it.
A must have at Kek Seng is of course the durian ice-cream. Super smooth ice-cream with a strong durian punch but somehow without the pungent durian scent. This could beat any KL ice-cream parlor anytime for the taste and the price.
Yikes, I miss Penang food even more now!
Yikes, I miss Penang food even more now!