Penang Road Famous Laksa and Teochew Chendul: Trying Penang’s (Malaysia) Version of Laksa (with MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Recognition) and Shaved Iced Dessert

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This article is part of the Penang Food Trip series. Check out the installments in this series: Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery (MICHELIN-Starred Peranakan Restaurant) | Hameediyah Restaurant (Nasi Kandar) | Kafe Ping Hooi and Tiger Char Koay Teow (Traditional Coffee Shop with Popular Char Kway Teow) | Penang Road Famous Laksa and Teochew Chendul | Sister Curry Mee (Curry Noodles)

Laksa is a popular Malaysian/Singaporean dish among locals and tourists alike. It’s a noodle soup dish usually with a coconut milk-based broth.

But did you know that (almost) every state of Malaysia has its own version of laksa? (Check out this helpful article.) And did you know that Penang’s laksa has no coconut milk at all?

Penang-style laksa, a.k.a. Assam Laksa, has a fish-based broth that’s made sour (“assam”) with tamarind. It’s also composed of thick rice noodles, shredded mackerel, sliced vegetables (cucumbers, onions, and lettuce), and chunks of pineapple.

One of the famous hawkers of assam laksa is Penang Air Itam Laksa in the suburb of Air Itam. But according to my research, the Air Itam hawker is, unfortunately, either temporarily closed or only open on certain weekends. So to try the dish, we went to Penang Road Famous Laksa in George Town instead.

Penang Road Famous Laksa has a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recognition since 2023:

Penang Road Famous Laksa’s MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Recognition

Intermission: Are you planning a Penang trip soon? Can’t decide what activities to do yet? Then check out the activities in Klook!

Honestly, I wasn’t keen on trying the assam laksa in Penang because I’ve tried one in Malacca, another heritage town of Malaysia, and I was unimpressed. Also, a fish-based noodle soup doesn’t sound appetizing to me. But because many food experts liked it, I gave it a shot and wasn’t disappointed!

Penang Road Famous Laksa’s broth is sweet, tangy, spicy, and has a mild fish flavor (thank God!). There are bits of mackerel in it as well.

The cucumbers, onions, and pineapples give a nice crunch to the dish, while the mint adds freshness. I never thought that I would like assam laksa!

A hot bowl of delicious noodle soup should be followed by a cold dessert. Fortunately, on the same street is Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, which is a popular shaved ice dessert hawker.

The auntie prepares the *chendul* very quickly. She has to with all the customers lined up!

To the uninitiated, Chendul (also spelled as Cendol or Chendol) is a shaved ice dessert popular in Malaysia and Singapore. It’s usually composed of worm-like green pandan (screwpine) jellies, red beans, coconut milk, and gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup. Some varieties even have durian on it.

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul’s version has a nice caramel taste from the gula melaka and is very refreshing in the Penang heat!

Penang Road Famous Laksa and Teochew Chendul are must-stops when you’re in George Town. Their namesake dishes are really good. I highly recommend it to you!

Penang Road Famous Laksa Address: Nos. 5 & 7, Lebuh Keng Kwei, George Town, Penang, Malaysia | Operating Hours: Friday-Tuesday, 9AM-5:30PM | Contact No.: +60 16-446 0543 | Facebook | Instagram

Penang Road Famous Chendul Address: Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, Penang, Malaysia | Operating Hours: Daily, 10AM-5PM

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