On Day 2 of our Penang makan trip, we had an early breakfast of CKT at Tiger Char Koay Teow, which was located in Ping Hooi Cafe on Carnarvon Street. They opened for business at 7.30am but only operated for about 6 hours. So if you want to include Tiger Char Koay Teow in your food itinerary, you may want to get up earlier and head over here first before venturing out to other food places.
Early bird gets the worm, haha. We came here just before 8am and there wasn’t any queue. Couple of times we walked past here (our hotel was nearby) during peak lunch time, we could see long queues of people. So yep, be early if you don’t want to wait!
Ping Hooi Cafe – Order A Drink If You Want To Dine In
This Ping Hooi Cafe has a rule i.e. if you’re dining in, you’ll have to order at least one drink, otherwise there will be a small surcharge fee. Just don’t be surprised (or annoyed) when someone approaches your table and urges you to order a drink. Teh or kopi is just RM1+ so not a big deal, really. That’s how it is. In fact, such practices are pretty common.
Menu & Updated Prices (as of June 2022) for Tiger Char Koay Teow
No Egg – RM7.00
Chicken Egg – RM8.00
Duck Egg – RM9.00
Go for duck egg!
I highly recommend that you order your CKT with duck egg. The duck egg really added an umami flavour to the char koay teow and it tasted way better than the one with chicken egg.
IMO, this got to be one of the best CKTs in Penang. That wok hei was simply unforgettable. Lots of crunch from the bean sprouts. Cockles were plump and juicy, not shrivelled up at all. Shrimps were fresh and crunchy too. Every mouthful of the CKT was divine.
Tiger Char Koay Teow – not to be missed when you’re in Penang.
+60 16-458 0926