Flaming Charcoal Char Koay Teow

Special thanks to Flaming Charcoal Char Koay Teow for extending this food review invitation.

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Whenever there is a new hawker center, I try to visit it at least once to get a feel of the food there. Tonight's dinner brings me to Angkiki Food Court (红支支美食中心) along Anson Road.

I have tried the roasted duck and oyster omelette before. The next stall in the line-up is Flaming Charcoal Char Koay Teow (火炭炒粿条), which is operated by an elderly man with several decades of experience in his résumé.

Char koay teow (炒粿条) is a Penang heritage street food in which the cooking is difficult to master. Sure, you can find char koay teow in nearly every hawker center across Malaysia. But really good ones are few and far in between.

This stall at Angkiki Food Court uses charcoal to fire the wok. I am not totally convinced that charcoal is superior compared to cooking gas in terms of taste or aroma. But charcoal seems to work well for this hawker, and this is what really matters.

This plate of Char Koay Teow (炒粿条, RM7.50) is quite decent in size. Two pieces of succulent prawns are juicy and crunchy, tell-tale signs that they are fresh. The choice of duck eggs adds another layer of novelty. Duck eggs are generally larger than chicken ones, therefore using the former in cooking char koay teow results in wetter consistency.

A good plate of char koay teow requires masterful application of "wok hei" (镬气). This plate easily passes with flying colors. Unlike Siam Road Char Koay Teow, I do not find it being too oily. I would certainly place this stall in the same league as Ah Leng Char Koay Teow (亚龙炒粿条), though Ah Leng still has the pole position in my heart.

Name: Flaming Charcoal Char Koay Teow (火炭炒粿条)
Address: Angkiki Food Court, 20, Jalan Anson, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: N/A
Business hours: 5:00pm-12:30am
Website: N/A
Coordinates: 5.42045 N, 100.32378 E
Directions: From either direction of Jalan Macalister (Macalister Road), turn north into the two-way Jalan Anson (Anson Road). Angkiki Food Court is approximately 400 meters on the left. Flaming Charcoal Char Koay Teow is one of the stalls in this hawker center. Outdoor parking is available at RM1.00 per entry.