Penang Food For Thought: Good Good Assam Laksa

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Taman Berkeley at Klang has a number of interesting eateries, including the ever-popular Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh (巴生毛山稿肉骨茶) which I visited previously. As recommended by my host, our breakfast today is at Restoran Good Good Assam Laksa (姑姑亚参叻沙) along the same row of shops as the bak kut teh shop.

If your memory goes back five years ago, do you remember the wan tan mee (云吞面) stall at Kafetaria Dan Hotel Eng Loh (莺罗茶室冷气旅社) at Church Street (Lebuh Gereja) of George Town? It was very popular back then, but the business winded down abruptly due to lack of manpower. Guess what? The former stall owner, Ms. Tan, is the proud owner of this current Klang restaurant - and this time with help from her lovely niece!

Instead of offering Wan Tan Mee again, which is already ubiquitous around every corner, Ms. Tan is introducing several Penang delicacies to the townsfolk of Klang!

Penang is renowned far and wide for its asam laksa, but it is high time bring this dish to Klang. This bowl of Penang's Assam Laksa (亚叁叻沙, RM5.00) is reasonably large in size for one person. Actually, Penang's food portion is ridiculously small in size.

Thick fish stew is poured over thick rice noodle, with generous amount of pineapple slices, chopped onion, shredded cucumber and mint leaves added on top. Savory shrimp paste (虾膏) certainly helps to improve flavor.

Unlike most asam laksa in Penang, Ms. Tan uses bigeye kingfish (大目鱼) instead of mackerel. According to her, the former has more meat and therefore makes the stew richer in flavor.

The rice noodle for asam laksa is made in-house. This is good because no lye-water (碱水) is used to prepare the noodle.

Another interesting delicacy at this restaurant is Fish Paste Noodles (鱼滑面, RM7.90). The highlight of this noodle dish are five fish balls made from fish paste. Other unorthodox ingredients to complement this dish are tomatoes and bitter gourd (苦瓜). Since clear soup is used, I feel that it is best enjoyed with rice noodle (米粉).

In particular, I enjoy the springy nature of fish balls. It is not mixed with flour as filler, so the texture is rough but succulent nevertheless.

Ms. Tan is gracious to reveal her choice of fish: mackerel (马鲛鱼)! Does this surprise you?

Actually, the same fish paste is also used to prepare Yong Tau Fu (酿豆腐), but I have yet to try it.

As for desserts, our choice is Lady Jelly (桂花糕, RM3.90). This jelly-like dessert contains osmanthus flower (桂花) and wolfberry (枸杞) within its translucent structure. Its slight sweetness and delightful mouthfeel make this dessert worthwhile to try.

The choice of drinks here is typical as with most traditional coffee shops. Kopi (RM2.10) and Teh C (RM2.10) are our choices today. For the former, I feel that it is slightly watered down; I prefer my coffee to be thicker.

The dishes that I tried so far are just tip of the iceberg. The next time I visit Taman Berkeley, I want to try other dishes that the restaurant has to offer. According to Ms. Tan, she is working on several new dishes, so I will not be surprised to find new items on the menu.