Penang Food For Thought: Chew Jetty Café

Chew Jetty Café (海墘茶室), as the name implies, is located at the entrance of Chew Jetty (姓周桥). As a tourist hotspot, Chew Jetty draws a constant stream of customers to nearby businesses.

One of the stalls in Chew Jetty Café sells Hokkien Mee (福建面, RM3.30), which is better known outside Penang as Prawn Mee (虾面). Hokkien Mee is one of the most iconic dishes in Penang's hawker scene. Indeed, the soup is so aromatic that it can be picked up from the other side of the road!

Hokkien Mee uses spicy soup which is infused with rich flavors of shrimp stock. Typically, yellow noodle (黄面) and rice vermicelli (米粉) are both used in Hokkien Mee. Other ingredients are sliced pork and hard-boiled egg. Overall, I find this dish very enjoyable.

There is also a "hidden" stall here which operates from a private home in Chew Jetty itself. The stall offers several types of cooked seafood dishes. As the supply of fresh seafood is limited, customers are asked to pre-order by calling 04-262-9654 at least a day before.

One of the delicacies that we pre-ordered is Belitung (海螺, RM7.00). The sea snails are cooked in sweet-spicy sauce which really draws appetite through its fiery aroma. Fortunately, the sauce is not too spicy, so it can be eaten without rice. With help of a toothpick, there is a special technique to remove sea snails' flesh from their shells. This dish is certainly worth every sen.

Also ordered from the same stall is Kappa (蛤蜊, RM5.00) or clams. This time, shellfish is cooked with fermented bean paste (豆瓣酱) and ginger. The sauce is moderately spicy and reasonably savory. I recommend this dish too.