Many people keep asking where to find hidden and classical place for Penang food. Actually there are a lot of well known places around Penang that are not published. For those who followed my previous post, you will notice I had written about Lean Hup Bee, which is also one of the hidden classical Penang kopitiams.
This round, one of the great hidden classical places that I am introducing is Lim Aik Chew which is famous for its fresh water prawn dish. However, to get to this place is not as easy as 1,2,3. For those that have GPS, it would be better for you to use that to navigate to the place.,Else you need know how to get to Jalan Ooi Kar Seng towards Taman Nibong Tebal Jaya. From there keep driving until you come to right junction that leads to Jalan Victoria. Drive along the road and follow the curve to a T-junction. Turn right to Jalan Atas and look out for Lim Aik Chew on your left.
Lim Aik Chew, is a humble coffee shop that has been in business for ages. It is always packed with visitors from all around the country.
If you plan to visit this place during weekends, you need to call to make a reservation. If not you will need to stand and wait for available seats.
Usually the tables are arranged until outside of the shop. But still there isn’t enough place for incoming customers.
Kopi-O – RM0.80. One of the main attractions here was the Kopi-O. The kopi-O was very thick and full of aroma. For coffee lovers, this is a must try-out.
Salt Water/ Fresh Water Prawn Cooked in Curry – RM36.00, the curry prawn cooked with fresh water prawns was the main attraction. However due to unavailability we ordered salt water prawns. The prawns were cooked with thick aromatic curry. They were cooked together with herbs and onion slices.
If you get the chance, try out the fresh water prawns as I had been told that the flesh of fresh water prawns were sweeter and the head of the prawns were also bigger compared to salt water prawns. Fresh water prawn were high in demand and were selling like hot cake. If you are late, there will only be salt water prawns as a replacement. The whole dish was full of curry aroma with a combination of hot, spicy and slightly salty taste.
Red Fish in 3 Flavored Curry – RM27.00, the red snapper was first deep fried and then topped with spicy hot curry. The curry was mixed with onion slices.
The taste of the curry was spicy, sour and sweet. Therefore the name of this fish is called 3-flavored curry. The texture of the fish was very crunchy as it was deep fried. The combination of the curry and the deep fried fish was great.
Roti – RM1.60, The bread here was OEM and the portion catered for 4 pax.
Instead of the usual rice with dishes, you can order bread to go with the dishes. The combination was very unique.
Fried Vegetable – RM5.00, slices of cabbage were mixed pan fried with carrot and onions.
The taste of the mixed veggie was very common and it was indeed a regular type of dish that we always order from any restaurants around.
Overall, the taste of the food here was more than good. The way food was cooked and prepared was very unique. However, the price of the food was overpriced, considering the ambiance of the coffeeshop. The parking here will also be a headache as not there were not many places available to park.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
| Taste |  |
| Price |  |
| Food Presentation |  |
| Service | |
| Overall | |
Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking |  |
| Pork Free | |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 11:00am – 6:00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-593 2957
Address:436,Tanjong Berembang, Nibong Tebal, 14310 Penang
GPS: 5° 15′ 07.53″ N, 100° 46′ 25.67″ E
it been sometime i never go there, still remember the curry powder smell and fresh big prawn. but like you said, the price is slightly higher.
Taste…iest
✿ 食情画意 ✿