CRIZ BON APPETITE

I have reviewed Mee Manja when I first started on food blogging but I guessed not many would have known about its existence except those regular customers. Manja is the Malay word for “Pampered”. You would have asked why the name “Pampered Noodles”? You might have interpreted it wrongly as that’s the family name for the cook cum owner Encik Aman Manja. He had followed his father and uncle as early as 13 years old when they were located just opposite the recently relocated premise at Jalan Hutton. For over 40 years and 3 generations, Encik Aman has served thousands of loyal customers with his delicious Mee Goreng and Mee Soup. Encik Aman is in fact the elder brother of the famous CRC Mee Goreng stall located in a coffee shop next to Dorsett Hotel, Jalan Larut, Penang.

While most of the Mee Goreng stalls in Penang are using the modern technology to blend their ingredients, Encik Aman believed in using the traditional way to grind his ingredients with the old fashion Batu Giling (Metate Millstone). According to him, that would preserve the original taste of the blended items. Mee Manja’s style of cooking the noodles is totally different compared to the rest. Their noodles (Mee, Bee Hoon or Koay Teow) are more towards the salty chicken bones soup based flavor, whether fried or soup. You can opt for plain, chicken, beef or mixed meat too. If you do not want spiciness, you would have to inform him.

The Chicken/Beef Mee Soup (RM4) is the most popular in his stall as you can taste the sweetness from the chicken stock. This is really good for eat in. Takeaway would make it soggy.

Somehow, I preferred his Beef/Chicken Mee Goreng (RM4). I felt that the amount of spiciness and taste was just right for me. I do not even have to squeeze any lime juice or sprinkle any vinegar soy sauce served with fresh cut green chillies as provided.

Encik Aman is quite a sociable and friendly person. You can ask him anything in English or Bahasa Malaysia. Finding the place now would be easier compared to previously. His shop is just on your right at the traffic lights between Jalan Penang and Jalan Hutton. Parking might be a problem as it is illegal to park next to a traffic light. You may opt to park your car at his previous shop at Lebuh Clarke or Lebuh Dicken (next to Mydin Supermarket) and walk to his shop.

Still remember when I was posting up the “Idris Karipap Ayam & Daging” review? I did mention a hawker stall down in Jalan Jones (Jones Road) selling many different types of Kuih Melayu. In fact, there have almost 80 types of modern and traditional Malay kuih (Malay desserts), noodles and rice to fill up your appetite. They call themselves the Mat Relax Corner – a place you can enjoy your favorite local delicacies while seeping in their thick creamy Teh Tarik. The good news is that you could try out any 5 different kuih at merely RM2. Unless there is a price tag on the tray, each item would cost you only 40sen. The cheapest in Penang!

For the last 12 years, they have been there along Jalan Jones and Jalan Kelawei junction selling those yummy desserts. People from all walks of life would gather there for breakfast or afternoon tea. You could even see some in ties sealing some deals there. Surprised right? You can start savoring their food as early as 6.30am but my recommendation would be after 3.00pm as that would be the ideal time for more hot steaming items being displayed on the tables. Here are some of their yummy kuih-muih.

As I always love to consume salty items rather than sweet things, I would like to recommend their Popiah Goreng, Cucur Bawang and Udang, Roti Sumbat Sambal Ikan Bilis and some of their tasty rice and noodles. You can even add in their Sambal Tau Kua if you would like more ingredients in your food.

Finding Mat Relax Corner would not be hard as it is strategically located at the junction of Jalan Jones and Jalan Kelawei, next to the Pulau Tikus UDA Flat. I would advise you to find a place somewhere before the stalls as the place would be high in traffic.

Since I’m into introducing the finger food of Penang, let me introduce you to the Malay version of tea time desserts @ kuih-muih. If you frequent Tanjung Tokong a lot, you would see a signboard by Jalan Tanjung Tokong with the word “Idris Karipap Ayam & Daging” – 60sen each. That’s where Idris’s stall has been for about a decade. One walk near to the stall and you would see endless quantity of karipap being fried in a big wok.

It was only recently that I had gone up that area after a long absence to try out their karipap again. Although the karipap had gone longer and more flat in shape, the filling was still as tasty as before. If you are in for beef, do try out their beef karipap as I found them to be better than the chicken karipap which was much drier but still tasty. The only problem I had was that I prefer flakier dough compared to their slightly harder ones. I hope they can improve on that.

On top of the karipap, they do occasionally sell other yummy Malay kuih-muih. If you are lucky enough, you might get some really nice ones fresh from the oven. I’m going to show you some of the tea time finger food that they have at the time I was there.

Although Idris’s stall does have some good desserts, you can also try out another stall at the junction of Jalan Kelawei and Jalan Jones in Pulau Tikus after 3.00pm on week days. They have many varieties of kuih-muih as well as nasi lemak, nasi ayam, nasi daging, nasi tomato and fried noodles for takeaways. I always get indecisive when choosing from their over 25 types of kuih-muih for my tea time.

Idris Karipap stall is strategically located along Jalan Tanjung Tokong. If you are coming from Pulau Tikus towards Tanjung Bungah, you can see the stall on the left just immediately after the traffic lights along Jalan Fettes. In case you miss it, it is opposite the Ubi Food Court which is next to the Tanjung Tokong Petronas Petrol Kiosk.

There are so many different versions of Mee Goreng and Mee Rebus around town. It could be in tomato puree, lemon grass spices, dried squid or prawn flavor and even beef/mutton soup based. Most people would not notice the differences but I did as the noodles are cooked by different races in Penang, namely the Indians, Malays, Chinese and Indian Muslims (Mamak). If you are in for the not the normal tomato based Mee Goreng or Rebus, you should visit this place along Lebuh Clarke. This Malay guy has been selling his version of noodles for years, same as his brother (the former famous CRC Mee Goreng stall, now located in a coffee shop next to Dorsett Hotel, Jalan Larut).

The noodles (Mee, Bee Hoon or Koay Teow), whether fried or soup are cooked with thick bone soup. The sweet fragrance taste the soup will all be seeped into the noodle, giving it that tasty flavor. You can opt for either chicken or beef to be cooked with your noodles. Each plate will cost RM4. If you are a big eater, do ask for extra noodles. Please take note that you have to ask for non-spicy if you do not take chilly. All noodles will come served with fresh cut green chillies with lime and soy sauce.

Most people would order the soup based noodles as they love the taste of the soup. Drop in there to enjoy your freshly cooked noodles, take away would not taste that good when cold. Getting there is easy. As you move along Jalan Larut (KFC Larut Road branch) towards the town center, you will reach a traffic light. Drive ahead and you will see a road on your left. The stall is just on the left. Prominent landmarks – a Nasi Kandar shop at the junction and Eden Steakhouse diagonally opposite the road. Please refer to the map for a clearer idea of the location.

Finally, there is a place called Jemputree in Penang where we can sit around to have decent chats with soft music at the background and good ambience. The place has the feel of a rainforest blended in with small huts as if you are living in a tribal village. There is also a place to get that tree house experience. Moreover, you can have the privacy you ever wanted and a group of friendly “natives” to serve to all your dining needs.

Jemputree has a wide range of Malaysian’s mouth watering delights with variations that include Malay, Western & Oriental style of culinary choices. You can get meals from finger food to spicy dishes and pasta. There are also many local desserts and beverages that will make your stay worthwhile such as ais kacang, rojak, ginseng tongkat ali and rainbow. Below are some of the dishes I have ordered:

You might want to visit the place at the location mentioned below: