Laksa at Nan Guang Coffee Shop & Huan Chu Leng, Balik Pulau

I made a trip drive down to Balik Pulau to have my laksa fix a couple of weeks back after work.. after the visit to Chuan Heong Cafe, I told myself I’ll be back soon to sample the Nan Guang laksa!

I took a slow drive along Tun Sardon Road after Saturday 1/2 day work and good thing I was early… the crowd was not that much yet until when I was leaving the coffee shop. If you drive along the Tun Sardon Road, when you reach the T junction, Nan Guang is just right opposite the road, next to the old market.

Asam laksa, MYR 3.00. Frankly speaking, I can never really differentiate and tell which is the best laksa…if I don’t complain means it falls under a good category.. I can though, tell what is a not-so-satisfying laksa, and this is certainly not one of it.

It is filled with flavour, with perfect blend of spicy and sour. A glass of ambra and dried sour plum, I can’t remember how much.

The laksa noodles has a different texture though… not the smooth, softer and silky laksa noodle…  but it’s not that slightly coarse texture you taste in the self boiled laksa noodles, or the ones we have in Kedah. it’s like in the middle… springy and not too smooth and silky… more al dente so to say.. haha…

This is siam laksa, also MYR3.00. Same ingredients, different laksa soup. This lasksa soup is a little more lemak (richer in taste) due to the combination of the normal asam laksa soup with some coconut milk and is taste just as good.

It’s not too lemak and thick though, compared to the thai laksa I had in Lee Garden or the ones in Annathai.  They also have laksa with combination of both soup.

Just a little humble coffee shop… but filled with customers…

Their wall of fame… ada gambar Lim Guan Eng lagi…

Stall nicely set up and neatly arranged….

Laksa noodles in the basket… and condiments in the steel compartments…

   The stall gets busier at 2:00pm, so best to be there early…

Something I noticed at most of the coffee shops around that area is they have this bread-like item in the bao(steamed buns) steamers… I’ve never really seen this at other places.. or I never take notice of them(yes la.. I’m a bit sampat lo cops all along I only eat pau and dim sum-s.. I initially thought it’s Malai Koh or something)… To kill my curiosity, I decided to buy some… and asked the coffee shop owner what is it called… I was told it’s called Huan Chu Leng (direct translation from hokkien dialect would be Potato Dragon).. each is MYR0.90.

I learnt that huan chu leng is originated from Taiping and it’s apparently very famous there… but I tired googling and their Huan Chu Leng looks somehow a little bit different… This one I believe is made of potatoes and brown sugar.. it’s originally made in a long loaf, just like mee koo but taste slightly different and has a very slight chewy texture too. on top of it, it’s spread with  brown sugar before it’s steamed and cut into smaller pieces.

Surprisingly, plain but not bad tasting… sedap also… best eaten hot from the steamer!

I bought along a kau yuk/yoke (kou rou) bao (pork belly steamed bun)… Never eaten one and this is my first one…Notice the fats.. I just have to remove it… so the pork belly turned out to be smaller piece after that… but it’s oh so yummy…. the kau yuk is so tender… and the gravy tasted good also.. if only it’s bigger piece of meat and less fat… I forgot how much is this also… around MYR 1 something if I’m not mistaken…

I forgot how much is this also… around MYR 1 something if I’m not mistaken… A lot of different types of bao-s available at the neighbouring coffee shops, and it’s very visible as the who bao steamer with displays are placed at the roadside.

Nan Guang Coffee Shop
67, Balik Pulau Main Road
11000, Balik Pulau
Penang
Business hours : 11am - 5pm daily, closed on every Wednesday except public holidays
Tel : 012 - 428 6235 (Mr. John)