Sun Yoon Kee

Old School

In Campbell Street, Penang, we found an old established coffee shop, Sun Yoon Kee Seafood Restaurant, which still preserves the pre-war designs. The have antique tables and sturdy old wooden chairs which are very comfortable. We went there for lunch and ordered a few dishes which they cook fresh for each order: Sang Kong Tofu, Nestum Fried Chicken, Mixed Vegetables, and Fried Sweet and Sour Pork.

The coffee shop from the outside.

An old sign board on top of a refrigerator.

The interior.

An old bird cage and liquor bottle.

Yea, they still serve drinks in glass bottles ~ Nostalgic

The Sang Kong Tofu. Japanese egg tofu fried with starchy eggy sauce with carrots, sweet peas, pork and button mushrooms. The tofu were soft and smooth, but they don't mushily break apart. Well seasoned and the sauce is a tasty hydrating condiment to be put on rice.

The sweet and sour pork was well fried and there was adequate sauce to cover all of the meat and more. One can taste the sweet and sour parts of the sauce distinctly, but yet they compliment each other well as a whole. There wasn't too much oil used while frying, therefore the taste of the pork is not compromised.

Chicken pieces are coated with Nestum grains and are fried to give a grainy texture that leaves one addicted to this dish. The butter accents the taste of the cereal and somehow assists the cereal to seal its flavor within the chicken. There was a little too much oil in this dish, but I guess I can write it off as a rare error because it still tasted good. Children will be left clamoring for more of the extra Nestum cereal left on the plate.

Broccoli, capsicums, baby corn, mushrooms, cauliflower, pork, fish cakes and a few pieces of chilly make up the mixed vegetables dish. This dish gives a variety of vegetables all in one plate, brushing away the monotonity of just having a single type of greens. Its mild soy sauce based flavor retains the goodness of the different natural tastes. The pork gives its sweetness and the chilly adds a little spice.

Seven of us went for that lunch and it cost us Rm84, inclusive of drinks and rice. Given the generous portions of food, this is a great bargain for some old school Chinese cooking. The friendly service by the elderly Chinese men working there make the whole experience there even more enjoyable.