The story
The restaurant is called Awesome Char Koay Teow for a reason. It stakes everything on one iconic Malaysian dish: flat rice noodles stir-fried over screaming-hot flames until they acquire the coveted wok hei – that smoky, charred flavour that separates good char koay teow from great. Prawns, cockles, bean sprouts, egg, and dark soy sauce come together in a quick, precise dance on the wok. The result is a plate that is glossy, savoury, and deeply satisfying.
In 2026, the Michelin guide awarded this stall a Bib Gourmand, its seal for good quality, good value cooking. The setting is unpretentious: a stall inside New KK99 Cafe on Jalan Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah, a quiet suburb of George Town. There are no frills – just plastic tables, a queue, and the sound of the wok scraping against metal. The recognition feels earned precisely because the focus never wavers from the noodles.
The portion is generous, the flavours direct. Each strand of noodle is coated in a dark, caramelised sauce, punctuated by the sweetness of prawns and the briny pop of cockles. The heat from the wok gives the dish a slight smokiness that lingers. It is street food at its most honest – no twists, no fusion, just a masterful execution of a classic.
For anyone seeking the soul of Penang hawker cooking, Awesome Char Koay Teow delivers exactly what its name promises.
Recognition
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