We first heard about First Genting Cafe on social media, when they went viral after relocating to a larger lot not too far from their original spot. This coffeeshop is said to house some of the best Penang hawker stalls offering favourites such as curry mee, char kuay teow, Hokkien mee and chee cheong fun.
Plenty of food options at First Genting Cafe
Since First Genting Cafe is highly raved about, Jien and I made it a point to visit. Based on what was recommended, we ordered the chee cheong fun, curry mee, Hokkien mee and char kuay teow, plus iced coffee, pandan kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs.
Chee cheong fun
Chee cheong fun (RM3.20 for 2 pieces) is said to be a star item at First Genting Cafe but I found it average. This had a strong peanut butter taste which overpowered the prawn paste (hae koh), but I was told locals like the strong presence of peanut butter in the sauce.
Kuantan Road curry mee
Comes with pig’s blood, cockles, prawns, brown squid and tofu puffs
Kuantan Road curry mee was alright in my opinion, but not particularly memorable. The broth is adequately spicy, but I would have preferred the sambal to be richer and deeper in flavour. Again, I reckon the locals like it this way.
Hokkien mee (Penang prawn mee)
Broth is rich, sweet and savoury from the prawns and pork bones
I enjoyed the Hokkien mee – we opted for the basic version (RM6 – small, RM7 – large). Broth is rich from the prawn stock and (I believe) they use pork bones to give it depth. My kind of prawn noodles as I like it balanced in terms of sweet and savoury.
Duck egg char kuay teow
The duck egg char kuay teow (RM13) was disappointing. While the anatomy of the plate looked about right in terms of prawn size, noodle thickness and wok char, the flavours didn’t hit the right notes for both Jien and I. For some reason, I tasted preserved radish (choy poh) in the seasoning, which I feel don’t belong in a plate of char kuay teow.
The duck meat kuay teow th’ng is decent, though I reckon most locals would complain as it’s a tad strong is flavour versus the usual delicate broth for Penang-style kuay teow th’ng. We ordered this as takeaway for our little ones, and they enjoyed it.
Iced coffee, soft-boiled eggs and pandan kaya butter toast
Pandan kaya butter toast and soft-boiled eggs were alright, but the coffee (RM3) was mediocre at best. Perhaps I ordered the wrong coffee – I picked the iced white coffee (with a logo indication) from the menu on the wall, thinking it’s a signature at First Genting Cafe. Should have gone with my gut-feel; the Kopi Susu Butter.
Best to get there early to avoid the crowd.
In a nutshell, I find First Genting Cafe rather overrated; only the Hokkien mee was tasty for me. The place is usually packed by 9am so it’s best to arrive early if you’re still planning to visit. There’s an open-air carpark at the back of the coffeeshop for customers.
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Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 5.5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: I enjoyed the Hokkien mee best.
Do you have a food recommendation? Tell us!
First Genting Cafe
3K, Lorong Delima 1,
Taman Island Glades,
11600 George Town,
Penang.
Tel: 011-5505 8793
Business hours: 6am till 4pm
(closed Wednesday)
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