Hokkien Mee @ One Corner Cafe

A bowl of Hokkien Mee @ RM 4.00

Hokkien Mee or known to most non-Penangites as Penang Prawn Mee consists of a mixture of yellow noodles and rice noodles (known to many as bee hoon); garnished with beansprouts, thin slices of meat, prawns and hard boiled egg served in a fragrant prawn broth. Some stalls may include other toppings like pork ribs, small intestines, prawn mantis and fish balls for an extra charge.

For many, the key to a good bowl of Hokkien Mee lies within the broth itself. One of the best Hokkien Mee I’ve found in Penang is in One Corner Cafe. The soup is extremely rich with the taste of prawns and spices. Besides, the garnishing is relatively generous with a big chuck of prawns and meat. The deep fried lard which is given upon request gives this bowl of Hokkien Mee an additional aroma and adds taste to the soup. However for RM4 a bowl, it can be considered as quite pricy amongst other hawker food in Penang.

The stall opens in the morning from about 7.30am and is usually sold out by 10.30am.

Clockwise from back; Fried spring onion, Deep fried lard, chilli paste

TAKE NOTE: This is probably the most pompous Hokkien Mee seller in Penang! Be ready for a rude treatment and at least 45 minutes to an hour wait before your bowl of noodles is served. Escape the queue by going really early when the stall opens.

From experience; I ordered at about 8.30am and the seller rudely told me (in Hokkien) “ji tiam cheng, ji tiam cheng ka uu” which meant the waiting time is one hour. After about 30 minutes of waiting, politely I asked if it was about to be my turn and the seller took a small clock and pointed to it while saying (in Hokkien) “lu eh tiam sia ah boi kau” meaning it’s not your time yet.

On another experience; to escape the long wait, I went with several friends at 7.30am so that I would be the first few customers. To my disappointment, upon calling out for the seller to order, I was told “Bo koh! Bo koh! 8.30 ka uu!” which meant that they would only start selling at 8.30am.

In conclusion, this Hokkien Mee is one of the best in town but this had probably boosted the ego of the seller. Be ready for a rude treatment.

One Corner Cafe is located in Jalan Bawasah, behind Penang Plaza. There are several off street parking along the road which operates on meter.

One Corner Cafe is noted by the green arrow

Food rating: 9/10
Service rating: 5/10
Overall rating: 7/10

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