Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng

Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng Coffee Shop (1 June 2013)


Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng (GPS: 5.41432, 100.33382) is a coffee shop along Carnarvon Street in George Town, Penang. The coffee shop got its name because it was originally located along Pitt Street, and its specialty is Koay Teow Thng.

We went to try out the Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng because I was told by a friend on Facebook that it is her favourite. This came in the wake of my comment that I have not been particularly impressed with the koay teow thng at Fook Cheow Cafe.

Having tried the Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng, I have to say that I am even LESS impressed by it, regardless what glorious reviews other food bloggers may have given. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words, so let me describe it to you with one:

Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng (1 June 2013)


As you can see, the koay teow thng is very lacking, or as we say in Penang Hokkien, boh3 liau3. There are three fish balls. The meat slices are very thin. I purposely gather all the meat to the top of the bowl so that you can see all of it.

What it does have is koay teow, lots of koay teow. So much koay teow that I felt so jelak that I couldn't finish the koay teow, partly because it is just not tasty enough, to begin with. (I did finish the meat, which isn't much anyway!) The soup is watery and quite diluted. As people who often home cook their meals, my wife and I are very particular about the taste of food, and in the case of the Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng, it doesn't live up to its reputation.

Customers, Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng (1 June 2013)


When I visited the shop, it was quite crowded. We had to wait a long while for our order, and we saw that people who came earlier got served first. A shop that has been operating for this long should have built up a system in getting its sequence right. So we were quite put off there as well.

I see the shop operators scurrying about in a flustered manner, barking orders and telling customers to hang on. There were many tables waiting to be served. If the operator find it very stressful from the undue patronage, I am more than happy to freely oblige in helping them reduce their stream of customers.

Of course I did not inform them who I am. I certainly did not want any special treatment which may affect an unbiased evaluation of what a regular customer can expect. I ordered a large bowl, but not with "extra ingredients" or (kae3 liau3). In my opinion, a serving has to be good enough to stand on its own without requiring extra ingredients. But as I have shown you, the Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng falls flat without an order of extra ingredients.

The Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng stall (1 June 2013)


I have seen photographs in other food blogs, where the ingredients are piled up in the bowl. What you see in my photograph is the "true picture", not the one where the ingredients are piled high, for the purpose of offering the place a free promotion. I feel it is a discredit to my readers if I were to show something not true, simply to get a free bowl. Any hawker wanting good reviews has to be good the whole time, and not only when a food blogger is present. I will only offer a stall free promotion once I have tasted it anonymously, and am satisfied with the service and quality, both of which I find wanting at the Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng.

If there is something redeeming about this coffee shop, it is its Milo Mixed with White Coffee, which is very sweet and satisfying. The same cannot be applied to its koay teow thng, which I find to be quite lousy.

Milo Mix White Coffee Iced, Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng Coffee Shop (1 June 2013)

Getting there

The Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng is located along Carnarvon Street, between the junctions of Malay Street and Prangin Lane.

What to eat at Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng

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Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng is on the Map of Lebuh Carnarvon, Penang

List of Coffee Shops in Penang and Coffee Shops in Malaysia