Set Lunch at the new Old House Cafe Chinese Cuisine (”Lao Fang Zi”) on Kimberley Street

I am not sure if anyone of you have tried the food cooked by Bee Chin Heong’s owner at his big pink building that sells religious items on Kimberley Street in Penang. He enjoys cooking good food to serve his customers and famous for his great culinary skills. I’ve heard of this for some time but have never tried it.  So, today we decided to give it a try.

When we walked into the big pink shop and asked if they still have lunch, the guy told us that it has already been moved to the new restaurant down the same street called Old house Cafe Chinese Cuisine (”Lao Fang Zi”). It’s a row of five prewar shop houses which was featured in my earlier post, i.e. Leisurely Walk Around Georgetown and New Discoveries.  I wrote about my discovery of this new cafe in Georgetown and apparently it’s owned by Bee Chin Heong taukeh (boss).

Old House Cafe serving Chinese Cuisine on Kimberley Street

This new cafe is still under renovation but it is already open upstairs. The ambiance is cozy and pretty Chinese with wood furnishings and Chinese artifacts. When we sat down, were told that they only have set lunch called “Cu Liang Xi Zuo”, literally means rough dishes delicately prepared. It’s quite easy as one doesn’t need to make decision what to order. About 6 tables were already filled up when we arrived, mainly elderly folks and family. They looked like they were his regular customers.

Within minutes, our set lunch was served. There were four traditional Chinese dishes, namely Tu Kar Chor (Pig’s Trotter Vinegar), Kiam Chai Ark (Salted  Cabbage Duck Soup), Tao Kua Taugeh (Stir fried beancurd with beansprouts) and Chien Hoo (Fried Fish). The price is very reasonable for 4 dishes given that it is a labor of love by the owner himself, they charge by the head. It’s only RM10 per pax for the set dishes and rice is RM0.80 a bowl.

Set lunch "Chu Liang Xi Cuo" literally means rough dishes delicately prepared at only RM10/pax

I’d say the food is very home-cooked style as articulated by its name “Cu Liang Xi Cuo” and unique in a way as  it’s cooked by the owner himself. I could see him passionately cooking and stirring the pot in the kitchen. That explains why it is loved by the elderly folks that remind them of the traditional Hokkien (Fujian) dishes.

We absolutely loved the fried fish, though it looks like a very simple dish, the taste is awesome. The “Tu Kar Chor” (Pig’s Trotter Vinegar) is also good but a bit sweeter to my taste. The other two dishes are okay.

Cozy ambiance with Chinese wood furnishings

Overall, it was quite a good dining experience given that the wait was minimal, nice ambiance, reasonably good food and prices. It is recommended for those who miss or want to try the traditional home-cooked Chinese cuisine  like Tu Kar Chor, Kiam Chai Ark and the like. I’ll definitely bring my family there one day to try other dishes after they are officially open in 2 weeks time.

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