Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul - Trying the Legendary Shaved Ice Dessert
I know it doesn’t look appetizing but hear me out, this cendol tastes amazing
If there is one thing that could rejuvenate your body during a hot and sweaty day out exploring the lovely colonial town of George Town, Penang, it’s the nostalgic shaved ice dessert otherwise known as Cendol in Penang. And one of the most popular places for cendol is at a little street side stall in Lebuh Keng Kwee known as Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul.
Shaved ice is a beloved dessert found in all parts of Asia, from the Chinese Bingfen to the Japanese Kakigori, but no other set of countries does it quite like the South East Asians. Sweet coconut milk, bouncy pandan noodles, and enough ice to combat the suns radiation, Cendol is a favorite dessert amongst many in Malaysia and here in Penang is where I found one that will really cool you down, so join me in today’s food adventure as I review of Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul
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My YouTube Video on Cendol in Penang
Hi, If you prefer, you can watch my YouTube video on exploring George Town, Penang and its delicious street foods. In addition to Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, I’ve also tried a bunch of restaurants like the famous Roti Bakar Hutton Lane, as well as exploring the Kimberley Street Food Night Market.
Also if you enjoy the video how about subscribing to my YouTube Channel? Thank you for your support!
Famous Cendol in Penang
This Penang Cendol stall has been operating since 1936!
Chendul or Cendol, looking up the spelling on Google tells me that the latter is correct, but I don’t know if the former is the true spelling and maybe someone just butchered it but anyways...
If you’ve read my recommendations on the Best Street Food in Penang then you’ll know that Cendol in Penang is a beloved dessert and one that is the most refreshing thing to put in your mouth after a long day of exploring the hot and sweaty tropical city of George Town. A traditional sort of shaved ice dessert that can be found all over Southeast Asia, Cendol in Penang is specifically a bowl of shaved ice drenched in fresh coconut milk, drizzled with thick gula melaka (palm sugar syrup), and topped with soft, green pandan-flavored jelly noodles. That is the basic version but vendors all over Penang will add their own toppings like red bean or fruits etc…
And while Cendol can be found all over Penang island, not doubt the most famous place is at a tiny street called Lebuh Keng Kwee at a restaurant that is obviously very proud and confident in their Cendol recipe, Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul.
This humble dessert stall founded by one Mr. Tan Teik Fuang has been around since 1936, with the original stall being at Penang Road. Mr Tan Teik Fuang has been serving his deliciously traditional Teochew (ethnic Chinese group, some of whom settled in Penang) style cendol recipe to happy customers for over 80 years and fast forward to today, this business has expanded to multiple branches throughout Penang. Today I will be bringing you to the place where it all started, the original stall.
Exploring the Lebuh Keng Kwee Road
Take your time to explore the other food gems Lebuh Keng Kwee, you might find some new favorites
Lebuh Keng Kwee is a small side street off Penang Road full of some of the best street food in all of George Town, Penang. And it’s also where I stayed during my holiday to George Town, Penang, at a little budget 3-star hotel called AiGoh Hotel, which was really a good move because the 2 major streets for food are literally located right at the doorstep to the hotel.
That’s right, literally the next street over is the Kimberley Street Food Night Market, the most famous area for street food in Penang, here is where you can find the Four Heavenly Kings, 4 street food carts that serve Michelin awarded street food, but that’s a topic for a different blog post, you can read more about that here.
Back to Lebuh Keng Kwee, most people come here for one reason: Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, and there is always a long queue. But aside from that, don’t rush off after having your shaved ice dessert, this street is packed with more to explore, there are maybe half a dozen iconic restaurants and street food vendors spread throughout this small road, with around a half dozen more shops selling all sorts of things like ice cream and those round flakey pastries with juicy meat stuffed in the middle.
Other Famous Restaurants in Lebuh Keng Kwee
Right outside the cendol shop is a stall for Laksa, anyone know what “Bungkus” mean?
Within Lebuh Keng Kwee are a handful of legendary restaurants/food stalls. the first being the obvious one I am talking about in this blog, the cendol place. While the others are:
Penang Road Famous Laksa - A stall serving up Penang style Assam Laksa, a noodle soup made with thick rice noodles and a sour minced fish (mackerel, I think) based broth.
Dim Sum Valet (Chinese Muslim) - A popular Halal dim sum spot where you can try classics like siu mai and har gow.
Joo Hooi Cafe Kopitiam - Old school kopitiam (café), serving up classic Malaysian Penang dishes like char kway teow.
Now I have a sneaking suspicion that the Laksa and the Kopitiam place are somehow related to Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul. Aside from the obvious similarities in the name of the Laksa place, the menu at the cendol place we are trying today has dishes that mirror the offerings of the other restaurants.
Plus as I was waiting in line, I noticed the waiters were literally serving food from other restaurants in the street to the cendol place I was queuing for. Perhaps the entirety Lebuh Keng Kwee is all one big operation, owned by one very rich person, or the shops just teamed up to help each other maintain the huge number of customers.
Just a few steps down is another tasty traditional Chinese dessert shop, Woong Kee Beancurd
Aside from that big restaurants, you might wanna check out a few other gems, gotta support the little guys too you know:
Woong Kee Beancurd - Serving up a classic Tau Fu Fah (soybean pudding), smooth, light, and slightly sweet.
The Storyteller’s Cafe - A cozy, artsy café, great for when you need a break from the heat and want to chill with a proper caffé latte.
Eyescream - Modern and Instagrammable ice cream dessert shop
And of course, you can’t forget the other small street food vendors in the area.
Actually there is so much to eat in George Town, Penang, Lebuh Keng Kwee doesn’t even scratch the surface of what your taste buds can experience. That’s why I recommend you a guided tour like this Penang Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings provided on GetYourGuide. It’s a small 8 person tour where you can enjoy 4 hours of feasting in old George Town. The tour will bring you to Little India and Chinatown to taste various iconic Penang dishes like the smokey Hokkien Char Noodles, Lok Lok Skewers, Nasi Kandar Curries, and many more! Book the tour soon as it’s a very popular one and slots can fill out quick.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul Menu
Penang Chendul is no longer a dessert shop, it’s a full on restaurant
As I previously mentioned above, Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul seems to have menu items from the other popular restaurants in the street. So I’m just going to explain to you what I saw on the menu while I was there. For the actual desserts there are:
Original Cendol - Shaved ice with pandan jelly noodles, coconut milk, and gula melaka syrup.
Original Ice Kacang - Shaved ice with syrups, red beans, corn, jelly, and sometimes ice cream.
For the savory foods there are SO MANY THINGS, noodles soups, rice dishes, snacks, and even fried chicken, so I’ll just tell you some of the highlights that I saw on the menu:
Pie Tee - Crispy cups filled with sweet and savory shredded vegetables and prawns
Fried Oyster Omelette - Crispy and oily omelette made from egg, a gooey starch, and oysters
Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) - Fragrant and smokey Malaysian fried rice
Laksa - Sour and spicy rice noodle soup made with a minced mackerel broth and tamarind
Curry Mee - Creamy coconut curry noodle soup
Prawn Mee - Seafood Noodle soup with prawn and pork broth base
Otak-Otak - Minced fish curry grilled in a banana leaf
Char Kway Teow - Fragrant and smokey flat noodle stir fry
Rojak - Fruit and vegetable salad tossed in thick prawn paste sauce
Among many, many other dishes and drinks. Since I believed I my theory above about the interconnected-ness of the shops, my girlfriend and I decided to try as many dishes as possible, hitting two birds with one stone, as they say. Or in this case, more like hitting a half a dozen birds with one stone.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul Pricing
All the faded photos and the refusal to print new prices, shows how old and beloved this shop is
Among the many places selling cendol in Penang, both traditional and modern shops, Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul’s pricing is certainly on the more affordable side, only for the cendol, that is. The price could not be said the same for the savory dishes.
The cendol is priced at just under RM5.00 (~1.20 USD), super cheap and affordable, and the portion for one bowl of cendol is very filling.
The savory dishes however, especially the Char Kway Teow, were not priced well. RM9.00 (~2.10 USD), while out of context this does look like a great price, but the portion was super small, I could finish it in 4 or 5 bites. For a tourist (like me), the price is no problem, but for a local, I could see how it’s a bit on the expensive side.
Original Famous Cendol
Don’t judge a cendol by its looks, this is absolutely delicious
This was my first time having cendol in Penang, in fact my first time having cendol anywhere. I’ve had shaved ice desserts before, and I’ve had a similar Thai (Singaporean inspired) dessert with the Pandan noodles and a thick coconut palm sugar syrup called Lod Chong. But I’ve never had anything quite like this.
The original cendol order comes with a nice helping of shaved ice, a handful of Pandan noodles, some red beans, and a generous helping of a lightly sweet coconut milk.
This cendol was seriously refreshing guys, especially after waiting for about an hour in the hot and humid tropical weather of George Town, Penang. The Pandan noodles were slippery, and bouncy but when you bite into it, it’s a nice firm bite. The red beans were a nice addition too, adding a firm textural contrast and a slight nutty, earthy flavor.
The sweet smooth coconut milk with the bits of shaved ice, I could just drink that alone and be happy. It’s subtle sweetness perfectly matches the light flavors of the pandan noodles. It’s so good. I can now see why they proudly display the word “famous” in their shop’s name.
Juicy and Crunchy Kueh Pie Tee
Kueh Pie Tee is a literal surprise in a cup for me, it’s real good
Aside from the cendols and the Ais Kacang deserts, there were so many savory dishes to try. The waiter recommended the Kueh Pie Tee as an appetizer. In the menu picture, it looks to be a crispy fried Siu Mai dumpling but when it came out to our table I was baffled.
Thanks to a viewer who commented on my YouTube Video, I’ve learnt that the Kueh Pie Tee is actually popular Peranakan dish made of a crispy fried cup filled called a “Kueh” filled with shredded Chinese turnips, prawns, and vegetables. The one at this shop is topped with a sweet spicy chili ketchup-like sauce.
This flavor was completely new to me but I really liked it, The crunchy shell provides a really nice textural contrast to the soft and mushy turnip filling. The filling had this sort of fishy flavor, like imitation crab mixed with a salty ocean-y brine, and it was also surprisingly juicy. The chili sauce added a bit of sweetness and cut through the greasy fat of the fried shell.
The Kueh Pie Tee was an absolutely pleasant surprise and it was one of the best things I’ve had during this meal at Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul.
Sweet and Savory Penang Rojak
Tell me that this looks like some tofu rather than the fruit and veg salad that Rojak actually is
Next up is something that my girlfriend and I ordered on a whim, as we saw a few other tables ordering this dish and we thought that it looked interesting. I’ve never heard of Rojak, and from the looks of it, I thought it was tofu or fish cake lathered in a sweet oyster sauce. Which to be fair, fried tofu and fish cakes are a common snack in this part of the world.
But imagine my surprise when I took a bite and I realize that Rojak was actually a salad of sliced fruits and vegetables like pineapple, cucumber, apple, mango, and weirdly mushrooms, all lathered in this thick and sweet sauce made from prawn paste, sugar, and lime, and generously sprinkled with crushed peanuts.
As a clueless tourist, I was dumfounded but also intrigued… The Rojak sauce tasted sweet (actually too sweet for my liking) and savory with a strong shrimpy umami-ness. Paired with the juicy cuts of fruits like the tart and juicy apple, it was a really weird combination for my palette at least. Sweet, juicy, tart, and savory.
Honestly, the Rojak wasn’t for me, but I saw the other tables happily enjoying this dish so maybe it’s an acquired taste and I’m just not used to it yet.
Iconic Penang Assam Laksa
Curry Laksa vs Assam Laksa? Leave your opinions in the comments below!
With Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul being my first real meal in Malaysia, I wanted to dive straight into the country’s most famous dishes, on my list was the Laksa, and the Char Kway Teow.
Starting off with the Laksa, I got the Assam Laksa version which is a thick rice noodle bathing in a luxurious broth made from minced mackerel fish, tamarind, and chilis. Then the bowl is topped with some freshly sliced onions, sour green mango, and a pinch of sliced chilis.
As you can imagine, the Assam Laksa broth was very fishy, spicy, and sour, enough to make your lips pucker. The mackerel is minced so fine but you can still make out the shredded fibers of the fish. Okay that might not sound so appetizing but trust me on this one. The mackerel adds a nice “meatiness” as well as a salty aspect to the broth which works well with the sour tamarind and mango slices.
The thick rice noodles were slippery, bouncy, and chewy, similar to Japanese udon noodles but less firm. I liked the noodles very much, the texture made it great for “catching” on to the shredded mackerel bits making every slurp a flavor packed bite.
The Assam Laksa was delicious, and the flavor combo of a salty, and sour noodle soup was something I’ve never had before.
Smokey Char Kway Teow
I still can’t believe how plump the shrimps were for this Char Kway Toew
Ok, the last dish for my meal at Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul was the Char Kway Teow, my most anticipated dish to try in Malaysia. Prior to my Malaysia Trip I didn’t have any experience with Char Kway Teow but I knew what it was.
I assumed the dish came from restaurant nearby, Joo Hooi Cafe Kopitiam, and I got to say, I was a little disappointed, mainly in the portion size.
Let’s talk about the taste, the Car Kway Teow is a flat rice noodle stir fry with bits of tofu, bean sprougs, green onions, egg, and plump pieces of shrimp. The flavor was good, though not as much of a pronounced Wok Hei as I would’ve expected, it still had a nice smokey flavor, which is alright considering that smokiness is the main flavor profile of this dish. The noodles were cooked well, and I liked the little bits of tofu and egg for that added protein.
The shrimp, I like it very much, these were big, these were plump, and these. were. MEATY. Not the best I’ve had but surprising that at a street side food stall like this they have some real nice shrimp.
All in all the Char Kway Teow was good, not spectacular, but the downside is the portion was way too small, and it kinda felt like they skimped out on the noodles, I could finish the all noodles in 3 or 4 bites and would be left with a plate of just the toppings…
Conclusion
Pros
The food tasted good, signature cendol is especially tasty and really hits the spot during hot weather.
Quick service, despite the long queues, you don’t need to wait long before your food arrives.
For such a popular and touristy place, the price isn’t too bad, quite affordable actually.
Cons
Portion sizes could be bigger, even though it’s affordable, price to value ratio for some dishes are off.
Touristy, long queues, Some locals claimed that the quality dipped off over the years, with some dishes being a hit or miss.
Overall I recommend Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, I quite enjoyed my meal, though I know that many of the dishes I ate were not actually part of the shop, I still had a tasty meal. If you’re coming here for the cendol, you won’t be disappointed, the price is affordable and the taste is great.
For the other dishes like the Laksa or Char Kway Teow, it’s good but you’ll probably find better versions elsewhere.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul | 8 / 10
Phone: +60 4 262 6002
Location: 435B, Lebuh Pantai, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Mon - Sun
Pricing: ~RM 4.50 (for Cendol) | $
Looking for Things to Do in Penang?
TOP Penang - 249 meter tall observation point atop Komtar Tower, tallest in George Town
Entopia Butterfly Farm - A large farm with over 15,000 butterflies and 200 plant species
ESCAPE Penang - Water park with the world record for Longest Tube Water Slide at 1,111 meters
Discounted Tickets - Browse a variety of attractions, tours, and transports all for a great price
Useful Resources for Traveling in Malaysia
Tourism Information - All the information you need when travelling in Malaysia
Private Airport Transfers - Private transfer from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the city
KLIA Ekspress Ticket - Ticket for the KLIA transfer via express train
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