I have always been a huge fan of laksa – it’s probably my favorite soup noodle dish. Although I’ve had the popular creamy-based laksa many times, I had never tried asam laksa as it’s really only popular in Malaysia, specifically Penang. At our hotel in Georgetown, I asked one of the staff where to find the best asam laksa and she immediately told us to go to Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay (莫定標娘惹粿廠). Just like that, we were off on what turned out to be a fairly big and long mission to source out the city’s best asam laksa.

The experience

The cutest entrance

Dining area

Finding Moh Teng Pheow was no easy task. It wasn’t until we gave up all hope and popped into a nearby hotel to ask whether the restaurant was close by that we finally sorted our directions out. Finally, after about 30 minutes of walking in the brutal heat, we came upon Moh Teng Pheow down a little alleyway off Lebuh Chulia. I’m not exactly sure if we went in through the main entrance way, but we walked through the kitchen first and then went into the dining area. The restaurant was relatively empty, so we had our pick of tables (unfortunately no air conditioning, so a table by a fan would have to do), and the staff were friendly and could speak English well enough for us to get by.

The food

Menu

Asam laksa

In laksa heaven

We wanted to try a range of items on the menu, but we knew we had to order the asam laksa so we each got one (for only RM6 – HK$12!). Honestly, this laksa was phenomenal – just look at the huge smile on my face! Asam laksa is very different from curry laksa in that it’s slightly tangy from the pineapple and has a fishy undertone, but don’t let that put you off.. I swear, this bowl of noodles was life changing. Moh Teng Pheow served a decent-sized bowl of laksa, though it was more on the snack side, which is perfect if you’re doing a bit of a food tour in Georgetown like we were. Had we not ordered dessert as well, I definitely would have ordered another bowl to devour.

Variety of Malaysian desserts

Our dessert picks

I was less familiar with which types of dessert to order, despite the English names on the menu. Thankfully, one of the staff members told us to come to the counter where we could actually see all of the dessert on display. After a few questions about what the flavors actually were, we settled on the: Kuih Bengka – Ubi, Kuih Talam, Pulut Tai Tai (Kaya Kuih), and one Abuk. I’m not typically a fan of jellied desserts, but I honestly loved all of these.

Moh Teng Cheow is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm, so plan to go during the day

Moh Teng Cheow Nyonya Koay
Jalan Mesjid Off Lebuh Chulia, 10200
Georgetown