York Hotel’s Penang Hawkers’ Fare is back for its 30th year with its well-loved buffet spread cooked by Penang hawkers flown in specially for this season.
This year, York Hotel celebrates their 30th anniversary by introducing exclusive cooking workshops by the Penang hawkers themselves (happening 12th and 19th March 2016) where you can get a chance to learn three perennial hawker favourites; Prawn Mee, Assam Laksa and Ban Chang Kueh! Get lucky at the Penang Hawkers’ Fare Tikam dip and enjoy a lucky draw with grand prize of a food trail trip to Penang led by York Hotel’s Executive Chef Charlie Tham!
The buffet line up has also increased their number of stalls, bringing the number to 12 to celebrate this joyous occasion. The latest stall features the Pasembur – a Chinese-Indian style salad. And just like a hawker setting, the 12 stalls are evenly spaced out with long lines forming at each one, coupled with the occasional bustling atmosphere.
Dining area
The café has also recently undergone a facelift, sporting a brand new show kitchen featuring hawkers showing off their culinary skills!
The spread of local Penang dishes were to my surprise consistently delicious, with a few of them being my ultimate favourites.
Penang Rojak, Lor Bak, Cuttlefish Kang Kong
The Cuttlefish Kang Kong was a first for us as we would typically have the Sambal Kang Kong served alongside our tze char dishes. The Penang style uses a sweet and slightly spicier sauce, with a drizzle of hae-ko (black shrimp paste) to top it all of.
Lor Bak
The Lor Bak is one of Penang’s finest snacks, comprising of five delicious spice meat rolls, prawn fritters and deep fried beancurd. The marinated minced pork in the meat rolls was very tender, and was especially delicious when dipped in their homemade chilli sauce and thick soy-based sauce.
Char Kway Teow
The Char Kway Teow stall was definitely a fan-favourite and was worth the wait to queue for! This rendition of the Penang Char Kway Teow differs from the localised version by using thinner ‘kway teow’ rice noodles and less of the dark sweet soy sauce. The flat kway teow noodle strips were flavourful and had a lovely smoky flavour due to “wok hei” – imparted by the wok when stir-frying over very high heat.
Ban Chang Kueh
The Ban Chang Kueh is undoubtedly one of our favourite snacks, as it is so widely recognised but readily available nowadays unless you head down to Penang of course! Dessert lovers will not be disappointed with these piping hot golden brown pancakes enveloped in a spoonful of margarine, ground peanuts and sugar. Ban Chang Kueh are typically made in customised small round pans resulting in wonderfully-crisp edges and a chewy soft interior. We were also given a thorough cooking session showcasing how the hawkers made this iconic dessert from scratch!
Desserts – Chendol and Ice Kachang
Both Chendol and Ice Kachang definitely takes the spotlight as one of Malaysia’s favourite desserts. I would choose the Chendol anyday, with the strong aromatic Gula Melaka and fragrant coconut milk are drizzled over the hill of shaved ice. Definitely a perfect way to complete the spread of Penang delicacies.
Affordably priced at $29++ per adult and $20++ per child on weekdays,and $33++ per adult and $23++ per child on weekends, the buffet presents traditional good old flavours of Penang prepared with care by hawkers who have been handpicked for their expertise and dedication to their craft.
What we ultimately loved about the Penang Hawker Fare was that they still managed to maintain the authenticity of flavours even after 30 years, and brought it closer to our shores for us to enjoy.
White Rose Café
Address: White Rose Café at York Hotel, Level 1 (Map)
Date:
11 to 27 March 2016
2 to 18 September 2016
16 December 2016 to 1 January 2017
Time:
Lunch: 12:00pm – 02:30pm, Dinner: 6.30pm – 10:00pm
Prices:
Weekdays – $29++ per adult, $20++ per child below 12
Weekends – $33++ per adult, $23++ per child below 12
Contact Number: +65 830 1156
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yorkhotel.singapore
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yorkhotel/
* This was a media invite and is written in collaboration with White Rose Cafe.
With lots of love,
Xue Wei
Instagram: @anaffairwithfood
Facebook: An Affair With Food
About the Author
A foodie at heart, Xue Wei’s passion for food and travel translates to her daily snippets of her affairs on her blog and Instagram. A quality that’s reflected in features like her ‘Best Matcha-places to go’ and ‘16 Must Eat Taiwan Food’ in collection, where she hunts out the best hits in all of the places she’s been to. When she isn’t chasing her love for food and adventure, she enjoys photography, travelling, volunteering and spending quality time with her family.
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