The Best Restaurant in the World: Bee Hoon Stall in Penang, Malaysia
Hey there, fellow denizens of Steem! This is the third episode of my series, The Best Restaurant in the World, in which I go to every restaurant in the world*, review them all, and pit them against each other to determine which is the very best!
*It might take a while.
If you're just tuning in now, you can read more background and the first episode here: https://steemit.com/life/@page-traveler/the-best-restaurant-in-the-world-kirishima-in-penang-malaysia. And if you'd like to hear how the first challenger fared, that post is here: https://steemit.com/food/@page-traveler/the-best-restaurant-in-the-world-1885-in-penang-malaysia.
Our current champion is Kirishima, a highly regarded Japanese restaurant located downtown. Today's challenger isn't a restaurant in the conventional sense. Instead, it's the Bee Hoon hawker stall located in Good Corner in the Jelutong district. This will be an interesting addition to the mix. Like all hawker stalls, it's much, much less expensive than either of our previous restaurants. On the other hand, the atmosphere isn't exactly elegant. This little stall will have to punch above its weight class to get a good rating – let's see how it does!
You'll find the Bee Hoon stall at the far left of the building, near the door. If you haven't ordered from a hawker stall before, you order from the operator, then sit down at a nearby table. You'll pay when they bring your food. It's mandatory to buy a drink in order to sit at the tables, and a person will come by to take your drink order.
This particular Bee Hoon place is close to our apartment, so we've been there several times. We've tried both Bee Hoon with fried fish heads and with fresh fish. Here's the version with fresh fish:
If you order the version with fried fish, it comes in a separate dish, so it doesn't get soggy. Another difference is that the fresh fish version comes with more fresh herbs. The fried fish head version costs RM 6, while the fresh fish is spendy at RM 9. Of course, that converts to about USD 2.25, so "spendy" is a relative term. ;)
Atmosphere here is pretty much nil. It's hot, rough, and tables tend to be a little dirty. Drinks are also lower in quality than at other hawker stalls I've visited.
Okay, so this restaurant gets no help from its setting. It's all about the food. Does it measure up?
Damn straight, it measures up. I've had this soup four or five times now, and it's frankly addictive. The profound complexity and aromatics of the broth. The freshness of the rice noodles and the fresh herbs. The added acidity of the tomatoes and peppers. Last but not least, the additional richness of the fish. I would eat a bowl right now. I would eat another bowl tomorrow. If I return to Georgetown many months from now, I'm going to trek out to Jelutong and have another bowl.
At the end of the day, my best restaurant is the one I want to return to. And that means that the Bee Hoon Hawker Stall at Good Corner is currently The Best Restaurant in the World.
To sum up:
Atmosphere: 1/5
Food: 5/5
To go or not to go: Go!
Price: $
Global rank at time of review: #1
The Best Restaurant in the World
- Bee Hoon Stall at Good Corner in Penang, Malaysia
- Kirishima Japanese Restaurant in Penang, Malaysia
- 1885 in Penang Malaysia
Next question: How long can it hold on to the title?
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