One of the popular eateries along Carnarvon Street (Lebuh Carnarvon) is Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng (椰脚粿条汤). On weekends, there are a number of vehicles are illegally parked along the main road. Ironically, there are plenty of car parks along the nearby Lebuh Melayu. I guess some people are just too lazy and inconsiderate.
As the name implies, the signature dish at this shop is the koay teow soup (粿条汤). The business is originally located at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (formerly known as Pitt Street), hence the owners decided to retain its name and its customer base.
There are a number of dining tables inside the shop and along the curb. However the place is quite full regardless. Finding an empty table may be difficult during peak hours, which is around 10:00am on weekends. Surprisingly, the food is served quite quickly; the operators are well-versed with their trade and have the food preparation process is executed like clockwork.
The food here is popular for two main reasons: novel and cheap. Novel in the sense that it uses eel meat for fish balls; cheap in the sense that a hearty bowl only costs RM3.50!
Therefore, it is also surprising that this eatery received substantial press coverage over the years.
Let’s get down to the food, shall we? I ordered a bowl of Eel Fish Balls Koay Teow Th’ng (鳗鱼丸粿条汤, RM3.50), which is what 90% of customers order anyway. There is also a dry version of this dish but I did not have the chance to try it this round.
The koay teow (粿条) is served in clear soup (清汤) with various ingredients, notably three large eel fish balls (鳗鱼丸). These fish balls are handmade daily to maintain freshness. I like the springy texture of the fish balls when chewed; the sensation is simply heavenly. Surprisingly, the fish balls do not have any unpleasant fishy smell. Taste-wise, I enjoy the sweet, succulent flavor especially with a sip of warm soup!
Other meaty ingredients in this hearty dish are duck meat (鸭肉), minced pork (肉碎), pork intestines (粉肠) and pork lard (猪油渣). Nice as these ingredients are by themselves, they play secondary roles to the flavor of this dish because the eel fish balls are simply too amazing. Anyway, I like the use of pork lard as it makes the soup more savory and devilish in taste.
To add more flavor, shredded lettuce (生菜), spring onions (葱花) and fried onions (炸葱) are added to the soup. This gives a nice aroma especially when the dish is served hot.
I personally give a commendable endorsement of this place. The koay teow soup is just too good especially with the eel fish balls. Meanwhile, the price is very affordable despite its popularity over the years. The only complain is difficulty in finding a seat during peak hours. But hey, this is a consequence of patronizing a nice eatery, right?