Apong Guan Pancake at Burmah Road Penang.
Photo by Wuan.
Apom, apong or pancake is a delicious savoury that can be enjoyed in between meal times. It is made with a batter of flour and eggs with banana slices and corn added while it is cooking. My first taste of it was more than three decades ago. At that time, I was staying in Ayer Itam. There was a hawker selling it at the market in the evenings. It was my parents’ favourite. Every now and then when my parents were still around, they would buy ten pieces on their way home from work.
Ah Guan, the famous pancake man busy at work at his stall.
Photo by Wuan.
When I had a motorcycle, I would sometimes detour from my usual route home after school to buy a few pieces from a stall located just before Union Primary School at Burmah Road. On my last two trips to Penang, I took Wuan down a memory lane of sorts. We stopped at the stall for a few pieces of my favourite pancake. It is amazing this stall is still around after so many years – twenty five at least. We had to wait for thirty minutes as there was a queue of people buying ten or twenty pieces each at one go.
Ah Guan adding sweet corn to his pancakes.
Photo by Wuan.
It now costs 30 sen per piece. If I remember correctly, it was only RM1 for five pieces during my schooling days. Nevertheless, it still tasted as good as I had remembered it, especially when it is fresh out from the pan, moist and piping hot. It is not too sweet also. This suits me just fine as I do not have a sweet tooth. The banana slices and sweet corn made biting into it a pleasure to the senses – the banana with its fragrance and the sweet corn kernels with its chewiness. The 30 minute wait was worth it. You can be sure that I will drop in again for a few of the pancakes on my next trip to Penang.
Apong Guan’s absolutely mouthwatering pancakes.
Photo by Wuan.
penang is food haven. I want to go Penang, want take a week of holiday to Penang just to go around to eat.:)
haha~~
Peter:
Indeed it is but the quality and taste of the food is not as good as it used to be anymore. Have fun while you are there! 🙂
If I remembered, there’s one stall selling it near the Penang ferry jetty isn’t it?
That was long ago but I remembered we sapu all the apongs in just a few minutes after waiting for 30 mins to buy it!
Peter:
I am not sure about the jetty but one certainly can eat ten at one go after standing there smelling the wafting aroma for thirty minutes.
That’s my favourite Apom stall too!
Is Apom or Apong ah?
Peter:
Apom or apong, as long as it tastes good, they can call it anything.
The best in Penang!
I did a pictorial review too : http://www.xanga.com/AgoraphobiA/553192452/penang-escapade–episode-2.html
It’s great to have a dad from Penang 🙂
Peter:
I see you got most of it covered, even the Indian coconut shop at Abu Siti Lane!
Okay, that looks yummy enough for me to drool. 😀 Don’t think I’ve tried that kind of pancake before.
Peter:
The photo does not do justice to its deliciousness. It really is!
Wow. It looks delicious! =) It kinda looks familiar, though. I think I might have seen it on a food programme or something similar. I must make a trip there whenever I’m in Penang. Something like apom balik, right? 😉
Peter:
Something like apom but tastes very different and yes, it is delicious!
Never go when he’s got a lot of orders to fill ,and he tries very hard as he has a rival nearby. Your apong will end up half cooked.I have experienced this a couple of times!
Peter:
His rival is just a hop away. Peak period is just after work. Went there twice around that time. I am luckier I guess. All properly cooked. 🙂
His rival is actually his twin brother…lol.
Peter:
Liddis oso can!
ha…brings back some good old memories…
i still remember ah guan’s favorite quote
‘tiok taan noh~~~’ (have to wait noh~~~)
Peter:
Always have to wait… that is how good it is. 🙂