One of the places that Wuan and I will invariably head to whenever we are in Penang is Ghee Hiang at the corner between Macalister Road and Anson Road. For as long as I can remember, the name Ghee Hiang is synonymous with tau sar pneah, hneoh pneah and sesame seed oil. It has become an institution in Penang at par with the famous Penang hawker food. My late-parents used to patronise the shop at Beach Street whenever they were there to do their banking at Chung Khiaw Bank many years ago.
Ghee Hiang at Macalister Road, Penang.
Photo by Wuan.
Wuan and I are fond of the hneoh peah which according to the Ghee Hiang website is “melted brown sugar is wrapped around with flaky wheat pastries.” Wuan also likes phong peah which is “light fluffy pastry with white sugar.” William likes heoh pneah which is “fluffy pastry with green bean paste filling.” These are the pastries that we never fail to bring back to Kuala Lumpur from our trips to Penang.
Ghee Hiang tau sar pneah.
Photo by Wuan.
Our trip to Penang last week was no exception. We dropped in at the shop Beach Street as we were in the vicinity. Unfortunately, they only had tau sar pneah and phong pneah. So we drove all the way to Macalister Road to get heoh pneah for ourselves. We do not mind going the distance as it is not often that we get to savour these pastries. The only thing about Penang roads is that they are mostly one way streets and we had to drive one big round to reach the shop.
Ghee Hiang delivery motorcycle.
Photo by Wuan.
The pastries are now sealed in plastic wrappers unlike previously when all the pastries were just neatly arranged in the box without any wrapping. That was not all. What really indicated the changing of times that Ghee Hiang has convincingly embraced was a yellow motorcycle parked at the shop. It was painted yellow and had a box at the back with the Ghee Hiang mascot and a 1300 number to call for delivery. I remember many years ago one has to make advanced booking through phone to be able to secure a box or two of the pastries. It was literally selling like hot cakes then. Nowadays, one can just walk in and buy without the hassle of booking beforehand and now a motorcycle for delivery. Times are changing indeed.