Ah Lai Under Big Tree

Like to eat Curry Maggie Mee ( a very welcomed instant noodles in Malaysia )? Want to eat special Curry Maggie Mee but very lazy to cook? And, you like toasted bread a lot but can't make a delicious one for yourself even unable to find a stall who sell delicious one? Then, this is definitely the best place for you! 

This store at Church Street Ghaut offers you a a perfect meal to start day! 

Although it wrote Nasi Melayu, but eventually, they don't sell any rice, just sometimes they sell small packed nasi lemak. Most of the time, or can say as almost all of the time, they sell only noodles and toasted bread. 

Now, let me introduce you to the most welcomed noodle of this stall ---- the delicious, spicy, mouth watering and healthier than normal home-cooked Maggie Mee, the Signature Curry Maggie Mee! 

They also offer other flavour of Maggie noodles, such as Clear Soup Noodles, Duck Noodles and TomYam Noodles, but they just failed to compete with the irresistible Curry Noodles! 

Okay, and next, the toasted bread! They offer 3 kinds of toasted bread, which is the Toasted Sandwich Special,  Kaya and Butter Toast, and Toasted Bread with Half-Boiled Egg. 

1. Special Toasted Sandwich - Toasted Bread stuffed with sausages, ham, egg and cheese.

2. Kaya and Butter Toast - Toasted bread with butter and kaya ( tradisional coconut jam )

3. Toasted Bread with Half Boiled Egg - one word to describe ..... unbeatable! 

Alright, all the foods have been introduced, it's time for the drink... my favourite drinks --- "Cham" , you can read as "Charm". " Cham " is combination of Coffee and Tea, and trust me, it's refreshing and really can cheer up your day! 

Price : 

Noodles  -  RM 3.50

Special Toasted Sandwich  -  RM 3.80

Kaya and Butter Toast  -  RM 1.40

Toasted Bread with Half Boiled Egg  -  RM 1 - 2.00

Operating Hours : 

9.00am-5.00pm (Mon-Fri)

9.00am-3.00pm (Sat) – off Sunday & Public Holidays

Address : 

15, Gat Lebuh Gereja, 10200 Penang, Malaysia

Rating : 

Taste : 9.0 / 10   -  taste good

Service : 7.5 / 10  -  friendly, but the speed of serving is relatively slow

Pricing : 7.0/10  -  normal, market price

Food Choice : 7.0/10 - limited choice, but able to satisfy most people

Beauty Level of Food : 8.5/10  -  the toast are so appealing

Surrounding :  6.5/10  -  the big tree provide shade, but the tree is somehow irritating because of ants

[ Attraction ] - Chew Jetty ( Clan Jetty )

Chew Jetty, an old Chinese waterfront settlement, is the largest and most lively jetty at the end of Gat Lebuh Armenian. The Chews originated from the south-eastern coast of China - from Tung Aun District, Xin Lin She Village, Quan Zhou Prefecture of Fujian Provice. They were maritime clan communities in China. Thus when they emigrated, they also built homes for themselves at the waterfront. The Chew Jetty settlement is the biggest of the lot, having grown from about 10 families back in the 20s to over 1,500 residents today.

The entrance of Chew Jetty.

In the 19th and early 20th century, the upsurge in trade with Asian countries increased the demand for port labourers. This, attracted many Chinese immigrant, who initially worked as coolies, but as time went by many became self-employed as ferry operators, transporting people and goods between anchored ships and the harbour. The hard work, thrift and perseverance of these migrant workers eventually paid off when they able to bring their families over from China and settled.

The "streets" of Chew Jetty.

There were also some other clan jetties besides Chew Jetty. 

Fishing Boats parked at Chew Jetty.

The Clan jetties consist of eight jetties, named after their surnames, “Lim”, “Chew”, “Tan”, “Lee”, “Yeoh”, “Koay”, “Peng Aun” and Mixed Clans. “Chew” is the famous last name and it means the entire long stretch of jetty are residence with “Chew” as their last name.

Beautiful Decoration!

A Clan Jetty is actually a village built on stilts and these were built by some pioneer Chinese immigrants. Each jetty comprises of row houses on stilts joined by wooden walkways over the water. These ‘water villages’, set up more than a century ago, house the descendants from Fukien Province in China, who shared common historical, geographical and clan origins. They left their motherland in droves as the Manchu rulers of China lost their grip on power, and widespread poverty, famine and hardship became the order of the day. They are the anchor for nearly arrived immigrants who, through kinship ties, were able to find jobs as stevedores and cross -channel ferry boatman in the bustling port of Penang to stake their survival in the new land.

Today, Penang in 21st century, we have the Clan Jetties in Weld Quay that have physically survived, however, their social-cultural mechanisms have long been reconstituted. Among the remaining jetties, only the Chew Jetty continues to have any clan-related activity - the once a year annual worship of its Temple Deity and "Tee Kong" (God of Heaven or Sky-God ). The event take place on the 9th of Chinese New Year (Lunar Calendar) annually. This distinctive and grand event attracts throngs of people to Chew Jetty to enjoy lion dance and , dragon dances.. On that day, resident place the worship food on the long altar table for praying. 

A Chinese temple just outside Chew Jetty.

Website:http://discoverpenang.evomediatech.com/chewjetty/

Other Attraction Nearby : Other Clan Jetties, Esplanade, Harmony Streets, Heritage Core Zone, Kuan Yim Temple, Kapitan Kling Mosque, Khoo KongSi

Notes: Remember to take a look at the wall painting at Chew Jetty.