I come from Penang. Okay, so I spent only the first 9 years of my life there and my memories are restricted to eating flavoured toothpaste in kindergarten, playing hopscotch in primary school, eating koay teow th’ng at the market with mum, and swimming naked at the beach. But I still like to lay my claim over that island and all its wondrous food offerings.

Nowadays, I visit Penang once a year for my annual “makan” trip. The one dish I crave for constantly is the humble chee cheong fun.

You either love it or hate it. Chee cheong fun with prawn paste. Some are turned off by the strong fermented prawn smell. I, on the other hand, get delirious with pleasure.


Well, now I don’t have to travel all the way to Penang to fulfill my desires. I can get penang chee cheong fun less than 20km from where I live. That’s a marked improvement, I must say. I suppose there are a number of other restaurants in KL that serve this, but for now, Restaurant O & S will be a favourite. The chee cheong fun here is served with thick prawn paste and lots of fried shallots and sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Chilli is served on the side so you can control how spicy you want your meal to be.


The only problem with this restaurant is that it is so popular that finding a table at breakfast or lunch is hard work. There are a number of stalls serving a variety of food that will definitely satisfy one’s appetite, even if one is turned off by penang chee cheong fun (horrors!). Pretty Pui belongs to the Penang Chee Cheong Fun Hate Club so she ordered another favourite at this restaurant, asam laksa. I tried some of her soup which, despite having huge chunks of fish in it, tasted like the turmeric had not completely dissolved in it. But I’m willing to give this stall the benefit of doubt as I’ve tasted better asam laksa from this stall before.


We tried the prawn noodles, but we were not impressed. The thin soup lacked flavour.


Since our orders were rather small (translated: we’re gluttons), we also ordered a plate of yong tau foo to share. It wasn’t too bad, but I wouldn’t order it as a main course. I’d still go for the chee cheong fun! Call it an obsession!

O & S Restaurant
Paramount Garden, PJ