Tim Sum in Cintra Street.

I used to eat at this Tai Tong Tim Sum Shop quite often.My family as well as my guests from Japan give top mark for the food in this locality though this Tim Sum shop faces stiff competition from those operating nearby in the Cintra Street and Cambell Street junction.

Their trade mark is that their workers are mostly elderly and they always service you with a smile in spite of the full house especially in the morning.So I tend to agree with Tiberius when he reviews this food joint.here he goes as quoted;

Eat till you drop at Tai Tong

Walk along Cintra Street and there are a number of eating joints to satisfy your palate.

The cargo ships and other vessels are anchored in Penang harbour. Other luxury yachts and an occasional luxury liner can be seen at the Weld Quay area, particularly at Marina harbour.

In other parts of George Town, especially in Cintra Street, local residents and outstation visitors are scurrying around for their favourite eating joints.

I have one in mind but I wasn’t sure there were any empty tables left. It was 8.30pm, after all.

Penang people are always punctual when it is time to eat. By the time, I came a-calling, the Tai Tong Restaurant in Cintra Street was full to overflowing.

But my gang wasn’t so easily intimidated. We have been “trained in the rough streets” of KL. We walked right in as if we own the place and cast our steely glances around. No empty tables, at least for the first 10 minutes.

There were at least two or three tables which looked as if the diners were about to vacate the premises. We bade our time and landed on our target like a bunch of hungry eagles the moment they stood up.

Life’s like that. Very often, you have to fight for your food. Tai Tong Restaurant has been operating for a number of years. Its specialty is dim sum, even though it also offer noodles and rice.

We were not in the mood for rice. Our specific food targets were dim sum and “sang har meen”. The elderly waitress who came to take our orders knew precisely what we wanted. In a busy place like Tai Tong, it’s best to let the establishment know what you want. That way, you won’t waste everybody’s time.

However, we had to wait for the dim sum trolly because impatient diners were stopping the waitress along her route and helping themselves to the dim sum they had in mind.

I leaned over to the other guests and told them that at this rate, there won’t be anything left by the time the dim sum trolly reached our table. Thank goodness, the “sang har meen” arrived first, so we have been spared from starvation.

The sang har meen was good but not as great as some others I have tasted in other places.

We also ordered a yam basket. It arrived minutes after the noodles came. The yam basket of culinary goodness was a sure sign that we have been blessed in Penang.

Optimum flavor

The yam had the right crispiness. The bits of veg, mushroom and other items were well cooked and had the optimum flavor mixed with Chinese sauces.

Finally, the dim sum trolly called at our table but not before two women diners walked over hastily with a fierce determination to grab whatever they could. After selecting about six dim sum items, we spotted a plate of freshly fried radish cakes.

Radish cake is one of my top dim sum priorities. When it is fried expertly with bits of tiny dried shrimps and the proper application of oil, the dish is but a short step away from heaven.

I hereby declare that Tai Tong’s radish cake is one of the best I have ever tasted, and that includes Hong Kong dim sum restaurants.

The pot of hot Ti Kuan Yin Chinese tea came in very handy. To neutralize some of the oil residues from the assorted plates of dim sum, Chinese tea is the best antidote.

By the time we had cleaned the plates of yam basket and sang har noodles, we were quite ready to “surrender” but the younger ones among us soldiered on bravely with the leftovers on the dim sum plates.

But the best was yet to come. When we were presented with the bill, we almost almost couldn’t hide our glee. For all that we have ordered and eaten, the grand total, including that pot of Chinese tea was RM53. Surely, that was more than fair.

Thank god for Penang. What will we ever do with their sense of fair play. What a fine bunch of restaurateurs. We will be back for more. I swear it on my next bowl of hokkien mee!

Tai Tong Restaurant is located at 45, Cintra Street, Penang (tel: 04-2636-625).