Siam Road Char Koay Teow Closes Stall For 10 Days Because The Crowd Is Stressing Uncle Out
The famous stall in Penang was recently ranked #14 in the Top 50 World Street Food Masters list.
By Samantha Khor — 28 Jun 2017, 07:23 PM
Siam Road Char Koay Teow's entry into the Top 50 World Street Food Masters has brought even more customers to the famous food stall... but that's not necessarily a good thing for its 76-year-old owner
The famous char koay teow stall in Penang ranked #14 in the Top 50 list at the recent World Street Food Congress 2017 in Manila, the Philippines.
Five other food outlets from Malaysia also made it to the list - Line Clear Nasi Kandar, Penang (#9), Fauzi Nasi Kerabu, Terengganu (#23), Donald & Lily Nyonya Mee Siam, Melaka (#34), Guan Heong Biscuit Shop, Ipoh (#36), and Jalan Kuli Satay, Melaka (#43).
In a post that has gone viral on Facebook, it would seem that the char koay teow uncle has elected to take a 10-day vacation throughout the Raya break and school holidays
While they are happy and surprised that their humble stall "made it into the world map", an article by The Star said that stall owner Tan Chooi Hong pleaded with customers to not photograph or write about him, as he is unable to cope with the sudden flood of customers following his stall's entry into the Top 50 list.
One of few char koay teow stalls that are still using charcoal to fire up the wok, customers from all over Malaysia have been known to queue for hours for a plate of the world-famous dish
The line can get pretty long even on normal days, with the wait going up to two hours (or more) on crowded weekends and public holidays. The stall - operated by 76-year-old Tan Chooi Hong and his son Kean Huat, 52 - is open for business from Tuesday to Sunday from 3pm to 11pm.
Customers have also been known to start queueing even before Tan and his son arrive. In a recent Facebook video, some could be heard chanting "Char koay teow! Char koay teow!" just as the duo arrived with their push stall cart.