Back in its heyday, the Foo Heong Restaurant on George Town’s Cintra Street was one of Penang’s most popular Cantonese-style restaurants for a sumptuous dinner.
In the evening, regular patrons would fill both the downstairs and upstairs (as it was called)
The restaurant served some of the most delicious Chinese course dinners or à la carte dishes for families.
Since there are no menus, you would wait for a staff member to take your order with suggestions of dishes, pork, chicken, fish, and vegetables.
They will recommend the cooking styles.
If I’m not mistaken, weddings were held there in the 70s.
The Iconic Foo Heong Restaurant at Cintra Street, Penang. Photo: Foo Heong Restaurant
Foo Heong Best Char Hor Fun
It was always a wonderful treat for my family to go there for Foo Heong’s special Char Hor Fun and Yee Fu Mee.
I remember there was a marked difference in the taste of the Char Hor Fun compared to others like Tai Thong, Sun Yoon Kee, and others.
In addition to Chinese tea and soft drinks, beer and stout are also available.
Parking along Cintra Street was also very challenging, and we would be prepared to park a few streets away and walk over.
In later years, because it was always so packed, Penangites would wait for their queue-worthy famous stir-fried noodle dishes like Char Hor Fun and Yee Fu Mee.
Char Hor Fun is fried flat noodles garnished with vegetables, prawns, or chicken and garnished with cornstarch gravy.
Cantonese style Wat Tan Hor normally had an overcooked Egg that made runny ribbons in the starch gravy, making the dish extra smooth.
The food was always a little too salty for me.
Nowadays, writers call it boldly seasoned.
The same goes for desserts and drinks, and every drink was sweet.
Foo Heong Best Char Hor Fun Photo: Foo Heong Restaurant
Foo Heong Restaurant’s Reputation
Old Chinese restaurants had a reputation of old school charm enhanced by the presence of their bold and loud manner.
In Foo Heong’s case, the surly proprietor with a perpetual scowl sat behind the counter writing orders and barking at the staff.
His booming voice could be heard in the kitchen. None of his workers dared to stand in his way.
There was another Chinese restaurant that had very loud and rude servers.
When we were in our 20s, it was fun and bearable to be scolded.
We used to go there for lunch in the 80s with my colleagues, and I remember hilarious stories of rude old servers and much hollering.
Foo Heong Restaurant Past Its Heyday
The food quality declined as the year rolled by into decades and the old veteran cooks either retired or passed away. Their customers become fewer and fewer.
The last time I passed Foo Heong was years and years ago.
For various reasons, Foo Heong has seen its heydays and is today a shadow of its former self. Many evenings there are only one or two tables occupied.
The ground floor was empty, and there was no light upstairs—and downstairs, no customers.
A family member was seated at a table beneath the stairs.
We glance briefly, remembering old times.
For Sale Sign was put up during Chinese New Year 2023. Photo: Erin Lim
Most of the dinner crowd heads for Foo Heong’s main competitor, livelier Tai Tong, diagonally across the road.
And for many senior Penangites – we are a little sad about the fate of Foo Heong Restaurant, once one of the busy eateries in the city.
Do you remember and have fond memories of Foo Heong Restaurant?
Foo Heong Restaurant
56-58, Lebuh Campbell, George Town, Penang
Status: Permanently closed.
Source: Foo Heong past its heyday
