Hai Onn: Going Back In Time

Old-School Western Food in Penang

One thing I miss now as an adult (unbelievable right?) is "orietanlized" western food. You know, like Cantonese chicken chop, lamp chops marinated in oyster sauce or grilled fish seasoned with soy sauce. As it is, it was quite common to order such dialectical culinary dishes from hawker stalls selling supposedly western food. The food, let it be said, was not really western but a weirdly wonderful confluence of East meets West. If you will, a marriage between Western technique and Eastern seasonings or vice versa, depending on the hawker doing the cooking.

Alas, with globalization, true western food has reached Malaysia shores. It can be argued that this too has been "Malaysianized" but it is still worlds apart from the "oreientalized" dishes I was served in my youth. However, thanks to the Internet, I've found a place which takes me on a trip down memory lane to a time when going out for a western meal was the highlight of a good day.

This quaint little restaurant/ coffee shop is known as Hai Onn and is located in Jalan Burma, just opposite the junction to Jalan Transfer. Walking inside, to overuse a cliche, feels like stepping back in time. The floor tiles have that squarish design so common of pre-war buildings while the walls and ceilings, though dingy, are positively so. Even the clientele seems to be from a time before my birth, with uncles in high-waist pants and aunties in glaring flowery print blouses making up most of the customers. Amidst them though, were a smattering of younger people enjoying their food.

Judging from the websites, Hai Onn specializes in Chicken Chop which, in my opinion, has been "orientalized" so that was what I ordered. My wife, which food serves as the end rather than the means*, ordered the Hokkien Char. She also informed me** that the stall serving Malaysian Hors Douves or Lor (or is it loh?) Bak serves really good fried tofu. Since I can't resist fried foods, a plate was duly ordered.
* She's a practical and lovely person.
** Yes, I regret to say that she had ate there before I had the chance to do so.

The Lor Bak arrived first. Costing Rm4.50, the plate was brimming with fried tofu, shrimp fritters and battered fish. Condiments were the ubiquitous chili sauce and sticky lor* sauce. The battered fish was fresh, juicy and crispy. Kudos to the stall owner for having a good batter recipe and frying technique. The shrimp fritters were a bit oily but he was generous with the shrimps so no problems there. The fried tofu was sublime. When bit, a crispy exterior gave way to a yieldingly-soft interior but still retaining a bite. Paired with the chili sauce, the tofu was "Exhibit A" for "Good and Simple".
*Anyone know what lor sauce in English is please tell me in the comments. Thanks.

Soon, my Chicken Chop arrived. It was absolutely flooded in gravy. Not the puddle-type portions you may find elsewhere, this thing was drowned in it. The chop was accompanied with some hand cut potato wedges, a tomato wedge, a sprinkling of peas and blanched onion rings. Interestingly, the Chicken Chop served in Hai Onn is not encased in batter, rather the chicken thigh is encased in egg which has been fried to a deep golden brown. This gives the dish an intriguing aspect. The egg layer is not as crispy as a flour batter but it gave the dish a certain lightness and eggy richness which complemented the juicy chicken very well. The potato wedges were, well, potato wedges, the onion rings gave their customary onion zing and the tomato and peas were just by-standers. The gravy, well the gravy served in that amount was more of a soup than gravy. It tasted just as how I remembered it in other stalls from a time long gone; it was thick, starchy, savory and salty with that Eastern influence - I am guessing soy sauce - and Western influence - the Worcestershire sauce - is my estimation. I ordered some toasted bread to soak up that lovely thick goodness and I suggest you do to when visiting. Earlier, I had observed an elderly gentlemen slurping the gravy with a spoon like soup so you can tell its good.

Shortly after, my wife's Hokkien Char arrived. Yellow noodle and vermicelli (bee hoon) were stir-fried with shrimp and pork slices and dressed in a thick dark sauce. Surprisingly smokey in taste. This, I am told by a respected food authority*, is due to a well-seasoned wok; known as "wok hei" in Cantonese or "breath of the wok". Leaving aside the metaphysical questions of wok breath-ness. the Hokkien Char was very well seasoned, not overly salty nor utterly bland but a nice balance of flavors which aptly demonstrates the cook's experience. The noodles were soft with a bite, the vermicelli was not mushy and the shrimp fresh and juicy. The only complaint was the pork slices which were overdone, hard and tough strips of meat they were but that should not detract from a noodle dish well done.
*My mom.

We left with stuffed stomachs. I will return soon for I hear the place serves a mean Roti Babi (bread stuffed with pork and deep fried) and I have yet to try the Hokkien Mee stall there. The total cost to walk down memory lane? RM8.20 inclusive of iced milk tea and iced water. Not a bad price for going back in time and reliving a small part of growing up.

Hai Onn @ 53- 55 Burma Road, 10050 Penang, Malaysia. 04-2274251. Closed on Mondays.