Foo Heong Restaurant

Somehow, I found myself in the news again. It is good to know that I am still remembered, even only occasionally. About a month ago, I was contacted by Bernard See, formerly a staff of The Star newspaper but now freelancing with them, who wanted to ask me questions about the Foo Heong Restaurant. He must have tracked me down from this blog. And anyway, my number could still be with The Star's office in spite of all these years. Of course, I have also known Bernard for quite a while too, having bumped into him many times when I happened to visit the newspaper's office in the 1990s. However, it has been a long wait until the story cleared his editor and made it to the Metro section last Monday. Here it is.

Lingering memories of popular sar hor fun

- Bernard See -

The Star, 26 June 2023

FOO Heong Restaurant in Cintra Street, Penang, was the place to go to for delicious sar hor fun (fried rice noodles with thick gravy) infused with wok hei (sufficient intensity of heat) from the 1970s up to the late 2010s.

The restaurant, which mainly served Cantonese dishes, has since closed down and the building is up for sale.

Many food lovers, especially those in their 60s and 70s, are left with only memories of its famous cuisine.

Quah Seng Sun, 69, The Star’s former chess columnist, said during its prime, the restaurant was one of Penang’s “hottest” dining establishments, attracting a large number of patrons looking for a delectable dinner.

“Every evening, the restaurant would be abuzz with activity as tables in the double-storey restaurant would be fully occupied.

“There would be superb course dinners, but my personal favourite was their signature dish, sar hor fun, which every table would seem to order,” he said.

Quah, who used to work in a bank, recalled the time when his first supervisor invited him to a celebratory dinner at the restaurant in the late 1970s.

“It was an occasion to commemorate his promotion as the manager of the bank branch in Komtar.

“We were given a table upstairs, and the dishes served that evening were exceptional.

“Adding to its allure was the presence of the stocky restaurant owner, a gruff individual with a perpetual scowl on his face.

“He would sit at the counter, taking orders on slips of paper and shouting them out to the cooks in the kitchen.

“None of the staff dared to provoke his temper, making his stern demeanour an integral part of the restaurant’s unique charm,” he said.

Quah said after the owner’s passing, his children took over the business.

According to him, the absence of the former owner’s thunderous shouts marked the beginning of a decline in the restaurant’s fortune.

“As the decades passed and the original cooks either retired or passed away, the quality of the food began to be affected, resulting in a drop in the number of patrons.

“However, nothing prepared me for the sight that unfolded when I passed by the restaurant in 2014.

“I saw the entire ground floor was empty except for a group of family members gathered at a table beneath the staircase, while the first floor was in darkness,” he recalled.

Retiree Terrence Ng, 67, remembers ordering the famous sar hor fun for dinner and supper back in 1988.

“I was jobless for about six months that year and would spend most of my time playing mahjong.

“I would get someone to order the Foo Heong sar hor fun, which I would eat at the table,” he said.

He added that wedding dinners were also held at the restaurant, especially in the 1970s.

Two red ‘For Sale’ banners with the sales agent’s handphone number now hang across the restaurant, which apparently closed a few years ago.

The restaurant still has its Facebook page up, but it was last updated on Oct 7, 2020.