Angcle Peoh @ Kota Kemuning (Food Review)

Back in 2011, I visited Penang for the first time. During my stay there, I got to try out the famous Air Itam Asam Laksa. You can read about my trip here. Angcle Peoh is an eatery that specialises in the famed Ayer Itam Asam Laksa and Penang food such as char kuey teow, har mee, curry laksa and many more.

Asam Laksa (RM8.00)
As most of you know, the asam laksa is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the asam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. The taste of this bowl of asam laksa is quite authentic and similar to the one I had in Penang. The difference is lack of chilli slice and also additional of mint leave as garnish. Some may say that it's a lot more pricier but the portion is actually larger and guess what, there's no need to drive all the way to Penang for a hot bowl of asam laksa.

Char Kuey Teow with duck egg (RM10.00)
I am sure most of you are familiar with this dish, the Char Kuey Teow cooked with duck egg which is popular in Penang and comes with generous portion of prawns.

Prawn Mee @ Har Mee (RM8.00)
This is one of my favorite dish at Angcle Peoh, it's the Prawn Mee. Egg noodles are served in richly flavoured dark soup stock with prawns, pork slices and bean sprouts topped with fried shallots and spring onion. The stock is made using dried shrimps, plucked heads of prawns, white pepper, garlic and other spices. As we can see in the picture, there's a few slices of pork and half a hard boiled egg. The soup is very tasty and has a very strong prawn taste which I really like it.

Curry Mee (RM8.00)
This is also one of my favorite, the Curry Mee. It is made up of thin yellow noodles or/and string thin mee-hoon (rice vermicelli) with spicy curry soup, chilli/sambal, coconut milk, and some dried tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, mint leaves and cockle. I wouldn't mind to order this again in my next visit.

Fried Gu Lu Rou Rice (RM11.60)
Their Fried Gu Lu Rou Rice is in one of their rice menu. It is consisting of fried rice, pork balls, pineapple, cucumber, tomato and sweet and sour sauce. It is topped with a sunny side up egg. This may looks different than the usual Fried Gu Lu Rou Rice that I had before. I didn't quite like the pork balls as it's quite tough to chew and taste kinda dry.

Fried Pai Gu Wang Rice (RM11.60)
The Fried Pai Gu Wang Rice was slightly better than the Fried Gu Lu Rou Rice. The pork rib (pai gu) doesn't have big bones as we normally have and it's quite tender too. Just like the previous dish, this also topped with an egg.

Honey herb citron tea (RM4.80)
I ordered the Honey Herb Citron Tea, it's made of citrus fruit yuzu and definitely a good thirst quencher choice during a hot sunny day and cure for sore throat.

Cendol RM5.30
Time for dessert and we chosen the cendol. Nothing to shout about but I like the amount of red bean given in this one. It's alright.



Their menu is placed under a glass panel on every table to make it convenience for the customers. I really enjoy their asam laksa, curry noodle and prawn mee. The only thing I am hoping is that they will be opening more branches in PJ or KL area cause Klang and Kota Kemuning branches are 40 minutes away from me!

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The history of Angcle Peoh

From a very young age, Uncle Peoh has been the youngest of five siblings and one sister who helped out their mom who sells homemade fried bee hoon in the morning and, of course, Asam Laksa after short break for lunch during the 1950s. “We were very poor,” he says. “And that’s how we made ends meet. She would start her day as early as 5am and only calling it a day at midnight.” She lugged all the needed ingredients with a rattan basket (including the laksa broth), and walked almost 4km on a daily basis from their house to the Ayer Itam market.

He grew up in Penang and, at age of seven, while other kids were studying in school, Ang – who didn’t have the luxury of time to complete his homework – was doing what he can to ease her mother’s burden and picking up on the method to concoct a delicious bowl of Asam Laksa. They owned their first bicycle which made it slightly easier to carry the rattan basket. “We also sold kuih and even ice-cream,” he recalls. “Our school fees was RM5 and my mom would scrap every shilling (coin) she could to ensure that we could continue studying.”

Looking back, he realised that he clearly had to ensure his family’s survival at a young age. It was then that he decided to drop out of school at the age of 14 to assist his mom full time. “It was with a very heavy heart that I decided to do so,” he explains. “I only studied two weeks of form 2 and have no regrets in making the life-changing decision.”

He was encouraged when business started to pick up in the 1970s, with the family being able to afford a pedicab when he was 17 and eventually a lorry ten years later. Today, he feels extremely grateful to his mom for having given him everything: a calling in life, the possibility to be semi-retired now – he’s still at the Klang outlet every day to ensure that every bowl is up to scratch – and the opportunity to leave a cooking legacy for his offspring and as a plus, the satisfaction to see patrons enjoying his food that has now expanded to include fried tom yum noodles, fried kuey teow and curry laksa. Many of whom, are generous with their compliments.

The fame about Asam Laksa from Ayer Itam grew, and he branched out with Angcle Peoh, a play on words with “Ang” being his surname. “Coming from a poor family, I’ve always wanted to come down to Selangor to sell my laksa,” he says. This has happened to a large degree as a result of his older daughter getting married and moved down to set up an open her asam laksa stall at Asia CafĂ©. Her daughter and husband then decided it was the perfect opportunity to bring his father down to Selangor having determined that there is a demand for their authentic brand of Laksa and Penang fare. She and her husband then planned out the financial aspect of starting up the shop and also the logistic of incorporating a central kitchen should walk-in traffic increase. They also streamlined the menu to only serve dishes that they could control the quality of and ensure consistency.

A helpful client who stumbled upon a shop lot at a good location in Klang paid the deposit and urge them to consider the idea of a full fledge eatery to sell their fare. “Customers are coming from as far as Seremban just to try our laksa. Of course, many bring young children who are unable to stomach the intense taste of laksa. And that’s why we’re incorporated other signature Penang dishes into our menu. We had some teething problems moving from a stall concept to a full fledge outlet, but with a central kitchen we’ve manage to streamline the process and ensure consistency in our dishes.”

His quiet demeanour is a culmination of years of determination and being retrospective of what he has been appreciative to accomplish. “I still try thr broth every day to make sure that it’s still on par with our standards,” he mentions, with plans of a second Angcle Peh outlet opening later this year. He realised that so much of his efforts were derived from trying to etch a living. He then saw how everything has bear fruits, the results being the joint effort of his brothers (three of whom has since passed away) and the memories of his mom who continues to push him to ensure that her recipe for mouth-watering Asam Laksa is passed down for all-comers to enjoy. 


Angcle Peoh Restaurant
27 Jln AB 31/AB, Kota Kemuning,
Seksyen 31, 40460 Shah Alam. (Kota Kemuning Branch)
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun: 10am until 9pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angclepeoh


.: Peace Out :.

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