Lao Sher Tea House @ Burma Road, Penang.

The first time i heard of this tea house was via my other half whose mother is an acquaintance of one of the owners.
Since then, i have developed a strong sense of curiosity for the peculiar name of the tea house.
Lao She (老舍) was a legendary Chinese author of humorous, satiric novels, short stories and dramas.
He was even branded as the one of the most significant figures of 20th century Chinese literature.
Is it possible that the tea house is named after his best known play, Teahouse (茶馆)?

The tea house is situated opposite of the Public Specialist Centre and it is a member of Penang Heritage Trust.
It means that the building along with its neighbours are actually heritage sites which are being preserved for the moment.
The busy Burma Road causes parking inconvenience unless you are fortunate enough to find yourself a lot in front of the tea house.
Judging from the exterior design, you will only expect it is nothing else but a tea house.
However, the tea house does serve Thai food which is superb in terms of price and deliciousness.

The classical interior with plentiful of Chinese antiques reminds me of Kung Fu movies.
Do take note that very limited tables are available, i guess only 8 of them.

An extensive collection of teapots and tea leaves can be found here.

Besides, awesome genuine handmade embroideries from China filled up the partially empty walls.

I did not get to capture the menu as my other half is reckoned as a regular customer and she made up her mind straight away without any reference to the menu.
For beverages, we have chosen fresh nutmeg juice or more commonly known as 'lau hau peng' in Penang which i don't know what its price is.
The tangy white juice was perfect to counteract such scorching weather.

Ladies and gentlemen, i would like to recommend this dish to you.
Guess what? I am rating it 5 stars from the aspects of taste and price.
It is the Tom Yam Noodle which has a price tag of only RM5.
The red hot not-so-spicy Tom Yam was thick, acerbic, sour and you may feel that every single element from the soup was not produced by paste, flavouring but true ingredients.
More than that, a medium-sized fresh prawn, generous amount of squids, fish and mushrooms were given.
All for a bargain of 5 bucks?
Yes, it is too good to be true, but it is absolutely true.
No doubt, it was the best and cheapest Tom Yam Noodle i ever had.

The owner actually recommended us the Lobak (RM10) which is slightly different from ordinary local ones.
What worth to be mentioned is the unbelievably crispy deepfried bean curd layer which envelopes the flavoursome pork.
Sound was produced when we were crunching the layer with our teeth, could you imagine how spectacular was that?
The minced pork inside was soft and tender but got nothing special though.
Overall, the spotlight is on the bean curd layer.

In conclusion, the Tom Yam fully deserves your attention.
Do try it out, you won't be regret if you have normal taste buds.

Address :
217-H Burma Road, 10050 Penang
[google map]

Operation Hours :
11am - 11pm , Closed on Wednesdays

Contact no. :
04 - 227 3139 / 016 - 487 5909

Email :
laosherteahouse@gmail.com

Website:
[click here]

Posted in: Non-Halal,Noodles,Recommended,Spicy,Tea House,Thai Food,Tom Yam