CEKI Nyonya Restaurant Suits My Taste

We are always proud when our Penang Walkabouts members excel in their field of business. The latest example is Francis Tee and Esther Tan, the husband-and-wife owner-chefs of CEKI Nyonya Restaurant, which was listed in the newly-released 2024 Michelin Guide to KL and Penang.

Penang-Nyonya cuisine was borne out of Baba-Nyonya home kitchens and, like any culinary culture which does not have cooking schools, the recipes for standard Nyonya dishes like Curry Kapitan, Inchi Kabin, Sambal Goreng or Eggs Belanda can vary from family to family. So, oftentimes, a Baba or Nyonya who dine outside their homes would find that the versions of Nyonya food they encounter are “not as good” as their own home-cooked versions. The differences are unavoidable, as each family’s tastes will vary.

Co-owners of Ceki, Francis Tee and Esther Tan.

I am a 6th-generation Penangite whose forefathers emigrated to Penang from Asahan (Sumatera) in 1824. Subsequently, our family also possess our own rendition of all those classic Nyonya dishes, honed through the past 200 years that we have lived here.

Through the last few decades, we usually have our own favourite, go-to restaurants when we eat out, e.g. Loke Thye Kee in the 60s & 70s, Dragon King in the 1980s, and now, CEKI Nyonya Restaurant – simply because their style of cooking bore the closest resemblance to our family’s versions. It doesn't mean one Nyonya restaurant is better than the other, simply that it suits our taste preferences.

My fave dishes at CEKI Nyonya Restaurant are their fish gulai tumis, Eggs Belanda, and all their desserts: Bee Koh Moy, Bubur Cha Cha and Gandum.

Tau eu bak (soy-braised pork belly)

Gulai tumis with snapper

Choon phneah

Inchi kabin (marinated fried chicken)

Jiu hu char (jicama with dried cuttle fish)

Otak-otak

Huan chu hiok masak lemak (sweet potato leaves in spicy-coconut milk gravy)

Eggs Belanda

Lor bak

Perut ikan

Bubur cha cha

Gandum