888 Hokkien Mee, Penang

The prawn broth here is the real deal — deep red, intensely savoury, simmered for hours from prawn heads and shells. You can taste the umami in every spoonful. Added roasted pork and extra fried shallots on top. The yellow noodles and rice vermicelli absorb the broth perfectly. Michelin-listed for good reason. Queued 20 minutes around 5 pm.

Over 30 years in operation and 888 still delivers the best Hokkien prawn mee broth in George Town. The dark, rich soup comes with kangkung (water spinach), prawns and a halved hard-boiled egg. A spoonful of sambal on the side brings the heat. Located on Lebuh Presgrave, opens at 3 pm — a perfect afternoon snack before a Gurney Drive dinner.

Good Hokkien mee with a rich prawn stock that had real depth. Upgraded with pork ribs and intestines as add-ons — they went well with the broth. The sambal chilli is properly spicy. Only four stars because the queue at peak time (5-6 pm) stretched to 30 minutes and the stall area gets hot. Bring cash.

The broth is what makes 888 special — slow-cooked with pork bones, dried shrimp and prawn heads until it turns that distinctive deep red colour. Not too heavy despite the richness. The prawns on top were fresh and sweet. We arrived at 3:15 pm when they had just opened and got served in 10 minutes. RM8 for a regular bowl.

Penang Hokkien mee at its finest. The prawn stock has layers of flavour — savoury, slightly sweet, with a lingering shellfish intensity. Added a pork leg to the bowl and it was falling-apart tender. The fried shallots on top give a nice textural contrast. 888 opens mid-afternoon and runs till about 9:30 pm, fitting neatly between lunch and dinner plans.