'New World' for Penang's famous ice kacang

GEORGETOWN: One of Penang's most famous ice kacang (shaved ice dessert) stall will be moving to a new premise after some 90 years at the same place.
Lee Wah Chai, 32, the fourth generation operator, said they will be moving to a shoplot at the front of the New World Park food court.
"We will open on Sept 1," he told theSun when met.
Lee Kar Tee first served the local delicacy in 1923 at Swatow Lane outside the "Sin Sei Kai" (The New World) open-air entertainment centre.
The centre closed over the years and was refurbished into the present space with Lee Eng Lai, the son of Kar Tee taking over in the intervening years, moving into the new space.
They have been operating within the food court for the past 12 years.
Wah Chai said the new place was envisioned as a fusion of old style coffee shop food with a contemporary café feel.
He said the plan was to provide dining options from breakfast to supper and would focus on serving healthy food like fruits instead of oily food.
"We want people to be healthy, and also provide them with another choice for supper, fruits are healthy and yummy too.
"We also wanted to keep our regular customers happy and attract a younger crowd to come and enjoy our ice kacang," he told theSun.
Eng Lai, meanwhile, reminiscences about the years he helped his father run the stall and taking over later.
He said he was leaving with a heavy heart after selling the icy treat since he was 15-years-old.
"I started selling this on a push cart all those years ago, leaving this place is hard for me," he added.