Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture

Hungry in Permas Jaya and couldn't spot any potential new good food finds, I settled for a tried & tasted option - Restoran Shi Wah bak kut teh which I enjoyed a few times before. To be doubly safe, I opted for pig tail - my favourite cut for BKT.

I am glad that I made the right choice as the pig tail was delicious. The skin was tenderly chewy, fat was tenderly soft, while the meat was tenderly juicy. The pork was very fresh, so I can taste the pork's natural sweetness. Nibbling the bits of meat off the tail bone was fun.

I enjoyed Permas Jaya Shi Wah bak kut teh's brownish tea colour soup because I like the blend of savouriness with subtle herbalness. A fleeting pepperiness and underlying garlicky spiciness followed in the aftertaste.

I enjoyed the pork tail so much that I surprised the lady staff by following up with a bowl of meat bone and ribs immediately. Shi Wah have only short ribs 排骨 and meat bones 肉骨 (no prime ribs 龙骨 which is my preferred cut for ribs).

The meat on the short rib was tenderly chewy and fell off the bone with little biting effort.

The meat on the meat bones were, however, quite fibrous and a bit dry. There wasn't much taste in the meat. I will avoid the meat bones next time.

There was a piece of cartilage wrapped with meat 软骨 - I enjoyed this piece and ate the tender meat with the tender-crunchy cartilage together. It was tasty and feeling the cartilage crunch between my teeth was fun.

Then, I remembered that that was what I ordered during my first visit to Permas Jaya Shi Wah bak kut teh back in 2012.

I had a good meal - finished everything to the last drop.

Next time, I shall focus on the softer tender cuts like pig tail 猪尾 and cartilage 软骨. I shall also try their pork belly which I expect will be good judging by how well they cooked the softer cuts like cartilage and pig tail. I will avoid the meat bones 肉骨 as they are fibrous and dry.

My total bill for two servings of bak kut teh with a bowl of rice was about RM23, which I thought was quite reasonable in today's market.

The pork was pre-cooked in signature large blue enamel pots and finished over gas stoves in serving size pots before sending to customers in ceramic bowls. I like the feel of those old school bowls 😄

Permas Jaya Shi Wah bak kut teh is a relatively large corner shop. Furnishings and decor are basic but comfortable. Whirling ceiling fans and bamboo shades keep the place cool. It is usually busy during lunch time.

👉 Permas Jaya Shi Wah bak kut teh is a good place in JB to taste brothy Johor style BKT with savoury herbal soup and very fresh pork.

Restaurant name: Restoran Shi Wah
Address: 6, Jalan Permas 9/5, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru (near Jusco Permas)
Map: http://g.co/maps/uuxjw
GPS: 1.496014,103.819835 / 1°29'45.6"N 103°49'11.4"E
Tel: 012-732 8336
Hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm (closed on alternate Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Mar 2012, 3 Dec 2015, 2 Sep 2018

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Visited Niniq Javanese Cuisine in Taman Molek, JB this morning. I enjoyed the wide range of Javanese dishes and learnt a lot about Javanese food from Niniq owner Jennifer.

Niniq Javanese Cuisine spans two spacious shop lots. This is the "semi al fresco" section which is open on two sides. This airy space is great for mornings and evenings, and on cooler days like today.

The air conditioned section is great for hot days. Niniq uses a lot of hard wood and earth tones in its decor which give it a tropical, warm, close to nature feel while dining in air con comfort. The family oriented restaurant also has a contemporary cafe feel.

Over kerupuk and kopi tubruk, Niniq owner Jennifer shared with me that her maternal grandmother Suzanna Hartono from Surabaya was the inspiration for Niniq Javanese Cuisine.

The Niniq brand started as a bakery in Taman Pelangi by Jennifer's sister Angela who is a passionate baker. Niniq Bakery expanded to two shops, one in Pelangi and another in Setia Tropika. Niniq Bakery gradually included dishes from Java where Jennifer and Angela grew up. Five years ago, they decided to consolidate Niniq into one location spanning two shop lots. This allowed Niniq to expand their Javanese menu as well as their bakery, and growing catering business (Cuizine Gourmet Catering).

The dishes at Niniq Javanese Cuisine are prepared according to the recipes of Jennifer's grandmother. The dishes have the taste, flavours, aroma and feel of Jennifer's childhood. Jennifer reminisced about how the dishes would transport her in an instant back to her Surabaya childhood.

Jennifer let me taste so many dishes. I share with you whatever comes to mind first, so pardon me if it seemed a bit random.

First thing that came to mind from the whole session was Ayam Goreng Bakar, Javanese style grilled chicken. I like this better than trendy Korean fried chicken and popular har cheong kai (fried chicken marinated with prawn paste) 😱 The Javanese version was marinated with a savoury sweet kicap manis based sauce. It was grilled till the outside was crisp with a dark caramelised glaze. The inside was tender and juicy. The chicken tasted sweet savoury. It was wonderful when eaten with sharp sambal chili and plain white rice.

Like this.

Complete with crunchy blanched greens (kang kong) smothered with nutty spiced gado gado sauce, crispy kerupuk and stinging sambal chili.

At RM21, it's a nice complete, balanced meal for a work day lunch.

Rawon Daging (price RM20).

Chunks of beef boiled in a soup with buah keluak and spices, hence the dark, almost black colour. The dark soup had complex robust savoury earthy flavours unique to buah keluak with underlying subtle hints of heat from spices.

The beef chunks were tender and juicy, most of its natural beefiness surrendered to the soup and its soft fibres infused with buah keluak and spice flavour. Only the fat held back some of its beefy sweetness which we can taste.

Ate our Rawon Daging with Nasi Liwet (price RM4). It's rice done the traditional Javanese way. White rice cooked with coconut milk, chicken broth and spices. Served with steamed fried anchovies and chili which we folded into the rice before eating.

Nasi Liwet has a slight crust below so besides the interesting blend of savoury sweet flavours, it has a mix of soft and gritty crunchy textures (like the Cantonese clay pot rice 砂锅饭.

Eating nasi liwet with rawon daging was so super appetising. You know..., I was wondering how anyone who has acquired a taste for rawon daging with nasi liwet can go without it for very long. What misery 😅 I am afraid that I might already be in that predicament too 😂

Sate Ayam (price RM21).

The long chain of chicken meat marinated with sweet savoury sauce and spices was skewered on a bamboo stick and grilled till the outside was slightly glazed. The grilled meat was tender and juicy - its natural sweetness complemented by the sweet savouriness of the marinade. This differs from the Malaysian version where there is a bit of heat and spiciness in the meat.

The peanut was grounded finer than the Malaysian version. The flavour was mostly nutty sweet savoury with a bit of aromatic spice (whereas the Malaysian version has more spices, some heat and less grounded peanut which is also coarser).

Udang Kare Java or Javanese style curry prawns (price RM36).

Good sized fresh prawns with shells on, served in a creamy rich curry with gentle spices with mild heat and slight sweetness. (The curry flavour is milder but more complex than the "Indonesian prawn" 印尼虾 dish served in Chinese restaurants in Malaysia.)

Ikan Goreng Garuda (price RM56).

Deep fried sea bass fish presented in the dramatic Javanese style like an "eagle" with wings spread, topped with fried egg floss. The savoury sweet earthy tasting fried fish is eaten with sweet savoury spicy Chili Kicap Manis sauce (sweetened soy sauce with cut chili pepper).

Sambal Goreng Tempeh, Udang & Petai. Prawn, tofu and petai (stinky beans) stir fried in tangy Javanese sambal (price RM24). Stinky bean is an acquired taste because it is literally stinky and I love it 😄

Terong Belado (price RM17). Moist spongy grilled egg plant topped with Niniq's own blend of savoury mildly spicy Belado sambal sauce.

Traditional Nasi Kuning (RM4 per serving) is available to eat with the spicy dishes. Rice cooked with turmeric and coconut milk. Quite a sweet rice with subtle aroma and spice flavour from turmeric.

Nasi Goreng Jempol (RM18) is a spicy fried rice - flavourful one dish meal with shelled prawns and chicken. Blend of sweet spicy savoury flavours smothering the tender nutty rice. Needless to say, it is best enjoyed with a bit of sharp sting from sambal chili (Javanese savoury dishes is like that).

Jennifer let me try a few of Niniq's Javanese style noodle dishes - Mie Bakso Sapi (RM18), Ayam Bumbur Rujak, and Gule Ayam Mee.

The noodle part of Mie Bakso Sapi is quite similar to "original flavour" 原味 wanton mee. The same tender crunchy egg noodles with a bit of aromatic fried shallot oil. Mix in a bit of sambal chili on the side, if you like more heat in your noodles. The dish comes with a crispy wanton filled with a knob of tender minced beef.

I like Niniq's beef balls - tender, juicy, savoury, beefy, sweet. Bits of tendon added springy crunch to the tender beef balls.

I enjoyed this Mie Bakso Sapi. To me, it's a nice alternative to get my "original flavour" wanton mee fix with a different beefy twist.

Ayam Bumbur Rujak Mie. Egg noodles served with chicken cooked with quite robust spicy curry.

Gule Ayam Mee. Egg noodles served splashed with chicken stewed with an aromatic, sweeter and less spicy curry. (It's like the "dry curry mee" I saw up north in the Peninsula.)

Empek Empek (RM16). The Javanese style fried fish cake has chewy texture like keropok lekor and tastes like Chinese style fish cake (savoury but with less taste of fish). It is eaten with vinegar sauce, so it tastes savoury sweet tangy together.

Dar Dar Jagung (RM11.50). Savoury sweet crispy cracker embedded with chopped long beans, carrot, and corn.

Risole Javanese style (RM11.50), a croquette with Portuguese roots.

Soft pan fried egg roll with creamy savoury sweet stewed chicken filling. Eaten with sweet savoury tangy rich mayonnaise.

Es Dawet, the Javan style of chendol (RM7.50).

Last but not least, I indulged in a Walnut Coffee cake at Niniq's patisserie section before calling it a day.

Indonesian Tea (price RM5). Smells and tastes exactly like the iconic Teh Botol (found everywhere in Indonesia) except that this was freshly brewed, hot and we can adjust the sugar level to our own liking.

👉 Thanks to Jennifer for the tasting and learning session about Javanese cuisine. It was delicious and very interesting. Niniq Javanese Cuisine has the most extensive menu of authentic Indonesian food in Johor. I will be back for my personal favourites like Beef Rawon with Nasi Liwet (and sambal chili!) and not forgetting Ayam Goreng Bakar. There's a lot more things I want to try 😄

Restaurant name: Niniq Javanese Cuisine
Address: 21, Jalan Molek 3/10, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°31'20.1"N 103°47'10.6"E | 1.522261, 103.786275
Waze: Niniq Javanese Cuisine
Tel: 07 352 4800
Hours: 9:00am to 10:00pm (Sunday off)

No pork, no lard, no alcohol

Date visited: 7 Sept 2018

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I stayed two nights at the newly opened Ramada Meridin @ Medini Hotel in Nusajaya, Johor Bahru. Opened on 1st July 2018, Ramada Meridin is JB's newest hotel but the family oriented hotel has already caught the eye of savvy tourists who know a good deal.

This was the view of Legoland Malaysia from my 20th floor room (the highest floor is 31). Ramada Meridin is literally located right on Jalan Legoland! 😄 Legoland is less than 3 minutes by car from Ramada Meridin @ Medini Hotel. It's a good value alternative for visitors (especially families) to Legoland Malaysia.

Ramada Meridin @ Medini Hotel is located in two of the three towers of Meridin @ Medini - a mixed commercial and residential development. The third tower comprises leased residences. At the moment, only one tower of Ramada Meridin is open - when both hotel towers are opened, there will be 688 hotel rooms available.

The hotel lobby is at ground level conveniently next to the drop off / pick up. From the ground floor, guests can access their rooms, restaurant sand facilities (at level 5) and car park.

In the future, there are retail shops (under renovation now) at the ground level.

There are three types of rooms - Classic Room (one bedroom), Deluxe Suite (one bedroom with separate hall) and Premium Suite (two bedrooms with hall).

I stayed in a Deluxe Suite.

In the spacious room, the decor had a resort, casual, funky, cheerful feel. I like this relaxing feel which fits in well with visiting Legoland and other family oriented recreational facilities in surrounding Nusajaya e.g. Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, Puteri Harbour Marina etc.

I slept extremely well on that thick mattress with just the right firmness. The room was spanking clean and smelled fresh.

The toilet is basic - no bathtub but there is a nice rain shower head for a refreshing wash after a sweaty day out. Full set of clean towels and amenities are provided.

The cheery living room is a nice place to chill.

There is a nice kitchenette with fridge and kettle (but no stove or oven).

The relatively large spaces in Ramada Meridin rooms make it a good choice for families travelling together.

(The other Ramada Meridin Hotel tower which is being fitted out now, will have a more conventional business hotel type decor.)

There is a simple but adequate working desk in the bedroom. 📶 Free WiFi with good signal strength is available throughout the hotel 😄 Good internet connectivity is something I appreciate but still could not take for granted in hotels.

Access to the floors and rooms are secured with digital contact key cards. That was my room 😄

The facilities and restaurants are at level 5.

There is an infinity pool looking out at a small tree covered knoll.

The swimming pool is a great place for quality family time.

The fountain and wading pool is the children's favourite.

The gym is basic with the essential cardio machines, a couple of benches and a set of dumbbells. (There is no sauna or steam room.)

During my stay, only Delish Restaurant was opened. I had breakfast, lunch and dinner here. (R's Restaurant, a Western food eatery which will also feature tandoor dishes will be opened soon, also on level 5.)

Delish Restaurant is led by Chef Mozart who started his career at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. He was with Ramada Plaza Melaka before taking up his new post at Ramada Meridin.

Mozart has lots of ideas for Delish Restaurant. During my stay, I tried their set lunches, fusion high tea and BBQ dinner buffet. More ideas like seafood buffet etc are in the pipeline for rolling out.

All rooms come with breakfast for two. The buffet has all the usual cereals, breads, pastries, salad, eggs, baked beans, hash brown, rice, porridge, noodles, fruits, coffee, tea and juices. My stay coincided with a long weekend, so breakfast time was really busy. I appreciate it that the food was topped up promptly and the service staff were cheerful and helpful despite the crowd.

During my stay, Delish Resturant was offering 6 different competitively priced value set meals.

My favourite was their Mee Kari Nyonya (Nyonya curry mee). The curry was based on prawn stock with coconut milk, herbs and curry spices. The prawn stock gave the curry a robust savoury crustacean umami base sweetened with coconut milk, flavoured with curry spices and aromatics like lemongrass, galangal etc. The curry had a nice, quite strong but fleeting chili sting in the aftertaste.

They were also quite generous with the taupok (fried bean curd), good size fresh prawns, squid rings, fish cake, eggs and chicken (but there were no cockles).

There were plenty of dishes in the menu to choose from but I had this curry mee twice during my stay. If you are in or around Medini, Nusajaya, check out this curry mee for lunch.

Suan liked this curry mee too - in fact, it was she who highlighted this dish to me.

Nasi Goreng Ayam Percik set with stuffed tofu pok (price RM22).

Teriyaki Chicken Skewer set which comes with garden salad and black glutinous rice porridge with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (price RM23).

Kids' favourite Fish & Chips set with soup of the day (price RM22). Children willingly fuelled up with this before dipping into the pool.

Fusion High Tea set for RM19 (not including the kopi). There's a mix of mini burger, grilled chicken, cakes and Malay kuih. Enjoy this pool side while relaxing, watching the sun set. Each high tea set is enough for two adults.

Try eating the pisang goreng in the high tea set with kicap manis pedas, the unique way Johoreans eat their sweet fried banana with a sweet savoury spicy sauce.

BBQ buffet night at RM95 for adults and children at RM45.

On the night we were there, there was seafood paella.

My favourite was the squid ink spaghetti. Mozart made this with real squid ink (not those store bought "squid ink" coloured spaghetti). The distinctive taste of squid ink was discernible in the pasta. Mozart cooked the spaghetti with lots of mussels and squid.

👉 Spanking new hotel conveniently located in Nusajaya, a stone's throw from Legoland. Good value for families. Spacious, clean, well appointed rooms, earnest friendly service, essential amenities available, nice restaurant with competitive pricing. Facilities and services like more restaurants, a lounge etc are still being added as the hotel was just opened less than 3 months ago. The business type hotel wing is now being renovated. (Foreign nationals pay a RM10 Tourism Tax per night stay.)

Disclosure: My stay was hosted by Ramada Meridin @ Medini Hotel.

Ramada Meridin Johor Bahru

Address: 5, Jalan Legoland, Nusajaya, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°25'19.0"N 103°37'47.0"E 🌐 1.421931, 103.629720
Waze: Hotel Ramada Meridin Johor Bahru
Tel: +60 7-531 8888

Dates visited: 9 - 10 Sep 2018

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During the annual Mooncake Festival, mooncakes are sold everywhere you turn. With mooncakes, mooncakes everywhere, it is hard to see that artisanal mooncake makers are disappearing in Singapore. Most mooncakes sold today are factory made.

Today, I met Chef Chan Hung Fai 陈洪辉 of Hung Fai Food Enterprise 洪辉食品 at his little workshop at Woodlands Loop - he is one of Singapore's last artisanal mooncake makers. Chef Chan was the OEM mooncake maker behind several famous hotel and restaurant brands during his heydays. Nowadays, more and more brands turn to OEM factories to make their mooncakes.

(OEM stands for original equipment manufacturer. It is a term originally used in the auto industry to describe manufacturers of generic car parts for brands.)

Chef Chan born in Dongguan in Guangzhou, China started working in 大官 restaurant in Hong Kong at age 16 in 1966. He apprenticed in the dim sum department and came to Singapore in 1974 to work in Golden Million restaurant in Peninsula Hotel as their dim sum chef. In 1979, Chef Chan moved to 新运楼 at the old National Stadium. At 新运楼, Chef Chan's responsibilities included making mooncakes and thus began his mooncake journey.

At Hung Fai Food Enterprise, Chef Chan's main product is egg noodles which he supplies to restaurants such as Noodle Place in 313 Orchard. Chef Chan learned how to make egg noodles from Chef Tang formerly the chef trainer of Crystal Jade. Chef Tang also hails from Guangzhou, China. There is a lot of mutual help and support among chefs from Hong Kong and Guangzhou working in Singapore.

Besides egg noodles and wanton skin, Chef Chan also makes seasonal food like nian gao 年糕 (sweet sticky rice cakes) during Chinese New Year, rice dumplings 粽子 during Dragon Boat Festival, mooncakes 月饼 during Mooncake Festival etc.

Chef Chan starts making mooncakes right after the Dragon Boat Festival in July as it is a long process. The first thing is to make the sugar solution for the lotus seed paste by boiling cane sugar. The sugar solution is allowed to sit for two months. It will ferment slightly giving the sweetness a slight tang.

Nowadays, Chef Chan uses only 70% of the amount of sugar he traditionally used as clients want low sugar mooncakes now. Reducing the amount of sugar used gives a less sweet mooncake (which I prefer) - Chef Chan uses only natural ingredients, never synthetic sweeteners.

Next key ingredient is the lotus seed paste. Chef Chan makes lotus seed paste from scratch using good quality lotus seeds from Yunnan 云南 in China. The lotus seeds are cooked and mashed into a paste. It is then allowed to rest for 10 days so that the paste is further smoothed and blended together like a thick cream. The lotus seed paste is then blended together with 70% sugar solution and greased with peanut oil.

Chef Chan uses only lotus seeds to make his lotus seed paste. Some mooncake makers use lotus seed paste bulked up with kidney beans (which dilutes the lotus seed flavour and aroma).

Everything is made from scratch at Hung Fai Food Enterprise. The staff was sieving flour for making the dough for the mooncake skin.

Chef Tong Peng Chong helping out at Chef Chan's workshop. Chef Tong was the dim sum chef of Mayflower restaurant 五月花酒楼. In his 70s now and happily retired, the unassuming highly respected chef come out of retirement briefly to give his buddy a hand during the busy mooncake festival - such is the bond of brotherhood among chefs from HK and Guangzhou in Singapore.

Hung Fai makes traditional flavour mooncakes and packs them in no frills, plain Jane boxes. They are good for folks who appreciate old school flavour mooncakes.

My favourite mooncake flavour is the good old pure lotus seed paste 纯正白莲. The lotus seed paste is smooth and the natural lotus seed taste is mild. It is not overly sweet at all. The browned pastry skin is thin.

Lotus Paste with Double Salted Egg Yolk 双黄白莲. Same lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk providing a bit of complementary savouriness to the mild sweetness.

Five Nuts (Kernels) mooncake 五仁. Five types of nuts and seeds consisting of coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, sesame seeds, walnut and almonds held together with maltose. Candied winter melon add a bit of layered sweetness.

Golden Ham 金腿. Same Five Nuts with bits of savoury sweet ham 火腿 in the mix.

Most of Hung Fai Food Enterprise's mooncakes are OEM for clients. Hung Fai house brand mooncakes are only sold through direct phone orders. If you like old school, traditional mooncakes in simple, no frills packaging, call 📞 6759 0250 to order and arrange for delivery of your mooncakes.

Date visited: 11 Sep 2018

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I am enjoying this book Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled: Decoding 25 Favourite Dishes produced by the Diploma in Baking and Culinary Science department of Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore.

The book covers 25 popular Singapore hawkers dishes from rice and noodles to meat and seafood, light meals and snacks to desserts. There is also a useful glossary for folks less familiar with local ingredients, sauces and condiments.

The book was published in conjunction with Singapore's Golden Jubilee in 2015 and Temasek Polytechnic's 25th Anniversary, hence the book features 25 dishes (out of over a hundred hawker dishes).

This book was produced by Temasek Poly's Diploma in Baking and Culinary Science team led by Petrina Lim. It's an A-team of chefs, food scientists, nutritionists, food stylists, food historians, as well as marketing and PR professionals. The team's depth of expertise and wealth of experience are reflected in the book. It is probably the most powerful assembly of brain power ever brought to bear in a book on the subject of Singapore hawker food.

The outcome is a gem which anyone with an interest in Singapore food need to read. Each dish is covered holistically in never seen before depth, yet remaining readable for a general audience.

The content is very easy to follow as the book is simply and logically structured.

Each featured dish starts with a picture of its traditional form. This is Singapore Hokkien mee served on opeh "leaf" (which is not a leaf but bark of betel nut tree).

I like it that the origins of each dish is briefly covered as I am a history buff and like to know where our food come from. Read about the creation of Fish Head Curry by Mr Gomez in 1950s Singapore, and Chili Crab by Mdm Cher in Bedok, also in the 1950s.

The different variations of the dish is discussed. I find this useful as most dishes have several interpretations by different language groups, regions and also evolve over time (which can make things confusing). For example, the article on oyster omelette explained the difference between orh luak, orh jian and orh nerng. Orh luak and orh jian are different names for the same dish - oyster omelette with starch batter. Orh nerng is oyster omelette with little or no starch batter.

I also found the little food science insights on the dishes helpful for a deeper understanding of the dish. For example, the "body" we feel in bak kut teh stock come from collagen that is melted into gelatin by boiling. When gelatin is cooled, the gelatin molecules bond together trapping water in between. The springy molecular lattice of gelatin molecules gives the stock the feel which we call "body" or richness. Don't I sound smart? 😛 Thanks to the book 😄

The recipe of each dish is presented so that we can replicate the dish in our own homes. Ingredients, portions and cooking steps are precisely spelt out. In my opinion, due to pressures of business, it is harder and harder for hawker dishes to remain authentic in hawker centres or food courts. The home is the place where the dishes have a better chance to be as close to the original as possible. I feel cooking enthusiasts are key to preserving our hawker food heritage. So, the recipes in this book are priceless.

The desired aroma, flavour profile and mouthfeel of each dish is simply and clearly described. This is very helpful as our tongue, mouth and nose are the world's best instruments to measure if a dish is prepared correctly. A proper record of how a dish tastes, smells and feel is crucial reference for future generations.

Photographs illustrate the key steps of how a dish is prepared.

Nutrition notes, so important for many people but I admit I don't really look at these when I am eating hawker food 😝 Just make sure it is all fresh natural ingredients, correctly prepared, eaten in moderation, I am happy liao (already).

Each recipe comes with Chef's Advice, pro-tips from chef instructors from Temasek Polytechnic. For example, when cooking curry fish head, thorough washing to remove all blood and blood clots will remove any fishy taste and odour from the fish (provided it is fresh, of course).

Tau Suan (mung bean dessert) reinvented.

Each featured hawker dish has a picture of an alternative presentation of the dish. I like this idea a lot because it signifies that Singapore's hawker culture is forward looking, open to new ideas, inclusive of interpretations, creative, dynamic, energetic, relevant and appealing to new generations, yet firmly rooted in the essence of tradition and heritage.

To whom do I recommend this book?

📙 Foodies and home cooks
📙 Visitors to Singapore
📙 Expatriates who want an immersive local experience
📙 History and heritage buffs.

Personally, I found the book an excellent resource and authoritative reference when I explore and blog about Singapore, and even Malaysia hawker food.

Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled is available in Singapore public (NLB) libraries.

Date: 13 Sep 2018

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When I saw Jeff Tan's Facebook post on the Foochow mee sua 福州面线 from Restoran Soon Chai 顺顺来美食中心 in Ulu Tiram, I quickly went to check it out. After visiting the restaurant, I am excited to tell my Hock Chew friends and friends from Sitiawan about the excellent house made Foochow noodles here.

Restoran Soon Chai is a quiet shop lot restaurant tucked away in a backstreet Jalan Denai 2 in Taman Bukit Jaya in laid back Ulu Tiram about 15km from downtown Johor Bahru. Soon Chai's clients are mostly residents and workers who live or work nearby. It is pretty much under the media radar, traditional or social media, maybe because it is quite ulu (remote).

The restaurant is run by Ms Lee and a helper. Ms Lee said that she had been running this eatery here for over 20 years. She hails from Sitiawan (Perak state) and her father was a Foochow noodle maker there for over 50 years till he retired recently. Ms Lee makes her own Foochow noodles for use in her restaurant.

Foochow people come from Mindong Region of China's Fujian province where Fuzhou 福州, the provincial capital is located. In Malaysia, Foochowese are concentrated in Yong Peng (Johor), Sitiawan (Perak) and Sibu (Sarawak). Sibu is referred to as "New Fuzhou" because of the large settlement of Foochowese there. Like all communities, Foochowese have their own signature dishes. The Mandarin name Fuzhou is transliterated in several ways such as Hock Chew, Foochow, Hokchiu, Hokchia etc. For this post, I shall use the name Foochow.

Ms Lee's Foochow noodles are made with just flour, salt and duck eggs - there's no lye water or preservatives, so the noodles must be eaten within 2 days. Ms Lee makes just enough Foochow noodles for her own use, so there is no mass production here.

Most noodle makers use chicken eggs or none at all, even in JB. Some even use synthetic colours to give the noodles an eggy yellow look. Duck egg noodles are like rare gems. Pure egg noodles (chicken or duck) have a pale yellowish tint. If you see bright yellow noodles, it is from lye water reaction with flour or food colouring or both.

Ms Lee used to also make her own Foochow mee sua but stopped as town council would not give approval for sun drying the rice noodles in open spaces. Since, she can't make mee sua the traditional sun dried way, Ms Lee did the next best thing. Now, Ms Lee gets her Foochow style sun dried mee sua from her friend in Sitiawan.

I ordered a red glutinous rice wine noodle 红糟酒面 instead of mee sua because I was eager to try out Ms Lee's house made noodles first (next time, I shall come back for the mee sua).

The red rice wine sauce was great. It had good round body, robust sweet sourish taste with slight underlying savouriness. The taste and heat from ginger was quite strong in the aftertaste. The sweet sourish bits of red yeast rice pulp in the red colour sauce also added to its body. Needless to say, Ms Lee made the red rice wine herself - it is a cherished Foochowese tradition.

Soon Chai's house made Foochow noodles were great. It was tender outside but was firmer inside - the layered tender firmness gave the noodles a slight chewy spring and bounce to the bite.

I followed up with a plate of Foochow fried noodles. Ms Lee was surprised at how much I could eat in one go 😄 (Actually, I was stretching myself to try more dishes 😂 )

The thicker Foochow noodles had more tender chewiness, and more bounce to the bite. The noodles were stir fried and then simmered briefly in a sweet savoury stock made with soy beans, mung kuang (Chinese turnip), stock bones and soy sauce. There were small pieces of fresh lean pork, fish cake, egg and leafy greens in the plate of noodles.

👉 Soon Chai 顺顺来美食中心 has a good range of Foochow noodle, mee sua and rice dishes. Hock Chew friends in JB needing a Foochow food fix can get it here. It is a bit ulu (remote) in Ulu Tiram but the house made noodles here are the nearest thing outside of Sitiawan. Worth the drive if you crave for authentic Hockchew noodles, mee sua, red rice wine etc. As for me, I have come to like Foochow food very much since long ago.

Looking at the menu, next time I want to try the red rice wine mee sua, lor mee and la la (clam) noodles.

Restaurant name: Restoran Soon Chai 顺顺来美食中心
Address: 2, Jalan Denai 2, Taman Bukit Jaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor
GPS: 1°35'55.2"N 103°48'28.5"E 🌐 1.598677, 103.807903
Waze: 2 Jalan Denai 2
Tel: 07 861 2680
Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm (Off day not fixed. Updates on Facebook page)

Date visited: 14 Sep 2018

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There are around 30 Shoon Huat 顺发肉骨茶 bak kut teh branches dotted around Johor Bahru making it the biggest BKT brand in the world. Shoon Huat BKT outlets all use the same blend of mild herbs and spices for their BKT stock, though each branch source for fresh pork separately. This morning, I revisited Restoran Soong Huat in Taman Desa Tebrau near JUSCO Tebrau and IKEA.

(All Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh outlets use the same Chinese name 顺發肉骨茶, but their English names are all spelt slightly differently - there's Soon Huat, Soong Huat, etc.)

This Soong Huat BKT shop is in a laid back quiet residential part of JB, a stone's throw from JUSCO Tebrau mall and IKEA Tebrau. This row of shops has come alive recently with major expansions of the two giant malls nearby and TOPPEN Shopping Centre opening next year (2019).

I was last here 6 years ago. Not much, if anything changed, except that Soong Huat has a new signboard but even this has weathered.

It's a simple shop lot restaurant with customers sauntering in on this quiet sunny Saturday morning. Most Shoon Huat outlets are set up with the cooking station in front, with the 顺發肉骨茶 sign above in bold red calligraphy.

The menu has all the usual range of BKT items like ribs, meat bones, add ons like liver, kidney, tripe, tendon, small intestines, pork belly, dried fish maw, enokitake mushrooms, you char kway, preserved vegetables, leafy greens etc. There's also stewed tau pok, stewed pork leg and sesame oil chicken. The prices are competitive.

The last time I was here in August 2012, I didn't try their bak kut teh but opted for braised pork leg and sesame oil chicken instead. So, this time, I had their bak kut teh. Using Shoon Huat parent shop at Jalan Sutera Satu in Taman Sentosa as the benchmark, the BKT stock at Soong Huat @ Jalan Harmonium is pretty close, if not more or less the same.

Soong Huat's BKT soup looks like over diluted tea.

It's the same Shoon Huat type of light watery body, gentle, well balanced, soothing savoury herbal sweet garlicky broth. For me, it wasn't love at first taste (I used to prefer soup with body and robust taste) but I've come to appreciate Shoon Huat's style of BKT broth very much.

There are at least 3 major variants of bak kut teh. The peppery white Teochew style of Singapore, the herbal dark heavy stock Hokkien style of Klang, and the JB style which Shoon Huat is the best known representative.

I am not a fan of canned button mushrooms (or anything canned in general) but I soon realised that the savouriness of canned button mushrooms blend well into Shoon Huat's BKT broth.

The garlic cloves that give the soup a garlicky aftertaste. I had at least 6 of these today, so I had garlic breath the whole day 👃😄

Pig tails never fail me 😄 Tender meat, soft tender fat, tender chewy skin - a perfect mix of textures in my opinion. Layers of natural sweetness dwell in the juices of the fat and meat, released onto our taste buds when we chewed on it.

When I am tasting food, I try to order and taste one dish at a time. If I didn't enjoy myself with one dish, I still have calorie quota left for another dish, or another eatery 😛 I was pleased with the pig tail here, so I followed up with a pot of pork ribs 😄

The meat on the ribs was slightly more chewy even though they fell off the bone easily. Compared to pig tail, ribs have slightly less natural sweetness and don't have the tenderness of fats.

👉 If you are shopping in JUSCO Tebrau or IKEA and want to get a JB style bak kut teh fix, it is just 2 minutes drive away at Soong Huat at Jalan Harmonium. Soong Huat's BKT is pretty close to the same as at the parent shop in Taman Sentosa.

Read my earlier post on Soong Huat about their stewed pork leg and sesame oil chicken👈 click

Shoon Huat parent shop at Jalan Sutera Satu in Taman Sentosa 👈 click

Restaurant name: Restoran Soong Huat 顺发肉骨茶
Address: 31, Jalan Harmonium 23/14, Taman Desa Tebrau, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/xjJsq
GPS: 1.554723,103.795432
Hours: 9:00am to 8:00pm (closed on Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 24 August 2012, 15 Sep 2018

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You know, I stumbled upon this San Lou fish ball stall at the old 3 storey flats in Stulang Darat 7 years ago. As I travel only on one stomach, I KIVed this stall for a future visit. Many things / distractions intervened and I forgot. Last night, buddy Kevin reminded me about this hand made fish ball stall. Finally, I tasted this well hidden gem, and gladly recommend it to you, 7 years late.

At the tiny stall, the little simple signboard says 阿山自制手工鱼丸.辣沙 Ah San Handmade Fish Balls & Laksa.

Owner 阿梅 Ah Mei's father-in-law founded the stall right here at the 3 storey flats over 40 years ago. She has been running the stall for over 20 years.

Ah San Fish Ball stall is located at the inside block of 3 storey flats at Stulang Darat, so it is not visible from the road. A hidden gem, literally.

Ah San Fish Ball is run right out of Ah Mei's family home. Most of the customers live in the 3 storey flats (the birth place of several JB food legends - a story I will tell on another day). It's a come as you are place - every body feels at home, I feel very comfortable here. I saw a grandpa and his grandson. I also saw former residents coming back on a Sunday morning for that familiar taste and camaraderie (kampung spirit).

I had a laksa since it is available only on Saturday and Sunday, and 10 fish balls which was the real reason I came here.

The laksa was served kosong i.e. just our choice of noodles and curry laksa. We added our choice of ingredients which were charged accordingly. I chose fried fish cake, squid tentacles, tofu and chili pepper stuffed with fish paste.

This might be called the Johor style of curry laksa - relatively light body made of pork and chicken bone stock with (not too much) fresh coconut milk. It tasted sweet with a mildly spicy aftertaste. I liked it. (If you are looking for the hae bee 虾米 or prawny savoury kind of curry laksa, this is not it.)

That small golden brown fried fish cake, what can I say? Shiok lah.

The tender, spongy, squeaky mouthfeel fried fish cake tasted savoury sweet of the fresh fish kind.

I liked everything here: the green chili pepper was fresh, so it was crunchy and juicy. The fish paste filling was naturally sweet. The tofu and its fish paste filling was just as nice. The squid tentacle was tender, crunchy and had that signature taste of dried squid.

Ah San's fish balls are among the best in Johor.

The clear watery light body soup was mildly savoury sweet.

Ah Mei makes the fish balls with minced Yellowtail tail fish meat 黄尾鱼. The fish ball surface was slightly rough, the size were all about the same but the shape was irregular as they were hand made. The texture was tender, springy and had a softy squeaky chewy mouthfeel to the bite.

The fish tasted well balanced savoury sweet of the fresh fish kind. It was not salty and neither was it sugary sweet. Ah Mei uses no preservatives, so the fish balls must be eaten within 24 hours - never a problem with Ah San fish balls.

I bumped into Ah Kim, owner of Ah Kim fish soup stall in Taman Pelangi (one of JB's best). Ah Kim grew up in these 3 storey flats. His mum still lives here, so he pays her a visit and gets his Ah San fish ball fix, which he grew up with.

I later found out from Ah Mei that Ah Kim paid for my meal before he took his leave, so I don't know how much it costs. Thank you, pal 🙏

I like Ah San's fish balls and stuffed tofu / chili peppers so much that I ordered a second round to fill up any spare space in my stomach. These for RM7.50.

More of the same, more pleasure. Shiok lagi.

4-Star (out of 5).

👍 Ah San Handmade Fish Ball & Laksa stall 阿山自制手工鱼丸.辣沙 tucked away inside the Stulang Darat 3 storey flats is a favourite local hangout as they serve one of the best fish balls in Johor Bahru. My favourite is the fried fish cake. If you like authentic local foodie experiences away from well beaten tracks, you may like to give this little hidden gem a try.

A 1960s vintage children's playground at the 3 storey flats.

There were similar flats and a dove theme playground in Singapore's Dakota Crescent which had been demolished👈 click

Three storey flat residents are served by a Chinese temple at their doorsteps.

Restaurant name: Ah San Handmade Fish Ball & Laksa stall 阿山自制手工鱼丸.辣沙
Address: Jalan Stulang Darat (ground floor house unit at 3-storey flats facing inside), Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°28'21.8"N 103°46'42.9"E 🌐 1.472715, 103.778580
Waze: Restoran Come & Eat Teochew Muay (Ah San is at the next block just inside)
Hours: 6:00am to 12:00 noon (closed on Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 16 Sep 2018

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I have been asked many times by Singaporeans on where to get pork or duck blood curd, duck egg, wild boar and other food banned on the sunny island. Planning a day trip for buddy Milton, I decided to put together a JB trail of Singapore banned food - I shall call it the Forbidden Food Trail of Johor. The trail shall keep to just JB and Pontian so that it can be done as a day trip from Singapore.

✔ Pork Blood Curd

Rong Shu Xia 榕树下粿条仔 near Plaza Pelangi for pork blood curd (Jalan Maju 🕙 6:30am - 12 noon Weds off). RSX is one of JB's popular kway teow kia shops and it usually has a stock of pork blood curd. The shop opens at 6:30am, so it's a good place for early birds to start their trail.

✔ Toddy (fermented coconut flower bud sap)

Pick up a litre bottle of toddy in downtown JB at Jalan Sulaiman (🕙10am - 4pm). The bad thing for early birds is, because the shop opens only at 10am, you are stuck around town till 10am (if you must have your toddy fix). The good news for late starters is, you can swing by the toddy shop first to have your toddy here, or take away your litre bottle of sweet sourish coconut wine to pair with your blood curd or wild boar meat lunch.

✔ Duck Egg Char Kway Teow

Double shot duck egg fried kway teow at Dwi Lapan kopitiam in Tun Aminah (Jalan Phalawan 2 🕙 7am - 3pm Fri off). This fits in nicely on the way to Pontian for wild boar meat. Ask for a double shot of duck eggs for more duck egg flavour (I mean 2 eggs, not 2 plates) - might as well right?

(Note: Duck eggs are not banned officially in Singapore. Import is allowed, if they meet AVA set conditions. However, no one has applied to import duck eggs for nearly a decade already.)

✔ Duck Blood Curd

Sin Hai Cheng for duck blood curd in Skudai (Jalan Emas Putih 2 🕙 11am - 9pm Weds off). The only place that I know in JB to reliably get duck blood curd. Unfortunately, SHC closes on Wednesdays, so you got to plan your trip around it, if duck blood curd is a must for you. (Even here, blood supply is irregular, so best to call them ☎ +607-557 7279 before you go.)

✔ Wild Boar

Wild boar in Pontian (Jalan Kukup 🕙 11am - 5pm). This is my favourite place for wild boar in Johor. Their "melon boar" when it is available is comparable to Iberico pork in texture and just as sweet, I kid you not. The eatery is actually in the verandah of a private home in rural Pontian, so that is itself a unique dining experience for city folks. Call Mr or Mrs Chuang at ☎ +6012 765 2782 before coming - it's 1.5 hours drive from JB town, so don't want to have a wasted trip.

Fa Shao wild boar meat in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (Jalan Temenggong 11 🕙 5:30pm - 11pm Tues off). Back in JB from Pontian, if you need more wild boar, swing over to TUTA near 777 Food Court for more curry wild boar or wild boar in peppery soup for a change. Made with 胡椒根 pepper root, it has sharper heat than any peppery bak kut teh in Singapore.

If you are in JB on Saturday evening, you can shoot to Jalan Gereja, Ulu Tiram for wild boar in peppery soup, but it is a bit out of the way especially if you are coming back from Pontian. (This place would be handy, if you are shopping at nearby JUSCO Tebrau or IKEA Tebrau.)

✔ Duck Egg Char Kway Teow (night)

If you are back in town by the evening, you can get another shot at duck egg char kway teow at stall #63 at Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre (Jalan Keris). Again, go for double shot - it's your last chance before heading back to the sunny island.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

On a final note, if you must have chewing gum, almost all petrol stations, convenience shops, and supermarkets have it. (I am not sure if you can cross the border with it though.)

(Note: Medical chewing gum with doctor's prescription is allowed in Singapore.)

👉 There you are, a joyful day in Johor just because you are indulging in food you are banned from eating back home 😛 More details in the links below on the food stalls mentioned 👉

✔ Duck Egg

88 Char Kway Teow 👈 click
Stall 61 Sri Tebrau Char Kway Teow 👈 click

✔ Duck Blood Curd

Sin Hai Cheng braised duck 👈 click

✔ Pork Blood Curd

Rong Shu Xia kway teow kia👈 click

✔ Wild Boar

笨珍三不卖野味 👈 click
Fa Shao wild boar meat👈 click
Seng Huat Ulu Tiram boar meat 👈 click

✔ Toddy

Toddy shop at Jalan Sulaiman 👈 click

This post will be updated from time to time with more Singapore banned food.

Date: 17 Sep 2018

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Met Yap SC at a Johor Arts Festival event, and inevitably, we exchanged notes on new food finds in JB 😄 SC told me about this nasi briyani place in Taman Pelangi which he had been to 3 or 4 times recently. He said a few things but when he mentioned country goat and goat intestines, I went "OKOK I must go try this tomorrow"😂

The Kettingi opened at Jalan Serampang in Taman Pelangi 1.5 years ago. The simple eatery is an offshoot from Chakra Restaurant, a well known Indian restaurant in Johor Bahru. The Kettingi owner, Venu Shanmugan used to work at Chakra where his brother N Shanmugan is the co-owner.

The Kettingi has a wide range of North and South Indian dishes, but I just focused on their nasi briyani today. There's country goat and goat intestines as Yap SC mentioned. I ordered the country goat (and kept in view the goat intestines and venison for future visits).

While waiting for my order, I can smell the aroma of spices from the kitchen. Nowadays, spice aroma which is a signature of Indian eateries can no longer be taken for granted.

The country goat briyani was served warm in a claypot. The country goat was buried in a mound of yellow, orange, red and white long grain basmati rice. There was a bit of slight spice aroma but its presence was not like a perfume.

The rice and meat were cooked separately i.e. not dum briyani. The rice is pre-cooked and the meat cooked just before serving.

The basmati rice was cooked with ghee and spices. Though not overly greasy, it was well oiled. The long rice grains coated with slick were tender yet nutty, with chopped almonds adding a bit of crunch.

The spice flavour was mild but every mouthful was punctuated with bursts of perfume when we bite into a star anise, clove, cardamon spice etc.

The briyani is served with a cup of curry, if you like more spicy kick in your rice. I didn't use it at all as I like my briyani this way - just sufficiently flavoursome with spice highlights here and there. This moderate form of briyani, I can eat everyday without feeling gelak (bored) quickly.

The local country goat were cut into small pinkie size pieces. They were generous with the amount of meat served as Yap SC said - there were up to 8 - 10 pieces of these. (Personally, I prefer the meat cut in bigger chunks to retain more natural juices and flavours but that would mean fewer pieces.)

The meat were tender and well infused with spice flavours. But, I was still able to taste the natural gamey taste of country goat. I like it this way - goat must have goat taste mah 😋

The country goat comes with bone, so there was no discount in flavour to cater for elegant eating or convenience.

There's a cup of curry, if you need more spicy kick and a cup of raita (cooked salad with yogurt), if you need a bit our sourish zest to cut through the grease. I needed neither - the briyani was just nice for me as it was.

I shall be back to try briyani with local raised country deer 😄

Gather a few kaki for briyani feast 😄

Restaurant name: The Kittengi. The Briyani Experience
Address: 10, Jalan Serampang, Taman Tebrau Jaya, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°29'02.1"N 103°46'02.0"E 🌐 1.483912, 103.767210
Tel: 07-333 6789
Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm (alternate Monday off)

Date visited: 18 Sept 2018

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When I have friends from Hong Kong or Guangzhou China visiting, I like to prank them by taking them to eat Malaysian chee cheong fun 豬腸粉 😂 What Malaysians have done to their beloved staple, never fails to amaze and amuse them. In Johor Bahru, I will take them to either G Cheong Fun in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (or Kampar Chee Cheong Fun in Taman Johor Jaya).

G Cheong Fun in TUTA occupying 2 shop lots is certainly the largest chee cheong fun shop in Johor (and perhaps even in Malaysia). Please let me know if you have come across a chee cheong fun specialist this large anywhere - GZ or HK perhaps, but I don't know.

G Cheong Fun is often busy as it is popular among locals.

In HK and GZ where chee cheong fun came from, it is a rice roll made by steam cooking thin sheets of rice film make with a blend of rice and tapioca flour. Every shop have their own recipe - the ideal CCF is thin, soft and gives off rice flavour and aroma with every bite.

CCF is served plain or with char siew 叉燒腸, mince pork 猪肉粉, beef 牛肉腸, fresh shrimps 蝦腸, dried shrimps 蝦米腸, you char kway 炸兩 etc folded into the roll. Malaysians have taken the traditional CCF further. The quintessentially Cantonese staple has been localised with Indian, Malay and Hakka influences.

I like the Malaysian way of eating CCF and the place for it in JB is at G. Cheong Fun.

G Cheong Fun serves different kinds of chee cheong fun with various sauces and Hakka yong tau foo style side dishes.

G Cheong Fun has kampar style CCF, Anson style (with bits of preserved turnip, fried shallot, dried shrimp embedded) and HK style char siew CCF (char siew roll). There are 4 types of dressing sauces - aromatic oil with light soy sauce, sweet savoury sauce, spicy savoury sauce, and curry sauce.

My favourite is the Kampar 金寶 style with curry sauce. Kampar is a small town 32km south of Ipoh in Malaysia's Perak state.

Kampar style chee cheong fun is made with rice sheets cut into long narrow strips like kway teow (rice ribbon noodles). At G Cheong Fun, the strips were quite thick but still smooth, soft and spongy.

We always have our chee cheong fun doused in curry sauce which was mildly sweet spicy savoury and it was layered with sweetness from the chee cheong fun.

At G. Cheong Fun, there are many side dishes to go with your CCF which can be quite bewildering for first timers. But after a while, I just fall back on my usual favourites.

The crispy deep fried items are popular but I always go for the softer stuff like steamed fried pork skin, steamed tofu skin, steamed long beans, sambal cockles and stewed chicken feet.

I didn't see much changes since I was first here in 2012, except that the Kampar style chee cheong fun are no longer hand cut, and the food are now delivered in this convenient multi-tiered caddie - simple and effective.

Our order today, kampar chee cheong fun with curry sauce, stewed chicken feet, steamed fried pork skin, steamed long beans, steamed tofu skin, meat roll, chili yong tau fu, and yam cake.

We managed to forget to order sambal cockles this time 😂 Have not been here for too long already 😂 Don't make the same mistake as me if you like sambal and cockles - together, they are an unbeatable combination.

We enjoyed our CCF with steamed fried pork skin and steamed long beans which came splashed with curry sauce.

The steamed pork skin was like a soft mesh that sponged up the curry with all its sweet savoury flavours. Fold this together with the strands of Kampar chee cheong fun and we have an interesting mix of textures and flavours.

The steaming treatment softens the natural crunch in long beans but not completely.

My favourite thing on this plate was the steamed fried tofu skin. Soft sweet CCF with soft savoury steamed fried tofu skin. Yums.

I am a big fan of Cantonese style yam cake. These at G. Cheong Fun with chunky pieces of yam embedded in the tender yam paste cake was flavoursome and aromatic. A bit of traditional Chinese 5-spice and fried dried shrimps provided the flavour accents.

👉 Chee cheong fun is easy to enjoy. I feel the Malaysian style is more fun to eat because there are more varieties of flavours, aromas and textures than the original rice rolls from HK and GZ. In JB, the place to get Malaysian style CCF is at G. Cheong Fun 怡保 (手工) 猪肠粉.

Read about G Cheong Fun in 2012👈 click
Read about HK friends visiting G Cheong Fun in 2013 👈 click

Kampar Chee Cheong Fun shop in Johor Jaya👈 click

Restaurant name: G. Cheong Fun Restaurant
Address: 176, Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://g.co/maps/74j47
GPS: 1.521331,103.663409
Hours: 6:30am to 1:00pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Non Halal

Date visited: 10 Feb 2012, 22 Aug 2018

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If you like your prawn noodles with rich robust crustacean savoury stock and options for pork tail, cartilage and big 250 gram fresh sea Tiger prawns, then I recommend you 北海仔虾面 stall at Jia Qin coffee shop in Taman Perling.

北海仔虾面 prawn noodle stall is one of around 6 - 8 stalls at the busy Jia Qin coffee shop at Jalan Rawa in Taman Perling. Opened in 2015, 北海仔虾面 has built a strong following among JB foodies.

Stall holder Mr Lim hails from Butterworth, Penang hence the name 北海仔虾面 which literally means "Butterworth Boy Prawn Noodles". Mr Lim serves the Penang style of prawn mee (known as Hokkien mee over there).

On top of the standard Penang prawn mee serving, there are optional add ons of pork intestine, pork tail, cartilage, pig skin, sea prawn and large sea prawn (around 250 gram each).

Each of us had a bowl of prawn noodle each.

Each serving comes with two prawns about the size of our forefinger.

We added on cartilage and pig tail which are my favourite cuts.

北海仔虾面's stock is made by boiling pork socket bones and three different types of prawn heads. The prawn heads infuse deep layers of savouriness into the stock. The dissolved tendon, cartilage and marrow from the socket bone impart body to the stock. This basic stock is already sufficiently flavourful for me - the moderate body soup tastes prawny savoury with mild underlying spiciness.

Stir in the sambal chili and the savoury umami kick and body zoomed to stratospheric delicious levels.

We indulged in a 250 gram big sea prawn for RM28.

The Tiger prawn was fresh and meaty. The Tiger prawn meat was tender, crunchy, sweet with underlying subtle sea brininess.

4-Star (out of 5).

👍 At ~~this~~ any price point, I can't think of a better place than JB Taman Perling's 北海仔虾面 stall to indulge in prawn noodles with rich robust prawn stock and large fresh sea Tiger prawns.

Read my earlier post on Buttterworth Boy prawn mee stall in 2016👈 click

Restaurant name: 北海仔虾面 stall inside 家亲茶餐室 Jia Qin coffee shop
Address: 159, Jalan Rawa, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.472722, 103.669511 🌐 1°28'21.8"N 103°40'10.2"E
Waze: Jia Qin Restaurant
Hours: 7:00am to 1:00pm (Closed on Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 4 Apr 2016, 22 Sep 2018

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Came back to this back street Hock Chew food restaurant in this ulu 鳥不生蛋的地方 place in JB where even "birds won't come to lay eggs" for their red rice wine mee suah. (Relax, this place is just 15 minutes from JUSCO / IKEA Tebrau and Waze takes you to the doorstep.)

I tasted Ms Lee's house made Hock Chew noodles last week at her Restoran Soon Chai 顺顺来美食中心 in Ulu Tiram but missed her popular red rice wine mee suah as I travel only on one stomach.

Ms Lee used to make her own traditional Hock Chew sun dried mee suah at her shop until city council disapproved sun drying noodles in the open. So, now she gets her sun dried mee suah from her friend who makes it in Sitiawan in Malaysia's Perak state.

We started with a red rice wine mee suah 紅酒面線. It's mee suah and chicken served in reddish red rice wine stock (price RM8.50).

The full body red rice wine stock tasted sourish sweet with slight underlying savouriness. The red rice wine had a sweet aroma. There was also a bit of heat from crunchy julienned ginger.

The mee suah was done soft al dente (different from the slimy slippery soft mee suah of Taipei, Taiwan). The mee suah had little flavour of its own but tasted sourish sweet from the red rice wine clinging to the slender strands.

We also had 红糟酒面 which is red rice wine with bits of residual pulp from fermented glutinous rice. The soft bits of rice pulp imparted thickness and sweetness to the stock, making it taste sweet sourish (instead of sourish sweet compared to the red rice wine).

👉 If you are craving for authentic red rice wine mee suah in JB, you can get it at Restoran Soon Chai in Ulu Tiram at 顺顺来美食中心.

Red more about Restoran Soon Chai's house made Hock Chew noodles👈 click

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Steamboat restaurants are everywhere in Johor Bahru and more are sprouting up regularly. So, it is quite hard for any steamboat place to stand out from the crowd. After dinner at Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝, this relatively young steamboat restaurant is among our favourites in Johor Bahru now.

For centuries, Chinese families bond over soup and steamboat, so the family themed Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 is very popular with families.

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 is a relatively large restaurant covering two storeys. The main dining hall is at the ground level. On the upper level, there are private rooms and an al fresco dining area overlooking Jalan Serampang.

The furnishings are basic but well spaced out (so the restaurant feels cosy and spacious). Each table is equipped with easy to operate induction cookers. The decor is simple, the place is clean and comfortable.

About 10 parking lots are available in front of Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝. They provide valet service for spillover traffic.

When I visit a steamboat restaurant, the three main things I look out for are the soup base, ingredients and the dipping sauces. Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 is strong in all three.

When you enter Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝, straight ahead at the entrance, you will see this mural "Blessings start from this pot of soup" 幸福从这一锅汤开始. There is a photo of one of Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝's partner's mother with the phrase "A bowl of soup for mum" 给妈妈的一碗汤.

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 has eight soup bases which are all made by long boiling of natural ingredients without any MSG, just like mum's soup. Hence, when you enter Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝, the staff will greet you "Welcome home" 歡迎回家.

There's chicken soup (RM13.80++), Japanese Miso Kimchi (RM13.80++), Japanese Shoyu (RM18.80++), Tomato soup (RM8.80), Hokkaido Herbal Pork (RM13.80++), Spicy soup (RM13.80++), Bak Kut Teh soup (RM32.90++), Collagen soup (RM39.90++) etc. Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 is experimenting and coming out with more soup base from time to time.

We went for the bak kut teh and collagen soup because I have never heard of BKT soup as soup base for steamboat. I have also not had collagen soup before.

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝's BKT soup can give any bak kut teh specialist shop a run for their money. The soup is made with Iberico pork ribs in a herbal broth with quality soy sauce. The tasty broth tasted mildly savoury herbal with underlying sweetness from the pork ribs.

The Iberico pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy and had a soft chew to the bite. The moist meat tasted naturally sweet. There were 6 pieces of pork ribs in our serving of BKT soup.

The collagen soup was made by boiling chicken and chicken feet till they dissolved into gelatine. The gelatine was then chilled and reboiled when served. It is 100% natural collagen (no chemical jelly is used).

The gelatine was melted into a thick, heavy, full body soup which tasted mildly savoury with subtle sweetness. In the mouth, the collagen soup felt like a syrup with a bit of slick tackiness on the lips.

There are a couple of hundred ingredients on the menu. We put many through the buk kut teh and collagen soup. All the meat - pork, beef, fish, prawns and clams - were fresh. The prawns, clams and fish were live.

Hand chopped prawn paste (price RM18.90++).

老虎虾 Sea Tiger Prawn (price RM31.90++).

Prawn lovers can indulge in these live sea Tiger prawns which were crunchy, sweet with very subtle sea brininess.

These live clams were quite addictive. When cooked, the meat was smooth like half boiled eggs. When we bite into it, the meat was just slightly firmer than half boiled egg with a bit of crunchy tissue in the mostly soft juicy body. The meat was sweet with a bit of ocean brininess. My favourite 😋

龙虎斑 Live Grouper (seasonal price). This fish cost RM110++ today.

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 Steamboat Premium Australian Beef

澳洲雪花牛肉 Premium Australia Beef (price RM38.90++).

三层肉 Pork Belly (price RM14.90++).

羊腿肉 Lamb Shank (price RM31.90++).

黑毛猪五花肉 Iberico Pork Collar (price RM33.90++).

We had a few cuts of beef - they were all soft, beefy and sweet. We also had New Zealand lamb which was rather gamey - I like it.

Seafood noodles made with a blend of hand chopped fish, prawn and squid. The flavour leaned slightly more on the squid, so squid lovers will like this.

Dumpling lovers have a choice of fish, prawn and pork dumplings.

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 Steamboat Fried Tofu Skin

I enjoyed this ultra crispy fried tofu skin.

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 Steamboat Bak Kut Teh Soup

Our bak kut teh soup was topped up regularly free of charge. (There is no top up for the collagen soup.)

Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 Steamboat Dip & Sauce Bar

The dip and sauce bar has about 30 different types of sauces. All are house blended. Customers are free to help themselves to the dips and sauces without additional charges.

Besides steamboat, Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝's yakitori department is quite impressive too.

Japanese grade A5 Wagyu beef (price RM20 per 10 gram). Lightly grilled and flamed to medium rare doneness. The thin slice of Wagyu was soft and juicy with rich yet gentle beefy sweetness.

Besides steamboat there is seafood, chicken, beef, pork, sausage, vegetable yakitori. Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 blend their own yakitori sauces from scratch.

I love this Enoki mushroom bundle wrapped in a strip of fatty bacon. The sweet mushrooms were spongy, juicy and crunchy complemented by the smoky savoury sweet grilled bacon.

Grilled pork belly (price RM16.90++).

Fried chicken wings with house blended marination (price RM5.90++).

Grilled squid made with grade A squid from Mersing town (price RM24.90++ each).

👉 We enjoyed ourselves at Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝 steamboat / yakitori as we like the lovingly made MSG free soup base, live / fresh ingredients and interesting dips. Pricing is competitive. The family oriented ambiance is simple but comfortable. The service was attentive and friendly too (but not gimmicky, over the top).

Disclosure: Please note that this was an invited tasting.

Restaurant name: Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝
Address: 33, Jalan Serampang, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°29'03.9"N 103°46'07.3"E 🌐 1.484425, 103.768700
Waze: Kofuku-Tei Restoran
Tel: 014-611 1668
Hours: 5:00pm - 2:00am (opens at 12:00 noon on Sat and Sun)

Non Halal

Date visited: 24 Sep 2018

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I first passed this way, way back in 2012. I marked it down as a place to return to but never did until this morning - 6 years later. San Lou Cafe is a hidden gem close to the heart of San Lou residents who live in these 3 storey flats at Stulang Darat, many for over 5 decades.

San Lou Cafe is at the corner of Blok B - a gathering place of residents of the 3 storey flats and JB folks who know where the good food are in town. Thanks to Littlestarz Serene for tipping me off to this hidden gem.

San Lou Cafe is a laid back rather dingy eatery - not a hipster cafe by any means but it is not short on personality and feel. Folks saunter in on this Tuesday morning like any morning for the past 50 years.

Take a seat inside but don't wait for someone to come to show you the menu and take your orders.

Go straightaway to the kitchen at the back to hand pick your fresh fish / seafood and make your orders.

San Lou Cafe is run by the Lee family who lives at the 3 storey flats. According to the elder Lee, their dishes are all home cooking style - literally from their home to the shop.

Two of us, we had 4 dishes - fried sole fish, la la clams, fried eggs with krill, and fried sayur manis. Yes, they were those familiar dishes mums and dads cook at home.

The Dragon Tongue sole fish 龙舌鱼 was fried to a golden brown crisp outside.

The white inside was tender and moist which complemented the crispness outside. The white meat had a mild natural sweetness. The sole fish was quite bony.

I love San Lou Cafe's la la clams.

The la la clams were very well cleaned - there was no sand or grit at all. The tender and juicy clam meat was naturally sweet with ocean brininess.

The shallow pool of la la clam stock at the bottom of the plate tasted mainly of the la la clams' briny sweetness with underlying taste of Chinese cooking wine and a bit of subtle heat from julienned ginger.

Delicious.

Enjoyed this omelette packed with fresh krill (small shrimps). The omelette tasted mainly briny from the soft krill with underlying egginess.

Can you see the little black peering eyes of the krill? 😮

I am a big fan of sayur manis and will order it whenever it is available. I love the crunch and squeaky bite of the leafy greens. The vegetable's green sweetness was complemented with slight egginess and savouriness from sauces / stock.

We love every dish we had today.

But, wait - we can't leave without tasting San Lou Cafe's signature dessert.

Irresistible Orh Nee 芋泥 - San Lou Cafe serves an excellent rendition of this classic Teochew sweet indulgence.

Each spoonful of orh nee had layers of sweetness from the smooth yam paste, pumpkin, and gingko nuts complemented by subtle savouriness from lard. One of the most notorious enemies in the "war on diabetes" but it doesn't take much to persuade me into sweet surrender.

4-Star (out of 5).

I am so pleased to have lunch at San Low Cafe 三楼咖啡屋 at the historic 3 storey flats at Stulang Darat. It's a great place for an authentic JB foodie experience with homely Teochew dishes expertly executed with fresh ingredients. Overall, the flavours were mild and well balanced, emphasising the natural taste of the quality ingredients.

Our total bill for four dishes and orh nee dessert plus rice came to RM68. We feel it is very reasonable.

I shall be back very soon to try more dishes at San Lou Cafe such as their popular signature asam pedas fish.

Restaurant name: San Lou Cafe 三楼咖啡屋
Address: Jalan Stulang Darat (ground floor house unit at 3-storey flats facing inside), Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°28'21.8"N 103°46'42.9"E 🌐 1.472715, 103.778580
Waze: Restoran Come & Eat Teochew Muay (San Lou Cafe is at the next block just inside)
Tel: +6012 791 7868
Hours: 7:00am to 2:00 pm (closed on Thurs)

Non Halal

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When I ask Kota Tinggi folks what is good to eat in their hometown, Yap Fong Noodle House 叶芳面家 always come up in the top 3 (along with Kiang Kee Bak Kut Teh and Kedai Masakan Kampung Ibrahim for sambal chili horseshoe crab).

Most locals know Yap Fong Noodle House as the "noodle place at the Kota Tinggi bridge". Yap Fong is just north of the Jalan Besar bridge across Sungai Johor. We arrived early at 11am (just after Kiang Kee bak kut teh) so the gates were still shut 😂

So, we hung out around town to kill time. Also good lah, I found the hard case handphone cover at the right price which I couldn't find in JB 😃

Yap Fong opens at 12:30pm with customers waiting for the folding gate to open.

The Yap brothers now run Yap Fong founded by their grandfather over 50 years ago. Yap Fong has generations of loyal customers for their house made noodles, which we soon found out why.

Besides the house made noodles, there's that heap of brown fried stuff in the blue basket at the back which immediately caught our attention.

The only way to know what these brown lumpy things were, was to eat it 😄

Yap Fong Noodle House serve their unique take on Hakka noodles. We ordered two sets of noodles, one with chili sauce and the other without. Each set come with a bowl of soup with yong tau foo, fish ball and fried meat ball (those fried brown things).

~~Messy~~ Flamboyant splashes of dark soy sauce, lard and chili sauce laid at the bottom of the plate. The mound of noodles was topped with char siew slices, stewed mince pork and chopped scallion.

The noodles were slender but relatively thick and heavy. They had a firm but crunchy tender feel to the bite. Coated with the savoury spicy blend of soy sauce, lard and chili sauce, this was a marvellous plate of noodles.

Nice Hakka yong tau foo, both the boiled and fried versions. They were nice as the bean curd and minced pork fillings were fresh and generous.

The yong tau foo was nice but it was these fried minced pork that were particularly memorable. The fried minced pork ball and roll were spiked with savoury bits that felt and tasted like tiny pieces of crushed salted fish bones. The crispy deeply savoury bits added spikes of savoury flavour to the mildly savoury fried meat ball. When we asked the owners, they said there were fried bean curd skin in it and the rest are trade secrets from their grandfather 😄

With the QQ texture house made noodles and unique fried meat balls, I can understand why 叶芳面家 Yap Fong Noodle House have such a hold on generations of Kota Tinggi folk. We found Yap Fong's Hakka noodles quite addictive too 😋

Combine Yap Fong Noodle House with your next Kiang Kee bak kut teh outing to make the drive double worth it.

Because we don't see ourselves passing by Kota Tinggi again so soon, we had another Yap Fong noodle set before setting off back to Johor Bahru. Love that QQ noodles and unique fried meat balls. Delicious Double D confirmed 👍👍

Restaurant name: Yap Fong Noodle House 叶芳面家
Address: 14, Jalan Besar, Pusat Perdagangan Kota Tinggi, Johor
GPS: 1°43'39.1"N 103°53'56.6"E 🌐 1.727526, 103.899055
Waze: Yap Fong Noodle House
Hours: 12:30pm - 5:00pm (Sunday off)

Date visited: 26 Sep 2018

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Kiang Kee Bak Kut Tea is located by the side of the busy Kota Tinggi - Mersing trunk road 1 - 2 hours drive from JB or Singapore. But, that did not deter many people coming from Singapore and all over Malaysia to taste it, nor prevent Kiang Kee from being the most famous BKT from Johor.

So, I asked Johor Kaki readers for the 10 reasons why Kiang Kee fans willingly drive 1-2 hours to taste their favourite bak kut teh (when good BKT shops and stalls are everywhere in JB).

Here are the 10 reasons why:

1. Some people just enjoy driving, so going to Kiang Kee gives them a ~~excuse~~ reason to take their ride out for a workout and quick spin. Nowadays with navigation Apps like Waze, finding Kiang Kee in the middle of nowhere is a breeze. Last time, we need an alert human spotter to look out for the Kiang Kee huts while drivers kept their eyes on the road. (I enjoy driving but not this stretch from JB to Kiang Kee as it is mostly single lane trunk road with big lorries but little, if any, scenic views.)

2. Fans like Kiang Kee's well balanced herbal savoury sweet, dark moderate body soup. The sweetness lingers in the aftertaste. The soup has a subtle herbal aroma. It is unique and not found anywhere else, so fans who like this taste profile willingly drive 1- 2 hours for it.

3. The pork at Kiang Kee is very fresh (never chilled nor frozen) and it is finished over charcoal to the right doneness. The texture is tender yet there is still some chewy bite. The flavourful soup does not overpower the natural sweetness of the fresh pork which we can taste.

4. Customers appreciate generous free top ups of bak kut teh soup (which I enjoy with Chinese fried crullers or you char kway).

5. Kiang Kee is the most famous brand of Johor bak kut teh but it has only one, and only one outlet. People curious about what is Kiang Kee bak kut teh have no other choice but to drive 1 - 2 hours here.

6. Kiang Kee is an old brand founded by Mr Pang 彭九 in 1980. It was located at a Shell petrol station in Kota Tinngi town - it's main clientele then were lorry drivers plying the Mersing - Singapore route needing a herbal meaty energy boost. In 1991, Mr Pang 彭九's son-in-law, Mr. 黄 moved the little stall to its present location. For loyal fans from over the decades, driving 1 - 2 hours is just part and parcel of the Kiang Kee experience.

7. Many people like the kampung ambiance at Kiang Kee. The traditional attap roof help keep the restaurant cool during hot days. (I like the rustic feel of the attap thatched roof of the restaurant.)

8. The system at Kiang Kee is well organised and well oiled to handle large crowds. Follow these simple ABCD steps - A find an available table ⇰ B go to Mr. 黄's station to order your food (tell them your table number) ⇰ C return to your table and you will be served soon ⇰ D pay at the cashier after your meal (tell them your table number). Service is earnest and quick, and the staff do their best to keep pace during peak hours during weekends.

9. Prices at Kiang Kee are competitive, on par with the popular bak kut teh restaurants in JB. The menu is typical of JB BKT shops - we can tell Mr 黄 our preferred cut. I always ask for pig tail and "soft bone" (cartilage).

10. You can have good bak kut teh in many places in Malaysia and Singapore. But, to have good BKT like this - it's only at Kiang Kee in the middle of nowhere, somewhere off Kota Tinggi town between SG / JB and Mersing.

11. Bonus reason: Bragging rights. The harder to get to, the more obscure, the better 😄 Though Kiang Kee is hardly unknown, it is still quite inaccessible especially for folks using public transport. But, that doesn't seem to deter everyone. Every time I am here, I always see groups coming in MPV taxis and hired vans.

Restaurant name: Kiang Kee Bak Kut Teh 强记肉骨茶
Address: Batu 8½, Jalan Mawai, Kota Tinggi, 81900 Johor
Map: http://g.co/maps/cqfus
GPS: N01°49.661' E103°57.503'🌐 1.827702, 103.958317
Waze: Kiang Kee Bak Kut Teh
Tel: 6019-747-9416 | 607-882-1290
Hours: 7:30am till sold out (usually before noon) (Closed on Monday and Tuesday)

Non Halal

Date visited: Numerous times since 5 Jan 2012

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When I saw Dr Leslie Tay of iEatiShootiPost shared about the char siew at Shi Mei Roasted.Chicken Rice at block 211 Marsiling Crescent, I was eager to try it as I am a Cantonese roasts fan. As I happened to be in Singapore today, I popped over to Lucky Star Eating House, where the popular roasts stall is located.

The coffee shop is located in the little precinct named Causeway View - the northernmost HDB precinct in Singapore.

The name Causeway View is very apt as some of the flats here have a marvellous view of the busy Causeway and sprawling Johor Bahru skyline. On a good day like this morning, the placid Straits of Johor looks ocean blue.

Lucky Star Eating House Marsiling Shi Mei Roasted 實美燒臘雞飯

Lucky Star Eating House is a large corner coffee shop with about 10 food stalls. It is breezy, clean and well kept. In the morning, it is laid back and quiet. It's a little secret of people living and working around here.

Shi Mei Roasted. Chicken Rice is one of the stalls at the end, on the left side.

The char siew was ready at about 9:30am, and the fried chicken, siew yok and roast duck came later. Almost everything was ready slightly after 10:30am.

The ropes of char siew (roast meat) were not as dark and caramelised as most popular char siew places (where they are sometimes literally black in colour).

The folks at Shi Mei Roasted were very friendly, obliging don't-know-who-is-this uncle for photos and questions. Chief roaster 萬泰 said Shi Mei has been around here in Marsiling for over 20 years and he had been working here since he was a teen. The char siew, siew yok and duck are roasted in that charcoal fired "Apollo" tandoor type oven.

I started with a SGD $4 plate of char siew rice. The slices of roast meat were set on top of the mound of well greased chicken rice.

I asked for the fatty cut, of course 😄

Most of the char siew were sliced a bit thin - I wish they were all in larger chunks. The meat and fat were tender and the fat was especially juicy. The savoury sweet flavour was relatively mild, so those folks who found Kuala Lumpur style char siew too sweet, too salty, should find Shi Mei's char siew just nice.

I next ordered a $4 serving of char siew and ribs. (I normally deploy my calorie reserves in stages 😄 )

This time, I did not specify the fatty cut, so there were a few lean pieces. The lean char siew was slightly dry and didn't have a lot of savoury sweet flavour inside.

The roast rib was nice as it had fat and tender juicy meat wrapped around the soft bones (cartilage). The tender and juicy meat and fat tasted mildly savoury sweet similar to the fatty cut. I like this roasted rib.

The forbidden dark caramelised edge and fringe with deeper, more robust savouriness and a bit of charred toasty taste.

That clear simple looking pork and chicken soup was memorable because it was surprisingly tasty - sweet savoury.

When I saw what went into the soup, I was no longer surprised that it was so delicious. The tasty soup is made by boiling generous amounts of pork and chicken with sweet vegetables like corn etc.

Now I am thinking what excuse can I have to have more of that soup, please 😂

👉 If you are in Marsiling Singapore and you like fatty char siew and Cantonese style roast rib, Shi Mei Roasted in Lucky Star Eating House provides a reasonably priced, satisfying meal.

If you use the nearby Admiralty Waterfront Park, Lucky Star Eating House is a lunch or dinner option. (I will be back to try more food stalls here. What do you recommend around here?)

Restaurant name: Shi Mei Roasted. Chicken Rice 實美燒臘雞飯 (in Lucky Star Eating House)
Address: 211 Marsiling Crescent, Singapore 730211
GPS: 1°26'45.3"N 103°46'25.3"E 🌐 1.445925, 103.773692
Tel: 6362 2183
Hours: 9:30am - 9:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Sept 2018

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When I blogged about the roasts stall at Lucky Star Eating House at 211 Marsiling Crescent, several readers suggested that I should try Ah Keat's kway chap stall as well. So, here I am the next morning 😄

Ah Keat Pig Organ Soup. Kway Chap stall is side by side with Shi Mei Roasted. Chicken Rice. Ah Keat's stall has been here in 211 Marsiling Crescent for over 30 years. The coffee shop looks new as it has been renovated several times through the years.

This set of kway chap for SGD $4. I asked for all pork meat and offal sans tau pok, eggs, fish cake, other distractions etc. The friendly stall holders graciously obliged.

The braised pork was done a little softer than I like. But, the flavour was nice - it was mildly herbal sweet savoury. The flavour was infused from brown braising stock made with soy sauce, Chinese 5-spice and herbs.

Underneath the mild herbal sweet savoury flavour, I can taste the natural sweetness of the pork. The intestines were very well cleaned. Ah Keat doesn't serve stewed fallopian tubes which may disappoint some kway chap connoisseurs (but I am not one of them 😄 ).

A stack of broad rice sheets come in a bowl of brownish colour stock.

The medium body stock was herbal sweet savoury, just like the meat and offal. The dominant flavour was sweet which I like (better than saltiness).

The kway or rice sheets were generic but thin and smooth. The subtly sweet rice sheet took on some of the herbal sweet savoury flavour of the brown stock clinging to it. I like it enough to order a second helping of the kway 😋

The chili sauce was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting much as in many kway chap places the chili sauce seemed like an afterthought. Ah Keat's chili sauce had a salty tangy flavour with a rather sharp lingering sting in the aftertaste. The zesty sauce goes perfectly with the herbal sweet savoury spongy soft meat and offal.

👉 Lucky Star Eating House is a bit off the beaten track except for folks living in Woodlands or Marsiling. But, if you are using Woodlands Waterfront park, nearby Lucky Star is a good lunch / dinner option as there is Shi Mei Roasted and Ah Keat's kway chap.

See also Fennysharing's review of Ah Keat's kway chap👈 click

Restaurant name: Ah Keat Pig Organ Soup. Kway Chap 阿吉猪什汤•粿汁 (in Lucky Star Eating House)
Address: 211 Marsiling Crescent, Singapore 730211
GPS: 1°26'45.3"N 103°46'25.3"E 🌐 1.445925, 103.773692
Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm (alternate Weds off)

Non Halal

Date visited: 29 Sept 2018

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The English House Restaurant by Marco Pierre White in Singapore

We visited newly opened The English House restaurant by Marco Pierre White at Mohamed Sultan Road in Singapore. An English lion in the Lion City.

The restored pre-War conservation shophouse was behind a small leafy, well manicured tropical garden.

We were met at the entrance by Swaran Singh and Sarjit Singh. If you had a double take and think that you had met the friendly doormen before, you are right. Swaran and Sarjit were the iconic doormen at Raffles Hotel for 26 years before they joined The English House, taking a part of old Raffles with them.

Oh... The English House has no signboard - it doesn't need any. So, when you are here at Mohamed Sultan Road, just look out for Swaran Singh and Sarjit Singh. Relax, their towering presence is hard to miss - the blue jacketed brothers are better than any signboard 😄

Swaran Singh proudly showed me around the little garden.

The little garden was dotted with English memorabilia here and there like this regal gold 250 year old pub sign which heightened our anticipation of our royal dinner later.

Stepping into The English House Restaurant by Marco Pierre White, a pair of stone statues of winged knights and large medieval motif stone mural caught my eye.

Making our way into the dining halls, the decor shifted to a quaint eclectic blend of English and Straits Chinese. Chinese calligraphy high on the walls, Nanyang coffee shop style round marble tables and chairs with red English top hat, white swan, horned gnome etc.

There were three main sections. This was the first dining hall when we first entered the restaurant.

While waiting for the rest of the party to arrive, I ~~had the opportunity to look~~ wandered around the restaurant - I've been here before, long ago. Those of us who partied and shuffled your feet in Madam Wong's before may see shadows of your carefree youth in these halls.

Oh... fancy meeting you here, fat boy.... .

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A post shared by Marco Pierre White (@marcopierrewhit) on Sep 20, 2018 at 10:15pm PDT

Chef Macro Pierce White personally curated the menu at The English House. He is at The English House in Singapore about 10 times a year. When Chef MPW is away, his chef de cuisine Andrew Bennett who had worked with him for 14 years leads the kitchen crew.

Chef MPW was the first Briton and youngest chef to win Three Michelin Stars which he famously returned. He also declined Michelin's offer to include The English House in the Singapore Michelin Guide.

1960s vintage London underground lavatory signs 😄

The second main dining room. Large marble top round tables, so untypical of English restaurants. The kopitiam chairs have padded leather seats for greater comfort.

The bar at the back of the first dining room.

Needless to say the bar was well stocked with spirits of every kind.

With the right spirits even pigs can fly and there is no speed limit (as long as you don't leave the door lah... ).

Photography buffs would be glad to know that as Marco Pierre White is a Terry O'Neill fan, White displayed his personal collection of the legendary portrait photographer's works at The English House. This is probably the largest collection of Terry O'Neill photographs in the world.

Everyone's here, time to get back to my seat.

We booked dinner for 7pm. Less than an hour later, all the dining rooms in the 150-seat restaurant were fully packed as it was full house this Saturday evening.

For all its elegance, the atmosphere during dinner was casual and welcoming. Friendly banter and laughter can be heard around the restaurant and bar, like in a friendly pub, except that there was no background music. Ok... like an Anglicised kopitiam... .

Five of us, we shared a few starters. This Fillet of Sardines on Toast with vinaigrette of tomatoes (price S$28++) - the distinctive flavour and aroma of omega-3 rich oily North Sea fish was quintessentially English. A great start to the meal to come.

Parfait of Foie Gras au Raisan Sec (price S$35++). Rich creamy smooth savoury goose liver pate capped with delicate sweet tangy jelly.

Mr White's Stuffed Cabbage with fresh tomato sauce (price S$28++). Missed tasting the stuffed cabbage 😂 but love the zesty tangy sweet flavour of the tomato sauce.

Roast Rack of Lamb a la Dijonnaise. This hearty serving feeds 2-4 persons which I thought is a very fair deal at S$165++.

Oh.. how I love this roast rack of lamb. The pink meat was thick, tender and juicy. The natural gamey sweetness of lamb was complemented by delicate yet rich taste of Dijonnaise mustard sauce.

Highly recommend The English House's roast rack of lamb. For lamb lovers, this is a Must.

Grilled Rib of Black Angus Beef (price S$225++). Another hearty serving that feeds 2 - 4 comfortably.

Marvellously beefy sweet 45-day dry aged Black Angus beef served beautifully medium rare with chunky tender braised spiced beef tendons in a shallow pool of dark rich jus de viande (i.e. gravy lah). Generous sides include beef fat chips (potato wedges), buttered leaf spinach.

Stella who doesn't eat beef or lamb chose this Wing of Scottish Skate (stingray lo) a la Grenobloise (price S$48++). Stella liked this which she said was sweet tasting.

Champagne Poached Pear with Creme Vanilla and Cambridge Burnt Cream (crème brûlée). Both desserts were nice, not overly sweet. We can taste the crunchy juicy pear's natural sweetness and the smooth egginess in the Cambridge Burnt Cream.

Happy Birthday Stella 🎂

My favourite was this little cake with bits of orange inside. The sweetness in the spongy cake was punctuated with tangy sweetness of orange zest.

The reception as we were making our way out after dinner. I am sure we will pass this way again.

👍 We enjoyed ourselves at The English House Restaurant by Marco Pierre White. The English dishes were hearty, "elevated comfort food" as Marco Pierre White so aptly put in typical English understatement. The English - Straits Chinese decor is unique and appealing. The most memorable dish for me was the Roast Rack of Lamb - best lamb ever so far, for me.

(The English House is a "restaurant with rooms". The 18 room boutique hotel will open in early 2019.)

Restaurant name: The English House
Address: 28 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238972
GPS: 1°17'35.1"N 103°50'28.9"E 🌐 1.293094, 103.841346
Waze: The English House by Marco Pierre White
Tel: 6545 4055
Hours: 6:00pm - 12:00 midnight

Non Halal

Date visited: 29 Sept 2018

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Johor Style Bak Kut Teh in Permas Jaya JB

Niniq Javanese Cuisine in Taman Molek Johor Bahru

Ramada Meridin @ Medini Hotel near Legoland in Johor Bahru

Last of Singapore's Artisanal Mooncake Makers. Hung Fai Food Enterprise 洪辉食品

Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled: Books I Read

Foochow Hock Chew Food in JB. Restoran Soon Chai in Ulu Tiram 顺顺来美食中心

Soong Huat Bak Kut Teh near JUSCO Tebrau & IKEA 顺发肉骨茶

San Lou Handmade Fish Balls 三楼.阿山自制手工鱼丸.辣沙 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Forbidden Food Trail in Johor for Singapore Banned Food

The Kettingi Briyani Experience @ Jalan Serampang Taman Pelangi

Largest Chee Cheong Fun Restaurant in JB. G Cheong Fun 怡保 (手工) 猪肠粉

Big Prawn Noodle in Johor Bahru @ Perling 北海仔虾面 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hock Chew Red Wine Mee Suah in Johor Bahru

Popular Steamboat & Yakitori in Sri Tebrau Johor Bahru. Kofuku-Tei 幸福窝

JB Hidden Food Gem. San Lou Cafe for Teochew Home Cooking 三楼咖啡屋

Kota Tinggi People's Favourite Yap Fong Noodle House 叶芳面家

10 Reasons Why SG/JB Fans Drive 2hrs for Kiang Kee Bak Kut Teh Fix

What to Eat in Woodlands / Marsiling. Shi Mei Roasted. Chicken Rice 實美燒臘雞飯

Best Food in Woodlands / Marsiling. Ah Keat Kway Chap 阿吉猪什汤•粿汁

The English House Restaurant by Marco Pierre White in Singapore