Sunday, August 08, 2010

Roti Prata

We call it Roti Prata in JB however in KL, they call it Roti Canai. Dont know what Singaporeans call in but you cant find good Roti in S'pore.
This is a local dish where it can be eaten at all times, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Supper, etc.. Lots of people like it for its sauces. They always have 3 different sauces & you can take it yourself. Chix curry, Dhal, Fish curry and of course the sambal. If you dont ask, the default is Dhal with sambal mixed inside.
My favourite is the Chix curry. Personally I like their roti kosong and the Telur bawang. Fantastic.






History - They used to operate opposite Tebrau market and it was damn popular. Opened up 2nd outlet in town and went bust. Few years disappered and now they are in Pelangi. Their opp Leisure mall and Mobil station on the same row as the maybank. Few shops downward. Name of shop is MD. SALLEH with a smiley face. Same signage board as in the 1980's when they were in Tebrau. Open in the mornings only. They also serve nasi lemak but i am not a fan of it. Others are.

Nasi Lemak

Restoran Mana Lagi!
Delicious Nasi Lemak with piping hot Ayam Goreng. Needless to say, this place has been so popular I dont think I need to write on. They also serve Sotong sambal, beef rendang, Soto, etc. Mainly people will go for the nasi lemak and their ayam goreng.
The cooks will be cooking the fried chicken non-stop and whenever a new tray is ready, everyone will rush for it before it finishes. Take note - Its self service so dont expected to be serve. You have to rush for your chicken otherwise you will leave unsatisfied.
Collect your nasi lemak from the inside of the shop and then proceed to choose the chicken you want. Drinks will be served.

History of this place - In 1997-1999, they used to operate as a small wooden shack in Perling near a small mosque where they will only open at 330hr in the early morning. Believe it or not. They catered to lorry drivers & a very peculiar target market such as myself. They then moved over to a shoplot further down the road where it is now.
I dont have address but if you were driving in the direction of Perling Mall from the pasir Gudang highway, turn left at Perling mall and continue straight for 5 mins. When you see a chinese temple on your left, filter into that row of shop houses, you will see a 7-eleven, go further down and you will see the green signboard which says Restoran Mana Lagi. Lots of people and tables along the road. Its operated by the local malays and its halal. Open for dinner

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Mee Hoon Kueh

Where to go for delicious Mee Hoon Kueh?
Its located in Pelangi, opposite Pelangi Plaza McDonalds where the row of shop houses are. The name of the shop is Yi Bao and they are packed daily during lunch hours. Humble & hardworking family doing business. They offer Mee Hoon Kueh, Ee Mee or Mee Pok. Its all cooked the same way, its just the difference in noodles. For those who have a toothache, they serve good porridge as well. I normally will go for the Ee Mee but to each his own yeah..
Tip - I always visit this place when I have a flu or my head is just soo heavy. Eat the noodles together with the chilli padi sauce and all your sighness will go away in a jiffy. You might perspire but it feels good.

Laksa

Tampoi Laksa, I'm sure many of the locals in JB will know this place. I have been eating at this place since I was a small boy so to say that this place has been around for ages. The only thing is that they were forced to move a few times ever since the old Tampoi street was on fire by purpose to make way for the highway, etc...
Yes, for you who know about this place & knew about it, arent you glad that I am posting it now so that you can go back and relieve those taste buds to remind you of the old times.
Their good for their Laksa, Rojak, Cuttlefish w Kang Kong and my favourite, the blanced cockles, locally its called 'SeaHam'. You may say that everywhere also can get boiled seaham but believe it or not, this is the only place I eat it as they have been consistently fresh and never got tummy ache before and their chilli with nuts & lime goes very well with it. (Thats my opinion)

If any 5 star top service anybody can rave about, this small family business service will blow you away. They shout at each other while taking orders but never once have they got an order wrong and you can never complain about their service.

I think they close on Wednesdays. Open for dinner only. Its a small roadside stall. No address so I will describe how to go there from the highway. When you are along the highway from Danga Bay or from the Royal Johor Country club, go on the highway towards Angsana Plaza, Keep left and go up the Angsana bridge then turn right in the direction of Angsana Plaza. Once you turn right, keep left straight away as when you have crossed the bridge, you need to make the first left turn into the old tampoi area. Drive for another 80-100m and it will be on your right at a corner junction. Lots of people is your landmark. If I do get a picture of the place, I will upload it. Do try it & let me know what you think.

Bittergourd Soup and Fried Pork



Kah Kah Loke
Bittergourd soup with mixed spare parts
To many, this dish may sound a turn off as I know many people dont eat bittergourd. However, please give this place a chance. They have been in the market for many years and their customers are always returning for more over & over again. Maybe its the medicinal value of the soup which I am not a doctor to go further on. But what the heck, it tastes good and its not bitter at all. Very good to try it on a rainy day. Must try is the deep fried pork and Toufu with mince meat. The fried pork goes very well with their Kampong Koh chilli sauce. I usually tell them half fat, half lean meat so its juicy and tender. But some people may be health consious so they can choose to request for lean meat.

Slight history of this place, they started off in Taman Johor Jaya in a secluded corner where it was very difficult to find. The place was an old look like coffeshop which was not inviting at all so they opened up a branch at Taman Iskandar on the same row as the Ya Kun Fishball noodle. That didnt last long and it closed down. The owner then decided to renovate his existing original branch in Johor Jaya and the business is booming now. From there they progressed to open up a new branch in Taman Sutera Utama in the new area near the Peking Restaurant in Sutera Utama. Its on the same row as shop lots as the big japanese buffet restaurants.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Singapore raves about their famous chix rice. I ask myself again and again. Whats so nice & special about it. Nothing. It is not tender, it comes with bones if not requested, flavour not there, it doesnt melt in your mouth.

Dont want to overrate this place as well but please give it a try. For those chix feet lovers, dont forget to order their boneless chix feet, you can order it with thai sauce or without.
Located on the same row as AhPiaw wantanmee, corner kopitiam. Lunch only daily.
Name of kopitiam is Restoran Siang Yuen.
Directions: Tebrau area opposite the Wisma Tiong Hua Building / old post office. Landmarks are the corner tyre shop, 7-eleven. See pic for assistance. Will get address & update however, in JB landmarks are more useful as very few uses roadname.

KL Style Black Hokkien Mee



The owner of this cook has a long history in JB, He used to cook under a tree in Taman Century opposite Wisma Abad. My Dad will always tapao for us. His business was so good the local authorities chasd him away, he then hopped to many areas however he got the same treatment, people were jealous of his business and took over selling the same dishes. However our sensitive taste buds will always follow the good stuff. This cook is now located in Tun Aminah. Dont know how to describe the place to you however it is one parallel road off the main road adjacent to Plaza Tasek. Tip - It is 2 doors next to a simple bakery shop and near the a corner of shoplots where it is a kopitiam which always seemds busy.
This place is good for their Black Hokkien Mee, Fried Mee Hoon, Deep Fried Mee Hoon in white sauce and Lor Mee. In summary, all is good.
If I am not wrong, they open for dinner only. Be early and if you are in a rush you can forget this place. The wait is damn long so be prepared to wait. Their sambal is a must to go with it.
Advise - Alot of regulars patronize this place so if you dont know what to order & the service isnt that friendly. Be patient and tolerate. It is not a 5 star Michelin restaurant.
Location: Jalan Pahlawan, Ban Kee Restoran

Lamb Chop


Best Lamb Chop in JB
Where to find good, reasonably priced, simple and consistent succulent lamb chops? Look no more, it has been in JB for ages and nobody knows about it. Go to Bert Keller opposite the old Orang Orang in Taman Century.
You will be invited only by a old arched wooden door. This place is actually one of the oldest and standing pubs since the hay days where our parents used to go.
They are popular for their lamb chop, fried meehoon and their Oxtail stew. Dont miss it. Plus it is a bar where you can have cold beer from the tap, etc.. Try it now & let me know what you think.
Tip - You can request for the lamb chop to be cut up for you so it becomes beer food. Where else can you find service like this??
Note: This is not a place where it is bustling with youngsters and girls, for those guys looking for a normal pub, this place will disappoint you, however if you want a place to hang out, quiet and soft music, then why wait. Go now.

Sunday, March 07, 2010



The main reason Singaporeans always visit JB is always for transit or to find good and cheap seafood. Honestly, staying in JB my whole life, I always go to Singapore to have seafood as it is fresher and its tastes better as well. However I must debate that JB does cook up a storm when they talk seafood especially JB's famous Cereal prawns and Salted egg crabs. Lots of places serves salted egg crabs but not as good as this shop. Its located in Sentosa area opposite the Store shopping mall. Its on the same row as RHB bank and you will see a big crab signage on it. You wont miss it as there will be a few ladies barbequeing chix wings, prawns and sotong. The smell will get to you. People always go there and order like 20 chix wings and the hot, spicy thai sauce goes very well with it. If you want to order crabs, Pls order their salted egg crab and DO tell them you want the big crab as having the small crabs is just a waste of time and effort. For S'poreans, it's still cheaper than in S'pore so dont stinge. You wont regret it. Cant say much for this shop at this moment as my mind is blank just thinking about it so for those crab lovers, go for it, dont wait.

Ice Kachang


Where to get Ice Cold Savouring Ice Kachang in today's HEAT!! Search no more. Its here in JB. For you locals, if you know where is the old sanlou in between pelangi and Stulang. Its the small row of open air food stalls opposite it. Its open from lunch time till 4-5pm daily. Very easy to notice which one is the stall. There are two rows of stalls, one malay and the other chinese. On the chinese row, both of the corner stalls serve good ice kachang. Its cool, flavourful and for those chocolate lovers, ask for extra choco.
They also do Taufu Goreng, or Yew Char Kueh with the rojak sauce. You can tell the auntie if you just want Yew char kueh only and they will hapilly do it for you. Allthough the picture doesnt look that tempting, Try it for yourself & be the judge.

Chee Cheong Fun




Chee Cheong Fun, If you are a JB local then you will know what it means. Hmmm, to translate to Angmoh?? I think its called flat rolled rice noodles. Doesn't sound tempting but what the heck, you locals will know. You must visit this shop lot located in Tun Aminah. They served very simple plain and nice chee cheong fun (Without filing). You can choose from three flavours which is black, red or curry. I personally like the black or the curry however some may like the red as well for the sauce. To complement the dish, you can choose from a big variety of items such as fishball, meatball, yong taufu, etc... But the must tries is the soft deep fried Zhu-Pi (Pork Skin) with long bean and the Chicken feet in bean sauce. Sinful but Delicioussss.
Please try and let me know what you think of this shop. How to go there, Hmmm, The main stretch of road in Tun aminah, Its a parallel road off it. Its next to two pet shops. Thats all I know. Have atchd a shot of the shop so it helps. haha (Suspense) - Do note that I have tried to go there a few times and they are closed so find out the days they are open if you like it so you dont get disappointed.

Alternatively, if you want the chee cheong fun with filling, please search for tebrau market as there is a shop called Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun there which has been there for 30 over years and the old man is still there making it. Fantastic dish and what stamina.