Bitter Gourd Soup @ Kah Kah Loke Restaurant in Johor Jaya, JB. Update 2019

佳佳乐苦瓜汤 Restoran Kah Kah Loke's bitter gourd soup was one of the first posts in Johor Kaki blog. It felt great to be back after 7 years to the day.



The Kah Kah Loke flagship is located in a relatively quiet section of Taman Johor Jaya (at the intersection of Jalan Bakawali 39 and 41).



Despite its relatively isolated location, Kah Kah Loke Johor Jaya is popular with locals. Founded nearly 30 years ago (in 1991), Kah Kah Loke has grown to 10 locations all over Johor Bahru and even outlets in Malacca and Singapore.



During the last 7 years, I've tried many bitter gourd soups from Kulai, Senai to Johor Bahru. After all the tasting and trying, I've to admit that Kah Kah Loke, my first bitter gourd soup, still has the taste profile which I love the most.



The fresh bitter gourd was sliced cellophane thin - I could see through it. The bitter gourd slices were soft to the bite. It tasted sweet with only subtle hints of gentle bitterness (in a pleasant way).



The slightly cloudy soup tasted savoury sweet from large pork socket bones (used to make the soup), lean pork slices, liver and intestines with a subtle underlying sweet bitter gourd taste. Kah Kah Loke has the most flavoursome of bitter gourd soup that I have tasted.



We also liked this simple bean sprouts stir fried with salted fish, carrot and chives.



We like it that the bean sprout heads and tails were painstakingly pinched off. All we tasted was the crunchy bean sprouts' clean tasting juicy sweetness complemented by mildly savoury salted fish.



Kah Kah Loke's Hakka fried pork had nice crispness outside and tender juiciness inside. The savoury fermented beancurd 南乳 marination was relatively mild - I wish it was more robust.



Recommended for you 👍 Bitter gourd soup is one of the signature Johor dishes visitors should try. One of the best places for bitter gourd soup in JB is Kah Kah Loke.



Restaurant name: Kah Kah Loke 佳佳乐苦瓜湯
Address: 62, Jalan Bakawali 39, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°32'40.8"N 103°47'43.4"E  🌐 1.544655, 103.795393
Tel: 07-353 5196
Hours: 8:00am - 10:00pm (Monday off)

Non Halal




Date visited: 11 Jan 2019

Bitter gourd soup is a simple dish commonly made in Chinese homes. At Kah Kah Loke Restaurant in Taman Johor Jaya, the humble bitter gourd soup is elevated to the status of a signature dish. Judging by the capacity crowd at lunch time, Kah Kah Loke’s simple bitter gourd soup indeed has a strong following. 

Despite its leading attraction status at Kah Kah Loke, the bitter gourd soup served here remains almost identical to the homemade version we find at home. There is none of that over commercialised, fanciful or fake pretentiousness to jazz up its homely image. It is just plain old homemade soup - and that could be why throngs are drawn to it daily.

The soup is naturally sweet and the main ingredients are thinly sliced bitter gourd, lean pork, and pork liver – that’s all, just like the way it is done at home. The soup looked cloudy with boiled liver and meat juices suspended in the broth.

The bitter gourd slices are soft yet crunchy and naturally sweet with only a slight hint of bitterness. The pork slices are tender and sweet. The liver here is well cooked and firm. Some people might prefer liver that is less well cooked which is more tender.

A bowl of bitter gourd soup for two persons costs RM9.

I will be back to bond with friends by sharing the warmth of the bitter gourd soup’s homely goodness.

Restaurant name: Kah Kah Loke Restaurant

Address: 62 Jalan Bakawali 39, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/rwk4f
GPS: 1.545709, 103.794643
Hours: Daily 10:30am to 3:00pm, 5:30pm to 9:30pm (Closed on Mondays)

Non Halal

Date visited: 5 Jan 2012



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