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Sekee Segget · Ah Hua Traditional Kway Teow Soup in Johor Bahru near City Square 亚华司机餐食

✍️ 21 Sep 2023. After some 80 years at its gritty old shoplot at Jalan Segget, Sekee Restaurant or Ah Hua kway teow has moved.

Fortunately, Ah Hua only moved across the street (Jalan Segget) just a stone's throw away.

Restaurant name: Restoran Sekee 司機 Ah Hua Kway Teow 亞華粿條


Address: 49C, Jalan Segget, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru


Hours: 8:30 am - 2:00 pm (Fri & Sat off)



They had to give up their previous place because the old building had changed hands and is slated for redevelopment.

At the new location, everything looked and felt familiar. Boss Lily is still in command over the steamy pots of simmering pork bones, personally cooking every order, meticulously, deftly assembling each bowl according to customer's preferences.

The flame at Ah Hua is still burning steady after 80 years like the Olympics torch.

My RM20 bowl had kway teow, soup, lean pork, liver, kidney and oysters.

The soup was slightly cloudy, tastes gently savoury porcine, most of the flavours were teased out of the socket bone, marrow and attached sinew. Bits of lardons, fried shallots and aromatic oil dressed up the basic porcine flavour.


The kway teow (rice noodles) were soft and slurpy smooth, the kind I like. The savoury porcine soup clanged well to the flat noodles which had a very subtle sweet rice taste. Nice.

The pork liver, kidney and lean meat were all fresh, nicely done, though it had stiffen a little because I took too much time to take photos. For everyone else, it should be perfect.

I love these oysters. They were thumb size, not that big. They taste like those good fresh oysters we can get in good restaurants but it was the texture that impressed me the most. It had a gentle kind of firmness outside but once we bite through the thin membrane, it was all soft and creamy inside like warm cheese. Must get these oysters into your bowl, if you are an oyster fan.

Comforting, satisfying, I need my Ah Hua kway teow fix regularly like an old Teochew (though I am actually Cantonese Ah Seng from across the Causeway).



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Written by Tony Boey on 21 Sep 2023

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Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua
Photo taken in Jan 2012

✍ Updated 23 May 2019. Ah Hua 亚华 Teochew kway teow stall has been in Restoran Sekee coffee shop for decades. The name of the coffee shop 司機 suggests that in its past life, the coffee shop catered mainly to taxi, bus and lorry drivers as it is literally only a stone’s throw from the old JB checkpoint.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua
 
Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua
Kway teow soup boiled over a charcoal stove?! The only one in Johor and Singapore.

Today, a younger (third) generation is in charge and judging from the loyal older clientele still eating here, the taste of Ah Hua 亚华 must have been faithful to the original. 

Some of the regular customers here include government and business dignitaries. There are also younger customers, indicating that a new generation of clientele is taking to Ah Hua’s traditional kway teow soup.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

The easiest way to find Sekee coffee shop is to look out for this giant duck along Jalan Segget. Sekee is two doors away from the famous duck stall. (Update: The prominent giant duck that once dominated JB's old downtown "skyline" has been taken down.)

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua
This steaming hot bowl of kway teow soup for RM5.

Pricing is at RM5, RM8, and RM16. RM5 gets you the basic, and the full works which includes kidney and abalone, at RM16.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua
Look at that huge bone used to made the delicious soup. 
Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

The pork bone based soup is light, clear and sweet. Not oily and not salty, just the natural flavour of fresh pork bones.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

Look at the quality and freshness of the ingredients that go into Ah Hua's kway teow soup. It looks so delicious even before it is cooked.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

The pork liver is thinly sliced. Very fresh. Cooked just right. Sweet and crunchy.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

Thin slice of fresh lean pork. Naturally sweet, lightly chewy yet tender.

Teochew-Kway-Teow-Soup-Ah-Hua

The generic kway teow is light, fresh tasting and smooth. Much better than those thick, oily and salty kind found in some other stalls.

->> When I want good, old style Teochew kway teow soup without venturing too far from the JB CIQ, I look no further - this is it for me. The bone broth is still cooked over charcoal as in the old days.

Since this first visit, I regularly drop by Restoran Sekee for my kway teow soup fix especially in the early morning after clearing JB Immigration. Quality of ingredients and cooking have been consistently good while price adjustment have been slight. Here is the update post 👈 click



Restaurant name: Ah Hua 亚华 kway teow soup (Restoran Sekee 司機)
Address: 30, Jalan Segget, Johor Baru Town
GPS: 1.458202,103.764383 / 1°27'29.5"N 103°45'51.8"E
Hours: Daily (closed on Saturdays)

Non Halal





Date visited: 19 Jan 2012

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13 comments:

  1. Ah, you discovered one of my breakfast joints. Wow after all these years it is still there but it was a guy cooking before. I remember not wanting to eat kway teow in JB cos "no kway teow can challenge Ipoh's" but I was persuaded ( missie, your Ipoh one don't have abalone )

    Yes, is highly recommended if it is as good as before.

    P/S see if you can locate the kway chap in Taman Tasik. The Bianco court one doesn't even come close . There is no address cos it is only a road side stall

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  2. Hi Vien, I haven't been to Ipoh for years so I can't really remember how Ipoh kway teow tastes except that it is light, sweet and refreshing - which I like. HAHA I can never forget that wonderful sauteed large prawn we had at, I think, its Public Restaurant in Ipoh 10 years ago. Back to kway teow, actually my current favourite is the one near the Larkin fire station - Tua Thow. Everything is super fresh and cooked just right.

    OK I will find that Taman Tasik kway chap. This blog is not called an adventure in find dining for nothing hehe ;P Thanks for the lead. Really appreciate it ;D

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  3. Ya, you are indeed adventurous. But I note you have yet to venture to Taman Perling which I think is nearer to JB town than Taman Tun Aminah. There was a shop selling fish head curry and bak but teh (cze cha shop) on the right hand side after turning in from the main road. I remember we were told not to park our Singapore plate car away from the shop cos the prices for Singaporeans are higher. Not sure if is true though. There is a shopping mall diagonally across from this end lot shop.

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  4. Vien, you read my mind! I have been planning my trip to Perling. I want to try out the famous nasi lemak Mana Lagi over there. Now, with thanks to you, I have two more places to try ;D

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  5. Hi Vien, today I went to Taman Perling as you suggested. I tried the curry fish head at Chua Kee. It was good ;D They also have bak kut teh but I have to save that for next round. I also ate the popular Penang fried kway teow. Unfortunately Nasi Lemak Mana Lagi was closed when I was there. Saw some other interesting eateries too. Will definitely be back at Perling again ;D

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  6. Hi Johor Kaki,

    Your blog is truly amazing - as a Johorean who has been living here in JB all my life, I've seen & passed by so many of the places that you've mentioned but have yet to try them out! :)

    And kudos to you for being one of those Singaporeans who do not shake in their pants at the very thought of coming into JB (or "cowboy town" as dubbed by a famous politician, haha!)...

    I would like to recommend to you some other interesting places which I hope would interest you:

    - Famous lontong kering at Hutan Bandar, JB located on Jalan Tasek Utara - the row of stalls are right opposite the SMK Sultan Ismail secondary school exit. Its a 5-10 min drive once u exit the JB causeway. Its the 2nd/3rd last stall from the extreme right (there is only a single row of food stalls). I personally think its even better than the Warong Saga you've featured & I know for a fact its open on Saturdays for breakfast (not very sure of Sundays though.

    - Wantan Mee @ Restoran Ho Seng Kee
    http://www.hosengkee.com/English/map.htm
    Really very good home-made wantan mee, standard has been maintained thoughout the years. Run by a very humble and warm family, excellent service

    - Famous Cantonese style pork porridge (corner-most coffeeshop on Jalan Harimau, right next to the turning into Jalan Harimau Akar, directly faces the junction of Jln Serigala). Sorry but I cant remember the coffeeshop name, but there is a stall run by an old lady which does a simple but really tasty pork porridge for breakfast.

    Will keep u posted once I think of any good eats, haha! Happy chomping! :)

    GKS

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  7. Dear GKS,

    thank you for your compliments and encouragement. Thank you also for the helpful tips. I have noted them down in my notebook and included them in my must-try list ;D I appreciate it very much.

    I have eaten at Ho Seng Kee and agree with you 100% that it is one of the best wanton mee in JB.

    Wish you good reading and eating ;D

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  8. Dear GKS, I went to look for the longton kering stall you suggested. I hope I found the correct one that you mentioned. I tried out the food centre right opposite SMK Sultan Ismail just outside Hutan Bandar park. From the extreme right, the first stall sells roti canai, second sells drinks, third sells tauhu goreng and other fried stuff (closed today) and the fourth has lontong kering. I am writing up my experience now. It is good but am not sure if I got the correct stall you suggested - let me know ;D Thanks for the suggestion ;D

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  9. P.S. The shop is closed on Fridays. Just in case anybody intend to try their food on a Friday.

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  10. I went there twice and seems to me they closed down. Anyone knows their new location?

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  11. My old favorite, had it yesterday. Saw the shop closed and felt very disappointed. A kind aunty told us that it had moved to a shop across the road. Heng-ah!😅

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  12. Right,,we still do this manually, through our hands we peel piece by piece, its so different, most people use factory fried. Had Ah Hua kwey teow soup, now the son selling, alamak taste totally changed was told to go Jln Trus to try, looking forward and hope it's good got old school days taste 😀 😋

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