Boss Ayam Gepuk 📍Jalan Ibrahim 10 Minutes Walk from JB CIQ

I thought I was done ayam gepuk hunting for the day, my tummy was so full 😅 Then, I stumbled upon Boss Ayam Gepuk at Jalan Ibrahim just before heading back across the Causeway to Singapore. Struggled a bit before I decided to give it a try - I am glad that I did.

Boss Ayam Gepuk is the proverbial hidden gem.

Ayam Gepuk Republik 📍Bandar Dato Onn Johor Bahru ☎ +6012 268 9775

Johor Kaki also follow trend 🫢 I've been watching the ayam gepuk craze raged from Yogjakarta, Java in Indonesia, to Kuala Lumpur, Batam, Johor Bahru and finally making inroads into Singapore.

MacKenzie Rex Halal Chicken Rice📍Prinsep Street ☎ 6336 1702

When I asked Muslim friends where they go for Halal Hainanese chicken rice, MacKenzie Rex restaurant gets mentioned often.

So, I went to check it out 😁

Chicken Rice Rating System by Johor Kaki • Significantly Improve your Chicken Rice Experience • Effective 2 May 2026

Chicken rice is everywhere in Singapore. Most coffeeshops have one, many hawker centres have more than two, and sometimes even more than five (like at Maxwell Food Centre).

Most would agree that the standard of chicken rice in Singapore is high - it is very hard to find a bad chicken rice stall 🤣

Swee Kee • Original Most Famous Singapore Chicken Rice Ever & Forever 瑞记鸡饭的神话

There are and will be many famous chicken rice brands in Singapore and around the world but none will be or will ever be as famous as the original Swee Kee 瑞记.

Many brands can be famous, some even legendary, but only rarely will one reach a mythical level like Swee Kee 瑞记.

Father of Singapore Chicken Rice • Uncle Commie Wong Yi Guan 共产鸡饭王义元 • 新加坡鸡饭之父

Today, chicken rice stalls and even restaurants are ubiquitous in Singapore. Most coffee shops have at least one chicken rice stall, and hawker centres often have two or even more. 

Heng Kui Tampoi Laksa📍Restoran Lee Heng Taman Daya 兴贵淡杯叻沙 福林园 利興美食中心

Stalking Taman Daya for good food, Restoran Lee Heng was one of a few busy coffee shops popular with locals.

Singapore Immigrant History in a Cup of Hainanese Coffee • Nanyang Kopi 南洋咖啡 • 海南咖啡

Coffee or kopi as it is known in Malay in Singapore is like our lingua franca - the beverage that binds the diverse ethnic communities of Singapore (and also Malaysia).

Hawkers Omakase by Maybank & Makansutra 2026 • Dulukala Peranakan • 戚師傅 Chef Chik

Maybank with Makansutra have just launched the world's first Hawkers Omakase. 

Running from 23rd April to 30th June 2026, it is a ground breaking celebration of Singapore hawker culture involving six handpicked hawker stalls across the island. 

Inaugural stalls are Dulukala Peranakan at Jalan Silat by chef Zan and 戚師傅 at Haig Road Food Centre by chef Chik.

Foshan Shunde Jindeng Village Restaurant 顺德金登饭店 · 乡村私房菜 📞 27799223 📞 18934308391

This is the kind of dining experience I willingly to fly hours for. I am told that in Guangdong (and around China) there are many such village type eating places 乡村私房菜. I would love to come back for itineraries made up entirely of eateries like 金登饭店 Jindeng Village Restaurant. You know...., others cafe or bar hop, I love village restaurant hopping.

Kacang Pool📍Kedai Kak Nur Yishun Park Hawker Centre

Kacang Pool appeared in Singapore hawker centres only a few decades ago but never became mainstream. Today, only a handful of hawker stalls (less than 10) serve this dish.

Foshan Pork Organ Porridge · Haiji Zhou Gong Zhou Po · Congee Grandpa Grandma 佛山海记粥公粥婆 ☎ 13129199628

Well...., we didn't plan to come here. We actually wanted to have pork kidney at the famous Tiande 天德 but were turned away on arrival because their kidneys were sold out (even before opening for dinner service 🙄🥹 ).

Foshan Juhao Food Review · Goose, Raw Fish · Quality Ingredients, Authentic Yue Cuisine, Great Flavours · 聚豪园林美食(桃园店) 佛山 ☎ 0757-85222666

During our Foshan 佛山 food trip, one of the highlights was Juhao Food restaurant 聚豪酒家. The dishes (we tasted many) were good to excellent, and I was amazed by the scale of the enterprise as well as the inspiring story of the boss, chef Feng Zanbo 冯赞波.

Foshan Tiande Famous Pork Kidney Soup 佛山天德美食 猪腰王 ☎ +86 757 8212 1805

Kaki kaki Daniel had been raving about this pork kidney place weeks before our foodie tour to Foshan, Guangdong, China.

Foshan 102 House Restaurant 佛山 壹零贰小馆 ☎ +86 132 8843 2145

Kaki kaki Clarence had a memorable experience with Chef Xu Jingye 徐涇業 during his last visit to Foshan in 2018. Chef Xu, protégé of Cantonese master Chen Daben* went on to win many accolades including the Black Pearl Young Chef Award. 

Now based in Shanghai, chef Xu's 102 House Restaurant at the House of Roosevelt at The Bund in Shanghai is Michelin 2-Starred ☆☆ and in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list.

*I love this Tatler article about the source of chef Xu's inspiration.

Port Asam Pedas by Sang • Johor Style Sour Spicy Fish & Seafood📍Beletime Danga Bay JB ☎️ +6019-735 7556

I am a big asam pedas fish fan, so I am always on the look out for good places for this delicious National Heritage Dish of Malaysia. Went to Beletime Mall Danga Bay to hunt for the best at Port Asam Pedas by Sang.

History of Asam Pedas · Legacy of Malacca Sultanate Melting Pot

Asam Pedas is one of my favourite dishes. In Malay, asam means sour and pedas means spicy (hot) - sour and spicy hot accurately describes this dish's taste profile.

Palates & Bagels by T.A.M.📍Jalan Dhoby Johor Bahru 🥯 Beautiful Halal Cafe Walking Distance from JB CIQ

I love, love bagels 🥯 It's one of my favourite breads. Today, we visited Palates & Bagels at Jalan Dhoby, JB's undisputed favourite bagel hangout.

Ming Jii Chee Cheong Fun Kampar Style📍Johor Jaya Dedap 19 明记金宝猪肠粉 ☏ +6018 219 1962

Ming Jii Chee Cheong Fun in Taman Johor Jaya has a steady following of local folks. It is a comfort rice noodle dish with options for sauces and eaten with a variety of small bite size sides.

Ah Hua Kway Teow • Taste of Old JB • Little Swatow 亚华 • 小汕头粿条 • 老新山的味道

Johor Bahru is sometimes referred to as "Little Swatow" 小汕头 because the main Chinese community, most old JB folks 老新山 here are Teochew. Swatow or Shantou is a major city in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province where Teochew people came from in China.

SJ60 Commemorative Matcha Sling Celebrates 60 Years of Singapore - Japan Relations · SJ60特別記念 抹茶カクテル

✍ 26 Mar 2026. Presenting the SJ60 Commemorative Matcha Sling.

Yang's Epok Epok Singapore

So we finished a heavy lunch at Haig Road hawker centre. Kaki kaki suggested going to the basement of KINEX Mall for epok epok and kopi.

Food Guide to Pudu Wai Sek Kai Glutton Street • 4 Eyes Fried Chicken 半山芭 • 为食街 • 四眼仔胜利炸

4 Eyes Fried Chicken is perhaps the most popular stall in Pudu's legendary glutton street or Wai Sek Kai. WSK is a side street off Jalan Pudu and its official name is Jalan Sayur (which means Vegetable Street in Malay). 

"Vegetable Street" was the original wet market of Pudu before it moved to its present location (at Pasar Pudu Baharu). Cooked food stalls replaced vegetable stalls after the latter moved to Pasar Pudu Baharu but the name Jalan Sayur remained.

Leong Kei Tai Bu Hakka Noodle 📍 Pudu Wei Sek Kai Glutton Street 📍 Jalan Sayur 半山芭 为食街 亮记大埔面 ☎ +6016 607 9983

I always love Hakka noodles - so simple - egg noodles sauced with lard and soy sauce topped with fried minced pork and eat with wanton soup. So comforting, tasty, filling and affordable.

Chop Pun Heong Dim Sum · Taste of Old Kulai 📍 Indahpura 古来品香茶室点心 ☎ +607 663 1279

Stalking Indahpura in Kulai for good food, I stumbled upon Chop Pun Heong dim sum. 

Hien Kee Fish Ball Noodle📍Pudu Flats off Jalan Loke Yew 馨記正宗西刀鱼丸粉 • 新義豐茶餐室 ☎ +6017 252 5012

Fish ball places ain't that common in Kuala Lumpur, compared to say Johor Bahru and Singapore.

Hung Kee Wanton Noodle📍Pudu KL 亨記飯店•馳名雲吞麵炒粉麵食•各式燉品•燒鴨燒臘 ☎ 011-28 391388

Hung Kee at Jalan Loke Yew is over 60 years old now (founded in the 1960s). 

Piman Terrace x Chez Sonia Italian Cuisine📍Rancho Charnvee Resort & Country Club Khaoyai ☎ +66 4 475 6210

This was our sumptuous dinner at Piman Terrace at Rancho Charnvee Resort & Country Club before calling it a day in Khao Yai, and returning to Bangkok the next morning 😄 It was a nice capping stone to an interesting 3 day, 2 night trip to Khao Yai.

I will write a separate article of our Khao Yai itinerary. Khao Yai is like "Little Europe" as it has cool "Alpine climate". hills (national park), waterfalls, flower gardens, European themed aesthetic cafes, restaurants, bars and homestays / hotels. 

Casa Ricca Pool Villa Khaoyai • Ideal for Families Affordable Stay ☎ +66 62 812 5629

During our recent trip to Khaoyai, we stayed at Casa Ricca Pool Villa. 

Girl & Mommy Cockle Mania Curry Mee📍33 Jalan Emas, Chan Sow Lin • 烧肉 Siham 咖喱面 ☎️ +6018 321 3606

Finally found my way to the famous Girl & Mommy Curry Mee in Chan Sow Lin, KL.

Herbal Chicken Soup in Coconut • Keong Kee & Fatt Kee📍Pudu Kuala Lumpur 椰子燉药材雞湯

Herbal chicken soup in coconut shell is worth a try if you are a fan of Chinese herbal soups.