Buddy EJ brought me to Usman Restaurant in Singapore's Little India. EJ had been eating here for nearly 20 years and his raving about Usman's "white nasi briyani" got me excited. I am a nasi briyani fan and had never even heard of "white briyani" before, till now.
You know right, if you go to Bale Club Restaurant at the Equestrian Resort in Leisure Farm Resort in Gelang Patah, Johor, you can get an excellent meal in a cool beautiful hideaway surrounded by lush greenery. Actually, few people know 😝
Johor Bahru now has a pretty dim sum hangout, if you like to indulge in the Cantonese pastime of yum cha (drinking tea) with your kakis (buddies) in a cha lao (tea house). It's simply called 茶楼 Cha Lao Dim Sum which is located at Holiday Villa Hotel.
We bumped into Phoebe and family in Taman Mount Austin, and they suggested to us to try Myeong Dong BBQ Buffet. Phoebe and family are veteran food hunters in JB and they know a lot of good family friendly places to eat.
Terengganu Curry Fish Noodles 丁加奴咖喱鱼面 was one of my first posts back in early 2012. I was "find dining" in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (Skudai) when I stumbled upon the shop - my curiosity piqued by locals packing the little restaurant.
阿龍肉骨茶 Ah Loong Klang Bak Kut Teh stall has been appearing on social media within days of opening in 2.8 Food Centre (coffee shop) in Taman Mount Austin. So, I went to try lo 😄
My thanks to Johor Kaki reader Yoke Wei who tipped me off to Lucky Star Foods 幸运星猪肉粉 in Taman Daya Johor Bahru for their popular pork noodles. Indeed, it is among the best in JB.
So, late one night buddy Aaron Facebook tagged me a photo of 阳光轩's Penang Hokkien Mee (prawn mee) and said he is coming to JB to try this 😮 Since I can make it in the morning, we decided to have breakfast together at 阳光轩槟城虾面.爪哇面 in Taman Ehsan Jaya.
Johor Bahru has a few seafood restaurants on platforms over the water along the Johor Straits (facing Singapore) where Orang Asli chefs serve Chinese zhi char 煮炒 style dishes. Last evening, I finally visited Restoran Asli Makanan Laut Mutiara Biru near Taman Perling which had been on my "To Eat list" for a long time.
The moment I heard about cheese bak kut teh at Ah Peng Bak Kut Teh in Setia Indah, I just had to try it. As a dry bak kut teh and cheese lover, my intuition tells me that this savoury on savoury pairing will work.
Hawker centres are good hunting grounds for foodies looking for traditional heritage food at affordable prices in Johor Bahru. They are also good places for authentic gritty raw local foodie experiences.
Seven years into Johor Kaki blog, I still find that hitting the road, pounding the streets combined with good luck work best for me in find dining. This morning, I was lucky to stumble upon Rosli Roti Canai at the hawker centre at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Block 59.
Six years ago, sharing a table with a stranger, enjoying wanton mee at the no name stall at Kampung Baru Pandan in JB, my table mate suggested that I should also taste their curry laksa. (Friendly table sharing is the norm in Malaysia.) I promised him that I would. Six years later, I am here to fulfil that promise.
When makan kakis suggested lunch at Barakath Restaurant, I looked forward to it as I had been wanting to try their curry lamb shank bones since reading celebrity chef Damian D’Silva calling this place his “pukul mati" fix (Malay for “beat until you die”).
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.
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 😄
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.
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.
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).
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.
