Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

Adventurous Culinary Traveler's Blog with 67 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

Lunch in Sematan @ Yat Lau Coffee Shop Sarawak ☏ +6016 891 0116 憶劉海鲜餐厅


Back at seaside Sematan town in Sarawak again after one year away. Sematan at the far west of Sarawak is literally the edge of the world.

Making Gula Apong, Enjoying Attap Sugar • A Common Bond of Sarawak Communities


Gula apong or attap palm sugar, the finishing touch to cendol in Kuching, Sarawak. It is not cendol, if there is no palm sugar, and in Sarawak, it is best with attap palm sugar or gula apong (in Malay).

Hap Chen Hian Kuching Teochew Satay @ Hui Sing Hawker Centre 合眾香沙爹 ☏ +6016 857 9081


On our first day in Kuching, our local foodie buddy Joshua whisked us to try Hap Chen Hian Satay stall at Hui Sing Hawker Centre. 

Pork Leg Rice @ Cat City Night Food Tai Pan Corner Padungan Kuching Sarawak 猫城夜市

The very first day we arrived for this Kuching trip, buddy Aven said he would like to try the pork leg rice stall at Cat City Night Food in Padungan.

Braised Pork Leg Rice @ Huang You Liang Fook Seng Cafe Padungan Kuching 新福昇茶室 • 黄友良猪脚饭 ☏+6016 525 5323


Our Kuching local foodie buddy Joshua shared that Padungan in Kuching is well known for its Teochew braised pork rice shops.

I love pork leg rice but so far have only tried kha moo in Thailand.

Uncle Koh vs Grandpapatee Wanton Mee in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Skudai

Grandpapatee (left) Uncle Koh (right)
Even though Johor Bahru is originally a Teochew enclave, hence its nickname Little Swatow, there are actually more wanton mee stalls than Teochew kway teow mee / thng stalls (based on my observation). And, Johoreans are spoilt for choice as Johor wanton mee standards are high with many stalls / restaurants still making their own noodles.

Wanton noodles, of course, is a quintessentially Cantonese dish. 

Tao Tao Ju Main Restaurant Guangzhou near Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street 陶陶居十甫总店 ☏ 020 8050 3899


Heard a lot about Guangzhou's venerable Tao Tao Ju 陶陶居 restaurant (founded in 1880). It's like a pilgrimage every Cantonese cuisine fan have to make when in Guangzhou. 

Wong Dan Kee • It's All About Rice Noodles Chen Cun Fun 黄旦记 陳村粉 Shunde Must Eat Huangdanji


By the time we cleared formalities and got onto our waiting coach at Baiyun Airport, we were already famished 😅

We dashed straight for Shunde (a district of Foshan city in Guangdong). 

Dim Sum @ Shunde Xiang Yun Sha Garden Hotel 顺德点心 • 香云纱园林酒店


When in Guangzhou or Shunde right... If not going for street food stalls, then the natural choice for breakfast would be yum cha i.e. morning tea. So, we had several yum cha sessions during our seven day Guangzhou & Shunde food tour. Of these, I like Xiang Yun Sha in Shunde the most.

Jubilant Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre 喜庆海南鸡饭

Jubilant Hainanese Chicken Rice 喜庆海南鸡饭 | 121 Pasir Panjang Rd, stall #01-32 Pasir Panjang Food Centre, S118543 ⏰ 9:30am - 1pm (Sun off)
As a typical Singaporean, I am always on the lookout for good chicken rice places. I mean chicken rice stalls are everywhere in Singapore, they are generally at least okay to good, but we customers have become very picky and demanding 🤭😬

So when chef Benny Se Teo shared that Jubilant Hainanese Chicken Rice at Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre is very good, I was excited to try it as soon as possible. 

Yishun Chong Pang Gu Zao Wei Teochew Minced Meat Noodle • Former Park Lane / Bras Basah Bak Chor Mee 古早味潮州麺

For a few years already, hanging out around Chong Pang, I noticed that this coffee shop corner noodle stall (steps from CP hawker centre) always has a long queue of customers. I always make a mental note to try it, one day.

Cheok Kee Braised Duck Rice @ East Coast Lagoon 作记鸭饭 ☏64454222

We were driving from east to west and back to east discussing what two persons can eat in Singapore 🤣 Finally, settled on Cheok Kee Braised Duck in East Coast Lagoon because "What!? You have never tried it before!?"

Yeah.... brother..., I am Johor Kaki nia nia

Bamboo Wanton Noodle in Guangzhou by Chang Ping & Han Ji 广州常平竹升云吞面 • 汉记面馆

As a wanton noodle lover, one of the things I look forward to was to taste the "authentic" Cantonese food icon in China's Guangdong province, the home of the dish.

But, when I was in Guangzhou city, I didn't see any shop with the Wanton Noodle 云吞面 signage. I did, however, come across a few Bamboo Noodle shops 竹升面. What we call wanton noodle around the world, is mostly known as bamboo noodle in Guangzhou.

Roots of Greatness of Cantonese Cuisine 广府菜


What makes 粤菜, the cuisine of Guangdong Province, one of the Eight Great Cuisines of China? 

The one word answer is diversity. 

Guangdong has diversity of food ingredients and a melting pot of many different culinary traditions. 

*Guangdong cuisine 粤菜 is the cuisine of Guangdong Province which includes Cantonese cuisine, Hakka cuisine and the cuisine of Chaoshan (Teochew), etc. This article is about Cantonese cuisine 广府菜, the cuisine of the Pearl River Delta which includes the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. 

Ho Yong Kee Wanton Noodle in Guangzhou 何永记粉面店(纸行路店)

Visiting Guangzhou, got to catch some wanton noodle before leaving. The humble wanton noodle is an icon of Cantonese cuisine.

Zhenjie Cafe • Local Favourite Chicken Rice in Zhanjiang Guangzhou 珍姐美食店(福建街店) 湛江

Zhenjie is a chicken rice shop popular with Guangzhou locals. It is a good place to experience the iconic Cantonese white cut chicken 白切鸡 in its home ground. 

Eat Roast Goose in Daliang Shunde Guangzhou China 烧鹅再·传统顺德菜(大良店)

Roast Goose is an icon of Guangdong cuisine, so there are many, many roast goose places vying for the local and tourist market. 

烧鹅再 is a 40 year local favourite in Shunde (local residents' favourites tend not to have as much presence in social media platforms like Dianping.com 大众点评网). 

89 Carrot Cake • Homemade Chai Tow Kueh @ 89 Macpherson Food Centre 菜頭粿

Buddy who lives nearby 89 Macpherson hawker centre mentioned I should come for the carrot cake here. So, here I am 🙏

Backlane Tian Ya Ker Handmade Pan Mee (Ban Mian) @ Chow Kit Kuala Lumpur 天涯客板面


Pan mee is a dish which mothers make at home for the family. It requires little ingredients or equipment but lots of love, time and effort. 

Tian Ya Ker is as close to mother's pan mee as you can get that money can buy. 

Wanjo Nasi Lemak Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur


Okay..., come to Kuala Lumpur must of course try their nasi lemak. One of the most popular / famous places is Nasi Lemak Wanjo in Kampung Baru.

Why Chinese Tap Fingers on Table when Drinking Tea? 叩手礼


Sometimes you may notice someone, especially older generation Chinese gently knocking on tabletop with knuckles when they are served tea.

Sometimes, I am asked, "Unker, what are you doing?"

Wah Lok 😮 Wah-licious Cantonese Restaurant at Carlton Hotel Singapore

Opened in 1988, Wah Lok is one of those long, well established gems which most foodies in Singapore are familiar with, and at least visit occasionally. 

Wah Lok doesn't have too much coverage on social media yet still pull in full house crowds with good old word of mouth and a solid reputation. 

Shunde Stuff Dace Fish 顺德酿鲮鱼

Dace or mud carp fish 鲮鱼 is an icon of Shunde cuisine. Dace fish has been part of Shunde peoples' lives for over 2,000 years!

Shunde Guangdong Eat Itinerary • Food Capital of China & UNESCO Gastro City


Cantonese cuisine is one of the Eight Great Cuisines of China.

Guangdong or Cantonese cuisine has very deep roots and a strong foundation going back more than 2,000 years. The history of Cantonese cuisine parallels the history of China herself. 

On this solid foundation, Cantonese cuisine changes and adapts. 

Le Cheng Kampong Hainanese Chicken Rice • Promising Newcomer in the East (of Singapore) 乐城海南鸡饭

We met up at Le Cheng, a relatively new chicken rice place in the East (of Singapore). Do we need another chicken rice shop in Singapore? 🤔 Yes, but only good ones 😬

Crazy Popular Rongbian Pork Rib Rice in Shunde Guangzhou 顺德容边排骨饭

When you come to Shunde, there is one experience you need to clock - taste the pork rib rice at 容边排骨饭 where the queue starts at 4am. Yes, you read that right, 4am.