Buddy Yvonne who always gives me great foodie tips on the best eats in JB, alerted me to a newly opened restaurant which she said serves the "best laksa Johor now". I quickly went for breakfast at 7 Kauthar Cafe in Setia Tropika as l am always on the look out for good laksa Johor. It is the representative dish of Johor but good ones are very hard to find commercially even in JB.
Our Batam friends brought us to Sup Ikan Pha Khong. The locals call it Asam Pedas Windsor. The humble little corner shop is off the main road Jalan Pembangunan - we would never have found this place so soon, if we explored Batam on our own.
I had the privilege to experience the inaugural Gourmet Series at The Els Club and also stayed at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast as a guest of Tourism Malaysia.
Ban Leong Wah Hoe and the row of eateries at Casuarina Road was one of our favourite hangouts though I've not been back for over two decades. I was glad that tonight's get together let me get reacquainted with one of my old favourite Singapore zhi char places. I like all the dishes we had tonight, especially their rendition of Singapore chili crab.
Thank you Makan Guru KF Seetoh for the privilege to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of Makansutra at Gluttons Bay with you, Patricia, your team and friends. I bought your food guides and went on your food tours in the 1990s, tasted many good food stalls you recommended, inspired by many astute insights you shared but never expected to be part of Makansutra's 21st birthday bash 😄
Finally, l got to taste the famous Cowan Street chicken kway teow and taugeh (beansprouts) after missing it a few times on previous Ipoh trips. If you are from out of town and catch Cowan Street Ayam Tauge and Koitiau open during your stay, it's like you struck lottery 😂
The black gooey lardy fat Hokkien mee known as tai lok meen in Cantonese (which is still the lingua franca of KL Chinese) is one of Kuala Lumpur's signature dishes. Every neighbourhood in KL and Petaling Jaya has at least one or two famous Hokkien mee stalls.
It was the end of our whole day food trail from JB to KL, after our fourth meal. Every meal was great but it would not be right if we did not taste a Hokkien mee or tai lok meen when we were in KL. Running through the dozens of popular options, I reminisced about a Hokkien mee stall that operated along the corridor at a side street off Jalan Pudu. We decided to go and check it out, though I actually assumed that it was no longer there (just like the mee hoon kueh stall across the road from it).
I am on a food trail from Johor Bahru 🚙 KL 🚙 Ipoh and back to JB - dates from 29 Nov (Weds) to 4 Dec (Tues). I am updating this post everyday during the road trip - follow this post if you like to know what we are eating and how we like it 😋 (or not ).
You know, it's one of those days when all three eateries I planned to try were all closed for the day. I was getting hungry and running out of time for my other commitments when I found myself in Masai. When I am lost for ideas and tired, I fall back on places that I believe won't fail me. In Masai, my comfort food hideout is 肆源小炒 zhi char stall.
Nasi Padang Sukaramai inside Senteral coffee shop 中央餐室 just beside City Square mall have been around for decades, yet this family run stall have somehow evaded the social media radar. But, it is popular with downtown office workers who come here for their work day lunch.
Chinatown Complex Food Centre was closed for washing today but we didn't worry for even a second because Singapore Chinatown is overflowing with good food options. Just a short walk took us to Foong Kee Coffee Shop 豐記咖啡店 on Keong Saik Road which is famous for their Cantonese roasts and wanton mee.
There are about a dozen popular nasi padang shops in Singapore's Kampong Glam area near Sultan Mosque. One of my favourites is Warong Nasi Pariaman.
My friend Daphne contacted me to visit her newly opened cafe at Golden Wall Centre (just a short walk from Rochor MRT station). She wanted me to try her family's Granny Lee sauce.
I love to sketch and love to eat (who doesn't?), so I thought combining the two activities would be having the best of both worlds. Today, I watched a prominent Singapore sketching group, Scenic Rangers 猎景骑兵, enjoy both at Noodle Place at Orchard Gateway. (No, I didn't sketch today lah - the thought of sketching, tasting, taking photos, taking notes all at once is still too daunting for me now 😂 )
I rarely eat fried ngoh hiang nowadays because of the grease. When I can no longer resist it, I get my ngoh hiang fix at 老中中餐室五香酥虾饼 Lao Zhong Zhong at Tai Thong Crescent in Singapore.
So many of my makan kakis ate and shared about Chef Kang's wanton mee at Jackson Square Cafe, I couldn't wait to check it out myself. (Chef Kang as you know is the chef behind the Singapore One Michelin Star Chef Kang Kitchen.)
I had long wanted to try the popular fish soup stalls Han Kee and Piao Ji at Amoy Hawker Centre. Didn't get to taste them until today because the queues were always sooo.... looong. Finally got the chance today because I was in the area early to visit the historic Thian Hock Keng temple (Telok Ayer Street).
Today, I joined Urban Sketchers Singapore during their sketching outing (sketchwalk) at the famous Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Tiong Bahru. This time I observed and took pictures only lah. Maybe next time, I may actually pick up the brush and sketch 😄
Johor Bahru Malaysia has numerous public hawker centres, each with its own character. Taman Tasek Hawker Centre set under huge leafy trees and surrounded by fruit trees may be among the smallest, yet it is well loved by its immediate community and visitors from out of town Malaysia and Singapore.
