Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture

Rojak Buah (Fruit Salad) @ Tanjung Emas in Muar, Johor

Square and clock tower at Tanjung Emas Park

When I asked Muar locals where is the best place to enjoy the Muar riverfront, they invariably suggested that I go to the Tanjung Emas Park. To my inevitable follow on question on what is good to eat there, they suggested that I try the rojak buah (fruit salad) there.

This is the rojak buah stall in Tanjung Emas. It operates out of a food van which also sells fried snacks, steamed corn, hot and cold drinks, and rojak buah.

The rojak buah here uses many different types of fresh fruits and vegetables such as apple, pear, pineapple, pumpkin, jambu and cucumber. The fruits and vegetables were expertly sliced in deft and swift cuts.

The cut fruits were tossed in the sauce made of ground peanuts, fermented shrimp paste, vinegar, and lime juice.

Rojak buah is a tasty, healthy snack of fresh juicy fruits and vegetables that we can conveniently take along while enjoying the sunset at Tanjung Emas J

Restaurant name: No name food van
Address: Tanjung Emas car park
Map: http://g.co/maps/7dvfr
GPS: 2.048677,102.552735
Hours: 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 18 Apr 2012

Where to Buy Fish in Pontian? Get Restaurant to Cook for You on the Spot

Besides eating Pontian wanton mee, bak kut teh, claypot rice, seafood porridge, and enjoying coffee and toast, what else can we do in Pontian?

Traditional Foochow Biscuits 福州光饼 @ Eng Hin in Yong Peng, Johor

Yong Peng is known as the "Little Foochow" of Malaysia because most of the Chinese here are Foochow people. Yong Peng is therefore Malaysia's centre for Foochow cuisine. Yong Peng also has bakeries making traditional Foochow cakes and biscuits. Eng Hin along Jalan Besar is one of the oldest and famous ones.

Kompia 光饼 is a popular traditional Foochow biscuit usually eaten as a snack with Chinese tea. Made with just flour, lard and sugar, kompia is like a Foochow type of bagel. There are many variations of kompia - there are plain ones, and those with fillings such as peanuts or even meat. These ones in the photo are plain ones with sesame seed topping.

At Eng Hin, all the biscuits are made right here at the shop. The entire process from making the dough to baking in the oven to packing for sale can be seen at the shop.

Preparing the dough. Nowadays, machines help prepare and cut the dough while the final touches of shaping the dough are still done by hand.

The original variety has a hole in the middle like a doughnut. According to legend, kompia were strung together with a string and wore around the necks of Foochow soldiers during Ming Dynasty China as combat rations.

The dough is baked in these modern ovens. Eng Hin has been around for more than 50 years and the old traditional tandoor style clay oven has been replaced by these efficient but less charming machinery.

The dough are baked till slightly browned.

These are kompia with peanut fillings. The skin and peanut fillings are soft and slightly sweet. Goes very well with traditional Chinese tea or nowadays also with a cappa coffee :-D

Restaurant name: Kedai Membuat Kuih-Muih Eng Hin
Address: 14, Jalan Besar, Yong Peng, Johor
Map: http://g.co/maps/qzdme
GPS: 2.011157,103.061274
Hours: 7:00am to 9:00pm (closed on alternate Thurs)
Non Halal

Date visited: 18 Apr 2012

Review of Ah Chuan ● Grand Daddy of Pontian Wanton Mee 亚泉面家 ● 笨珍云吞面

The Pontian style of wanton mee 笨珍云吞面 has that distinctive tangy and spicy sauce, and like all things unique, people either love it or hate it. So it is hardly a surprise that Pontian wanton mee evokes such heated discussions, in hawker centres and in online forums.

Chocolate Cheese Cupcakes @ Food Décor in Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru

I was dashing for cover on a typical sizzling hot day in JB, when I stumbled upon this cool oasis, Food Décor in Taman Pelangi. The café was surrounded by heavy canvas curtains enveloping it like a tent, and shielding it from the scorching sun. There were cooling mist fans all around the café blowing a cool air curtain to keep the heat out. This was a welcome respite from the stifling heat and humidity outside.

Food Décor is a contemporary Hong Kong styled café with the full range of pastas, rice, pizzas, noodles, coffee as well as hot and cold desserts.

Needing to cool down fast, I ordered this fresh mango pudding which was garnished with pamelo and sago. The staff were friendly and efficient, and my cold dessert arrived in just a couple of minutes. The mango pudding was most refreshing.

I was enjoying the cool and free wifi so much that I decided to treat myself to a second dessert, now a durian snow ice, which was shaved ice with fresh durian topping.

Both the cold desserts were good, but what really caught my eye the whole time were those tiny colourful things staring out wide-eyed at me from inside this refrigerated showcase.

I just couldn’t take my eyes off these pretty little cupcakes. There were so many adorable designs! J

I finally gave in and happily picked these two Angry Birds J They were so cute, I was having great difficulty hardening my heart to eat them.

In the end, I mustered enough willpower to chomp off its head in one bite J The chocolate and cheese insides were basically sweet with a nut adding a little interesting texture to the treat.

These cupcakes are so irresistibly fun to ogle at and eat. Go near at your own risk J

Restaurant name: Food Décor

Address: 1, Jalan Kuning Dua, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/379wf

GPS: 1.478687,103.766298

Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm

Non Halal

Date: 17 Apr 2012

Otak Otak Muar

Muar Otak Otak

Fish, crab, prawn, and lala...what comes to mind?

Would you have thought about otak otak? I would if I were in Muar! Famous for their wacky flavours of otak otak, fellow Muar locals really have their own style when it comes to inventing new flavours of otak otak! Never in my life have I tried otak that is made from something other than fish! So, I had to try all the different variations when I visited in Muar!

There's always the aroma of BBQing otak when in Muar, so when someone says to you that there is “love in the air”, he or she probably meant the love for otak J and who can blame them?! Just walk along any street in Muar and you are bound to see someone chomping down otak!

Muar people eat otak otak with everything or just by itself. Otak otak go well with different kinds of food, so they are eaten for breakfast with nasi lemak, for lunch with wanton noodle, for dinner with fried kway teow - just to name a few examples of common combinations, but the possibilities are endless.

After dinner, we went for otak otak at A Class Otak Otak - a contemporary café styled otak otak shop for supper that ended up more like a feeding frenzy.

Enveloped in nipah (attap) leaves, it's like receiving a love letter with each otak! hahaha Muar letters anyone?

The fish otak is made with chunks of ikan tenggiri (mackerel) fish. Fragrant and delicate, it will surely delight your taste buds! Each fish otak costs RM0.50.

The prawn otak is, yup, you guessed it...made with fresh prawns! The juicy prawns add to the sweetness of the otak.

The lala (shellfish) otak was my personal favourite as the lalas in the otak gave it a nice chewy texture yet tender at the same time! Each lala otak costs RM0.50. Get more of this, its uniquely Muar and you won't be disappointed!

Finally, the crab otak is the latest addition to the otak clan. Once you bite into the otak, you will be greeted by flakes of real crab meat! Each stick costs RM1.20. Definitely a must try for crab lovers.