Traditional Chinese Cakes and Biscuits @ GN 满发 Food and Biscuits in Batu Pahat, Johor

GN 满发 Food and Biscuits was a lucky find. After overeating at the food stalls along Jalan Abu Bakar in Batu Pahat, we looked for a traditional Chinese cake and biscuit shop to get the customary gifts before heading home to Singapore.

GN 满发 Food and Biscuits just happened to be opposite Swee Kee tonic soups. We had never heard about GN 满发 before, so we did not set our expectations too high.

The GN 满发 shop looked ordinary enough. The retail section is at the front of the shop and the production section just behind a glass and board partition.

Applying the egg wash to give the crust that glazy sheen and golden hue.

Puncturing the dough with a pick.

Nevertheless, the finishing touches are done at the retail section, right beside the display shelves.

This large modern oven is also in front at the retail section. So we got our hot cakes and biscuits straight out of the oven J

Stepping behind, the staff were kneading the dough and making the biscuits one at a time by hand, in the old way. Each person quietly focused on their respective part of the production chain.

There was a machine humming and droning away, grinding the aromatic, freshly stir fried sesame seeds.

As we don't know yet what is good at GN 满发, we just bought a random selection to try at home and to present as gifts.

We were pleasantly surprised at the texture and taste of GN 满发 traditional Chinese biscuits. The tasty crust was flaky and among the crispiest we've tasted before. The different types of fillings were thick and generous as well as fresh, smooth and fragrant.

Lotus seed paste. Popular traditional flavour.

Traditional red bean paste. Everybody's favourite.

Kaya and red bean paste. Nice combo.

Sweet yam paste. I like.

Five kennel 五仁 paste. Not my taste but the favourite filling of many others.

The red bean paste and spicy dried shrimp paste 虾米辣 combo.

Not my favourite but others raved about its unique taste.

The next time I am in Batu Pahat, GN 满发 will be the place where I will pick up my customary gifts before heading home.

Restaurant name: GN 满发 Food and Biscuits

Address: 180, Jalan Abu Baker, Batu Pahat
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/FNQJ
GPS: 1.852745,102.927952
Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 25 Jun 2012

CLOSED 葉记云吞面 Flying Wanton Mee 飞面 in Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru (Closed)

CLOSED. Looking at this gold hued, glowing ball of wanton noodles makes my mouth water.

Soon Lai Kway Chap in Batu Pahat, Johor since 1970s 峇株巴辖 顺来粿汁 ☏+6012 787 9018 ☏ +6012 755 9400

Kedai Makan Soon Lai 顺来粿汁 | 6-C, Jalan Fatimah, Batu Pahat, Johor ☏ +6012 755 9400  ⏰10:30am to 4:00pm (no fixed off day)

Soon Lai 顺来粿汁 serves one of the most loved kway chap in Batu Pahat, and some say, in the whole of Johor.

Ramly Burger in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

The Ramly burger is a uniquely Malaysian version of the American hamburger. Created by Enche Ramly Moknin in the 1970s, today Ramly burger stands are found in every corner of Malaysia and Singapore. Unlike American burgers which are standardised, each Ramly burger stand offers its own variation according to the flair of the individual owners. Each stand has its own signature and following of fans.

This Ramly burger stand along Jalan Wong Ah Fook (directly across the road from the McDonald's in City Square) is the favourite of my blogger friend Yvonne Lew.

Ramly burgers are made with chicken or beef patties. This was the pinkish hued Ramly beef patty together with the soft buns on the greasy griddle laced with Planta margarine.

The patty was flattened, flipped on the griddle, and given a dash of curry powder.

One of the distinctive marks of the Ramly burger is the egg wrap, often referred to as "special". After the patty was done, the chef proceeded to fry an egg.

The patty was placed on top of the fried egg and then wrapped with the egg. At this stand, only the patty was egg wrapped. In other versions, the patty as well as condiments like lettuce and tomatoes are also wrapped in the egg.

The daging (beef) burger "special" - egg wrapped beef patty sandwiched between soft margarine toasted buns dressed with tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise and ketchup.

The burger was messily dripping mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. The beef patty was tender and moist with its natural juices, and oozing with flavour from spices and seasonings.

Little wonder that the humble Ramly burger is the sinful "junk" food that even food connoisseurs are unable to resist indulging in, sometimes.

Restaurant name: Ramly burger stand

Address: Along Jalan Wong Ah Fook directly across the road from the McDonald in City Square Shopping Centre in Johor Bahru (numerous Ramly stands are found throughout Malaysia)

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/rLh2

GPS: 1.461559,103.763406

Hours: 6:00pm to midnight

Halal

Date visited: 18 Jun 2012

Conveyor Belt Sushi @ DON Sushi in Carrefour, Johor Bahru

After our meet up with blogger friends in Kuala Lumpur, we had ambitious plans for a big dinner in Johor Bahru before crossing back to Singapore. But we couldn't resist overeating during our Batu Pahat stopover and had very little room left for any big feasting ;P

So we had a change of plan and had to settle for something less daunting.

We stumbled upon DON sushi in the Carrefour along Jalan Kota Tinggi which was offering 30% discount on their conveyor belt sushi (sushi train) between 3:00pm to 6:00pm on Mondays to Fridays.

We took a quick peek before making up our minds. DON sushi looked spacious and well laid out inside. Though it was relatively quiet at 5:00pm on a Monday, a quick glance showed that there was a decent range of sushi on offer on the conveyor belt. Since we never had conveyor belt sushi in Johor before, we decided to give DON sushi a try.

We were impressed with the attentive service. Once we sat down, more varieties of sushi started appearing on the belt to tempt us. Also, our cups of hot green tea were never empty - a pleasant waiter was regularly making his rounds with a tea pot and topped up our cups whenever it was about quarter full J

Here are the sushi we picked for our already overfilled stomachs. I don't have the names of some of the sushi - readers who know, please help me J. I have included the prices which were before the 30% discount.

RM3.50.

RM4.50.

RM5.50.

RM2.50.

Shrimp roe and tuna sushi RM2.50.

Tuna salad maki RM2.50.

Shrimp roe in tofu skin (inari ebiko sushi) RM5.50.

Salmon sushi RM4.50.

Crab (imitation) stick sushi RM4.50.

Crab (imitation) salad (kani salad sushi) RM4.50.

Shrimp (ebi sushi) RM4.50.

I enjoyed Don Sushi's servings but as I have not eaten belt sushi for a long time, I have no benchmark. My companions who frequented conveyor belt sushi outlets regularly felt that Don Sushi's offerings are very similar in taste and quality to those sushi chains commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore shopping malls.

Restaurant name: DON Sushi

Address: Inside Carrefour Shopping Centre, Batu 7½, Jalan Kota Tinggi, Pandan, Johor Bahru

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/IFCc

GPS: 1.536378,103.785143

Hours: 11:00am to 9:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 25 Jun 2012

JB Food on Foot Day Trip - Walking Food Tour of Jalan Lumba Kuda Area (Food near CIQ and City Square), Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Besides JB Old Town, another foodie day trip option is the area near Jalan Lumba Kuda which has a cluster of good food shops that are also within 10 minutes of walking from the JB Immigration building. However, unlike the JB Old Town where there are quaint old style streets, the Jalan Lumba Kuda area is just rows of shop houses.

The heydays of the Jalan Lumba Kuda area were over since the demolition of the old Johor Bahru checkpoint, but these food shops are still doing a thriving business as their loyal fans - old and new - keep coming back to them. There is nothing much to see here – the only attraction here is the good food. The walk too, under the flyovers is not very scenic – but these are no deterrent for hard core foodies J

How to walk there?

Eating places near CIQ and City Square

After you clear Malaysian immigration, take the escalator down to the lowest level where the JB Sentral (bus station) is. Step out of the building, turn to your right and walk along Jalan Jim Quee in the direction of Singapore. You will walk pass the bus interchange. You will also find yourself under the flyovers.


After about 5 minutes walking, you will see on your left, a cluster of low rise shop houses. That is where the 8 popular food stalls are.

BREAKFAST

If you take a walk down sleepy Jalan Lumba Kuda, you will find a long, laid back row of shop houses that had seen better days – now occupied by car workshops, provision shops, small shoplot hotels, and a few quiet eating places. My favourite along this stretch is Heng Kee coffee shop which houses Hup Kee wanton mee and Ah Song Hakka mee.

Wanton mee fans may want to give Hup Kee a try for breakfast. This small wanton mee stall is popular among customers here but seems to be relatively unknown outside the neighbourhood. Delicate sesame flavoured sauce on al dente QQ noodles - simple and nice. The wantons are tiny, smooth, tender and tasty morsels handmade in the old way.

Ah Song Hakka mee is the other stall drawing the breakfast crowd to Heng Kee coffee shop. Toss and stir the sauce and the fried minced pork with the crunchy noodles for a nice bowl of tasty Hakka mee. The hand made fresh fish balls here are bouncy and loaded with fresh fish flavours. You can also choose various equally delicious hand made yong tau foo pieces to go with your noodles.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

Another hot spot is Shang Ji coffee shop which opens for breakfast and lunch. There are 3 stalls here which I like.

Tin & Tin Cathay beef noodles stall may look ordinary, just like any other but wait – the owner MR Tan Ah Teng is an accomplished chef with many achievements in his more than 40 years in the food business. New fans and old are finding their way back to this food enclave for Tin & Tin’s tender, tasty chunks of beef in delicious soup and smooth kway teow wrapped in flavourful beefy sauce.

Shang Ji braised duck noodles stall is just next to Tin & Tin Cathay beef noodles. The well balanced flavours of the braising sauce here turns ordinary yellow noodles into a smooth, rich and delicious treat. The noodle is so good that it almost turned the equally excellent tender, rich and naturally sweet braised duck meat into a sideshow J

Tan Kee Cathay laksa is yet another ordinary looking stall that is big on taste. Tan Kee’s spicy curry is loaded with tofu, fried tofu skin, and fish ball. The tender tofu is fresh and soaks up the flavourful and not too spicy curry to create a wonderfully tasty treat. Johor Cathay laksa differs from Singapore laksa in that Cathay laksa relies more on spices and less on coconut milk for its flavours.

A couple of shop units away is Jadi Baru Botak coffee shop which is famous for its asam fish head. Their signature asam curry fish head pulls in large crowds during lunch. Jadi Baru Botak’s fresh fish head is cooked in spicy, tangy asam gravy and is served in a clay pot that is bubbling, bursting steam bubbles – an agitating sight that excites the appetite J

Next door to Jadi Baru Botak is the renowned Hwa Mei bak kut teh. Hwa Mei is one of the oldest bak kut teh shops in JB. The bak kut teh at Hwa Mei is still prepared using the decades old methods and blend of herbs. Not too salty, nor too oily, Hwa Mei’s bak kut teh is literary like savouring naturally sweet tender ribs in hot fragrant and tasty tea.

The first shop you see when you walk into the Lambu Kuda enclave from Jalan Jim Quee is Nasi Padang Ina or Restoran Causeway. Ina is the favourite lunch joint for many office and government workers in the area. Always jam packed during lunch, Ina serves one of the best nasi padang in town - plenty of tasty choices. The nasi padang here is authentic because the boss who has been running this shop for the past 20 years with his wife and daughters is from Padang.

Ah Yong's Hainanese beef kway teow noodles 永美茶餐厅 - 家乡牛腩面 is the newest stall in this area and already building a strong following. Ah Yong from Malacca had been selling beef noodles for over 10 years before coming to JB. Even the Singapore taxi uncles plying the Singapore-JB route have found this place - that speaks volumes about the taste of Ah Yong's beef kway teow :) 

DINNER

In the evening, there is none of the buzz seen during lunch time. Only Nasi Padang Ina/ Restoran Causeway is opened for dinner here, serving ayam penyet and asam pedas – which is a good combination for dinner. Restoran Causeway’s ayam penyet set comes with a freshly deep fried whole chicken leg and white rice. Restoran Causeway’s excellent sambal chili sets the ayam penyet here apart from the ordinary. The asam pedas comes with a choice of various fresh fish – the soupy gravy is roughly balanced between sour and spicy hot. 

Another day trip option is a walking food tour of JB that you may like to try is the JB old downtown area.

Wish you happy eating.

As always, to enjoy a safe trip, apply the usual safety precautions e.g. watch out for fast traffic when crossing the roads and move away from “scratch and win” scammers.