Guo Tie 锅贴 (Pan Fried Dumplings) at Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre, Johor Bahru

I asked Johor Yummy members what to eat at the old Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre and the guo tie 锅贴 (or pan fried dumpling) stall came up a few times. So, I made my way to stall #26 at the dingy old food centre, my interest piqued because this is the only guo tie stall that I have heard of so far in Johor Bahru.

J Maison Café in Kulai, Johor

J Maison is a small café tucked at the back row of shoplots near the upcoming AEON Jusco Mall in Kulai, Johor.



I have tried J Maison's homemade cakes and liked them very much. Shirley, one of J Maison's young partners invited me to also try their café food which they serve for lunch and dinner.


Herbal Chicken Rice RM9.90

We started off with this Herbal Chicken with Steamed Rice. Shirley is quite excited and proud of this herbal chicken dish - it is her mum's recipe.



The herbal chicken leg was very soft. The tender meat slipped off the bone with just a gentle tug.

Shirley asked me how it was. Well, flavour wise, the herbal fragrance is certainly there but I thought the dish was rather unembellished. A little too noncommercial, too homely. Perhaps, it would be more interesting if it was dressed up with something bright and green like coriander leaves?

But then, on second thoughts, maybe that is why this herbal chicken is so appealing. It is straight from mum's kitchen. Honest and simple goodness without any frills :)


J Special Nasi Lemak RM7.90

The nasi lemak was also pretty straightforward. The rice had that lemak fragrance and was not greasy.



The two small pieces of chicken were nicely fried - crispy outside, still moist inside, not greasy.



But, to me it is J Maison's sambal that is the "Special" in the "J Special Nasi Lemak". Shirley's husband, who is Peranakan, personally makes the sambal based on his own recipe. Each batch of sambal took 3 long hours to make. The end result is a tasty blend of mildly spicy, savoury and sweet paste that complemented the coconut flavoured rice well.


Fish and Chips RM12.90

Actually, fish and fries.





Made with 2 large thin slices of Dory fillet. Everything was nicely executed and put in place.



The fish and fries is served with mayonnaise and chili sauce.


Curry Chicken RM8.90

Nice curry chicken with potato. The curry is mild, not too spicy nor too lemak. The well marinated chicken is tender and the curry infused potato is soft and delicious.



The curry chicken can be served with a choice of white rice, bee hoon, yellow noodles or toasted buns.


Tomyam Nasi Goreng RM6.90

I am impressed with J Maison's Thai style fried rice.



I like this Thai style fried rice because the bouncy, tasty rice are in loose separate grains (not lumped together in clumps). The flavours of sweet, savoury, tangy and spicy mixed with aroma from the spices were mild and easy to like. This dish can really get my saliva flowing.



The fried rice comes with a lovely, sunny side up done to perfection.


Musetti Latte RM6.90

When at J Maison, I will want to enjoy their Musetti coffee. Smooth, robust Arabica aroma with a good body.



oh... an update on the very interesting mural at J Maison's al fresco area. The artist hasn't had time to add any more strokes to the painting since our last visit :P It's still very pretty and interesting as it is :)



If you are the Kulai area and you want simple Café fare paired with nice cakes and coffee in a basic, laid back, cosy setting with the comfort of air con, then J Maison Café would be right for you.

Restaurant name: J Maison Café
Address: 122, Jalan Kenanga 29/6, Indahpura, Kulaijaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/mBXnN
GPS: 1.643308,103.618068
Hours: Saturdays 11:00am to 1:00am. All other days 11:00am to 11:00pm. Tuesdays off.
Parking: Ample, free street parking
Non Halal

Date visited: 8 Sep 2013

Best Singapore Food: Red Star Restaurant 红星酒家

It has been hard for me to be dispassionate when writing this post. Emotions and nostalgia gets in the way of objectivity when thinking about Sin Leong 冼良 and Red Star 红星 - these are no ordinary eating places. They are part of the story of Singapore and Singaporeans. Also, the dinner - a large gathering with an extensive unfamiliar menu of half forgotten dishes was Makansutra's largest gathering to date. There were so many different fascinating dishes and dimensions at the dinner, so this is an unusually long post. In trying to do it justice, I hope I am not doing it injustice. Read more.

A Curry Laksa Story from Johor - Cathay Laksa

During my foodspotting in Johor Bahru, I have tried many curry laksa stalls from the famous to the obscure. All the curry laksa stalls have their own stories. This is just one of the many stories - the story behind four of the most popular curry laksa stalls in Johor Bahru today.

My curiosity was piqued when I noticed that the laksa of Lee Kee, Tan Kee, Sam Kong and the laksa stall at Siak Hong are very similar.



They all use a soup base made by boiling anchovies and soy beans just like those at old school wanton mee stalls and fish ball noodle stalls. To the lightly umami flavoured soup base, they add curry spices and santan (coconut milk).

While the curry broth is not very lemak, it has body and is savoury, flavourful and fragrant. Personally, I like this curry as it's body come from anchovies and soy beans rather than rely heavily on sweet milky santan. 



They all have this thin and crispy fried tofu skin served with the curry laksa.



The curry laksa comes with these handmade fried Ikan Parang fish balls. 



The fish balls have good mouth feel and release a nice, distinct fish flavour and aroma with every bite. The stall holders make these fish balls from fresh Ikan Parang fish everyday.



The curry laksa comes with fried fresh tofu. A layer of rough fried brown skin with the white inside still soft and smells of soy beans - the kind of aroma you get at tau huay stalls (bean curd).



The curry laksa comes with fresh cockles (see hum) which the hawkers shell daily.



I stumbled upon their story when I visited Sam Kong restaurant run by Mr. Yong in Kampung Ungku Mohsin.



Mr. Yong was showing me the curry spices that are used to make the laksa.


Johor Laksa Pioneers. A - Mr. Yong's grandfather. B - Mr. Yong's father. (Photo credit: Thanks to Joan, the great-great-granddaughter of old Mr. Yong.)

According to Mr. Yong, the origins of this style of Johor laksa dates back to pre-War Johor Bahru. A man from Guangxi taught Mr. Yong's grandfather how to use the spices available at Johor Bahru's "Little India" along Jalan Trus to make laksa before he returned to China.

Mr. Yong's grandfather used to run the laksa stall at the Foon Yew school which used to be in a bungalow belonging to Tan Hiok Nee, the Kapitan Cina at the time. The school tuck shop was in the void under the bungalow which was on stilts.

The Japanese came in 1942 and left only 3 years later. After the war, at the request of his neighbour Mdm Lee, Mr. Yong's grandfather taught her the curry laksa recipe on the condition that she does not sell her curry laksa on the same street at Jalan Trus.

So, hardy Mdm Lee balanced the heavy pots of curry laksa across her shoulders and sold laksa by walking the streets of Johor Bahru.



Today, Mr. Yong who runs Sam Kong restaurant at #8-H, Jalan Ungku Mohsin still uses the same curry laksa recipe handed down by his grandfather.

Mdm Lee in turn spun off three stalls.



Today, Mdm Lee's son and daughter-in-law carry on the Lee Kee brand at Kee Kim Huat kopitiam at #80, Jalan Badik in Taman Sri Tebrau.



One of Mdm Lee's daughters and one of her workers are now the cheerful husband and wife team running Tan Kee in Shang Ji kopitiam at #149, Jalan Lumba Kuda. Tan Kee is famously known as Cathay Laksa because they used to run the stall near the now demolished Cathay cinema.



Mdm Lee's niece runs the popular laksa stall at what locals call "Siak Hong", the dozen of back lane stalls behind the Standard Charter Bank off Jalan Tebrau (opposite Plaza Pelangi). She also uses the brand name "Cathay Laksa".

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Best Singapore Food - Mamanda Restaurant

This is my first visit to Mamanda, a Malay fine-dining restaurant in Singapore. Kf Seetoh of Makansutra invited me to join him for a special culinary experience, "Some of the dishes, I have never even heard of...", he said on the phone. It turned out to be one of the most fascinating meals I ever had. Read more.

Johor Best Cakes - Patisserie Love Café and Bakery in Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru

I love chilling out with friends over a nice hot cappa coffee and cool cakes in air con comfort, away from our tropical heat and humidity.

Passionfood Cafe in Taman Pelangi is one of my favourite places in Johor Bahru to enjoy coffee and cakes. So I am happy when Chi Ling (Passionfood's boss) told me that she has opened a Passionfood sister cafe in Bukit Indah known as Patisserie Love. Yesterday, I was at Patisserie Love at Chi Ling's invitation.



I like Patisserie Love/ Passionfood for their thoughtfulness.



The set up at Patisserie Love is simple and nice - it makes me feel relaxed and comfortable the moment I stepped in. Nothing pretentious. Just inviting and easy going.

The cakes are the same as at Passionfood as they are made at the same Passionfood bakery. For Passionfood fans, quality and consistency are assured.

Chi Ling, Tyng and I shared the following cakes.


Green Tea Tiramisu RM8.50


Trio Cheese Cake is RM8.50


Chocolate Oreo Tart  RM7.90


Strawberry Souffle Cheese RM8.90


Strawberry Garden RM8.50



All the cakes were fresh and of just the right sweetness. I complemented them with this smooth bitter sweet latte.

If you haven't tried Passionfood/ Patisserie Love's cakes, now you have two locations to enjoy it :)



So if you are around the Bukit Indah area, swing by for a cosy coffee break at Patisserie Love with Passionfood's famous cakes and coffee.

It's a lovely little oasis.



Restaurant name: Patisserie Love Café and Bakery
Address: 28, Jalan Indah 15/3, Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/YtiR0
GPS: 1.480715,103.657926
Hours: 12:00 noon to 10:00pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 17 Sep 2013

Pontian Wholesale Fish Market Update 2018

I am fascinated with seafood markets and the most accessible one in Johor from Singapore or JB is Pontian Wholesale Fish Market.

Johor Steamboat - Sedapnya Steamboat 好食火涡 in Taman Impian Emas, Skudai, Johor

Ck Pang, the boss of Sedapnya Steamboat  好食火涡 in Taman Impian Emas invited me to visit his restaurant.

I've known Ck as a fellow foodie who is active in Johor foodie social media circles. Ck and his wife, Joyce, are in the clothing retail business and they like to combine their food hunt with their overseas business trips.

Last year, Ck started to help his father-in-law run Sedapnya Steamboat  好食火涡.

Harbour 3 Hong Kong Steamboat 海港火锅 in Batu Pahat, Johor

Hong Kong style steamboat restaurants that emphasise MSG-free soup base and premium ingredients are sprouting up in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

Andy, the boss of Harbour 3 Hong Kong Steamboat 海港火锅 in Batu Pahat invited me to visit his restaurant.