Teochew Kway Teow Soup at 锦都茶室 in Johor Bahru

Johor Yummy member Charles Tan recommended 锦都茶室 and many other members like Candle Tay and Kumes quickly chipped in suggesting that we should all go and give the shop a try.

锦都茶室 is one of the shops at a quiet corner of Taman Century along Jalan Dato Sulaiman, just a few doors from the popular Poh Kee 宝记 Teochew Kway Teow Soup.



The large yellow banner says 锦都茶室 serves Teochew kway teow soup, fish bee hoon soup, curry laksa, wanton mee, and bitter gourd soup.



The friendly boss, Mr. Tan used to work in a roast meat shop in Singapore. He moved back to Johor Bahru after his marriage and has been a kway teow soup hawker for 32 years. Today, Mr. Tan runs 锦都茶室 with his daughter and son.

We ordered a Teochew soup with mee pok and a fish soup with kway teow (dry). Don't ask me why I ordered such a combination. Perhaps, I was still jet lagged from a longish trip to Australia .... It turned out to be an excellent breakfast despite my odd orders :P



The mee pok still has a slight spring despite soaking in the soup for quite a while, while I took photos. I expect the dry version to be even better.



The dry kway teow - the soy based sauce with a little lard is gummy and gooey. I asked for chili, hence that glob of maroon in the picture. When tossed and stirred, the kway teow became like a dark starchy ball of yarn. The chili is heavy with dried shrimps (hae bee).



The fresh slice of fish is so tender that they kept breaking apart when I tried to take this picture. Mr. Tan goes to the market to buy fish in the morning of every business day, so we are assured of it's freshness. This also explains why 锦都茶室 is closed on Mondays, as the wet markets are also closed on that day. 



This humble piece of unphotogenic pork liver tastes superb. It is fresh and cooked in a way that reflects Mr. Tan's over 30 years of experience. Perfect mouth feel and taste.



I was surprised to find a slice of shell fish in a RM5 soup. Not of exquisite quality (it would be unfair to expect more) but it was quite a nice touch, really.



锦都's soup made with pork bones and anchovies is full bodied. Mr. Tan adds in slivers of fresh ginger to cook and dashes of white pepper before serving. So, 锦都's soup is slightly peppery. I like this variation and differentiation from the numerous Teochew kway teow soup stalls in JB.



The humble cut chili and soy sauce dip. Simple and nice.



Another customer's fish bee hoon soup which I want to come back for. This is actually 锦都茶室's signature dish.



The fish head bee hoon soup - another must try for me.

I need to come back also for their bitter gourd soup as I am a fan of this soup :)

锦都茶室 is yet another old school Teochew kway teow soup shop worth visiting.



Restaurant name: 锦都茶室
Address: 87, Jalan Dato Suleiman, Taman Century/ Abad, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Uz9Qf
GPS: 1.480886,103.756985
Hours: 7:30am to 3:00pm (closed on Monday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 3 Sep 2013

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