Element at Amara Hotel in Singapore - Spanish Flare at The Basque Element.

I was invited by Bing to a tasting session at Element in Amara Hotel, Singapore.

Western Food at Lemon Tree Restaurant in Johor Bahru

I was introduced to Lemon Tree by my blogger friend Kim Tan. Lemon Tree is Kim's regular lunch place as it is a stone's throw from her office and she loves the food here.

Closed - Abu Mubarak Al-Mandi Rice in Taman Bukit Indah, Nusajaya, Johor

During my two years of blogging about the food scene in Johor, I noticed that there are more and more restaurants serving international cuisine from every continent.

One of the latest is Abu Mubarak Al-Mandi Rice in Taman Bukit Indah which offers authentic Saudi Arabian dishes, which I am excited to try.



Jasmi, Managing Director of Abu Mubarak Al-Mandi Rice invited me to visit his newly opened restaurant. 

Stepping inside Abu Mubarak restaurant, the decor is simple, and the air conditioned dining area is neat and clean. There is also another dining hall, on the second floor.



Chef Ismail is the man in charge in the kitchen.



Coming in from the blazing midday sun, we ordered a couple of Barbicans to cool down.



Imported from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Barbican is a zesty, fizzy drink that come in various fruity flavours. I had peach.



We also had Arabian tea (in a tea bag) which was mildly minty.



Jasmi started us off with the Mandy Lamb.



The lamb shoulder was with bone. The flesh was tender and it's juices were infused with aromatic spices and herbs. In the mouth, the meat was a mix of chewy, creamy and soft with mild gamey notes. As a lamb lover, I like this. 




The basmati rice with raisins, spices and herbs were boiled in lamb bone broth. Unlike the familiar briyani rice which is cooked with ghee, Arabian style rice is cooked with broth. The tender rice grains were moist with the savoury broth. 



For chicken lovers, you can have the Mandy Chicken, which Jasmi told me is very popular.


Kacang Pool RM6

Jasmi let us try kacang pool which is a Middle Eastern staple.

Abu Mubarak's kacang pool differs from those in other shops in JB. The bean stew is served with thin, plain flat bread instead of thick butter toast bread. There was also no sunny side up egg or minced beef.



Jasmi told me that kacang pool is eaten this way in Saudi Arabia, and sometimes along with hard boiled eggs.

I like the nutty, creamy, clean tasting bean stew. There was almost no oil in the stew and on the bread - a healthy choice :D



Tagathi or Saudi tripe stew served with flat bread RM10

Next up was a traditional Saudi Arabian dish which I have never tried or even heard before. This is Tahathik, a stew of beef tripe (stomach), tomatoes, lime and chili peppers.



I like this unique tripe dish a lot. The tripe chopped into small cubes were spongy and savoury, cooked with a paste of beans, tomatoes and chili. It's like a kind of meaty, soft, slightly sweet and savoury burrito.



Shurbah is another unique dish served at Abu Mubarak. This is a milky gruel made with oats and curly strips of lamb shank tendon. 



Chef Ismail showed me the lamb tendon. It's that translucent strip at the upper right in the picture.



I enjoyed this interesting dish very much. The crunchy, gummy, gelatinous lamb tendon was lovely. The wholesome gruel makes a good tea time snack in my opinion.

If you want to try authentic Arabian dishes, check out Abu Mubarak in Bukit Indah.



Restaurant name: Abu Mubarak Al-Mandi Rice
Address: 20, Jalan Indah 28/1, Taman Bukit Indah, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/7uql7
GPS: 1.468894,103.647871
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 11:30 am - 10:30 pm (closed on Monday)
Halal

Date visited: 13 Feb 2014

Return to Johor Kaki home page.

"Foodie Blogger" NTV7 @ Kacang Pool Haji a Must Try Street Hawker Food Stall in Johor Bahru

Kajang Pool set RM5.00

Kacang Pool Haji at Selera Larkin was one of the stalls featured in the Johor Bahru episode of the second series of the NTV7 "Foodie Blogger" programme. In the JB episode of "Foodie Blogger", I brought TV host Ernest Chong to try out some of most popular foods here.

Weng Kee Roast Duck Restaurant 荣记烧腊 in Taman Century, Johor Bahru

I've noticed Weng Kee Roast Duck Restaurant 荣记烧腊 or 阿荣 in Taman Century for some time. It's always got a good crowd whenever I passed.



Weng Kee occupies two shoplots just across the road from KSL Mall. Weng Kee is an old name 老字号 in JB with over 30+ years' of history.



I took a while to admire these roast ducks hanging in the glass case. Duck is one of my favourite meats because it has it's own distinctive flavour and has a good blend of meat and fats.



Weng Kee also sells roast chicken which looked succulent and judging by it's crisp, golden brown skin appeared pretty well roasted too.



There were also large slabs of siew yok 烧肉 (roast belly pork) and long chains of char siew 叉烧 (roast pork).



Business was brisk and the boss with a helper were busy cutting up roast ducks and other roast meats.



As I was food hunting alone today, I asked for just a drumstick and a plate of rice. The set came to RM8.20.



The skin was thin and crispy. The flesh was juicy, tender, savoury and slightly salty. The slight gaminess of duck was barely detectable but it was there. I like it a lot.



The set came with a small bowl of brown sauce. I like to pour the whole small bowl of sauce over my rice. The brown sauce was sweet and savoury - perfect for flavouring the plain white rice.



I was fascinated by this sticky plum sauce which is tangy, sweet, and salty. The lady boss told me that this plum sauce is house made. Love it x 10.

The chili sauce with ginger and garlic was good too.



Restaurant name: Weng Kee Roast Duck Restaurant 荣记烧腊
Address: 16, Jalan Serigala, Century Garden, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Ngj3s
GPS: 1.485930,103.761448
Hours: 9:00am to 8:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 23 Feb 2013

Return to Johor Kaki home page.

Ipoh Char Kway Teow in Restoran Sing Li Kopitiam near KSL in Johor Bahru

[ Update ✍️ 2 Nov 2023 ] Hitting the sizzling pavement on a hot sunny JB day outside KSL Mall, I could smell aromas of caramelized soy sauce drifting from the corner coffee shop.

Stall name: Ipoh Fried Kuih Tiaw

Address: 34, Jalan Serigala, Taman Century, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Hours: 9am - 5pm (alternate Thurs off)

Malaysia Boleh! Jurong Point Penang Chendol Stall in Singapore

I love the chendol at Malaysia Boleh! food court in Jurong Point, Singapore.

This is the Penang style of chendol using the recipe which the Malaysia Boleh! owners learnt from the famous Penang Road hawker.



Mary, who is in charge of the chendol stall was born and bred in Penang, so we can trust her to know what is a good Penang style chendol :D

Everything is stall made at Malaysia Boleh! chendol - nothing comes in tin cans ready made or packed with preservatives. The pandan "worms" are made from scratch with pandan leaves. The same for the boiled red beans. The squeezed coconut milk is natural too.



Mary drizzles a spoonful of stall made gula Melaka syrup over the bowl of chendol.



I like the attractive looking soft green "worms" with their pandan flavour and aroma. I like to press the soft green "worms" between the top of my tongue and the roof of my mouth to mash them and make them release their pandan flavour :P

The over-sized sweet red beans were boiled till soft too. The squeezed coconut milk was smooth, creamy and sweet. The gula Melaka syrup further sweetened the icy dessert another notch. 

The ice was finely shaved so that it literally melts in our mouth. (I like my ice to be shaved fine and dislike those where the ice are like gritty sand of hard frozen water.)

I can't say how authentic this chendol is compared to the original in Penang as I have not tried chendol there before. But, I can say that this is one of the best chendols that I have eaten in Johor and Singapore.

It's a SGD2.00 indulgence that is hard to resist. (Doctor says I have to watch my sugar intake :P  )



This is the quaint looking chendol stall at Malaysia Boleh!

See that blue bicycle? It's an original from Penang. There are not many of these artifacts left, even in Penang. The Malaysia Boleh! bosses searched everywhere in Penang and brought a couple back to Singapore :D

After my Penang trip, I will update whether this chendol is as authentically Penang as the bicycle. 

In the meantime, I say just enjoy lah, if you like it :D 



Malaysia Boleh! Food Court
Address: Jurong Point II, Level 3 (at Boon Lay MRT Station), Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/ZmFG2
GPS: 1.340615,103.706312
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm

Return to Johor Kaki home page.

百家陳记 红油酸菜 干拌细粉 Instant Vermicelli

百家陳记 红油酸菜 干拌细粉 instant vermicelli from China.



Inside the paper cup, a wiry ball of vermicelli and 2 sachets, of seasoning oil and garnish. There was a small plastic fork.



The silvery ball of stiff and brittle vermicelli made of a blend of sweet potato, corn and cassava starch,



The greasy pickled cabbage smells of salt, preservatives and chemicals.



The seasoning oil made with unspecified "vegetable oil" with chili and soy paste.



The vermicelli block was soaked in boiled water for 5 minutes, and then drained (according to the instructions). The seasoning oil and pickled cabbage garnish were then added to the cup of vermicelli, and tossed vigorously with a fork.



The garnish of mainly preserved cabbage tasted sourish, slightly spicy and the grease was well absorbed in the ball of moist vermicelli.

The clean tasting vermicelli was surprisingly springy and had a nice tender, yet taut texture. The vermicelli coated with seasoning oil and mixed with the pickled cabbage's bold tangy and salty flavours was tasty and slurpy smooth. 

I liked it.

I know I shouldn't but I ate up the whole cup of vermicelli. Yummy but very greasy and salty.

百家陳记 红油酸菜 干拌细粉 instant vermicelli is certified Halal.

Rating: 4.5/10 based on Johor Kaki standardised instant noodle rating system.

Join the Instant Noodle Facebook group for more fun with instant noodle fans.

Johor Bahru Chingay 2020. Tribute to the Spirit of Johor 柔佛古廟出游

Important Update on Chingay 2020

12 Feb 2020. Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Federation (JBTHF), organisers of 2020 Chingay Parade Festival scheduled for 14 Feb 2020 (Friday) have called off the parade on receiving advice from the Johor Government.

Johor Menteri Besar’s office statement said “The state government considers this decision as a precautionary measure following fears of a large-scale (Covid-19) infection spread if the procession continues”.

However, religious ceremonies in conjunction with Chingay on Feb 13 (Thurs) and 15 (Saturday) would continue.

JBTHF advise those who wish to go to the temple for the religious ceremony must ensure that they are healthy, and if not, to watch the ceremony live on their website.


Go to the Facebook page of 柔佛古庙 Johor Chinese Old Temple for live coverage of Chingay 2020.

Source: BERNAMA

Johor Bahru Chingay 2020 Schedule

Day 1 - Lighting Up Ceremony
Date: 11 Feb 20 (Tues)
Time: 7:00pm

Day 2 - Route Cleansing Ceremony & Inviting Deities onto Sedans
Date: 12 Feb 20 (Weds)
Time: 11:00am

Day 3 - First Day of Chingay
Date: 13 Feb 20 (Thurs) 
Time: 11:00am

Day 4 - Chingay Night Parade (Update: This event is cancelled. The deities will cover the Chingay route on trucks instead of the traditional street procession.)
Date: 14 Feb 20 (Fri)
Time: 7:00pm

Day 5 - Last Day of Chingay
Date: 15 Feb 20 (Sat) 
Time: 11:00am


Must view 👀 Important health and safety guidelines for Chingay 2020

Sam Yang Ramen Sutah Hot & Spicy Flavour Noodle Soup

Sam Yang Ramen Sutah Hot & Spicy Flavour Noodle Soup from Korea.



Inside the packet, a noodle block and sachets of seasoning powder and garnish. The noodle blog was clean and there was little trace of grease.



The seasoning powder is made of organic powders like chili, garlic and onion. There is also MSG and sodium.



The garnish consists of freeze dried flakes of onion, carrot, cabbage, mushroom and other vegatables.



My bowl of noodle soup was ready to eat in 5 minutes. Korean instant noodles take a minute more than others to prepare because they are often thicker.



The noodles were thick, soft and slightly bouncy. 



They were clean tasting and had a slight wheat flavour. I enjoyed them and ate all of it.



The broth was salty and slightly spicy. It was likable and I could drink it without feeling excessive MSG aftertaste or thirst. There was no aroma from the broth.





Sam Yang Ramen Sutah Hot & Spicy Flavour Noodle Soup did very well in the dip stick test. There was very little grease stuck to the dip stick.

Sam Yang Ramen Sutah Hot & Spicy Flavour Noodle Soup is not certified Halal.

Rating: 5/10 based on Johor Kaki standardised instant noodle rating system.

Join the Instant Noodle Facebook group for more fun with instant noodle fans.