Glad to have a picture with Pak Man. The last time I took his picture was in 2016 (ten years ago).
Now HJ Wahid Larkin has options for beef and chicken, in addition to the usual original "kosong". Pak Man said he decided to add these options as suggested by his customers.
Price for beef version RM12. Normal original kosong version RM7.50.
Tender, chewy, slightly beefy, beef works with mee rebus by complementing the savoury salty mee rebus sauce.
It also made the simple yellow noodle and sauce dish, much more hearty and filling.
I didn't ask Pak Man but mee rebus sauce is usually made mainly with sweet potatoes and curry spices. Speaking with Pak Man, HJ Wahid mee rebus has beef stock and beef oil for flavour but not meat. There's also fresh garlic. I believe there should be taucheo (fermented bean paste) too. Altogether, it makes a savoury salty concoction.
Pak Man is the third generation of this iconic Johor mee rebus. Pak Man's grandfather founded Baidali mee rebus in 1918. Tok Baidadi learned the recipe from a Javanese.
Tok Baidadi's son HJ Wahid is Pak Man's father. Pak Man's daughter is working with him at the stall now. There are many HJ Wahid mee rebus stalls from Johor Bahru to the Klang Valley run by the third and fourth generations of the Baidali / HJ Wahid clan.
Pak Man still fries his shallot fresh at the stall. It has flavours and aromas which factory fried chips will not have.
The crispy topping is made with flour and eggs. Used to have prawn but no more due to cost.
The usual suspects, hard boiled egg, tau kwa, parsley, scallion are all there.
Not much noodles which was fine for me as I don't eat much, if any carbs these days.
Happy today to taste HJ Wahid Larkin mee rebus again.
Today, the Larkin hawker centre on the third level was a thriving food hub with many stalls open 🙏
Address: Pasar Awam, Jalan Kenyalang, Kampung Dato Onn, Jaafar, Larkin, 80350 Johor Bahru (stall in Larkin Sentral)
Public Bus: Bus J13 from JB Sentral ↔️ Larkin Sentral
Tel: +60112 778 4256
Hours: 7am - 3pm (Mon off)
Written by Tony Boey on 21 May 2026
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
✍ 12 Mar 2016. Hj Wahid mee rebus is the most famous name in the world of Johor Bahru mee rebus. There are several branches everywhere and Hj Wahid's is always mentioned when we ask for mee rebus recommendations.
This is the Hj Wahid mee rebus stall at the Larkin food centre, on the 3rd (top) storey of the market at Larkin bus terminal. This stall's official name is Man Mee Rebus Baidali.
A plate of Hj Wahid mee rebus (RM4.50) looks like any other found in Malaysia and Singapore. A mound of generic yellow noodles and bean sprouts is boiled in water and splashed with a flood of thick mee rebus sauce which is the soul of this dish. Mee rebus is garnished with green chili, scallion, an egg, fried shallot, and a sprinkle of fried crisps. There is also a dash of savoury soy sauce.
The keropok topping (known as pendaram) is one of the signatures of Hj Wahid mee rebus. The freshly fried crackly crisps are made with onions, shallots, spices like cumin and flour.
The signature thick creamy sauce is made with peanuts, sweet potatoes and a secret blend of spices like cumi etc. Beef was used in the old days, but not anymore. There is no beef served now in Hj Wahid mee rebus.
Che Man, the stall owner fries his own shallots simply because the factory fried ones are "not nice" he said.
Che Man is extremely busy but still insists on cutting the green chili only when there is an order, so that customers get the maximum fresh flavour and juicy crunch. Going the extra mile to give customers the best.
So, Hj Wahid mee rebus tastes gently savoury sweet with notes of spice. The crunchy green chili and squeeze of lime add a touch of spicy sting and citrus taste. Over the soft noodles, the crispy fried shallot and pendaram punctuate the dish with bits that pop and burst flavours and aroma.
Che Man is the eldest son of Haji Wahid. Uncle Che Man, now 60, has been selling mee rebus since he was 22 years old. Che Man is one of twelve siblings (8 boys and 4 girls).
There are now 8 eateries serving Haji Wahid mee rebus - all owned by Che Baidali / Hj Wahid family members:
- Angsana Plaza, JB
- Larkin, JB
- Pasar Karat, Tampoi, JB
- Putrajaya
- Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
- Taman Dahlia, JB
- Taman Rinting, JB
- Zainal Place, Taman Sri Tebrau, JB (Closed) <- click
Hj Wahid mee rebus is also known as Baidali mee rebus. Che Baidali is Che Man's grandfather, Hj Wahid's father. It was Che Baidali who first started this style of mee rebus in 1918. *We are just two years from the 100th Anniversary of this JB style of mee rebus!
Che Baidali came from Pakistan and was a teh tarik hawker along the street outside the old JB railway station. There was a mee rebus hawker from Java along this same street. But, the Javanese decided to return home to Java (Indonesia). Before he left JB, the mee rebus man offered to teach Che Baidali everything about his mee rebus. Che Baidali picked up the craft and started his own mee rebus stall in 1918. This was the birth of Baidali mee rebus or Hj Wahid mee rebus that we enjoy to this day.
->> Check out this JB food icon that has legions of ardent fans for nearly 100 years!
Restaurant name: Haji Wahid Mee Rebus @ Larkin
Address: Stall MS 35, Food Centre at Larkin Bus Station, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.496438,103.743612
Hours: 7:00am to 5:00pm (closed on Monday)
Date visited: 12 Mar 2016
i just had last saturday afternoon. it was awesome!
ReplyDeleteMee rebus, pasembor, mee keling/jawa, thw variations are all very appealing
ReplyDeletewoo great!!! still got!!! went a few years back couldnt find it.
ReplyDeleteHj Wahid Mi Rebus getting less with the closure of Zainal's Place. Is the one in Angsana (Zainal's brother) still operating?
Tony, how long Haji Wahid Mee Rebus had been operating at Larkin Sentral ?.....is it newly opened ?
ReplyDelete