Wen Hua Cantonese Restaurant. Molek. Johor Bahru. 文华楼

Wen Hua is a banquet type Chinese restaurant in busy Taman Molek, JB. Well known for it's signature fruit eating wild patin fish, Wen Hua is popular for banquets and special gatherings. Recently, thanks to buddy Suan, we found out that Wen Hua is also good for simple meals for lunch or dinner. Even two can go and have a modest yet delicious meal at Wen Hua.



We met Suan at Wen Hua - she wanted to introduce us to one of her favourite hang out places in JB. Inside the restaurant, the decor is typical of Chinese style banquet halls but Wen Hua is slightly smaller and so more cosy. The main banquet hall is upstairs on the upper floor.



There are also several private rooms for more intimate parties.

Wen Hua serves mainly Cantonese style cuisine with a kitchen led by an experienced head chef from Ipoh - the capital of Cantonese food in Malaysia. Wen Hua is already well known for it's special dishes like wild river Patin and Empurau, so it's always fully booked for special days like Chinese New Year Eve etc.

But, Wen Hua is also good for more modest fare which we tried over two visits - we like them because the ingredients are fresh, well prepared and the dishes are well executed 😋 



I recommend Wen Hua's Steamed Chicken - price RM38++ for half a bird.

文华楼的甘榜鸡好吃. RM38++半只, 虽然是贵了一点, 不过个人觉得还是值得吃. 新鲜的鸡肉煮到滑滑嫩嫩的. 鸡香味比较重, 我喜欢. 他们的姜容也是一级棒的. 爱吃鸡饭的朋友可以试试. 美中不足的是他们没有油饭也没有配汤. 不过,为了吃他们的鸡肉,我还是会回来的.



Wen Hua uses Johor raised free range chicken to make this dish. The chicken meat is done 95%. It is served deboned with yellow fat and congealed juices just under the yellow skin.



The boneless chicken meat cut in large chunks is tender and juicy but still have a good chew to the bite. The meat and skin are smooth and have a robust pleasant chicky taste. After the meal, I burped chicken like I burp durian 😜😱

The plate of chicken is splashed with a blended sauce of light soy, sesame oil, oyster sauce etc. The sauce has a nice sesame aroma and quite robust layers of savouriness. The well balanced sauce is delicious but tends to mask the chicken's natural sweetness. So, I like to eat the chicken meat neat and just dip a bit of sauce once or twice.



I like this generous bowl of grated ginger with chicken oil and stock. It's a nice blend of mild ginger spiciness with gentle savoury chicken fat flavour.

The chili sauce looked ordinary but it is a nice blend of hot spicy, sour, and savoury.

Wen Hua's chicken is served with plain white rice and there is no soup either.

(They cook only a small number of this chicken everyday, so it is usually sold out by lunch time. Best to call ahead and book by calling 012 722 8899 Carol Cheong.)

Other good dishes at Wen Hua which we have tried.



Fried Pork Chop with Zheng Jiang Sauce - price RM18++.



Fried Prawn Meat with Mango and Mayonnaise - price RM38++.



Fried Vegetarian Tauken with Gingko Nuts and Japanese Spinach - price RM15++.



Homemade Beancurd with Shrimp Meat - price RM16++.



Suan's favourite, Lady's Fingers with Fried Anchovies.



Boiled White Pepper Pork Maw Soup - price 28++.



Suan's order of her favourite chicken soup - not sure which dish it was 😂



👉 Many of us, myself included, have the impression that banquet halls are for large parties and special occasions. Actually, some like Wen Hua in Molek (JB) are equally good for casual meals and can accommodate even just two persons. They have a wide range of classic dishes which are well executed. Wen Hua's kampung chicken rice is one dish worth planning a special trip for. There are bound to be some other dishes which you will also like in their extensive menu of Cantonese cuisine.



Restaurant name: Restoran Wen Hua 文华楼 
Address: 2, Jalan Molek 1/9, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°31'50.2"N 103°47'28.7"E | 1.530610, 103.791317
Tel: 012 722 8899 (Carol Cheong)
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm | 5:00pm to 10:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 22 Dec 2016, 3 Jan 2017

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.