When I first started blogging in 2012, I went all over Johor Bahru in search of kway teow kia 果条仔 - the uniquely JB dish is found everywhere here. You know how it is..., maybe because KTK is so common in JB, I soon took it for granted. I have not eaten KTK for a couple of years already.
Whenever I am asked to name foods that represent Johor, I always include Laksa Johor in my list. Yet, a good laksa Johor is very hard to find at hawker stalls in JB. I am glad that today, I tasted a good one at Selera Johor at Plaza Larkin.
I was happy for my friends, passionate home bakers Evonne and Sarah, when they published their book Asian Pies last year. Asian Pies have been selling like hot cakes pies.
It even won double honours at the Oscars of cookbook awards 👏👏👏 At the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Asian Pies clinched:
🏆 Top 3 for Best Asian Cuisine Book 2016 award
🏆 Best Asian Cuisine Book in Singapore 2016 award.
Updated 3 Oct 2019. Kluang is not exactly the natural break for the drive between KL and JB - the little town is 20km from the North South Expressway exit. But, we did just that today because I had this sudden craving for the Crispy Fried Duck from STAR Restaurant in Kluang.
I am so glad that Sarah brought us to Chew Lam Hong Kong Che Chong Fan stall at Kluang's popular Mengkibol River Hawker Centre.
Actually, this was my second time at Chew Lam Hong Kong Che Chong Fan.
Updated 4 Aug 2019. Many readers from Kluang have told me that I must try the cendol stall at Jalan Dato Kaptain Ahmad. Now, after trying it myself, I will tell anyone going to Kluang that they must not leave town without trying Kluang Cendol Kadir. It's 4-Stars in my books 😋
Anyone who has been to Taiwan knows that braised pork rice (lu rou fan 滷肉饭) and beef noodles (niu rou mian 牛肉麵) are found everywhere on the island. They're staple and comfort food like chicken rice in Singapore and nasi lemak in Malaysia.
Quite a few people told me that they must have lu rou fan every day when they visit Taiwan. Funny thing is, for all the times that I have been to Taiwan, I have never tasted their lu rou fan and niu rou mian before - always enticed away to try the more trendy stuff 😂
Thanks to buddy YJ, I got my first taste of Cambodian cuisine - and, it was in Singapore. I have never been to Cambodia before. As far as I know, 51 F & B Cambodian Deluxe in Geylang is the only eatery in Singapore serving Cambodian food (cooked by a Cambodian).
JK reader Willy contacted me and enthused about the authentic Sichuan cuisine at one of his favourite JB restaurants - Restaurant Culture 渝香食府 in Bukit Indah. So, we met up there for lunch today 😄
This is a simple ayam penyet stall in Santeral coffee shop in the heart of old Johor Bahru, just beside City Square Mall. There could be more tasty ayam penyet in JB, but I like the experience here in this old, low profile kopitiam.
Met up with buddy Patrick and Lisa at the newly opened Eagle Wings Loft Cafe at King Albert Park in Bukit Timah, Singapore.
The old (demolished) King Albert Park, of course, is in the place memories of many Singaporeans with it's McDonald's and Cold Storage. Today, the spanking new building looked nothing like the old one and the persona of the place hasn't formed yet as tenants are just beginning to move in.
Eagle Wing Loft Cafe is one of the first to open for business in the new incarnation of King Albert Park.
It's been almost exactly a year since I was last at Mad About Sucre - I like this quaint little place (near Singapore's Chinatown) a lot - everything about it. So, when Pearl jio (Singlish for invited) us for lunch at Mad About Sucre, I agreed before my next heart beat.
When you are in Taichung (Taiwan), do drop by Xin Fa Ting Honey Bean Shaved Ice 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 to rest your heels and enjoy traditional Taiwanese ice desserts at one of Taiwan's oldest ice dessert brands. 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 founded in 1938 is a family run business, now in the third generation.
Kaiyi's Kitchen, a Vietnamese hawker stall in Golden Mile Hawker Centre in Singapore serves a nice Banh Mi, the Vietnamese staple (available only on Fridays at the moment).
Ask any Klangite to name the best bak kut teh in town, and the name Ah Her 阿火肉骨茶 will come up frequently.
In the 1980s, my favourite place for Hong Kong style wanton mee in Singapore was at the little food street of sorts at the basement of The Centrepoint in Orchard Road, roughly where Mak's Noodle is located today. It was the definitive HK wanton mee in Singapore for me. I only knew it as the "HK wanton mee in Centrepoint" and don't know the actual name of the restaurant. I didn't pay great attention to such things as shop names before I started blogging 😂
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is the biggest name in Singapore BKT (if you go by the number of outlets the brand has). Started as a humble push cart stall in 1969, Song Fa has eight outlets now, with the latest in Northpoint, Yishun.
One of the things I treasure about my blogging (which is simply sharing the food and places I come across in daily living), is the new friends that I make. Occasionally, I even join their families for dinner like this evening with Lynette's family at Kitchen Stories in Johor Jaya (Ros Merah).
I was invited to try out the "Prix Fixe Menu" set meal at The Bird Southern Table & Bar in Singapore's Marina Bay Sands last night.
Last evening, I had dinner with buddy Ong at Hua Kee 和记 at Pasir Panjang hawker centre in Singapore.
Dropped by the Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh outlet at Taman Sentosa for a quick lunch (the one along Jalan Sutera near the Ah Koong fish ball outlet).
Of the 20 Soon Huat BKT outlets, which one(s) do you like?
Popped by People & Places Cafe just now - because it's Johor Bahru's newest check-in hotspot 😄
Today is my lucky day. I stumbled upon the curry fish head stall which I had wanted to try for a long time but somehow didn't have a chance, until today. And, I wasn't even looking for it in particular today. So happy 😄
Taipei is a global megapolis offering diverse dining experiences from international to ultra local, from exclusive fine dining to gritty street food. No visitor to Taipei should leave without experiencing the night markets. After checking out the night markets, here are five recommended Taipei restaurants to sample the wide range of culinary experiences the city can offer.
These five restaurants were chosen for their delicious food, interesting stories, and their long history intertwined with the story of Taipei/ Taiwan. Needless to say, these 5 are just a minute sampling of numerous fine restaurants in Taipei.
Buddies Ong and Ben tipped me off to Taste of Georgetown, a little eatery near Sutera Mall in JB serving Penang style street food. (My inbox is flooded with good food suggestions 😋 Keep them coming 👍 I appreciate it 😄 )
In the heart of old Johor Bahru town, there is a small Chinese temple known to locals simply as the 柔佛古廟 or Johor Chinese Old Temple.
This was my third visit to SPROUT since the fine restaurant opened in JB in 2015. They just launched a new menu and Chef Mui invited me for a tasting.
When I blogged about Tow Kee of Seremban which to me is the benchmark of Hakka mee in Malaysia, buddy Yvonne alerted me to Wei Seng Wan Tan Mee in Taman Melodies. It's her Hakka hubby's favourite in JB, Yvonne said.
On my way back to JB or Singapore from KL, I usually have my breakfast in Seremban town (instead of KL), to escape the KL morning crawl.
Went for a light lunch at 江豐肉骨茶 bak kut teh just beside Renaissance Hotel in the Permas Jaya commercial hub. 江豐肉骨茶 is a little under the social media radar though it has its own loyal following.
Chef Wayne tipped me off to a popular dim sum stall in Yong Peng with their top selling lo mai gai 糯米鸡.
I have been keen to try the original Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee in KL since I tried their franchise outlet in Singapore back in 2014 when it's opening caused quite a stir in the food crazed island.
Kin Kin now have several branches in KL - I am always curious about the original founder stall of successful brands. Moreover, it was Mr. Tan Kok Hong of Kin Kin who created this dish in 1985. I finally made it to Kin Kin today while exploring the area between Pasar Seni and Bukit Bintang for street food.
Went for lunch at the famous Fei Fei Crab in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur.
With at least a thousand bak kut teh shops and stalls, little Klang city is the BKT capital of the world. When I asked readers for help for recommendations from among literally 1000s of shops, the name Four Eyes Bah Kut Teh came up often.
Since Bamboo Biryani was featured in the Malay Mail newspaper in May 2017, the shop which opened only in Feb this year was the rage from Klang to KL. The hype just kept growing as social media jumped on the bandwagon. It's the hottest nasi biryani in Malaysia now.
Yong Peng is one of my favourite stops for the drive from JB to KL as it is slightly over one third way between the two cities. Buddy John told me about the popular noodle shop known to locals as Lau Kup Poh or Old Froggie.
We were looking for a parking lot in this dark car park in Section 21, Seapark in Petaling Jaya when buddy Ah Boy said excitedly, "I saw it. Flying wanton mee. He really threw it". Once we were done what we came here for, I suggested we check out the flying wanton stall too. Everyone agreed immediately 😄
Thanks to buddy Chef Wayne, he showed me Restoran Double Joy 新雙喜, his family's long time favourite zhi char (tai chao in KL speak) restaurant in Section 3 of Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur.
