Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

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Sin Ming Road Chicken Rice @ 151 Bishan 新明路鸡饭


3 Aug 2023. Haven't been back to Sin Ming Road Chicken Rice since they moved to Bishan block 151. Today, seven of us gathered at their 151 Bishan shop for lunch.

Tanjong Pagar Nasi Briyani. Ali Nachia Briyani Dam

Tanjong Pagar Nasi Briyani. Ali Nachia Briyani Dam

Update 18 Nov 2019. For fans of Tanjong Pagar (Ali Nachia) Nasi Briyani who may be wondering where their favourite lunch spot has gone to - they are now at Pin Xiang Eatery at Hoe Chiang Road. They moved here in Nov 2019 after the coffee shop they were at in Tanjong Pagar Plaza changed owners.

Fong Da Coffee in Ximending. Coffee Pioneer in Taipei 蜂大咖啡

Fong-Da -Coffee-Ximending-Taipei-蜂大咖啡

Fong Da is one of buddy John's favourite coffee places, so the first thing we did on our first morning in Taipei was to check in at Fong Da 蜂大咖啡 in Ximending 西門町.

Former Restoran SPOA. Teo Orang Asli Family Seafood. Pasir Puteh. Johor

Restoran-SPOA-Teo-Orang-Asli-Family-Seafood-Pasir-Puteh-Johor

I joined 吃的平台 Foodie Facebook Group for their seventh annual eat together recently at Teo Orang Asli Family Restaurant (in 2017). We enjoyed ourselves at this seaside seafood restaurant handpicked by 吃的平台 group Admins (who are seasoned JB foodies) for this special occasion.

Malaysia Boleh! Best Collection of Malaysia Street Food in Singapore

Best-Malaysia-Street-Food-Singapore

Folks in Singapore love Malaysian food. That's beyond doubt - just look at the numerous Malaysian food stalls everywhere, all over our sunny island. Five years ago, Malaysia Boleh! came up with the great idea of having food from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Johor Bahru etc all under one roof.

Taiwanese Porridge @ Shin Yeh. Parent Restaurant in Taipei 欣葉餐廳 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taiwanese-Porridge-Shin-Yeh-Restaurant-Taipei-欣葉餐廳

Come to Taiwan, of course, must try Taiwan porridge 😄 Our gracious Taiwanese friend 王 brought us to her personal favourite at Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine 欣葉餐廳.

Taipei Kao Chi Famous Shen Chien Bao 台北永康街高記 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kao-Chi-Restaurant-台北永康街高記

Legend has it that CNN originally wanted to feature 高記 Kao Chi as the leading Shanghainese restaurant in Taipei but 高記's owners declined as they were uncomfortable with speaking English. So, the CNN crew went around the corner to Ding Tai Fung instead, and the rest as they say, is history. And now, since you already know the story, it will be a waste if you come to Taipei and did not try Kao Chi 😜

What to Eat at Yang Ming Shan. Ching Tsai Yuan Restaurant. 陽明山竹子湖青菜園 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yang-Ming-Shan-Ching-Tsai-Yuan-Restaurant-陽明山竹子湖青菜園

For many tourists to Taipei, a day trip to Yang Ming Shan is often one of the highlights of their itinerary. Locals too like to come here to enjoy the cool fresh air and beautiful views of Yang Ming mountain. After a day of walking the hills and soaking in hot springs, it is customary to enjoy a meal of fresh highland vegetables at the numerous restaurants at the national park.

Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea. Hsinchu Taiwan 劉家龍茶園.東方美人茶 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oriental-Beauty-Oolong-Tea-Hsinchu-Taiwan-劉家龍茶園.東方美人茶

I like tea and am lucky to enjoy some nice teas from time to time. But, today at Beipu 北埔 (Hsinchu County in Taiwan), I tasted a really special tea which is specially memorable.

Best Taiwan Pepper Cakes Buns in Taipei 胡椒餅

Best-Taiwan-Pepper-Cakes-胡椒餅

Pepper cake 胡椒餅 is one of the most popular street foods in Taiwan. We tried a few of the famous stalls in Taipei and liked all of them 😋

Ay Chung Mee Sua Mian Xian at Ximenting 西門町阿宗麵線大肠麵線

Ay-Chung-Mee-Sua-Ximenting-西門町阿宗麵線大肠麵線

A stop at Ay Chung at Ximending 西門町 for mee sua complete with an Instagram or Facebook update is obligatory for many tourists to Taipei 😄

My Search for Tamsui Castella Cake 緣味古早味現烤蛋糕

Tamsui-Castella-Cake-緣味古早味現烤蛋糕

Recently, Singapore and Malaysia have been griped in Castella cake fever. Several brands popped up in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore offering the aromatic eggy milky cheesy sponge cakes which were snapped up by long enthusiastic queues.

I came to Tamsui to look for where it all started. The original 😄

25 Food to Eat in Taipei. Self Help Guide to Taiwan Food 台北吃什麼?

Taipei-Self-Help-Guide-Taiwan-Food
Photo credit: Wikipedia

This is my wish-to-eat list compiled with the help of Johor Kaki blog readers. (Thank you everyone, appreciate you much 😄 ) This target list is for my upcoming Taipei & Taichung trip - I have not eaten at any of these places before. When I return home, I will blog with details about my favourites from this trip.

Private Chef in a Coffee Shop? Teochew Big Brother. Singapore ☎ 90670800 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Teochew-Big-Brother-Singapore-潮州大兄

This humble "private chef" meal was among my best so far this year, thanks to Aaron who discovered Teochew Big Brother 潮州大兄 stall, and Uncle Bob who enthusiastically introduced it to me.

Crab Factory. Little Paris. Bandar Jaya Putra. Johor JB

Crab-Factory-Little-Paris-Bandar-Jaya-Putra-Johor-JB

When I visited the newly opened Crab Factory outlet near Mount Austin, Johor Bahru, I came with a bit of scepticism. Isn't the fancy fad on the wane already? But, after eating at Crab Factory, I changed my mind. Now, I feel that Louisiana seafood boil can be as mainstream as chili crab and salted egg crab - if, you do it as well as Crab Factory, that is.

Ramen Nagi at Suntec City Tower 2. First in Singapore

Ramen-Nagi-Suntec-City-Singapore

Last night, I attended the preview of Ramen Nagi which officially opens today (12 Oct 2017). A young brand founded by Chef Ikuta Satoshi in 2006, Ramen Nagi amazingly already have 22 outlets in Japan and 28 around the Asia Pacific. The outlet at Suntec City Tower 2 is Ramen Nagi's first Singapore outpost.

Taiwan Must Try Street Food. Minglun Egg Pancake 明倫蛋餅


On the flight from Singapore to Taipei, I saw this fascinating video about the original Ming Lun Egg Pancake 明倫蛋餅 stall. I told myself, "I gotta get this" 😁 Arriving in Taipei, we were immediately whisked away to Taichung which was the first stop of our Taiwan heritage food tour.

Kim Hock Seng Bak Kwa. Artisanal BBQ Pork Slices 金福成肉乾

Kim-Hock-Seng-Bak-Kwa-Artisanal-BBQ-Pork-Slices-金福成肉乾

Bak Kwa 肉乾 or BBQ pork slices is extremely well loved in Singapore, and is the most popular food gift of visitors to the sunny island. Many Singaporeans also take along bak kwa as gifts when they visit friends and family overseas. During Chinese New Year, Singaporeans queue for hours to buy bak kwa for the holidays.

Benson Salted Duck Serves Black & White in 168 Toa Payoh 盛记咸水鸭 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Benson-Salted-Duck-Toa-Payoh

Uncle Bob booked a fried duck at Benson Salted Duck stall, and enthusiastically invited me to join him at Kim Seng Eating House in Toa Payoh, Singapore.

Chef's Table at Giverny‘s Kitchen. Taichung 吉凡尼的私房小廚

Giverny‘s-Kitchen-Taichung-吉凡尼的私房小廚

During our visit to Taichung (Taiwan), I was a little surprised that our first stop wasn't any traditional Chinese restaurant as I had expected but a chef's table, featuring modern French cuisine at that. It turned out to be a great experience - life is full of unexpected delights like that 😄

Fragrant Sauce Chicken 色香味 Chinatown Food Centre Singapore

Fragrant-Sauce-Chicken-色香味-Chinatown-Food-Centre-Singapore

We got together at Chinatown Complex hawker centre for YJ's favourite HK soya sauce chicken at stall #02-85 (green zone). Chinatown is Singapore's soya sauce chicken central as it has the highest concentration of the Cantonese dish on our island, including the One Michelin Star hawker Chan's Liao Fan stall.

Loo's Curry Rice @ Seng Poh Road. Tiong Bahru Food Centre. List of Best Hainanese Curry Rice ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Loo-Hainanese-Curry-Rice-Seng-Poh-Road-Tiong-Bahru

We were just done with the delicious bak chor mee at Blk 71, Seng Poh Road coffee shop - the same one where the famous Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice is located. Then, foodie buddies ordered these - I was delighted 😄 Actually, it is a serious crime to eat at block 71 but skip the curry rice 😂

Havelock Road Best Bak Chor Mee • Formerly Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru

Best-Bak-Chor-Mee-Seng-Poh-Road-Tiong-Bahru-Singapore
Stall #01-21 Havelock Road Food Centre, Opens daily 6:30am

I had lunch today with foodie buddies at the popular bak chor mee stall at block 71, Seng Poh Road in Tiong Bahru (the same corner coffee shop where Loo's Curry Rice is) 🎗 Note that this was their previous address, they are at Havelock Road Food Centre now.

Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant 满殿中菜馆. Pulai Springs Resort

Qing-Palace-满殿中菜馆-Pulai-Springs-Resort

I was invited to lunch at Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant 满殿中菜馆 in Pulai Springs Resort. Qing Palace highlights Szechuan cuisine and also features Chinese dishes with local touches. Qing Palace uses no pork or lard in its extensive menu.

Mee Tarik Warisan Asli. AEON Dato' Onn. Johor JB

Mee-Tarik-Warisan-Asli-AEON-Dato'-Onn-Johor-JB

I always marvelled at how noodle masters from Lanzhou 兰州 (Northwest China) can turn a bag of flour, water and oil into fine slender noodles without using any machines. Mee tarik or hand pulled noodles recently arrived in Johor Bahru. I tried the popular Mee Tarik Warisan Asli at the just opened AEON Bandar Dato' Onn.

Penang Char Kway Teow at Plaza Sentosa. Johor JB. 大順檳城炒粿條

Penang-Char-Kway-Teow-Plaza-Sentosa-Johor-JB-大順檳城炒粿條

First an apology. I cannot remember who alerted me that a family of Penang's legendary Red Hat Auntie char kway teow is running a CKT stall in Plaza Sentosa in JB. My dear friend, you know who you are - my thanks to you and sorry I can't recall who told me this 😂

Now you can have Tuaran Mee in Johor JB 斗亚兰面@林家美食館

Tuaran-Mee-Johor-JB-斗亚兰面@林家美食館

Over in East Malaysia, Sarawak is famous for their kolo mee while Sabah is well known for their Tuaran mee 斗亚兰面. But, while kolo mee stalls are rather common in Johor, there is none serving Tuaran mee - well, until now.