ZZ Sup Tulang | 20, Jalan Petri 5/1, Kampung Bahru, Johor Bahru ☎ +6011 1056 7209 🕘 6:30am - 12:30am |
✍️19 Oct 2024. Restoran Sup Tulang ZZ is one of the iconic food places to visit in Johor Bahru.
Restoran Sup Tulang ZZ has a rather extensive menu of Malay dishes but its claim to fame is mee rebus tulang or lamb shank.
The last time I was here was in 2018. Restoran ZZ still has that nostalgic kampung feel today.
But, the rustic old thatched attap roofs were now replaced by zinc roofs. The sit-on-the-floor pavilions were also gone, replaced by the usual simple tables and plastic stackable chairs.
Service was good. They have QR code ordering but the staff will still take your orders the old way with human touch, if you prefer 👍 (I dislike QR code ordering lah.... 🧓 ) Food was also served at your table.
The legendary ZZ mee rebus tulang. (Price in 2024 RM21, price in 2011 was RM8.50.)
Not very photogenic, it was blanched yellow noodles and bean sprouts smothered in a thick brown colour sauce and garnished with parsley, fried tau kwa cubes, crackly bits of fried crumbs. A lime, chopped green chili, and two boiled lamb shanks.
The noodles were soft and limp, heavily coated with thick sauce with savoury salty, somewhat flat flavour dominating the whole dish. There was little spice and no lamb gaminess. I wish there was more spice taste and at least some lamb gaminess.
The lamb shank had a bit of soft meat and gelatinous tissue clinging to the bone but they had little flavour, and was only savoury salty. I wish there was some lamb gaminess but others may like this precisely for this reason - no gaminess.
The marrow was somewhat dry, coarse as the cavity was penetrated by bits of spice but the contents tasted flat and bland.
We also had laksa Johor. I am so glad that we had this as I have been searching a long time for a good laksa Johor sold commercially.
Laksa Johor unique to the state, is boiled spaghetti smothered by a thick grainy drippy sauce of fish, spices, aromatics and vegetables. Good renditions are very hard to find as the ingredients required are numerous and costly, so it is difficult to sell profitably at an affordable price.
I enjoyed Restoran ZZ's rendition a lot, it was delicious 😋
The spaghetti was done soft and limp like the way yellow noodles are done - i.e. not al dente, this is laksa Johor not Italian pasta lah.
The thick sauce (kuah laksa) was rich with spice and aromatics taste and flavour but the taste of fresh ikan selayang fish was quite pronounced - I like! The raw onion, cucumber added their crunch and flavours. The use of chopped crunchy chai poh (preserved radish) added savoury sweetness to the dish.
The lime and sambal added zest, zing and spicy sting - this dish has so many dimensions!
If you wondered what is this Johor food icon, come to Restoran ZZ and give laksa Johor a try!
Written by Tony Boey on 19 Oct 2024
✍ 6 Feb 2018. After tasting it in 2011, I used to take friends to Restoran ZZ at Jalan Petrie regularly for the mee rebus tulang gearbox which is a unique JB style of mee rebus. I also like the rustic kampung ambiance here. But, I stopped a few years later as the place sometimes wasn't well kept.
Bumped into buddy Jon last week and he recommended Restoran ZZ as he enjoyed the food and environment during a recent visit. As I have not been here for a while, I swung over this morning after running an errand in downtown JB.
Restoran ZZ at Jalan Petrie is like a campsite under trees. I took a few shots, so you can see what I mean. These were shot around 11:30am before the daily lunch crowd descends 😱 Restoran ZZ is very popular with office workers in the area during lunch.
It's like eating in a garden. It felt cool under the shade even though it was nearly noon time. I love this authentic kampung feel from the Malay architectural touches, sandy earth floor, thatched attap roofs, leafy bushes, palms and tall rainforest trees with thick trunks.
Restoran ZZ Jalan Petrie is also known as Restoran ZZ JKR because it has a direct access link way from the JKR buildings (Public Works Department). Restoran ZZ has another four outlets around JB. The outlets get their pre-cooked food (sauce and shank bones) here to serve at their respective locations.
I had Restoran ZZ's famous Mee Rebus Tulang Gearbox. It now costs RM15.50 a pop. It was RM8.50 when I first tried it in 2011 😂
It's called mee rebus tulang gearbox because it comes with two pieces of stubby lamb shank bones with the ball joint. It does remind me of those old clanky Landrover 4WD manual gearshifts during my 1970s National Service days 😂
I like this mee rebus sauce as it was thick and tastes sweet spicy (in the flavour and aroma sense, as there was very little hot sting in it). The mild but zesty sting comes from the crunchy cut fresh green and red chili peppers. The cilantro leaves add a bit of its green taste to the sauce.
If you like a bit more of spicy kick, add a little kicap pedas from the small container on each table. The dark sauce was sweet spicy savoury with a sharp wallop of a lingering spicy sting.
The dish was served warm and cooled a little more by the time I am done taking photos 😂
The yellow noodles were overdone but mee rebus is one dish which I like my noodles soft, limp and slurpy with gooey sauce 😋
The dish came sprinkled liberally with golden fried crisps which provide a nice balance to the soft noodles, wet with clingy thick sauce.
The tulang gearbox (lamb shank bones) had some cartilage, gelatinous soft tissue and fibrous slivers of meat attached. Interesting springy, chewy textures. I could taste a bit of mild lamb gaminess which I like.
They provided a straw for sucking out the marrow but it was like curd today and was flavourless except for very faint traces of spices.
👉 I like this mee rebus but not so much the lamb shank bone. Next time, I shall just order the mee rebus without the gearbox 😄 If I am in the mood for lamb shank, I shall order the mee rebus and gearbox separately. I know lah, it is not supposed to be like that..... that's not mee rebus tulang gearbox anymore 😂
Next time, I want to try Restoran ZZ's Laksa Johor which Jon recommended.
Read my previous post on Restoran ZZ 👈 click
Restaurant name: Restoran ZZ Sup Tulang
Address: Jalan Petri 5/1, Kampung Mahmodiah, 80100 Johor Bahru (near Regency Condo and JKR building)
GPS: 1°28'05.4"N 103°44'48.1"E | 1.468166, 103.746698
Tel: 012 254 6340
Hours: 07:00am to 12:00 midnight daily
Halal
Dates visited: 29 Dec 2011, 9 Mar 2013, 6 Feb 2018
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments submitted with genuine identities are published