Why I Say Johor is a Wanton Noodle Paradise?
Far away from Guangdong, the birthplace of wanton noodles, there's a wanton mee paradise in the parallel wanton mee universe of Johor.
Some of Johor's best:
When you visit Johor Bahru, one of the foods I suggest for you to try is wanton noodles. I know, some of you may ask, why wanton noodle? Isn't it such a common dish in Singapore, all over Malaysia and even the world wherever Chinese communities are? What is so special about wanton mee in JB?
There's something about wanton noodles in JB that blows my mind every time.
You see, to me wanton mee is a lot about the texture of the noodles, how they feel in the mouth. After decades of wanton mee since childhood in Singapore and around the world, the mouth feel of the best Johor wanton mee still gets to me.
Every time.
There are a few famous wanton mee names with fiercely loyal followings in Johor, some going back decades. All serve noodles that are springy, crunchy to the bite though all are subtly different.
One of the secrets is duck eggs which give Johor wanton noodles the edge in texture (compared to its neighbour Singapore).
Johor wanton mee fans can tell one noodle brand from another like how wine and coffee aficionados can engage in endless discourse on the nuanced differences between their favourites.
It is very hard for Singapore wanton mee to match their Johor counterparts in terms of texture as almost all Singapore stalls use generic factory produced noodles made with chicken eggs.
In Johor, wanton mee shops usually offer three choices of sauces - white, black and red.
White is lard and usually with another aromatic oil like shallot or sesame seed oil. The serving looks pale but the flavour and aroma are a heady lardy blast.
Red is spicy - lard plus chili sauce. In Johor, the chili sauce is usually spritely spicy hot blend of raw fresh chili, garlic and sometimes lime. Not much if any dried prawn is used, noticeably less than in Singapore wanton mee chili sauce.
Black is lard plus dark soy sauce. Red is to satisfy people from the south (Singapore) and black for northern folks (e.g. Klang Valley and further).
Ketchup doesn't feature much in Johor Bahru wanton mee, though it is a signature of Pontian wanton mee which the best known is Heng Heng.
I've learned to enjoy them all.
I opt for a different colour on different days depending on my mood flavour of the day, but never compromise on good springy crunchy noodles
Some JB wanton mee shops serve hand made fish balls as a side dish.
Some of the spongy balls rival the best fishball noodle specialists in Johor and Singapore.
Oh I almost forgot soy braised chicken feet... How could I forget, chicken claws - skin, fat, tendon all stewed till melt-in-the-mouth tender with savoury umami soy sauce and black mushrooms. They are traditional sides for wanton mee and I love them.
If there is a weak link in JB wanton mee for me, it could be the char siew. The cut tends to be lean, the serving thinly sliced. Tender, though sometimes fibrous to the bite. Flavour wise, I've grown to enjoy its savoury sweetness, and even a bit of toasty smokiness like pork jerky or hints of grilled cuttlefish.
My ideal would be Kuala Lumpur style fatty char siew but that sometimes mean the char siew upstaging the egg noodles (like here) - how unbecoming 🤭
Give these Johor wanton noodle places a try.
After trying some of these Johor wanton mee, you may not see wanton mee in the same way again.
Written by Tony Boey on 4 Jan 2026
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
You know, in the old days, every wanton mee hawker made their own egg noodles. When I was a child, my next door neighbour in a rental studio flat in Toa Payoh Singapore was a wanton mee hawker. He made his egg noodles at home. Every night, we would happily take turns to ride and bounce on the fat bamboo pole he used to knead the dough. Today, I know of no hawker in Singapore or Malaysia who still makes their own egg noodles with a bamboo pole.
But, in Johor some hawkers still make their own egg noodles, albeit with the help of machines. If you like to try some house made wanton noodles, you can still get it in Johor, though here too the numbers are dwindling. Furthermore, most use chicken eggs nowadays instead of the traditional duck eggs.
House made wanton mee often have firmer body, a more springy bite, and eggy flavour compared to generic factory mass produced noodles. Every house made egg noodle has its own signature taste and feel while generic noodles are uniform.
Here are house made wanton mee you can try in Johor ➤
Note: This is a tried and tasted list. I personally visited all these stalls several times each to taste the noodles. I did not copy and paste from other websites.
Tien Tien Lai Kopitiam 桃园面家
The only flying noodles in JB now but I am here for the egg noodles and spicy sauce. The tight bodied slender noodles felt tender yet springy to the bite. Customers have a choice of white (traditional), black (dark soy sauce) or chilli sauce. I like white as I can taste the egg noodles (with just aromatic oil), and also the chilli version for its spicy aftertaste.
Address: 59, Jalan Bakawali 50, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru (beside Sports TOTO outlet)
GPS: 1°32'27.4"N 103°47'42.4"E | 1.540938, 103.795104
Tel: +6012 289 2035
Hours: 7:30am - 3:00pm (Thurs off)
Kedai Makanan Wantan Mee Jin Shan Lou 金山楼云吞面
One thing about Johor wanton mee is their lean pork char siew in thin slices which is dry even though the flavour is likeable. However, at Jin Shan Lou they serve fatty char siew like in Kuala Lumpur. Jin Shan Lou also make their own egg noodles daily, which are fresh, springy and tasty.
Address: Jalan Seri Impian 1, Taman Impian Emas, Skudai, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.542904,103.681824
Tel: 016-660 5498
Hours: 8:00am to 2:00pm (closed on Thursday)
Ho Seng Kee 何成記 云吞面世家
Ho Seng Kee is in the third generation now. Began as a push cart stall at Johor Bahru's Jalan Siu Nam in the 1930s, today it is a good size shop in a modern shopping mall. Ho Seng Kee's house made noodles are relatively thick and wide, with a springy feel to the bite. HSK's noodles are made with a blend of chicken and duck eggs. Their spicy chilli sauce has a pleasant zing and fruity flavour.
Address:
GPS:
Tel: 012 710 7140
Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm
許记云吞面 stall in Koon Chong kopitiam
Humble unassuming little mom and pop coffee shop stall serves one of the springiest egg noodles in Johor. Unfanciful, unfancied but top of my mind for wanton mee brekky in JB town area.
Address: Jalan Kelewang in Taman Sri Tebrau (opposite Wisma Tionghua)
GPS: 1.487101,103.769235
Hours: 7:00am to 2:00pm (closed on Weds)
Yap Kee 葉记云吞面
Yap Kee is a long time local favourite now in the second generation. Famous for their slender lively eggy noodles which I enjoy with their white sauce. Their braised chicken feet sells out quickly every evening. Located in the dingy old Sri Tebrau market and opens only at night.
Address: Stall 65, Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre, Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.487056,103.768063
Hours: 4:30pm to 10:00pm (Thursdays off)
锦旺雲吞面 wanton mee stall (permanently closed as owners retired)
Ok... This stall doesn't make their own noodles but they have a different take on the sauce and char siew. Daringly different from Johor, KL or anywhere else and still have a big fan base. The char siew is stewed in a savoury dark sauce which is also slathered onto the noodles. Well loved by locals.
Address: Stall in 新天满 Xin Thianman kopitiam, Jalan Permas 4/4, Taman Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
GPS: 1.505801, 103.823028 / 1°30'20.9"N 103°49'22.9"E
Hours: 6:30 am to 1:30 pm (closed on alternate Thurs)
Restoran Chin Chin 晶晶云吞面
House made duck egg noodles which are slender and springy. Rustic corner shop in Skudai. Second generation owner has over 30 year's experience at the shop. My village barber's recommendation from years ago 😁 Still one of my favourites.
Address: Intersection of Jalan Lawang and Jalan Kaloi, Skudai (next to MPJBT building)
GPS: 1.538014,103.660721 / 1°32'16.9"N 103°39'38.6"E
Hours: 7:30am to 4:00pm. Closed on Thursdays.
Sin Kee @ Pontian 新记云吞面
Among the wanton mee in Pontian, Sin Kee's egg noodles are relatively heavy and thick. Love the tenderly firm springy feel to the bite. Sin Kee serves the excellent noodles with various sauces including the Pontian style with ketchup. Do not leave Pontian without trying at least one wanton mee with ketchup here.
Address: Jalan Bakek Jaya Utama, Pontian, Johor
GPS: 1.482607, 103.392368 / 1°28'57.4"N 103°23'32.5"E
Hours: 10:00am to 5:45pm (Closed on Thurs)
Chop See Kee (every one here calls it Ah See wanton mee) @ Batu Pahat 亞泗雲吞面
Love it or loathe it, Ah See has the most famous wanton mee in Batu Pahat. Gorgeous bouncy egg noodles in a unique savoury spicy gooey lardy sauce. The char siew is pink colour like a lady's lip stick. Try it at least once. Some people get hooked.
Address: 2, Jalan Jenang, Batu Pahat, Johor (at the same row of shops as OCBC bank branch)
GPS: 1°51'01.5"N 102°55'38.3"E | 1.850412, 102.927302
Tel: 07 438 8516
Hours: 8:30am to 9:30pm
The following are the links to details on wanton mee above ➤
Tien Tien Lai Kopitiam 桃园面家 👈 click
Jin Shan Lou 金山楼云吞面 👈 click
Ho Seng Kee 何成記 👈 click
許记云吞面 👈 click
锦旺雲吞面 👈 click
Yap Kee 葉记云吞面 👈 click
Chin Chin 晶晶云吞面 👈 click
Sin Kee @ Pontian 新记云吞面 👈 click
Ah See @ Batu Pahat 亞泗雲吞面 👈 click
After eating wanton mee all over Johor many hundreds of times, here's Johor Kaki's full list of all 53 blog posts on best Johor wanton mee 👈 click
I am still adding to this growing list as I try and taste more wanton mee in Johor. Do you have any recommendations for me? Thank you.
Date: 30 Apr 2018 | Updated 1 Jan 2026
Return to Johor Kaki homepage
Ong Kok Heng said on Johor Kaki FB: "One more Tony..... Restoran 63 Bukit Indah selling after 6pm... closed on Monday. Brother to Ah Bee Tampoi Wanton Mee"
ReplyDeleteJasmine Ng said on Johor Kaki FB: "[Restoran HW] This is also v popular among the locals, near bangkok spa n the popular lok lok (so far thats the best lok lok i tried). Only open after 9pm"
ReplyDeleteRealised you didn't include Yit Foh (益和) this time .
ReplyDeleteYes. It is in the list of 53.
DeleteThat corner house in Taman/Kampung Ungku Mohsin
ReplyDelete-bulat187-
personally prefer KL wantan mee because they use char siew more fats vs JB use lean char siew
ReplyDeleteIt all boils down to "economics utility", perhaps?
ReplyDeleteIn economics, utility is the satisfaction, value, or pleasure a consumer gets from consuming a good or service, a core concept in explaining choices and behavior, measured abstractly in "utils," with key ideas like Total Utility (overall satisfaction) and Marginal Utility (satisfaction from one more unit, typically diminishing as consumption rises).
Key Concepts of Utility
Subjective: Utility varies greatly from person to person; one person's satisfaction isn't another's.
Total Utility (TU): The cumulative satisfaction from all units of a good or service consumed.
Marginal Utility (MU): The extra satisfaction from consuming one additional unit.
Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility: As you consume more of something, the extra satisfaction (MU) you get from each additional unit tends to decrease.
How Utility is Used
Consumer Choice: Explains why people choose certain goods over others to maximize their overall happiness (utility) within their budget.
Demand Curves: Helps economists build demand curves, showing how much people are willing to buy at different prices, as higher utility often means a higher willingness to pay.
Measurement: While not directly measurable, economists use "utils" as a theoretical unit or infer utility from observed behavior (ordinal utility – ranking preferences).
Example
Eating pizza: The first slice gives high satisfaction (high MU), but the tenth slice gives much less (low MU), illustrating diminishing marginal utility, but adding to your Total Utility.
Essentially, utility helps explain the "why" behind what consumers buy, linking individual preferences to market demand.
I love their wanton mee noodles’ texture…
ReplyDeleteKL Lean tender fatless CharSiu WonTonMee
ReplyDeleteDo t think it's better but different just like Penang laksa and jungut laks or nonya laksa
ReplyDelete