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

Food Explorer Storyteller with 63 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

Nice Food in Woodlands. Selera Menanti @ Marsiling Lane Food Centre

Nice Food in Woodlands. Selera Menanti @ Marsiling Lane Food Centre

Feeling famish after crossing back to Singapore from JB, I went to the nearest hawker centre, Marsiling Lane Market & Food Centre for a quick bite. I zeroed in on Selera Menanti Traditional Malay Cuisine stall as it had the longest queue. Tried their soto ayam and loved it. I shall be tasting their menu one by one whenever I come by this way again.

Ah Choy Wan Tan Mee @ Muar Glutton Street 亚才云吞面. 麻坡贪吃街 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ah Choy Wan Tan Mee @ Muar Glutton Street 亚才云吞面. 麻坡贪吃街

Muar Glutton Street is a short 100 metre long strip of food stalls along Jalan Haji Abu. I like the Ah Choy Wan Tan Mee 亚才云吞面 here - I think it is one of the best in Johor and Singapore. (Disclaimer: This is a "red" wanton mee. Hardcore "black" WTM people can skip to the next post 😝 )

Nasi Kukus D'Cempaka (Nasi Kukus Gulai Kawah) @ Selera Cempaka in Johor Bahru ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nasi Kukus D'Cempaka (Nasi Kukus Gulai Kawah) @ Selera Cempaka in Johor Bahru

As a nasi kukus lover, I was thrilled to stumble upon Nasi Kukus D'Cempaka during food hunting in Johor Bahru's public hawker centres. (The signboard at the stall says Nasi Kukus Gulai Kawah.)

Stall name: Nasi Kukus Gulai Kawah D’Cempaka


Address: Anjung Selera, 11, Jalan Persiaran Teratai, Taman Cempaka, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor


Tel: +6013 734 8178


Hours: 9:00am - 8:00pm (Mon off)

Nasi Campur @ Sudut Selera Sri Cempaka, Johor Bahru

Nasi Campur @ Sudut Selera Sri Cempaka, Johor Bahru

We went exploring Johor Bahru's hawker centres and stumbled upon this popular nasi campur stall at Selera Cempaka (a public hawker centre run by JB city council). Nasi campur is the Malay version of "mixed vegetable rice 杂菜饭" or "economic rice 经济饭" with Malay homestyle dishes.

Low Yau Kee (Lao You Ji) Porridge. KL People's Favourite Congee 老友记粥

Low Yau Kee (Lao You Ji) Porridge. KL People's Favourite Congee 老友记粥

I had long wanted to try Low Yau Kee Porridge 老友记粥 stall which operates at night outside Soong Kee Beef Ball Mee at Jalan Tun H S Lee near KL Chinatown. Many KLites say this humble street side stall serves the best porridge in the world. (This porridge stall is referred to by various names such as Lao You Ji etc but the sign at the stall says Loa Yau Kee.)


Say Yes Hong Kong Dim Sum near Sutera Mall in Johor Bahru 思源香港点心

Say Yes Hong Kong Dim Sum near Sutera Mall in Johor Bahru 思源香港点心

I have seen friends sharing about Say Yes Hong Kong Dim Sum 思源香港点心 for quite a while but haven't been there till today as I don't go to the Sutera side of JB much, nowadays. Say Yes is a good dim sum place as their food is better, ambiance is nicer and more comfortable than coffee shops. But, prices are about the same as kopitiam dim sum i.e. good value for money.

Simmer Soup in Johor Bahru 时尚老火汤

Pig Tail Soup

I love soups with rice and so when buddy Sean shared about Simmer Soup 时尚老火汤 at Wan Chang coffee shop in Setia Indah, I quickly went to try it.

Green View Restaurant Sang Har Meen Big Prawn Noodles in PJ (near Kuala Lumpur) 长青海鲜饭店 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Green View Restaurant Sang Har Meen in PJ (near KL) 长青海鲜饭店

When I was living in KL in the early 2000s, one of my favourite places to bring guests was Green View Restaurant near SS2 on Petaling Jaya for their signature sang har meen 生虾面.

Ah Hou Roast Meat. One of the Best Crispy Roast Pork Stalls in Ipoh 阿豪烧肉档

Ah Hou Roast Meat. One of the Best Ipoh Roast Meat Stalls 阿豪烧肉档

If you have been following Johor Kaki for a while, you may notice that I rarely post about siew yok or sio bak (Cantonese roast meat). It's because most of the sio bak I tried tend to be too salty for my liking. Ah Hou's roast meat 阿豪烧肉档 in Ipoh, however, was just nice for me - I love it.

MLTR Concert in Batam, Indonesia. Michael Learns to Rock STILL Asian Tour 2018

MLTR Concert in Batam, Indonesia. Michael Learns to Rock STILL Asian Tour 2018

Truth be told, the only MLTR song I thought I knew before attending the concert was "25 Minutes" because some people still sing it in karaokes. I like "25 Minutes", so I accepted the invitation to attend the MLTR concert in Batam on a media ticket.

MLTR Concert in Batam, Indonesia. Michael Learns to Rock STILL Asian Tour 2018

It turned out, I was blown away - I know that sounds horribly cliché but the experience was really beyond my expectations. During the concert, I realised that I actually knew many more MLTR songs - they were just in the deep recesses of my mind (I am that old 😱 ). The concert brought back so many memories of people, events and places from the 1990s. It was a really sentimental, slightly emotional journey for me.

7 Kauthar Cafe in Setia Tropika. One of JB's Best Laksa Johor

7 Kauthar Cafe in Setia Tropika. One of JB's Best Laksa Johor

Buddy Yvonne who always gives me great foodie tips on the best eats in JB, alerted me to a newly opened restaurant which she said serves the "best laksa Johor now". I quickly went for breakfast at 7 Kauthar Cafe in Setia Tropika as l am always on the look out for good laksa Johor. It is the representative dish of Johor but good ones are very hard to find commercially even in JB.

Sup Ikan Pha Khong. Asam Pedas Windsor in Batam, Indonesia

Sup Ikan Asam Pedas Pha Khong @ Cabang Windsor in Batam, Indonesia

Our Batam friends brought us to Sup Ikan Pha Khong. The locals call it Asam Pedas Windsor. The humble little corner shop is off the main road Jalan Pembangunan - we would never have found this place so soon, if we explored Batam on our own.

Desaru Coast Gourmet Series @ Els Club & Stay at Hard Rock Hotel

Desaru Coast Gourmet Series @ Els Club

I had the privilege to experience the inaugural Gourmet Series at The Els Club and also stayed at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast as a guest of Tourism Malaysia.

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood. Where to Eat Chili Crab in Singapore

Singapore Chili Crab

Ban Leong Wah Hoe and the row of eateries at Casuarina Road was one of our favourite hangouts though I've not been back for over two decades. I was glad that tonight's get together let me get reacquainted with one of my old favourite Singapore zhi char places. I like all the dishes we had tonight, especially their rendition of Singapore chili crab.

Makansutra 21st Anniversary Party @ Gluttons Bay at The Esplanade Singapore

Makansutera 21st Anniversary Party @ Gluttons Bay at The Esplanade Singapore

Thank you Makan Guru KF Seetoh for the privilege to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of Makansutra at Gluttons Bay with you, Patricia, your team and friends. I bought your food guides and went on your food tours in the 1990s, tasted many good food stalls you recommended, inspired by many astute insights you shared but never expected to be part of Makansutra's 21st birthday bash 😄

Cowan Street Ayam Tauge and Koitiau 🐔 Must Try Popular Ipoh Chicken & Bean Sprouts ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cowan Street Ayam Tauge and Koitiau. Popular Ipoh Chicken & Bean Sprouts

Finally, l got to taste the famous Cowan Street chicken kway teow and taugeh (beansprouts) after missing it a few times on previous Ipoh trips. If you are from out of town and catch Cowan Street Ayam Tauge and Koitiau open during your stay, it's like you struck lottery 😂 

Tried & Tasted 7 Best Hokkien Mee or Tai Lok Meen in KL and PJ

Tried & Tasted 7 Hokkien Mee or Tai Lok Meen in KL and PJ

The black gooey lardy fat Hokkien mee known as tai lok meen in Cantonese (which is still the lingua franca of KL Chinese) is one of Kuala Lumpur's signature dishes. Every neighbourhood in KL and Petaling Jaya has at least one or two famous Hokkien mee stalls.

Tong Lian Kee Hokkien Mee (Tai Lok Meen) @ Jalan Sarawak in Pudu KL 东莲记福建面 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tong Lian Kee Hokkien Mee (Tai Lok Meen) @ Jalan Sarawak in Pudu KL 东莲记福建面

It was the end of our whole day food trail from JB to KL, after our fourth meal. Every meal was great but it would not be right if we did not taste a Hokkien mee or tai lok meen when we were in KL. Running through the dozens of popular options, I reminisced about a Hokkien mee stall that operated along the corridor at a side street off Jalan Pudu. We decided to go and check it out, though I actually assumed that it was no longer there (just like the mee hoon kueh stall across the road from it).

Johor Kaki JB 👣 Kuala Lumpur 👣 Ipoh Food Trail 29 Nov to 4 Dec 2018 "LIVE"

Johor Kaki JB > Kuala Lumpur > Ipoh Food Trail 9 Nov to 4 Dec 2018

I am on a food trail from Johor Bahru 🚙 KL 🚙 Ipoh and back to JB - dates from 29 Nov (Weds) to 4 Dec (Tues). I am updating this post everyday during the road trip - follow this post if you like to know what we are eating and how we like it 😋 (or not ).