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

Adventurous Culinary Traveler's Blog with 65 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

Cantonese Delights. Hong Lim Hawker Centre Curry Chicken Mee Champion 广东家乡小吃

Cantonese Delights. Hong Lim Curry Chicken Mee Champion 广东家乡小吃

I have been wanting to try Cantonese Delights at Hong Lim hawker centre for years but was always put off by the long queue. I finally tried it today because l was early and had some time till my next meeting.

TROVE Hotel Johor Bahru near JB CIQ

TROVE Hotel Johor Bahru near to JB CIQ

I was invited to visit TROVE Johor Bahru, the newest hotel in JB. It's just 5-10 minutes by car from the JB CIQ, so it is very convenient for visitors coming from Singapore.

Friends & Fig in Southkey Johor Bahru. You are What you Eat

Friends & Fig in Southkey Johor Bahru.

You know right... hunting and sharing good food have its hazards. Not least among them is overloading on grease, salt, sugar and don't know what chemicals. At the moment, there are very few healthier options in JB that are also tasty, filling and affordable. So, I am grateful to buddy KK of Magistrate magazine for introducing us to Friends & Fig restaurant in Southkey (an emerging shopping and dining hub in JB).

Feilo Heng Steamed Song Fish Head in Johor Bahru 肥佬兴松鱼头.肉骨茶

Feilo Heng Steamed Song Fish Head in Johor Bahru 肥佬兴松鱼头.肉骨茶

Feilo Heng was the third steamed song fish head we tried in our search for the best song fish head in Johor Bahru.


CLOSED City Square JB New Stall. BM High School Lok Lok (Fresh Fruit Rojak)

BM High School Lok Lok (Fresh Fruit Rojak)

CLOSED. Friends who are familiar with Bukit Mertajam 大山脚 in Penang will know about the iconic lok lok there (known as chiam chiam 串串 or batang rojak on Penang island). It is cut fresh fruits eaten with sauce based on hae ko (fermented prawn paste). Now, there is BM High School Lok Lok stall which is at Level 3 of City Square Johor Bahru (steps from the Old Town White Coffee outlet).

Restoran Hai Ji. Hunt for Johor Best Song Fish Head (Episode 1) 海记松鱼头

Restoran Hai Ji. Hunt for Johor Best Song Fish Head 海记松鱼头

My current best of Johor food hunt project is to look for the best steamed song fish head in the state. Restoran Hai Ji was the second song fish head I tried in JB and the first that I liked. (I have been a fan of steamed song fish head since I tasted the legendary Chan Sow Lin steamed song fish head of Kuala Lumpur over 20 years ago.)

Kwong Hong Yong Tau Fu (known as Yong Liew Fun in Ipoh) 广丰茶室酿料粉 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kwong Hong Yong Tau Fu (known as Yong Liew Fun in Ipoh) 广丰茶室酿料粉

Ipohite buddy Gilbert brought us to Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong Gunung Rapat 广丰茶室酿料粉 which is famous and popular with locals for their yong liew fun (which we call yong tau foo in Singapore). But, the Ipoh version differs from that in Singapore in many ways.

Moonlight Cake House @ Taman Pelangi in Johor Bahru Reopens after Big Revamp

Moonlight Cake House @ Taman Pelangi in Johor Bahru Reopens after Big Revamp

I was invited to the Moonlight Cake House outlet in Taman Pelangi in Johor Bahru which just reopened after major rebuilding lasting 2 years.

Pang & Tan Yong Chun in Ulu Tiram. The Most Loaded Mee Hoon Kueh in Johor 永春面粉粿

Pang & Tan Yong Chun in Ulu Tiram. The Most Loaded Mee Hoon Kueh in Johor 永春面粉粿

We were in Ulu Tiram (went there for durians) when we stumbled upon Pang & Tan Yong Chun Mee Hoon Kueh stall. They have the usual soup and dry mee hoon kueh, but we opted for the more fancy laksa and ginger gourd soup versions.

Hop Sing Restaurant of Ponderosa Golf & Country Club in Johor Bahru 金閣樓

Hop Sing Restaurant of Ponderosa Golf & Country Club in Johor Bahru 金閣樓

I've been to Hop Sing three (maybe more) times through the years and gradually grew to like it as a nice quiet place for  good homely meals. Hop Sing is a simple little Cantonese restaurant tucked away in Ponderosa Golf and Country Club in Johor Bahru (near Taman Molek).

Hong Qin Duck Porridge, Fish Soup & Braised Pork Trotters 鸿勤鱼粥.鸭粥

Hong Qin Duck Porridge, Fish Soup & Braised Pork Trotters 鸿勤鱼粥.鸭粥

I had been wanting to taste old school Teochew duck porridge for a long time. Buddy brought me to Hong Qin 鸿勤鱼粥.鸭粥 when we happened to be in the Aljunied area of Singapore yesterday.

Stall name: Hong Qin Fish & Duck Porridge 鴻勤魚粥 • 鴨粥


Address: 134 Geylang East Ave 1, #01-217, Singapore 380134


Tel: +65 9061 4988


Hours: 6:00am - 3:00pm

LE Cafe Iconic Beancurd Tart & Nostalgic Cakes from the 1960s 麗英豆花撻 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Le Cafe Iconic Beancurd Tart & Nostalgic Cakes from the 1960s 麗英豆花撻

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry is synonymous with the best beancurd tarts in Singapore - afterall, they created it. The soft, velvety smooth beancurd filling is delightfully refreshing with delicate taste and aroma of gently sweetened soybean with hints of almond. The stiff buttery crusty cup provides crumbly bite to the famous pastry. LE Cafe's beancurd tart can be addictive and is one of the uniquely Singapore things visitors must try. I have been eating LE Cafe beancurd tarts long before I started blogging.

Hong Dae Korean BBQ @ Permas Jaya in Johor Bahru

Hong Dae Korean BBQ @ Permas Jaya in Johor Bahru

Driving around Permas Jaya at night looking for dinner, we stumbled upon the bright lights of Hongdae Korean BBQ restaurant and decided to pull over to check it out. The food was tasty and pricing was reasonable. Service was good too.

Is Singapore Hawker Food Too Cheap or Too Expensive? Yes & Yes. Artisanal Hawkers Deserve More

Is Singapore Hawker Food Too Cheap?
Photo credit: Wikipedia

Bumped into the famous "Dr. Watch" while having brunch at Havelock Road Hawker Centre in Singapore. He is one of the watch experts Singapore courts tap on when they need a professional assessment on the authenticity of ultra luxury watches. He said that it is very difficult for a layman to discern between a $250,000 watch and a $500 clone.

Every Ipoh Tourist goes to Chang Jiang White Coffee 長江白咖啡 @ Jalan Windsor

Every Ipoh Tourist goes to Chang Jiang White Coffee @ Jalan Windsor

Every time I come to Ipoh, my local buddies will bring me to Chang Jiang White Coffee 長江白咖啡 at Jalan Windsor without fail. I had procrastinated writing about it because Chang Jiang really doesn't need any more introduction - too famous liao lah. Ask any Ipohite for Ipoh White Coffee recommendation and Chang Jiang is bound to be mentioned (along with Nam Heong and Sin Yun Loong in the same breath).

Woong Kee Tau Fu Fa. One of the Best Ipoh Bean Curd 旺记祖傳豆腐花

Woong Kee Tau Fu Fa. One of the Best Ipoh Bean Curd 旺记祖傳豆腐花

The humble bean curd is found everywhere in Malaysia and Singapore, but only in Ipoh do people say it is a Must Eat for visitors. No where in Malaysia and Singapore can you find bean curd as smooth and as aromatic as those in Ipoh. (I am not sure how Ipoh bean curd compares with the best in Guangzhou China.)

Subrosa Fine Private Dining @ 369 Jalan Besar in Singapore

Subrosa Fine Private Dining @ 369 Jalan Besar in Singapore

I had the privilege to enjoy lunch at the just opened Subrosa Private Dining restaurant. The East meets West inspired menu was interesting, food was delicious, ambiance was elegant yet comfortable, service was professional yet warm, and pricing was reasonable.

Dong Fang Hong Sotong Ball Seafood Soup. Best Food @ Hong Lim Food Centre 东方红墨鱼什锦汤 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dong Fang Hong Sotong Ball Seafood Soup. Best Food @ Hong Lim Food Centre 东方红墨鱼什锦汤

This is an exceptionally addictive soup with no equal in my experience. It's from Dong Fang Hong Sotong Ball Seafood Soup 东方红墨鱼什锦汤 in Hong Lim Food Centre, Singapore.

Ministry of Rojak by Abdhus Salam Rojak @ Northpoint City in Yishun Singapore CLOSED

Ministry of Rojak by Abdhus Salam Rojak @ Northpoint City in Yishun Singapore

Looking for things to eat in the sprawling Northpoint City mall in Yishun Singapore, I stumbled upon this Indian rojak stall at the old wing (north wing) beside the Subway and Kopitiam foodcourt. Northpoint City is a labyrinth with hundreds of food outlets but not many offer traditional street food fare, so I was pretty excited by this find.

Breakfast @ Kedai Kopi Keng Nam 瓊南茶餐室. The Quintessential Ipoh Coffee Shop ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Breakfast @ Kedai Kopi Keng Nam 瓊南茶餐室. The Quintessential Ipoh Coffee Shop

Thanks Gilbert and Cassandra for taking us to 瓊南茶餐室 Kedai Kopi Keng Nam (coffee shop) to experience an authentic Ipoh breakfast. If you have time for just breakfast in Ipoh, I would suggest Keng Nam coffee shop because of the variety and tastiness of the food here, not to mention the good Ipoh coffee.