Our first stop is Kin Wah kopitiam at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. We picked Kin Wah because it opens at 7am, so it is a good place for a caffeine stop and toilet break after clearing SG and JB immigration (we all know how painful that can often be).
All the staples like mee siam, nasi lemak are available here. Kin Wah's Nanyang kopitiam trinity of kaya & butter toast, soft boiled eggs and kopi (coffee) are among the best in JB.
At Kin Wah - estimated spending per pax RM10 - RM15.
The real reason we are hanging out at Kin Wah and around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee (JB's "Culture Street") is because the toddy shop nearby at Jalan Sulaiman opens only at 10am and some kakis cannot kick start their food trail without a mug of that fuel ๐ This shop is the only place in JB to get toddy.
Toddy is fermented coconut flower sap. It tastes like the Korean soju i.e. sweet sourish with a nice fizzy kick. Alcohol content is around 3% - 5%. You can ask the uncle for the more heady ones (5%).
At toddy shop - estimated spending per pax RM5 - RM10 (1 mug per pax lah... ).
After toddy, we proceed to Tampoi for Hin Hock Bak Kut Teh shop but no, we are not there for their BKT but for their signature boiled fish.
They have snappers, groupers but my favourite fish here is tilapia which happens to also be the most affordable. Tilapia seems to be the best fish for the fast boiling method of cooking fish at Hin Hock. The boiled tilapia fish meat is tender, juicy, and sweet with no earthly taste or smell. The sweet fish is well complemented by their savoury watery blend of soy sauce and the savoury slightly bitter taste of the fried chopped garlic heaped over it.
Hin Hock's boiled vegetable smothered with minced pork sauce and tofu with minced pork sauce are good side dishes to go with the boiled fish.
If you want to try Hin Hock's bak kut teh, the stock is herbal savoury with pronounced liquorice taste. The lean meat is chewy. I will go for pig tail as it has good balance of skin, fat and meat i.e. not so chewy.
At Hin Hock - estimated spending per pax RM50 (2 pax sharing tilapia, vegetables and tofu).
Next stop, Man Ting Fang in Kulai. Kulai is a relatively rural area of Johor where the Chinese community is mainly Hakka, so it is a good place for authentic Hakka dishes.
We are stopping at Man Ting Fang which is a village house that serves traditional Hakka lei cha fun ๆ่ถ้ฅญ (rice), fried yong tau foo stuffed with minced pork the Hakka way, and choy ban ๅฎขๅฎถ่ๆฟ (Hakka style kueh similar to Teochew soon kueh).
At Man Ting Fang - estimated spending per pax RM15 - RM20 (sharing lei cha fun, yong tau foo and assorted choy ban).
The grand finale of our food stops is dinner at Wengyaoji in Kulai. The signature here is chicken, pork ribs and salt encased tilapia fish baked in a special brick oven. The other attraction is the village home ambiance as the restaurant is located in the owner's own house. (Wengyaoji opens for dinner only on Fri, Sat and Sun.)
At Wengyaoji - estimated spending per pax RM40 - RM50.
Estimated total spending on food for this food trail is about RM150.
These are food stops only of our day trip. We have shopping and sightseeing stops along the route but we usually don't plan these tightly. Just go with the flow - the main event is makan ๐
Itinerary
I use WAZE navigation app (requires data as app provides live updates).
1st stop - Downtown Johor Bahru
Kin Wah kopitiam (1) ๐ click
Kin Hua kopitiam (2) ๐ click
2nd stop - Downtown Johor Bahru
Toddy Johor Bahru (1) ๐ click
Air Nira Johor Bahru (2) ๐ click
3rd stop - Tampoi
Hin Hock Bak Kut Teh (1) ๐ click
Hin Hock Bak Kut Teh (2) ๐ click
Hin Hock Bak Kut Teh (3) ๐ click
4th stop - Kulai
Man Ting Fang ๐ click
5th stop - Kulai
Wengyaoji ๐ click
If you used this itinerary, please help share your experience and feedback for improvements. Appreciate much.
More Johor Kaki food trails ๐ click
Date: 15 Dec 2019
Farmed tilapia fish like all farmed fish is bad for health.
ReplyDelete