新山蚝煎 JB Fried Oyster | Stall #37 in Meldrum Walk in downtown Johor Bahru (behind Jalan Wong Ah Fook and next to City Square Mall) ☏ +6011 5683 6837 (Whatsapp message to pre-order) ⏰ 11am - 6pm (Sun & Mon off)
Last night, I popped by at Meldrum Walk with Pen/Hemingway Prize winning author John Krich. I wanted to show John some of the heritage hawkers who are faithfully plying their trade here.
John later wrote his Johor experience in a National Geographic article and in it he labelled me a "renegade Singaporean" 🤔 I wondered how he saw that in me 🤭
Back at Muar Glutton Street 麻坡贪吃街 after 6 years (my last visit was in 2012). Not much have changed since then - almost all the same food stalls are there, many familiar faces and some new faces.
After stumbling upon blogger Michelle's funnily wacky and informative post on the back alley stalls in Taman Century, I was thrilled to check out the place for myself. (Sadly Michelle deleted her blog.)
This place is behind the Standard Chartered Bank branch opposite Pelangi Shopping Centre.
By day, it is a quiet back alley.
At about 6pm, the stalls slowly emerge, the alley stirs to life and the hungry alley cats start streaming in. There are 10 push cart stalls here altogether.
My first stop was the laksa stall since Michelle rated it higher than the oft recommended Water Works Laksa.
This laksa is comparable to those in the well known shops. The curry is made with lots of ground spices and not too much coconut milk, which is also the style I prefer.
The tau puey (fried tofu skin) is my favourite part of any laksa. Here it is still crispy even after soaking up the laksa curry.
I then tried the fried kway teow as this dish is something I cannot easily resist.
The fried kway teow was the dry style. Tasty and not too oily or salty - which is the way I like my fried kawy teow. The tau geh (bean sprouts) were nicely done, fresh and crunchy.
By now, my stomach has no more room for anything else. So I just strolled along the alley to survey the place and plan for my return visit 😄
The chwee kueh (steamed rice cake) stall.
The yong tau foo stall. Looks like this stall has been upgraded from a push cart stall to a hole in the wall shop. Look, its wheels have been replaced by bricks and it has lost its canvas top 😄
The you char kueh (fried fritter) stall which also serves tau suan (boiled mung beans) ands pulut hitam (boiled black rice).
The mee hoon kueh stall.
The chicken noodle stall.
There are two different dessert drinks stalls here.
I was there just as the stalls were waking from their slumber and I was done before the place bloomed to its full glory. This means I need to come back and stay longer next time to appreciate the true spirit of this place 😄
Restaurant name: No name. Back alley stalls 世纪后巷小吃
Address: Back alley behind shoplots along Jalan Harimau Tarom
Map: http://g.co/maps/6p2ch GPS: 1.479637,103.763718 Hours: 6:00pm to midnight Non Halal
✍ 27 Feb 2012. There are perhaps 6 or 7 kambing soup (Indian Muslim mutton soup) stalls in Meldrum Walk. They all looked popular and since I have not eaten at any here, I randomly picked one.
Update 20 Jul 2025: Now there are only two left, this and Daud, but both have changed hands many times during the last decade (I mean I keep seeing different people running the stalls). Nevertheless, this and Daud remained popular.
Authentic tandoori chicken and naan (Indian flat bread) made with the traditional clay oven (tandoor) for RM8? No kidding.
Salaam Tandoori Corner is the only tandoori stall in the popular Meldrum Walk. This stall is run by just one man - he does everything by himself. Besides making the naan and tandoori chicken, he delivers the food, collects and washes the used trays, and receives the money.
Watching the artistry of this man in swift action, is in itself an education in multitasking. Really respect this hardworking and cheerful gentleman.
Here is how he makes the naan.
Each piece of dough is kneaded by hand
Flattening the dough with a rolling pin
Putting the flattened dough into the tandoor (clay oven)
The dough stuck to the inside wall of the tandoor oven
The freshly baked naan just out of the tandoor oven
Quickly sliced with a pizza cutter while it is still hot
And now, time to grill the chicken using the traditional tandoor.
Putting the chopped chicken thigh marinated with yogurt, masala and spices into the oven
Chicken baking inside the oven with a ring of fire at the base
Sizzling hot tandoori chicken fresh out of the oven
The finishing touches - a dab of spice and squeeze of lime - before the tandoori chicken and naan is served
The complete set with tandoori chicken thigh, naan, dhal and mutton curry, all for RM8
The chicken with some charred bits on the outside is fragrant, tender and moist inside, but not too spicy.
The thick naan is slightly crispy with browned bubbles on the outside and tenderly soft inside.
I love this humble stall. The tandoori chicken and naan are made in the traditional, authentic way and taste as good as any much more expensive Indian restaurant that I have tried before.
Restaurant name: Salaam Tandoori Corner
Address: Stall in Meldrum Walk in downtown Johor Bahru
There are several ikan bakar (BBQ fish) stalls in Meldrum walk. With so many choices, I had a hard time deciding on which stall I should bet my precious calories.
So I used the well tried and tested method of seeing where the crowds are congregating.
Then I took a look at the seafood on display to make sure that it is the freshest.
Finally, I observed the chef in action and the cooking process.
After due diligence, I settled for Kak Long. The stall is made up of two stalls - it looked popular and promising.
I picked a small stingray for RM18. It was big enough by itself to stuff two people.
The sambal sauce is spicy. While my fish was being cooked, the bubbling sambal aroma engulfed the alley and people nearest to it had their noses stung by the pungent smell. I love it but somepeople may prefer a milder sauce.
The fish is skilfully and lovingly grilled by makcik (Malay for auntie). It made me feel like its mum's home cooking. The way she went about the process, it was obvious that makcik sincerely wanted us to enjoy her cooking which she did with much pride and loving care.
The end result was a perfectly done stingray. The entire fish turned out steaming hot, tender, oozing with naturally sweet juices, and spiced with hot chili sambal.
I thoroughly enjoyed this stingray. Nothing was left of the fish, not even a single bone. I forgot to take a picture of the bed of banana leaves, the only thing that was left after we were done.
Just recalling it to write this post makes my heart sing. Terima kasi makcik :-D
Restaurant name: Kak Long Tomyam
Address: Stall in Meldrum Walk in downtown Johor Bahru
Just a short 5 minutes stroll away from modern City Square Shopping Centre in the direction of Singapore, you slip into a completely different realm of street foods, colours, movement, sizzles, clanking, chopping, banter, pressing bodies, pungent spices, and aromatic cooking smoke.
This semi chaotic cacophony assaulting all your senses at once on all fronts is Meldrum Walk - a kind of paradise for foodies who dare.
The air here feels warmer from the heat of so many bodies and the cooking fires.
Fried carrot cake
Fried kway teow
Another fried kway teow stall. There are 3 such stalls here, each with their own following
Cooking sizzles and smells aloft. The aromas rush up through your nose straight to those primeval centres in our brain, creating that heady pleasure.
Very popular Indian curry stall
Your are eyes busy trying to take in all the colours and movements and your mind goes racing unconsciously, "What shall I eat?" This is a more fascinating spread than any hotel buffet.
Foodie Alice in gastronomic Wonderland asks, "Where should I start?" Cheshire cat says, "In this culinary haven, any stall takes you to foodie's paradise."
Meldrum Walk by day before it awakes into a gastronomic carnival at night fall.
If you get there early enough, you get to see the interesting sights of how the hawkers set up their food carts. Like cars in a factory, each food cart has the same basic design; however, each hawker displays their stall front and food in their own special way. These carts remind me of flower buds that bloom in full glory at night fall.
Hungry customers start to trickle into the lively alleyway around and by
The hawkers are busy but they still manage to keep their graciousness and sense of humour, and are very friendly. If a passer-by stops to snap a photo of the hawkers, they would often time pose for the camera and flash a cheerful smile. This makes the dining experience fun and comfortable, which I believe many diners and tourists would appreciate a lot.
Words and pictures can hardly do Meldrum Walk justice. Go and experience it for yourself.
But be warned, this is a place for intrepid foodies only. Is this the place that separates those who "live to eat" from those who "eat to live"?
(Special thanks to fellow blogger Yvonne Lew whose blog post led me to this food paradise and inspired me to blog about it.)
