One of the Best JB Char Siew. Meng Kee Hong Kong Roast in Kakilang Kopitiam 明记港式烧腊饭档

I have good friends who tip me off whenever they chanced upon good food finds - Thanks Chris. Then, I have buddies like Aaron who would taunt me with late night pictures like these char siew from Meng Kee in Kakilang Kopitiam (coffee shop) whenever he is in Johor Bahru. It's a great way to motivate me 😂

Sin Hock Guan 新福源 Mee Pok Tah @ Kakilang Coffee Shop in Taman Maju Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Whenever I am at any food court and could not find anything that I fancy, mee pok tah always comes to my rescue, and has never failed me. My daughter who was away in school for four years, came home and the food she misses is mee pok tah. And, I have friends who keep asking me the same question, "Where to find good mee pok tah in Johor Bahru"?

I found a good one, Kiang Kee in Taman Permas Jaya, and today I found another, Sin Hock Guan 新福源 in Taman Maju Jaya.

See that large block of ice used to keep the bean sprouts fresh?
It is details like this that make the difference.



Mdm Lim beaming with quiet confident pride

Sin Hock Guan 新福源 is run by a husband and wife team, the Lims, for the past 60 years. Mdm Lim cooks this traditional Teochew comfort food the same way she had been doing for the last 6 decades. It takes that special feel and expertise that can only come with years of experience to produce that characteristic QQ texture (al dente) in the noodles.

The QQ mee pok noodles were saturated with the spicy and slightly tangy sauce.

For RM6, we get a bowl of mee pok noodles in spicy sauce and a bowl of flavourful pork soup loaded with pork, liver, shrimps, handmade fish balls, fish dumplings and greens.

This is the favourite item that Sin Hock Guan's loyal following raves about. The super smooth and tender fresh handmade fish dumpling or hee kiaw 鱼饺 - not the rough and coarse kind we often get elsewhere. I don't know where else to find hee kiaw 鱼饺 this good.

Sin Hock Guan 新福源, old style mee pok tah prepared and served with the same pride and dedication for the last 60 years.

Ms Peggy Loh of the New Straits Times has written a nice article about the Lims' beautiful story. (The Lims have 8 grandchildren today J)


Restaurant name: Sin Hock Guan 新福源 (stall inside Kakilang coffee shop)
Address: Jalan Abiad 1, Taman Maju Jaya
Map: http://g.co/maps/hjzm5
GPS: 1.482528,103.767108
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Jun 2012

Beef Kway Teow Breakfast @ Kakilang Kopitiam in Taman Maju Jaya, Johor Bahru

A taste of Tangkak's best right here in JB?

This well established Tangkak beef kway teow stall in Kakilang kopitiam in Taman Maju Jaya has fans on both sides of the causeway who rave about its tender and tasty beef.

I ordered a RM7 bowl of dry kway teow with mixed beef and tendons. When I stirred the kway teow and the gravy, I caught a whiff of that distinctive beef kway teow fragrance that I had when I was a school boy.

During school holidays when I was a school boy in the 1970s, I worked in a backstreet glass workshop along Victoria Street in Singapore. The workshop supplied and installed large window panes for industrial buildings. The back breaking and actually rather dangerous work for a small boy earned me a princely S$4 a day. 

My favourite lunchtime meal at that time was the backstreet beef kway teow at Victoria Street - a hearty sized bowl for 50 cents. It has that distinctive aroma which was long lost until I caught a fleeting whiff of it again today at Kakilang kopitiam.  

The gravy is sweet and mild and just the right consistency - not that food court salty, starchy, gummy goo that put me off beef noodles for years.

The beef and tendons were indeed tender and tasty. There is no chance of any beef fibres getting caught between your teeth ☻

The soup has a subtle herbal flavour.

I have not been to Tangkak before so I have no idea what authentic Tangkak beef kway teow is like. After trying out this style of beef kway teow at Kakilang kopitiam, I have made up my mind to make a trip to Tangkak to find out ☻

Afternote: I tried the beef kway teow legends in Tangkak after this. Do Do Do and Kuang Fei are in a class of their own. If you are passing by near Tangkak, give these two beef noodle institutions a try. 


Restaurant name: (Tangkak) Beef Noodle (stall inside Kakilang kopitiam)
Address: Jalan Abiad 1, Taman Maju Jaya
Map: http://g.co/maps/hjzm5
GPS: 1.482528,103.767108
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 6 Feb 2012