Revisiting HJ Abu Soto Power. New Building, Same Top Soto

Took a rather long drive to Kampung Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang for one of my favourite mee soto ayam places at HJ Abu Soto Power.

AS Ikan Bakar Tepi Masjid Jamek Jalil Hassan in Kampung Pasir Putih, Johor

I was driving pass Masjid Jamek Jalil Hassan in Kampung Pasir Putih when the corner of my eye caught sight of tell tale white smoke from an ikan bakar stall at the intersection. I instinctively pulled over to check out this potential good makan (eating) place.

Warung Top 10 Ayam Penyet and Ais Buah in Johor Bahru, Kampung Pasir Putih

Food hunt today is at rustic Kampung Pasir Putih (at Pasir Gudang). Our usual method of asking around didn't work well this round as our first ayam penyet stop turned out to be not blog worthy.

Undaunted, we asked the locals again and was pointed to Warung Top 10 for their ayam penyet.



Warung Top 10 is a typical street side stall with simple furniture like folding tables and plastic chairs. The warung is very clean but a little hot under the heat radiating zinc roof.



Warung Top 10 serves Indonesian street food. It has an Indonesian ambiance with the TV tuned to SCTV (a popular Indonesian TV channel).



Warung Top 10 is popular with residents and workers from Pasir Gudang industrial park. Lunch time is especially busy with many customers in factory uniforms and bright overalls.



We ordered the basic ayam penyet set as our stomachs were already half full from the previous failed tasting session at another restaurant nearby.

The golden brown ayam penyet came dry as a bone on the signature shallow wooden plate.



When I asked my Indonesian friends what is considered a good ayam penyet, some told me that they like it crisp outside but moist inside. Others told me they prefer it crisp and dry throughout.



The style of ayam penyet at Warung Top 10 is crisp outside and dry inside. So, Warung Top 10 hits the spot for people who like their ayam penyet crisp and dry.



Whether they are from the dry or moist camp, all the people I asked agreed that the sambal chili makes or break an ayam penyet dish. The sambal must be pulpy and have layers of spiciness by blending together different types of chili.

Warung Top 10 scored high in the sambal chili department. Their sambal's texture and spiciness were spot on.



There was also a small plastic tub of a different type of sambal chili on every table. This was sharper and hotter than the sambal chili that come with the ayam penyet. This extra spicy sambal really spiked up the flavour of the somewhat bland tasting, slightly leathery chicken meat.



The small bowl of soup was pretty nice tasting with a balance of savoury and slight tangy flavours. I also found this soup very useful in balancing the dryness of the chicken meat and rice.



When I looked across at the other tables, I noticed many people having this interesting looking dessert with their ayam penyet. I hopped over and asked one of the customers "what is this"?

This is ais buah (or fruits with ice).

I have never seen this dessert before. So, I had to have one :D



Ais buah is a mix of cut fresh tropical fruits served in a bowl of slightly milky syrup and lots of chunky crushed ice. There were pieces of water melon, rock melon, jack fruit, papaya, pineapple, grapes and atap seeds. There were also many tiny bits of jelly. 



Refreshingly crunchy and not overly sweet, Warung Top 10's refreshing ais buah is a Must Try.

Perfect healthy, delicious dessert for scorching days.

Our total bill for the ayam penyet and ais buah came to RM9.50.



Warung Top 10's dessert station.



If you are a crispy and dry ayam penyet fan, Warung Top 10 is worth a try.

(Further down the road, just 5 minutes drive away are the famous Rahmat fried siakap and Abu soto.)

Restaurant name: Warung Top 10
Address: Jalan Pengkalah 10, Taman Pasir Emas, Pasir Gudang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/eorzj
GPS: 1.438204,103.931023
Hours: 9:30am to 7:30pm (Closed on Sunday)
Halal

Date visited: 19 Jun 2014

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Soto Ayam at Hj Abu Soto Power in Kampung Pasir Putih, Pasir Gudang, Johor

My friend Bryan has been raving about his favourite soto ayam place (near the famous Rahmat Ikan Siakap) for some time. I couldn't wait to visit Hj Abu Soto Power in Kampung Pasir and we finally did on Monday.



Haji Abu's warung is actually an extension of his house which is a stone's throw from the sea (yes, if you throw a stone, it will actually drop into the Straits of Johor :P  ). With the airy structure letting in the sea breeze and shade from the leafy trees ringing the warung, it feels cool and comfortable inside even though it was another blisteringly hot day in tropical Johor.  



Inside, the simple and well kept stall front at Hj Abu Soto Power.



Hj Abu and his wife have been running this popular warung for over 30 years. The recipe came from Hj Abu's mother-in-law who was from Surabaya, Indonesia.



This bee hoon soto ayam costs RM4 for a "regular" one and RM5 for a large one. Byran fixed his soto craving with "one big, one small".



The heart of soto ayam is in it's tender sweet slivers of pulled chicken meat. At Hj Abu's, the pulled chicken slivers are very fine. The fine chicken slivers sponge up the savoury soto chicken broth very well.



If the pulled chicken slivers are the heart of soto, then this savoury chicken broth is it's soul. Hj Abu's soto has a savoury, deep, rich chicken flavour.



The fragrant, spicy chicken broth is made by boiling whole chickens with many different spices in the pot for at least 4 hours.



Bee hoon (vermicelli) soto is eaten with home made blended kicap added to taste. Bryan likes his soto with plenty of Hj Abu's special kicap.



Home made sambal made with chili padi is also added to taste. I like my soto to have plenty of fresh sambal chili.



I also tried the rice cake (lontong) version - same spicy chicken broth eaten with traditional rice cakes. The rice cakes were tender with refreshing rice flavour.  This nasi version is a good option for people who like to have rice for lunch.



If you like, you can have chicken parts cut up and added to your soto.



This bowl with chicken feet added looked so enticing, I asked the friendly customer for permission to take a photo of it before he began to eat it :P

I have been looking for a good soto ayam in Johor to share. I am happy to recommend Hj Abu Soto Power :)

Hj Abu's son, Rujhan, has opened a Soto Power branch at Jalan Helang 2, in Taman Scientex. I look forward to paying Rujhan's shop a visit soon :)



Restaurant name: Hj Abu Soto Power
Address: 26, Jalan Pantai, Kampung Pasir Putih, Pasir Gudang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/i3W2X
GPS: 1.434510,103.931860
Hours: 12:00 noon to 9:00pm (closed on Friday)
Halal

Date visited: 10 Jun 2013

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Review of Siakap Goreng Fried Sea Bass Fish @ Kedai Makan Rahmat, Kampung Pasir Putih, Pasir Gudang, Johor

I had always wanted to visit Kedai Makan Rahmat in Kampung Pasir Putih, Pasir Gudang for their famous deep fried Siakap or Siakap goreng. My friend Foong knew the founder, the late Encik Rahmat for nearly 30 years from Foong's banking days. Foong brought me to Kedai Makan Rahmat a few days ago. The famous shop by the sea is now run by Encik Rahmat's son.