Restoran Pekin Sutera Johor Bahru 五福北京城 • Long Term Review

You know, I get requests to recommend restaurants for parties all the time. I can tell you, it is a lot of pressure and a heavy responsibility. 

I mean, what if the restaurant didn't turn out as well as expected? You know... taste is subjective, people have different ideas of what is good value, and sometimes, even the best restaurants can have a bad day. So many things can go wrong 😅

Yong Kee Sam Kan Chong Pork Ball Noodles. Taman Tun Aminah. 勇记三间庄猪肉丸粉.王后

I am a big fan of KL style pork ball noodles - they are among my best memories of my years in Kuala Lumpur nearly 20 years ago.

Kedai Kopi Malaysian Bak Kut Teh • Hidden Gem in Johor Bahru 馬來西亞人民茶室 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

While on a public bus on the way to JB CIQ (to go back to Singapore) this morning, traffic was at a standstill at Jalan Jim Quee due to construction work. Remembering that buddy Melvin once suggested that I try the old school bak kut teh at Kedai Kopi Malaysian, I decided to get off the bus right there. When I asked the driver in my limited Malay if I could get off the bus there, he gladly opened the door immediately - I love the easy going flexibility 😄

Naughty Nuri's Warung Sutera Johor Bahru JB

We had lunch today at the Naughty Nuri's outlet near Sutera Mall. Naughty Nuri's Warung is an international franchise founded at the legendary beach side BBQ pork ribs and martini stall in Ubud, Bali. How did Balinese style ribs come together with martini in a warung? It's a husband and wife team - Ibu Nuri is the lady behind the naughty ribs and her American husband Brian, the wicked martinis. It's a perfect match 😄

Ah Lek Bak Kut Teh📍JB Johor Jaya Teratai 亚历肉骨茶 ☏ +6011 5856 1885

✍️27 Nov 2023. Hopped over to Ah Lek Bak Kut Teh in Johor Jaya Teratai after errands today.

KL Pork Noodle Mee at Hoa Kee Taman Gaya Johor Bahru 好记 ⭐⭐⭐✱✱

Makan (eating) buddy Jeff keeps reminding me to pay a visit to the KL pork noodle stall at Hoa Kee 好记 kopitiam in Taman Gaya. It's the favourite of a few foodie friends too.

Food Master Bak Kut Teh Johor Bahru Taman Setia Indah 食王肉骨茶

My JB friend Chef Brian noticed that my bak kut teh list is missing his family's favourite bak kut teh shop - Food Master in Taman Setia Indah. Chef Brian's dad who is himself a bak kut teh hawker also loves Food Master BKT shop.

With a recommendation like this, I wasted not time to visit Food Master Bak Kut Teh.

CLOSED Qiu Bo Curry House Fish Head Pork Ribs Johor Ulu Tiram 秋波咖喱之家

CLOSED (Owners retired). Back at Qiu Bo Curry House in Ulu Tiram for lunch today - this is one of JB locals' top choice for curry fish head and pork ribs. It's one of my favourites too.

Shi Wah Bak Kut Teh in Johor Bahru, Permas Jaya 古来世华肉骨茶

Kulai's famous brand of Sze Hwa bak kut teh has a few shops with the same name around Johor Bahru. The Shi Wah bak kut teh in Permas Jaya is probably the most popular (outside of Kulai).

Qiu Bo Curry House in Ulu Tiram, Johor 秋波咖喱之家

Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 has a huge reputation in Johor Bahru since the days it was at Jalan Storey. The original Qiu Bo is now in Ulu Tiram. In any discussion about good pork curry in Johor, the name Qiu Bo will surely come up. With such a big following, it would be remiss if Johor Kaki did not check out Qiu Bo :P

So last month, I went to Qiu Bo with my makan kakis Joe and Kumes who are big fans of Qiu Bo. It was a much anticipated outing. We were so eager, we actually arrived before opening time and had to wait outside for a while.



We ordered the signature curry pork ribs, of course. The curry was creamy with santan and the coconut milk flavour and taste were strong. If you like your curry to be as lemak as possible, you will surely like this. Despite the rich crimson colour, the curry was only mildly spicy. The curry was more fragrant than spicy hot. I enjoyed the curry.

The pork ribs on the other hand were a little on the firm and stiff side. Joe and Kumes remembered that the pork ribs were more tender during their visit just a month earlier. Perhaps, we were a little too early this time and the pork ribs hadn't had enough time in the pot to get tender yet.



The fried taugeh dish (bean sprouts) was well executed. Savoury and crunchy. The taugeh had all their fibrous roots pinched off leaving only the juicy stems. A nice and labour intensive touch which many restaurants dispensed with nowadays. Thumbs up for Qiu Bo here.



This omelet was Kumes' suggestion. It was my favourite dish of the day.



The soft fried eggs wrapped crunchy good sized shrimps. I really enjoyed the mouth feel combining soft eggs and crunchy prawns, and the eggy taste with sweet prawn flavour.



Qiu Bo is well known for their fish ball soup with mung bean vermicelli. The handmade fish balls were good. Bouncy and had that lovely springy, firm yet tender bite. The poppy fish balls had that subtle fresh fish meat sweetness which I liked.



The simple fried chye sim came with a handful of good sized prawns. Shelled and fresh, the prawns added a savoury crustacean note to the dish and also to the gravy.

Eating at Qiu Bo is like eating at home. The dishes are simple, familiar comfort food and the setting is clean, basic, unpretentious and without any frills. The star of the show, curry pork ribs, might be slightly off colour today but overall it was still a very good meal. Looking at the clientele, most were regulars who had been following Qiu Bo for a long time.



Our total bill including all the food and drinks for three persons was RM55.

I will definitely be back, at about 2:00pm, and taste Qiu Bo's famous curry pork ribs in its true form. I also need to come back for another of Qiu Bo's claim to fame - their popular curry fish head.

->> JB people's long time favourite.



Restaurant name: Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家
Address: Jalan Mutiara, Ulu Tiram, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/g8xfk
GPS: 1.586667,103.817281
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 22 Apr 2013

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Restoran Ah Bee Bak Kut Teh in Johor Bahru 华美肉骨茶

Restoran Ah Bee (former Hwa Mei 华美) Bak Kut Teh is in an inconspicuous part of Johor Bahru (at Jalan Lumba Kuda) that attracts little, if any tourist traffic at all. Still, Restoran Ah Bee (Hwa Mei 华美) Bak Kut Teh is full house everyday.

Closed. Curry Pork Ribs at Fourstorey 四楼小吃 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Johor Bahru

I am a fan of curry pork and also of pork ribs, especially that part with the cartilage. So when Mdm Chan, the lady boss of Fourstorey 四楼小吃 told me that their signature curry pork ribs is made with that part with the cartilage on, I didn't wait long to return to the stall. Actually, I was back the next day.


Old Bukit Indah stall.

Fourstorey 四楼小吃 used to be the very popular curry rice stall in Taman Bukit Indah. At the Bukit Indah stall, they used to sell the whole range of curry meat and vegetable dishes to go with their fragrant rice.


Old Bukit Indah stall.

Recently, the stall moved to the 4 storey flats at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. The lady boss told me that they decided to move because their previous stall was a mobile road side stall. Though business was good, whenever it rains, it would wash out the day's business. So, they decided to move indoors into this stall in a kopitiam.



It's been nearly four months since they started business here and Fourstorey is gradually getting their old clientele back and building their new customer support.



The two pieces of chunky pork ribs came smothered by a layer of smooth, almost creamy curry. The "cream" came from santan and potatoes, so the curry had a pleasant natural sweetness blended with both hot and fragrant spices. The curry was a blend of sweet, mild spiciness, savouriness from the pork and aromas from the ground spices such as star anise. The spiciness of the curry was just right - it did not overpower but instead complement the subtle, natural flavour of the pork.  



Ah.. that tender and delicious curry pork rib. That piece of cartilage between the flesh gave the tender, perfumed meat an interesting crunchiness.



I plopped a couple of dollops of the curry onto the rice. The rice was cooked with pandan leaves, lemon grass and fried shallot oil. The rice had a nice fragrance and subtle oiliness that made it an additive pleasure. 



The curry pork rib rice is served with this tangy, sweet and savoury archar (crunchy vegetable pickles). I found that the archar went very well together with the fragrant rice at Fourstorey 四楼小吃 .

This curry pork ribs is definitely a Must Try (curry pork ribs is available only during the weekends).



Restaurant name: Fourstorey Kway Teow Kia 四楼小吃
Address: No 0118, Blok 20, Jalan Pendekar 1, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/SDfka
GPS: 1.513217,103.651789
Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm (Mon & Tues off)
Non Halal

Date visited: 10 Apr 2013, 12 Apr 2013

Tung Po Rou Braised Pork Belly at Nan Bei 南北 Restaurant in Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

 

 

I was doing my food spotting rounds at the new shoplots at Jalan Gaya 1 at Taman Gaya when I stumbled upon Nan Bei 南北 Restoran - a simple shop/stall that serves tung po rou 东坡肉 or braised belly pork, braised duck and chicken rice. But, what caught my attention was the tung po rou, which is normally found only in well appointed restaurants.

 

Actually, I was a little too early at the shop as the tung po rou was not ready for the day's business yet. So, I came back the next day as I was curious about how good the tung po rou might be, and I was eager to share my new find with readers.

We ordered just one piece of tung po rou to try. The set of one piece of tung po rou and rice costs RM7. Allan, the owner told us that the set may cost a bit more if the piece of braised pork is larger.

Allan's mother who is also at the shop makes the tung po rou using fresh pork everyday with a family recipe.

I was pleased with Nan Bei's tung po rou. The braising sauce was light, had a mild savoury flavour and tasted just right, and was not overly salty.

Pardon the cliché but the fat and skin were literally "melt in your mouth" tender. It was rich and smooth, almost like a cream with a smokey, sweet, savoury flavour. This was what made tung po rou so irresistible to me.

The lean meat was also tender but it would have been absolutely perfect for me, if it had been even softer. Others, however, felt that the lean meat was "tender enough".

Expert foodies say that the ultimate tung po rou is about the creamy, smokey, savoury layer of "melt in your mouth" pork fat. The meat is just a side show. I think this is what they are talking about.

If you want to have very good tung po rou for lunch or early dinner at a reasonable price, then Nan Bei is well worth a try.



Restaurant name: Nan Bei Restoran 南北
Address: 68, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/sfGrT
GPS: 1.563158,103.800834
Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm (Closed on Sunday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 16 Jan 2013

Ah Soon Bak Kut Teh in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 亚顺肉骨茶

We have been regular customers at Ah Soon bak kut teh 亚顺肉骨茶 in Taman Sri Tebrau for more than a decade. We especially love their excellent sesame oil chicken and also liked their popular bak kut teh.

镇江排骨 Pork Ribs at Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 in Taman Sri Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

It was a chance meeting with Alex, the boss of Star Chef Skudai restaurant 星名廚 in Taman Sri Skudai.

I was having a late lunch at the famous 822 Super King Duck at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. Even though it was already 3:00pm, 822 restaurant was still full of customers. So, we did the usual thing in Johor, which was to share a table with a perfect stranger.

When our char siew and siew yok arrived, I started to do what Johor Kaki always does. I was totally absorbed in taking photos of the food and writing down notes about how it tasted.

All this while, Alex the "stranger" with whom we were sharing the table was observing our "odd" behaviour curiously.

When I finally paused and returned back to "reality", Alex introduced himself. We soon had a nice conversation about my blog and my vision about putting every good Johor hawker on the World Wide Web. Alex then shared that he is the owner of Star Chef Skudai restaurant 星名廚 in Taman Sri Skudai and invited us to visit.

As we were between appointments and so had a little bit of spare time, we accepted Alex's gracious invitation and was next at Star Chef Skudai restaurant.

At the well appointed, air conditioned Star Chef Skudai restaurant 星名廚, Alex invited us to try his Chief Chef Chia's signature pork ribs  镇江排骨.

We were hardly hungry as we just had excellent char siew and siew yok at 822 Super King Duck restaurant, yet we managed to polish off Star Chef Skudai's signature 镇江排骨 pork ribs easily :)

The ribs were an interesting blend of flavours and textures making it a memorable taste and bite experience.

The savoury and slightly sweet sauce enveloped a gently crispy, caramelised outer layer.

Sinking my teeth pass the crispy caramelised layer, revealed the moist, juicy and tender meat inside that was naturally sweet.

The friendly Chief Chef Chia kindly allowed me to photograph him in action.

Deep frying the specially marinated pork ribs in hot oil.

Chief Chef Chia tossing the deep fried pork ribs in a super hot wok to sear in the flavours and caramelise the outer layer.

Just across the road from Star Chef Skudai restaurant is Star Chef Skudai duck which was started more than 20 years ago by Alex's father. Alex offered us some of his braised duck which we initially declined as we were totally stuffed - we had been "find" dining in JB since the morning :)

But with our appetites whetted by Star Chef Skudai's delicious signature pork ribs, we reluctantly picked up the thin slices of braised duck. Well, we couldn't stop after that until the whole plate of braised duck was gone :) After the first bite, we somehow found space in our stomachs for the braised duck :P

We were struck by the tenderness of the braised duck slices and the delicateness of the herbal braising sauce.

The tender duck also had that subtle, distinctive gamey flavour of fresh duck meat. When I asked Alex how to get duck meat so tender and flavourful, he shared that Star Chef Skudai uses only live ducks.

The braised duck came with this special chili sauce which was tangy, and only slightly spicy hot and sweet. The chili sauce complemented and enhanced the taste of  Star Chef Skudai's duck meat very well.

Our stomachs filled, we bid the friendly Wee family good bye and went on to our next stop in "find" dining in Johor.

Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 restaurant has many other interesting dishes which I will be coming back for :)

Restaurant name: Star Chef Skudai 星名廚
Address: 1, Jalan Emas Putih 4, Taman Sri Skudai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/BQpnW
GPS: 1.546333,103.656606
Hours: 10:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on Thursday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 10 Sep 2012

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