Hidden Gem Lei Cha Rice @ Restoran HNY Happiness in Desa Cermerlang, Ulu Tiram, JB ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When I just want a simple meal or ran out of ideas on where to eat, I often settle for lei cha fun 擂茶饭 (thunder tea rice). Lei cha fun is a healthy choice that doesn't compromise on taste at all.

Siamese Thai Cuisine · JB People's Favourite Thai Restaurants 暹鄉.料理

✍ 15 Sep 2023. Siamese Thai Cuisine is a favourite among Johor foodies. I visited them 5 years ago and they are still holding their own, still enjoy a strong loyal following among locals. This is its current address in Johor Jaya.

Restaurant name: Siamese Thai Cuisine

Address: 33, Jalan Dedap 4, Johor Jaya, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Tel: +6017 777 1611

Hours: 5:30pm - 9:30pm (Tues off)

Kang Chuan Bakuteh. Desa Cemerlang • Ulu Tiram JB 康传肉骨茶

Stumbled upon Kang Chuan Bakuteh shop while food spotting in Taman Desa Cemerlang this morning.

全記得 Braised Duck @ Happiness (formerly Shang Hai) Kopitiam. Desa Cemerlang Johor JB ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you my makan kaki Ong for showing me 全記得 at Shang Hai coffee shop in Desa Cemerlang, JB - the little stall serves one the best braised duck that I've tasted in JB and Singapore so far.

新山好好吃的卤鸭. 卤汁的味道不会太重. 鲜甜的鸭和有微微药材味的卤汁搭配的刚刚好. 全記得的卤鸭可说是非吃不可. 地址 - Restoran Shang Hai 上海美食中心, Jalan Johar 4, Desa Cemerlang. 早上9点到下午1点.

Penang Prawn Mee Johor Baru Desa Cemerlang Anak JB 好运来咖啡店

This morning, we went to Desa Cemerlang in search of 大蝦面 Penang Hokkien prawn mee stall at Anak JB coffee shop.

今天早上，我们到 Desa Cemerlang, Jalan Tanjong 的好运来咖啡店吃火红的大虾面摊卖的槟城虾面。真的好吃。汤头够味。辣椒够辣。是我们最喜欢的槟城虾面其中之一。

Paper Baked Chicken at Tan Village Restaurant in Taman Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram, Johor

I stumbled upon Tan Village while food spotting in Taman Desa Cemerlang. As I am a fan of paper (parchment) baked chicken, I was attracted to the big posters on the wall displaying various flavours of paper baked chicken.

We ordered a simple meal of half an "original flavour" 原味 paper baked chicken, a plate of bitter gourd fried with salted egg yolks and a mutton herbal soup.



I like the mild flavours and aroma of Tan Village's "original flavour" paper baked chicken (RM12 for half a bird).



The chicken flesh was tender yet firm, moist and sweet. Though tender, the flesh had a little spring and needed a bit of pulling and tucking to pull away the last fibres. I love it.



I also love this bitter gourd fried with salted egg yolks. Refreshing, crunchy, with savoury notes from the dried shrimps and salted egg yolks. This nice side dish cost RM6.



The soup costing RM10 was full bodied, smooth, savoury and herbal. Highly drinkable. The thick slices of radish were tasty and squishy. The mutton was firm, not hard, but it was not tender enough for my liking. The soup was neither oily nor gamey. Nice soup, especially for people who don't eat the boiled meat in herbal soups. Since I eat everything in the bowl, I prefer the mutton softer.



While chatting with the (camera shy) boss Ah Seng, he told me that the shop was originally intended as a kitchen to produce these frozen packs of paper baked chicken. Ah Seng's family runs a "kampung chicken" farm in Pekan Nanas and this shop produces paper baked chicken for pasar malam (night market) and food centre hawkers, and restaurants.

As there was excess space at the front, Ah Seng said they decided to serve walk in diners as well. They also added a few side dishes to make the menu more appealing. Ah Seng's wife just whips up the side dishes in the kitchen, when there is an order. No wonder the fried bitter gourd has that distinct home cooked feel that I like.



I liked the paper baked chicken here so much that I bought a frozen pack of Tan Village's herbal chicken to try at home. This take away bird cost RM16. Very reasonable, in my opinion.

Rating: 1-Star



Restaurant name: Tan Village Restaurant
Address: 7, Jalan Tanjung 1, Taman Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/UPAGm
GPS: 1.561603,103.807572
Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm (closed on Weds)
Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Feb 2013

Awana Asian Kitchen in Taman Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram, Johor

Rossman, Manager at Awana Asian Kitchen invited Johor Kaki to visit Awana Asian Kitchen in Taman Desa Cemerlang in Ulu Tiram.



Awana Asian Kitchen occupies two shoplots with an air conditioned section and an open section with total seating capacity of over 100 people.

After trying the siakap dishes at Sutera Village and Bangkok Village, I have become a siakap fan, and so I requested for Awana Asian Kitchen's Ikan Siakap Special.



This is a good sized, foot long siakap for RM32.80, deep fried and then drenched in Awana Asian Kitchen's own special gravy. The gravy was savoury from the belacan, fragrant from the lemongrass and other spicies, and a little tangy and sweet from the tomatoes and unions. There were also hints of spiciness from cut chillies.



The siakap was fried till crispy outside and still retained a bit of moistness inside. I liked this ikan siakap though my favourite style is still tiga rasa (three flavours) gravy, while others were won over by Awana Asian Kitchen's Special gravy.



Awana Asian Kitchen's tom yam soup was a blend of mainly sweet and mildly spicy.



Beneath that tasty soup was a mix of cut broccoli, capsicum, carrots, onions, mushrooms, parsley, chicken, squid and a couple of prawns, all which added sweetness to the soup. Personally, Awana Asian Kitchen's tom yam was value for money at RM11.80.



Awana Asian Kitchen serves good quality rice with their dishes.





To round up our lunch, we had an ice kacang. Basically, it was sweet from the ice cream, evaporated milk, grass jelly, boiled red beans and sweet corn with interesting crunchy, nutty bits from the crushed roasted nuts. The red beans were boiled in the kitchen and the peanuts were also roasted in-house. At RM3.30 in a comfortable, clean environment, I feel Awana Asian Kitchen's ice kacang was value for money.

Awana Asian Kitchen has a extensive menu as they also provide catering services. I will be back to try out the many other local favourites in their menu.



Restaurant name: Awana Asian Kitchen Masakan Selera Kampung
Address: 42-44, Jalan Rawa 2, Taman Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/R2BsF
GPS: 1.561517,103.806874
Hours: 11:0am to 10:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 25 Feb 2013