Restoran 980 Teochew Restaurant in Masai Johor 980 潮州小食

Today's lunch at 980 Teochew Restaurant 980潮州小食 in a quiet corner of Masai, Johor Bahru. We enjoyed the comforting, traditional fare here and will be back for more.

Yook Mooi Teochew Mee Pok (also Yue Mei) @ Seri Tebrau, JB 玉梅潮州面薄 ☎️ 017-776 2481 ☎️ 012-728 2480

玉梅潮州面薄 Restoran Seri Tebrau | 25, Jalan Keris 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, 80050 Johor Bahru ☏  +6017 776 2481 ⏰ 7am - 1pm (Weds off)

✍️4 Apr 2025. Lau Tee's Teochew noodle has a special place in the hearts of old Johor Bahru folks. Since Lau Tee's passing (a long time ago), his nephew Ah Seng's stall Sang Heng had been carrying the flag of Lau Tee's legacy. Uncle Ah Seng passed on in 2016.

Yue Mei, one of Uncle Ah Seng's long time helpers has since opened her own stall 玉梅潮州面薄 serving Lau Tee's style of Teochew noodles. 

Chao Shan Teochew Restaurant in Indahpura Kulai Johor 潮汕海鲜餐厅

Our Kulai friend Puan Chong and family found Chao Shan Restaurant in Indahpura (Kulai) near their home and they love it. So, we arranged to have dinner there together last night.

San Lou Cafe (Not the Restaurant) for Teochew Home Cook Seafood · JB Hidden Gem & Unsolved Mystery 三楼咖啡屋

I first passed this way, way back in 2012. I marked it down as a place to return to but never did until this morning - 6 years later in 2018 😬 San Lou Cafe is a hidden gem close to the heart of San Lou residents who live in these 3 storey flats at Stulang Darat, many for over 5 decades.

Teochew Kuih pop up stand at Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre 潮州粿.大马小贩中心

I stumbled upon Ms Chuah 蔡's pop up stand selling Teochew Kueh in front of stall 47 "Gerai Mee Ayam. Laksa. Johor". Her trays of freshly made Teochew kueh are simply laid and sold on folding tables in front of the closed stall 47.

Dong Hong Traditional Kueh. Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre 东鸿糕粿.大马小贩中心

Dong Hong at Stall 62 of the Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre is popular among JB locals for traditional Teochew kueh. The moment they open for business at 4pm from Saturday to Tuesday, regulars descend on the stall to take away bags of their favourite Teochew kueh 😄

Former Jalan Ah Siang Teochew Mee now at Thirteen Yaw in Mutiara Mas Skudai ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recently (Nov 2016), Johor Bahru foodie circles were abuzz with excitement about the good news that the Jalan Ah Siang Teochew noodle stall has resumed business after a 5 year hiatus. I wanted to try this famous Teochew noodle since I started Johor Kaki blog but never thought that I would have a chance since the boss has retired in 2011.

新山著名的老字号潮州面有好消息. 停业五年的陈敬业先生又重出江湖了. 忠心的老顾客说味道还是一样好. 现在在 Mutiara Mas 13幺美食閣, Jalan Mutiara 1/7. 喜爱老弟潮州面的朋友们一定要去试试哦. 营业时间下午四点到凌晨一点. 每两个星期四休息一天.

Kitchen Stories at Johor Jaya Rosmerah 美乐厨坊

Today, we lunched with friends at Kitchen Stories 美乐厨坊 at the Rosmerah section of Taman Johor Jaya. It's one of Frankie's favourites and his regular lunch place. I also bumped into another Johor Kaki reader Alex who reminded me that he had recommended Kitchen Stories to me over two years ago. Yeah lor 😛 Glad that I am here, finally 😄

Restoran Sekee · Definitive Teochew Kway Teow Thng Soup in Johor Bahru

✍ Updated 23 May 2019. Ah Hua at Sekee coffee shop at Jalan Segget is an old name in JB's Teochew kway teow soup. I haven't been back for a few years as food hunting has taken me away in search of Johor's other hidden gems. Ah Hua kway teow hasn't changed a bit - the owners have kept it true to tradition.

Wah Yew Teochew Cuisine. Johor Bahru Taman Pelangi✌ Second Visit 华友潮式蒸鯧魚專賣店

My JB friend John brought us to Restoran Wah Yew 华友 in Taman Pelangi for traditional Teochew food. Locals refer to the restaurant as Ah Chye 阿財, the name of the owner Chef.

Teochew Kway Teow Soup 小李粿条 at Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru

One morning after breakfasting at Fat Mom 肥妈 in Taman Pelangi, I wandered to the kopitiam next door and stumbled upon 小李粿条.



I spotted this bowl of wrinkly fried fish balls and casually asked the boss what these were. "Shark fish balls" the boss said. I was surprised and delighted as I have not come across shark fish balls before in Malaysia or Singapore.

As I have already had a heavy breakfast, I immediately marked 小李粿条 for a visit as soon as possible.

And, so I am back at 小李粿条 the very next day :D



小李粿条 is founded by 小李. The master 小李 in action - unhurried, precise, and swift. 



小李 is assisted at the shop by his wife and son, Chee Siong who does most of the cooking now.



小李 the friendly Teochew kway teow soup master. Over 40 years in the business. 小李 is the brother-in-law of 亚华, the founder of the 亚华粿条 brand, now with three shops in JB (downtown, Taman Century and Plentong).

Here's what we had today at 小李粿条.



The dry version of kway teow with an aromatic blended sauce of fish sauce, lard, shallot oil, and vinegar. We can ask for chili paste, sambal chili (with hae bee) and dark soy sauce on request based on our preference.



The bowl of pork bone soup with shark fish balls and fish cake that came with the dry kway teow.



Shark fish ball is a traditional Teochew dish that is rarely seen nowadays. It tastes great! Savoury and sweet, blend of tender and slightly chewy - nice. Biting and breaking the golden brown skin releases a gentle pleasant aroma that bursts in the mouth and runs up the nose.



My bowl of kway teow soup. The broth made with big pork bones and ball joints had good body, and a pleasant savoury flavour. 小李 confirmed that no MSG is used (with all the fresh, quality ingredients, there is no need to).



Everything in the bowl was fresh and expertly cooked. The clean tasting kway teow noodle was slurpy soft and smooth. The liver was just cooked and had a slight powdery mouth feel. The fresh oyster was creamy and juicy. The bouncy slice of lean meat was sweet and tender. It's really a delicious bowl of heartwarming kway teow soup.



小李 let us try 肉筋 which is lean pork with strips of gelatinous rubber band-like tissue.  



小李 carefully sliced the meat to extract the 肉筋.



I have eaten 肉筋 at other Teochew kway teow shops before but 小李's skill in slicing the meat created 肉筋 with the best mouth feel that I have eaten so far - sweet tender lean meat strips with curly bands of soft springy gelatinous tissue. 

肉筋 is off menu, so remember to ask for it, if you like to enjoy it's extra good bite and mouth feel.

I looked around the stall :D



Plump fresh oysters are standard at Teochew kway teow soup shops in Johor Bahru.



Something seldom seen in Teochew kway teow soup shops - pork brain. Shall try it next time :D



Lard! Freshly made every day.

Other customers' orders.



Kway teow and yellow noodles with a dash of dark soy sauce.



Soup with fish cake and shell fish slices. Note how clear the soup is.

When we were leaving, 小李 declined payment for our meal and only accepted a small token amount at our insistence.

->> 小李粿条 the famous old name in Teochew kway teow soup is definitely a Must Try in Johor Bahru.



小李粿条 is a stall inside Hup Seang kopitiam.

Restaurant name: 小李粿条
Address: 53, Jalan Kuning, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Whkv2
GPS: 1.482699,103.775514 
Hours: 06:30am to 2:00pm (Closed on last Tues of month)
Non Halal

Date visited: 19 Mar 2014

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JB Food on Foot - Old School Teochew Noodles in Downtown Johor Bahru

As many of Johor Bahru's Chinese residents are Teochews, the Malaysian city is often referred to as "Little Swatow 小汕头". Swatow in China is the hometown of many of Johor Bahru's early Teochew settlers.

Teochew noodle soup is a favourite everyday comfort meal among Teochews. Today, in Johor Bahru there are many Teochew noodle stalls sprinkled throughout the city.

In old downtown Johor Bahru, there are still shops that serve old school Teochew noodle soup dishes, the way it is prepared in the days of our grandfathers.

Jalan Siu Nam, Johor Bahru Town

A short walk from the modern City Square Mall in the direction of Singapore is Lau Tee Teochew Kway Teow Soup 老弟潮州粿条汤 at old Jalan Siu Nam, just next to the Esso petrol station. Lau Tee is a stall inside Hock Chiang Hin Kopitiam 福振兴餐室.

Lau Tee 老弟 who founded the stall back in 1942 is the father of the current owner, Mr Er.



Lau Tee's Teochew noodles is served in an old well used plastic bowl with sauce, our choice of noodles (mee pok, mee kia, bee hoon or kway teow), topped with minced pork, lean pork slices, fish cake, fish ball, small shrimps, fried shallot and lard crackles. We can have chili sauce, if we like our noodles spicy.



My bowl of mee kia after a good toss in the sauce.

The sauce is a fragrant blend of lard, shallot oil and light soy sauce. Mr Er cooks the crunchy noodles just right and the ingredients are all fresh. Teochews are particular about the freshness of their food and like to taste the natural flavours inherent in the ingredients.



The noodles come with a small bowl of cloudy broth which has good body, smooth mouth feel and a robust savoury prawny flavour.

7 Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Johor Bahru Town

A short walk across Jalan Wong Ah Fook, is Mr Er's uncle Ah Seng's shop Sang Heng 甡兴茶餐室 at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. Locals refer to it as the "noodle shop beside OCBC" as it is located next to the bank in downtown JB.



Ah Seng (who is Lau Tee's brother) is probably Johor's most senior hawker today.



Sang Heng's Teochew noodle soup is similar to Lau Tee's.

Both Lau Tee and Sang Heng have their loyal following of fans for their delicious old style Teochew noodles.

30 Jalan Segget, Johor Baru Town

The third old school noodle shop is Ah Hua 亚华粿条 in Sekee kopitiam 司機餐室 at Jalan Segget. Ah Hua kway teow soup started as a push cart stall along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee in 1957.

Ah Hua's noodles served with pork broth differs from that of Lau Tee and Sang Heng which use prawns to make their broth.

Ah Hua 亚华 is the only kway teow soup shop that I have seen in Malaysia that still uses charcoal fire to boil the broth.

The key to Ah Hua's Teochew kway teow soup is, of course, the broth which is made by boiling big pork bones.



The other key is fresh ingredients, be it the pork, shell fish or kway teow noodles. All must be of the highest quality as the clear broth will show up any inferior ingredients.

At Ah Hua, you can have the basic kway teow soup which comes with slices of pork and liver, or the luxury versions where we can add kidney, fish maw, oysters and even abalone.

Most of these old noodle shop's customers are regulars who like this old style taste and flavours. They also have a growing clientele who are discovering the charms of old style noodle soup.

Through these three old noodle shops, we can still taste the old flavours and heritage of Johor Bahru.

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Ah Wha Eating House Teochew Kway Teow Thng in Plentong / Masai, Johor Bahru 亚华粿條汤

✍️ 3 Aug 2024. Back at Ah Wha kway teow soup noodle in Plentong, which is a top favourite of locals.

Johor Bahru Kway Teow Soup at Kue Teow Meng in Taman Melodies 果条明

Kue Teow Meng is one of the most famous Traditional Teochew kway teow soup stalls in JB.

Teochew Kway Teow Soup at 锦都茶室 in Johor Bahru

Johor Yummy member Charles Tan recommended 锦都茶室 and many other members like Candle Tay and Kumes quickly chipped in suggesting that we should all go and give the shop a try.

锦都茶室 is one of the shops at a quiet corner of Taman Century along Jalan Dato Sulaiman, just a few doors from the popular Poh Kee 宝记 Teochew Kway Teow Soup.



The large yellow banner says 锦都茶室 serves Teochew kway teow soup, fish bee hoon soup, curry laksa, wanton mee, and bitter gourd soup.



The friendly boss, Mr. Tan used to work in a roast meat shop in Singapore. He moved back to Johor Bahru after his marriage and has been a kway teow soup hawker for 32 years. Today, Mr. Tan runs 锦都茶室 with his daughter and son.

We ordered a Teochew soup with mee pok and a fish soup with kway teow (dry). Don't ask me why I ordered such a combination. Perhaps, I was still jet lagged from a longish trip to Australia .... It turned out to be an excellent breakfast despite my odd orders :P



The mee pok still has a slight spring despite soaking in the soup for quite a while, while I took photos. I expect the dry version to be even better.



The dry kway teow - the soy based sauce with a little lard is gummy and gooey. I asked for chili, hence that glob of maroon in the picture. When tossed and stirred, the kway teow became like a dark starchy ball of yarn. The chili is heavy with dried shrimps (hae bee).



The fresh slice of fish is so tender that they kept breaking apart when I tried to take this picture. Mr. Tan goes to the market to buy fish in the morning of every business day, so we are assured of it's freshness. This also explains why 锦都茶室 is closed on Mondays, as the wet markets are also closed on that day. 



This humble piece of unphotogenic pork liver tastes superb. It is fresh and cooked in a way that reflects Mr. Tan's over 30 years of experience. Perfect mouth feel and taste.



I was surprised to find a slice of shell fish in a RM5 soup. Not of exquisite quality (it would be unfair to expect more) but it was quite a nice touch, really.



锦都's soup made with pork bones and anchovies is full bodied. Mr. Tan adds in slivers of fresh ginger to cook and dashes of white pepper before serving. So, 锦都's soup is slightly peppery. I like this variation and differentiation from the numerous Teochew kway teow soup stalls in JB.



The humble cut chili and soy sauce dip. Simple and nice.



Another customer's fish bee hoon soup which I want to come back for. This is actually 锦都茶室's signature dish.



The fish head bee hoon soup - another must try for me.

I need to come back also for their bitter gourd soup as I am a fan of this soup :)

锦都茶室 is yet another old school Teochew kway teow soup shop worth visiting.



Restaurant name: 锦都茶室
Address: 87, Jalan Dato Suleiman, Taman Century/ Abad, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Uz9Qf
GPS: 1.480886,103.756985
Hours: 7:30am to 3:00pm (closed on Monday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 3 Sep 2013

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