Yum Yum Food & Beverage in Kluang ● Under the Radar Tze Char

Evonne brought us to this nondescript coffee shop which we would have passed by without noticing had she not picked this shop for our first lunch for this Kluang excursion.

Restauran name: Yum Yum Food & Beverage (formerly Restoran Xiang Hong)

Address: 50, Jalan Haji Manap Nordin, Taman Kluang Baru, 86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia (at intersection with Jalan Tan Kim Seck)

Tel: +6016 770 9532

Hours: 11am - 2pm | 5pm - 9pm (Fri off)

Best 10 Chap Chai Png / Fan in Johor Bahru Series. My Favourite Economy Rice in Masai JB

When I want a balanced meal, quick, no fuss and doesn't compromise on choice and taste, I often go for chap chai png which is known as economy rice (in Singapore) and chap fan (in KL). When in JB, my favourite place for economy rice is 肆源小炒 near the Masai bus terminal. It doesn't have an English name, I just refer to it as Mr Tay's (the boss) place.

Best Zhi Cha in JB List. Lai Hing in Taman Perling 利興坊海鲜小厨

Buddy Steven suggested that we have dinner at Lai Hing zhi cha in JB after our day long food trail in Kluang. I thought it was a great idea as our Kluang food trail began at day break, and eating dinner in Kluang meant driving back late at night - it would be a little taxing for my vintage chassis 😜 I was also keen to visit Steven's favourite JB zhi cha place as I have not been to Lai Hing before 😋

No Name Economy Rice & Zhi Char at Bunga Ros, Masai JB ⭐⭐⭐✱✱

Seeing Henry's regular postings from his favourite lunch haunt near the bus terminal at Masai in JB, we couldn't resist checking it out.

看到 Henry 每天 post 爱吃的卤肉面, 看了忍不住, 我们也来了. 卤肉面真的很多卤肉又很香, 很甜, 真的很好吃. 我们还有吃老板的砂煲面, 也是很不错. 砂煲面里有烧肉还有芋头不错吃. 最喜欢的是老板的怡保河粉. 果条炒得有锅气. 粿条的汁也很够味. 如果你在 Masai 一带, 这无招牌小档口是一个好的午餐和晚餐的去处. Jalan Bunga Ros. Masai 巴士车站对面.

GP Tan Family Chinese Restaurant Johor Bahru 阿坤三楼鱼汤 ⭐⭐⭐✱✱

GP Tan 阿坤三楼鱼汤 is one of those old timer makan (eating) institutions in Johor Bahru where locals go to for home cooked style Teochew dishes. GP Tan has a loyal following from long ago, well before the advent of social media. So, GP Tan have a steady clientele visiting in family groups though they are rarely mentioned online.

Family Friendly Seafood Restaurant in Johor Bahru Zhen Wei 珍味阁海鲜

Last night, I joined my friends and their families for dinner at Zhen Wei 珍味阁海鲜 at Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru. We had a great time, enjoying the food and each others' company.

Restaurant name: Restoran Zhen Wei 珍味阁海鲜

Previous Address: 1, Jalan Setia 7/18, Taman Setia Indah, 81100 Johor Bahru

Tel: 016 710 9085

Hours: 12:30pm - 9:30pm

Best Zi Char Places in JB Johor Bahru - Pelangi City

Back at Pelangi City, one of my favourite zi char stalls in Johor Bahru after nearly two years. I am glad that everything is still as great at this busy little stall 😃

在彩虹的彩虹城煮炒小档口 (Jalan Biru 三楼海鲜对面), 锅气十足。他们的菜都很不错的。我最喜欢的是他们的菜圃鱼。可以试试。

Tropical Garden Restaurant Kulai Johor 新嘉宾酒楼

One of the pleasures of a trip to Johor for Singapore visitors is the opportunity to enjoy quality old school food at comfortable banquet halls at Singapore kopitiam zhi char prices. More important, many of the delicious traditional banquet dishes are seldom found in Singapore nowadays.

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

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Pelangi City (Tze Char) in Taman Serene Food Centre in Johor Bahru 彩虹城

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tony Boey (@johorkaki)

Stall name: Pelangi City 彩虹城 (temporary location)

Temporary Address: Johor Bahru, Taman Sri Tebrau, Jalan Keris (carpark between Sri Tebrau Market and New Lucky Restaurant)

Tel: +6016 758 7431

Hours: 5:30pm -10 pm (Tues off)

Taman Serene Food Centre, Jalan Biru, Johor Bahru • 6pm - 10pm, Tues off

✍ 17 Apr 2024. Met up with buddy Malcolm for drinks in JB. Then, we adjourned for dinner. I suggested Pelangi City at Taman Serene (opposite the popular San Lou Seafood Restaurant).

Tze Char at Pelangi City 彩虹城 in Taman Serene Food Centre in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

I've heard a lot about this tiny tze char (literally "cook and fry" in Hokkien) stall called Pelangi City 彩虹城 in Taman Serene food centre. Pelangi City may be a tiny tze char stall in a small food centre in a quieter part of JB, but it has a huge reputation. My Johor foodie friends raved about Pelangi City tze char and KF Seetoh of Makansutra featured it in his popular "Food Surprise" television series.

8108 炒小吃 Stall in Kedai Makanan Yenn Sang 源香 in Taman Perling, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Stumbled upon this little zhe char stall 8108 炒小吃 in Yenn Sang 源香 kopitiam while trying to grab a quick lunch before an appointment in Taman Perling.

What first caught my attention was the bellowing smoke and the sizzling sound of food on a hot wok.

As I turned around and approached, I saw the chef playing with the wok over a stove that was spitting fire. I stopped to watch the chef as I am always fascinated by darting, licking flames, energetic toss frying and the drool triggering sound of sizzle.

Chef and I started a conversation. In the middle of tossing and frying, the chef told me that he and his wife had previously worked in the famous Sin Leong restaurant in Marine Parade, Singapore. After many years, they returned back to Johor Bahru and started 8108 炒小吃.

 

This is 8108's oil smeared menu held with Scotch tape onto the glass showcase. Hand written with marker pen on yellow vanguard sheet. It's all very casual, practical and unpretentious.

Well, when unsure about what to order, the best thing to do is to ask the chef himself. The chef suggested that I try his kam hiong chicken - the top item on his menu.

I gladly took the chef's recommendation and it was good, of course - it was the chef's personal recommendation after all :P

The fresh chicken chunks were fried in intense heat in savoury, tangy and sweet gravy. The outer layer of the chicken pieces were slightly caramelised by the wok hei (intense radiated heat) while the insides were still moist and juicy.

I wonder where else can I enjoy a delicious hot RM5.50 lunch of substantial portion that was well executed by a former restaurant chef.

This was someone else's sambal squids. I shall try this next time :)

Restuarant name: 8108 炒小吃 stall in Kedai Makanan Yenn Sang 源香
Address: Jalan Persisiran Perling 1, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/KH19g
GPS: 1.481192, 103.684871
Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm (off on Friday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 17 July 2012

Salt Baked Chicken 鹽焗雞 @ Tapai Tang Restaurant in Taman Melodies, Johor Bahru. Update 2019

Tapai Tang 大排档海鲜饭店 was the third stop of our JB food trail today. I wanted to come here because my last visit was 7 years ago and I just got back from Ipoh. With that still fresh in my mind, I hope to see how Tapai Tang's salt baked chicken match up to Ipoh's famous brand.