You know right... hunting and sharing good food have its hazards. Not least among them is overloading on grease, salt, sugar and don't know what chemicals. At the moment, there are very few healthier options in JB that are also tasty, filling and affordable. So, I am grateful to buddy KK of Magistrate magazine for introducing us to Friends & Fig restaurant in Southkey (an emerging shopping and dining hub in JB).
Samurai Ramen Umami from Japan is the latest ramen shop to open (on 17 Jun 2017) at AEON Jusco Tebrau's Ramen Street. It's right at the front, on the left, and the largest shop at Ramen Street.
CLOSED. Johor have a history of innovative dishes due to it's crossroads location and openness to new ideas - witness the creation of fusion dishes like Laksa Johor and the Johor version of Kacang Pool. The spirit of culinary innovation is well and alive in Johor - Lei cha spaghetti at Eh He cafe carries on this Johor tradition of East West fusion.
I have often been asked for recommendations of vegetarian restaurants in Johor. This is a hard one for me as I am not naturally inclined to vegetarian food and I don't have many friends now who know much about this either.
Fortunately today, I stumbled upon a good vegetable restaurant Xiang Man Ju 香满居素食馆 in Taman Gaya in Ulu Tiram that I can recommend to anyone who asks.
Xiang Man Ju is a large Chinese vegetarian restaurant occupying two shoplots in Taman Gaya.
On one side, the food is laid out in buffet style with some seats here.
On the other side is an air conditioned dining area. There is piped in Chinese Buddhist music playing in the background.
We were at Xiang Man Ju at about mid morning and there was a steady stream of people coming in for their meals. Many people were taking away packets of food for their lunch. We were so excited about our find that we actually came back again at mid afternoon for another round. At mid afternoon, there too was a steady stream of customers.
I am not really a fan of vegetarian food but what attracted me was the huge range of dishes available at Xiang Man Ju. I estimated that they must have around 30 to 40 different dishes, so there must be something for everyone. The staff was constantly bringing out steaming trays of freshly cooked dishes from the kitchen.
Here are a few photogenic dishes that caught my eye.
Customers start at one end of the line of food, pick what they liked as they move along up the line, and pay the cashier at the other end of the line. Simple and sysmattic.
And, this is the heap that I had. All these for RM6 with free flow of soup. I didn't take any pictures of the soup as it was clear and plain looking. But the soup was quite tasty and I actually had two bowls of it.
In the afternoon, we came back for this because we couldn't resist trying out Xiang Man Ju's vegetarian BBQ "stingray" at RM15. I liked the novelty :P
The large and thick slab of "stingray" made with gluten was pretty tasty as it soaked up the tangy, spicy, salty sambal blanketing it. We found the dish rather overdosed with greasy oil. If we were to order this again, we will definitely ask the kitchen to take it easy with the oil. I am quite sure the friendly kitchen will accommodate our request.
Next time when I am asked to suggest a vegetarian restaurant in JB, I will confidently recommend Xiang Man Ju.
Restaurant name: Xiang Man Ju Vegetarian Restaurant 香满居素食馆
Address: 27-29, Jalan Gaya 25, Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru
I have been on the lookout for vegetarian restaurants and stalls as I have been frequently asked for recommendations on vegetarian food in Johor.
Seeing how popular the vegetarian 素食 stall in Kim Ling 金岭 coffee shop was, I decided to give it a try.
MR Goh is the owner of the vegetarian stall. The other stall owners in Kim Ling affectionately call the affable MR Goh, "the principal". I gathered that this is because MR Goh had been running his vegetarian food stall in a school tuck shop for many years, until he shifted to Kim Ling.
MR Goh enthusiastically shared that cooking had been his life long passion since he was a teenager. MR Goh said that he enjoys experimenting with different dishes and that he conducts vegetarian cooking classes on his rest days.
MR Goh’s vegetarian stall offers an extensive menu of different dishes – no doubt many of these have the hallmark of MR Goh’s tinkering with the recipes and techniques.
For today, I picked “mock chicken” rice for lunch.
The first thing that struck me about this "chicken" rice was that the rice had the same aroma and flavour as real chicken rice. So, it’s thumbs up for the rice.
The pieces of "roast chicken" of course merely looked the part and tasted only of gluten. Still, the gluten "chicken" was tasty, and was neither too salty nor oily.
For vegetarians, MR Goh’s vegetarian 素食 stall is a tasty choice.
Kim Ling 金岭 is a good coffee shop for people travelling in groups as there is something for everyone. There are many stalls at Kim Ling serving a wide variety of hawker fare including pork organ soup猪杂汤, kway tiao kia (kway chap), Penang char kway teow, yong tau foo, you char kway, chicken rice, chee cheong fun, mixed vegetable rice 经济饭菜, and more.
MR Goh’s vegetarian stall makes Kim Ling coffee shop’s already good mix of stalls more complete.
The hawker stalls at Kim Ling open from to about . In the evening, a zhi char stall takes over.
Annalakshmi is an Indian vegetarian restaurant founded in Kuala Lumpur in 1984, and today has branches in Johor Bahru, India, Singapore and Australia. (Special thanks to my friend, Devesh Sharma, who introduced me to Annalakshmi restaurants.)
Annalakshmi restaurants are named after the Hindu Goddess of Plenty.
At Annalakshmi restaurants the food is cooked and served by volunteers. The chefs are usually housewives and thus the food have that distinct home cooked feel - lovely!
All walks of life and all races enjoying lunch at Annalakshmi
The traditional Indian vegetarian cuisine is simply presented in a buffet spread and the guests eat as much as they wish and enjoy.
Uniquely, at Annalakshmi there is no fixed price for the food. The guests pay any amount as s/he wishes. The concept is "Eat to your heart's content, pay what your heart feels."
This was my hearty lunch. Isn't it beautiful? The dishes were made with fresh vegetables and no artificial flavourings such as MSG were used. It was refreshing and delicious. It was a nice blend of spice fragrances, and textures of the different vegetables served.
Business is brisk as groups of guests stream in and out constantly. Yet, the atmosphere remains serene and unhurried. The friendly and smiling staff sets the tone of calm and serenity.
I also enjoyed the ambiance at Annalakshmi. The well appointed dining room is simply yet attractively decorated with beautiful carvings and paintings from India. Even the heavy wooden furniture are authentic pieces from India with intricate inlays.
As it is staffed wholly by volunteers, Annalakshmi's opening hours are relatively short - just 4 hours a day, from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Try Annalalshmi for a sumptuous, healthy and hearty authentic traditional Indian vegetarian meal and a unique cultural experience.
Restaurant name: Annalakshmi Address: 39, Jalan Ibrahim, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/6oCV GPS: 1.455971,103.763326 Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm (closed on Sunday) Halal
This is the first time I am posting an entry on roti canai (or roti prata as it is known in Singapore).
Roti prata is one of my favourite comfort foods but I am very picky about where I eat it as roti prata is saturated with calories and cholesterol. At middle age, I can't afford to make a mistake here, as any bad choice will burst my calorie and cholesterol quota in vain.
Before I make that crucial decision to eat at a stall, I will observe the roti prata making process and examine the end product. I will skip the stall if the dough is too oily or if the roti is not crispy and dry enough.
Today, I spotted a roti prata stall that I am finally willing to eat in. It is a humble looking stall in Min Tong vegetarian restaurant at the ground level of the row of flats along Jalan Pendeka 1 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah.
This is the crispiest piece of prata that I have ever eaten so far. It is so flaky that flakes keep falling off as I was eating it.
Personally I felt that the vegetarian curry, made mostly of chickpeas with curry spices, lacks robustness and body. Not much kick there for me.
Nevertheless, this prata is outstanding. I'll bring friends here to join me in marvelling at this crispiest roti prata. If you are on a vegetarian diet, this prata is a must try ☻
Restaurant name: Min Tong Vegetarian Restaurant Address: Jalan Pendekar 1, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (TUTA), Skudai, Johor Bahru Map: http://g.co/maps/hdwcg GPS: 1.511898,103.650668 Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm No Pork, No Lard
