Dear President, Rotarians and guests,
Thank you for the privilege to share with you about Johor Kaki. Thank you President (Elect) Ling Ping for your invitation.
I got into Johor Kaki pretty much by accident, stumbling into it.
When I retired three years ago, I suddenly found myself with plenty of time, still have some energy left but little money.
With resources in that descending order, I wanted to do something that would let me do the most good, for the most number of people.
I went into blogging about the hawkers of Johor.
Soon I found myself with little time, energy expended and still not much money. But, I am glad that I did manage to achieve some of my goals with Johor Kaki blog.
Johor Kaki is a fees free community service. There are five objectives I hope to achieve through Johor Kaki blog.
First, I hope to tell the story of Johor's old hawkers. Their personal stories and the untold stories behind their food.
Many of our hawkers served the community for 30 to 50 years, day in, day out, rain or shine, until retirement. Yet, many of their lifelong contribution is not recorded anywhere. Neither in traditional media, nor social media.
I thought I could record their stories in a blog. A blog costs very little money to set up. It just takes a lot of time and energy. The thing that keeps me going is because I am convinced that this is a worthy task.
Many of the hawkers feel it is a form of recognition of their hard work, which is otherwise taken for granted. The smiles on their faces alone, make it all worthwhile for me.
My greatest regret is that some of the best hawkers have retired before Johor Kaki reached them. So, I need to work faster and need more people to join in this task, to have less regrets.
Secondly, I want to support Johor's young hawkers and young people who just started out in F and B (food and beverage) business.
The future of Johor food is in their hands. It's not an easy business. The hours are long, the work is hard, and profitability, indeed survivability is not guaranteed. It takes either guts or foolishness to get into the water :P
In the old days when cost of doing business was not as high as today, our parents can just let word of mouth slowly help build their reputation and business.
In the past, hawkers could take 5 to 10 years to make a name for themselves, and it would still be alright. Today, businesses need to get a firm footing and customer support much sooner.
I can use Johor Kaki blog to tell the story of these young hawkers and help them stand up their business quicker than just relying on traditional word of mouth. Blogs, Facebook and Instagram are the modern word of mouth. Social media is instant and can reach thousands with a press of the button.
Social media is really a marvel of technology that opens up opportunities for small players.
Thirdly, I want to give people looking for food in Johor, a comprehensive and easy to use multimedia guide. I am happy that people from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have found Johor Kaki a good reference. Actually, many Johoreans also told me that they use Johor Kaki to find food in Johor :D
Johoreans living faraway from home like in the USA and Australia, wrote to me to tell me how they connect with their homeland through Johor Kaki.
Many Johoreans miss Johor food.
I am just glad that Johor Kaki is helpful for different people.
At the moment, Johor Kaki is a web based site (which can also be accessed on handphone). When resources are available, I would like Johor Kaki to also be more mobile friendly.
Fourthly, I want to build communities on social media discussing and chatting about the food of Johor.
The currency of social media or any community, real or virtual, is actually conversations. A shared common topic binds people together and food is one of the best social glue.
For this, I have created Johor Kaki Facebook page with over 45,000 followers now. I have created Johor Yummy Facebook group, now with over 6,000 members sharing their food experiences in Johor. I also have a Facebook group dedicated to Halal food, which now has over 27,000 members.
The next step would be face-to-face meetings for members of our virtual community.
Last but not least, I hope that Johor food will become a recognised brand.
When we ask people to name famous Malaysian food brands. Penang food, Malacca, K.L. and Ipoh food are the usual suspects in the limelight. In my opinion, Johor food is just as deserving as any, as a brand.
There are several traditional dishes that are uniquely Johor, created in Johor that can be highlighted.
One example I can think of is Laksa Johor. Where else in the world can one find laksa spices and herbs, and minced fish paired with spaghetti? Yes, spaghetti, the Italian pasta. Only in Johor.
Legend has it that Sultan Abu Baker was in Italy in the late 1800s, and fell in love with spaghetti. So when he was back in Johor, he asked the palace chef to prepare laksa with spaghetti. And, hence, the unique Laksa Johor was born.
Another unique Johor food is San Lou fried bee hoon. Ordinary bee hoon is skilfully fried using a special technique invented in Johor Bahru that caramelises the outer layer of bee hoon while the inside remains juicy with savoury seafood broth. Where else but in Johor, it's birthplace, can you find the best San Lou style bee hoon.
And, San Lou 三楼 refers to the old three storey flats still standing in Stulang Laut where this unique style of fried bee hoon originated, years ago in the 1970s.
Other unique dishes like chunky Muar style otak otak, Mee Bandung Muar and Pontian wanton mee can all be put together and make up a solid Johor food brand.
The unique Johor food is already there, and it's ready to be famous.
I hope you will join me to help make Johor a famous food paradise.
Thank you.
Tony
18 Aug 2014
Cafe hopping with coffee kaki Corrine and we hopped to Pure Bean Coffee in Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram.
The layout and decor inside Pure Bean Coffee was simple, straightforward and familiar. Pure Bean is the sister cafe of Baristas Coffee in Kulai. Both cafes are different in concept, one in the country (Kulai) and the other in the city (JB), but the resemblance between the siblings was unmistakable.
The interior at Pure Coffee is understated, without the flamboyance and flair associated with trendy hipster cafes sprouting up everywhere nowadays.
The moment I stepped into Pure Bean for the first time, I felt I've been here before.
Sometimes, neat and simple is what we need and prefer.
The familiar food could be part of it.
Right at the entrance was this tray of quintessentially English crumbly buttery scones made by owner Mr Foo, who is also a pastry chef. (Scones are also available at Baristas Cafe in Kulai.)
The buttery scones reminded Corrine of her New Zealand uni days...
Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberry topping. The waffle is the stiffer, slightly chewy kind, not the airy almost fluffy type.
A very pretty and nice sweet dessert.
My cuppa cappuccino.
Made with Johor grown Liberica and Robusta, the brew's body was heavy and taste was robust with a bittersweet aftertaste. (No sugar added - I only add sugar to instant coffee and Nanyang kopitiam coffee.)
I like this cold brew of Columbian Arabica blended with Robusta. The cold brew was fermented for 3 days, giving it a subtle alcoholic and herbal undertone. The Arabica gave the coffee a caramel sweetness and chocolaty bittersweetness with citrusy notes. The Robusta gave the blend a caffeine kick which I like.
Pure Bean does a brisk business of hot and cold take away coffees.
My ice coffee made with Columbian and Kenyan AA Arabica blend. Bittersweet flavour with citrusy pamelo aftertaste.
Pure Bean is a cosy place to cool your heels and chat with friends over nice pastries and good coffee. Wifi and handphone charging points available.
Thank you Mr Foo for your invite.
Restaurant name: Pure Bean Coffee
Address: 94, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya 2, Ulu Tiram, Johor, Malaysia
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/jjKsk
GPS: 1.564649,103.801735
Hours: Mon - Fri : 12pm - 11pm | Sat - Sun : 10am - 11pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 17 Jul 2014
Johor Kaki's hipster cafe hopping guide in Jay Bee.
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
16 Aug 2014. Johor Kaki blog was awarded the Best Food Blog honour at the Singapore Blog Awards 2014 ceremony today.
I received the award trophy and certificate from Ms Sim Ann, Minister of State, Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information, and Ministry of Education.
This honour is really possible only because of the support of many people, which I am grateful for.
First, my sincere thanks to the hawkers and businesses as you are the content, without which there will be no food or hawker stories, no Johor Kaki blog.
Thanks to my makan kakis and readers who tip me off on where are the best eats. You saved me a lot of wasted calories and many liters of petrol, not to mention giving me many mouthfuls of pleasure.
Above all, you gave me your friendship which I value more than anything Johor Kaki brought to my life.
During the month long voting process, which was actually quite harrowing, many readers and friends voted for Johor Kaki. Many of you went further by rallying your friends and families to vote for Johor Kaki. I am truly touched by your sincerity - expending your personal goodwill on Johor Kaki's behalf. Your well wishes and support gave me a lot of encouragement and gave me the confidence that I am on the right track with Johor Kaki blog.
During the next few days, I will be private messaging you to personally thank you for your support. If I missed you by mistake, please give me a shout out. I value your friendship.
My gratitude to fellow bloggers for the great company, and generously sharing with me your blogging tips and knowledge.
My thanks to the panel of 10 judges for their decision (which make up 70% of the judging criteria. Votes make up 30%).
Thanks to Singapore Press Holdings for staging the Awards and the OMY team for conducting the event so professionally.
With gratitude,
Tony
16 August 2014
Chee Hui, one of the partners at Famous Congee restaurant 飞粥 near Sutera Mall, invited me to try the dishes at his porridge specialist shop.
Famous Congee restaurant 飞粥 is simply and neatly laid out. Very clean and bright inside, Famous Congee is a good place for simple yet delicious meals. Famous Congee opens till 2:00am, so it is one of the places customers can have hot supper in Johor Bahru.
As the name Famous Congee 飞粥 states, Hong Kong style porridge is the restaurant's main theme, but I found the other dishes tasty and worth trying too.
Chee Hui showing me the large barrels of pork bone and chicken broth, and pots of congee in the kitchen. I like it that at Famous Congee, the rice grains are boiled into a gruel with broth (not water) for depth of flavour.
The congee and soups are quick boiled again in claypots just before serving.
Famous Congee's Air Flown Salmon Congee (RM18.80).
The thick porridge is made with a few different types of rice grains boiled in a broth of pork bones and anchovy until it becomes a sticky, cottony 棉棉 gruel.
The hot porridge is served with sashimi grade Norwegian salmon and a raw egg.
By itself, the congee was clean tasting with subtle savouriness and natural sweetness 清甜.
Chef owner Vincent is the man behind the dishes at Famous Congee. Vincent ran a Vietnamese restaurant in JB, worked in Singapore's Din Tai Fung and Dian Xiao Er before striking out on his own to open Famous Dart Noodle House and now, Famous Congee.
Famous Congee has deliberately made the rice gruel lightly flavoured. Customers could add a dash of savoriness with premium grade soy sauce (provided).
My preferred option is to eat my congee with savoury side dishes such as Famous Congee's Braised Pork and Preserved Vegetables (RM15.80).
The soft, still slightly crunchy preserved vegetables had just the right savouriness; eaten together with the congee, it complemented the lightly flavoured porridge perfectly.
The savoury braised pork was tender and naturally sweet. It's texture and taste balanced and matched the congee completely.
Famous Congee Lady Fingers (RM8.80) blanketed with a savoury and slightly spicy topping created by Chef Vincent.
While the lumpy chopped and fried garlic, onion, lard crackles, chili and chive topping may not look "droolicious", it tasted deliciously savoury. Again, this went very well with the congee.
The blanched fresh lady fingers were juicy, crunchy and slightly slimy with clear sap. The refreshing vegetable paired perfectly with Vincent's savoury topping.
Besides the signature congee, we also had Famous Congee's Sea Prawn Fried Rice (RM16.80).
The fried rice was very well executed with the toasty rice grains loose, discrete 粒粒 and flavoursome. There were several of these good size succulent, crunchy prawns in the non greasy fried rice.
Famous Congee's Signature Soup (RM12.80) comes steaming, furiously, bubbling hot.
The clear delicious soup had savouriness from pork ribs, sweetness from corn and onions, and subtle hints of tanginess from tomatoes.
Famous Congee made the extra effort to cook the ingredients separately so that all the components retained their desired texture.
Nice cool lemon tea (RM3.80).
Before leaving, I asked Chef Vincent to sum up the "secret" behind Famous Congee's delicious dishes. Vincent shared that it's in fresh ingredients, good storage, logistics, team work, attention to details and cooking with heart.
My thanks to Chee Hui and Vincent for the invite. We enjoyed our lunch at Famous Congee 飞粥 very much.
Restaurant name: Famous Congee 飞粥
Address: 38, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4, Taman Sutera Utama, Skudai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/dxYqL
GPS: 1.516912,103.668301
Hours: 11:30am to 11:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 14 Aug 2014
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
It's a typical Johor Kaki outing. We parked the car and pounded the pavements in search of local favourites.
Wandering purposefully.
We don't know what we will find, till we found it.
This time, we stumbled upon Sheng Ji Wantan Mee 升记家乡自制云吞面 in Taman Tampoi Indah 2.
Few people know that I am a closet Francophile.
During my undergraduate days in Canada, a country conscious of it's French and Anglo roots, we all did a year of French language and history.
The story of the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette are deeply imprinted in the Canadian psyche.
So, when Bing invited me to Chef Pang's Antoinette French Restaurant at Penhas Street in Singapore, I was filled with excitement and a tinge of nostalgia.
French and Antoinette always resonate with me.
For French cuisine though, I only have lots of curiosity but no expertise.
Still, the invited lunch at Antoinette turned out to be an enjoyable day of fine dining and the rekindling my French connection.
The interior of Antoinette has a distinctive, tasteful yet understated French flavour. Thankfully, Antoinette restaurant doesn't have the gaudy opulence or pomposity of wannabe French places.
I felt very comfortable here, with light soothing French melodies in the background and the heavily padded gold gilded chairs to sit on :D
Chef Pang's French dishes and desserts complete and made the day for me.
After our scrumptious lunch, I lingered awhile at Antoinette and asked Chef Pang to share his thoughts behind his new menu.
To add to Marie Antoinette's famous last words "Let them eat cake", Chef Pang shared that he wants to give customers a more well rounded experience with his classic French savoury dishes and sweet desserts, in addition to his famous French pastries.
Let's take a look at some examples of these French classics at Antoinette.
Salade d'Été (Summer Salad).
Refreshing appetiser with a balance of nutty and sweet flavours with crunchy, crispy and squashy juicy textures. On the plate were quinoa grains, roquette (rocket leaves), compressed watermelon cubes, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, sour dough chips, and feta cheese served with extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinaigrette.
The kaleidoscope of colours, and mix of textures and flavours heightened all our senses to appreciate the dishes that follow.
French Toast with Ham and Cheese.
Swiss Gruyère cheese cream and Parisian ham between egg soaked Brioche bread doused with sweet maple syrup. Served with salad tossed in house dressing and a pretty dollop of rich Chantilly cream.
The pleasing combination of flavours makes a delightful, yet substantial brunch on lazy mornings.
L’oeufs en Meurette (Poached egg with Red Wine Sauce).
Slice of Levain toast topped with tender smoked belly pork in red wine sauce and perfectly poached egg. I like the layers of sweetness and savouriness with the subtle taste of red wine complemented by comforting egginess.
Le Grande Jardin d’Antoinette (The Grand Garden of Antoinette).
Forming a hedge around the seared duck breast and poached egg was a colourful mound of pickled pears, roasted asparagus, baby carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, cresses, fowers, mixed greens, sunfower seeds, button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, lotus root chips, lavosh crackers and caramel orange dressing.
The golden stream flows like a secret silent waterfall in the Queen's grand garden where she finds peace from the raging Paris mob in the riot of colours.
Thick slices of seared roasted juicy French duck breast with a likable subtle gaminess and tender graininess.
Entrecôte Poêlée à la Bordelaise (Black Angus Ribeye Minute Steak with Shallot Red Wine Sauce).
Premium Black Angus Ribeye steak pan-fried and served with flavoursome shallot red wine sauce. Comes with sides of potato purée and fresh greens.
Shrimp Capellini.
El dente Capellini pasta tossed in house made deeply savoury crustacean oil and served with thumb size sea shrimps and tiny Sakura ebi. Topped with stalks of fresh roquette (rocket leaves).
Le Vacherin de la Reine.
Perhaps, inspired by the Queen's oversize coiffure in vogue in Paris at the time, I didn't verify this with Chef Pang :P
The meringue which reminds me of ladies' corsets of the era, was filled with yuzu cream, vanilla ice cream, vanilla creme Chantilly, lychees, strawberries, and raspberries crowned with a wiry spun sugar hive.
Layers of sweetness like ladies' fashion of Marie Antoinette's ancien régime.
My photo isn't doing justice to Chef Pang's creation nor Marie Antoinette's crowning glory.
Baba aux Fraises (Strawberry Baba).
Spongy baked Baba dough set in a deep red pool of tangy citrus vanilla syrup laced with aged dark rum. Served with strawberries and a crown of vanilla creme Chantilly.
Dipping the spongy yeast dough in the syrup, I enjoyed the blend of sweet, tangy and butteriness from the syrup laden Baba dough.
The Grand Finale, Omelette Norvégienne (Baked Alaska).
After the fire and drama, the Baked Alaska bearing the scorch marks of the fiery baptism of brandy, stood more beautiful.
The Baked Alaska reminded me of Antoinette, the last Queen of France who till this day is synonymous with beauty and elegance long after she was consumed by the fury of the French Revolution.
France's last queen's legacy stood forever beautiful because underneath that elegant exterior, at it's heart, the Baked Alaska was irresistibly sweet and cool, like Marie Antoinette.
In between dishes, we had house blended Chinese tea to cleanse our palate and to punctuate our tête–à–tête.
Chef Pang had personally created several blends of Chinese teas. We had Oriental Beauty, a sencha flavoured brew with organic rose petals, calendula marigold flower and a hint of mint.
If you want to experience French classic pastries, savouries and desserts, and momentarily escape to a more beautiful time and place, come to Antoinette French Restaurant.
Thank you Chef Pang and Bing for the invite.
Restaurant name: Antoinette French Restaurant
Address: 30 Penhas Road, Singapore (branches at Mandarin Gallery and Palais Rennaisance.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/KoWyL
GPS: 1.309431,103.862712
Hours: Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm | Fri: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm | Sat: 10:00 am - 11:00 pm | Sun: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 8 Aug 2014
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