Pau Roslan in Kampung Malayu Majidee, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 

I went tracking down Pau Roslan in Kampung Malayu Majidee on the suggestion of reader Sarahsafri. Pau Roslan's paus were tasty - thank you, Sarahsafri for the introduction :)

We had a nice experience looking for Pau Roslan :) Not wanting to use my GPS as I don't want a flat handphone battery, I usually drive around and use my instincts to locate the eatery.

Finding Pau Roslan turned out to be a little more tricky, as I still could not spot the shop after a couple of turns around Kampung Malayu Majidee. So I stopped at a gerai and asked the friendly people there for directions.

At this point, a nice, little old makcik overheard our conversation and asked in Malay whether we were looking for Pau Roslan. When we replied, yes, she offered to come in our car as her home was not far from Pau Roslan.

We immediately agreed and helped the nice, little old lady and her bags of groceries which she bought at the nearby GIANT supermarket into our car. We had a nice conversation with the every little bit of Malay that I could muster :P

The little old makcik lived across the road from Pau Roslan.

This was only the retail shop as Roslan's paus are made in a factory in Bandar Uda.

The paus in various flavours were sold frozen. They have pau kacang, kaya, ayam, lembu, sate, and kelapa. There were steamed paus too at the shop but we wanted to try the frozen ones to see if this could be another item or convenience food good enough to tapau (bungkus or take away) back to Singapore or Malacca/ KL.

We bought the sate and the lembu (beef) flavours. Considering that these were frozen paus, Roslan's paus were surprising good.

Two things stood out, namely, the skin and the fragrance of the fillings.

 

The skin was thick but nicely soft, fluffy and just slightly sweet. Very good skin for a steamed, frozen pau.

The fillings, both the sate and beef, were made of ground ingredients. It was not possible to see exactly what they were made of - there bits of mashed meat, potatoes and onions. But, in terms of flavour and aroma, they were excellent :)

The spices in the fillings were like perfume that ran up our nose. Roslan's paus were spicy with a slight hot sting on the lips and tongue that fades away very quickly - nice!

I found myself reminding family and friends to pick up some frozen paus from Pau Roslan whenever they are in the Kampung Malayu Majidee/ Larkin area.

Restaurant name: Pau Roslan
Address: 43, Jalan Kenangan, Kampung Malayu Majidee, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/IJ69G
GPS: 1.504288,103.750231
Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 6 Sep 2012

Ipoh Claypot Chicken Rice at Restoran 777 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Bahru 怡保砂煲鸡饭 CLOSED

The 怡保砂煲鸡饭 Ipoh claypot chicken rice stall which had been at Restoran 777 for the past 8 years, is run by the boss who does all the cooking and just one helper who delivers the food and collects the money.

Tin & Tin (Cathay) Beef Noodles along Jalan Lumba Kuda, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

I first visited Ah Teng when I just started Johor Kaki blog and soon after he started his Hainanese beef noodle stall in Shang Ji kopitiam in Jalan Lumba Kuda.

 

Ah Teng was as friendly and cheerful as ever.

 

Kelvin learning the ropes under the watchful tutelage of Ah Teng

Today, Ah Teng was joined by his son, Kelvin.

 

Like the last time, I had Ah Teng's RM7 dry beef kway teow.

Ah Teng who started selling beef noodles forty years ago, told me that he was constantly modifying his beef kway teow dish based on customer feedback. I noticed that the kiam chye topping I enjoyed at the last visit was now gone.

Ah Teng's syrupy gravy was more delicious than ever. Ah Teng told me that his gravy was brewed for many hours with old hens, large beef bones and bits of beef.

 

The gravy was a smooth, delicious blend of robust beefy flavour with savoury sweet and salty notes.

 

The tasty herbal soup was also beefy with hints of flavour that reminded me of that ubiquitous old British Marmite beef essence spread that I had as a boy, years ago.

 

Look at the generous amount of beef parts in the soup :)

 

 

I really enjoyed this tender, chewy piece of sinewy, marbled beef.

 

I just love these pieces of tender, jelly like yet savoury beefy tendons. It's got just the right texture, bounce and taste - awesome.

 

Super tender and smokey textured, naturally sweet beef tripe. Ah Teng told me that beef tripe needs constant watching during the tedious braising process to get just the right texture.

Ah Teng's chili sauce deserves a mention. Tangy, hot, and grainy from the bits of fresh ground chili. Goes very well with the beef parts without overwhelming the beefy flavours.

Picture suitably cropped for General Audiences :)

I noticed these curious looking pieces and asked Ah Teng what were these? They were beef penis 牛鞭. Ah Teng prepares two of these everyday. Ah Teng said each piece is about 3 feet long?!! "Does anyone asked for these?!" I asked incredulously. Ah Teng replied matter-of-factly with a cheeky grin and twinkle in his eye, "Sold out every day" and regular customers often called in early to reserve.

 

Actually, the same applies to the other less esoteric beef parts as well - Ah Teng sold out of everything, everyday by 2:00pm.

 

 

Restaurant name: Tin & Tin (Cathay) Beef Noodles
Address: 141 & 142, Jalan Lumba Kuda, Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru
Map: http://g.co/maps/qysgr
GPS: 1.461162, 103.767403
Hours: 7:00am to 2:00pm (Closed on Monday)
No pork, no lard

Date visited: 7 Sep 2012

Sweet Banana Pisang Goreng @ Stulang Walk in Johor Bahru. Best Fried Banana Fritters in JB Series

The famous Sweet Banana pisang goreng stall has moved to a new location further up along Jalan Stulang Laut (in 2012).

Wanton Noodles in Koon Chong Kopitiam, Taman Sri Terbrau, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 許记云吞面

One of the ways I discover good food finds is simply to ask my favourite hawkers who are their own favourite hawkers.

When I asked my favourite Penang prawn mee seller who is his favourite hawker, he nominated 許记 (no English name) wanton mee.

Seng Kee Curry Sah Hor Fun 成记咖哩河粉 in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Update 2 Feb 2020. If you like to try Ipoh hor fun topped with curry chicken, you can get it at Seng Kee stall in Kee Kim Huat kopitiam (coffee shop) in Johor Bahru.

Dean Briyani Hyderabad in Kempas, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Lamb shank nasi briyani with the shank hidden under the pile of basmati rice

I used to think that to get really good nasi briyani you have to go to Batu Pahat, the nasi briyani Capital of Malaysia.

Today, I found a nasi briyani shop as good as the likes of Nasi Baryani Mohd Shah and Nasi Bariani Power of Batu Pahat fame. That's a very bold claim, I know. Fans of Nasi Baryani Mohd Shah and Nasi Bariani Power might even say that's an outrage :P

But, those were my exact thoughts as I savoured my nasi briyani at Dean Briyani Hyderabad in Kempas, Johor Bahru.

Actually, I did not discover Dean Briyani Hyderabad, myself. For this I have to thank, KF Seetoh of Makansutra who mentioned it to me and Dean Briyani Hyderabad was featured in his popular show "The Food Surprise!".

I requested for Dean Briyani Hyderabad's signature lamb shank nasi briyani at the suggestion of the boss, Encik Dean.

While waiting in great anticipation for my lamb shank nasi briyani to arrive, every time the kitchen door swung open a waft of fragrant spice aroma escaped into the dining area. It's like those automatic air refreshers found in offices, puffing a spray of aromatic nasi briyani spices fragrance into the air at regular intervals.

The ruby hued mutton was tender and literally dropped off the bone with the gentlest scrapping with the fork.

The tender fibres were deeply infused with rich spices.

The meat felt tender, smooth and tasted creamy because of the fats and fatty marrow. The combination of tender, spice saturated fibres, fats, marrow and basmati rice was simply heavenly.

This plate of lamb shank nasi briyani is a little pricey at RM22 but is worth every sen

The delicious basmati rice was nutty, the grains were separate, well coated with fragrant spices, peppered with interesting condiments, and not greasy. I emphasised "not greasy" because Dean Briyani Hyderabad's basmati rice is cooked without using ghee. We can eat lots of this delicious basmati rice without feeling bloated or jelak as we say in Malaysia and Singapore.

Dean Briyani Hyderabad is a relatively young business. Opened just over two years ago, Dean Briyani Hyderabad shot to fame quickly with media attention and word of mouth.

The briyani gravy needs constant attention.

The boss Encik Dean said that his dad is from India and this is the nasi briyani recipe his mum uses at home.

Dean Briyani Hyderabad is located in the spanking, spacious clubhouse of the TNB staff quarters in Kempas, Johor Bahru.

When you arrived at the entrance of the TNB staff quarters, pause a while at the guard post. Inform the security staff that you are going for the "nasi briyani" and they will gladly direct you to Dean Briyani Hyderabad restaurant.

A large wall mural in the restaurant tells a long story about the origins of Hyderabadi Briyani. If you are not a history buff, just read the last sentence which summed it all up, very well ;P 

Restaurant name: Dean Briyani Hyderabad
Address: Kompleks Perumahan TNB (TNB Staff Quarters Clubhouse), Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/t1i0N
GPS: 1.534962,103.711254
Hours: 11:30am to 4:00pm (closed on Sunday)
Halal

Date visited: 3 Sep 2012

Breakfast at Roti Canai (Prata) Bukit Chagar • Johor Bahru ⭐⭐⭐⭐

✍ 4 Dec 2022. You know... one of my favourite places to hangout while waiting to pick up my buddies at the JB CIQ is the roti canai (prata) stall at Bukit Chagar. Standing by here with my roti canai and teh tarik, it takes me just 3 minutes to reach them once they messaged me that they have cleared JB immigration. The wait is very agreeable as Bukit Chagar's roti canai is so delicious (one of Johor Bahru's best).

Stall name: Bukit Chagar Roti Canai

Address: 394, Jalan Tengku Azizah, Bukit Chagar, 80300 Johor Bahru

Hours: 7:00am - 11:00am

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

Ah Choon Yong Tau Foo📍Taman Melodies Johor Bahru • Famous Pork Balls & Chicken YTF 美乐亚春酿豆腐

✍ 14 Jan 2026. I was in Taman Melodies for an errand, so decided to drop by at Ah Choon Yong Tau Foo. The last time I was here was in 2012, during early days of this Johor Kaki blog.

CLOSED. Kafe Enampuluhan along Stulang Laut, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Kafe Enampuluhan is one of the most popular cafés for casual dining in Johor Bahru. Breezy and spacious, across the road is the beach and the scenic Straits between Singapore and Johor.

Together with my friend Kumes, we tried three of their most popular items, namely their renowned Stulang Laut mee rebus, nasi goreng Pattaya and fried bee hoon.

Wah Yew 华友 Ah Chye 阿財. Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru☝ First Visit

I was introduced to Wah Yew 华友 (Ah Chye 阿財) restaurant in Taman Pelangi by a friend who grew up in Johor Bahru and is now residing in Kuala Lumpur. 

Every time my friend comes back to JB, he would gather family and friends to have dinner at Wah Yew, his favourite restaurant.