Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

Johor Kaki Adventurous Foodie Traveler with 75 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

Limoncello Pizza & Grill Mothers Day Singapore

Limoncello-Pizza-&-Grill-Italian-Restaurant-Singapore

I was invited to a tasting of the Mothers Day menu at Limoncello Pizza & Grill Italian Restaurant at Robertson Quay.

Limoncello is located right across the scenic Singapore River from Riverview Hotel.

Eco B&B Bed & Breakfast Homestay Johor Bahru JK1103

Where to stay in Johor Bahru JB?

Besides the wide range of all classes of hotels in Johor Bahru, JB now has the bed & breakfast option at Eco B&B in Taman Setia Tropika. Setia Tropika is about 15 minutes leisurely drive from the JB CIQ (via the EDL or Eastern Dispersal Link).

Eco B&B is the first and the only bed and breakfast in Johor Bahru, at the moment.

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Eco B&B is located in a 2-storey corner terrace house in Setia Tropika estate. Setia Tropika is a sprawling landed residential estate with several precincts, all with their gated and guarded communities. Eco B&B is 5 minutes slow drive from the entrance of the estate (at the eastern corner).

Eco B&B is in a relatively new section of Setia Tropika, so some of the neighbouring units are unoccupied and some are undergoing renovation (during our visit in Mar 2015).

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The private car park and entrance to the unit.

I could park my car within the compound and inside the gates. There is space for at least 2 cars, or 3 cars in a squeeze.

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The simple reception/ front office.

Keith and Jewel are the owners of Eco B&B.

Keith and Jewel are friendly hosts, and Keith in particular is a great resource about where to eat, play, shop and relax in Johor Bahru.

The reception is manned by a live-in staff when Keith and Jewel are not at Eco B&B.

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The lounge area at the ground level is bright and cheery. I enjoyed spending time here. The entire unit is air conditioned and clean.

The decor is white themed and eco friendly, hence the name Eco B&B. Natural and recycled materials are used in most of the simple furnishings. For example, most of the furniture here are handmade using discarded wooden planks.

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The four bedrooms are on the 2nd storey, up the stairs. Two of the bedrooms come with attached bathrooms.

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Each bedroom features it's own unique rocking bed.

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This is the King size rocking bed in the master bedroom.

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This queen size bed had a very slight, slow rocking motion while I slept soundly on it. (We can lock the bed, if we are uncomfortable with the rocking motion.)

My room came with attached bathroom and toilet. Basic toiletries like shampoo/ body wash and towels were provided except for toothbrush and toothpaste.

The water pressure of the shower was a little low.

There is no TV in the room. Which is fine for me as long as I have good wifi ;-D

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Each bedroom is provided a water flask but no kettle. We can fill up our flask here at the pantry on the ground level. Complimentary coffee, tea and Milo are also available. 

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The house rule is to keep our room unlocked when we leave our room. We can keep our valuables in these metal lockers at the reception. You may want to consider bringing you own padlock.

As Keith and Jewel are cat lovers, there are a couple of cats in the house.

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Breakfast is at the adjacent lawn which is great in the cool of the morning.

Keith is trying his hand in a little bit of organic gardening in the small green space.

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These are some of the fruits from Keith's little organic garden.

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Our freshly made organic vegetarian breakfast prepared by Jewel and Keith. The Belgian style waffle was made from scratch. Topped with a mushroom omelette, caramelised apple, raisins, almonds and a drizzle of chocolate, the waffle was delicious and filling.

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Overall, we enjoyed the Eco B&B homestay experience. The night stay was comfortable and refreshing, and we started the morning with a great breakfast.

Places of interest and good JB food are a short drive away, so Eco B&B is ideal for a short driving holiday. Keith is very accommodating, so transport and other needs can be arranged.

Disclosure: My stay was hosted by Eco B&B.

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Eco B & B

Address: No. 42 Jalan Setia Tropika 9/6, Taman Setia Tropika, Kempas 81200, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

Maphttp://bit.ly/EcoBnB
GPS1.540075, 103.729058
Phone: +60 7-2446499

Free wifi available.


Date visited: 6 Mar 2015


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Lei Cha at Taman Johor Hawker Centre 招妹咸茶

We were food hunting at the old Taman Johor food centre, when the sight of these freshly made yong tau fu stopped me in my tracks.

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When was the last time you have seen freshly made yong tau fu with such bright natural colours and bulging with minced pork and fish fillings like these?

Singapore 9 Goubuli 狗不理 at MBS Marina Bay Sands Shoppes JK1101

I was invited to a tasting at 9 Goubuli 狗不理 Restaurant at Marina Bay Sands Shoppes in Singapore.

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The quirky, attention grabbing name Goubuli 狗不理 comes from the legend of Gouzi 狗子; 狗子 or "Little Doggy" is a common affectionate nickname in Chinese communities.

As was common in old China, village boy 狗子 began work as a child apprentice with a bun maker in Tianjin 天津 city. 狗子's buns became so famous that he was overwhelmed by customers all the time. 狗子 was so busy that he had no time to greet or engage his customers in banter. Hence, he became known as 狗不理 which translates literally as "Little Doggy doesn't talk".

The first Goubuli 狗不理 restaurant opened in Tianjin in 1858. There are now over 100 restaurants in China and overseas under the restaurant chain that bears the Goubuli 狗不理 name.

9 Goubuli 狗不理 at Marina Bay Sands is the chain's first Singapore outlet. The number at the front (in this case, 9) is a numeric identifier to differentiate between the numerous Goubuli 狗不理 branches.

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9 Goubuli 狗不理 is well appointed, in contemporary Chinese style. Lighting is warm but bright in the usual Chinese restaurant way.

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There are a couple of private rooms.

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Chefs from Tianjin demonstrate the technique of making Goubuli buns 狗不理包子.

Chef Wang (right photo) is from Tianjin. She is the seventh generation Baozi Master Chef with 30 years of bun making under her belt. Chef Wang is now the Goubuli head trainer imparting her skills to baozi 包子 chefs at Goubuli restaurants in China and around the world.

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We tasted a combination of signature Goubuli 狗不理 steamed buns.

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The pork and vegetable bun (SGD2.60++ per piece).

The style of Goubuli buns is unique. The skin is thick, felt a little damp and pasty but lacked fluffiness or bounce. The fillings were moist but not drippy or soupy. Flavouring of the fillings was light handed.

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Wagyu beef bun (SGD3.50++ per piece). 

The buns were filled with juicy, coarsely chopped, savoury sweet, beefy A3/A4 (standard to good grade) wagyu beef.

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Vegetable bun (SGD1.90++ per piece).

We next had an appetiser combination with tasting portions of wood ear fungus, Szechuan style chicken and pork terrine.

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Vinegar marinated wood ear mushroom fungus (SGD8++).

The nice flavourful, soft crunch makes this wood ear fungus an excellent appetiser.

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Chinese style pork terrine.

Skin and roughly chopped bits of pork barely held together by jellied fat and collagen.

Soft with layers of savouriness.

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Saliva Chicken 口水雞.

So named because of it's ability to make people salivate.

The name is actually quite apt. No exaggeration at all.

The poached chicken meat was tender. It was flavoured with a savoury, spicy, and aromatic sauce. Yet behind all that layers of flavour and slightly tongue numbing sauce, we were still able to discern the natural chicken taste.

Saliva chicken, indeed.

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Braised fish maw in superior broth (SGD18++ per serving).

This smooth, rich broth was well received by all of us. We like the layered savouriness from the combination of chicken and duck stock. Carrots added natural sweetness. The gelatin from the fish maw gave the broth a full, round body.

The result is a savoury sweet full bodied broth.

The large piece of fish maw had that unique slippery smooth, bouncy jelly-like texture.

This is a must order signature dish, if you are at 9 Goubuli 狗不理.

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Szechuan style poached fish slices.

Chunky slices of white flesh fish in tongue numbing chili oil, peppery aromatic spices and sesame seeds.

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Fried diced chicken with Chinese red peppers.

Small pieces of tender chicken with crispy batter tossed in a savoury spicy slightly numbing sauce with peanuts and dried chili peppers.

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Lobster with stir fried dry noodles.

In house hand pulled wheat noodles in the famed Lanzhou city style. The noodles were thick and dense, with slightly chewy bite. The sauce was savoury.

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The boiled lobster was bathed in a type of savoury sweet "superior" type gravy.

Fresh lobsters and superior broth is always a winner.

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Chocolate banana filo spring roll with dark chocolate (SGD14++).

Sweet soft chocolaty filling in crispy wrap paired with coconut ice cream.

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9 Goubuli 狗不理 is a higher end Chinese restaurant with an extensive, wide ranging menu. It is part of a large chain restaurant anchored on the Goubuli bun 狗不理包子 brand/ legend.

Please note that this is an invited food tasting.


Restaurant name: 9 Goubuli 狗不理 Restaurant
AddressB2-02, Canal Level The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Map: http://bit.ly/Goubuli
GPS: 1.283497, 103.860237
Hours: Daily 11am to 11pm

Non Halal


Date visited: 30 Mar 2015


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Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow Singapore Best 海记潮州炒粿条

✍️ 31 Oct 2023. I had already taken dinner but happened to be in the Telok Blangah Crescent hawker centre area - the territory of Hai Kee fried kway teow. You cannot come to Hai Kee territory, leave without paying homage and still claim yourself a char kway teow fan.

Stall name: Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow 海记潮州炒粿条


Address: 11 Telok Blangah Crescent, stall #01-102, Singapore 090011 (stall inside Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre)


Hours: 5pm - 9pm (Sun off)

Springleaf Prata Place in Singapore

Springleaf-Prata-Place-Singapore

Prata Place is one of the most popular roti prata places in Singapore. We visited the Prata Place outlet at Springleaf estate off Upper Thomson Road.

My usual order of prata is "kosong" or plain.

Curry Fish Head at Siang Yuan Restaurant in Johor Bahru, Bukit Indah JK1098 香园美食馆

Zen, the owner of Siang Yuan 香园美食馆 invited me to visit her restaurant in Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru.

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Xiang Yuan is in a humble shop lot in Bukit Indah. Furnishings are basic but it is spacious and comfortable inside. It is suitable for simple meals with the whole family or a quick meal alone.

Zen runs the restaurant singlehandedly with the help of her workers.

Xiang Yuan's signature dish is their curry fish head. It is based on the recipe handed down by Zen's maternal grandfather.

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Our curry fish head in a claypot for RM40 (large).

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The meaty Ikan Merah (Red Snapper 红鲷鱼) fish head was uber fresh. The flesh was tender and naturally sweet. The curry gravy had just the right balance of mildly spicy, savoury and sweet. The lady's finger, cabbage, long beans and tomato were cooked till soft. Personally, I prefer a bit more crunch in my vegetables.


The crispy fried bean curd skin softened by sponging up the curry gravy still had a soft crunch.

But, the fish, oh the fish, is definitely one of the best that I have tasted in Malaysia or Singapore.

I was noisily sucking up all the cartilage and collagen around and inside the bone crevices. 

Two of us finished the whole large fish head plus most of the side dishes.

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I have often been asked, "What is the secret of success in F & B?" There are many factors but based on my observations of the many eateries that I have visited, a good supply chain is often half the battle won.

So here, Zen has a strong upper hand. She gets her fresh fish from her relative who is a fresh fish supplier.

Everyday Zen and her staff gut and clean the fresh fish, and keep them chilled in individual bags.

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To make the curry gravy, Zen does everything from scratch using her grandfather's closely guarded recipe. No commercial premixes are used at all.

Zen's grandfather concocted the recipe based on what he learnt about Indian spices from his Indian friends in Ipoh (where Zen hails from).

However, the noble thought of preserving her family heirloom recipe wasn't at the top of Zen's mind when she started Siang Yuan 5 years ago.

Providing for the family is.

And, there is nothing nobler than that.

Besides, selling one of the best curry fish heads in Johor Bahru, Siang Yuan also serves some good side dishes.

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Hakka Fried Pork 客家炸肉 RM11 (small).

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Preserved vegetable with braised pork belly 梅菜扣肉 RM12 (small).

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Rice wine chicken 黄酒鸡 RM10 (small).

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Blanched choy sum greens RM8 (small).

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If you are a curry fish head fan, I recommend you to come and give Siang Yuan a try. If you are around the Bukit Indah area, Siang Yuan is also a good option for a simple, reasonably priced meal.

Restaurant name: Siang Yuan Restaurant 香园美食馆

Address: 25 Jalan Indah, 10/1, Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru
Maphttp://bit.ly/SiangYuan
GPS 1.479619, 103.649959
Hours: 12:00 noon to 4:00pm | 5:00pm to 10:00pm (Closed on Weds)

Non Halal


Date visited: 6 Apr 2015


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World Street Food Congress Jamboree WSFC15 in Singapore | JK1097

The World Street Food Congress eat fest (Kf Seetoh calls it the Jamboree) kicked off with a flying start today. Organised by Makansutra, the World Street Food Jamboree runs from 8 - 12 Apr 2015.

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Kf Seetoh personally curated and brought in 23 of the world's best street hawkers to come and showcase their food at this biennial eat fest.

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The venue can't be any more convenient. Just step out of Bugis MRT station, and there you are.

Use Exit D to Tan Quee Lan Street.


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Eating the world's best street food under the backdrop of Singapore's skyline is an experience not to be missed.

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Food prices range from SGD4 to SGD15 per serving.

Payment is convenient. We can pay by coupons available for purchase on site, Singapore cash card (i.e. NETS etc), or by VISA and Mastercard.

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You can even top up your cash cards at these mobile top up stations. How thoughtful :-D

Now to the food!

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Ah Tuck and wife hail from Penang, Malaysia.

They are presenting a unique Peranakan dish seldom seen in Singapore known as Black Satay or orh bak char 黑肉炒.

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Chef Ranae Holland of Bon Chovie from New York City, USA presents her famed fried anchovies.

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The queue for the lechon with white truffle oil paella (Philippines style roast pig and rice).



The suckling pigs were freshly roasted on site.

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On the first day, they were sold out within two hours.

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Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, Lawrence Wong at the Keng Eng Kee Seafood stand.

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For WSFC15, Keng Eng Kee Seafood is presenting a new interpretation of the classic salted egg yolk crab dish using soft shell crab.

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Prawn paste chicken burger by Hong Kong Street Chun Kee restaurant is a modern interpretation of the old classic har cheong kai 蝦醬雞.

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Hoy Tord or Thai style oyster and seafood crispy omelette.

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Currywurst, now considered Germany's national street food is traditional German pork sausage blended with masala.

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Churro Locos from Portland, Oregon, USA. Their specialty is Churro Sundae served with vanilla ice cream and crispy toppings.

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Hey, they even brought in an American style food truck for the eat fest. This is the East Side King food truck from Austin, Texas.

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Award winning Chef Paul Qui is here personally serving his versions of Philippines Kinilaw and Chicken Inasal with Fried Chicken Skin.

There are many more world street food dishes for you to try. I am going back for more.

World Street Food Congress Jamboree is on till 12 Apr 2015.


Venue: Right the doorstep of Bugis MRT station (exit D)

Address: Junction of Rochor Road and North Bridge Road, Singapore
Map: http://bit.ly/WSFC2015
Hours: 8 - 9 Apr (Weds - Thurs) 5:00pm to 10:30pm | 10 Apr (Fri) 4:00pm to 10:30pm | 11 - 12 Apr (Sat - Sun) 1:00pm to 10:30pm

Halal and non Halal food available.


Date: 8 to 12 Jan 2015


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