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

Adventurous Foodie Geographer's Diary with 70 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

Grand Seafood Senibong📍Stellar Walk • Permas Jaya 海霸王 @ 星海广场

Grand Seafood Restaurant @ Stellar Walk, Permas Jaya 海霸王 @ 星海广场

Updated 5 Mar 2026: This restaurant has closed and reopened as SANG Seafood Halal in Taman Damansara Aliff.

✍ 28 Oct 2019. Grand Seafood at Stellar Walk is Johor Bahru's newest seafood restaurant. It was just opened for four days when we dropped by today.

Nongsa Point Marina & Resort. Escape the Maddening City & Relax in Seaside Luxury in 1 Hour, Anytime

Nongsa Point Marina & Resort. Escape the Maddening City & Relax in Seaside Luxury in >1 Hour, Anytime

I enjoyed a weekend escape (2 nights & 3 days) relaxing at picturesque Nongsa Point Marina & Resort in Batam. This little piece of heaven is less than an hour by boat from Singapore and costs less than S$100 a night.

Nai Ek Roll Noodles • Michelin Kway Chap📍Yaowarat Bangkok Chinatown 陳億粿條

Nai Ek Roll Noodles. Michelin Plate Kway Chap in Yaowarat Bangkok Chinatown 陳億粿條

There are at least two famous kway chap (rice roll noodle) shops in Yaowarat (Bangkok's Chinatown) both on the same main street. There's Kuey Chap Aun Pochana and Nai Ek Roll Noodles. I blogged about Kuey Chap Aun Pochana in 2015 because it left a deeper impression (it later won the Michelin Bib Gourmand award). Nai Ek Roll Noodles on the other hand is no sloth either, it won the Michelin Plate (which is like an honourable mention). In Michelin speak, awards go from Star ⭐ through Bib Gourmand 👶 to Plate 🍽 in descending order. 

(Disclaimer: I don't refer to Michelin guides for my food adventures. I don't mind that my food trips are sometimes misadventures as hit or miss, I feel it is all part of the fun.)

Untold History of Singapore Bak Kut Teh • The Ng Mui Song Legacy 黄美松

The Ng Mei Song Legacy 王美宋 - Story of a Founding Father of Singapore Bak Kut Teh

These three claypots encapsulate a little known 70 year old story of one of the main streams of Singapore bak kut teh. The traditional brownish colour soup (at top right) is the father of today's quintessentially Singaporean clear peppery soup with prime rib.

Bangkok Chef Man Yum Cha Dim Sum 文苑

Bangkok Chef Man Yum Cha Dim Sum 文苑

Our Thai friend Mon brought us to Chef Man Chinese Restaurant, one of her favourite places in Bangkok for yum cha (drink tea) and dim sum.

Wild Agarwood in Bangka Belitung Indonesia. King of Incense, Scent from Heaven

Wild Agarwood in Bangka Indonesia. King of Incense, Scent from Heaven

Running this online retirement lifestyle journal brought me to many places and experiences which I would not have otherwise (I mean you can start one too 😄 ). I just spent 3 fascinating nights in Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia to learn about Agarwood - the King of Incense scent from Heaven.

Ambok Corner Nasi Ayam Penyet & Nasi Goreng Kampung at Jalan Biru Taman Palengi Hawker Centre

Ambok Corner Nasi Ayam Penyet & Nasi Goreng Kampung at Jalan Biru Taman Palengi Hawker Centre

We ate at Ambok Corner twice and like their nasi ayam penyet as well as nasi goreng kampung.


Tokyo Secret is More than Famous Cheese Tarts & Mille Crepe. Best Restaurants in Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru Series

Tokyo Secret. Best Restaurants in Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru Series

Tokyo Secret is famous for their signature Hanjuku cheese tarts, crepe cakes and bakes, but I was delighted to find out today at their Mid Valley Southkey outlet in Johor Bahru that they serve excellent savoury dishes too.

Protegie (Singapore) F & B Marketing Agency - Turning Struggling Restaurants & Startups into Successful Businesses since 2014

Protegie F & B Marketing Agency - Turning Struggling Restaurants & Startups into Successful Businesses

During my blogging, I meet F & B business owners everyday. Many have asked me to recommend a trustworthy and professional F & B marketing agency to help them grow their business.

As I am not in the business of F & B marketing, I refer them to Protegie - a Singapore based F & B marketing agency with a dynamic, passionate team led by Benjamin Chan (the enterprising, geeky guy in the white T-shirt). I have known Benjamin for 3 years (since 2016) and am impressed by his immense knowledge, energy, sincerity, and critically for me, ethical approach to business e.g. partnering only influencers with organic followers.

The enviable results Benjamin got for his extensive portfolio of happy clients speak for itself, really.


Talk to Benjamin about growing your business 📨 protegiefnb@gmail.com

The resourceful and creative Protegie team will help your business grow by getting on top of:

💡Branding
💡Social media marketing (Facebook, Instagram)
💡Public relations
💡Market research
💡Strategic management
💡Advertising and promotions.

Protegie has a proven track record of helping struggling restaurants as well as F & B startups in Singapore and Malaysia thrive and prosper in today's intensely competitive environment.

Talk to Benjamin about growing your business 📨 protegiefnb@gmail.com

Master Heng Noodle @ Kampung Baru Pandan, JB. Nice Herbal Beef Noodle Soup 兴师傅手打面馆

Master Heng Noodle @ Kampung Baru Pandan, JB. Nice Herbal Beef Noodle Soup 兴师傅手打面馆

Today, we visited Master Heng Noodle shop at Kampung Pandan in Johor Bahru. Master Heng serves a variety of noodles such as beef noodles, Hakka mee, curry mee, prawn mee etc, as well as Hakka yong tau foo.

Our Hot Favourite Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice @ Yat Yeh Hing Restaurant 基记文冬肥鸡饭 ☎ 012 223 8814

Our Hot Favourite Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice @ Yat Yeh Hing Restaurant 基记文冬肥鸡饭

We were regulars at Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice stall near Kelana Jaya LRT station (in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur). Most Saturday afternoons, we brought the kids here after their taekwondo class. We love the succulent, tender, smooth, juicy, sweet tasting poached chicken here.

Drive, Eat, Play Road Trip from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir Lake Fish Sanctuary with Wheels for Fun

Road Trip from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir Lake with Wheels for Fun

We had a wonderful time at Tasik Kenyir lake with Wheels for Fun in Malaysia's Trengganu state. Our convoy of 8 cars drove from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir via Kuantan, a distance of about 600km. 

You Buy, Andy Cook for You Seafood Zhi Char @ Ong Siew Lian Coffee Shop in Pontian 好来海鲜

You Buy Andy Cook for You Seafood Zhi Char @ Ong Siew Lian Coffee Shop in Pontian 好来海鲜

One of my favourite things to do in Johor is to drive to Pontian, buy fresh seafood from the Pontian Fish Market and let the 代炒 zhi char stalls at the market cook it for us.

Big Prawn Noodles @ AMK 443 Eating House Ang Mo Kio Singapore CLOSED

Big Prawn Noodles @ AMK 443 Eating House Ang Mo Kio Singapore

As an ardent fan of prawn noodles, buddy Aaron's recent FB posts about Big Prawn Noodles stall at Blk 443 in Ang Mo Kio made me very hungry 😃

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken in Komtar JBCC Johor Bahru

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken in JBCC Johor Bahru

We are still in the annual Singapore / Malaysia haze survival mode, having our meals in shopping malls (hopefully the air is really cleaner inside but at least it is cooler). Buddy Clarence suggested that I could do a series on Korean style fried chicken using 4 Fingers as the benchmark. So, here we are - thanks to Clarence.

Arashi Shabu Shabu @ The Mall Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru

Arashi Shabu Shabu @ The Mall Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru

We walked past Arashi Shabu Shabu countless times while out window shopping in Johor Bahru malls but never stepped in before because we are street food people, first and foremost. But, this month we were trapped in the annual Singapore / Malaysia haze and had no choice but to eat mall food. So, for the first time, we had our lunch at Arashi Shabu Shabu.

Halal Xiao Long Bao in Din Tai Fung @ The Mall Mid Valley Southkey JB vs Original DTF XLB in Taipei

Halal Xiao Long Bao in Din Tai Fung @ The Mall Mid Valley Southkey JB vs Original DTF XLB in Taipei

I know right, most people would think that the xiao long bao in Din Tai Fung franchises cannot bear comparison with the original restaurant in Taipei. So, I must be more than a bit crazy to compare the XLB at the Halal certified DTF outlet in Mid Valley Mall in JB with the original XLB in DTF's parent restaurant near Yong Kang, Taipei. I also never thought that I would be doing this too. Anyway.... .

Cafe Hopping Guide in Taipei for Stylish Coffee Geeks with Class

Cafe Hopping Guide in Taipei for Stylish Coffee Geeks with Class

We were on a week of food trails in Taipei with local buddies. In between scrumptious big meals, we chilled out in stylish cafes across the clean and beautiful city. I like Taipei cafes because they have a way of being geeky while staying classy.

Butanchu Ramen in Taipei 豚人 • Stay Calm & Eat Ramen with Amazing Broth

Butanchu Ramen in Taipei 豚人

This was one of my most memorable accidental finds. Butanchu Ramen was just outside Green World Zhong Xiao hotel where we stayed for a week in Taipei. We were leaving for the airport and our taxi was arriving in 15 minutes. So we dashed into Butanchu for a quickie lunch - otherwise, an overseas chain restaurant is the last thing we want to eat in Taipei 😄

Lai Wah Heen. Sek Dim Sum & Yum Cha in Toronto 麗華軒

Lai Wah Heen. Sek Dim Sum & Yum Cha in Toronto 麗華軒

When Michelle, Carol, and Mama told me about their plans to visit Toronto in August, we started to compile a list of restaurants. (Yeah..... we did not compile a list of tourist attractions, we are the eating-kind 😂 ). 

October Japanese Cuisine JP Perdana Budget a la Carte Buffet in Johor Bahru

October Japanese Cuisine JP Perdana Budget a la Carte Buffet on Johor Bahru

Scrolling through the posts in 吃的平台 Facebook group, we saw a member shared about the a la carte buffet at October Japanese Cuisine in JP Perdana, Johor Bahru. So, we went there for dinner today.

Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque. Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar



The majestic Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings of Malaysia's southernmost state, Johor. Known as Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar in Malay language, it is the state mosque of Johor.

Ka Soh Fish Head Noodles @ Medical Alumni Complex, SGH Outram Park Singapore CLOSED

Ka Soh Fish Head Noodles @ Medical Alumni Complex, SGH Outram Park Singapore

(This restaurant has closed.) Stumbled upon this sign while on my way to visit a friend in SGH (Singapore General Hospital). As I haven't had lunch and fish head noodles is one of my favourite dishes, I came back to Ka Soh Seafood Restaurant for lunch after visiting my friend.


Eating My Way Through The Full Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award Singapore 2019

Eating My Way Through The full Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award Singapore 2019
Photo credit: Wikipedia

Here's the full Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award Singapore 2019 announced on 10 Sep. Many Singaporeans are sceptical about this list. My attitude is, aiyah there's no harm trying lah. I am eating my way through this Michelin listicle and share my independent experience with these stalls 🍽

The 3 Kingdoms of Singapore Bak Kut Teh in Taipei - Founder, Ng Ah Sio & Song Fa

The 3 Kingdoms of Singapore Bak Kut Teh in Taipei - Founder, Ng Ah Sio & Song Fa

When Founder Bak Kut Teh opened in Taipei in Sep 2019, it became the third top Singapore BKT brand to jump on the Taiwan bandwagon. Ahead of Founder were Ng Ah Sio (in Jul 2018) and Song Fa (Aug 2019). As a fan of all 3 Singapore BKT kingpins, I took the opportunity to visit all of them during my Taipei trip. This Taipei bak kut teh trail is easy as all three shops are within 4 MRT stops from each other along the 板南線 Bannan Line (Blue).

Founder Bak Kut Teh Taiwan Opens 1st Restaurant @ ATT 4 Fun beside Taipei 101 台北.發起人肉骨茶

Founder Bak Kut Teh Taiwan Opens 1st Restaurant @ ATT 4 Fun beside Taipei 101 台北.發起人肉骨茶

Founder Bak Kut Teh, a leader in Singapore pork rib soup opened its first restaurant in Taipei's trendy ATT 4 Fun mall, right next to the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper.