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.

True to form, the Stulang Laut mee rebus was a cut above. The gravy was heavy (not drippy), thick, not too spicy, fragrant from the spices, and slightly sweet. A squeeze of calamansi added a little tanginess and the signature crackles made the plain yellow noodles more interesting.

The fried bee hoon was well executed with clear evidence of wok hei (intense heat radiating from the wok). The bee hoon was dry and tasty with the slightly spicy sauces well absorbed by the rice vermicelli.

As you can see on the plate, there was very little, if any residual oil, which is the way I like my fried bee hoon.

The Pattaya fried rice was nicely done too. I liked that touch of writing the number 60 on the rice with mild chili sauce.

Simple fried rice with just diced carrots, spring unions and wrapped with fried eggs.

Everything is laid back and casual at Kafe Enampuluhan. The food is simple and decent with nothing overwhelming, and herein lies its charm to me. Here we can relax over a nice meal and a cool iced tea overlooking the Straits, without the food becoming a distracting topic of discussion. Even foodies want to talk about things other than food, sometimes :)

Restaurant name: Kafe Enampuluhan
Address: 69, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan (off Stulang Laut), Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/CunHF
GPS: 1.462929,103.774226
Hours: 11:00am to 1:00am
Halal

Dates visited: 21 August 2012

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.

True to form, the Stulang Laut mee rebus was a cut above. The gravy was heavy (not drippy), thick, not too spicy, fragrant from the spices, and slightly sweet. A squeeze of calamansi added a little tanginess and the signature crackles made the plain yellow noodles more interesting.

The fried bee hoon was well executed with clear evidence of wok hei (intense heat radiating from the wok). The bee hoon was dry and tasty with the slightly spicy sauces well absorbed by the rice vermicelli.

As you can see on the plate, there was very little, if any residual oil, which is the way I like my fried bee hoon.

The Pattaya fried rice was nicely done too. I liked that touch of writing the number 60 on the rice with mild chili sauce.

Simple fried rice with just diced carrots, spring unions and wrapped with fried eggs.

Everything is laid back and casual at Kafe Enampuluhan. The food is simple and decent with nothing overwhelming, and herein lies its charm to me. Here we can relax over a nice meal and a cool iced tea overlooking the Straits, without the food becoming a distracting topic of discussion. Even foodies want to talk about things other than food, sometimes :)

Restaurant name: Kafe Enampuluhan
Address: 69, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan (off Stulang Laut), Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/CunHF
GPS: 1.462929,103.774226
Hours: 11:00am to 1:00am
Halal

Dates visited: 21 August 2012

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San Lou Bee Hon 三楼炒米粉 @ Restoran Ah Meng 阿明家乡小炒 in Taman Iskandar, Johor Bahru

Ah Meng restaurant 阿明家乡小炒 is tucked away in a corner just off Taman Sentosa, in quiet Taman Iskandar. Ah Meng is actually the son-in-law of Ah Kaw, the supposed inventor of san lou bee hoon 三楼炒米粉.

Ah Meng's menu is prominently displayed on the wall. There are twenty items on the menu and item number one, numero uno is, san lou fried bee hoon 三楼炒米粉.

As in other restaurants that offer san lou fried bee hoon, every table is bound to order at least one plate of this iconic Johor dish.

Only in Johor is bee hoon fried in this unique way - the outer layer of the bee hoon mound is caramelised by searing it on a hot wok. The resulting caramelised bee hoon is crunchy on the outer layer while inside the mound, it is still soft and retains the seafood broth providing the rich flavour and aroma.

Compared to the other renditions, Ah Meng's san lou fried bee hoon is drier - just a shade below wiry. Kudos to the chef as I feel it takes a higher level of skill to take the dryness so far and yet not cross over to being wiry.

For such a large plate of delicious san lou bee hoon, we were charged just RM5.

For those who like traditional Teochew desserts, you will be pleased to note that Ah Meng also serves or nee 芋泥 (sweet yam paste).

Restaurant name: Ah Meng restaurant 阿明家乡小炒

Address: 38, Jalan Sultanah Aminah, Taman Iskandar, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/mZSMa
GPS: 1.491354,103.786178
Hours: 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight (closed on Tuesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 19 July 2012

Ah Meng restaurant 阿明家乡小炒 is tucked away in a corner just off Taman Sentosa, in quiet Taman Iskandar. Ah Meng is actually the son-in-law of Ah Kaw, the supposed inventor of san lou bee hoon 三楼炒米粉.

Ah Meng's menu is prominently displayed on the wall. There are twenty items on the menu and item number one, numero uno is, san lou fried bee hoon 三楼炒米粉.

As in other restaurants that offer san lou fried bee hoon, every table is bound to order at least one plate of this iconic Johor dish.

Only in Johor is bee hoon fried in this unique way - the outer layer of the bee hoon mound is caramelised by searing it on a hot wok. The resulting caramelised bee hoon is crunchy on the outer layer while inside the mound, it is still soft and retains the seafood broth providing the rich flavour and aroma.

Compared to the other renditions, Ah Meng's san lou fried bee hoon is drier - just a shade below wiry. Kudos to the chef as I feel it takes a higher level of skill to take the dryness so far and yet not cross over to being wiry.

For such a large plate of delicious san lou bee hoon, we were charged just RM5.

For those who like traditional Teochew desserts, you will be pleased to note that Ah Meng also serves or nee 芋泥 (sweet yam paste).

Restaurant name: Ah Meng restaurant 阿明家乡小炒

Address: 38, Jalan Sultanah Aminah, Taman Iskandar, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/mZSMa
GPS: 1.491354,103.786178
Hours: 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight (closed on Tuesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 19 July 2012

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Ji Sheng Kopitiam in Taman Universiti

While food finding in Taman Universiti, I noticed that Ji Sheng coffee shop was the most crowded – actually every table was filled. Even at 10:00am, I had to share a table with another customer.

As always, I observed what the other customers were eating and realised Ji Sheng has an extensive menu of many items. I also noticed that their coffee, toasted buns, mee siam, and nasi lemak were very popular as most tables had these items.

I ordered mee siam and nasi lemak, but was told they were sold out L  I asked the lady boss and the customer whom I was sharing table with for recommendations, and they suggested fried mee hoon which the shop will fry on order i.e. always available J  So I settled for coffee and fried bee hoon.

Wow, the coffee (kopi kau) was a blast! The coffee was full bodied and flavoured. The fragrant aroma was dense and the brew tasted bitter and sweet. Excellent.

Every cup of coffee is personally brewed by the boss MR Ngwan and he told me that it is an art that follows a precise process that demands precision timing – otherwise the coffee will taste different.  Knowing the precise timing takes years of experience and thousands of cups of coffee to master.

The boss further explained that consistency is crucial – his regular customers will instantly detect any differences with their taste buds. That is why his shop has been getting his supply of coffee beans from the same reliable supplier Chop Chai Huat coffee factory for the past nearly 20 years.

I also enjoyed my tasty fried bee hoon made from simple and fresh ingredients such as shrimps, sotong, eggs and taugeh (bean sprouts). Subtly salty and sweet. The bee hoon and taugeh were tender yet crunchy. It had just the right moistness – not too much water nor too oily. In fact, there was almost no trace of oil left over on the plate after I finished my bee hoon.

Definitely must come back for another cuppa, and try out the other popular items on their menu.

Restaurant name: Ji Sheng Kopitiam

Address: 55, Jalan Kebudayaan 16, Taman Universiti, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/wnk8v
GPS: 1.539676,103.630697

Hours: 6:30am to 5:00pm

Non Halal

Date: 20 Mar 2012

While food finding in Taman Universiti, I noticed that Ji Sheng coffee shop was the most crowded – actually every table was filled. Even at 10:00am, I had to share a table with another customer.

As always, I observed what the other customers were eating and realised Ji Sheng has an extensive menu of many items. I also noticed that their coffee, toasted buns, mee siam, and nasi lemak were very popular as most tables had these items.

I ordered mee siam and nasi lemak, but was told they were sold out L  I asked the lady boss and the customer whom I was sharing table with for recommendations, and they suggested fried mee hoon which the shop will fry on order i.e. always available J  So I settled for coffee and fried bee hoon.

Wow, the coffee (kopi kau) was a blast! The coffee was full bodied and flavoured. The fragrant aroma was dense and the brew tasted bitter and sweet. Excellent.

Every cup of coffee is personally brewed by the boss MR Ngwan and he told me that it is an art that follows a precise process that demands precision timing – otherwise the coffee will taste different.  Knowing the precise timing takes years of experience and thousands of cups of coffee to master.

The boss further explained that consistency is crucial – his regular customers will instantly detect any differences with their taste buds. That is why his shop has been getting his supply of coffee beans from the same reliable supplier Chop Chai Huat coffee factory for the past nearly 20 years.

I also enjoyed my tasty fried bee hoon made from simple and fresh ingredients such as shrimps, sotong, eggs and taugeh (bean sprouts). Subtly salty and sweet. The bee hoon and taugeh were tender yet crunchy. It had just the right moistness – not too much water nor too oily. In fact, there was almost no trace of oil left over on the plate after I finished my bee hoon.

Definitely must come back for another cuppa, and try out the other popular items on their menu.

Restaurant name: Ji Sheng Kopitiam

Address: 55, Jalan Kebudayaan 16, Taman Universiti, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/wnk8v
GPS: 1.539676,103.630697

Hours: 6:30am to 5:00pm

Non Halal

Date: 20 Mar 2012

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