Ah Chuan Fish Soup at Jalan Lumba Kuda in Johor Bahru

My friends know how I can have fish soup for weeks without feeling bored. I will even endure hour long queues standing in line for the best fish soup. Actually, I used to do that almost every week at my favourite fish soup stall in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore.

Ah Chuan's fish soup at Jalan Lumba Kuda was not love at the first mouthful of soup as its flavour tasted rather slight, especially when my benchmarks were pretty robust in flavour.

But strangely, I appreciate it more as the meal progresses. Enough for me to want to blog about it.



The boss Ah Chuan worked several years at another fish soup stall before saving enough money to strike out on his own about two years ago.



Ah Chuan Fish Soup is the small corner stall run by Ah Chuan and his younger brother at Shang Ji kopitiam. This is Ah Hoe the younger brother. Ah Chuan's stall is just beside Cathay (Tan Kee) laksa stall.



Ah Hoe making our pot of fish soup.



Our RM10 fish bee hoon soup served in a claypot.



A piece of black snapper meat. It's a lower grade fish than the more familiar red snapper. Still it is more tasty than sea bass and doesn't have that muddy taste that sea bass sometimes have. The meat was fresh, tender and tasted of natural sweetness. I counted about 7 or 8 pieces of similar sized fish meat in our claypot. (We can order higher grade fish like grouper which costs more.)



The springy handmade fish balls had a nice bite though they were not very bouncy. The skin is thin and firm while the inside is soft. Ah Chuan said his fish balls are 100% fish meat with nothing added. This probably accounts for the lack of ping pong bounciness as there is no starch added to Ah Chuan's fish balls. (I am always sceptical about ping pong style fish balls :P )



Ah Chuan's bee hoon was done just right - it still had a little bite and subtle stiffness which I like. I don't enjoy limp and soggy bee hoon :P



The soup was quite clear, the flavour was slight yet pleasant and it was not oily at all.



Ah Chuan uses only fish bones, chicken bones and anchovies to make his soup. Ah Chuan assured me that he uses no MSG and I believe him because I could taste the difference.



Ah Chuan adds a dash of ti poh made from grounded dried sole fish to give his fish soup a bit of essential savoury oomph.



Ah Chuan goes to the market everyday to buy his fish. Ah Chuan deals in only sea fish such as black and red snappers, and groupers. If there is no good fish for the day, Ah Chuan simply closes the stall for the day. So, you only get good fish, personally selected by Ah Chuan. Now, that is quality assurance.

Furthermore, Ah Chuan does not buy his fish in bulk. The small orange ice chest of fresh fish is all Ah Chuan buys and sells every business day.

Give Ah Chuan a try, if you are a fish soup lover.





Restaurant name: Ah Chuan Fish Soup (in Shang Ji kopitiam)
Address: 141, Jalan Lumba Kuda, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Ugdyz
GPS 1.461130,103.767365
Hours: 7:15am to 2:30pm (closed on Monday)
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 2 Jul 2012

Return to home page.

My friends know how I can have fish soup for weeks without feeling bored. I will even endure hour long queues standing in line for the best fish soup. Actually, I used to do that almost every week at my favourite fish soup stall in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore.

Ah Chuan's fish soup at Jalan Lumba Kuda was not love at the first mouthful of soup as its flavour tasted rather slight, especially when my benchmarks were pretty robust in flavour.

But strangely, I appreciate it more as the meal progresses. Enough for me to want to blog about it.



The boss Ah Chuan worked several years at another fish soup stall before saving enough money to strike out on his own about two years ago.



Ah Chuan Fish Soup is the small corner stall run by Ah Chuan and his younger brother at Shang Ji kopitiam. This is Ah Hoe the younger brother. Ah Chuan's stall is just beside Cathay (Tan Kee) laksa stall.



Ah Hoe making our pot of fish soup.



Our RM10 fish bee hoon soup served in a claypot.



A piece of black snapper meat. It's a lower grade fish than the more familiar red snapper. Still it is more tasty than sea bass and doesn't have that muddy taste that sea bass sometimes have. The meat was fresh, tender and tasted of natural sweetness. I counted about 7 or 8 pieces of similar sized fish meat in our claypot. (We can order higher grade fish like grouper which costs more.)



The springy handmade fish balls had a nice bite though they were not very bouncy. The skin is thin and firm while the inside is soft. Ah Chuan said his fish balls are 100% fish meat with nothing added. This probably accounts for the lack of ping pong bounciness as there is no starch added to Ah Chuan's fish balls. (I am always sceptical about ping pong style fish balls :P )



Ah Chuan's bee hoon was done just right - it still had a little bite and subtle stiffness which I like. I don't enjoy limp and soggy bee hoon :P



The soup was quite clear, the flavour was slight yet pleasant and it was not oily at all.



Ah Chuan uses only fish bones, chicken bones and anchovies to make his soup. Ah Chuan assured me that he uses no MSG and I believe him because I could taste the difference.



Ah Chuan adds a dash of ti poh made from grounded dried sole fish to give his fish soup a bit of essential savoury oomph.



Ah Chuan goes to the market everyday to buy his fish. Ah Chuan deals in only sea fish such as black and red snappers, and groupers. If there is no good fish for the day, Ah Chuan simply closes the stall for the day. So, you only get good fish, personally selected by Ah Chuan. Now, that is quality assurance.

Furthermore, Ah Chuan does not buy his fish in bulk. The small orange ice chest of fresh fish is all Ah Chuan buys and sells every business day.

Give Ah Chuan a try, if you are a fish soup lover.





Restaurant name: Ah Chuan Fish Soup (in Shang Ji kopitiam)
Address: 141, Jalan Lumba Kuda, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Ugdyz
GPS 1.461130,103.767365
Hours: 7:15am to 2:30pm (closed on Monday)
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 2 Jul 2012

Return to home page.

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Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh in Johor Bahru

Hwa Mei 华美 亚B bak kut teh is in an inconspicuous part of Johor Bahru that attracts little, if any tourist traffic at all. Still, Hwa Mei 华美 亚B bak kut teh is full house everyday.



Hwa Mei 华美 亚 B bak kut teh is a very old name in Johor Bahru BKT. This shop has its roots 50 years ago in the push cart stall at the car park at the old Sungei Segget.  



Today, Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh is run by Johnny, the third generation owner and his wife.



At Hwa Mei 华美 亚 B BKT, the entire process of cooking the bak kut teh is done with charcoal fire which requires constant attention to both the fire and the meat.



Hwa Mei 华美 亚 B bak kut teh is the only shop in Johor Bahru that still insists on using charcoal for all its cooking including cooking the rice and even just boiling the water for tea. Sticking to the traditional way for three generations, little wonder then that Hwa Mei's regular customers said that the tastes and flavours at Hwa Mei BKT hasn't changed.



This, of course, is the star at Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh. The meat was tender yet still had sufficient firmness for a bouncy bite. The firm meat was clinging to the bone yet tender enough to fall off with a light tug with the teeth.



The meat was naturally sweet and had a subtle, lovely porky flavour.



The broth was very mildly herbal and was savoury with slight saltiness. It was not overly greasy and I was comfortable enough to drink it all up. At Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh, customers can ask for soup top ups :)



This braised tofu was tender, spongy and heavily loaded with the braising sauce.



The savoury braising sauce gushes out with every bite of the tofu. Don't bite into this too fast if you don't want the braising sauce running down the corner of your mouth :P



Another customer's pork soup. This made my mouth water and I must come back for this soon.



The simple menu and price list are prominently displayed on the wall.

For those who are using public transport, Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh is about 10 minutes walk from JB CIQ building.

Restaurant name: Hwa Mei 华美亚B Bak Kut Teh

Address: 146, Jalan Lumba Kuda, Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/f2esq
GPS: 1.460851,103.767564
Hours: 08:30am to 2:00pm (Monday off)

Non Halal

Dates visited: 31 Dec 2011, 17 Apr 2013, 4 Sep 2013

Hwa Mei 华美 亚B bak kut teh is in an inconspicuous part of Johor Bahru that attracts little, if any tourist traffic at all. Still, Hwa Mei 华美 亚B bak kut teh is full house everyday.



Hwa Mei 华美 亚 B bak kut teh is a very old name in Johor Bahru BKT. This shop has its roots 50 years ago in the push cart stall at the car park at the old Sungei Segget.  



Today, Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh is run by Johnny, the third generation owner and his wife.



At Hwa Mei 华美 亚 B BKT, the entire process of cooking the bak kut teh is done with charcoal fire which requires constant attention to both the fire and the meat.



Hwa Mei 华美 亚 B bak kut teh is the only shop in Johor Bahru that still insists on using charcoal for all its cooking including cooking the rice and even just boiling the water for tea. Sticking to the traditional way for three generations, little wonder then that Hwa Mei's regular customers said that the tastes and flavours at Hwa Mei BKT hasn't changed.



This, of course, is the star at Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh. The meat was tender yet still had sufficient firmness for a bouncy bite. The firm meat was clinging to the bone yet tender enough to fall off with a light tug with the teeth.



The meat was naturally sweet and had a subtle, lovely porky flavour.



The broth was very mildly herbal and was savoury with slight saltiness. It was not overly greasy and I was comfortable enough to drink it all up. At Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh, customers can ask for soup top ups :)



This braised tofu was tender, spongy and heavily loaded with the braising sauce.



The savoury braising sauce gushes out with every bite of the tofu. Don't bite into this too fast if you don't want the braising sauce running down the corner of your mouth :P



Another customer's pork soup. This made my mouth water and I must come back for this soon.



The simple menu and price list are prominently displayed on the wall.

For those who are using public transport, Hwa Mei 华美 亚B Bak Kut Teh is about 10 minutes walk from JB CIQ building.

Restaurant name: Hwa Mei 华美亚B Bak Kut Teh

Address: 146, Jalan Lumba Kuda, Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/f2esq
GPS: 1.460851,103.767564
Hours: 08:30am to 2:00pm (Monday off)

Non Halal

Dates visited: 31 Dec 2011, 17 Apr 2013, 4 Sep 2013

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Ah Yong Hainanese Beef Kway Teow Noodles 家乡牛腩面 at Jalan Lumba Kuda (Near Hotel Suria) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Over a year ago, the legendary Ah Teng retired from his very popular Hainanese beef teow business and closed his stall at Jalan Lumba Kuda (near Hotel Suria and Hotel Grand Blue Wave). Ah Yong then recieved a telephone call asking if he would like to set up a beef noodle stall at this same location vacated by Ah Teng.

 

Ah Yong who is from Malacca and had been running his own beef noodle stall for over 10 years, accepted the offer.  

In the beginning when customers showed up at the stall, they expected to find Ah Teng but found Ah Yong, instead. Ah Teng's loyal regulars were understandably disappointed. Little wonder then that reception of Ah Yong's stall was at first lukewarm, at best.

Ah Yong and his family persevered and slowly but steadily build up his own customer base. One year later, Ah Yong now has his own following. When I was here this late Monday morning, I found that Ah Yong has regular customers of families, and a following from Johor and Singapore. A gentleman named Danny from Ulu Tiram was buying three packets for his family. I chatted with Danny and found that he is familiar with most of the beef noodle stalls in JB, Kulai and Tangkak. Danny told me that Ah Yong is his family's favourite now.

I also noticed Singapore taxi drivers who ply the Singapore - JB route among Ah Yong's customers. Well, many Singaporeans will tell you that, if you want to know where to eat in Singapore, ask the taxi uncles. They know where the best eats are.

And, I requested for a bowl of kway teow dry with mixed beef plus additional beef tendons, which I always found irresistible.

 

The beef was kept boiling with this large bag of herbs, perfuming the air

Sitting down and waiting for my beef kway teow, I caught whiffs of that beefy aroma that triggered flash backs to the beef noodle stall at the back lanes of 1970s Victoria Street in Singapore. I was then a 15 year old construction worker and I always looked forward to that Victoria Street back lane beef kway teow during lunch, which I bought with my handsome $2 a day salary :)

 

Ah Yong squeezes in a dash of his signature black sauce before delivering his beef noodles

My bowl of Ah Yong's beef noodles was snowy white kway teow bathed in a gooey gravy and Ah Yong's signature sticky black sauce. The kway teow and pieces of beef were topped with finely chopped preserved cabbage (kiam chye), parsley, spring onions, and a sprinkling of peanuts.

 

I squeezed a lime into the noodles and gave everything a vigorous stir.

 

The tacky gravy coated kway teow noodles were simply delicious.

 

This lai fun or thick rice noodles is the Hainanese way of eating beef noodles. The thick noodles while tender still have a slight firm and bouncy bite. My friends who have not tried lai fun before love the change from the usual kway teow or bee hoon.

 

The gravy was robustly beefy with touches of sweetness and savouriness with just subtle herbal hints. The kway teow coated with this syrupy gravy was slithering soft and slippery smooth.

 

 

The nicely well bodied soup was tasty and beefy too.

 

Ah Yong cut the beef into tiny pieces with sissors which seemed to be the Hainanese style (as this was also done at Mok Chye, Mok Gao, and Ah Teng's elder brother's stall in Kluang).

 

The beef and tripe were tender and tasty. The tendons too were soft yet bouncy to the bite. I liked these all.

 

Another customer's beef bee hoon soup. Looks delicious.

Ah Yong is a new player in JB, and in my humble opinion, he and his delicious beef noodles deserve a warm welcome from Johor and Singapore foodies.

Restaurant name: Ah Yong Beef Noodles @ Restoran Yong Mui 永美茶餐厅-家乡牛腩面
Address: Off Jalan Lumba Kuda
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/MCnNt
GPS: 1.460827,103.767247
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm (Closed on Wednesday)
Non Halal

Date Visited: 5 Nov 2012, 16 Apr 2013

Over a year ago, the legendary Ah Teng retired from his very popular Hainanese beef teow business and closed his stall at Jalan Lumba Kuda (near Hotel Suria and Hotel Grand Blue Wave). Ah Yong then recieved a telephone call asking if he would like to set up a beef noodle stall at this same location vacated by Ah Teng.

 

Ah Yong who is from Malacca and had been running his own beef noodle stall for over 10 years, accepted the offer.  

In the beginning when customers showed up at the stall, they expected to find Ah Teng but found Ah Yong, instead. Ah Teng's loyal regulars were understandably disappointed. Little wonder then that reception of Ah Yong's stall was at first lukewarm, at best.

Ah Yong and his family persevered and slowly but steadily build up his own customer base. One year later, Ah Yong now has his own following. When I was here this late Monday morning, I found that Ah Yong has regular customers of families, and a following from Johor and Singapore. A gentleman named Danny from Ulu Tiram was buying three packets for his family. I chatted with Danny and found that he is familiar with most of the beef noodle stalls in JB, Kulai and Tangkak. Danny told me that Ah Yong is his family's favourite now.

I also noticed Singapore taxi drivers who ply the Singapore - JB route among Ah Yong's customers. Well, many Singaporeans will tell you that, if you want to know where to eat in Singapore, ask the taxi uncles. They know where the best eats are.

And, I requested for a bowl of kway teow dry with mixed beef plus additional beef tendons, which I always found irresistible.

 

The beef was kept boiling with this large bag of herbs, perfuming the air

Sitting down and waiting for my beef kway teow, I caught whiffs of that beefy aroma that triggered flash backs to the beef noodle stall at the back lanes of 1970s Victoria Street in Singapore. I was then a 15 year old construction worker and I always looked forward to that Victoria Street back lane beef kway teow during lunch, which I bought with my handsome $2 a day salary :)

 

Ah Yong squeezes in a dash of his signature black sauce before delivering his beef noodles

My bowl of Ah Yong's beef noodles was snowy white kway teow bathed in a gooey gravy and Ah Yong's signature sticky black sauce. The kway teow and pieces of beef were topped with finely chopped preserved cabbage (kiam chye), parsley, spring onions, and a sprinkling of peanuts.

 

I squeezed a lime into the noodles and gave everything a vigorous stir.

 

The tacky gravy coated kway teow noodles were simply delicious.

 

This lai fun or thick rice noodles is the Hainanese way of eating beef noodles. The thick noodles while tender still have a slight firm and bouncy bite. My friends who have not tried lai fun before love the change from the usual kway teow or bee hoon.

 

The gravy was robustly beefy with touches of sweetness and savouriness with just subtle herbal hints. The kway teow coated with this syrupy gravy was slithering soft and slippery smooth.

 

 

The nicely well bodied soup was tasty and beefy too.

 

Ah Yong cut the beef into tiny pieces with sissors which seemed to be the Hainanese style (as this was also done at Mok Chye, Mok Gao, and Ah Teng's elder brother's stall in Kluang).

 

The beef and tripe were tender and tasty. The tendons too were soft yet bouncy to the bite. I liked these all.

 

Another customer's beef bee hoon soup. Looks delicious.

Ah Yong is a new player in JB, and in my humble opinion, he and his delicious beef noodles deserve a warm welcome from Johor and Singapore foodies.

Restaurant name: Ah Yong Beef Noodles @ Restoran Yong Mui 永美茶餐厅-家乡牛腩面
Address: Off Jalan Lumba Kuda
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/MCnNt
GPS: 1.460827,103.767247
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm (Closed on Wednesday)
Non Halal

Date Visited: 5 Nov 2012, 16 Apr 2013

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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

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

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