Yuan Yean Fish Ball in Yong Peng, Johor 元延正宗永平西刀鱼丸

When I asked Johor Kaki Facebook fans for suggestions on what to eat in Yong Peng before my trip to KL, several fans mentioned Yuan Yean fish balls 元延西刀鱼丸.

In my opinion, Yong Peng 永平 is an ideal stopover between KL and JB/Singapore as the town is just 5 minutes drive after exiting the toll gate (Exit 241/ Exit 242) and there are a number of interesting eateries. As the population in Yong Peng is mainly Foochow 福州 , it is an opportunity to try out unique Foochow cuisine.



Yuan Yean is quite easy to locate. It is along the Main Road, beside the Caltex petrol station and a few shops from the KFC outlet. Yong Peng is a strip town, so most of the restaurants are just on the left or right side of the Main Road.



The décor at Yuan Yean is simple, neat and clean with an air conditioned section, a non air conditioned interior and an al fresco area. Yuan Yean is equipped with clean toilets and wash basins which are welcome little blessings for travellers.



If you are stopping by between JB/Singapore and KL, Yuan Yean has ample free parking right at the restaurant. It even has a helpful attendant who directs traffic and cover the windscreens of customer's cars with cardboard to keep out the scorching sun.



Yuan Yean is now run by Thomas, the second generation owner. Thomas's dad was the first to introduction the fish ball business in Yong Peng. After more fish ball restaurants opened in Yong Peng, the small town became famous for this speciality.


Heritage photo of Yuan Yean in 1998

Yuan Yean started as a push cart stall in 1988 and moved into it's present premise in 1998.



Yuan Yean's claim to fame is their hand made 100% Ikan Parang fish balls with no MSG or preservatives. Tender, bouncy with a nice fresh fish aroma. (After the success of Yuan Yean's fish balls, other shops emerged helping make Yong Peng a popular food stop.)




Included in the set is this thick yellow noodles in a dark soy sauce with fried shallot aroma.



We also ordered the mee suah soup version to try.



Besides the fish balls, another Must Try is the old school Foochow fish balls.



Foochow fish ball is unique as it is like wanton except that the minced pork is warped in fish paste instead of wanton skin. Foochow fish ball is a blend of fish and pork flavours with an interesting mouth feel. Not commonly found except in places where the Foochow people live. 



The fried tofu skin and Yuan Yean's fried fish cake. Both were crispy and the fish cake has a soft inside with a nice fish aroma.



Another Yong Peng specialty - Taiping 太平 eggs, which is fried hard boiled eggs wrapped in fish paste and light batter. Interesting blend of flavours and textures worth a try.




Not a Foochow speciality but this otak otak Muar is really good stuff. Compact, dense with fresh Ikan Tenggiri meat and held together with coconut milk and aromatic mildly hot spices. Yuan Yean got this from a leading otak otak Muar maker - steamed and served on order.



I like the chili dip at Yuan Yean which is made with 5 types of chilis including the ultra hot Vietnamese chili peppers.

If you want a quick food stop with a light meal and simple drinks between KL and JB, Yuan Yean is a good option. 

Restaurant name: Yuan Yean Fishball Eating House 元延正宗永平西刀鱼丸
Address: 123, Main Road, Yong Peng, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/0lz0O
GPS: 2.011061,103.063305
Hours: 8:30am to 7:30pm (Closed on alternate Wednesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 9 Dec 2013

Return to home page.

When I asked Johor Kaki Facebook fans for suggestions on what to eat in Yong Peng before my trip to KL, several fans mentioned Yuan Yean fish balls 元延西刀鱼丸.

In my opinion, Yong Peng 永平 is an ideal stopover between KL and JB/Singapore as the town is just 5 minutes drive after exiting the toll gate (Exit 241/ Exit 242) and there are a number of interesting eateries. As the population in Yong Peng is mainly Foochow 福州 , it is an opportunity to try out unique Foochow cuisine.



Yuan Yean is quite easy to locate. It is along the Main Road, beside the Caltex petrol station and a few shops from the KFC outlet. Yong Peng is a strip town, so most of the restaurants are just on the left or right side of the Main Road.



The décor at Yuan Yean is simple, neat and clean with an air conditioned section, a non air conditioned interior and an al fresco area. Yuan Yean is equipped with clean toilets and wash basins which are welcome little blessings for travellers.



If you are stopping by between JB/Singapore and KL, Yuan Yean has ample free parking right at the restaurant. It even has a helpful attendant who directs traffic and cover the windscreens of customer's cars with cardboard to keep out the scorching sun.



Yuan Yean is now run by Thomas, the second generation owner. Thomas's dad was the first to introduction the fish ball business in Yong Peng. After more fish ball restaurants opened in Yong Peng, the small town became famous for this speciality.


Heritage photo of Yuan Yean in 1998

Yuan Yean started as a push cart stall in 1988 and moved into it's present premise in 1998.



Yuan Yean's claim to fame is their hand made 100% Ikan Parang fish balls with no MSG or preservatives. Tender, bouncy with a nice fresh fish aroma. (After the success of Yuan Yean's fish balls, other shops emerged helping make Yong Peng a popular food stop.)




Included in the set is this thick yellow noodles in a dark soy sauce with fried shallot aroma.



We also ordered the mee suah soup version to try.



Besides the fish balls, another Must Try is the old school Foochow fish balls.



Foochow fish ball is unique as it is like wanton except that the minced pork is warped in fish paste instead of wanton skin. Foochow fish ball is a blend of fish and pork flavours with an interesting mouth feel. Not commonly found except in places where the Foochow people live. 



The fried tofu skin and Yuan Yean's fried fish cake. Both were crispy and the fish cake has a soft inside with a nice fish aroma.



Another Yong Peng specialty - Taiping 太平 eggs, which is fried hard boiled eggs wrapped in fish paste and light batter. Interesting blend of flavours and textures worth a try.




Not a Foochow speciality but this otak otak Muar is really good stuff. Compact, dense with fresh Ikan Tenggiri meat and held together with coconut milk and aromatic mildly hot spices. Yuan Yean got this from a leading otak otak Muar maker - steamed and served on order.



I like the chili dip at Yuan Yean which is made with 5 types of chilis including the ultra hot Vietnamese chili peppers.

If you want a quick food stop with a light meal and simple drinks between KL and JB, Yuan Yean is a good option. 

Restaurant name: Yuan Yean Fishball Eating House 元延正宗永平西刀鱼丸
Address: 123, Main Road, Yong Peng, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/0lz0O
GPS: 2.011061,103.063305
Hours: 8:30am to 7:30pm (Closed on alternate Wednesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 9 Dec 2013

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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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Qiu Bo Curry House in Ulu Tiram, Johor 秋波咖喱之家

Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 has a huge reputation in Johor Bahru since the days it was at Jalan Storey. The original Qiu Bo is now in Ulu Tiram. In any discussion about good pork curry in Johor, the name Qiu Bo will surely come up. With such a big following, it would be remiss if Johor Kaki did not check out Qiu Bo :P

So last month, I went to Qiu Bo with my makan kakis Joe and Kumes who are big fans of Qiu Bo. It was a much anticipated outing. We were so eager, we actually arrived before opening time and had to wait outside for a while.



We ordered the signature curry pork ribs, of course. The curry was creamy with santan and the coconut milk flavour and taste were strong. If you like your curry to be as lemak as possible, you will surely like this. Despite the rich crimson colour, the curry was only mildly spicy. The curry was more fragrant than spicy hot. I enjoyed the curry.

The pork ribs on the other hand were a little on the firm and stiff side. Joe and Kumes remembered that the pork ribs were more tender during their visit just a month earlier. Perhaps, we were a little too early this time and the pork ribs hadn't had enough time in the pot to get tender yet.



The fried taugeh dish (bean sprouts) was well executed. Savoury and crunchy. The taugeh had all their fibrous roots pinched off leaving only the juicy stems. A nice and labour intensive touch which many restaurants dispensed with nowadays. Thumbs up for Qiu Bo here.



This omelet was Kumes' suggestion. It was my favourite dish of the day.



The soft fried eggs wrapped crunchy good sized shrimps. I really enjoyed the mouth feel combining soft eggs and crunchy prawns, and the eggy taste with sweet prawn flavour.



Qiu Bo is well known for their fish ball soup with mung bean vermicelli. The handmade fish balls were good. Bouncy and had that lovely springy, firm yet tender bite. The poppy fish balls had that subtle fresh fish meat sweetness which I liked.



The simple fried chye sim came with a handful of good sized prawns. Shelled and fresh, the prawns added a savoury touch to the dish and also to the gravy.

Eating at Qiu Bo is like eating at home. The dishes are simple, familiar comfort food and the setting is clean, basic, unpretencious and without any frills. The star of the show, curry pork ribs, might be slightly off colour today but overall it was still a very good meal. Looking at the clientele, most were regulars who had been following Qiu Bo for a long time.



Our total bill including all the food and drinks for three persons was RM55.

I will definitely be back, at about 2:00pm, and taste Qiu Bo's famous curry pork ribs in its true form. I also need to come back for another of Qiu Bo's claim to fame - their popular curry fish head.



Restaurant name: Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家
Address: Jalan Mutiara, Ulu Tiram, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/g8xfk
GPS: 1.586667,103.817281
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 22 Apr 2013

Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 has a huge reputation in Johor Bahru since the days it was at Jalan Storey. The original Qiu Bo is now in Ulu Tiram. In any discussion about good pork curry in Johor, the name Qiu Bo will surely come up. With such a big following, it would be remiss if Johor Kaki did not check out Qiu Bo :P

So last month, I went to Qiu Bo with my makan kakis Joe and Kumes who are big fans of Qiu Bo. It was a much anticipated outing. We were so eager, we actually arrived before opening time and had to wait outside for a while.



We ordered the signature curry pork ribs, of course. The curry was creamy with santan and the coconut milk flavour and taste were strong. If you like your curry to be as lemak as possible, you will surely like this. Despite the rich crimson colour, the curry was only mildly spicy. The curry was more fragrant than spicy hot. I enjoyed the curry.

The pork ribs on the other hand were a little on the firm and stiff side. Joe and Kumes remembered that the pork ribs were more tender during their visit just a month earlier. Perhaps, we were a little too early this time and the pork ribs hadn't had enough time in the pot to get tender yet.



The fried taugeh dish (bean sprouts) was well executed. Savoury and crunchy. The taugeh had all their fibrous roots pinched off leaving only the juicy stems. A nice and labour intensive touch which many restaurants dispensed with nowadays. Thumbs up for Qiu Bo here.



This omelet was Kumes' suggestion. It was my favourite dish of the day.



The soft fried eggs wrapped crunchy good sized shrimps. I really enjoyed the mouth feel combining soft eggs and crunchy prawns, and the eggy taste with sweet prawn flavour.



Qiu Bo is well known for their fish ball soup with mung bean vermicelli. The handmade fish balls were good. Bouncy and had that lovely springy, firm yet tender bite. The poppy fish balls had that subtle fresh fish meat sweetness which I liked.



The simple fried chye sim came with a handful of good sized prawns. Shelled and fresh, the prawns added a savoury touch to the dish and also to the gravy.

Eating at Qiu Bo is like eating at home. The dishes are simple, familiar comfort food and the setting is clean, basic, unpretencious and without any frills. The star of the show, curry pork ribs, might be slightly off colour today but overall it was still a very good meal. Looking at the clientele, most were regulars who had been following Qiu Bo for a long time.



Our total bill including all the food and drinks for three persons was RM55.

I will definitely be back, at about 2:00pm, and taste Qiu Bo's famous curry pork ribs in its true form. I also need to come back for another of Qiu Bo's claim to fame - their popular curry fish head.



Restaurant name: Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家
Address: Jalan Mutiara, Ulu Tiram, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/g8xfk
GPS: 1.586667,103.817281
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 22 Apr 2013

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Lai Kee 来记西刀鱼丸 Fish Ball Noodles in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

This is my second post on Lai Kee fishball noodles 来记西刀鱼丸. I first posted about Lai Kee 来记 in Jan 2012 and it was one of my first posts since I created Johor Kaki blog.

I passed by Lai Kee a few more times since that first post but had to save my tummy space to try out other eateries in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah.

Today, I decided to stop by at the spur of the moment for no particular reason other than I can't control my craving for Lai Kee's fish ball noodles any longer and I wanted to say hello to the boss, Ah Lai 亚来.

It was already minutes to closing time and Lai Kee was still packed with customers. Ah Lai was personally doing the cooking. I said my hello to Ah Lai, he still remembered me from the first visit and I ordered my bowl of his famous fish ball soup and noodles.

Lai Kee hasn't changed much since I last ate there in Jan 2012.

In fact, Ah Lai told me much have been the same since 1987 when he first started Lai Kee. Same back street, same people. Same old school 古早味 fish ball noodles.

But of course much has also changed in the last 25 years. The once quiet back street is now a thriving food street with many popular food outlets. The same customers are now parents and even grandparents, and their children and grand children are Lai Kee's new customers.

Ah Lai's ikan parang fish balls were dense, firm yet springy. Basically solid authentic 真材实料 ikan parang fish meat with nothing else but salt added.

Ah Lai has always insisted on using only ikan parang. If there was no fresh ikan parang supply for the day such as because of bad weather, Ah Lai would close his shop for the day rather than compromise and use another type of fish or add starch into the meat. 

Making the combi pork and fish balls

Ah Lai's fish balls are freshly hand made every day at the shop. No MSG, no preservatives, so the fish balls just have that appealing delicate sweetness and ocean freshness.

These are Ah Lai's popular fried combi fish and pork balls.

Ah Lai shared with me his famous ikan parang fish cake. They were also made with 100% ikan parang meat.

Ah Lai's fish cakes are a popular takeaway item with out-of-town customers and Singaporeans.

Lai Kee's savoury noodles sauce had that distinct old style lard flavour 古早味 and a slight spiciness from the chili paste. 

Ah Lai's partner fries the pork lard everyday

Lai Kee makes these pork lard and lard crackles everyday.

Hundreds of these fried ikan parang bones were used as stock bones for the soup - so you can imagine the tastiness of the resulting soup.

The standards at Lai Kee are maintained consistently high all these 25 years (since 1987) as Ah Lai and his long time partner had been in charge of the operations and are personally at the shop all the time.

If you want old style 古早味 fish ball noodles, Lai Kee 来记西刀鱼丸 is the right place.

Restaurant name: Restoran Lai Kee 来记西刀鱼丸
Address: 90, Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (TUTA), Skudai, 81300 Johor Baru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/fKKW
GPS: 1.522671,103.664653
Hours: Daily 7:00am to 4:30pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 10 Jan 2012, 29 Aug 2012

This is my second post on Lai Kee fishball noodles 来记西刀鱼丸. I first posted about Lai Kee 来记 in Jan 2012 and it was one of my first posts since I created Johor Kaki blog.

I passed by Lai Kee a few more times since that first post but had to save my tummy space to try out other eateries in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah.

Today, I decided to stop by at the spur of the moment for no particular reason other than I can't control my craving for Lai Kee's fish ball noodles any longer and I wanted to say hello to the boss, Ah Lai 亚来.

It was already minutes to closing time and Lai Kee was still packed with customers. Ah Lai was personally doing the cooking. I said my hello to Ah Lai, he still remembered me from the first visit and I ordered my bowl of his famous fish ball soup and noodles.

Lai Kee hasn't changed much since I last ate there in Jan 2012.

In fact, Ah Lai told me much have been the same since 1987 when he first started Lai Kee. Same back street, same people. Same old school 古早味 fish ball noodles.

But of course much has also changed in the last 25 years. The once quiet back street is now a thriving food street with many popular food outlets. The same customers are now parents and even grandparents, and their children and grand children are Lai Kee's new customers.

Ah Lai's ikan parang fish balls were dense, firm yet springy. Basically solid authentic 真材实料 ikan parang fish meat with nothing else but salt added.

Ah Lai has always insisted on using only ikan parang. If there was no fresh ikan parang supply for the day such as because of bad weather, Ah Lai would close his shop for the day rather than compromise and use another type of fish or add starch into the meat. 

Making the combi pork and fish balls

Ah Lai's fish balls are freshly hand made every day at the shop. No MSG, no preservatives, so the fish balls just have that appealing delicate sweetness and ocean freshness.

These are Ah Lai's popular fried combi fish and pork balls.

Ah Lai shared with me his famous ikan parang fish cake. They were also made with 100% ikan parang meat.

Ah Lai's fish cakes are a popular takeaway item with out-of-town customers and Singaporeans.

Lai Kee's savoury noodles sauce had that distinct old style lard flavour 古早味 and a slight spiciness from the chili paste. 

Ah Lai's partner fries the pork lard everyday

Lai Kee makes these pork lard and lard crackles everyday.

Hundreds of these fried ikan parang bones were used as stock bones for the soup - so you can imagine the tastiness of the resulting soup.

The standards at Lai Kee are maintained consistently high all these 25 years (since 1987) as Ah Lai and his long time partner had been in charge of the operations and are personally at the shop all the time.

If you want old style 古早味 fish ball noodles, Lai Kee 来记西刀鱼丸 is the right place.

Restaurant name: Restoran Lai Kee 来记西刀鱼丸
Address: 90, Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (TUTA), Skudai, 81300 Johor Baru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/fKKW
GPS: 1.522671,103.664653
Hours: Daily 7:00am to 4:30pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 10 Jan 2012, 29 Aug 2012

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