Johor Bahru Honbin Seafood Restaurant 宏运海鲜 in Permas Jaya

My friend Bryan has been telling me about the steamed catfish at Honbin Seafood 宏运海鲜 for a while, and today we finally gathered a few kakis to pay this restaurant a visit.



Honbin Seafood is located at a quiet corner of Permas Jaya, not far from the AEON JUSCO mall.



The simple menu is written out on this white board. Besides the usual fish, prawns and crabs, Honbin has the proper license to serve certain wild game like terrapins, boar and squirrels.



Hian is the friendly owner and head chef. Honbin started as a street side stall, slowly working their way to today's simple but good size restaurant.



Sally and her husband Hian are visibly and deservedly proud of their restaurant which is the result of their decade of hard work.



First up was this mixed platter of crispy fish roll, fried chicken balls and crispy fried chicken.



The fish roll was made of tender minced fish meat and vegetables wrapped in crispy thin tofu skin. A quite interesting and tasty snack or appetiser.



The fried chicken ball is made of minced chicken and water chestnuts. Would be perfect if the chicken balls were a little more moist.



I like Honbin 's crispy fried chicken with a savoury and sweet sauce. The thin slice of chicken with skin on is fried till the skin is crispy while the flesh still retains some chew and juice. Though different, it did remind me of those small square pieces of roasted suckling pig. I like this.



Steamed catfish is one of my favourite dishes and I will order one whenever it is available. Honbin's steamed catfish is made with wild caught river fish. Very sweet and bouncy white flesh, with not even the slightest hint of muddiness.



Hongbin's herbal turtle soup is made with wild caught terrapin from the rivers near Kota Tinggi.



The clean tasting broth is clear and light with herbal and ginseng flavours and aroma. (Note: This is not the murky, full bodied, umami savoury style of broth commonly served in Singapore.)



The meat and gelatinous parts of the turtle tasted mildly sweet and had mouth feel somewhere between fish and chicken.




We also had Honbin's braised catfish which is made from live fish. The large chunks of tender catfish were braised in a mildly flavoured savoury sauce. I love chewing the chunks of soft meat, skin and fat of the catfish.



Sally is proud of this lala shellfish stir fried with fried garlic and shallots. Savoury garlic and shallot bits blended with natural flavours of chewy bouncy lala.

The total bill including a pot of tea and rice came to RM140 nett for 6 adults, which I thought was very reasonable.

Overall, I found the ingredients fresh and the dishes well executed. Honbin's dishes use less robust flavourings (like sauces) and rely more on the ingredients' natural flavours. I like Honbin because over time I learnt to better appreciate the original flavours of ingredients.

For wild caught ingredients, it is best to give Sally a call at +6012-797-7231 or +6019-754-7930 to find out what is available before proceeding to Honbin.

Restaurant name: Honbin Seafood Restaurant 宏运海鲜
Address: 2, Jalan Permas 1/3, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Masai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/ZB51M
GPS: 1.517583,103.821069
Hours: 3:00pm to 1:00am
Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Nov 2013

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My friend Bryan has been telling me about the steamed catfish at Honbin Seafood 宏运海鲜 for a while, and today we finally gathered a few kakis to pay this restaurant a visit.



Honbin Seafood is located at a quiet corner of Permas Jaya, not far from the AEON JUSCO mall.



The simple menu is written out on this white board. Besides the usual fish, prawns and crabs, Honbin has the proper license to serve certain wild game like terrapins, boar and squirrels.



Hian is the friendly owner and head chef. Honbin started as a street side stall, slowly working their way to today's simple but good size restaurant.



Sally and her husband Hian are visibly and deservedly proud of their restaurant which is the result of their decade of hard work.



First up was this mixed platter of crispy fish roll, fried chicken balls and crispy fried chicken.



The fish roll was made of tender minced fish meat and vegetables wrapped in crispy thin tofu skin. A quite interesting and tasty snack or appetiser.



The fried chicken ball is made of minced chicken and water chestnuts. Would be perfect if the chicken balls were a little more moist.



I like Honbin 's crispy fried chicken with a savoury and sweet sauce. The thin slice of chicken with skin on is fried till the skin is crispy while the flesh still retains some chew and juice. Though different, it did remind me of those small square pieces of roasted suckling pig. I like this.



Steamed catfish is one of my favourite dishes and I will order one whenever it is available. Honbin's steamed catfish is made with wild caught river fish. Very sweet and bouncy white flesh, with not even the slightest hint of muddiness.



Hongbin's herbal turtle soup is made with wild caught terrapin from the rivers near Kota Tinggi.



The clean tasting broth is clear and light with herbal and ginseng flavours and aroma. (Note: This is not the murky, full bodied, umami savoury style of broth commonly served in Singapore.)



The meat and gelatinous parts of the turtle tasted mildly sweet and had mouth feel somewhere between fish and chicken.




We also had Honbin's braised catfish which is made from live fish. The large chunks of tender catfish were braised in a mildly flavoured savoury sauce. I love chewing the chunks of soft meat, skin and fat of the catfish.



Sally is proud of this lala shellfish stir fried with fried garlic and shallots. Savoury garlic and shallot bits blended with natural flavours of chewy bouncy lala.

The total bill including a pot of tea and rice came to RM140 nett for 6 adults, which I thought was very reasonable.

Overall, I found the ingredients fresh and the dishes well executed. Honbin's dishes use less robust flavourings (like sauces) and rely more on the ingredients' natural flavours. I like Honbin because over time I learnt to better appreciate the original flavours of ingredients.

For wild caught ingredients, it is best to give Sally a call at +6012-797-7231 or +6019-754-7930 to find out what is available before proceeding to Honbin.

Restaurant name: Honbin Seafood Restaurant 宏运海鲜
Address: 2, Jalan Permas 1/3, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Masai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/ZB51M
GPS: 1.517583,103.821069
Hours: 3:00pm to 1:00am
Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Nov 2013

Return to home page.

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Wild Boar Meat at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru

We had just finished eating our kampung chicken rice set at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭, when I noticed that they also sell curry wild boar meat as a side dish.

Our stomachs were already full but I remembered many queries especially from Singapore readers about where to find good wild boar meat in Johor - so I am on a constant look out for this.

We decided to try Ah Lee's curry wild boar meat especially since this stall in Taman Sri Tebrau is so accessible for Singapore readers.



Curry is one of the hardest food to photograph as it is not very photogenic and that attention seeking big potato has to get in the way LOL. Ah Lee's curry wild boar is served with plain white rice and tasty chicken soup at RM7 a set.



Ah Lee's curry wild boar is all ribs (except for the potatoes). The wild boar ribs were tender and completely smothered in mildly spicy and fragrant curry. Greasy as expected of boar meat.

Very tasty but if you are hoping for a distinctly exotic texture or gamey flavour, there is none. In fact, I found it indistinguishable from domesticated pork.

So, for foodies hunting for wild boar meat in JB, here it is at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice stall, and very tasty too :)



Restaurant name: Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 (inside Tyson kopitiam)
Address: Junction of Jalan Badik and Jalan Badik 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WTb4d
GPS: 1.486227,103.768959
Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal

Date visited: 27 May 2013

We had just finished eating our kampung chicken rice set at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭, when I noticed that they also sell curry wild boar meat as a side dish.

Our stomachs were already full but I remembered many queries especially from Singapore readers about where to find good wild boar meat in Johor - so I am on a constant look out for this.

We decided to try Ah Lee's curry wild boar meat especially since this stall in Taman Sri Tebrau is so accessible for Singapore readers.



Curry is one of the hardest food to photograph as it is not very photogenic and that attention seeking big potato has to get in the way LOL. Ah Lee's curry wild boar is served with plain white rice and tasty chicken soup at RM7 a set.



Ah Lee's curry wild boar is all ribs (except for the potatoes). The wild boar ribs were tender and completely smothered in mildly spicy and fragrant curry. Greasy as expected of boar meat.

Very tasty but if you are hoping for a distinctly exotic texture or gamey flavour, there is none. In fact, I found it indistinguishable from domesticated pork.

So, for foodies hunting for wild boar meat in JB, here it is at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice stall, and very tasty too :)



Restaurant name: Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 (inside Tyson kopitiam)
Address: Junction of Jalan Badik and Jalan Badik 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WTb4d
GPS: 1.486227,103.768959
Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal

Date visited: 27 May 2013

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Fa Shao Curry Boars 发嫂咖喱山豬肉 Stall in Chee Hwa 聚华 Kopitiam in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor

"Where to find wild boar meat in Johor Bahru?" I've been ask this question many times, especially by Singaporeans.

Earlier on, I found one restaurant (Sun Swee) serving wild boar in Kulai and now, finally found another three stalls, thanks to Steve, whose parents run these stalls.

 

Steve's parents run Fa Shao Curry Boars 发嫂咖喱山豬肉 stall since 1996 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. Now, Fa Shao Curry Boars has branch stalls in Taman Johor Jaya and in Taman Bukit Indah. Steve is making final preparations to open a new restaurant in Bukit Indah specialising in boar meat dishes.



This is Fa Shao 发嫂, the lady (Steve's mum) from Segamat behind the Fa Shao brand.



This is Fa Shao's signature curry boar. In this picture, the curry practically obscured the boar meat. In terms of taste, it was pretty much like the way it looked. The robust curry flavours and tastes smothered and fully masked any gaminess that was present in the boar meat.
 

The wild boar meat was tender and, in my opinion, hardly distinguishable from domesticated pork.

Steve explained that the boars Fa Shao uses, live in oil palm plantations and feed on the oily palm fruits that fell to the ground. These boars have more tender and fatty flesh. Other boars live near mangrooves and feed mostly on earthworms they dug up from the mud. Fa Shao do not use these animals as they taste "muddy".



My favourite was this wild boar in peppery soup 胡椒根. The soup was thick with heavy body from the dissolved gelatin. The soup had an umami flavour blended with a rather strong peppery, herbal taste. 





The large chunks of boar meat were firm though still tender. The fatty and gelatinous parts made the meat felt softer and smoother. The skin was quite thick, and it was gummy and bouncy. I liked it. Wild boar meat has less fat than regular domesticated pig.



The boar in peppery soup come with a plate of boiled rice at RM6.50. The curry boar also served with boiled rice is at RM5.50.



Many people dip the boar meat in this cut chili and soy sauce before eating.

 

These were pieces of boar leg, before adding the peppery soup.



Customers usually order a dish of this simple but tasty fried cabbage to go along with the boar meat.

If you have an adventurous palate and want to try wild boar meat, Fa Shao is one stall that you must try in Johor Bahru.





Restaurant name: Fa Shao Curry Boar 发嫂山猪肉咖喱山豬肉 Stall in Restaurant Chee Hwa 聚华茶餐室
Address: 2, Jalan Temenggong 11, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/V1M2Y
GPS: 1.512590,103.652240
Hours: 5:30pm to 11:00pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Non Halal

Date visited: 25 Feb 2013

"Where to find wild boar meat in Johor Bahru?" I've been ask this question many times, especially by Singaporeans.

Earlier on, I found one restaurant (Sun Swee) serving wild boar in Kulai and now, finally found another three stalls, thanks to Steve, whose parents run these stalls.

 

Steve's parents run Fa Shao Curry Boars 发嫂咖喱山豬肉 stall since 1996 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. Now, Fa Shao Curry Boars has branch stalls in Taman Johor Jaya and in Taman Bukit Indah. Steve is making final preparations to open a new restaurant in Bukit Indah specialising in boar meat dishes.



This is Fa Shao 发嫂, the lady (Steve's mum) from Segamat behind the Fa Shao brand.



This is Fa Shao's signature curry boar. In this picture, the curry practically obscured the boar meat. In terms of taste, it was pretty much like the way it looked. The robust curry flavours and tastes smothered and fully masked any gaminess that was present in the boar meat.
 

The wild boar meat was tender and, in my opinion, hardly distinguishable from domesticated pork.

Steve explained that the boars Fa Shao uses, live in oil palm plantations and feed on the oily palm fruits that fell to the ground. These boars have more tender and fatty flesh. Other boars live near mangrooves and feed mostly on earthworms they dug up from the mud. Fa Shao do not use these animals as they taste "muddy".



My favourite was this wild boar in peppery soup 胡椒根. The soup was thick with heavy body from the dissolved gelatin. The soup had an umami flavour blended with a rather strong peppery, herbal taste. 





The large chunks of boar meat were firm though still tender. The fatty and gelatinous parts made the meat felt softer and smoother. The skin was quite thick, and it was gummy and bouncy. I liked it. Wild boar meat has less fat than regular domesticated pig.



The boar in peppery soup come with a plate of boiled rice at RM6.50. The curry boar also served with boiled rice is at RM5.50.



Many people dip the boar meat in this cut chili and soy sauce before eating.

 

These were pieces of boar leg, before adding the peppery soup.



Customers usually order a dish of this simple but tasty fried cabbage to go along with the boar meat.

If you have an adventurous palate and want to try wild boar meat, Fa Shao is one stall that you must try in Johor Bahru.





Restaurant name: Fa Shao Curry Boar 发嫂山猪肉咖喱山豬肉 Stall in Restaurant Chee Hwa 聚华茶餐室
Address: 2, Jalan Temenggong 11, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/V1M2Y
GPS: 1.512590,103.652240
Hours: 5:30pm to 11:00pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Non Halal

Date visited: 25 Feb 2013

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Sun Swee Game Meat (Wildlife) Restaurant in Kulai, Johor

Friends often asked me where to find game meat (wildlife) restaurants in Johor. I don’t know any until I stumbled upon Sun Swee restaurant in Kulai.

Game meat restaurants are becoming scarce in Malaysia, probably because of a gradually shrinking clientele. According to Sun Swee’s towkay (boss), there were two restaurants specialising in game meat in Kulai but the other one had closed down. Sun Swee is the only one still in business.

Credit

Credit

Credit

According to the menu posted on the wall, Sun Swee serves porcupine, monitor lizard, mouse deer, wild boar, deer, eel, terrapin, flying fox and squirrel. The towkay said not all are available everyday as all are wild caught, and some are no longer being hunted.

I asked the towkay to recommend a dish and he suggested young boar stew.

Stewed wild boar meat RM10

When it arrived, the dish looked pretty ordinary – just like regular pork stewed in gravy made with mainly fermented black bean paste. It even tasted a lot like domesticated pork except that there was little, if any, fat and the fibres felt slightly grainier. The cubes of boar meat were stewed with lots of slices and slivers of ginger. There was also plenty of garlic. It was obvious that a lot of attention was put into getting rid of any gamey taste which is characteristic of game meat.

I mentioned to the boss that the dish tasted little different from the usual pork meat. The boss explained with some pride that his dishes do not have that gamey taste. He told me that they use only young boar weighing 10-plus kilograms as older boars have a gamey taste.

It seemed to me that the game meat restaurants appealed only to a certain segment of mainly middle aged clientele. To keep their businesses going, the restaurants promote the traditional beliefs about the health benefits of game meat and they also make their dishes taste more like those of ordinary restaurants.

For those with an adventurous palate and who are game to try wildlife, now you know where J

Restaurant name: Sun Swee Restaurant

Address: 21-1, Main Road, Kulai Besar, Kulai, Johor

Map: http://g.co/maps/nxdsg

GPS: 1.651475,103.611245

Hours: Noon to 11:00pm (closed on Thurs)

Non Halal

Date visited: 2 May 2012

Friends often asked me where to find game meat (wildlife) restaurants in Johor. I don’t know any until I stumbled upon Sun Swee restaurant in Kulai.

Game meat restaurants are becoming scarce in Malaysia, probably because of a gradually shrinking clientele. According to Sun Swee’s towkay (boss), there were two restaurants specialising in game meat in Kulai but the other one had closed down. Sun Swee is the only one still in business.

Credit

Credit

Credit

According to the menu posted on the wall, Sun Swee serves porcupine, monitor lizard, mouse deer, wild boar, deer, eel, terrapin, flying fox and squirrel. The towkay said not all are available everyday as all are wild caught, and some are no longer being hunted.

I asked the towkay to recommend a dish and he suggested young boar stew.

Stewed wild boar meat RM10

When it arrived, the dish looked pretty ordinary – just like regular pork stewed in gravy made with mainly fermented black bean paste. It even tasted a lot like domesticated pork except that there was little, if any, fat and the fibres felt slightly grainier. The cubes of boar meat were stewed with lots of slices and slivers of ginger. There was also plenty of garlic. It was obvious that a lot of attention was put into getting rid of any gamey taste which is characteristic of game meat.

I mentioned to the boss that the dish tasted little different from the usual pork meat. The boss explained with some pride that his dishes do not have that gamey taste. He told me that they use only young boar weighing 10-plus kilograms as older boars have a gamey taste.

It seemed to me that the game meat restaurants appealed only to a certain segment of mainly middle aged clientele. To keep their businesses going, the restaurants promote the traditional beliefs about the health benefits of game meat and they also make their dishes taste more like those of ordinary restaurants.

For those with an adventurous palate and who are game to try wildlife, now you know where J

Restaurant name: Sun Swee Restaurant

Address: 21-1, Main Road, Kulai Besar, Kulai, Johor

Map: http://g.co/maps/nxdsg

GPS: 1.651475,103.611245

Hours: Noon to 11:00pm (closed on Thurs)

Non Halal

Date visited: 2 May 2012

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