Poh Kee 宝记 Teochew Noodle Soup in Taman Century, Johor Bahru

When people ask me what is my favourite food, mee pok doesn't come to mind. But whenever I am at a food centre, after going around a couple of times looking, more often than not, it is the mee pok stall that I settled for. When I am far from home and miss home food, it is mee pok that I think of, not char kway teow, and certainly not chili crab.

So when my friend Jeff shared on Johor Yummy group about his favourite mee pok shop in JB, I wasted no time to check it out. You can trust Jeff's word on mee pok - his brother runs the famous mee pok shop in Permas Jaya, JB.



When I saw that customers were spilling over the side walks at 11:00am at Poh Kee 宝记, I knew this has to be something special. Somehow, popular old style noodle shops in JB look similar in the way the people gather :) 



I approached the lady boss hesitantly and mumbled half audibly something to the effect of "Boss, your food is very nice. May I take some photos of you at work?" The lady boss's spontaneous response immediately put me at ease :)



Soon the friendly boss, Mr. Tan, joined us at our table to chat. Mr. Tan was in the logging industry in Indonesia before retiring and returning to Johor Bahru. Since returning to JB, Mr. Tan sold wanton mee for a while in Taman Pelangi and when the opportunity arose about a year ago, he moved here to start this Teochew kway teow stall.

Mr. Tan and his wife are food lovers and have been making and enjoying old style Teochew kway teow soup all these years. So, when the time came to make it a business, it was almost second nature for the Tans. Furthermore, the Tans already had a following from their wanton mee stall and friends from their logging business. Within a year, Poh Kee Teochew noodles stall became a famous name in JB.



My friend Euginn's RM5 bowl of mee pok comes with 3 pork balls, a fish ball, a few slices of fish cake, some small prawns and a small handful of minced pork. There was also a small bowl of prawn and pork soup.





My RM7.00 bowl had the same ingredients except for a larger mound of mee pok noodles.



The broad mee pok noodles were gently crunchy, pleasingly al dente. The sauce was subtly spicy from the home made chili sauce and had savoury hints from lard and soy sauce.
 


This prawn is not big but it is a wild sea prawn. Mr. Tan said that only this species of wild sea prawn can produce that distinctive prawny umami (savoury) flavour in the soup.



To me, Poh Kee's handmade fish ball set it apart from the rest. Poh Kee's fish balls are 100% fish meat with no starch added. They are bouncy but in a nicer way than starch/fish balls.



Mr. Tan gets up at 5:00am each business day to make these fish balls using Ikan Parang. Only a small quantity is made each day - just enough for the day's business. So, everything is fresh.



The thin slice of fish cake. Same flavour as the fish ball but a different mouth feel.



Each bowl comes with three pork balls. Bought from supplier so they were average, though good enough.



The pork bone and prawn soup was savoury and the prawny umami flavour was distinct. 



The pot of lard at Poh Kee 宝记. For some people, just a dollop of this potent liquid makes all the difference :)



Another customer's RM5 mee kia. I like Poh Kee's style of minced pork - Lau Tee another famous mee pok stall in JB has the same style of minced pork. Finely ground pork with little fat, blanched in the savoury prawn broth. At average stalls, the minced pork is coarser and has more fat.



Poh Kee is another excellent Teochew noodle stall in JB worth trying.

Restaurant name: Poh Kee 宝记 Teochew Noodle Soup
Address: 75, Jalan Dato Sulaiman, Taman Abad/ Century, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Uz9Qf
GPS: 1.480886,103.756985
Hours: 7:30am to 2:30pm (alternate Thursdays closed)
Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Aug 2013

When people ask me what is my favourite food, mee pok doesn't come to mind. But whenever I am at a food centre, after going around a couple of times looking, more often than not, it is the mee pok stall that I settled for. When I am far from home and miss home food, it is mee pok that I think of, not char kway teow, and certainly not chili crab.

So when my friend Jeff shared on Johor Yummy group about his favourite mee pok shop in JB, I wasted no time to check it out. You can trust Jeff's word on mee pok - his brother runs the famous mee pok shop in Permas Jaya, JB.



When I saw that customers were spilling over the side walks at 11:00am at Poh Kee 宝记, I knew this has to be something special. Somehow, popular old style noodle shops in JB look similar in the way the people gather :) 



I approached the lady boss hesitantly and mumbled half audibly something to the effect of "Boss, your food is very nice. May I take some photos of you at work?" The lady boss's spontaneous response immediately put me at ease :)



Soon the friendly boss, Mr. Tan, joined us at our table to chat. Mr. Tan was in the logging industry in Indonesia before retiring and returning to Johor Bahru. Since returning to JB, Mr. Tan sold wanton mee for a while in Taman Pelangi and when the opportunity arose about a year ago, he moved here to start this Teochew kway teow stall.

Mr. Tan and his wife are food lovers and have been making and enjoying old style Teochew kway teow soup all these years. So, when the time came to make it a business, it was almost second nature for the Tans. Furthermore, the Tans already had a following from their wanton mee stall and friends from their logging business. Within a year, Poh Kee Teochew noodles stall became a famous name in JB.



My friend Euginn's RM5 bowl of mee pok comes with 3 pork balls, a fish ball, a few slices of fish cake, some small prawns and a small handful of minced pork. There was also a small bowl of prawn and pork soup.





My RM7.00 bowl had the same ingredients except for a larger mound of mee pok noodles.



The broad mee pok noodles were gently crunchy, pleasingly al dente. The sauce was subtly spicy from the home made chili sauce and had savoury hints from lard and soy sauce.
 


This prawn is not big but it is a wild sea prawn. Mr. Tan said that only this species of wild sea prawn can produce that distinctive prawny umami (savoury) flavour in the soup.



To me, Poh Kee's handmade fish ball set it apart from the rest. Poh Kee's fish balls are 100% fish meat with no starch added. They are bouncy but in a nicer way than starch/fish balls.



Mr. Tan gets up at 5:00am each business day to make these fish balls using Ikan Parang. Only a small quantity is made each day - just enough for the day's business. So, everything is fresh.



The thin slice of fish cake. Same flavour as the fish ball but a different mouth feel.



Each bowl comes with three pork balls. Bought from supplier so they were average, though good enough.



The pork bone and prawn soup was savoury and the prawny umami flavour was distinct. 



The pot of lard at Poh Kee 宝记. For some people, just a dollop of this potent liquid makes all the difference :)



Another customer's RM5 mee kia. I like Poh Kee's style of minced pork - Lau Tee another famous mee pok stall in JB has the same style of minced pork. Finely ground pork with little fat, blanched in the savoury prawn broth. At average stalls, the minced pork is coarser and has more fat.



Poh Kee is another excellent Teochew noodle stall in JB worth trying.

Restaurant name: Poh Kee 宝记 Teochew Noodle Soup
Address: 75, Jalan Dato Sulaiman, Taman Abad/ Century, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Uz9Qf
GPS: 1.480886,103.756985
Hours: 7:30am to 2:30pm (alternate Thursdays closed)
Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Aug 2013

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Lau Di Kway Teow Soup 老弟潮州粿条汤 in Downtown Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 

Lau Di Kway Teow Soup 老弟潮州粿条汤 is an old gem in a pretty forgotten corner of JB old town.

 

MR Er's grandfather, Lau Di, started this Teochew kway teow soup stall before the Japanese Occupation of 1942.

Today, MR Er carries on the family tradition using the same methods and recipes of his grandfather, Lau Di 老弟. MR Er's uncle Ah Sang runs Sang Heng, the other old style kway teow soup stall just across Jalan Wong Ah Fook.

Lau Di had its heydays when the CIQ was at the old location as the stall was just next to the CIQ then. Since the CIQ shifted, traffic flow to Lau Di was much reduced. 

Most of the customers here are old regulars who know where the best foods are in JB and a new generation who tagged along with their parents. Though just across the Causeway, Lau Di doesn't have much Singapore customers nowadays.

 

 

Today, I decided to try mee kia instead of my usual favourites of either kway teow or mee pok. I asked for chili paste to be added to my soy and lard based sauce.

 

Those pork lard crackles that magically turn plain and simple traditional noodles into tasty delights. 

 

After a vigorous stir, the fine film of sauce and lard coated mee kia was tasty and tacky yet smooth. The noodles were el dente (QQ). MR Er told me that his wife and daughter make the fresh egg noodles everyday at home.

The same too for these fish balls and most of the ingredients which had been home made all these years.

 
The most striking thing about Lau Di was their soup. I liked Lau Di's murky, old style soup very much. Lau Di's soup had that distinct prawny aroma.

 

The cloudy soup has that umami flavour and nice prawny taste. The full bodied soup was not oily yet it felt smooth.

As usual, when making my order, I asked for no minced pork in my noodles as most kway teow soup stalls had much more fat in the minced pork than I would like. Later I noticed that Lau Di's minced pork is made completely with lean meat.

So, for my next visit, I shall ask for this minced pork which I am sure adds texture and flavour to the kway teow soup.

 

Lau Di is another heritage hawker in JB with that traditional old style taste and flavour worth visiting regularly.

Restaurant name: Lau Di Teochew Kway Teow Soup 老弟潮州粿条汤
Address: Along Jalan Siu Nam opposite the ESSO petrol station
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WB09l
GPS: 1.459103,103.766126
Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 15 Nov 2012

 

Lau Di Kway Teow Soup 老弟潮州粿条汤 is an old gem in a pretty forgotten corner of JB old town.

 

MR Er's grandfather, Lau Di, started this Teochew kway teow soup stall before the Japanese Occupation of 1942.

Today, MR Er carries on the family tradition using the same methods and recipes of his grandfather, Lau Di 老弟. MR Er's uncle Ah Sang runs Sang Heng, the other old style kway teow soup stall just across Jalan Wong Ah Fook.

Lau Di had its heydays when the CIQ was at the old location as the stall was just next to the CIQ then. Since the CIQ shifted, traffic flow to Lau Di was much reduced. 

Most of the customers here are old regulars who know where the best foods are in JB and a new generation who tagged along with their parents. Though just across the Causeway, Lau Di doesn't have much Singapore customers nowadays.

 

 

Today, I decided to try mee kia instead of my usual favourites of either kway teow or mee pok. I asked for chili paste to be added to my soy and lard based sauce.

 

Those pork lard crackles that magically turn plain and simple traditional noodles into tasty delights. 

 

After a vigorous stir, the fine film of sauce and lard coated mee kia was tasty and tacky yet smooth. The noodles were el dente (QQ). MR Er told me that his wife and daughter make the fresh egg noodles everyday at home.

The same too for these fish balls and most of the ingredients which had been home made all these years.

 
The most striking thing about Lau Di was their soup. I liked Lau Di's murky, old style soup very much. Lau Di's soup had that distinct prawny aroma.

 

The cloudy soup has that umami flavour and nice prawny taste. The full bodied soup was not oily yet it felt smooth.

As usual, when making my order, I asked for no minced pork in my noodles as most kway teow soup stalls had much more fat in the minced pork than I would like. Later I noticed that Lau Di's minced pork is made completely with lean meat.

So, for my next visit, I shall ask for this minced pork which I am sure adds texture and flavour to the kway teow soup.

 

Lau Di is another heritage hawker in JB with that traditional old style taste and flavour worth visiting regularly.

Restaurant name: Lau Di Teochew Kway Teow Soup 老弟潮州粿条汤
Address: Along Jalan Siu Nam opposite the ESSO petrol station
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WB09l
GPS: 1.459103,103.766126
Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 15 Nov 2012

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Sin Hock Guan 新福源 Mee Pok Tah @ Kakilang Coffee Shop in Taman Maju Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Whenever I am at any food court and could not find anything that I fancy, mee pok tah always comes to my rescue, and has never failed me. My daughter who was away in school for four years, came home and the food she misses is mee pok tah. And, I have friends who keep asking me the same question, "Where to find good mee pok tah in Johor Bahru"?

I found a good one, Kiang Kee in Taman Permas Jaya, and today I found another, Sin Hock Guan 新福源 in Taman Maju Jaya.

See that large block of ice used to keep the bean sprouts fresh?
It is details like this that make the difference.



Mdm Lim beaming with quiet confident pride

Sin Hock Guan 新福源 is run by a husband and wife team, the Lims, for the past 60 years. Mdm Lim cooks this traditional Teochew comfort food the same way she had been doing for the last 6 decades. It takes that special feel and expertise that can only come with years of experience to produce that characteristic QQ texture (al dente) in the noodles.

The QQ mee pok noodles were saturated with the spicy and slightly tangy sauce.

For RM6, we get a bowl of mee pok noodles in spicy sauce and a bowl of flavourful pork soup loaded with pork, liver, shrimps, handmade fish balls, fish dumplings and greens.

This is the favourite item that Sin Hock Guan's loyal following raves about. The super smooth and tender fresh handmade fish dumpling or hee kiaw 鱼饺 - not the rough and coarse kind we often get elsewhere. I don't know where else to find hee kiaw 鱼饺 this good.

Sin Hock Guan 新福源, old style mee pok tah prepared and served with the same pride and dedication for the last 60 years.

Ms Peggy Loh of the New Straits Times has written a nice article about the Lims' beautiful story. (The Lims have 8 grandchildren today J)


Restaurant name: Sin Hock Guan 新福源 (stall inside Kakilang coffee shop)
Address: Jalan Abiad 1, Taman Maju Jaya
Map: http://g.co/maps/hjzm5
GPS: 1.482528,103.767108
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Jun 2012

Whenever I am at any food court and could not find anything that I fancy, mee pok tah always comes to my rescue, and has never failed me. My daughter who was away in school for four years, came home and the food she misses is mee pok tah. And, I have friends who keep asking me the same question, "Where to find good mee pok tah in Johor Bahru"?

I found a good one, Kiang Kee in Taman Permas Jaya, and today I found another, Sin Hock Guan 新福源 in Taman Maju Jaya.

See that large block of ice used to keep the bean sprouts fresh?
It is details like this that make the difference.



Mdm Lim beaming with quiet confident pride

Sin Hock Guan 新福源 is run by a husband and wife team, the Lims, for the past 60 years. Mdm Lim cooks this traditional Teochew comfort food the same way she had been doing for the last 6 decades. It takes that special feel and expertise that can only come with years of experience to produce that characteristic QQ texture (al dente) in the noodles.

The QQ mee pok noodles were saturated with the spicy and slightly tangy sauce.

For RM6, we get a bowl of mee pok noodles in spicy sauce and a bowl of flavourful pork soup loaded with pork, liver, shrimps, handmade fish balls, fish dumplings and greens.

This is the favourite item that Sin Hock Guan's loyal following raves about. The super smooth and tender fresh handmade fish dumpling or hee kiaw 鱼饺 - not the rough and coarse kind we often get elsewhere. I don't know where else to find hee kiaw 鱼饺 this good.

Sin Hock Guan 新福源, old style mee pok tah prepared and served with the same pride and dedication for the last 60 years.

Ms Peggy Loh of the New Straits Times has written a nice article about the Lims' beautiful story. (The Lims have 8 grandchildren today J)


Restaurant name: Sin Hock Guan 新福源 (stall inside Kakilang coffee shop)
Address: Jalan Abiad 1, Taman Maju Jaya
Map: http://g.co/maps/hjzm5
GPS: 1.482528,103.767108
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Jun 2012

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Mee Pok Tah 面薄干 @ Restoran Kiang 亚坚 in Permas Jaya, Near JUSCO Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 

 

 

I was looking for a quick lunch in Permas Jaya when I stumbled upon a busy coffee shop crowded with customers inside and on the scorching sidewalks, even though it was already well passed lunch time.

I took a quick peek inside, and immediately felt the passion and frantic energy coming from the cooking area. This kind of buzz when the golden lunch hour was already well passed can only mean one thing – this is a prime candidate for a good food find.

Next, I scanned what the congregation was eating and ordered the same thing – a mee pok tah 面薄干 with soup.



Noodles boiled and then rinsed in cool water

The index test to ensure the mee pok meets the crucial q-ness index.
Look at his focus and expression as he feels the noodles -
is he not like a doctor taking a pulse?

Tossing the noodles with the fragrant blended sauce

Delivered with pride and sincerity



The stall owner Ah Kiang and his helper were like tango dancers in well co-ordinated motion. Despite the large crowd, they were obviously happy and appreciative of the support of their customers.

The bowl of dry mee pok tah reflected the frantic energy from where it just arrived from. The sides of the bowl were speckled with random spots of sauce – giving it that cosy proletariat feel, which I like. The spicy, tangy sauce was a fragrant blend of lard, vinegar, soy sauce and prawny sambal chili. There was just enough sauce to coat the noodles.

The homemade noodles were firm and slightly chewy and springy (or al dente in spaghetti speak) - the mark of good mee pok 面薄 noodles.

 

The tasty soup was loaded with ingredients but it was a tad oily for me. The people around me obviously liked it very much as they were slurping it all up with gusto ☻

 

 

 

During our second visit, we indulged in a little extras.

 

Ah Kiang makes an excellent rendition of that traditional Teochew comfort food.

 

Ah Kiang's dad at the 15 Storey flats

 

Ah Kiang 亚坚 is actually one of the popular hawkers from the (now demolished) 15 Storey flats. Ah Kiang's stall moved to Permas Jaya after the flats were demolished but his loyal customers followed him there.

 

 

Ah Kiang when he was younger.

 

 

Look who visited Ah Kiang 亚坚. Ah Kiang is one of the JB hawkers featured on the coming NTV7 13 part TV series "Foodie Blogger 爱食客" hosted by popular artiste Coby Chong 庄可比. The premiere episode featuring Johor hawkers will be televised on NTV7 on 17 Mar 2013 at 6:00pm.

 



 

 

Restaurant name: Restoran Kiang 亚坚

Address: Jalan Permas Sepuluh, Bandar Baru, Permas Jaya, Masai, Johor Bahru (just beside Cosway redemption centre)

Map: http://g.co/maps/2qkf4

GPS: 1.495894,103.815487
Hours: 7:00am to 5:00pm daily

Non Halal

Date visited: 6 Mar 2012, 24 Dec 2012

 

 

 

I was looking for a quick lunch in Permas Jaya when I stumbled upon a busy coffee shop crowded with customers inside and on the scorching sidewalks, even though it was already well passed lunch time.

I took a quick peek inside, and immediately felt the passion and frantic energy coming from the cooking area. This kind of buzz when the golden lunch hour was already well passed can only mean one thing – this is a prime candidate for a good food find.

Next, I scanned what the congregation was eating and ordered the same thing – a mee pok tah 面薄干 with soup.



Noodles boiled and then rinsed in cool water

The index test to ensure the mee pok meets the crucial q-ness index.
Look at his focus and expression as he feels the noodles -
is he not like a doctor taking a pulse?

Tossing the noodles with the fragrant blended sauce

Delivered with pride and sincerity



The stall owner Ah Kiang and his helper were like tango dancers in well co-ordinated motion. Despite the large crowd, they were obviously happy and appreciative of the support of their customers.

The bowl of dry mee pok tah reflected the frantic energy from where it just arrived from. The sides of the bowl were speckled with random spots of sauce – giving it that cosy proletariat feel, which I like. The spicy, tangy sauce was a fragrant blend of lard, vinegar, soy sauce and prawny sambal chili. There was just enough sauce to coat the noodles.

The homemade noodles were firm and slightly chewy and springy (or al dente in spaghetti speak) - the mark of good mee pok 面薄 noodles.

 

The tasty soup was loaded with ingredients but it was a tad oily for me. The people around me obviously liked it very much as they were slurping it all up with gusto ☻

 

 

 

During our second visit, we indulged in a little extras.

 

Ah Kiang makes an excellent rendition of that traditional Teochew comfort food.

 

Ah Kiang's dad at the 15 Storey flats

 

Ah Kiang 亚坚 is actually one of the popular hawkers from the (now demolished) 15 Storey flats. Ah Kiang's stall moved to Permas Jaya after the flats were demolished but his loyal customers followed him there.

 

 

Ah Kiang when he was younger.

 

 

Look who visited Ah Kiang 亚坚. Ah Kiang is one of the JB hawkers featured on the coming NTV7 13 part TV series "Foodie Blogger 爱食客" hosted by popular artiste Coby Chong 庄可比. The premiere episode featuring Johor hawkers will be televised on NTV7 on 17 Mar 2013 at 6:00pm.

 



 

 

Restaurant name: Restoran Kiang 亚坚

Address: Jalan Permas Sepuluh, Bandar Baru, Permas Jaya, Masai, Johor Bahru (just beside Cosway redemption centre)

Map: http://g.co/maps/2qkf4

GPS: 1.495894,103.815487
Hours: 7:00am to 5:00pm daily

Non Halal

Date visited: 6 Mar 2012, 24 Dec 2012

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