I've heard a lot about the famous Asam Pedas Mak Pon in Muar and was delighted when Tourism Malaysia Johor brought us there as part of the Johor Food Trail 2013 edition.
The stall is run by Mak Pon (who else? :P) and her daughter.
Asam Pedas Mak Pon is always packed, especially during weekends and public holidays.
The sight of those large Ikan Merah (Red Snapper fish) heads and aroma of asam pedas sent my salivary glands into overdrive straightaway.
Local sea catfish or Ikan Mayong - something which I want to come back for. Missed this, this time round as Tourism Malaysia was doing the ordering and they didn't pick this :P
The hot selling Ikan Kembung.
The fish were large, thick and super fresh. The heads were huge with generous amounts of meat.
The traditional soupy asam pedas gravy was a blend of tangy, savoury and spicy - in that order. Personally, I prefer asam pedas that is spicy, tangy, savoury (the way they do it in Batu Pahat).
To me the main attraction of Asam Pedas Mak Pon and the other asam pedas stalls in this food centre in Parit Jawa is their fresh fish.
Why is the fish so fresh? Well, Asam Pedas Mak Pon is definitely less than 100 foot steps from these fishing boats. So, you can imagine, the fish is literary straight from the sea to the table :)
I will be back at Parit Jawa because I like the chunky ocean fresh fish, charming fishing village ambiance and it's an easy 45 minutes drive from Muar city. I also want to try the Chinese style asam pedas warung under the trees just steps away from Medan Asam Pedas.
Restaurant name: Asam Pedas Mak Pon Address: Stall no. 6, Medan Asam Pedas (off Jalan Jabbar) Parit Jawa, Muar, Johor (south of Muar city) Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Jmg4D GPS: 1.950661,102.635049 Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm (Fridays off) Halal
Date visited: 25 Jun 2013
I've heard a lot about the famous Asam Pedas Mak Pon in Muar and was delighted when Tourism Malaysia Johor brought us there as part of the Johor Food Trail 2013 edition.
The stall is run by Mak Pon (who else? :P) and her daughter.
Asam Pedas Mak Pon is always packed, especially during weekends and public holidays.
The sight of those large Ikan Merah (Red Snapper fish) heads and aroma of asam pedas sent my salivary glands into overdrive straightaway.
Local sea catfish or Ikan Mayong - something which I want to come back for. Missed this, this time round as Tourism Malaysia was doing the ordering and they didn't pick this :P
The hot selling Ikan Kembung.
The fish were large, thick and super fresh. The heads were huge with generous amounts of meat.
The traditional soupy asam pedas gravy was a blend of tangy, savoury and spicy - in that order. Personally, I prefer asam pedas that is spicy, tangy, savoury (the way they do it in Batu Pahat).
To me the main attraction of Asam Pedas Mak Pon and the other asam pedas stalls in this food centre in Parit Jawa is their fresh fish.
Why is the fish so fresh? Well, Asam Pedas Mak Pon is definitely less than 100 foot steps from these fishing boats. So, you can imagine, the fish is literary straight from the sea to the table :)
I will be back at Parit Jawa because I like the chunky ocean fresh fish, charming fishing village ambiance and it's an easy 45 minutes drive from Muar city. I also want to try the Chinese style asam pedas warung under the trees just steps away from Medan Asam Pedas.
Restaurant name: Asam Pedas Mak Pon Address: Stall no. 6, Medan Asam Pedas (off Jalan Jabbar) Parit Jawa, Muar, Johor (south of Muar city) Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Jmg4D GPS: 1.950661,102.635049 Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm (Fridays off) Halal
This year's Tourism Malaysia Johor's food trail goes to the historic riverine town of Muar or Bandar Maharani. (Tourism Malaysia Johor has a popular food trail based in Johor Bahru.) Tourism Malaysia Johor invited me to participate in the launch of the Muar Food Trail from 23 to 26 June 2013.
Day 1
We gathered in Johor Bahru and proceeded to our first stop - Nasuha Herbs and Spices Paradise off Jalan Muar-Pagoh. Nasuha is a herbs plantation offering restaurants, spa, accommodations, plantation tours and outdoor activities.
The second food trail stop was Norseha Ikan Baker at Medan Sabak Awor where we had dinner. Dinner was a sumptuous spread of fresh seafood such as fish, crabs, mussels and squids cooked the traditional way by Puan Norseha and her cheerful team.
Our tummies filled, we then proceeded to the Tanjung Emas jetty to board the ferry for the interesting firefly tour along Sungai Muar.
After seeing the fireflies, it was nearly midnight and we had stomach space for supper! The famous Muar Soup House was our supper. Well past midnight and Muar Soup House was still a hive of activity, many people were tucking in their soup with a teh tarik.
Day 2
The first event on the second day was the official launch ceremony of the Muar Food Trail hosted by Majlis Perbandaran Muar at the Muar Traders Hotel.
We were then back again at the Tamjung Emas jetty but this time the ferry took us out to the mouth of Sungai Muar to meet up with the sampans fishing for oysters. This was fascinating! The fishermen dived for oysters without diving gear. They fished for wild oysters the same way as was done long, long ago.
After watching oyster fishing, we went back to downtown Muar for Mee Bandung, an iconic local dish. One of the best examples is at Kedai Mee Bandung Abu Bakar.
Dinner was BBQ fare at Mann Chalet at Kampung Seri Pantai.
Day 3
We started the day with a sumptuous and scrumptious breakfast at the popular R&H Cafe Sate Maharani.
R&H Cafe is famous for their sate (satay) which, uniquely in Muar, is eaten during breakfast.
Besides the delicious sate we had mee rebus Jawa, lontong, tauhu lentok, nasi ambeng, and nasi lemak just to name a few.
We then took a drive to the Kopi 434 plantation and factory. We were shown the coffee production process from harvesting the coffee berries, to husking, roasting and packing. We sampled Kopi 434's premium quality Elephant Brand Liberica coffee and also dropped by at their outlet at Jalan Maharani.
Next stop was the famous Asam Pedas Mak Pon at Parit Jawa. Very fresh fish cooked in mildly spicy asam pedas.
After lunch, we proceeded to Homestay Parit Bugis and visited various traditional cottage industries in the village such as Tempe, Cakar Ayam, Kuih Bahulu and Gula Melaka production.
We spent the night at Homestay Parit Bugis. We were treated to a traditional nasi ambeng dinner where all the guests enjoyed mixing and sharing the delicious food together. This is a great traditional bonding experience not to be missed. Reminds me of the Chinese lou hei (toss raw fish salad) during Chinese New Year.
After-dinner entertainment were the amazing Kuda Kepang and Barongan performances.
The dancers swaying rhythmically to the hypnotic beat.
I was thrilled by the Barongan dance but some in the audience found it rather "scary".
Day 4
The next morning we bid farewell to our gracious hosts while having a breakfast of traditional kuih (sweet cakes) and nasi lemak.
It was a very interesting 4 days getting to know Muar and especially it's people, culture and traditional foods.
Tourism Malaysia Johor's Muar Food Trail 2013 is a very well thought out food tour itinerary that tourists will find very helpful.
This year's Tourism Malaysia Johor's food trail goes to the historic riverine town of Muar or Bandar Maharani. (Tourism Malaysia Johor has a popular food trail based in Johor Bahru.) Tourism Malaysia Johor invited me to participate in the launch of the Muar Food Trail from 23 to 26 June 2013.
Day 1
We gathered in Johor Bahru and proceeded to our first stop - Nasuha Herbs and Spices Paradise off Jalan Muar-Pagoh. Nasuha is a herbs plantation offering restaurants, spa, accommodations, plantation tours and outdoor activities.
The second food trail stop was Norseha Ikan Baker at Medan Sabak Awor where we had dinner. Dinner was a sumptuous spread of fresh seafood such as fish, crabs, mussels and squids cooked the traditional way by Puan Norseha and her cheerful team.
Our tummies filled, we then proceeded to the Tanjung Emas jetty to board the ferry for the interesting firefly tour along Sungai Muar.
After seeing the fireflies, it was nearly midnight and we had stomach space for supper! The famous Muar Soup House was our supper. Well past midnight and Muar Soup House was still a hive of activity, many people were tucking in their soup with a teh tarik.
Day 2
The first event on the second day was the official launch ceremony of the Muar Food Trail hosted by Majlis Perbandaran Muar at the Muar Traders Hotel.
We were then back again at the Tamjung Emas jetty but this time the ferry took us out to the mouth of Sungai Muar to meet up with the sampans fishing for oysters. This was fascinating! The fishermen dived for oysters without diving gear. They fished for wild oysters the same way as was done long, long ago.
After watching oyster fishing, we went back to downtown Muar for Mee Bandung, an iconic local dish. One of the best examples is at Kedai Mee Bandung Abu Bakar.
Dinner was BBQ fare at Mann Chalet at Kampung Seri Pantai.
Day 3
We started the day with a sumptuous and scrumptious breakfast at the popular R&H Cafe Sate Maharani.
R&H Cafe is famous for their sate (satay) which, uniquely in Muar, is eaten during breakfast.
Besides the delicious sate we had mee rebus Jawa, lontong, tauhu lentok, nasi ambeng, and nasi lemak just to name a few.
We then took a drive to the Kopi 434 plantation and factory. We were shown the coffee production process from harvesting the coffee berries, to husking, roasting and packing. We sampled Kopi 434's premium quality Elephant Brand Liberica coffee and also dropped by at their outlet at Jalan Maharani.
Next stop was the famous Asam Pedas Mak Pon at Parit Jawa. Very fresh fish cooked in mildly spicy asam pedas.
After lunch, we proceeded to Homestay Parit Bugis and visited various traditional cottage industries in the village such as Tempe, Cakar Ayam, Kuih Bahulu and Gula Melaka production.
We spent the night at Homestay Parit Bugis. We were treated to a traditional nasi ambeng dinner where all the guests enjoyed mixing and sharing the delicious food together. This is a great traditional bonding experience not to be missed. Reminds me of the Chinese lou hei (toss raw fish salad) during Chinese New Year.
After-dinner entertainment were the amazing Kuda Kepang and Barongan performances.
The dancers swaying rhythmically to the hypnotic beat.
I was thrilled by the Barongan dance but some in the audience found it rather "scary".
Day 4
The next morning we bid farewell to our gracious hosts while having a breakfast of traditional kuih (sweet cakes) and nasi lemak.
It was a very interesting 4 days getting to know Muar and especially it's people, culture and traditional foods.
Tourism Malaysia Johor's Muar Food Trail 2013 is a very well thought out food tour itinerary that tourists will find very helpful.
It was the night after the "Big Haze" in Muar. The night before, Muar recorded a whopping PSI (Air Pollutant Index) of 741.
The famous Muar Soup House was on our supper plan arranged by Tourism Malaysia Johor. The haze had subsided considerably and Muar Soup House was temptingly just around the corner from Classic Hotel where we were staying. Peering through the receding haze and sniffing the air, we decided that it was safe enough to venture a little out of the hotel. So we pulled on our masks and proceeded for our soup supper as planned.
When we rounded the corner and arrived at Muar Soup House, there was already a big crowd of people out and about. Actually, it was Monday morning. LOL people were out perhaps celebrating an unexpected "public holiday" because schools and offices were closed on Monday due to the haze emergency.
Coming back to food, Muar Soup House started as a typical pedicab stall in 1958. Today, it occupies 3 shophouses in downtown Muar. Muar Soup House now has a full range of food and drinks like those at 24-hour Mamak cafes. But, at Muar Soup House, it is still their famous mutton and beef soups that are their main draw.
Even today, the famous soups are served from this signature push cart, just like the old days.
The action at the soup cart was frantic and non stop.
The big pots of simmering soup and meat - not very photogenic but something that many crave for.
To stay out of the haze, we chose to sit inside the air con section which has plush seats and nice marble tables. Well past midnight and business was still brisk.
My sup kambing at RM5. The soup was spicy, herbal, robust and not overly oily (excessive oiliness is a common fault of average sup kambing). The bowl was loaded with generous chunks of tender mutton. It had that mutton flavour that I like and yet was not overly gamey, so most people would enjoy it too. Needless to say, I finished the whole bowl with gusto.
The sup tulang or lamb shank soup at RM7. (Another person's order, so I didn't taste this but everybody seemed happy and satisfied.)
The lady boss whipping up a Mee Bandung Muar - a Muar signature dish that I need to come back for at Muar Soup House. She is the second generation owner running this large shop with her younger brother. Her brother told me that a Muar Soup House branch will be opening soon in Johor Bahru :)
Restaurant name: Muar Soup House Address: 47, Jalan Sisi, Muar, Johor (near Classic Hotel) Map: http://goo.gl/maps/v2MPY GPS: 2.045666,102.566455 Hours: 24 hours Halal
Date visited: 23 Jun 2013
It was the night after the "Big Haze" in Muar. The night before, Muar recorded a whopping PSI (Air Pollutant Index) of 741.
The famous Muar Soup House was on our supper plan arranged by Tourism Malaysia Johor. The haze had subsided considerably and Muar Soup House was temptingly just around the corner from Classic Hotel where we were staying. Peering through the receding haze and sniffing the air, we decided that it was safe enough to venture a little out of the hotel. So we pulled on our masks and proceeded for our soup supper as planned.
When we rounded the corner and arrived at Muar Soup House, there was already a big crowd of people out and about. Actually, it was Monday morning. LOL people were out perhaps celebrating an unexpected "public holiday" because schools and offices were closed on Monday due to the haze emergency.
Coming back to food, Muar Soup House started as a typical pedicab stall in 1958. Today, it occupies 3 shophouses in downtown Muar. Muar Soup House now has a full range of food and drinks like those at 24-hour Mamak cafes. But, at Muar Soup House, it is still their famous mutton and beef soups that are their main draw.
Even today, the famous soups are served from this signature push cart, just like the old days.
The action at the soup cart was frantic and non stop.
The big pots of simmering soup and meat - not very photogenic but something that many crave for.
To stay out of the haze, we chose to sit inside the air con section which has plush seats and nice marble tables. Well past midnight and business was still brisk.
My sup kambing at RM5. The soup was spicy, herbal, robust and not overly oily (excessive oiliness is a common fault of average sup kambing). The bowl was loaded with generous chunks of tender mutton. It had that mutton flavour that I like and yet was not overly gamey, so most people would enjoy it too. Needless to say, I finished the whole bowl with gusto.
The sup tulang or lamb shank soup at RM7. (Another person's order, so I didn't taste this but everybody seemed happy and satisfied.)
The lady boss whipping up a Mee Bandung Muar - a Muar signature dish that I need to come back for at Muar Soup House. She is the second generation owner running this large shop with her younger brother. Her brother told me that a Muar Soup House branch will be opening soon in Johor Bahru :)
Restaurant name: Muar Soup House Address: 47, Jalan Sisi, Muar, Johor (near Classic Hotel) Map: http://goo.gl/maps/v2MPY GPS: 2.045666,102.566455 Hours: 24 hours Halal
The first time I heard about Muar oysters was from the lady boss of Ah Hua kway teow thng at Jalan Segget in old downtown Johor Bahru.
Ah Hua at Jalan Segget is famous for their RM16 fully loaded kway teow thng. The lady boss proudly told me that "I use only Muar oysters. More expensive but the best."
A quick search of the Singapore National Library archives revealed that Muar oysters were already a well known, much sought after delicacy even during the early 1900s.
You can imagine how excited I was to have a chance to see oyster divers in action in the Muar river during the Muar Food Trail by Tourism Malaysia Johor.
We boarded a ferry at the Tanjung Emas jetty to link up with the divers' sampans at the Muar river mouth.
The divers start work each day when the tide is low. Coming out in groups in motorised sampans.
The diver heaved himself high above the water to take a long, deep breath. The divers dive just by holding their breath under water - no breathing apparatus is used.
The divers then disappeared under the water. The only things still visible were the sampans and the long wooden poles. As the current was swift in the Muar river, the boats continued to drift at a fast clip towards the sea while the divers were looking for oysters. The divers used the long poles to guide them down and up the oyster bed.
A few minutes later, the diver surfaced and threw the oysters into the sampan.
A middle man with a freshly caught oyster. At the time of writing, the divers sold the oysters to the middle man at RM20 per kilo. This seems like quite a fair price for the divers' hard work, considering how heavy oyster shells are.
The Muar oyster that I ate straight from the Muar river bed. The slippery oyster was soft, fat, juicy, savoury and creamy.
The first time I heard about Muar oysters was from the lady boss of Ah Hua kway teow thng at Jalan Segget in old downtown Johor Bahru.
Ah Hua at Jalan Segget is famous for their RM16 fully loaded kway teow thng. The lady boss proudly told me that "I use only Muar oysters. More expensive but the best."
A quick search of the Singapore National Library archives revealed that Muar oysters were already a well known, much sought after delicacy even during the early 1900s.
You can imagine how excited I was to have a chance to see oyster divers in action in the Muar river during the Muar Food Trail by Tourism Malaysia Johor.
We boarded a ferry at the Tanjung Emas jetty to link up with the divers' sampans at the Muar river mouth.
The divers start work each day when the tide is low. Coming out in groups in motorised sampans.
The diver heaved himself high above the water to take a long, deep breath. The divers dive just by holding their breath under water - no breathing apparatus is used.
The divers then disappeared under the water. The only things still visible were the sampans and the long wooden poles. As the current was swift in the Muar river, the boats continued to drift at a fast clip towards the sea while the divers were looking for oysters. The divers used the long poles to guide them down and up the oyster bed.
A few minutes later, the diver surfaced and threw the oysters into the sampan.
A middle man with a freshly caught oyster. At the time of writing, the divers sold the oysters to the middle man at RM20 per kilo. This seems like quite a fair price for the divers' hard work, considering how heavy oyster shells are.
The Muar oyster that I ate straight from the Muar river bed. The slippery oyster was soft, fat, juicy, savoury and creamy.
