Star Chef Restaurant in Gelang Patah (near Legoland) in Johor, Malaysia

Alex the boss of Star Chef restaurant in Gelang Patah (near Legoland) invited me to visit his family's seafood farm in Pontian which supplies his restaurant. The seafood farm in Pontian uses sea water with modern machinery and technology to rear wild caught crabs and lobsters, and fish.

The cement vats for crabs

 

Star Chef restaurant is only about 20 minutes drive from their seafood farm, so only adequate stock of crabs are brought daily to the restaurant. Additional stock of crabs will be brought to the restaurant only when the stock runs low. In this way, only the freshest crabs are served at Star Chef restaurant.

No wonder when I went to Star Chef restaurant in Gelang Patah, I did not find piles of forlorn, tired looking crabs, that I often saw at seafood restaurants.

 

Star Chef get their crabs from Orang Asli fishermen. The daily catch of crabs are first kept in those large cement vats and fed with fish for about a week before there are ready for the table. Local crabs caught by Orang Asli fishermen are relatively small - about 500 grams each and they have sweeter meat. 

Star Chef also source their crabs from Sabah and Indonesia. These imported crabs are also brought to the farm for fattening. Sabah and Indonesian crabs are larger, commonly about 1 kilo each and they are not as sweet as local crabs.

The price of crab, is of course, seasonal. Tonight, the medium size crabs go for RM65. The large size crabs go for RM80.

I have already tried Star Chef's salted egg crab and their signature "King of Crab" which is crab baked in tangy sauce in an aluminium foil bag. I liked Star Chef's salted egg crab and am not a big fan of their tangy tasting crab as I personally associate crabs with spicy and savoury umami flavours. In that sense, I am a little conservative and less adventurous here.

White pepper crab

Tonight, I opted for Star Chef's white pepper crab and black pepper crab.

Black pepper crab

 

The crabs were well executed with the umami flavours well seared in and nicely complemented by the spicy sauce. The pepper sauce was just nice and did not overwhelm the natural flavours of the meaty crabs. If the pepper sauce were a little more syrupy, drippy so that I can dab a bit of it onto the crab meat before eating it, that would make this dish perfect for me.

This plate of Vietnamese style spicy fried bee hoon for RM5. I like this bee hoon tossed and fried in seafood broth in a super heated wok till it is dry outside.

I was surprised how much effort and skill went into making this simple and humble dish.

A small steamed grouper fish RM28

We had this freshly caught grouper steamed and served with a light savoury sauce. The Chef did well to highlight the natural sweetness of the fresh grouper with the light sauce.

 

Click on this photo to read my earlier post on Star Chef restaurant.

 

 

Restaurant name: Restaurant Star Chef 星名廚
Address: 51, Jalan Gelang Emas 1, Taman Gelang Emas, Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/qTJV6
GPS: 1.450726,103.585367
Hours: 09:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on alternate Thursdays)
Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Oct 2012, 28 Nov 2012

Alex the boss of Star Chef restaurant in Gelang Patah (near Legoland) invited me to visit his family's seafood farm in Pontian which supplies his restaurant. The seafood farm in Pontian uses sea water with modern machinery and technology to rear wild caught crabs and lobsters, and fish.

The cement vats for crabs

 

Star Chef restaurant is only about 20 minutes drive from their seafood farm, so only adequate stock of crabs are brought daily to the restaurant. Additional stock of crabs will be brought to the restaurant only when the stock runs low. In this way, only the freshest crabs are served at Star Chef restaurant.

No wonder when I went to Star Chef restaurant in Gelang Patah, I did not find piles of forlorn, tired looking crabs, that I often saw at seafood restaurants.

 

Star Chef get their crabs from Orang Asli fishermen. The daily catch of crabs are first kept in those large cement vats and fed with fish for about a week before there are ready for the table. Local crabs caught by Orang Asli fishermen are relatively small - about 500 grams each and they have sweeter meat. 

Star Chef also source their crabs from Sabah and Indonesia. These imported crabs are also brought to the farm for fattening. Sabah and Indonesian crabs are larger, commonly about 1 kilo each and they are not as sweet as local crabs.

The price of crab, is of course, seasonal. Tonight, the medium size crabs go for RM65. The large size crabs go for RM80.

I have already tried Star Chef's salted egg crab and their signature "King of Crab" which is crab baked in tangy sauce in an aluminium foil bag. I liked Star Chef's salted egg crab and am not a big fan of their tangy tasting crab as I personally associate crabs with spicy and savoury umami flavours. In that sense, I am a little conservative and less adventurous here.

White pepper crab

Tonight, I opted for Star Chef's white pepper crab and black pepper crab.

Black pepper crab

 

The crabs were well executed with the umami flavours well seared in and nicely complemented by the spicy sauce. The pepper sauce was just nice and did not overwhelm the natural flavours of the meaty crabs. If the pepper sauce were a little more syrupy, drippy so that I can dab a bit of it onto the crab meat before eating it, that would make this dish perfect for me.

This plate of Vietnamese style spicy fried bee hoon for RM5. I like this bee hoon tossed and fried in seafood broth in a super heated wok till it is dry outside.

I was surprised how much effort and skill went into making this simple and humble dish.

A small steamed grouper fish RM28

We had this freshly caught grouper steamed and served with a light savoury sauce. The Chef did well to highlight the natural sweetness of the fresh grouper with the light sauce.

 

Click on this photo to read my earlier post on Star Chef restaurant.

 

 

Restaurant name: Restaurant Star Chef 星名廚
Address: 51, Jalan Gelang Emas 1, Taman Gelang Emas, Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/qTJV6
GPS: 1.450726,103.585367
Hours: 09:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on alternate Thursdays)
Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Oct 2012, 28 Nov 2012

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Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 in Taman Sri Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Update: This restaurant has moved with effect from 12 Oct 2012. Only the address has changed, the management, Chief Chef, kitchen crew, and staff remained the same. The updated information is as follows:

Restaurant name: Restaurant Star Chef 星名廚
Address: 51, Jalan Gelang Emas 1, Taman Gelang Emas, Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/qTJV6
GPS: 1.451155,103.585903
Hours: 08:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on alternate Thursday)
Non Halal

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following post is based on the restaurant's previous location in Taman Sri Skudai.

Just came back from a sumptuous dinner at Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 in Taman Sri Skudai, JB at the invitation of the owner, Alex. It's 00:30am but I couldn't wait till tomorrow to tell you about these delicious dishes that we had :)

 

Beautifully executed san lou bee hoon 三楼炒米粉. The slightly caramelised bee hoon and ingredients were crunchy yet soft and juicy with seafood broth.

 

 

This delectable Johor classic cost RM5.

 

 

Star Chef Skudai's fried chicken 麻辣炸鸡 in spicy sauce was an interesting twist from the usual fried chicken.

 

 

Despite it's name, the 麻辣 gravy was savoury and not too spicy (for me). Our half chicken cost RM16.

 

 

Fried Cod fish steak 干煎云鱼 - delicately crispy on the outside with a tasty sauce yet tender, sweet and juicy inside. 

 

 

I love the creamy, fatty flesh of Cod fish. Very well worth the RM30 indulgence.

 

 

This local crab (wild caught by Orang Asli fishermen) fried in salted egg yolk 黄金大肉蟹 was our RM38 treat (weighed in at a little over 500 grams).

 

 

The crab's meaty flesh was firm and sweet. The salted egg gravy made me first licked the crab shell, and then couldn't resist licking my fingers later :)

 

 

Star Chef Skudai's signature tofu 金汁腐竹豆腐 was served together with generous amounts of fried tofu skin soaking in a golden hued gravy.

 

 

The fried tofu skin soaked up loads of the savoury, smooth gravy, turning them into hard-to-resist crunchy, and tasty treats.   

 

 

The home made tofu was embedded with tiny cubes of century egg which added interesting textures and taste to the usual tofu.

 

 

I snapped a picture of the cosy and well appointed private dining area before the dinner crowd started arriving :)

 

 

I am always fascinated by chefs at work and can't resist taking this shot of Chef Chua artfully toss frying the san lou bee hoon :)

 

The Monday evening crowd.

 

The spacious, air conditioned restaurant was comfortable and service was sincere and attentive.

 

Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 is a friendly place with nice ambiance to enjoy delicious dishes prepared by star chefs at very reasonable prices.

 

  

Restaurant name: Star Chef Skudai 星名廚
Address: 1, Jalan Emas Putih 4, Taman Sri Skudai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/BQpnW
GPS: 1.546333,103.656606
Hours: 10:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on Thursday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 17 Sep 2012



Update: This restaurant has moved with effect from 12 Oct 2012. Only the address has changed, the management, Chief Chef, kitchen crew, and staff remained the same. The updated information is as follows:

Restaurant name: Restaurant Star Chef 星名廚
Address: 51, Jalan Gelang Emas 1, Taman Gelang Emas, Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/qTJV6
GPS: 1.451155,103.585903
Hours: 08:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on alternate Thursday)
Non Halal

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following post is based on the restaurant's previous location in Taman Sri Skudai.

Just came back from a sumptuous dinner at Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 in Taman Sri Skudai, JB at the invitation of the owner, Alex. It's 00:30am but I couldn't wait till tomorrow to tell you about these delicious dishes that we had :)

 

Beautifully executed san lou bee hoon 三楼炒米粉. The slightly caramelised bee hoon and ingredients were crunchy yet soft and juicy with seafood broth.

 

 

This delectable Johor classic cost RM5.

 

 

Star Chef Skudai's fried chicken 麻辣炸鸡 in spicy sauce was an interesting twist from the usual fried chicken.

 

 

Despite it's name, the 麻辣 gravy was savoury and not too spicy (for me). Our half chicken cost RM16.

 

 

Fried Cod fish steak 干煎云鱼 - delicately crispy on the outside with a tasty sauce yet tender, sweet and juicy inside. 

 

 

I love the creamy, fatty flesh of Cod fish. Very well worth the RM30 indulgence.

 

 

This local crab (wild caught by Orang Asli fishermen) fried in salted egg yolk 黄金大肉蟹 was our RM38 treat (weighed in at a little over 500 grams).

 

 

The crab's meaty flesh was firm and sweet. The salted egg gravy made me first licked the crab shell, and then couldn't resist licking my fingers later :)

 

 

Star Chef Skudai's signature tofu 金汁腐竹豆腐 was served together with generous amounts of fried tofu skin soaking in a golden hued gravy.

 

 

The fried tofu skin soaked up loads of the savoury, smooth gravy, turning them into hard-to-resist crunchy, and tasty treats.   

 

 

The home made tofu was embedded with tiny cubes of century egg which added interesting textures and taste to the usual tofu.

 

 

I snapped a picture of the cosy and well appointed private dining area before the dinner crowd started arriving :)

 

 

I am always fascinated by chefs at work and can't resist taking this shot of Chef Chua artfully toss frying the san lou bee hoon :)

 

The Monday evening crowd.

 

The spacious, air conditioned restaurant was comfortable and service was sincere and attentive.

 

Star Chef Skudai 星名廚 is a friendly place with nice ambiance to enjoy delicious dishes prepared by star chefs at very reasonable prices.

 

  

Restaurant name: Star Chef Skudai 星名廚
Address: 1, Jalan Emas Putih 4, Taman Sri Skudai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/BQpnW
GPS: 1.546333,103.656606
Hours: 10:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30am to 10:30pm (Closed on Thursday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 17 Sep 2012



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