There has been a lot of buzz among Johor Sedap members about Al Mizan Satay House recently - one of JB's finest and oldest founded in 1973. So, foodie buddy Kumes and I decided to pop by Al Mizan for a visit.
Restaurant name: Al Mizan Satay House Address: 1 Jalan Kenangan, Kg. Malayu Majidee, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/dpE40 GPS: 1.504536,103.749733 Hours: 11:00am to 12:00midnight Halal
We found a simple but spacious and airy corner warung. It was a Monday evening. The neat and well kept place was peaceful with families, couples and groups of friends strolling in. Everything was relaxed and calm with cars passing by occasionally along Jalan Kenangan outside.
This is the simple counter. Al Mizan serves a few other dishes besides satay such as mee bandung Muar, ais kacang, their pretty good nasi goreng ayam sambal which we also tried, and others.
At one corner, Suhaimi was busy grilling satay.
The satay is grilled over red hot charcoal in a small BBQ - the simple kind that looks like a long trough.
Just a couple of dozen sticks at a time so they have Suhaimi's full attention - turning the satay over regularly.
Grilled to perfection. I was delighted with Al Mizan's beef satay.
The level of fragrance of Al Mizan's succulent beef satay reminds me of beef rendang. Each bite of the tender beef releases a cloud of sensual perfume - no kidding. It's aroma is delicate yet has a presence that lingers in your mouth and nose like a spray of perfume. But, I like this beef satay better than beef rendang because I prefer satay's springier texture and it's smoky flavoured, subtly gritty charred bits.
We also had a handful of chicken satay. I am never a big fan of chicken satay. Chicken meat used to make satay tends to be dry, cooked stiff and does not take in flavours very well, in my opinion.
At Al Mizan, the chicken meat is the same but the marinate is better than those I have tried elsewhere. Satay ayam (chicken) is nicer at Al Mizan but not enough to change my mind about chicken satay :P Chicken lovers, however, I am sure will appreciate this well marinated satay.
Another winning factor at Al Mizan is their peanut sauce - a vital element in good satay. The texture of the sauce was well balanced with the peanuts neither too fine like peanut butter nor too coarse like gravel. It's a warm savoury nutty gruel.
The slightly sweet, mildly savoury and gently spicy peanut sauce complemented the satay perfectly and was so good, I scooped up and ate Kumes' share when mine was finished.
Date visited: 20 Oct 2013
There has been a lot of buzz among Johor Sedap members about Al Mizan Satay House recently - one of JB's finest and oldest founded in 1973. So, foodie buddy Kumes and I decided to pop by Al Mizan for a visit.
Restaurant name: Al Mizan Satay House Address: 1 Jalan Kenangan, Kg. Malayu Majidee, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/dpE40 GPS: 1.504536,103.749733 Hours: 11:00am to 12:00midnight Halal
We found a simple but spacious and airy corner warung. It was a Monday evening. The neat and well kept place was peaceful with families, couples and groups of friends strolling in. Everything was relaxed and calm with cars passing by occasionally along Jalan Kenangan outside.
This is the simple counter. Al Mizan serves a few other dishes besides satay such as mee bandung Muar, ais kacang, their pretty good nasi goreng ayam sambal which we also tried, and others.
At one corner, Suhaimi was busy grilling satay.
The satay is grilled over red hot charcoal in a small BBQ - the simple kind that looks like a long trough.
Just a couple of dozen sticks at a time so they have Suhaimi's full attention - turning the satay over regularly.
Grilled to perfection. I was delighted with Al Mizan's beef satay.
The level of fragrance of Al Mizan's succulent beef satay reminds me of beef rendang. Each bite of the tender beef releases a cloud of sensual perfume - no kidding. It's aroma is delicate yet has a presence that lingers in your mouth and nose like a spray of perfume. But, I like this beef satay better than beef rendang because I prefer satay's springier texture and it's smoky flavoured, subtly gritty charred bits.
We also had a handful of chicken satay. I am never a big fan of chicken satay. Chicken meat used to make satay tends to be dry, cooked stiff and does not take in flavours very well, in my opinion.
At Al Mizan, the chicken meat is the same but the marinate is better than those I have tried elsewhere. Satay ayam (chicken) is nicer at Al Mizan but not enough to change my mind about chicken satay :P Chicken lovers, however, I am sure will appreciate this well marinated satay.
Another winning factor at Al Mizan is their peanut sauce - a vital element in good satay. The texture of the sauce was well balanced with the peanuts neither too fine like peanut butter nor too coarse like gravel. It's a warm savoury nutty gruel.
The slightly sweet, mildly savoury and gently spicy peanut sauce complemented the satay perfectly and was so good, I scooped up and ate Kumes' share when mine was finished.
On the way from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur to film the NTV7 Foodie Blogger TV series final episode, we took the opportunity to stop over and explore Muar food.
Walking along Jalan Maharani opposite the central bus station and wet market, we caught sight of plumes of orange flames like fiery tongues flicking skywards from a couple of satay stands set up along the busy five foot way.
Sometimes the rolling, licking tongues of flames shot up so high, it was like a fire eating performance by sidewalk buskers.
Well, these dramatic dancing fireworks were quite effective at attracting the attention of passers by, drawing them into R&H Cafe.
I stepped into R&H Cafe for a quick survey to see if this was a place for a possible good food find. The interior looked crammed and dim, and there were many people eating and milling around inside.
I made my way all the way to the back of the cafe which opened up to a bright and spacious courtyard. Seeing the place packed with happy people and how the tables were piled high with satay, mee rebus, tauhu goreng, drinks and other goodies, we decided to check out R&H Cafe.
A few copies of this picture, framed and proudly adorning the walls of the cafe, commemorate the visit by the Sultan of Johor to R&H Cafe. R&H Cafe's boss is the lady standing directly behind the Sultan.
We ordered satay, of course. This was the serving for two people but we were not expected to eat everything. Customers eat as many or as little as they like, and they are charged only for what they ate. Each stick of satay costs 60 sens.
The beef satay was firm and chewy but not hard, helped by pieces of juicy fat skewered together with the meat. Caramelised on the outside with charred edges.
The bits of spices and herbs clinging to the beef added interesting fragrant bursts when encountered and ground between our teeth.
Beef stomach satay.
The tripe satay was a little bland and chewy, but easily rescued by the savoury peanutty sauce. I like tripe because I enjoy its bouncy bite :)
R&H Cafe's chicken satay was one of the better ones that I have tasted. Caramelised on the outside and still tender and a little moist inside. The meat was a little bland but the spice and herbs managed to make the morsels tasty.
R&H Cafe provides "free flow" of ketupat which a staff will bring frequently on a tray.
Like the ketupat, the satay sauce at R&H Cafe was also "free flow". Peanutty, savoury, sweet and only very mildly spicy. The sauce was thick with bits of crushed peanut.
R&H Cafe's peanut sauce was creamy and thick. It was so good, I found myself scooping up the peanut sauce and enjoying it on its own.
Seeing that many customers ordered this Tauhu Lentok, we requested for one too.
Tauhu Lentok (RM3) is similar to tauhu goreng. Tauhu lentok has the same peanut sauce but with more soy sauce added making it more drippy and savoury. The crunchy bean sprouts were done just right.
Our asam boi drink.
We also ordered their popular Mee Jawa but it was already sold out :( This just means that we have to pop by at R&H Cafe again for unfinished business, the next time we are in Muar.
Restaurant name: R&H Cafe (Sate Maharani) Address: 130, Jalan Maharani (across the road from the central bus station and wet market) Map: http://goo.gl/maps/XfXaS GPS: 2.050540,102.570408 Hours: 7:30am to 12:30pm (Closed on Friday) Halal
Date visited: 17 Mar 2013
On the way from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur to film the NTV7 Foodie Blogger TV series final episode, we took the opportunity to stop over and explore Muar food.
Walking along Jalan Maharani opposite the central bus station and wet market, we caught sight of plumes of orange flames like fiery tongues flicking skywards from a couple of satay stands set up along the busy five foot way.
Sometimes the rolling, licking tongues of flames shot up so high, it was like a fire eating performance by sidewalk buskers.
Well, these dramatic dancing fireworks were quite effective at attracting the attention of passers by, drawing them into R&H Cafe.
I stepped into R&H Cafe for a quick survey to see if this was a place for a possible good food find. The interior looked crammed and dim, and there were many people eating and milling around inside.
I made my way all the way to the back of the cafe which opened up to a bright and spacious courtyard. Seeing the place packed with happy people and how the tables were piled high with satay, mee rebus, tauhu goreng, drinks and other goodies, we decided to check out R&H Cafe.
A few copies of this picture, framed and proudly adorning the walls of the cafe, commemorate the visit by the Sultan of Johor to R&H Cafe. R&H Cafe's boss is the lady standing directly behind the Sultan.
We ordered satay, of course. This was the serving for two people but we were not expected to eat everything. Customers eat as many or as little as they like, and they are charged only for what they ate. Each stick of satay costs 60 sens.
The beef satay was firm and chewy but not hard, helped by pieces of juicy fat skewered together with the meat. Caramelised on the outside with charred edges.
The bits of spices and herbs clinging to the beef added interesting fragrant bursts when encountered and ground between our teeth.
Beef stomach satay.
The tripe satay was a little bland and chewy, but easily rescued by the savoury peanutty sauce. I like tripe because I enjoy its bouncy bite :)
R&H Cafe's chicken satay was one of the better ones that I have tasted. Caramelised on the outside and still tender and a little moist inside. The meat was a little bland but the spice and herbs managed to make the morsels tasty.
R&H Cafe provides "free flow" of ketupat which a staff will bring frequently on a tray.
Like the ketupat, the satay sauce at R&H Cafe was also "free flow". Peanutty, savoury, sweet and only very mildly spicy. The sauce was thick with bits of crushed peanut.
R&H Cafe's peanut sauce was creamy and thick. It was so good, I found myself scooping up the peanut sauce and enjoying it on its own.
Seeing that many customers ordered this Tauhu Lentok, we requested for one too.
Tauhu Lentok (RM3) is similar to tauhu goreng. Tauhu lentok has the same peanut sauce but with more soy sauce added making it more drippy and savoury. The crunchy bean sprouts were done just right.
Our asam boi drink.
We also ordered their popular Mee Jawa but it was already sold out :( This just means that we have to pop by at R&H Cafe again for unfinished business, the next time we are in Muar.
Restaurant name: R&H Cafe (Sate Maharani) Address: 130, Jalan Maharani (across the road from the central bus station and wet market) Map: http://goo.gl/maps/XfXaS GPS: 2.050540,102.570408 Hours: 7:30am to 12:30pm (Closed on Friday) Halal
