New Swee Kee 新瑞记 Chicken Rice in Senai, Johor Bahru

Swee Kee 瑞记 Hainanese chicken rice ruled the chicken rice world in Singapore for two generations from 1949 before closing in Feb 1997. The plan originally was to renovate and expand the old shop in Middle Road, Singapore which had become an icon for locals and tourists alike. Meanwhile, the family and workers returned to Senai in Johor where they came from. In Jun 1997, the relatives set up New Swee Kee 新瑞记 with the blessing of the founder Mr. Po 莫瑞安 who (for unknown reasons) did not proceed with the plans to expand Swee Kee in Singapore.

I have (unfortunately) never tried the original Swee Kee in Singapore but the worker who had been with the old shop told me some interesting snippets about it. He said that every day the founding boss 莫瑞安 would personally select the live chickens one by one, picking only the best ones. The chickens were then slaughtered at the old shop ensuring that the meat was super fresh. The old shop also used the best imported Thai fragrant rice.



Other than these two aspects, New Swee Kee followed the traditions of the old shop as the owner (who is a nephew of the founder) and some of the workers are from the old shop. This is the current boss, the younger Mr. Po 莫泽安's son-in-law who will help take Swee Kee into the third generation. 



New Swee Kee has done rather well - it was named one of the Top Ten chicken rice shops in Malaysia by Guang Ming Daily 光明日報 in 2007. New Swee Kee now occupies two shop lots in Senai. On the wall are several pictures of visits by celebrities and familiar dignitaries.

Now, Swee Kee is popular among the workers from the nearby Senai industrial park and golfers from the nearby Palm Golf Resort. Travellers using Senai airport also drop by.



The chickens are laid out in the old way in traditional large enamelled pans. Those in the foreground are normal farm chickens 肉鸡 and those in the background are kampung chickens.



We had half of a normal farm chicken 肉鸡. The chicken meat was tender with a firm, springy bite (not soft). The meat had a nice subtle chicken flavour and aroma.



The rice was fragrant, fluffy, flavoured with chicken oil but was not overly greasy. 



The clear chicken soup that comes with the order was fragrant and tasty. The umami flavour come from slow boiling these chicken heads and necks.



Swee Kee's ginger sauce is outstanding. It has the aroma and taste of ginger blended with savouriness from chicken oil. 



The chili sauce was the watery, drippy kind. My preference is for my chili sauce to be like a paste. 



We liked this fried taugeh (bean sprout) side dish. The fresh taugeh was stir fried with bits of salted fish and lard crackles.

Our total bill for half a normal farm chicken, taugeh and two herbal drinks came to RM25.

Swee Kee chicken rice is certainly one of the better chicken rice shops in Johor. I will eat at Swee Kee again, if I am nearby.





Restaurant name: Swee Kee 瑞记海南鸡饭
Address: 98, Jalan Bintang, Taman Bintang, Senai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/HAKB8
GPS: 1.614658,103.659009
Hours: 9:00am to 7:00pm (close at 3:00pm on Mondays)
Non Halal

Date visited: 29 Apr 2012

Swee Kee 瑞记 Hainanese chicken rice ruled the chicken rice world in Singapore for two generations from 1949 before closing in Feb 1997. The plan originally was to renovate and expand the old shop in Middle Road, Singapore which had become an icon for locals and tourists alike. Meanwhile, the family and workers returned to Senai in Johor where they came from. In Jun 1997, the relatives set up New Swee Kee 新瑞记 with the blessing of the founder Mr. Po 莫瑞安 who (for unknown reasons) did not proceed with the plans to expand Swee Kee in Singapore.

I have (unfortunately) never tried the original Swee Kee in Singapore but the worker who had been with the old shop told me some interesting snippets about it. He said that every day the founding boss 莫瑞安 would personally select the live chickens one by one, picking only the best ones. The chickens were then slaughtered at the old shop ensuring that the meat was super fresh. The old shop also used the best imported Thai fragrant rice.



Other than these two aspects, New Swee Kee followed the traditions of the old shop as the owner (who is a nephew of the founder) and some of the workers are from the old shop. This is the current boss, the younger Mr. Po 莫泽安's son-in-law who will help take Swee Kee into the third generation. 



New Swee Kee has done rather well - it was named one of the Top Ten chicken rice shops in Malaysia by Guang Ming Daily 光明日報 in 2007. New Swee Kee now occupies two shop lots in Senai. On the wall are several pictures of visits by celebrities and familiar dignitaries.

Now, Swee Kee is popular among the workers from the nearby Senai industrial park and golfers from the nearby Palm Golf Resort. Travellers using Senai airport also drop by.



The chickens are laid out in the old way in traditional large enamelled pans. Those in the foreground are normal farm chickens 肉鸡 and those in the background are kampung chickens.



We had half of a normal farm chicken 肉鸡. The chicken meat was tender with a firm, springy bite (not soft). The meat had a nice subtle chicken flavour and aroma.



The rice was fragrant, fluffy, flavoured with chicken oil but was not overly greasy. 



The clear chicken soup that comes with the order was fragrant and tasty. The umami flavour come from slow boiling these chicken heads and necks.



Swee Kee's ginger sauce is outstanding. It has the aroma and taste of ginger blended with savouriness from chicken oil. 



The chili sauce was the watery, drippy kind. My preference is for my chili sauce to be like a paste. 



We liked this fried taugeh (bean sprout) side dish. The fresh taugeh was stir fried with bits of salted fish and lard crackles.

Our total bill for half a normal farm chicken, taugeh and two herbal drinks came to RM25.

Swee Kee chicken rice is certainly one of the better chicken rice shops in Johor. I will eat at Swee Kee again, if I am nearby.





Restaurant name: Swee Kee 瑞记海南鸡饭
Address: 98, Jalan Bintang, Taman Bintang, Senai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/HAKB8
GPS: 1.614658,103.659009
Hours: 9:00am to 7:00pm (close at 3:00pm on Mondays)
Non Halal

Date visited: 29 Apr 2012

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Famous Kueh Stall in Senai, Johor

We passed Senai town many times (too many to count) between Johor Bahru and Kulai ,and everytime, the smartest person in the car will say "maybe next time we shall stop awhile for the famous kueh stall" at the foot of the pedestrian bridge. A long time has passed, and everytime we said the same thing while hurrying towards our destination.

Today, we finally made an effort to pull over and try the famous kuih at Senai - and, we wondered why we had not done so earlier. This is really a case of hurrying everywhere and never stopping to smell the kuih (or roses).



This Chin family stall has been around for over 50 years. The current owners are third generation - a team of three sisters led by the eldest. The Chins make all the kueh themselves - starting their day making kueh from 2:00am and selling them from 10:30am onwards at the stall.



The eldest Ms Chin is very proud of her signature yam cake.



This yam cake has plenty of huge chunks of yam and went very well with the sweet sauce. Reminds me of the yam cake which my grandmother used to make when I was a boy.

Oh, everything at this kueh stall is slightly oversized except for the prices, which are very reasonable.



Ms Chin was eager for us to try their signature Hakka kuih. This unique kuih is only sold here in Senai and no where else in Johor. The skin is olive green in colour as it is made with a green vegetable.



Inside, the filling is very similar to "soon kuih" with shredded pumpkin and dried shrimps.



These humble looking chee cheong fun is really something. The skin has rice fragrance, is thin, soft, and has good mouth feel. The lovely skin wraps a variety of different ingredients which we can choose. This is one of the best chee cheong fun that I have tasted whether in Singapore, Malaysia or even the chee cheong fun Meccas of Hong Kong and Guangzhou. 



The huge and pillow soft onde onde with juicy grated coconut fillings.



We like this "fat boy" street curry puff much more than any of those franchise ones.

More other traditional kueh available at the Chin kueh stall in Senai.









I love glutinous rice.













We kick ourselves for not stopping earlier. This no name kueh stall is a full 5 out of 5-star stall! It is not only worthwhile stopping a while while passing by. It is actually worthwhile making a special trip just for these kueh, which many people actually do.

No preservatives are used, so all kuih are best eaten the same day or at most, the next day.



The kueh stall is inside Kim Wah kopitiam next to the overhead pedestrian bridge.

Restaurant name: No name famous kuih stall in Kim Wah kopitiam
Address: Jalan Senai 10, Kampung Baru, Senai, Johor Bahru (right next to pedestrian overhead bridge)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Oqe2O
GPS: 1.601134,103.644729
Hours: 10:30am to 3:00pm (closed on Weds)
Non Halal

Date visited: 15 Apr 2013

We passed Senai town many times (too many to count) between Johor Bahru and Kulai ,and everytime, the smartest person in the car will say "maybe next time we shall stop awhile for the famous kueh stall" at the foot of the pedestrian bridge. A long time has passed, and everytime we said the same thing while hurrying towards our destination.

Today, we finally made an effort to pull over and try the famous kuih at Senai - and, we wondered why we had not done so earlier. This is really a case of hurrying everywhere and never stopping to smell the kuih (or roses).



This Chin family stall has been around for over 50 years. The current owners are third generation - a team of three sisters led by the eldest. The Chins make all the kueh themselves - starting their day making kueh from 2:00am and selling them from 10:30am onwards at the stall.



The eldest Ms Chin is very proud of her signature yam cake.



This yam cake has plenty of huge chunks of yam and went very well with the sweet sauce. Reminds me of the yam cake which my grandmother used to make when I was a boy.

Oh, everything at this kueh stall is slightly oversized except for the prices, which are very reasonable.



Ms Chin was eager for us to try their signature Hakka kuih. This unique kuih is only sold here in Senai and no where else in Johor. The skin is olive green in colour as it is made with a green vegetable.



Inside, the filling is very similar to "soon kuih" with shredded pumpkin and dried shrimps.



These humble looking chee cheong fun is really something. The skin has rice fragrance, is thin, soft, and has good mouth feel. The lovely skin wraps a variety of different ingredients which we can choose. This is one of the best chee cheong fun that I have tasted whether in Singapore, Malaysia or even the chee cheong fun Meccas of Hong Kong and Guangzhou. 



The huge and pillow soft onde onde with juicy grated coconut fillings.



We like this "fat boy" street curry puff much more than any of those franchise ones.

More other traditional kueh available at the Chin kueh stall in Senai.









I love glutinous rice.













We kick ourselves for not stopping earlier. This no name kueh stall is a full 5 out of 5-star stall! It is not only worthwhile stopping a while while passing by. It is actually worthwhile making a special trip just for these kueh, which many people actually do.

No preservatives are used, so all kuih are best eaten the same day or at most, the next day.



The kueh stall is inside Kim Wah kopitiam next to the overhead pedestrian bridge.

Restaurant name: No name famous kuih stall in Kim Wah kopitiam
Address: Jalan Senai 10, Kampung Baru, Senai, Johor Bahru (right next to pedestrian overhead bridge)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Oqe2O
GPS: 1.601134,103.644729
Hours: 10:30am to 3:00pm (closed on Weds)
Non Halal

Date visited: 15 Apr 2013

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Zhuang Yuan 壮源 Restaurant 陈秀莲蒸松鱼头 in Senai, Johor, Malaysia

Last week, my friend Bryan brought me to his favourite steam fish head shop, Zhuang Yuan 壮源 Restaurant, in Senai, Johor.

When I realised that this shop specialises in steam Song fish head 蒸松鱼头, I immediately thought of the Chan Sow Lin Jalan Tiga steam Song fish head stall 陈秀莲蒸松鱼头 in Kuala Lumpur.

I worked in Kuala Lumpur for a few years and still travel there regularly for leisure. There are many really awesome eateries in KL and one which I always go back to is the legendary Chan Sow Lin steam Song fish head stall.

It's not really a stall at all - more like a ramshackle shack under an untidy clump of trees in a messy backyard industrial area at the cowboy fringe of the great city. But, Chan Sow Lin steam Song fish head stall had over the decades achieved national fame and was even a tourist attraction for foodies from all over Malaysia and Singapore. Chan Sow Lin steam Song fish is on my list of top, top favourites. (Chan Sow Lin steam fish had moved to new premises in 2010 after the old Jalan Tiga area, where it was at, was redeveloped.)

Inside Zhuang Yuan (Senai) restaurant, there was this large framed poster telling the Chan Sow Lin steamed fish head story. I posted this picture in large size so that you can read their inspiring story. You can also click on the picture to view a KL blogger's post on the original Chan Sow Lin steam fish head stall.

We sat down and I let Byran make the orders as he was more familiar with this shop, it being his favourite.

We had a Song fish head steamed in fermented bean paste, steamed tofu and bitter gourd soup.

As we ate, I can't help but reminisce about the old Chan Sow Lin stall, retelling how wonderful their steamed Song fish head was. Inevitably, I was comparing this steamed Song fish with the mythical Chan Sow Lin fish head that lived on in my memory.

 

Zhuang Yuan 壮源's Song fish head was fresh and there was no "muddy" taste at all. The slightly bland, tender white meat of Song fish was well complemented by the salty, savoury fermented bean paste.

You know a Song fish head had aced the taste test when customers gleefully sucked the last shreds of gelatinous tissue out from in between the head bones.

 

The tofu brick was soft and the sauce was lightly flavoured, thus allowing us to savour the gentle taste of soy bean.

The bitter gourd soup was really a misnomer. If anything it should be called "sweet gourd" soup as the thin slices of crunchy gourd were sweet and refreshing. The pieces of pork innards were very well cleaned, and were tender and naturally sweet. The soup was tasty and I couldn't detect much, if any MSG at all.

Our lunch for two guys, including rice and drinks came to RM45.

After our lunch, the boss of Zhuang Yuan graciously let me photograph them at work in the kitchen.

The Song fish head in a blanket of finely chopped ginger, my preferred style, ready for the steamer.

 

The fish head goes into the standing steamer.

These were other customers' orders which I will try at the next visit :)

 

The braised belly pork

 

 

Zhuang Yuan's signature deep fried pork.

 

Whenever I am in the Senai area, Zhuang Yuan will definitely be a good choice for lunch.

 

 

Restaurant name: Zhuang Yuan 壮源 Restaurant
Address: 295, Jalan Utama 2, Taman Bintang Utama, Senai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/kq0gj
GPS: 1.608641,103.654860
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm (Closed on Sunday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 19 Nov 2012

Last week, my friend Bryan brought me to his favourite steam fish head shop, Zhuang Yuan 壮源 Restaurant, in Senai, Johor.

When I realised that this shop specialises in steam Song fish head 蒸松鱼头, I immediately thought of the Chan Sow Lin Jalan Tiga steam Song fish head stall 陈秀莲蒸松鱼头 in Kuala Lumpur.

I worked in Kuala Lumpur for a few years and still travel there regularly for leisure. There are many really awesome eateries in KL and one which I always go back to is the legendary Chan Sow Lin steam Song fish head stall.

It's not really a stall at all - more like a ramshackle shack under an untidy clump of trees in a messy backyard industrial area at the cowboy fringe of the great city. But, Chan Sow Lin steam Song fish head stall had over the decades achieved national fame and was even a tourist attraction for foodies from all over Malaysia and Singapore. Chan Sow Lin steam Song fish is on my list of top, top favourites. (Chan Sow Lin steam fish had moved to new premises in 2010 after the old Jalan Tiga area, where it was at, was redeveloped.)

Inside Zhuang Yuan (Senai) restaurant, there was this large framed poster telling the Chan Sow Lin steamed fish head story. I posted this picture in large size so that you can read their inspiring story. You can also click on the picture to view a KL blogger's post on the original Chan Sow Lin steam fish head stall.

We sat down and I let Byran make the orders as he was more familiar with this shop, it being his favourite.

We had a Song fish head steamed in fermented bean paste, steamed tofu and bitter gourd soup.

As we ate, I can't help but reminisce about the old Chan Sow Lin stall, retelling how wonderful their steamed Song fish head was. Inevitably, I was comparing this steamed Song fish with the mythical Chan Sow Lin fish head that lived on in my memory.

 

Zhuang Yuan 壮源's Song fish head was fresh and there was no "muddy" taste at all. The slightly bland, tender white meat of Song fish was well complemented by the salty, savoury fermented bean paste.

You know a Song fish head had aced the taste test when customers gleefully sucked the last shreds of gelatinous tissue out from in between the head bones.

 

The tofu brick was soft and the sauce was lightly flavoured, thus allowing us to savour the gentle taste of soy bean.

The bitter gourd soup was really a misnomer. If anything it should be called "sweet gourd" soup as the thin slices of crunchy gourd were sweet and refreshing. The pieces of pork innards were very well cleaned, and were tender and naturally sweet. The soup was tasty and I couldn't detect much, if any MSG at all.

Our lunch for two guys, including rice and drinks came to RM45.

After our lunch, the boss of Zhuang Yuan graciously let me photograph them at work in the kitchen.

The Song fish head in a blanket of finely chopped ginger, my preferred style, ready for the steamer.

 

The fish head goes into the standing steamer.

These were other customers' orders which I will try at the next visit :)

 

The braised belly pork

 

 

Zhuang Yuan's signature deep fried pork.

 

Whenever I am in the Senai area, Zhuang Yuan will definitely be a good choice for lunch.

 

 

Restaurant name: Zhuang Yuan 壮源 Restaurant
Address: 295, Jalan Utama 2, Taman Bintang Utama, Senai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/kq0gj
GPS: 1.608641,103.654860
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm (Closed on Sunday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 19 Nov 2012

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