Nan Bei Restoran 南北 in Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

Allan from Nan Bei 南北 restaurant messaged me inviting me to drop by his parents' shop to try their Hainanese mutton soup which they had just added to their menu. I was excited to try Nan Bei's Chinese style mutton soup as I love this dish that is rarely found in restaurants in Johor. I was also keen to enjoy Nan Bei's Tung Po Rou which I blogged about earlier this year.

I dropped by with blogging kaki Semi Han, creator of Bonding Tool, one of my favourite food blogs. Semi's good friend Tyng also joined us.

Allan and his parents whom I have met earlier this year received us warmly. We had an impromptu party and got a chance to try most of the food served at Nan Bei 南北 restaurant.



Semi is a very serious food blogger and Tyng a very supportive friend.



Semi is very meticulous and I learnt a lot about food photography from her today. We even roped in Allan to help in the food photography.


Hainanese Mutton Soup RM15

This is Nan Bei's Hainanese mutton soup. The soup is mildly herbal and it did well to balance the characteristic gaminess of mutton. Following the Hainanese tradition, black woodear fungus and fried beancurd sheets are used in the soup. The chunks of white radish added sweetness to the broth while soaking up the flavours. The crunchy chunks of radish are coveted pieces in the pot as they are loaded with flavours. 



The mutton was tender with smokey fatty streaks and only had mild hints of that distinct mutton flavour. We all liked Nan Bei's Hainanese mutton soup. For me, I liked it that the tastes and flavours of Nan Bei's mutton soup are mild with nothing overpowering.


Cabbage with Roast Pork in Claypot RM10



The Nappa Cabbage with Roast Pork in Claypot is another new dish at Nan Bei restoran. The soup is a tasty blend of savouriness from the roast pork and the refreshing sweetness from the fresh cabbage. I love the juicy cabbage as it sponged up the delicious soup and had a tender yet crunchy mouth feel. The Cabbage with Roast Pork won the hearts of the ladies through their stomachs.



We like the Tung Po Rou 东坡肉 or braised belly pork. Those layers of fat are to be enjoyed either fearlessly or recklessly. Today, the fatty layers weren't as thick as that during my previous visit, which would make this dish appealing to more health conscious people.



For me, I prefer my Tung Po Rou to have a thicker layer of savoury, sweet giggly fat since I indulge in this treat only once in a while.


Pig Trotters with Ginger and Vinegar RM7

The braised pig trotters with ginger and vinegar 猪脚姜醋 was quite mild in taste and flavour, so it would appeal to more people. I haven't eaten this dish for a long time and I always had the home made version which is more robust and more herbal.

All of Nan Bei's dishes are eaten with boiled rice. Semi and Tyng both finished their bowls of rice, which is pretty unusual these days especially for calorie counting ladies. When I commented about them finishing the rice, they mumbled something intelligible through their food but their expressions said that Nan Bei's dishes hit all the right notes with them.

Nan Bei restoran is a simple, basic shop serving delicious food at reasonable prices - definitely worth a visit.



Restaurant name: Nan Bei Restoran 南北
Address: 68, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/sfGrT
GPS: 1.563158,103.800834
Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm (Closed on Sunday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 16 Jan 2013, 21 May 2013

Allan from Nan Bei 南北 restaurant messaged me inviting me to drop by his parents' shop to try their Hainanese mutton soup which they had just added to their menu. I was excited to try Nan Bei's Chinese style mutton soup as I love this dish that is rarely found in restaurants in Johor. I was also keen to enjoy Nan Bei's Tung Po Rou which I blogged about earlier this year.

I dropped by with blogging kaki Semi Han, creator of Bonding Tool, one of my favourite food blogs. Semi's good friend Tyng also joined us.

Allan and his parents whom I have met earlier this year received us warmly. We had an impromptu party and got a chance to try most of the food served at Nan Bei 南北 restaurant.



Semi is a very serious food blogger and Tyng a very supportive friend.



Semi is very meticulous and I learnt a lot about food photography from her today. We even roped in Allan to help in the food photography.


Hainanese Mutton Soup RM15

This is Nan Bei's Hainanese mutton soup. The soup is mildly herbal and it did well to balance the characteristic gaminess of mutton. Following the Hainanese tradition, black woodear fungus and fried beancurd sheets are used in the soup. The chunks of white radish added sweetness to the broth while soaking up the flavours. The crunchy chunks of radish are coveted pieces in the pot as they are loaded with flavours. 



The mutton was tender with smokey fatty streaks and only had mild hints of that distinct mutton flavour. We all liked Nan Bei's Hainanese mutton soup. For me, I liked it that the tastes and flavours of Nan Bei's mutton soup are mild with nothing overpowering.


Cabbage with Roast Pork in Claypot RM10



The Nappa Cabbage with Roast Pork in Claypot is another new dish at Nan Bei restoran. The soup is a tasty blend of savouriness from the roast pork and the refreshing sweetness from the fresh cabbage. I love the juicy cabbage as it sponged up the delicious soup and had a tender yet crunchy mouth feel. The Cabbage with Roast Pork won the hearts of the ladies through their stomachs.



We like the Tung Po Rou 东坡肉 or braised belly pork. Those layers of fat are to be enjoyed either fearlessly or recklessly. Today, the fatty layers weren't as thick as that during my previous visit, which would make this dish appealing to more health conscious people.



For me, I prefer my Tung Po Rou to have a thicker layer of savoury, sweet giggly fat since I indulge in this treat only once in a while.


Pig Trotters with Ginger and Vinegar RM7

The braised pig trotters with ginger and vinegar 猪脚姜醋 was quite mild in taste and flavour, so it would appeal to more people. I haven't eaten this dish for a long time and I always had the home made version which is more robust and more herbal.

All of Nan Bei's dishes are eaten with boiled rice. Semi and Tyng both finished their bowls of rice, which is pretty unusual these days especially for calorie counting ladies. When I commented about them finishing the rice, they mumbled something intelligible through their food but their expressions said that Nan Bei's dishes hit all the right notes with them.

Nan Bei restoran is a simple, basic shop serving delicious food at reasonable prices - definitely worth a visit.



Restaurant name: Nan Bei Restoran 南北
Address: 68, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/sfGrT
GPS: 1.563158,103.800834
Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm (Closed on Sunday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 16 Jan 2013, 21 May 2013

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Teck Lai 德来 Fish Noodles in Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

 

When I realised that the famous Teck Lai 德来 fish noodle shop in Johor Jaya, Jalan Teratai changed hands in 2010, I thought I will never have a chance to taste the original Teck Lai fish noodles. Yesterday, I was so, so happy that I stumbled upon the original Teck Lai in Taman Gaya.

 

 

This was purely a lucky find. I was on my way for lobster hunting in Pengerang and stopped over at Taman Gaya for early breakfast. I drove a couple of rounds around Taman Gaya and decided to try out Hou Kee, a typical corner kopitiam.

 

 

I walked and looked around the kopitiam, looking for a good food find and noticed this humble stall.

 

 

 

 

I was attracted by the large heap of fried fish in the display cabinet and the hawkers busy making fresh noodles using this old hand powered machine.

 

 

So, I ordered a bowl to try. It was so good!

 

 

After I enjoyed my delicious fish soup noodles, I decided to blog about this stall and approached the friendly lady boss, Mdm Chew. Only during our conversation did I realised that this was the famous Teck Lai 德来 which I thought I will never have a chance to taste.

 

Mdm Chew's sister

 

Mdm Chew's family ran the famous Teck Lai shop in Johor Jaya Teratai for nearly 30 years but had to let it go in 2010 as there was no one in the family to take over the business.

 

After selling the Teratai shop, Mdm Chew and family took a short break and re-opened here in Taman Gaya. Then, it was back to the usual routine and rhythm of running one of JB's most popular fish noodle shop.

 

Mdm Chew's husband cut and fry the fresh mackerel and Ikan Merah fish every morning from 3:00am to 6:00am and by 6:30am, Teck Lai is ready to serve their customers.

 

 

Each bowl of noodle is freshly hand made right here at the stall, one by one.

 

 

The freshly made fat noodles were tender outside and had a firmer core. I liked the taste and mouth feel of Teck Lai's noodles.

 

 

Mee hoon kueh lovers can also have their fish soup served with the large freshly made, hand torn squares.

 

 

The large chunk of fried fresh mackerel.

 

 

The clear and naturally sweet soup was made with anchovies and fish bones. As usual, I slurped up the good soup to the last drop. No need for any MSG here as Teck Lai uses plenty of fish bones and anchovies.

 

 

For chili lovers, remember to try this freshly made chili sauce.

 

Try Teck Lai's famous fish noodles when you are around the Taman Gaya area. Stop over for breakfast, if you are on your way north from JB to Kota Tinggi or Desaru area.

 

 

Restaurant name: Teck Lai 德来 Fish Noodles

Address: Jalan Gaya 25, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru (Hou Kee kopitiam)

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/uFHbB

GPS: 1.567759,103.801145

Hours: 6:30am till sold out usually by 1:00pm

Non Halal

 

Date visited: 4 Feb 2013



 

When I realised that the famous Teck Lai 德来 fish noodle shop in Johor Jaya, Jalan Teratai changed hands in 2010, I thought I will never have a chance to taste the original Teck Lai fish noodles. Yesterday, I was so, so happy that I stumbled upon the original Teck Lai in Taman Gaya.

 

 

This was purely a lucky find. I was on my way for lobster hunting in Pengerang and stopped over at Taman Gaya for early breakfast. I drove a couple of rounds around Taman Gaya and decided to try out Hou Kee, a typical corner kopitiam.

 

 

I walked and looked around the kopitiam, looking for a good food find and noticed this humble stall.

 

 

 

 

I was attracted by the large heap of fried fish in the display cabinet and the hawkers busy making fresh noodles using this old hand powered machine.

 

 

So, I ordered a bowl to try. It was so good!

 

 

After I enjoyed my delicious fish soup noodles, I decided to blog about this stall and approached the friendly lady boss, Mdm Chew. Only during our conversation did I realised that this was the famous Teck Lai 德来 which I thought I will never have a chance to taste.

 

Mdm Chew's sister

 

Mdm Chew's family ran the famous Teck Lai shop in Johor Jaya Teratai for nearly 30 years but had to let it go in 2010 as there was no one in the family to take over the business.

 

After selling the Teratai shop, Mdm Chew and family took a short break and re-opened here in Taman Gaya. Then, it was back to the usual routine and rhythm of running one of JB's most popular fish noodle shop.

 

Mdm Chew's husband cut and fry the fresh mackerel and Ikan Merah fish every morning from 3:00am to 6:00am and by 6:30am, Teck Lai is ready to serve their customers.

 

 

Each bowl of noodle is freshly hand made right here at the stall, one by one.

 

 

The freshly made fat noodles were tender outside and had a firmer core. I liked the taste and mouth feel of Teck Lai's noodles.

 

 

Mee hoon kueh lovers can also have their fish soup served with the large freshly made, hand torn squares.

 

 

The large chunk of fried fresh mackerel.

 

 

The clear and naturally sweet soup was made with anchovies and fish bones. As usual, I slurped up the good soup to the last drop. No need for any MSG here as Teck Lai uses plenty of fish bones and anchovies.

 

 

For chili lovers, remember to try this freshly made chili sauce.

 

Try Teck Lai's famous fish noodles when you are around the Taman Gaya area. Stop over for breakfast, if you are on your way north from JB to Kota Tinggi or Desaru area.

 

 

Restaurant name: Teck Lai 德来 Fish Noodles

Address: Jalan Gaya 25, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru (Hou Kee kopitiam)

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/uFHbB

GPS: 1.567759,103.801145

Hours: 6:30am till sold out usually by 1:00pm

Non Halal

 

Date visited: 4 Feb 2013



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Vietnamese Food at Saigon Cafe in Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

 

I was foodspotting around the new shoplots at Taman Gaya and stumbled upon this simple Vietnamese cafe. Saigon Cafe just opened for business about a month ago. The boss who is a Johorean manages the cafe while the lady boss who is from Vietnam runs the kitchen.

One of the first things that caught my eye when I was at Saigon Cafe was a simple notice printed on normal white A4 size letter paper that says "Civet Cat Coffee RM29.90". I did a quick mental calculation and realised that this was much more affordable than in Singapore or Bali where I had civet cat coffee before.

Without much ado, I set down at Saigon Cafe and ordered a Vietnamese civet cat coffee (known as kopi luwak in Indonesia).



The coffee was served in this simple double decker filtering device which is signature of Vietnamese coffee.

My experience with civet cat coffee is very limited but I must say that this was the best that I have had so far.



The deep black coffee was robust, full bodied, smooth and has that unique flavour that only civet cat coffee can have. I felt this was worth every sen of the RM29.90 (especially, for coffee addicts like me :P).

Along with the civet cat coffee, I also had Vietnamese style crispy French loaf, which was a great pair - the coffee and French loaf.



The bread was very crispy on the outside. As I bit into the bread, the outer crispy skin started to break up and the bits fell all over the table and on my trousers. I instinctively tried to sweep the crumbs away, feeling a little embarrassed for being so untidy. The boss stopped me and told me that good crispy French loaf are eaten with crumbs falling all over :P

Between the crispy shell, there were thin slices of braised belly pork, scrambled eggs, margarine, and slivers of greens and carrots. Each mouthful was a blend of soft smokey, savoury meat, crunchy vegetables and crackly bread crust. There were also interesting tangy notes from the sauce. This Vietnamese style French loaf at RM7 went very well with the civet cat coffee (kopi luwak).


 

We also had Saigon Cafe's Vietnamese bee hoon salad with spring roll.



The bee hoon is buried under a blanket of crispy fried spring roll skin, thin strips of pork, chopped peanuts, taugeh (bean sprouts), greens and - now hear this - lard crackles.



These toppings were all nice but when we swept them aside for a while and try the Vietnamese bee hoon, we were delighted. The mouth feel of the bee hoon was refreshingly springy. When we bit into the bee hoon strands, they popped apart lightly with a gentle spring. The bee hoon was like tender rubber bands made of rice. Don't know what is the trade secret to make bee hoon taste this way but it's just so fun! And, when we ate the bee hoon together with the sides and condiments, it was a thoroughly enjoyable light meal. I love this Vietnamese treat at RM5.50.

 

 

A mug of Vietnamese ice coffee for RM5.90.

 

 

Saigon Cafe serves a wide range of fruit ice blends. This one is sour sop ice blend for RM5.30.

 

I shall be back for the delicious treats that I had today and try out other items on Saigon Cafe's menu.

Restaurant name: Saigon Cafe
Address: Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/AT1ya
GPS: 1.562439,103.799943
Hours: 8:30am to 5:00pm (Closed on Monday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 24 Jan 2013

 

I was foodspotting around the new shoplots at Taman Gaya and stumbled upon this simple Vietnamese cafe. Saigon Cafe just opened for business about a month ago. The boss who is a Johorean manages the cafe while the lady boss who is from Vietnam runs the kitchen.

One of the first things that caught my eye when I was at Saigon Cafe was a simple notice printed on normal white A4 size letter paper that says "Civet Cat Coffee RM29.90". I did a quick mental calculation and realised that this was much more affordable than in Singapore or Bali where I had civet cat coffee before.

Without much ado, I set down at Saigon Cafe and ordered a Vietnamese civet cat coffee (known as kopi luwak in Indonesia).



The coffee was served in this simple double decker filtering device which is signature of Vietnamese coffee.

My experience with civet cat coffee is very limited but I must say that this was the best that I have had so far.



The deep black coffee was robust, full bodied, smooth and has that unique flavour that only civet cat coffee can have. I felt this was worth every sen of the RM29.90 (especially, for coffee addicts like me :P).

Along with the civet cat coffee, I also had Vietnamese style crispy French loaf, which was a great pair - the coffee and French loaf.



The bread was very crispy on the outside. As I bit into the bread, the outer crispy skin started to break up and the bits fell all over the table and on my trousers. I instinctively tried to sweep the crumbs away, feeling a little embarrassed for being so untidy. The boss stopped me and told me that good crispy French loaf are eaten with crumbs falling all over :P

Between the crispy shell, there were thin slices of braised belly pork, scrambled eggs, margarine, and slivers of greens and carrots. Each mouthful was a blend of soft smokey, savoury meat, crunchy vegetables and crackly bread crust. There were also interesting tangy notes from the sauce. This Vietnamese style French loaf at RM7 went very well with the civet cat coffee (kopi luwak).


 

We also had Saigon Cafe's Vietnamese bee hoon salad with spring roll.



The bee hoon is buried under a blanket of crispy fried spring roll skin, thin strips of pork, chopped peanuts, taugeh (bean sprouts), greens and - now hear this - lard crackles.



These toppings were all nice but when we swept them aside for a while and try the Vietnamese bee hoon, we were delighted. The mouth feel of the bee hoon was refreshingly springy. When we bit into the bee hoon strands, they popped apart lightly with a gentle spring. The bee hoon was like tender rubber bands made of rice. Don't know what is the trade secret to make bee hoon taste this way but it's just so fun! And, when we ate the bee hoon together with the sides and condiments, it was a thoroughly enjoyable light meal. I love this Vietnamese treat at RM5.50.

 

 

A mug of Vietnamese ice coffee for RM5.90.

 

 

Saigon Cafe serves a wide range of fruit ice blends. This one is sour sop ice blend for RM5.30.

 

I shall be back for the delicious treats that I had today and try out other items on Saigon Cafe's menu.

Restaurant name: Saigon Cafe
Address: Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/AT1ya
GPS: 1.562439,103.799943
Hours: 8:30am to 5:00pm (Closed on Monday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 24 Jan 2013

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Matang Seafood Porridge in Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

 

I have been a fan of Matang Seafood Porridge at their branch at Mount Austin, and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon their spanking new outlet at the new shoplots in Taman Gaya. I liked Matang Seafood porridge so much that last year, I brought Singapore Makan Guru K.F. Seetoh of Makansutra fame to their Mount Austin branch.


This new Taman Gaya branch, opened by a brother of the Beh family that owns the Mount Austin branch less than two months ago, is already doing a brisk business. The two branches run on the same lines. Fresh seafood is sold by weight and then cooked in Matang's signature seafood porridge and broth. One of the Beh sisters focuses on the daily logistics of bringing the freshest seafood to the three branches of Matang Seafood Porridge in JB (in Taman Mount Austin, Taman Gaya and Taman Nusa Jaya Mas)

This branch at Taman Gaya has a large dinning hall, two private dining rooms and slightly ostentatious furnishings while the one at Mount Austin is a more basic shoplot restaurant.



We had a RM45 claypot of seafood porridge which was enough for 4 persons. The seafood broth was of course the soul of Matang seafood porridge. The broth was savoury and naturally sweet. The savouriness and sweetness were robust as the claypot was loaded with clams, slices of grouper, minced pork, shrimps, fish balls and a meaty crab.


These additional ingredients, add further savoury and sweet flavours to the already tasty broth. With all that real seafood goodness in the broth, no MSG was used at all.





The porridge was the usual Teochew style, its texture was between the Cantonese puree style congee and steamed rice.


We also had this steamed white pomfret at RM33. Just simple steaming with ginger, light soy sauce and shallot oil to bring out the freshness of the fish.

Here were some of the fresh seafood available on the day of our visit.

This shark head is a gelatinous speciality I wouldn't want to miss.

I am bringing a group of super biker friends on a Johor food trail and we are having Matang Seafood Porridge as part of our itinerary :)) Steamed shark head is on the menu! :))





Restaurant name: Matang Seafood View Restaurant
Address: 72-74, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/yw0Az
GPS: 1.563887,103.801467
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 16 Jan 2013

 

I have been a fan of Matang Seafood Porridge at their branch at Mount Austin, and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon their spanking new outlet at the new shoplots in Taman Gaya. I liked Matang Seafood porridge so much that last year, I brought Singapore Makan Guru K.F. Seetoh of Makansutra fame to their Mount Austin branch.


This new Taman Gaya branch, opened by a brother of the Beh family that owns the Mount Austin branch less than two months ago, is already doing a brisk business. The two branches run on the same lines. Fresh seafood is sold by weight and then cooked in Matang's signature seafood porridge and broth. One of the Beh sisters focuses on the daily logistics of bringing the freshest seafood to the three branches of Matang Seafood Porridge in JB (in Taman Mount Austin, Taman Gaya and Taman Nusa Jaya Mas)

This branch at Taman Gaya has a large dinning hall, two private dining rooms and slightly ostentatious furnishings while the one at Mount Austin is a more basic shoplot restaurant.



We had a RM45 claypot of seafood porridge which was enough for 4 persons. The seafood broth was of course the soul of Matang seafood porridge. The broth was savoury and naturally sweet. The savouriness and sweetness were robust as the claypot was loaded with clams, slices of grouper, minced pork, shrimps, fish balls and a meaty crab.


These additional ingredients, add further savoury and sweet flavours to the already tasty broth. With all that real seafood goodness in the broth, no MSG was used at all.





The porridge was the usual Teochew style, its texture was between the Cantonese puree style congee and steamed rice.


We also had this steamed white pomfret at RM33. Just simple steaming with ginger, light soy sauce and shallot oil to bring out the freshness of the fish.

Here were some of the fresh seafood available on the day of our visit.

This shark head is a gelatinous speciality I wouldn't want to miss.

I am bringing a group of super biker friends on a Johor food trail and we are having Matang Seafood Porridge as part of our itinerary :)) Steamed shark head is on the menu! :))





Restaurant name: Matang Seafood View Restaurant
Address: 72-74, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/yw0Az
GPS: 1.563887,103.801467
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 16 Jan 2013

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