Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 has a huge reputation in Johor Bahru since the days it was at Jalan Storey. The original Qiu Bo is now in Ulu Tiram. In any discussion about good pork curry in Johor, the name Qiu Bo will surely come up. With such a big following, it would be remiss if Johor Kaki did not check out Qiu Bo :P
So last month, I went to Qiu Bo with my makan kakis Joe and Kumes who are big fans of Qiu Bo. It was a much anticipated outing. We were so eager, we actually arrived before opening time and had to wait outside for a while.
We ordered the signature curry pork ribs, of course. The curry was creamy with santan and the coconut milk flavour and taste were strong. If you like your curry to be as lemak as possible, you will surely like this. Despite the rich crimson colour, the curry was only mildly spicy. The curry was more fragrant than spicy hot. I enjoyed the curry.
The pork ribs on the other hand were a little on the firm and stiff side. Joe and Kumes remembered that the pork ribs were more tender during their visit just a month earlier. Perhaps, we were a little too early this time and the pork ribs hadn't had enough time in the pot to get tender yet.
The fried taugeh dish (bean sprouts) was well executed. Savoury and crunchy. The taugeh had all their fibrous roots pinched off leaving only the juicy stems. A nice and labour intensive touch which many restaurants dispensed with nowadays. Thumbs up for Qiu Bo here.
This omelet was Kumes' suggestion. It was my favourite dish of the day.
The soft fried eggs wrapped crunchy good sized shrimps. I really enjoyed the mouth feel combining soft eggs and crunchy prawns, and the eggy taste with sweet prawn flavour.
Qiu Bo is well known for their fish ball soup with mung bean vermicelli. The handmade fish balls were good. Bouncy and had that lovely springy, firm yet tender bite. The poppy fish balls had that subtle fresh fish meat sweetness which I liked.
The simple fried chye sim came with a handful of good sized prawns. Shelled and fresh, the prawns added a savoury touch to the dish and also to the gravy.
Eating at Qiu Bo is like eating at home. The dishes are simple, familiar comfort food and the setting is clean, basic, unpretencious and without any frills. The star of the show, curry pork ribs, might be slightly off colour today but overall it was still a very good meal. Looking at the clientele, most were regulars who had been following Qiu Bo for a long time.
Our total bill including all the food and drinks for three persons was RM55.
I will definitely be back, at about 2:00pm, and taste Qiu Bo's famous curry pork ribs in its true form. I also need to come back for another of Qiu Bo's claim to fame - their popular curry fish head.
Restaurant name: Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 Address: Jalan Mutiara, Ulu Tiram, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/g8xfk GPS: 1.586667,103.817281 Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm Non Halal
Date visited: 22 Apr 2013
Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 has a huge reputation in Johor Bahru since the days it was at Jalan Storey. The original Qiu Bo is now in Ulu Tiram. In any discussion about good pork curry in Johor, the name Qiu Bo will surely come up. With such a big following, it would be remiss if Johor Kaki did not check out Qiu Bo :P
So last month, I went to Qiu Bo with my makan kakis Joe and Kumes who are big fans of Qiu Bo. It was a much anticipated outing. We were so eager, we actually arrived before opening time and had to wait outside for a while.
We ordered the signature curry pork ribs, of course. The curry was creamy with santan and the coconut milk flavour and taste were strong. If you like your curry to be as lemak as possible, you will surely like this. Despite the rich crimson colour, the curry was only mildly spicy. The curry was more fragrant than spicy hot. I enjoyed the curry.
The pork ribs on the other hand were a little on the firm and stiff side. Joe and Kumes remembered that the pork ribs were more tender during their visit just a month earlier. Perhaps, we were a little too early this time and the pork ribs hadn't had enough time in the pot to get tender yet.
The fried taugeh dish (bean sprouts) was well executed. Savoury and crunchy. The taugeh had all their fibrous roots pinched off leaving only the juicy stems. A nice and labour intensive touch which many restaurants dispensed with nowadays. Thumbs up for Qiu Bo here.
This omelet was Kumes' suggestion. It was my favourite dish of the day.
The soft fried eggs wrapped crunchy good sized shrimps. I really enjoyed the mouth feel combining soft eggs and crunchy prawns, and the eggy taste with sweet prawn flavour.
Qiu Bo is well known for their fish ball soup with mung bean vermicelli. The handmade fish balls were good. Bouncy and had that lovely springy, firm yet tender bite. The poppy fish balls had that subtle fresh fish meat sweetness which I liked.
The simple fried chye sim came with a handful of good sized prawns. Shelled and fresh, the prawns added a savoury touch to the dish and also to the gravy.
Eating at Qiu Bo is like eating at home. The dishes are simple, familiar comfort food and the setting is clean, basic, unpretencious and without any frills. The star of the show, curry pork ribs, might be slightly off colour today but overall it was still a very good meal. Looking at the clientele, most were regulars who had been following Qiu Bo for a long time.
Our total bill including all the food and drinks for three persons was RM55.
I will definitely be back, at about 2:00pm, and taste Qiu Bo's famous curry pork ribs in its true form. I also need to come back for another of Qiu Bo's claim to fame - their popular curry fish head.
Restaurant name: Qiu Bo Curry House 秋波咖喱之家 Address: Jalan Mutiara, Ulu Tiram, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/g8xfk GPS: 1.586667,103.817281 Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm Non Halal
I've heard a lot of good things about the old Sunshine 新东升 kopitiam in Taman Puteri Wangsa, in Ulu Tiram and so decided to pay the local favourite a visit on a Sunday morning.
Exactly as I was told, Sunshine was very popular, indeed. Customers, some whom come in entire 2 or 3-generation families, were already waiting early in the morning before the kopitiam opened for breakfast.
Half an hour into opening time and every table was already taken.
I've been warned that service can be slow during peak hours, but my experience was a good one. Sunshine had additional staff on weekends and some staff started to take orders even while other staff were getting out the tables and chairs. Everything was very orderly and organised. Our orders came fast and even an additional order mid way through our meal came promptly, without fuss.
So how was the food?
The Hainanese kopi was deep, robust and smooth. Clearly nicer than the kopi at the average kopitiam. I love it.
The sambal toast bread looked slightly anaemic in my opinion, though others found it just nice. I personally like my toast browner.
The mildly spicy sambal with anchovies was a little dry and thin for my liking. I like my sambal laid on thick and juicy, spicier and with a more robust anchovy flavour.
I wished the soft boiled eggs that I had were cooked a little longer.
The nasi lemak had simple ingredients and very slight flavours and coconut fragrance. The rice grains were nicely separate (not stuck together in lumps).
So, all the food were lighter in flavour than what my palate is tuned to. This is a personal preference as my companion and the other customers visibly enjoyed Sunshine's somewhat bland (to me) servings.
The chee cheong fun stall here has its fans who spoke well of it. So we ordered a couple to try, one kosong and one with shrimps. The "fun" was thin and very smooth, and the soupy sauce was quite sweet.
While the shrimps were not premium, ocean fresh quality, they were equal to any kopitiam chee cheong fun that I have tried so far.
Seeing that many people ordered the wanton mee, I also ordered one for ourselves. The wanton mee was quite good really, meeting all the criteria for good wanton mee, in my opinion.
The noodles were crunchy, springy and smooth. The soy, sesame and lard based sauce was aromatic giving the noodles their tasty flavours and smoothness.
The char siew and wantons were good.
Sunshine kopitiam is an old brand in Taman Puteri Wangsa. To the local residents, Sunshine has "everything" for breakfast, with something for everyone. The kopi was good and the food was equal to or better than any in the same neighbourhood.
Come to Sunshine and experience a Malaysian style kopitiam breakfast. Sunshine is a good breakfast pit stop on the way further north to Desaru or Kuantan, off the Kota Tinggi highway. Next time, I shall try their famous teh C, and butter and sugar toast bread which I missed this time.
Restaurant name: Restoran Sunshine 新东升 Address: 20, Jalan Baladau 14, Taman Puteri Wangsa, Ulu Tiram, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/aFGJQ GPS: 1.589359,103.807668 Hours: 7:30am to 5:30pm Non Halal
Date visited: 20 Jan 2013
I've heard a lot of good things about the old Sunshine 新东升 kopitiam in Taman Puteri Wangsa, in Ulu Tiram and so decided to pay the local favourite a visit on a Sunday morning.
Exactly as I was told, Sunshine was very popular, indeed. Customers, some whom come in entire 2 or 3-generation families, were already waiting early in the morning before the kopitiam opened for breakfast.
Half an hour into opening time and every table was already taken.
I've been warned that service can be slow during peak hours, but my experience was a good one. Sunshine had additional staff on weekends and some staff started to take orders even while other staff were getting out the tables and chairs. Everything was very orderly and organised. Our orders came fast and even an additional order mid way through our meal came promptly, without fuss.
So how was the food?
The Hainanese kopi was deep, robust and smooth. Clearly nicer than the kopi at the average kopitiam. I love it.
The sambal toast bread looked slightly anaemic in my opinion, though others found it just nice. I personally like my toast browner.
The mildly spicy sambal with anchovies was a little dry and thin for my liking. I like my sambal laid on thick and juicy, spicier and with a more robust anchovy flavour.
I wished the soft boiled eggs that I had were cooked a little longer.
The nasi lemak had simple ingredients and very slight flavours and coconut fragrance. The rice grains were nicely separate (not stuck together in lumps).
So, all the food were lighter in flavour than what my palate is tuned to. This is a personal preference as my companion and the other customers visibly enjoyed Sunshine's somewhat bland (to me) servings.
The chee cheong fun stall here has its fans who spoke well of it. So we ordered a couple to try, one kosong and one with shrimps. The "fun" was thin and very smooth, and the soupy sauce was quite sweet.
While the shrimps were not premium, ocean fresh quality, they were equal to any kopitiam chee cheong fun that I have tried so far.
Seeing that many people ordered the wanton mee, I also ordered one for ourselves. The wanton mee was quite good really, meeting all the criteria for good wanton mee, in my opinion.
The noodles were crunchy, springy and smooth. The soy, sesame and lard based sauce was aromatic giving the noodles their tasty flavours and smoothness.
The char siew and wantons were good.
Sunshine kopitiam is an old brand in Taman Puteri Wangsa. To the local residents, Sunshine has "everything" for breakfast, with something for everyone. The kopi was good and the food was equal to or better than any in the same neighbourhood.
Come to Sunshine and experience a Malaysian style kopitiam breakfast. Sunshine is a good breakfast pit stop on the way further north to Desaru or Kuantan, off the Kota Tinggi highway. Next time, I shall try their famous teh C, and butter and sugar toast bread which I missed this time.
Restaurant name: Restoran Sunshine 新东升 Address: 20, Jalan Baladau 14, Taman Puteri Wangsa, Ulu Tiram, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/aFGJQ GPS: 1.589359,103.807668 Hours: 7:30am to 5:30pm Non Halal
