african desserts

Curry Laksa @ No Name Stall off Jalan Stulang Darat, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

This humble laksa stall run by a lady and her sons is one of the most popular in Johor Bahru, never mind its rather offbeat location in a vacant plot off Jalan Stulang Darat with cars whizzing by.

The media even found her in this nook and wrote a feature story about her, which she proudly (and justifiably) displays.

Her fans come from all walks of life, and from far and near.

This laksa is just next to the famous two sisters’ kway teow kia (kway chap) stall. So, many customers order food from both stalls and have the best of both worlds ☻

This laksa is slightly more lemak (rich in coconut milk) than the other famous laksa stalls in Johor. Still, it is not that overwhelmingly jelak (sickening bloated feeling) type of lemak that we sometimes get elsewhere.

For her fans, her’s is just the perfect level of lemakness. I liked it too – this is just nice - I am not a fan of too heavy lemak.

This RM5 laksa comes with a good selection of ingredients like handmade fish balls, fried tofu and cockles which are all tasty and interesting.

If you like, you can choose your pick and pile in as much additional ingredients as you wish at additional cost.

They are generous with the sambal chili and you can add as much of the hot stuff as you can stomach.

This little, unpretentious corner off Jalan Stulang Darat is definitely one of my favourite, delicious places to hang out in JB.

New Address

Restaurant name: 三楼 (San Lou or 3-storey) Laksa
Address: Off Jalan Stulang Laut (opposite 3-storey flats and old Chinese Temple)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/p3hZF
GPS: 1.473341,103.778942
Hours: 1:30pm to 10:00pm (closed on Monday)
Non Halal

Old Address (moved)

Restaurant name: 三楼 (San Lou or 3-storey) Laksa
Address: Along Jalan Stulang Darat, Johor Bahru
Map: http://g.co/maps/km32z
GPS: 1.472092,103.777295
Hours: 5:30pm to midnight
Non Halal

Visited: 22 Feb 2012

This humble laksa stall run by a lady and her sons is one of the most popular in Johor Bahru, never mind its rather offbeat location in a vacant plot off Jalan Stulang Darat with cars whizzing by.

The media even found her in this nook and wrote a feature story about her, which she proudly (and justifiably) displays.

Her fans come from all walks of life, and from far and near.

This laksa is just next to the famous two sisters’ kway teow kia (kway chap) stall. So, many customers order food from both stalls and have the best of both worlds ☻

For her fans, her’s is just the perfect level of lemakness. I liked it too – this is just nice - I am not a fan of too heavy lemak.

This RM5 laksa comes with a good selection of ingredients like handmade fish balls, fried tofu and cockles which are all tasty and interesting.

If you like, you can choose your pick and pile in as much additional ingredients as you wish at additional cost.

They are generous with the sambal chili and you can add as much of the hot stuff as you can stomach.

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Tim Sum @ Restoran Gim Cheng 锦成茶楼 in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru

Gim Cheng 锦成茶楼 is a favourite tim sum joint among locals in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru and has a following also from Singapore.

Gim Cheng offers a wide range of fresh traditional tim sum served hot in push carts or on trays.

Like many family owned and run restaurants, the boss is personally on hand to ensure the quality of the food and service.

So it is not surprising that even though we were rather random in our pick of tim sum, they all turned out to be delicious.

I especially liked the custard egg tarts. The fragrant pudding is smooth and creamy while the crust is fluffy, crispy and flaky.

I love the ambiance of this place. Parking is easy. The dining area is bright, airy and cool under the shade of large trees. The clientele is convivial. Very relaxing and cosy. The service is efficient, responsive and friendly. A perfect place for a tasty and sumptuous traditional Chinese breakfast and tea without burning a hole in the pocket. By the way, all that delicious food and drinks set us back by a reasonable RM55.70 (SGD23).

Restaurant name: Restoran Gim Cheng 锦成茶楼

Address: 2 Jalan Sagu 36, Taman Daya

Map: http://g.co/maps/5udg3

GPS: 1.549307,103.76485
Hours: 7:00am to 2:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 21 Feb 2012

Gim Cheng 锦成茶楼 is a favourite tim sum joint among locals in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru and has a following also from Singapore.

Gim Cheng offers a wide range of fresh traditional tim sum served hot in push carts or on trays.

I especially liked the custard egg tarts. The fragrant pudding is smooth and creamy while the crust is fluffy, crispy and flaky.

Restaurant name: Restoran Gim Cheng 锦成茶楼

Address: 2 Jalan Sagu 36, Taman Daya

Map: http://g.co/maps/5udg3

GPS: 1.549307,103.76485
Hours: 7:00am to 2:00pm

Non Halal

Date visited: 21 Feb 2012

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No Lard Fish Ball Kway Teow Soup @ Ah Hua 亚华 along Jalan Stulang Darat, Johor Bahru

I pass this Ah Hua 亚华 fish ball noodle shop a few times before but never stopped to try it as I somehow do not fancy franchises. I did notice that this corner shop is quite popular even though it is along, rather out of the way, Jalan Stulang Darat. I finally gave it a try on a day when all my favourites in the area were closed.

It turned out to be a surprise find ☻

First, this Ah Hua 亚华 has no relations with its famous namesakes sprinkled around JB. I found that out after asking the owner, if they are related. The owner told me they have no relations at all and their shop started as a push cart stall at the beach (facing Woodlands, Singapore.) Ah…. another inspiring push cart to shop success story ☻

So, what is so special about this fish ball kway teow shop? After all, even handmade fish balls are everywhere in JB.

The first thing that struck me was the fragrant sauce. Its aroma was subtle and coated the kway teow with a light, fresh flavour. When I asked the owner did he use lard to make the sauce since it was so flavourful, he surprised me by replying, no.

Unlike most kway teow soup shops that use lard, this Ah Hua uses only shallot oil 葱头油 – oil that had been used to fry fresh shallots. I like this healthy choice that does not compromise on taste and flavour.

The soft kway teow coated with a fine film of soy sauce and shallot oil blend was lip smacking delicious. The bean sprouts (tau geh) stirred into the kway teow were crunchy and fun to bite. The tau geh made a rather loud gashing sound in my ear bones as I chewed on it.

The unevenly shaped, homemade, handmade fish balls were bouncy, tender yet firm, and had a delightful fresh fish fragrance. These were one of the best fish balls that I have ever tasted.

Look, they take a lot of trouble to keep the fish balls fresh. The fresh fish balls are kept under a constant stream of cool running water.

The clear soup has that old time 古早 taste and aroma, triggering memories of my primary school tuckshop’s kway teow soup stall.

I took a look at their steaming big pot of soup and saw lots of soy beans and anchovies tumbling around crazily inside the furiously boiling, bubbling broth.

I love this Ah Hua 亚华 kway teow soup shop. This will be my kway teow soup of the day whenever I am on cholesterol quota preservation mode.

Restaurant name: Ah Hua 亚华 Handmade Fish Ball Kway Teow Noodles

Address: G-08, Jalan Pandan 1, Pangsarpuri Impian Stulang, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/wbuz2

GPS: 1.472768,103.77802
Hours: 12:00 Noon to 4:00pm (Closed on Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 22 Feb 2012