Malaysian And Batam Food Guide

This is now my favourite wanton mee stall in JB. I do my JB runs every alternate Saturdays, and usually only day trips, so I never had the chance to eat this. It opens only after 9pm, and closes next morning 5am.
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I liked the wanton mee at City Square Mall, Ho Seng Kee, for the unique texture of the noodles - thin, light, eggy, and slightly overdone. HSK's version was however lacking in flavour from the sauces, and one can argue that it's to allow the natural flavour of the noodles to shine.
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But HW wanton mee has the best of both worlds. It has texture very similar to that of HSK (although softer), but it has a robust sweet savoury black sauce undergirded by the fragrance of lard oil. Best.
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This makes me want to stay over in JB next time, just to eat this again. And it's just a few stores away from Bangkok Spa, so makes for a good after-spa supper :)
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Restoran HW Tan Mee
68, Jalan Abiad, Taman Maju Jaya, Johor Bahru (beside Bangkok Spa)
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9pm - 5am, except Monday closed.

You knew I drove all the way their for what I recalled was the best horfun I've ever had, only to be disappointed. Nevertheless, the char kway teow here was awesome with lots of wok hei, and it wasnt too salty as well.
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There are many other Malaysian hawker food here at Restoran 777 Food Centre. It's in an al fresco setting, and is especially bustling at night. I went early at around 5pm in order to secure a parking lot.
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Restoran 777 Food Centre
2 Jln Medan Nusa Perintis 8
Taman Nusa Perintis 2
81550 Gelang Patah, Johor

I went there specially for their Shiba Inu dango, but in its place is Waku Waku's new seasonal creations for cherry blossoms.
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Looking pretty in pink is sakura ice cream on top of mochi waffles that was filled with chewy Japanese mochi inside crispy waffles. I chose dark chocolate as the accompanying sauce.

What do you look for in a good plate of horfun? For me, the first (and most important) thing I check is how well they've fried the kway teow before it was drenched with the sticky seafood gravy - ie, the noodles must have wok hei. Next, the gravy should have some sweetness from pork and seafood, without being too starchy nor watery. Finally the seafood itself should taste fresh.
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So you know I was at JB the past few days, and I stayed at Hilton Doubletree. From there, I drove 30 mins to Bukit Indah just for this plate of horfun, which I recalled was the most amazing horfun I've ever had. However, the owner or chef might have changed... Nevertheless, the char kway teow next door was superb. Will review that soon.

This is a very good kway chup stall at JB, recommended by my friend from JB. The innards all tasted clean, in a braising gravy that was light (not salty). I liked the texture of the noodles, which had a good bite to it, and it came in a mild herbal stock that was also light and clean.
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Restoran Ka Hoe Kway Teow Kia 榕树下粿条仔 
Jalan Maju
Taman Maju Jaya
Johor Bahru
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6:30am to 12:30pm (Closed some Weds)

Thanks to @batamliciouz for showing us around to uncover the hidden gems of Batam, we covered 10 food stops, ate great food and spent less than S$20 per person.
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What's representative of Batam's food culture would be their street food, but I was very surprised that this cafe serves very good cakes, even by Singapore cafe standards. Understood that they purchase their ingredients from Singapore, and uses quality ingredients. This cake in particular has premium green tea mousse with vanilla cremeux. And what's better, it's only half our price or less.
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Conveniently located within the BCS Mall. Thank you @batamliciouz for showing us around during our weekend day trip to Batam.
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BCS Mall 3rd floor
Hours: 1030 - 2130

Just remembered we had this awesome nasi lemak last year under a cherry tree. This secluded and rustic looking hawker is my favorite meal out of the 14 places we hopped during our weekend trip to JB.
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The rice is fluffy with distinctive coconut fragrance. The bomb is the fried chicken, it's very crispy and nicely seasoned and marinated. We ordered 2 plates to share among 5 of us, but I finished a plate by myself. Sorry guys 😅
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The johor laksa (RM 5) is also good. It's like a assam laksa but milder. Mee rebus (RM 5) is also kinda different, being on the sweet side. Take note of the elusive opening hours: Friday to Sunday, 8am to 3pm or earlier.

Besides the claypot and classic soupy bak kut teh, they also serve the dry bak kut teh which was fried with dark soy sauce and a little bit of chilli. Mine came with different parts of the pork including the innards, good for variety although I would have preferred it with just the ribs. Quite a decent bowl.
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No 40, Jalan Pasar Baru Lukut, Lukut, 71010
Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
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Contact: +6013-378 2172
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Opening Hours: 8.30am to 2.30pm, 5.00pm to 9.00pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

I love this dish here, that the Chinese wine in this claypot was really strong. Together with the heat from the ginger used, this was really a pot that's bound to awaken your senses, as I feel the heat burning in my esophagus. This is also said to be nutritious and suited as a maternity food after pregnancy.
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No 40, Jalan Pasar Baru Lukut, Lukut, 71010
Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
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Contact: +6013-378 2172
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Opening Hours: 8.30am to 2.30pm, 5.00pm to 9.00pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

The herbal taste here was strong, and in fact much stronger than many of the herbal bak kut teh in the JB region.
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I was served a pot containing several parts of pig, such as belly, ribs, intestines, pork balls, and trotters. And definitely, all time favorite tau kee and tau pok which is a must for such claypot bkt! Enoki mushrooms was a separate add on at RM3 (=S$1).
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My lunch counterpart prefer the stall at Marsiling in Singapore, although I'm quite happy with the strength of the herbal soup here, though a tad on the salty side.
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No 40, Jalan Pasar Baru Lukut, Lukut, 71010
Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
☎️ Contact: +6013-378 2172
⏱ Opening Hours: 8.30am to 2.30pm, 5.00pm to 9.00pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

This is a JB style bak kut teh, which is a cross between the Malaysian herbal ones and Singaporean pepperish ones. This stall is very popular among the locals.
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The natural sweetness of the pork could be tasted in the soup, which was supposed to be lighter both in pepper and herbal taste in order to allow the pork sweetness to shine. I like either the really spicy and sharp pepper ones, or the deep herbal ones in KL, so this was neither here not there for me.

Lagged cos I had no wifi till now :p

#kayatoast #burpple