Meng Meng Roasted Duck at City Square Johor Bahru

Meng Meng Roasted Duck opened a new branch in Johor Bahru's City Square Mall, near to Thai Odyssey.  The place is quite big, the interior is of oriental style, and ample space in-between tables.   I was there at some very odd hours, about 4 o'clock in the afternoon on Christmas Day itself.  There was no dinner crowd yet. 

The menu is quite extensive, with dishes catering to both big groups of people or patrons who like to dine alone, like me. 

I ordered their roasted duck drumstick set meal, plus a bowl of logan with sea coconut as dessert. 

Roasted Duck Drumstick Set Meal, RM18.80+

Close up of the Duck Drumstick

The presentation was not bad.  The duck drumstick was placed in a duck-shape white plate.  It looked so cute.  The drumstick was juicy and tender.  There wasn't a very strong Dang-gui, a Chinese herb, smell.  There was just a slight hint of it in the gravy, it would suit those who don't like strong herb smell.  The fragrance from roasting was very pleasant, and the skin was quite thin and crispy. 

Longan with Sea Coconut, RM8.80+

Sea coconut has the effect of smoothing your body in Chinese medicine, and to avoid getting your body to be too heaty, so it was just nice to have this after a heaty Roasted Duck meal.  Sweetness of the dessert came mostly from the sea coconut, so it wasn't sinfully sweet. 

The total bill came out to be RM30.35, I think it is pretty decent for a meal in an air-conditioned restaurant, and the food was not bad at all.  It is good that this branch is at City Square Mall, which is close to Malaysia's CIQ to Singapore, and counts many Singaporeans as its patrons. 

JB Food Hunting 02 - The Replacement Lodge and Kitchen

I got to know The Replacement Lodge and Kitchen through Instagram.  It shows up quite often and seems quite 'instagrammable'.  Out of curiosity, I paid it a visit on a fine Sunday afternoon.

To get there, get to City Square in JB, look for the MacDonald on the ground floor, walk out of City Square into Jalan Wong Ah Fook.  Then walk towards Johor Strait/Singapore, until you see an Indian temple.  Walk across the street to the street behind the Indian Temple, turn left and continue walking, until you reach Jalan Dhoby.  The Replacement is on the right, behind a very run down place.

The Replacement Lodge and Kitchen Building

We got there around 12 o'clock noon.  They only had outdoor seating at that time, if we wanted to have indoor seating, we had to wait for 15 minutes or so.  Considering the raving heat outside, we decided to wait for indoor seating, in the comfort of air-conditioning.

The Counter

The interior design is simply, fusion with both modern and some hints of retro.  The patrons seem to be mostly young people, I mean really young people, those who are in their late teens to early 20s.  The staff there are also very young, about the same age group.  My friend and I looked pretty much out of place :(

We were soon offered an indoor seating, sofa seats.  The two of us occupied two sofas that could fit at least six people.  I wondered why nobody took up such nice seating while the whole place was full?  I got the answer the moment I sat down.  My butt was expecting a comfortable, soft cushion when it hits the sofa, instead, it met with the hard, cold wooden frame underneath a paper thin layer of fake leather!  In addition, water was dripping down from somewhere on to one of the seats of my 3-seater sofa.

As we already had our lunch that day, we only ordered a dark chocolate cake, a piccolo for myself, and a mocha for my friend.

Dark Chocolate Cake, RM18.90++

A sponge cake with a layer of hard crust of dark chocolate was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with biscuit crumbles as the topping.  The cake was not bad.  Rock-solid crust of dark chocolate!  Those that like it bitter must have loved it to the core.  The sweetness of the vanilla ice creams softened the impact of the bitterness of the dark chocolate, leaving a pleasant sensation. 

Piccolo, RM 11.00++

My piccolo was acceptable, but comparing it with the one I had from The Botanist, it lacked the nutty fragrance, the punch was also much milder.

My friend ordered the mocha, and it was a total disaster.  It didn't taste anything remotely like mocha.  I had a sip.  Yucks, was it actually water chestnut juice?  Or something like that?  My friend said it tasted like durian.

Our bill came to a total of RM50, including service charge and GST.

My opinion is that this place is hip, but there is quite a lot of room for improvement.  Eventually, what attracts people are good food, good drinks, a nice and comfortable environment, which they are lacking in some.

JB Food Hunting 01 - Kam Long Curry Fish Head

I have heard about Kam Long (金龙）curry fish head in Johor Bahru for a long time, but never had a chance to give it a try, recently I decided that I must give it a try.

To get to Kam Long, take the Woodlands causeway to Johor Bahru.  After you go through Malaysia immigration, walk into City Square.  Look for the MacDonald on the ground floor.  Walk out of City Square, into Jalan Wong Ah Fook.  Then walk towards Singapore/Johor Strait.  If you are in City Square, facing Jalan Wong Ah Fook, it is on your left.  Keep walking along Jalan Wong Ah Fook, until you see a queue out of nowhere in the street.

The queue at Kam Long

Kam Long Curry Fish Head Shop-front

We got there at 10.09am on a Saturday.  There was already a queue of about 10m there.  This is the only shop with a queue, you can't miss it.  A busker was performing right in front of the shop, entertaining the people in the queue.

Busker in front of Kam Long

We finally got a table at around 10.55-11.00am.  This place serves nothing but curry fish head.  The menu is on the wall, simple and straight forward.  When you are ushered into the shop, you will be asked what you like to order immediately. 

Kam Long's Menu

The chef starts cooking your pot of fish head immediately upon your order, right at the shop front.  You can see what he does.  There is nothing to hide.

Chef Cooking at the shopfront

11.10am, our bubbling pot of curry fish head was delivered on our table.  The steam was rising from the pot violently, fogging my camera lens.

Curry Fish Head, Small, RM26.00

The fish head is strategically placed in the middle.  Vegetables such as cabbage, lady's finger, long bean are placed at the bottom of the pot, while dry bean curd skin is placed atop.

I first tried the curry.  The curry is different from all the curry I had before.  It was smooth, with the fragrance of coconut, even good to drink on its own.  Yet it still retains its punch at the end.

The dry bean curd skin soaks in all the flavors of the curry, the fish and the vegetables, wow...it is heaven!

They use red-snapper for the fish head.  It was super fresh.  The fish head was fully cooked, but the meat was still very tender.  It would bounce in your mouth.  There wasn't even a hint of any fishy smell.  Instead you would taste a hint of sweetness of the sea.  Great!

Portion-wise, we ordered a small pot for the two of us, both guys, plus a small bowl of rice for each.  We were full after we finished everything.

For the entire meal, our total cost was RM36.00.

I strongly recommend Kam Long curry fish head.  This is the best curry fish head I have ever had.  The 1-hour wait is worth it.  Everything is perfect!  I have never given any other restaurant/eating place such a high rating.

Penang New Lane Hawker Center

Penang, Malaysia, is said to be a food paradise, especially for its hawker food.  New Lane Hawker Center, is ranked as one of the must-visit places in a Penang itinerary.

New Lane Hawker Center is just a short walk from Komtar, the tallest building in Penang.  Walk along Jalan Macalister, then soon you will be there.  You can't miss it, the huge mural on the wall of 118 Hotel is menacingly prominent.  Just take note, New Lane is its English name, while its Malay name is Jalan Baru.  Jalan means road, street, while Baru means new, that's why in English it is called New Lane. The road signs in Penang are all in Malay, because we are in Malaysia!

For first time visitors, it is a bit daunting to figure out how things work.  Basically you will see lots of chairs and tables.  They all belong to the drinks stall.  You can sit anywhere, just order a drink, then you get the 'right' to a table.  After that, you just go around to order your food from the street hawkers.  Some will deliver the food to you, some are just self-served.  

My first option was Chee Cheong Fun.  Haha...my Cantonese nature at work again.  I just can't resist Chee Cheong Fun.

Chee Cheong Fun, RM4.50

The Chee Cheong Fun is hand-made, unlike most in Singapore, which are factory mass manufactured.  The layers are thinner, the size is smaller, but the fragrance of the rice that it is made from is stronger.  Unique in Penang Chee Cheong Fun is their sauce.  Do you see that black sauce?  It is seafood sauce, made from some prawn paste.  As such, it has a bit of fishy smell, very much an acquired taste.  Using seafood sauce with Chee Cheong Fun is unique to Penang.

Char Koay Teow Stall

One of Penang's famous dishes is Char Koay Teow.  It is the Hokkien version of Cantonese Hor Fun (河粉).  If you have not tried any Char Koay Teow in Penang, you can't be considered to have been to Penang.  I chose to order from this uncle's stall.  There was a long queue there.  Locals and tourists alike were queuing up for his Koay Teow.

Satay Stall

The wait was long, about 20 minutes, and the queue was just next to a satay stall, with all that smoke and fire from the satay stall, man....

While waiting, I observed how the uncle cooks the Koay Teow.  He will pour plenty of oil into the wok, heat it up, then put in some prawns.  Once the prawns are done, scoop them up and put them aside.  Next, bean sprouts, koay teow, egg and others.  What surprised me most was he pour in 3 spoonful of soy sauce!  I was like: My God, it is gonna be super salty!  Anyway, this stall's popularity comes from the fact that the uncle fries his koay teow using charcoal fire, not your usual gas.

Char Koay Teow, RM5.00

Some food blogs recommends porridge from this place, but I didn't get the chance to try it.  While there, I also saw many locals order roasts, chicken wings, etc.  They looked good too, maybe next time I can give it a try.

New Lane is a hawker center to its truest form.  There is no roof to shelter the hawkers and patrons alike from sun or rain.  The food stalls are literally on the road side.  When you walk around, don't be surprised cars, motorbikes pass by frequently.  Don't forget it is a functional motorway.  Hot exhaust from the vehicles, hot air from the hot weather, and the smoke from the satay stall, and charcoal fire, wow, it was quite an experience.

Ah Soon Kor Hokkien Mee Penang

Ah Soon Kor Hokkien Mee is located at a coffee shop on the corner of Lebuh Carnavon in Georgetown.

If you walk along Lebuh Carnavon, you will never miss it, as it probably is the only shop that is open so early in the morning (7.50AM).  There are a few stalls, selling Lor Mee, Ho Fun, etc.  There is only one stall selling Hokkien Mee.  There is no name at the stall, how did I know it is called Ah Soon Kor Hokkien Mee?  Actually I don't know, at least not known for sure.  According to "Georgetown Treasure Hunting Map" that we got from the airport, the one at this corner is the Ah Soon Kor Hokkien Mee!  Haha...get used to it.  Nothing is for sure in Malaysia.

The coffee shop setting is very old-fashioned and layback.  I suspect even time runs slower here.  Nobody seemed to be in a hurry.

I ordered the big portion (RM5.00), and added pork ribs (RM3.00).  The presentation is very normal, but the first sip of prawn soup blew me away.  Wow...it was very sweet, not by adding sugar though. I always wonder how they prepare the soup.  I think they remove the head and shell of the prawns, then fried the heads & shells.  After that, add water and pig big bones to cook the soup.  It takes hours for the soup to be ready.  In Singapore, they usually use big prawns, which give very good presentation.  Here in Penang, it seems they like to use small prawns.  There are plenty of small prawns from the nearby fishing ports.  I still remember when I visited my friend's home, a fishing village in Taiping, there was a small mountain of small prawns when the fishing boats came back in the morning.

Using the freshest small prawns may be their secret to cooking up the best prawn noodle soup in town!  I would say this is the best Hokkien Mee I have ever had so far.  It had that original taste from the ingredients, not from any artificial flavoring.  Good!

We had our Hokkien Mee for breakfast at around 8am.  Then later when we passed by again at 11am, the stall was already closed.  Noir!  If you wanna try this stall, please be early:-)

Penang Famous Teochew Chendul

If you have never tried the Famous Teochew Chendul on Penang Road, Georgetown, Penang, then you can't claim to have been to Penang!  Ok, that Teochew Chendul is that famous.

What is Chendul in the first place?  Chendul, also spelt as Cendol, or Chendol, is a very common dessert in South East Asia.  Basically you have some shaved ice, plus red bean, palm sugar syrup, and some green-colored jelly made from sago.  Last but not least, coconut milk.

Our famous Teochew Chendul stall is nothing but a vending cart located in a side alley along Penang Road (Jalan Penang) in Georgetown.  Somehow you will not miss it, as there is always a queue there. Tourists and locals, money in hand, waiting to get their favorite Chendul.  There is a grand total of one and only person who handles the preparation of food and cashier duties.  No wonder there is always a queue!

One bowl costs you RM2.70, that is around S$0.90, pretty cheap.  For take-away, it is more expensive at RM3.20, still affordable.

There are no place for you sit around the vending cart, but if you walk inside the alley a bit, there are many shop houses there, all of them belong to the owner of the Chendul stall, so you can sit anywhere in any of the shop houses.

I am not an expert on Chendul, but still I have tried many different Chendul over the years, and I also tried Chendul once in Penang.  I was wondering how good this Chendul will taste.  Would it be a disappointment?  With many questions marks in mind, I took a spoonful.  Wow...I was quite surprised.  I think the secret is in their coconut milk.  The fragrance of the coconut milk lingers in your mouth, teasing your taste buds; ascends to your nose, stimulating your smell sensors.

I must say it doesn't disappoint.  It is the best Chendul that I have ever had.  You can easily find Chendul elsewhere, but somehow they lack of the taste and sensation.  The ingredients may be the same but just somehow there is some difference.  Probably that explains why secret recipes are so valuable in the world of food.