Restoran Ya Wang in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

This old school shophouse (44 Jalan Segget, +60-7224-8624) is allegedly one of Dian Xiao Er's JB-based advisors on herbal duck techniques. And yes, it was basically like a rustic version of Dian Xiao Er. He gave me some meaty parts that were moist as well as some with more skin than meat, so I was happy with it. And it all had just a slight tinge of herbs and fat to go with it. I liked that they had an option to pair it with some firm and skinny Cantonese egg noodles, and I kinda wish they had given me more.

Hock Kee Kopitiam from JB, Malaysia

I had never heard of Hock Kee before, but it's apparently a Malaysian chain that originated in Johor Bahru, and one of its outlets tonight provided for a convenient refueling. The menu was literally a book, and even included things like that cheesy prawn bee hoon that we had in Malacca. But I went for tneir laksa Johor asli because it's a rendition that is local to Johor, featuring a mackerel flake-based curry, round wheat noodles, and a pretty spread of sliced veggies on top. I was particularly happy with the refreshing crunch of it all.

A Run to Muar in Malaysia for Otak-Otak

There's a little town about an hour south of Malacca that is known for its otah, particularly from a shop called Otak-Otak Cheng Boi (28-4 Jalan Bentayan, 016-644-9119). It was very impressive: I counted almost ten long grills outside that were continuously covered with otah and emanating smoke. There was a constant stream of customers flowing in to buy either those freshly grilled ones or frozen tubs to bring back to steam themselves.



Most importantly, the taste of the otah itself was much more delicate than many other renditions. It was moist and savory without being excessively fishy, and was also salted and spiced up nicely without overpowering the taste of the fish. There was nowhere to sit, as it was more of a shop than a restaurant, but we were happy to stand around in front of the shop to gobble them up because of how nice they were.



Afterwards, we made a quick hop down to the Medan Selera Tiga Tiga Tiga food court on Jalan Ali, as there was a stall there doing otak-otak char kway teow (012-272-4298). Admittedly, the otah felt a bit forced, but I wasn't complaining, especially since the noodles themselves more salty than sweet, especially with some bits of salted vegetables in there. I nearly went back for a second plate and had to restrain myself.

Monterios Portuguese Seafood Restaurant in Malacca

Malacca has a long history of serving as a colonial trading port, with the Portuguese leaving one of the more noticable marks in the city and cuisine. There is an area called the Portuguese Settlement on the eastern side of the city, and tonight in particular was very cool given that the Kristang community there holding a Christmas Party on the street, with many homes not only decked out in Christmas lights and decorations, but even some of these homes serving food to the public on their driveways. Cool!

As much as we wanted to try some of that home-cooked food, our intention was to sit down at one of the many open air restaurants along the water. There were basically Eurasian-style cze cha lined up in a row, kinda like the East Coast Park Seafood Centre in Singapore or even the satay stalls at Lau Pa Sat. We got pulled into one further inside called Monterios thanks to the friendly proprietor who offered us a table (18C Medan Portugis, 014-623-0694). They delivered a range of items, including the "Portuguese Baked Fish" above. It was not as spicy, greasy, nor sweet as it might look; the taste of the siakap seabass still came through despite that oily red sauce and scattering of onions on top.

We also had a number of other items, including some sambal clams, steamed otah (which interestingly featured two types of fish but was very mild in taste), and even something called Commando Chips, which were crisscut fries topped with anchovies, white onions, and chili paste. Admittedly none of it was anything that I'll do backflips over, but it was still so cool to experience this uniquely local culture here. Next time I'd like to try some of the grilled oysters that I saw someone selling down by the water. And find someone selling kari debal.

McQuek’s Satay Celup in Malacca, Malaysia

The way that they do satay in Malacca is rather unique. The most notable thing is that it is more salty than it is sweet, and they use different parts of the animal like intestines, which are pretty good. But satay in Malacca can also be served in a hot pot format called satay celup. The communal pot in the center of the table is filled with a spicy peanut base that is slightly sweet, but it's not as sugary, thick, nor aromatic as the dipping sauce that one might be thinking of. It's actually more spicy, so much that I even ate a few extra spoonfuls of the sauce at the end of my meal because of how pleasant it was.

This satay celup restaurant (288 Jalan Parameswara, 010-268-2998) has been around since 1930. One goes up to the fridge to pick out their selection of skewers to dip in the free broth. And there were quite a few interesting things available, including a number of minced fish paste items like "pandan sushi" and a "seafood cone." My favorite item was actually the shelled prawns, which were small and charged at a premium but were impressively fresh and savory. The service here was fast and I moved through the queue pretty quickly tonight. I'm surprised this Malaccan style isn't more well-known.

An Afternoon of Local Malaccan Treats

Just north of the Jonker area of Malacca lies a little hole in the wall called Sin Hiap Hin (5 Kampung Jawa), and it is seriously one of the coolest places I've ever been to. It's a very old school bar that is only open during the daytime, and is helmed by the sweetest lady who serves local booze neat or with ice and/or a simple garnish like salted plums. The selection consists of mostly local spirits like Melaka samsu rice wine or young sim chiu herbal liquor, plus some lychee and rose-accentuated bottles too. It couldn't get any more local than that, and I was super excited about being there.



Then a little further up the street was a cendol shop called Mahkota Ice Kachang (165 Jalan Bunga Raya, 017-634-6988). The cendol here was so much better than the watered down tourist place Lulala that we went to yesterday, which was clearly leveraging its prime location at the Tan Kim Seng bridge. Mahkota, on the other hand, used a gula melaka that provided lots of depth to the bowl, which incidentally came with the option for kidney beans instead of red beans. That little sagu in the background above was nice, and everything was extremely affordable.



It was also only on this trip that I realized that the Mamee brand of instant noodles is from Malacca, with its advertising/signage seen everywhere around town. They have a gift shop on Jonker Walk (46 Jalan Hang Jebat, 06-286-7666) that has a so-called Noodle Doodle option for you to decorate your own cup, select your garnishes, and have it sealed for you to bring home as a souvenir. Apparently the Momofuku Ando Cup Noodle Museum was the one that started this first, but I still had fun with the Mamee version despite my lousy artwork.

Restoran Aunty Fatso in Malacca, Malaysia

There is a seafood place in Malacca called Tong Sheng that is so popular that we couldn't get a table this week, so instead we went to this place with its amusing name (13-15 Jalan KLJ 1, 012-611-6996). It's a cze char, but there are a number of dishes that they do differently in Malacca, one of which is that "fresh milk crab" above. The crabs are tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce made with evaporated milk like Carnation, so I guess it wasn't fresh milk after all. But it was quite deep and earthy thanks to a load of spring onions in there, making it rather fragrant. Yep, they provided fried mantou buns for one to mop up the sauce with.

The more exciting thing for me was the river prawn cheese mee hoon behind it. The dairy-based name is again a bit confusing, as it wasn't covered in melted cheese like it might sound. Instead, it sat in a thin and savory broth. I'm not sure if there was grated cheese in there to justify the name, but it tasted as if it were assisted by a instant powder for cream of chicken soup. I liked it, and was also a big fan of those fibrous green vegetables on the left. But I didn't care much for their sweet and sour fish, even if it was quite pretty coming out of the fryer.

Baba Freds Nyonya Restaurant in Malacca, Malaysia

This place is smack in the middle of Malacca's tourist district, complete with a parallel brand called Jonker Street Chicken Rice Ball next door (15 Lorong Hang Jebat, 012-633-3449). Its commercialized location suggested that it wasn't anything to get one's hopes up about, but we needed something convenient and local.

And it satiated those needs, especially with things like those small chicken rice balls in the background. They were almost polenta-like in texture with hardly a sense that they were distinct grains of rice previously. The chicken and char siew in our set did the job, as did the tofu, steamed ladyfingers, and soup.

Actually, the most notable highlight for me was their udang lemak nanas. It was a Peranakan way of serving prawns in a pineapple-based curry, and this one was pleasantly spicy rather than fruity. All of this set a good comparison base for what we else we might encounter later this week.

Charcoal Sutera in Johor, Malaysia

We made a pitstop at this Nanyang-style cafe after crossing the border this morning (73 Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/2, 016-324-1812). That Malay-style mee siam above was savory, but the thing that was more unique their seafood nasi lemak, featuring not just fresh and meaty skewered prawns, but also a softshell crab that was deep fried. They were done nicely enough that it didn't matter as much that the rice wasn't very coconut-y. It was fun to wash it down with their salted coffee too.

Jia Yuen Eating House at Tanjong Pagar MRT Exchange

I've passed by this yong tau foo shop a million times on my way to the fish soup stall next door (120 Maxwell Road #B1-29), but only today did I get the inspiration to stop and try it.

It was better than I was expecting in terms of the quality and range of the ingredients, including a fried tofu skin that was glazed mildly sweet but was airy and fun to eat. I realize now that the Hot Hideout folks probably got their inspiration from yong tau foo stalls.

I liked how they had a tub of shallot oil available, but I should go easy on it given how dangerously large the scoop is. These guys are also known for some kind of creamy salted egg rice that I should try someday.

Station by Kotuwa in Telok Ayer

I had this guy's food delivered during the pandemic a couple of times, and it was pretty good. Back then, his Sri Lankan concept was still under incubation, but it has since become a Bib Gourmand, and there is also a more casual Michelin-listed offshoot called Station (21 Boon Tat Street, 6221-1911).

Casual is in relative terms though, as I still racked up a nearly triple-figure bill for one person tonight, but the food was pretty good. I especially liked their deliciously firm and tasty pan-roasted red grouper sitting in a punchy and tangy curry underneath.

Their roti was awesome too, as those little things were piping hot and light with a gooey center. And yes, those prawns above were smoky, although I was a little disappointed that they weren't as fresh as they could've been. I'll go back again if someone else pays.

The Crispy Fried Potatoes from Dingjiapo

OK here were the cuipi guoba tudou from Dingjiapo (as well as a serving of their mashed potatoes in the corner), and it was finally the crispy textured one instead of those weird crinkle cut ones. I also asked them to make it spicier this time, which it was, but it was also very salty. I'm not entirely sure if next time they can make it spicy without being so salty, but I'll ask. I should also try the tofu and egg wrap varieties.