Restaurant How Inn (Catfish King) 泥鳅王

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Highly Recommended)

Address: 1, Jalan Dedap 6, Taman Johor Jaya, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/boApudJFzfwd8d8p9
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

🐟 Claypot Catfish (Small) = RM15.00
🐷 Bak Kut Teh (1 Person) = RM16.00

No Service Charge.

 Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.
Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.

When I first saw this Location on Google Maps, I was surprised to see that they actually specialize in Catfish. 🐟😳 If you have eaten Catfish before, you would know that this is actually not a Popular Fish as it usually have what I'd describe as a "Muddy Taste". 😝 Hahaha even the Chinese Name of this Fish "泥鳅" has the word "Mud (泥)" in it. 😅 In Supermarkets, this is sold under the name of "Pangasius". No kidding, i've tried to cook Catfish before and no matter what I do, I could never get rid of this Mud Taste. Yeeuch! 😝

Even in JB where I've been visiting, I think this is the 1st place I've seen that sell this too. 🤔 When I was there, I also noticed they have Bak Kut Teh so I also ordered 1 to try. 😋🐷 There are only 2 pages of items in their Menu and 1 of them is the Drinks Menu. 🥤 This Small Menu was a Stark Contrast when compared to other Eateries where the Whole Menu is a literally Dictionary of Dishes. 😅 I actually like this Streamline Approach because even though the Menu Items are not alot, it probably means they are Laser Focused on the Quality of the Food they do offer. 👍

The Eatery itself is a Old Kopitiam and the Staffs while Friendly, are Quiet and keep to themselves most of the time. I love the Big Boiling Pots of Bak Kut Teh Soup they have Bubbling Away and the Herbly Smell was very Appetizing! 🌿😋 Both Dishes took about 7 Mins and both of them were served up at roughly the same time.


🐟 Claypot Catfish (Small) = RM15.00

As you can see in the Video, when this was served up, it was Beautifully Bubbling in the Claypot. 🔥😋 Completely Braised Dark in Colour and Garnished with a Handful of Spring Onions. The Smell is reminiscent of the Sauce used in Gong Bao Frog Legs. 🤔 Sauce is liberally peppered with Dried Chilli, 🌶️ Loads of Garlic 🧄 and a mixture of Sauces 🍯 making this Superbly Savoury. I thought this tasted almost No Different from Braised Pork Sauce but done at a More Savoury Garlicky Level. 😋 Very Salty but very 开味! Amazing Sauce! 👍

The Catfish Meat is cut into 7-8 Pieces of relatively Large Bite Size Pieces and totally resembles Braised Pork Belly. 🐷😳 Meat is SUPER SOFT and Tender with No Bones and MOST IMPORTANTLY ZERO MUD TASTE! ❤️😋 I'm not kidding, I even went thru the effort of trying to scrape off some of that Gong Bao Sauce off a Piece and tried to eat it as much as possible without the Sauce and I couldn't taste any Muddy Taste. Amazing! ❤️ Eaten with the Sauce, it is Mildly Spicy and there is No Fishy Taste at all. 😋


One thing to note is that this Catfish is SUPER FATTY! 😅 No Joke, never in my life have I ever expect Catfish to be a Fatty Fish because its usually such a Lean Fish! 🐟 This Catfish is so Fatty, some of the Fats even resembles A Super Fatty Pork Belly! 🐷🐟 What the heck? Eating this feels like no different from eating a Very Savoury Dry Braised Pork. This tastes like a Braised Pork Belly, thats Not Quite a Pork Belly, 🐷 yet also Not Quite a Fish 🐟 if it makes any sense. 😅

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm really enjoying this rendition of Catfish. 🐟😋 Its the Beautiful Braised Gong Bao Sauce that is the Soul of the Dish. 🍯 I'm also guessing that this Catfish is specially bred in such a way that it doesn't have any Mud Taste typical for a Catfish. 🤔

🐷 Bak Kut Teh (1 Person) = RM16.00

By Default, this comes as a Soup Version 🍲 although they do sell a Separate Dry BKT version if you want. While the BKT here is not the Super Herbal Klang Style of BKT, it does still have a Faint Herbly Taste and is not just a Simple Soy Sauce Broth. 😋 I don't know what Herb is used in this Broth but its the type where it has a Bitter-Sweetish Aftertaste. 🌿 Not Bad.

Comes with Various Thick Cut Sizes of Pork. 🐷 About 7-8 Pieces. Some Lean ones, some Belly, some Ribs. All the Meats have a somewhat Tougher Chewy Bitefeel and have a Somewhat Strong Porky Taste, but they are all still Juicy to the Bite. 🐷😋 Also comes with about 4 pieces of Taupok. Personally I felt the amount of ingredients given is Very Acceptable and Filling for a 1 Person Portion. 👍

Not the Best BKT Soup i've eaten I'll admit, but pairing this Herbly BKT Soup to chase down the Salty Claypot Braised Catfish was the Perfect Combo. 👍 These 2 Dishes pair very well together indeed. I didn't order any Rice so this BKT Soup was Perfect as a Replacement. 🍲


---------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

I am in Complete Awe of how Good this Braised Claypot Catfish tasted. 🍲😋 Although the Braised Sauce was obviously used to cover and mask the taste of the Catfish, they did not just Vulgarly Spam it as I could actually still taste the Unique Catfish Meat. 🍯🐟

This is also the 1st time in my Life i've ever eaten a Fatty Catfish. 🐟😅 Must have been specially bred to make it so Fatty and of course to remove its Mud Taste. 👍 If you have never tasted Catfish before and you like the Gong Bao type of Sauce, I can totally recommend to give this a try. 👍 Their BKT is also not bad and I feel pairs very well with this too.

At a Combined Total Price of RM31.00 (S$8.90) without Service Charge for 2 Very Filling and Tasty Claypots, this is Absolutely Worth the Money to come give this a Try. 👍 I don't even think you can find Braised Catfish Claypots in Singapore. 🤔 Even if there are, you're definitely not going to find one that costs only S$4.50. 😅 

No questions about it, this is Highly Recommended for sure! 👍