Review Rating: ⭐ (Not Recommended)
Address: 24, Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wgLdmwnauFgLsTgS8
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)
☕ Kopi-O-Kosong = RM2.00
🍜 1 Bowl of Kuay = RM2.00
🍖 Mixed Meats/Organ Platter = RM22.00
No Service Charge
There are No Menu Available at this Eatery/Restaurant.
Whenever I go to any Kway Chup Stall in Singapore, I would usually order like this:
"Uncle, 一個人吃的, 全部料都参参, 不要豬皮, 給我一碗 Kway. 我在這裡吃的. 謝謝."
Translation: "Hi Uncle, I'm a Solo Diner dining in. Other than Pig Skin, please give me Abit of Every Ingredient you have, together with 1 Bowl of Kway. Thanks."
I've been ordering this way all the time in Singapore and there has never been any issues. 🇸🇬👍 Yet for some reason, this same exact phrase I use in Malaysia JB has never worked so far. 🇲🇾😅 Either the Stall Owner will tell me they don't have a Portion for 1 Person Only (even though they do state this under their Grab Food Menu) like in 新山粿条仔 Restoran Zoom Cafeteria 🤔 or this place which I will describe later. Quite an Amusing Exchange as you will soon see. 😅
The Interior of the Place
This is a Kway Teow Kia Stall that has regularly been featured in many Top 10 List of JB Eateries. 📜 It is a Large Place in what looks like 2 Kopitiams that are merged together. 🤔 You can even see remnants of Former Kopitiam Stalls but other than Drinks, Kway Teow Kia is the only thing that they sell here.
There were Noticeably Quite a Few Customers even on a Thursday Morning when I was there as you can see. 🤔 Staffs were made up mostly of Foreigners. They were Friendly but mostly kept to themselves.
There is a Main Cooking Station with Pots of Boiling Soup 🍲 where the Owner cooks and that is where you will make your order via a Foreign Staff nearby who will take your order. He does understand Chinese. Once you've made your order, you'll be given a Metal Tag 🏷️ to bring to your Table where you will just wait until your Food is Served up. In the case of my order, he didn't seem to understand and referred me to his Boss, the Owner. 🤔
Why is it so Challenging to Order Kway Teow Kia as a Solo Diner in JB?
The Owner who is also the Main Cook is a Senior Middle Aged Chap. 🤔 When I told him the Order like how I mentioned at the Beginning of this Post, the First Thing he did was to look at me suspiciously and he said:
"We have over 20 Items here, and I don't think you can finish them all. Why don't you order each item 1 by 1?" 🤔
So ok, thats what I did. And he continued with "Ok, we have 3 types of Meats here, which one do you want?"
When I told him I would like all 3 of them, he actually REJECTED me, 🙅♂️ and told me again that I would not be able to finish, and in the end said he will customize something that HE thinks I will be able to finish instead. 🤔
What is the point of asking me to choose if he is going to end up make me eat what HE wants me to eat rather than eat what I want to eat? 🤔
Even if I couldn't finish the food, I could have dapao to takeaway. 🛍️ Did he think that I am not able to pay for it when he was so resistant to my request? 🤔 I'm really not sure. NGL at this point I started to feel annoyed. 🙄 I could tell he was getting irritated with me. Luckily it did not escalate any further and he did not raise his voice. 🤔 Luckily it wasn't particularly Crowded or Busy as I felt it could've easily been a Whole Lot Uglier. 🤔
So the Whole Conversation just hit a Brick Wall for me. 🧱 Personally, I didn't like that it was HE who decided what HE thought I should eat and I didn't really have a choice at all. 🤔
☕ Kopi-O-Kosong = RM2.00
Kopi O Kosong has a Decent Taste, but as you can see in the Photo, 📷 its a Pre-Packaged Sachet, not Hand Brewed.
Really Nothing Special at all about this. 🤔
The Chilli they have here is Watery in Texture and has a Somewhat Deep Sweetish tone to it. 🌶️
Noticeably Spicy, Not the Super Spicy bite your tongue type of Spicy, but it does linger abit and you will absolutely feel it's presence. 🌶️
Quality of the Kway
Amount of Kway given is Acceptable and they are Smooth. 😋 In some Video Reviews of this Place, the Owner describe the Kway used in Kway Teow Kia is actually slightly thinner than Usual Kway Teow. 🤔 Personally I couldn't feel any difference. I also feel this is most likely also a Pre-Packaged Product from some Supplier somewhere. 🤔
Quality of the Soup
I like the Soup Broth here. 🍲 It has a Nice Braised Taste and a Noticeable Slightly Herbly Undertone. 🌿 Not very Salty. I feel this Broth's Herbal Undertone is Above Average compared to the Regular Kway Chup Broths we have in Singapore which felt more Soy Sauce based. 🍲🌿 This here I think is the Soul of the Entire Dish.
🍖 Mixed Meats/Organ Platter = RM22.00
I like that they give Crispy Shallot and Pork Lard which makes it very Fragrant. 🐷😋 Braised Egg has a Standard Taste but the bits of Crispy Shallot pieces do help elevate it by bringing a Slight Crunch. Pig Blood is Firm to the Bite but not Overly Firm. 😋 Nice, but I prefer those with a Softer Texture.
Large Intestines were Nicely Braised with a Soft Bite. 🍲🐷 Compared to the ones I have in the past, I feel these do have a Noticeably Stronger Piggy 豬腥味 Aftertaste than usual. 🐷🤔 The Lean Pork Meat that he selected was Not Overly Dry and has a Juicy Bite with a Very Slight Hit of Saltiness. 🍖👍
Pork Belly is not Overly Fatty. Taste exactly like the Lean Pork Meat but of course this time with an Additional Layer of Fat. Not Bad. 🐷😋 Pig Tongue has a Nice Soft and Tender Bite Texture with an Oily Undertone. 🐷 The Oil is probably from the Shallot Oil though, not the Tongue itself.
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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts
At the Total Combined Price of RM26.00 (S$7.50), I'd say this is worth the money to try. 👍 I feel the Quality here taste Nice especially their Soup Broth because of its Herbal Undertone which shows some Effort being made to it. 🍲🌿
I must admit, this is the First Kway Teow Kia Eatery that I felt actually does taste Nice and Above Average even when compared to the Kway Chups with have in Singapore. 🍲😋 That said, this is only my 2nd JB Kway Teow Kia I've eaten so far, 😅 so I'm really not sure if I can call this as Good. But I admit I did enjoy it.
But still, the main issue is that I have so far not had the Smoothest Process of ordering Kway Teow Kia in JB so far. 🇲🇾🤔 Especially for this Eatery, I just didn't like how I felt like I couldn't eat what I wanted. 🙄 I was surprised when while I was eating, the Owner came by, smiled at me and nicely asked me if I felt his selection was acceptable for me. 🤔 His Behaviour was such a Drastic Change compared to his Initial Hostile and Annoyed Attitude towards me. 🤔
At that point, I wasn't as annoyed anymore, but I also didn't really feel like replying him. 🙄 so I just politely said "Ok Nice." I did appreciate him coming to check with me, but I wasn't really in the right state of mood to engage in any further Friendly Conversations with him anymore at that time. 🙅♂️
I really did enjoy the KTK here, and it does taste nice. 👍 But the Initial Frustration and Hostile Attitude when ordering really turned me off. 🫤 Its a Pity we probably got off the Wrong Foot. But this Unpleasant 1st Impression spoilt my Mood for this Place. 🫤 As such, unfortunately I am going to have to give this Place my Lowest Score. Not a Place I would return again I'm afraid, 🫤 I hope you have a Better Experience here than I did. 🫤
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