Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Restoran Medina Baru

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Recommended)

Address: 
5, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qXy49AYjugwoXjiN9
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)


๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ Sup Daging (No Rice) = RM11.00
๐Ÿซš☕ Teh Halia = RM3.00

No Service Charges

๐Ÿ“‹ Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.
(There are No Prices Listed.)


If you take the time to come out of JB City Square Mall and walk walk explore abit, ๐Ÿšถyou will most likely have seen this Eatery along the Jalan Wong Ah Fook Road across from JBCC Komtar. ๐Ÿค” During my Impromptu Late Night Visit to explore JB at 2.00am ๐Ÿ•‘ back in October 2023, I've also seen this Eatery Open for Business, so I reckon its probably Open 24 Hours. ๐Ÿค” 

Because of the Many Modern Air-Conditioned Malls around the Area, most People probably won't bother to visit this somewhat Older Looking Eatery. ๐Ÿค” For some reason though, I was craving some Malay/Indian Food so I thought I'd give it a try. ๐Ÿ˜‹


Its a Warm and Cozy place with a Sleepy Feel to it. ๐Ÿ˜Œ Quite a Large Eatery. I'll be honest, being the Only the Chinese Person there, it did felt abit Socially Awkward with some of the Customers looking curiously at me. ๐Ÿ˜… The Folks within are Friendly but mostly keep to themselves. They don't speak English so Comms may be abit of an issue, but I'm thankful that they are Patient with me. ๐Ÿ‘ As long as you order like how you would normally order at a Malay Stall in Singapore using some Basic Malay, you would be fine here. ๐Ÿ‘ 


The Menu has No Price written and No English Translation so for Foreigners who have never eaten South-East Asian Malay/Indian Cuisine before might have some troubles intepretating what they are. ๐Ÿ“œ๐Ÿค”

๐Ÿซš☕ Teh Halia = RM3.00

I LOVE Teh Halia (Ginger Tea) whenever I'm in a Malay/Indian Food Stall so I ordered this. ๐Ÿ˜‹ Totally forgot to ask them to not put any Sugar because I forgot to tell them I wanted "Teh Halia Kosong" hahaha! ๐Ÿ˜… Oh well, its been awhile since I've drank Normal Teh Halia so I figured why not.

It was served up in 2 Minutes and was Nice and Creamy with a Lingering Ginger Heat in my Throat. ๐Ÿซš๐Ÿ˜‹ Man, i've drank Teh Halia Kosong so much that I've almost forgotten how Normal Teh Halia tastes like! ๐Ÿ˜… Tastes quite Sweet tbh. Oh how I missed Sugar! Overall not bad. Tasted Smooth. ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ Sup Daging (No Rice) = RM11.00

I was especially intrigued by "Sup Daging" (Beef Stew) in the Menu. ๐Ÿ“œ๐Ÿค” Being a Chinese myself, I've always for some reason always order "Sup Kambing" (Mutton Stew) ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฒ when I'm at a Malay/Indian Food Stall. So this is my First Time trying this. ๐Ÿ‘ 
I also ordered this because I wanted to test how much this cost. ๐Ÿ’ต๐Ÿค” As there were No Prices shown on the Menu, I wanted to see if this place will Tok Cai Tao "Chop me like a Carrot-Head" ๐Ÿ”ช๐Ÿฅ• partly because Beef is not a Cheap Meat ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿค” and also partly to see how they would charge this Dish for a Singaporean. ๐Ÿ’ต๐Ÿค”

It was served up in 6 Minutes and my First Impression was that it looks Very Plain. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿค” Would have been alot more Presentable if there were at least a few slices of Parsley or Coriander Leaves. ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿค” It looks very similar to Singapore Style Sup Kambing with No Bones, but using Bite-Sized Cubes of Meat. ๐Ÿ– The Amount of Meat given though felt more Generous compared to Singapore. I counted at least 9 Chunks of them.

When I took my First Spoonful of the Broth, I am immediately Very Impressed with the Quality! ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ˜‹ One thing about Indian/Malay Folks as we all know is their Mastery and Control of Spices. ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ‘ The way they manipulate and develop their Complex Spice Tastes is something that Chinese Cooking seldom utilizes. ๐Ÿค”

Chinese Cooking mostly focused on being Light ๆธ…ๆทก because we want to taste the Original Freshness "้ฎฎๅ‘ณ" of an Ingredient (Eg: Fish, ๐ŸŸ Meat ๐Ÿ–), while Indian/Malay Folks emphasizes on Spice Control and Manipulation for a Heavier Stronger ้‡ๅฃๅ‘ณ Taste. ๐ŸŒฟ

The Broth here is not Watered Down and the Undercurrent of Spices used here is Gao Gao one. ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ‘ In addition, there is also another Layer of Fried Onion taste which I liked. ๐Ÿง…๐Ÿ˜‹ It doesn't look like they scrimp on any Ingredients or Cut any Corners for this Broth. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ‘ It was Very Hot, Comforting and Very Hearty. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ˜‹

Although it was Watery, it had lots of Gritty Texture to it. ๐Ÿ˜‹ The Taste Profile is the Very Similar to the Sup Kambing that we're all familiar with. Slightly more Peppery, it is not Overly Spicy although the Heat will Linger on your Throat. ๐ŸŒถ️  Its also not Overly Salty and because of the Beef Pieces, has a Slight Beefy Undertone to it too. ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿ˜‹ I reckon they probably use the Same Soup Base if you were to order their Sup Kambing. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿค”

The Beef Pieces were Chewy and have a Tougher Bite Feel, unfortunately not the Super Soft Soft Super Tender type. ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿค” Some parts have Meat Collagen, while some are More Meaty. ๐Ÿ– Beefy Taste is Noticeable but Not Overpowering.

It was a Pity that the Beef Pieces were the Weakest Link in this Dish as they were abit Tough which means they aren't boiled for very long.
๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿค” Had they had a Longer Time in the Pot, they would have paired PERFECTLY with this Broth. 
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this Soup Broth and easily drank it dry. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ˜‹ Of course I went over to the Friendly Owner and gave him a Compliment and Thumbs Up. ๐Ÿ‘ Sedap and Bagus! He Warmly Appreciated the Gesture. ๐Ÿ˜„

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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At the Price of RM11.00 (S$3.20) for the Sup Daging with No Service Charges, I was legit surprised by how Affordable it was! ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ˜ณ Being that this was Beef, I had expected the price to be alot higher given that the Rental for this Place is probably also not Cheap given how close it is to the JB CIQ. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿค” This is a Well Made, Affordable Bowl of Beef Soup that I easily drank Dry. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ˜‹ I only wished that the Beef Pieces were more Tender. ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿ˜…

If you are willing to venture out of JB City Square Mall to explore abit  ๐Ÿšถ and don't mind facing a Little Bit of Initial Social Awkwardness, ๐Ÿ˜… at this Price, I have no issues recommending anyone to come give this a try if you like such Malay/Indian Styled Soup Broths. ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿ˜‹ This would be Amazing to drink especially during a Cold Weather! ❄️๐Ÿฒ

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