Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Average)
Address: 43, Jalan Setia 3/4, Taman Setia Indah, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KgcvzLKLuPWrHhzV8
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)
Kopi O Kosong RM2.50
海霸王 (No Carbs) = RM39.80
Add-On Shark Liver = RM7.00
No Service Charges
Do take note that this Place only accepts Cash or Wireless Payment. Debit / Credit Card Payments are Not Available.
Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.
This is an Older Looking Non-Airconditioned Kopitiam.
With how Faded the Main Signboard Looks, I reckon this should be Quite a Very Old Eatery.
There is a Constant Delicious Aroma of Fried and Boiled Fish wafting in the Air. Staffs are Friendly and Polite especially the Lady who took my order who especially has a Happy Demeanor and even a Spring to her Step as I observed. This is a Really Happy Staff if I ever seen one.
As you can see, this Eatery is Very Popular with Locals even at 9.20am on a Monday Morning.
Truly Impressive. If even Monday also so Popular, I'd reckon this Place probably 爆满 on Weekends.
Anyway it took about 7 Mins for the Kopi-O and 18 Mins for Everything Else to be served up together.
A Tad Long for Serving Time, but was still acceptable given how Popular it was when I visited. Expect Much Longer Wait for Weekends I'd reckon.
Kopi O Kosong = RM2.50
Served in a Standard Kopitiam Glass Cup, this was a Fairly Strong Coffee that gently woke me up for the Day.
It has a Decent Classic Kopitiam Kopi-O type of Fragrance Aroma.
Its not a Super Robust Gao Gao type of Kopi-O but its also Not Diluted either.
Has a Faint Almost Bitterness to it with No Siap Siap Taste. Pretty Decent Quality Overall.
海霸王 (No Carbs) = RM39.80
Add-On Shark Liver = RM7.00
Ordered this because this seems to be their Signature. Its even called a "镇店之宝" on the Menu.
Interestingly doesn't come with any Carbs (Rice/Noodles) by Default and those have to be ordered separately.
Presented in an Adorable Hotpot Looking type of Bowl, Amount of Ingredients don't look alot, and I could be wrong, but the way its presented is a Clever Subtle way to entice Customers to order more Add-Ons to "fill-up" this Dish. The 6 Pieces of Shark Liver I ordered separately are found within this already.
Of course I dissected it closely which consists of:
Soup Broth (About 2 Small Bowls)
6 Pieces of Shark Liver
1 Mid-Sied Shell-On Prawn
4 Lala Shellfish
2 Pieces of Fish Maws
2 Fishballs
2 Handmade Pork Meatballs
4 Pieces of Oysters
2 Pieces of Fish
About 1 Tablespoon of Veggies
Quality of the Condiments
The Green Condiment is a Very Citrusy Sourish Chilli Ginger Mix with an Initial Elevated Spicy Bite but slowly reduces into a Gentle Heat on the Tongue that doesn't bite. Not Bad, this was a Nice Chilli Mix.
Quality of the Soup Broth
Cloudy in Appearance, it looks Milky and does taste slightly milky but not Overly So. The Main Taste is actually more of a Rich Seafood Broth with a Noticeable Presence of what tastes like Shaoxing Wine.
It makes sense for Shaoxing Wine to be used here to help hit away any Fishiness given that this is a Seafood Broth. Personally though I feel the Amount of Shaoxing Wine 下的有一点重. It is so Noticeable that it gives me the Feeling they are trying to cover up or hide the Seafood which may not be Entirely Fresh. This is just my assumption based on this taste however.
Don't get me wrong, this is still a Decent Soup which most people will have no issues with, but from a Culinary Viewpoint, and perhaps I'm over-thinking this, I think this Eatery is not 100% Confident about the Freshness of its Seafood based on how much Shaoxing Wine is added to their Soup Broth.
Quality of the Prawn
The Main Centerpiece of the Dish, this was a Big Chonky Boy. I liked the Effort in Deshelling sans Head and Tail and Particularly appreciate the Deep Cuts to it to ensure the Digestive Tract is Cleanly Removed. This is a Very Nicely Processed Prawn that is 很多功 because remember they probably need to do this for Hundreds of Prawns since they're running a Business.
The Prawn itself though isn't Super Bouncy type but still with a Decent Firmness to the Bite.
Not Overly Prawny with a Tad Sweetness of Prawn. Not Bad in terms of Freshness, I have no issues with this Prawn.
Quality of the Shark Liver
This particular item is something new for me and I ordered it to try.
According to the Friendly Genki Lady Staff who took my order, she said I was lucky to try this as it is not available all the time. Lucky Me I guess. Uniquely Shaped and served in 6 Slices, they looked a Tad Small, probably taken from a Small Shark I reckon. There are No Particular Aroma from it.
Basically like a "Meat Tofu", the thing that does it for me was how the Liver absolutely MELTS and DISSOVES in my Mouth literally 入口即化. Wow! Despite it being a Liver, this taste nothing like a Typical Liver from say a Pig for example. What you get instead is Zero Liver Taste but instead I'd describe this like eating a Fleshy Mushy Oil Packet swimming in your Mouth. Slight Fishy but not overly so.
Hahaha its so Oily, that I think this Poor Shark probably has Fatty Liver! Hahaha! I am someone who loves Creamy Melt in Mouth type of Fat so I have no issues with this. But if you are someone who don't like Fats, you might not like this as much. Oh so Sinful this Shark Liver, I want More of it! Literal Pure Fatty Goodness.
Quality of the Lala Shellfish
I thought the 4 of these were Quite Large.
Nicely Juicy with No Sandy and No Slimy, Clean Tasting. These were Nice to Schluck.
Quality of the Fishballs
Not sure if these are from some Supermarket Package, but they are Soft and Tender with a Juicy Bite.
No Fishiness and Clean Tasting.
Quality of the Handmade Pork Meatball
Visually, you can already tell this is Definitely Handmade. Uniquely tasted like Minced Pork being Mushed Together. Slight Bouncy in Texture with No Doughy Fillers, there is an Initial Quick Shot of Porkiness followed by a Presence of Peppery + Saltiness. This is the First Time I've tasted such a Unique Pork Meatball. Decently Done.
Quality of the Fish Maw
Compared to others I've eaten, I thought these came in a Larger Cut. Soft and Tender with a Clean Taste.
If you like Fish Maws, you probably will have no issues with these either.
Quality of the Oysters
These are the Same Types used in Fried Oysters.
Big and Fat, Juicy to the Bite with No Wierd Taste and No Sandy, these were alright.
Quality of the Fish Pieces
No Idea what fish is used. Its not like Super Fresh but its Decent Firmish to the Bite, not Nua Nua.
Clean Tasting with No Fishiness. Acceptable but also Nothing Amazing.
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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts
At the Price of RM2.50 (S$0.80) is Affordable certainly.
Although not Super Amazing or anything, it was a Decent Cup that gently woke me up for the Day.
At the Price of RM39.80 (S$13.00) for their Signature 海霸王, is certainly not cheap. Especially when Rice/Carbs is not included by default in this Price and needs to be ordered separately. At the Relatively Higher Price they are asking for already, not adding a Carb feels kindda Stingy, like Nickel and Diming the Customer.
They call this a "镇店之宝" on the Menu, but to me, this feels more like a Basic Sampler Plate. To be fair, there is alot of Variety of Items within. But the way they presented it in a Big Pot like this while adorable, also feels to me like a Subtle Push for Customers to order More Add-Ons to "Fill up the Bowl" so to speak.
This one is Subjective, but I personally feel they are a Tad Over-Zealous in their Application of Shaoxing Wine in their Broth. I get that why its needed, but the Over-Reliance of it just gives me the Feeling that they are not 100% confident about the Freshness of their Seafood and using this to try to Cover Up. Not sure if this is the Intention, but at least this is how I feel about it when viewing this from a Culinary Viewpoint.
What I do appreciate was the Amount of Care they took for their Prawns. The Amount of Work to Deshell and purposefully making Deep Cuts to ensure Digestive Tract is cleaned out is to be Applauded. This Attention to the Prawn is basically like 海脚人 Hai Kah Lang (KL Taman Cheras) (not the JB Branch though).
The Main Highlight of the Dish for me however were definitely the Sharks Liver.
Having these Melt and Dissolve in my Mouth was so Good and So Sinful! Paying RM7.00 (S$2.30) for 6 of them is a pretty good deal to eat a Rare Ingredient that is seldom seen in Singapore. You do need to be lucky though as these aren't available all the time. I wish they also had Pig Blood Cubes which would have paired with these perfectly.
Don't let my Average Score deter you from this Place. From what I observed of the Crowd Level even on a Monday, I can tell this place is Famous and Popular even among the Locals. So i'm sure this place has its Fans.
This Place does alot of things right, but also a Couple of Things that I feel could be improved. Although not a Die Die must come JB to eat type of Place, if you are ok with the Issues that I mentioned, is ok with the Prices on their Menu, I can still recommend to give this a Try if you are near Taman Setia Indah.
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