Tong Dim Sum Restaurant 同心圆港式点心楼

With so many Dim Sum Places in Johor Bahru, we happened to come across Tong Dim Sum and was pleased with the food as well as their service. Their steamed Dim Sum was prepared upon ordering and waiting time is required. 

Tong Dim Sum Restaurant 同心圆港式点心楼

The place is mostly patronized by the locals and for every visit we went, we were attended to quickly by their observant staff on duty.

Preparation Corner

The picture hanging on the wall features Celebrity Jay Chou visiting the restaurant.

Dining Environment

The menu is pretty extensive and illustrates every Dim Sum item on the menu.

Menu

It is heavily used and it has also indicated some of the items that are not available. Sighs! There goes my craving for Xiao Long Bao.

Menu

As soon as we settled down on the table, servers served up a tray of fried and baked items, ready for us to pick from it.

Serving Tray

I took the plate of tarts from the serving tray as these mini tarts were so lovely. They are bite size and the sweetness of the filling was on the right notes.

Little Egg Tarts 蛋挞仔 - RM 6

The unique crispy strings roll up a bar with shrimps within. The texture was memorable

Dragon Beard Rolls 龙须卷 - RM 8

The Fortune Crispy Shrimp is only available during Saturday and Sunday. Its crispy exterior was moreish and fillings are of a great combination between the soft yam as well as bouncy shrimps. Totally yummy!

Fortune Crispy Shrimp 宝带虾 - RM 8

The thin crispy exterior of the prawn rolls was crackling addictive. Exterior was crispy and prawns fillings were succulent and springy.

Prawn Rolls 鲜虾腐皮卷 - RM 8

The thin sheet of rice rolls with chopped Char Siu encased and drenched in its seasoning sauce, topping up with a dollop of chilli. Fragrant with a smooth texture, I do not mind having another plate of this.

Char Siu in Rice Rolls 叉烧肠粉 - RM 6

The shrimp rice rolls were delectable too with the appetizing chilli. 

Shrimp in Rice Rolls 虾肠粉 - RM 6

Delicious marinated spare ribs with black bean sauce were topped with 3 pieces of chilli.

Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 鼓汁排骨- RM 6

The Phoenix Claw were well seasoned and not too spicy with hints of black peppery taste. 

Phoenix Claw 凤爪 - RM 6.90

The Steamed Chicken Wings in Wine were quite a mess to me in their presentation. It has a strong mixture of grated ginger with lemon grass and chilli. If you are not in the flavour of chicken bones and grated ginger, you might want to give this a miss. 

Steamed Chicken Wings in Wine 蒸酒鸡翅 - RM 6.90

Siew Mai comes in a tray of 4 and is topped with fish roes. They were tasty and were glad they do not have any gamey smell compared to those we had back in Singapore.

Siew Mai 烧卖 - RM 6.90

Har Kau is one of the staples to order while having a dim sum meal. The shrimp was bouncy and springy. However, the skin was a bit thick side. 

Shrimp Dumpling 虾饺 - RM 6.90

These look similar to Siew Mai but instead of pork, they were served with prawns instead and in a tray of 3. Simply enjoyed the springy and bouncy shrimp.

Shrimp Dumpling 虾卖 - RM 6.90

Cravings for these buns just never stop for the "lava" flow from the bun was simply addictive. The buns were pillow soft and light green in colour. Each tray comes with 2 buns. 

Steamed Yolk & Butter Buns 流沙包 - RM 4.50

The oozing lava was luscious and goes well with the fluffy soft plain buns.

Lava

The Glutinous Chicken Rice which we often called "Lor Mai Kai" was served in covered aluminum tray. While its served hot, be careful while handling the food.

What's Inside?

The Glutinous Chicken rice was tasty and chicken meat was well marinated. However, the taste is not consistent and not in our flavor for they have the after taste of frozen chicken.

Glutinous Rice Chicken 糯米鸡 - RM 4.90

Here come the buns order. Guess what did we order?

The Pau

The sweet BBQ Pork Buns aka Char Siu Bun is sold individually. Buns are fluffy and soft stuffed with sweet savory chopped pieces of Char Siu. 

Steamed Cha Siu Bun 叉烧包 - RM 2.20

Steamed Pork Bun was filling to the stomach and big in size.  The marinated meat was juicy and goes well with the plain soft texture of the buns. It will be good for sharing if you are other other Dim Sum Items.

Steamed Pork Bun 大包 - RM 4

While expecting the size of the steamed Red Bean Bun to be similar to the Char Siu bun, we were rather surprise that the size is actually twice times more. Similarly. bun is soft and fluffy and the Red Bean paste sweetness was adequate, not too sweet.

 

Steamed Red Bean Bun 豆沙包 - RM 2

Service from the ordering staff rendered was friendly. Unlike other nearby popular Dim Sum places, this place has much more locals than foreigners and I felt comfortable in the sense that they are not overly commercialized. Price-wise, they are pretty reasonable too. 

Tong Dim Sum Restaurant 同心圆港式点心楼
Location: No, 75, Jalan Indah 8/13, Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice 陈福记

Chen Fu Ji had its genesis in Chinatown in the 1950s, when a small shop run by a woman and her two daughters made famous the Gold Plated Fried Rice. The recipe is said to have been passed down from ancient China. The daughters were hired by a Japanese to work at his restaurant on Erskine Road in 1992 but the brand was soon sold to Mr Koh.

Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice 陈福记

The wooden long bench and table with white walls made the interior simple and clean, giving a cozy environment. For larger groups of diners, they have round tables to accommodate them. 

Dining Interior

The business used to be run by 2 sisters who helmed the wok for over 40 years and had decided to retire and let go of their business due to health. They started selling fried rice from $3 to $25 a plate with continuous customer flow but also paid their youth and health for it. Due to long-standing hours, the elder sister was hunched back and her waist was crooked while the younger sister had her hands soaked for long hours thus her nails were damaged and she often felt pain.  

History of Chen Fu Ji

The Lemon Grass Home Made Drink tasted different with the use of Rock Bee Candy.  Rock Bee Candy is the only alkaline sugar among all sugars. It can neutralize the acidity of food, optimize the taste and adjust the acid-base balance of the human body without destroying human immunity.

Lemon Grass Home Made with Rock Bee Candy  自制香茅石峰糖 - $3.80 / Glass

There was a promotion on the premium Japanese Breaded Oysters. Love the Breaded exterior of the oysters and this seafood tasted yummy with some lime juice over them as well as dabbing them into the given chilli.

Premium Japanese Breaded Oyster - $14.80+ (8 Pieces) 

While many said that Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice was passe and taken over by KOFR, I would say that their fried rice is still reputable and live up to its name. Their Ultimate Fried rice was said to be a recipe from 1400 years ago. 

It was served on an elegant plate with Thai rice decked up in the shape of a bowl. Indeed, the fried rice did not disappoint. It was topped with freshly peeled crab meat adorned with a stalk of coriander and orchid. Ingredients like Char Siew, Spring Onion, Soy Sauce, Sea Prawn and Fresh Egg were distinctly tasted and seen. Best of all, it is flavourful and not greasy.

It's not exaggerating but it is considered one of the best fried rice I have ever tasted apart from the popular DTF Egg Fried Rice. At one glance at the menu, the price might turn one off but considering the ingredients used, it would be said to be on the reasonable side.

CFJ Ultimate Fried Rice 陈福记终极炒饭 - $25

It's not my usual bowl of Sliced Fish Soup.  The snakehead fish is very potent for healing from surgeries and injuries. The soup is sweet and tasty.

Sliced Fish Soup 生鱼片汤

We often had Pan Fried Baby Kai Lan with minced garlic but their kind of execution makes use of ginger stripes which I find rather refreshing on top of the crunchy bites from the vegetables. 

Panfried Baby Kai Lan 清炒小芥蓝

We had the egg roll as an appetizer. These Bouncy fish cakes are wrapped with egg and sliced into pieces with Japanese cucumber inserted in between

Egg Roll 蛋卷 - $4

Hints of buttery creamy broth with the Male Crab weighing about 400g immersed in the claypot soaked with White Bee Hoon. The Whiff of aroma had lured our appetite. The soup had a taste of Chinese cabbage, evaporated milk, garlic and butter.

Crab Bee Hoon Broth - Male 400g -  $25+

The taste of crustacean was simply fresh with no foul smell. The only pet peeve was that we could have plump and juicer meat if bigger crabs were used but it was unavailable at the time of the visit.

Crab

Claw from the Crustacean

The eyes pleasing presentation stole my attention from the other dishes on the table. These Pan-Fried homemade skinless and boneless diced chicken was delectable with their homemade Gongbao Sauce fried with onions, spring onions, and cashew nuts.

Gongbao Diced Chicken 宫保鸡丁

Service from Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice is attentive and patient. I do not mind revisiting them for their fried rice and other dishes again.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice 陈福记
Location:  279 Jln Besar, Singapore 208943

Qingo Singapore [Media Drop]

Qingo (JYR INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD) is a well-trusted distributor and retailer of premium quality fruit brands from across the globe. Their services include both online and offline supply chain management for international fruit brands, including fruit processing, distribution, and retail, as well as the creation of bespoke fruit gift arrangements.  They are committed to becoming the largest provider of premium fruit products and fruit integration services in the country.

Qingo pride itself on quality product service whereby each individual product is handpicked fresh. Not only that, they direct Import to ensure its quality and freshness. There will be free Delivery with orders of $59 and above. They also provide dedicated Customer Service to solve problems on time excluding public holidays and Sundays.

Fruits Order

These milk green Jujube's size and appearance look similar to green apples. They are also known as milk dates and are rich in nutrients. These fruits are known of its sweetness as well as crisp, refreshing and unique flavours. Its pulp is rich in vitamins and has a variety of minerals. It aids in cooling and detoxification, sedation and anti-cancer, as well as for beauty and weight loss

Milk Green Jujube 牛奶青枣

These apples are a speciality of Xinjiang and are also known as sweetheart apples.

Xinjiang Akesu Apple

The thick deep purple skin is a trait of the Kyoho Grapes. It is sweet and often complemented by the refreshing acidity. These grapes are seasonal and only available from early summer through mid-autumn. They are highly nutritional in Vitamin C and dietary fibre. It's also known for its cholesterol-free, low in fat and sodium.

 

Kyoho Grapes

This is my first time getting in touch with Pepino Fruit. It looked foreign to me as I have never come across them. It is yellow in colour the size of apples and has distinctive brown stripes on its skin. They have a pleasant scent of vanilla and notes of honey. They smell like honey dew and sweet in taste. These fruits are said to reduce the risks of stress and hypertension. It also aids in preventing diabetes.

China Premium Pepino Fruit - 中国精品参果

These China Hawthorns were handpicked individually and sizes are uniform. Hawthorn helps protect against heart disease and control high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Not only that, it was said to increase coronary artery blood flow, improve circulation and also lowers blood pressure. It has also been used on the skin to treat boils and skin sores.

China Hawthorn 中国红山楂

These mini-size China Sugar Tangerines are refreshing and juicy.

China Sugar Tangerine 中国砂糖橘

These eye-catching red cherry tomatoes were beautiful. They are sweet and juicy, ideal to top your salad bowl.

Premium Millennial Cherry Tomato 精品千禧小番茄

Thank you Gingo Singapore for the Media Drop.

Qingo Singapore
Location: 60 Kaki Bukit Pl, Lobby B Eunos Techpark, #07-09, Singapore 415979
Website

Restoran Nasi Ayam Kian Huat

The last trip to Johor Bahru had drawn our attention to Nasi Ayam Kian Huat for their non-stopping queue was simply too eye-catching while we were at the medical opposite the street. Thanks to the spontaneous group and we finally had a chance to brave ourselves across the borders on a weekday morning for these Roasted delights.

Restoran Nasi Ayam Kian Huat

While we were thinking that the hawkers are local Chinese, their accent had revealed themselves that they are vietnamese. Let's have a look at the price list at the side of their display shelf.

Price list

Every staff have their delegated duties, one taking order, the other one chopping and preparing the order, one scooping the rice etc. We were told that the queue lined up outside was for taking away orders and if you are preparing to dine in, just directly order with the staff on duty and do away with the queue.

Smell of the fragrant Rice

Finally! Here's our feast for the first meal of the day. It was not very common sight that we have heavy breakfast like this. Nonetheless, this was our long awaited meal for the trip.

Our Feast - Rm 55 (Without Drinks)

Even the basic tasted good. The rice was packed of fragrance and every mouthful we had was so addictive. The soup was tasty too but tasted a tad salty towards the bottom.

Chicken Rice - Rm 0.80 / 1.50

I drooled as I saw slabs of chicken cutlets hanging on the glass shelves. It made no hesitation for me that I had to order this by hook or by crook. The chicken was crispy and flavourful with lemon sauce.

Lemon Chicken - RM 10

The star of our meal is none other than these charred portions of the popular Char Siew. Look at the glistering slices of the good balance of fatty and lean meat. These were simply yummy.

Char Siew

Many sweared by it. You have got to try this! Once you see the queue stop, that would be an indication that the Char Siew might be sold out.

Yummy Char Siew

The glossy looking on the roasted chicken skin is way too inviting. What lies below the roast layer was  succulent and aromatic chicken. 

Roasted Chicken (Half) - RM 18

Dab this meat into the sour and fiery chilli to bring out its best flavour. 

Roast Chicken Meat

The roasted pork was a standard fare. Nonetheless, it still hits the checklist of crispy crackling skin and a good significant layer of meat seen.  You might want to give it a miss to save stomach space for other food.

Roasted Pork

The length of the queue just won't lie. Though there was not many entries in google review, I would say this is a underrated Nasi Ayam place and one should try it when you are around the area.

Restoran Nasi Ayam Kian Huat
Location: Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

No. 1 Western Food

I have been wanting to visit Margaret Drive Hawker Center ever since I heard the news about it. There were not many choices during our visit at the Weekends for a number of stalls were closed. Spotted this old school Western Food and decided to give it a try.

No. 1 Western Food

Nothing on the presentation and items on the plate has changed. The portion was still little with price increases due to inflation. Nonetheless, the unique taste of the chicken shop is said to be served with the thick luscious, tomato-based barbecue gravy which is also one of the reasons for having so many supporters.

Chicken Chop - $7 

The chicken chop is juicy and tender. The charred edges of the chicken chop were fragrant.

Charred Chicken Chop

The chicken cutlet is very well fried. Love its crusty exterior that envelopes the thick juicy tender chicken.

Chicken Cutlet - $7

No.1 Western Food
Location: Margaret Drive Hawker Centre, 38A Margaret Dr, #02-30, Singapore 140238

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Last Posted on 14th July 2015

Getting bored with many western food from the hipster cafes nowadays? Be glad when you visit No. 1 Western Food in Tanglin Halt as they still have the traditional kind of Western Food to make you feel nostalgic.

Stall of No. 1 Western Food

Chicken Cutlet was served uniquely in a metal plate which I dont remember having such presentation from any other Western Food Stall. The slab of chicken cutlet was deep fried to golden brown perfection with crispy texture on its exterior by the breadcrumbs. As we bite that down, the meat was very tender and extremely juicy without retaining any excessive grease. Beside the presentation, it was all in the sauce that make this Western Food No.1. Ingredients of the sauce was a trade secret, home made by themselves. It tasted tangy filled of tomatoes  with a good mix of BBQ Sauce, slightly on a sweet side but a great compliment to all items on plate including the ubiquitous baked beans, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and frozen cut fries.

Chicken Cutlet - $5.50

Chicken Chop on the other hand was served on a usual blue plate with similar sides. The special Sauce used here were the same and the only difference was that the chicken was served grilled. For all that taste was pretty standard, there were no slightest taste of frozen meat which I got from other Western Food Stall. Likewise, the meat was fork tender without being too greasy.

Chicken Chop - $5.50

Having seen lesser and lesser of such Western Food Stalls around, I began to appreciate such traditional food that comes close to my heart. They may not have the fanciful presentation like what we had in cafes nowadays but deep down I know such food is still greatly missed once in a while.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

No.1 Western Food
Location: Tanglin Halt Food Centre, Blk 1A Commonwealth Drive #01-13 Singapore 141001