Best Original Wonton Noodles

HANDMADE "WANTON" GOODNESS

Affable Uncle Koh (in red) Greets Customers Regularly 

It is not a post erratum when I use the word wanton instead of the usual wonton for the traditional dumpling noodles, because that is how good the noodles and wontons are at Uncle Koh's - it's better than you know what!

We have been regulars at this shop for as long as we remember first discovering it years back.  Housed in a non-descript row of shophouses along the back streets of Tun Aminah, it is easy to miss this gem of a find when you are not consciously seeking it out.

We stumbled upon it when we were lost once looking for a morning bite in the area.  It was fortuitously serendipitous when we settled on Uncle Koh's and we have never looked back since.  Uncle Koh and I are now fast friends - and he speaks perfect English - which makes me look forward to my visit there even more to catch up with him.

I can see many locals also return to his eatery because of his traditional unflappable hospitality which is fast disappearing in our world of hustle and bustle.  That aside, no one could come close to his traditional dish of wonton mee, especially when paired with the condiments of home-made beancurd and bittergoud stuffed with fragrant minced meat.  The stuffed complements are something I usually stay away from because they are generally nasty tasting in my opinion.  But the ones at Uncle Koh's are not factory churned-outs and you could taste the homemade goodness in every bite.  So every time we are there, my partner and I will always order one each of the beancurd and bittergoud (photo below) for ourselves to go with the delectably homespun no-coloring and no-preservatives wonton noodles.



Most Fragrant & Tasty Homemade Beancurd & Bittergoud Stuffing



Perhaps this stall is not for the generations X or Y who probably has no memory of how the traditional wonton noodles were once prepared.  The younger generation is probably more familiar with the wonton noodles of today doused in ketchup or black sweet sauce.

It is certainly not how I remembered the dish to be served when I first docked in Singapore decades ago.  I remembered either dried egg noodles from Hong Kong or fresh spun ones were then blanched in hot water and served in a sauce/oil that was both light and fragrant.

And that is exactly how good old Uncle Koh does it himself and has taught his staff to do the same (see video below) if he is not manning the stall.  On a lucky day, you may even see the miester himself flipping the blanched noodles sky high before they flop pricisely back into his strainer - a trick nobody does anymore in our streetfood scene of young hawkers.



Our Usual MR17 / S$6 Breafkast Spread At Uncle Koh's

As I mentioned, if Uncle Koh is not moiling around his shop, he would be milling with the customers, taking orders or just simply catching up with the regulars.  And that is what I miss most in today's street food scene - the good-old-days hospitality and casual banter between customers and hawkers.

Nowadays, everybody is either too busy on the phone or adopt an eat-and-go attitude so much so that the kampung atmosphere of camaraderie is a rarity.  I am glad I still find the kampung spirit palpable here at Uncle Koh's.  It is surely a place to bring your age-old parents or elderly relatives who may be yearning for a piece of yesteryears' great tasting traditional wonton mee.



No Coloring No Preservatives Handmade Noodles

On Uncle Koh's business card, it states that all his ingredients and flour-based products bear no coloring nor preservatives - from noodles, wonton skin, dumpling skin to even pepper and soya sauce.  The veggies are freshly blanched and crunchy, and the char siew is lean - just how I prefer.  Now where today can we find traditional street food with such wholesome ingredients?

Dollops Of "Wanton" Goodness





UNCLE KOH WONTON NOODLES

No 106 Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku

Tun Aminah, Skudai, Johor.

Tel: +6012 727 2509

Uncle Koh opens from 7am until food sells out in the early afternoon

Johor Bahru Best Kaya Cake & Fried Rice

YOU WANT CHILLED OR BAKED KAYA CAKE?

My Afternoon Tea Made Perfect By Kaya Cakes

If I am not wrong, long time ago it was Bangawan Solo in Singapore that offered a chilled kaya cake which made me fall in love with kaya (coconut jam) in the first place.  And then over the years, I believe they stopped making it, and if I chanced to stumble upon one of these chilled kaya cake during my strolls in Singapore, the gelée coconut topping and filling in the center would be either too gooey or gelatinous for my liking.  And while we are talking about Singapore, what's with the over-priced cakes?  I am not talking about those uber-priced ones at PS Cafe and the likes, I am talking about a piece of banana cake for S$2 at BreadTalk?  Sorry I quite like banana cakes, but when I was last at BreadTalk, I could not bear to part with my S$2 / MMR6 when I know my humbly priced but mega delicious kaya cake is waiting for me in Johor Bahru.

Cake Delight Opens From Breakfast To Afternoon Tea

So imagine my absolute delight when I found Cake Delight in Johor Bahru!  The bakery I found a few years back is a mom and pop traditional business at a corner shophouse cum cafe (sort of).  Cake Delight satisfies not only my kaya cake fix, but offers a delectable spread of pastries and desserts for the sweet-toothed members of my family.  

However, I would always call before heading off to the bakery as my current favorite - baked kaya cake is quite the crowd darling and sells out pretty fast as soon as it is out of the oven. What keeps me coming back for more is the FRESHNESS!  They baked the cake every day, and so when you take a bite into the cake, you still could taste the moist kaya within the not-overly-sweet pandan flour.  So the texture is one of soft moist and yet dense - instead of what you get at more expensive cakery whose kaya cake mostly come dry and overly sweetened.

You can see from the photo below, last two slices were left on the shelf when we were there recently to pick up our pre-ordered whole square kaya cake for guests at home. And not only do the taste and size of the cake slice hark back to the ones we used to be able to buy in Singapore cakeshops of yesteryears, the MR1.60 / S$0.60 price tag certainly is nostalgic too for those who remember the good old days in Singapore some twenty odd years ago.

Cake Delight's also bakes fresh each day my daughters' favorite tea snacks - from coconut tarts, chocolate muffins, traditional egg tarts (again at MR1.50 / S$0.55 what's there not to indulge?), to a host of Chinese cookies, snacks and desserts (see photo below) which are getting more scarce through the years.  

Cake Delight Bakery is at 6 Jalan Layang 16, Taman Perling
Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Tel: +607 241 1360

GPS Coordinates: 1.4731181, 103.6779316

FRIED RICE PARADISE 

My next absolute favorite supper treat in Johor Bahru has to be the piping hot kampung fried rice from TT Kopitiam at Tun Aminah precinct.  At first glance you will think this humble small plate of comfort food seems bland and unsophisticated.  But after your first spoonful, I can bet you will be telling everyone around the table that you would want the plate to yourself so "please go order more plates for yourselves!"  - okay at least that was what happened at our table when we first chanced upon TT and its very friendly lady owners who run the tiny corner stall until around 9pm.

What is so special about this simple dish you ask?The long beans in the fried rice are served super crunchy - and the freshness of the crunch with the just-out-of-wok fried rice make every spoonful that much more delectable.  The Chinese waxed sausages (yes, a cholesterol buster...but you only live once!) are cut into small cubes and then fried slightly crispy which add so much taste and bite from this traditional ingredient of humble origin.  My partner would literally chow down each spoonful of the fried rice with a fresh cut red chilli slice dipped in soy sauce - a religiously executed regiment I find amusing.   But rust me, you would not want to give this fried to perfection simple dish a miss should you be at Tun Aminah vicinity.

I Say Fried Rice, My Partner Says Cha Kway Teow

The ever-vivacious TT sisters also churn out delicious Fried Kway Teow.  Though I love my TT Fried Rice, its Fried Kway Teow is no less scrumptious - especially if fresh cockles and crunchy fat bean sprouts are your thing.  The texture of the kway teow in Johor Bahru I find, is some what chewier than its cousin in Singapore. My kids find this more tencile TT version of Char Kway Teow suited to their palettes.

TT Fried Rice & Stuff is located at the corner coffee shop opposite Restoran Wah Cai at 86 Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Tun Aminah, Skudai, Malaysia.

Tel: +6019 750 5616

Happy Makan and Jalan in JB!

Brunch In Bangkok

ASOKE & SUKHUMVIT BRUNCHES

Fresh Beer Pancake With Real Fruits

"Mai Mee Liao Ka!" or "No More Breakfast Already" uttered in Thai language by pretty hotel cafe hostesses is what I dread to hear the most whenever we stay at a local hotel - when our mini condo in Bangkok is occupied.  We are not really early birds, and especially not so when we are travelling - resulting in us missing our breakfast at the hotel more often than not. I know most Singaporean and Malaysian tourists religiously wake up for their breakfast buffet, but sadly not us. 

This is because during the day, we pack in so many activities from scouring for car parts, accessories and home decor items to dress up our village home, to following the girls in their power shopping spree and beauty treatments - that by night, we are exhausted to the nth degree.  You see, as parents-on-a-budget, we have always delayed our girls' expenditure on clothes and skin care - especially when they are raring to buy them at mall prices in Singapore and Malaysia.  So we  tell them that they can always buy in Bangkok on our next trip, which we make almost 5 times a year.  And so once the girls descend on Bangkok, it is an all-hell-break-loose scenario when it comes to shopping, and we have no excuse to stop them.

So that explains why we sleep in even later in Bangkok, which indubitably presents another problem - " NO BREAKFAST KA!" or " No More Liao Ka!"  Arrrrgh..... and breakfast is sacrosanct in our house, so over the years, just like we found our top 3 go-to brunch cafes in Johor Bahru, we have also found their Bangkok equivalent which I will share here:


Waffle To Chu On

Chu's Cafe

This brunch hangout has to be by far one of our top favorite hangout cafes.  I had in a separate post mentioned about our penchant for the Asoke & Sukhumvit precinct in Bangkok in part due to it having the Sky Train and Underground trains interchange.  Well Chu Cafe is the other part of the reason why we stay around there because their brunch never fails to nourish my tired soul and keeps me going for the rest of the day - just with a great cuppa and fresh bread, along with menu items that fit every member of the family's fancy.

Bangkokians & Tourists Go Back To Chu Frequently 

Poached Eggs On Smoked Salmon...Marshy Coffee...Heaven!

The staff there are sprightly which helps add to Chu's salient point in attracting repeat visits from tourists like me and Bangkokians who work around Sukhumvit Asoke vicinity.  The prices are comparable to the other 2 cafes featured below, and certainly lower than the pricey ones which we tried at Siam Paragon.

In fact, for a family of four, our bill usually averages out to be about B400 give or take per person at these three cafes.

Al Fresco Brunch With Family & Friends

Chez Charlie "French" Cafe

Our girls call Chez Charlie the "French Cafe" probably it reminded them of the little street cafes when we visited France.  We discovered this cafe when we stayed at Sacha's Uno several trips ago, and had since make it a must visit brunch destination each time we are in Bangkok's Asoke or Sukhumvit vicinity.

As soon as you enter, the aroma of fresh baked bread and pastry whets your ready appetite.  I have never tasted croissant so crusty on the outside and yet fluffy within.  Being freshly baked just before serving is probably the main reason why, but it is also the very fresh fragrant taste that keeps me returning.


You Will Not Find Bread/Croissant Fresher Than At Chez

Savory Crepes Galore

For those into savory crepes like my partner, they would be spoilt for choice at the myriad fillings in this creperies and bistro.  Bon Apetit!

Black Box

The Black Box Cafe & Bar is situated just by the Ploenchit BTS train station on the side of Mahatun Plaza.  You cannot miss its all black facade besides another Thai porcelain boutique.  The cafe had a loft for those who prefer to dine in a more private environs.

We prefer the chatter of the Thai office executives and the hustle and bustle of activities on the ground floor kitchen and bar.

Brunching With The Well Heeled Office Crowd

Brunchy Meal With Crunchy Salads

The servings are just right for an individual's consumption, so we always treat ourselves to complements like its fruity pancakes.  The bonus for us is the generous side salad each plate comes with, as when you are travelling we tend to forget to eat our greens.

Poached To Perfection

As in the other cafes here, the staff are all conversant in English and friendly enough to make us feel so much at home that we usually stick around after brunch for drinks...until the sun is less blazing before we head out on the streets of Bangkok again.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Black Box Cafe & Bar

888/8-9 Ploenchit Road, Pathumwan District, Bangkok, 10330, THAILAND
Next To: Mahatun Plaza Building
BTS Station: Ploenchit Exit 2 & 4

Chu Chocolate Bar & Cafe

 2nd Floor Exchange Tower (Asoke Intersection), Bangkok, Thailand 10110

A Bridge Across From: Terminal 21 or S Sukhumvit Suite

BTS Station: Asoke

MRT Station: Sukhumvit

Chez Charlie Creperies & Bistro

19-19/1-3 Sukhumvit Soi 19 (Wattana), Bangkok, Thailand 10110

Front Of: The Key Hotel

BTS Station: Asoke

MRT Station: Sukhumvit

Brunch Out In JB

BRUNCHING ROOT & BRANCH @ TAMAN PELANGI


Faking a European Brunch in Our Little Dempsey Hill - Precious!

One of the few things that make us miss relocating from Singapore is the copious number of brunch options on the weekends in the city state.  When we first moved to Malaysia, I must say our weekend brunches were mostly composed of home-made pancakes, scrambled eggs and cereals.  Then we started getting adventurous and ventured out for a taste of local breakfast delights - before long we were tucking in for brunch on the likes of roti prata, wonton noodles and nasi lemak. 

We chanced upon the Pelangi area several years back - and now this is the only area we go when we feel like going root and branch for a great drawn-out brunch.  It is our little Dempsey Hill if you will - not quite as lush and posh as the Singaporean go-to for laid back weekend brunches, but certainly a piece of that in good old Johor Bahru.  The best thing is that the entire family loves it and we do not have to vote on it when it comes to "Little Dempsey" in JB. 

After plying our  “Little Dempsey” for the past years, we find that we almost always ended up at the following three brunch cafes when we go in seek of late morning grub, and we have never spent over MR120 or S$40+ for four of us on each seating of brunch!

Lavender - "Luxe" Flagship



L.Patisserie Mouth Watering Treats

We have been fans of Lavender from years back when we used to visit their café-restaurant at Molek and Bukit Indah.  It has always kept up its quality of food and bakes.  Its owner also strives to be always ahead of the F&B competition in terms of menu offering and store concept.  You can imagine my family's absolute joy when she opened her flagship store at Pelangi last year.

Take A Break at L.Cafe or L.Bistro

L.Table Presents A Lofty Dining Experience

So last year on our wedding anniversary, we celebrated an anniversary brunch there with the kids on a Sunday – spending a lazy afternoon just lounging at its cozy L.Table, then saunter down to its opulent L.Patisserie which boasts a wide selection and almost French-cafe-esque presentation of breads, pastries and desserts that would wow even a non-sweet tooth person.  If you do not wish to brunch, you can just get your coffee and bakery items and enjoy them outback at L.Cafe section.  

Or fancy a chill out? Then hangout at L.Bistro.  The entire place is so huge that my partner and I could relax and read upstairs at L.Table while the kids run down to choose their favorite bakery items, chow them down at their own table at L.Cafe, surf on their cellphones - all in the comfort of the bakery-cafe-restaurant without disturbing our couple time.  Life cannot be more perfect than this!

Foodie Wedding - Haute Cafe 

Our Usual Favorite European Breakfast

At Foodie Wedding - owner Gucci Wong - presents great food in what my daughter calls a Fashionista setting, replete with wedding photos and wedding gowns on mannequins.  This should come as no surprise as Wong is a photographer by profession who now turns to his other passion - FOOD.  When you first enter the cafe, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee immediately accosts you and immediately puts you in the mood for its delectable brunch spread. The plates come in pretty big servings, so you may want to share if you eat like a bird.  Even though the serving portions are huge, we will always end our brunch with drinks to go with their delicious maple berries waffle and warm lava chocolate desserts. What is a brunch if there's no sweet endings?

Poppy Seed Bagels, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Rocket Salad, YUM!

And the good news is that they serve breakfast all day or at least until items sold out!



Three Lattes & One Smoothie For The Family

Chef's Table - Breakfast Beneath Crystals

Brunch & Dine With Chandeliers

Along the same street as Foodie Wedding cafe (and just across from Lavender "Luxe") sits the Chef's Table restaurant in a non-descript building.  In fact the entire stretch of Taman Perling is lined by old bungalows and shophouses that have seen better days.  In recent years, enterprising business owners are starting to take over the buildings and renovating them into trendy hangouts.  Chef's Table from the exterior may be spartan, but when you enter the premises, you will be taken by its eclectic mix of Baroque decor and Scandinavian wood furnishings.  The chandeliers and the moulin-rouge-esque ambience surely aim to transport you far away from the hot and balmy Johor Bahru.

At Chef's Table, we will order different items on the menu (as their portions are generous), just so that our family of four could have sample bites of various dishes.  Their delectable french toast comes with myriad fruit bits coated with caramel syrup and whipped cream - which is why this scrumptious menu item is my daughters' top pick even until today.

Daughter's Big Breakfast For Tiny Tummy

Perfectly Poached Egg Over Sausage & Roasted Fungi

You can see the breakfast plate above is a healthy serving of brunch delights that will surely keep your tummy satisfied until early dinner time.  And just look at the variety of menu items below and you would understand why we come back time and again for brunch.  If you forget yourself amidst the epicurean ecstasy at Chef's Table - you just may think the presentation of your platter is from a Venetian cafe or some snooty eatery in Le Gai Paris?

Gourmet Menu - What's There Not To Like

TOP FAVORITE BRUNCH CAFES IN OUR LITTLE DEMPSEY HILL IN JB

Lavender Luxe

 68, Jalan Serampang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor.  Tel:  +607 335 9966

       

Foodie Wedding

43, Jalan Serampang, Taman Sri Tebrau, 80050 Johor Bahru, Johor.  Tel: +607 333 3223

Chef's Table 

 33, Jalan Serampang Taman Sri Tebrau 80050 Johor Bahru District.  Tel: +607 331 8162



Love You Long Time

LOVE FOR BANGKOK - ASOKE SUKUMVIT 

Our No. 1 Boutique Hotel

Many friends and relatives I have spoken to about Thailand Bangkok, indubitably stay at Siam Square or Sala Daeng areas where each locale offers shopping, luxe cafes, street food and night bazaars in their unique ways. 

At Siam Square you will find throngs of Singaporeans and Malaysians plying the shophouse district opposite Siam Center for shopping bargains and local food treats.  The famous Som Tum Nua (to which tourists the world over flock for their famous local-spiced and fried chicken wings) is tucked away at a street corner of Soi 5 Siam Square, near the equally popular Siam Novotel Hotel.  If you chance to visit Siam and would like to savor the Som Tum chicken wings, be sure to go to the original birthplace of the wings.  They have a new branch at the swanky Siam Center opposite its Food Republic food court, but I find sadly they were not able to replicate the deliciousness of the wings you find at its less opulent parent.

My Idea Of "Luxe" On A Budget

 At SalaDaeng area - or my kids would call "the area with a lot of gay things" - you will also find plenty of boutique and luxe hotels alike lining the Silom streets.  Why my kids would label the area "gay" beats me, but we suspect its due a night market experience there where they witnessed lots of phallic-symbol paraphernalia near Patpong and guys-only massage palors lining the main thoroughfare that left an indelible impression on the young minds.  No matter how hard we try to expplain to them that the area is as touristy as the other areas of Bangkok and that those tourist souvenirs were purposely shocking to invoke purchase - SalaDaeng will forever be a "happy" place to the kids (the other being the Sathorn area).. 


Cozy & Conveniently Located At Asok BTS

So it is no surprise that in our last years of back and forth between Thailand and Malaysia/Singapore, we find ourselves staying at the Asoke / Sukumvit area.  We do so whenever our tenant in Bangkok is not travelling and hence would not be able to cede our condo to us for the few days we are in Bangkok (our lease agreement provides for this arrangement, and wherefore the tenant would be duely reimbursed based on a pre-agreed daily rate - part of my 3-Pronged Retirement Living Strategy). 

Money Is No Object - Then Terminal21 Is Your Bet

The reason why the Asoke - Sukumvit area is attractive to us is because my partner and kids absolutely adore Terminal21 shopping over the Singaporean favouraite Siam Paragon and Siam Center.  Sure the latter two are very swanky - but are they not a dime a dozen in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur?  But Terminal21 is different perhaps of its themed shopping and a certain ambience of je ne sais quoi.  As for me, I like the fact that it is near to Little Italy - my Italian cuisine haunt few Singaporeans and Malaysians know existed - which is just at the opposite Terminal 21.  And in the mornings, I have to go for the Cafe Chu breakfast that makes me a very happy travel companion through the day.  And in the evenings, we always have the option of going for a good massage at Urban Retreat near the Asok BTS before retiring. It's these endless selection of body & soul pampering coupled with restaurants, cafes and street hawkers down the street of Soi 23 near Little Italy that make Asoke / Sukumvit one of my favorite area to stay whenever we go back to Bangkok.

Pullman - Stylish & Modern Just steps from Sukumvit MRT

There are plenty of luxury hotels and serendipitous boutique lodging in this area.  Some of the ones we had stayed and liked are:

PRICEY DECADENCE  BY “ASING IN JB” STANDARDS (And 50 Steps To Hotel From Train Stations - By My Partner's Standards)

Grande Centerpoint Terminal 21 (sheltered Train-To-Shopping-To-Hotel for the sun averse)

Pullman Grande Sukumvit (ultra modern luxury experience)

The Continent (near Little Italy and Soi 23 - my favorite)

AFFORDABLE  LUXE  BY “ASING IN JB” STANDARDS (And 50 Steps To Hotel From Train Stations - By My Partner's Standards)

S Sukumvit Suites (walk half a minute to Cafe Chu)

Sacha's Uno (the French Cafe "Chez Charlie" breakfast just opposite the hotel is DIVINE! I will feature another time)

S15 (just beside Asok BTS and Terminal 21)

OR BE EN-CAPSULATE-LATED IN BANGKOK

Take a walk on the wild side, let your hair down, break from tradition, whatever you want to call it, we had a memorable experience staying at a Capsule Hostel in Bangkok.

You can click here to Booking, Agoda or TripAdvisor for their best promotional rates.  Sabai Sabai Kup!

ReTire Safely

You Can Re-Tire A Flat Yourself

Many a times we have seen motorists stranded along the highway helpless in the scorching sun due to a flat tire.  Our family is no exception, I recalled years back on our way to the Golden Horse resort near Kuala Lumpur, our SUV then had a flat and we were just a few miles of the exit of our destination!

After almost an hour of waiting for service to arrive, we decided to just drive very very slow (which I do not recommend as it may damage your expensive rims or do further damage to your tire) at 10km/h to our destination.  It took us awhile with a great many amused looks from passing motorists.  From there the hotel was able to assist us in calling for tow service to the nearest tire shop.

My Trusty Malaysian Compressor from CYCAR

Since that unfortunate experience, I had bought a small compressor from CYCAR Tech near Gelang Patah's Dunlop tire shop who is probably the product's distributor.  It costs just MR150 and it even comes with a handy bag to keep it neat in your boot of your vehicle.I must say it did come useful over the last years when I had a few  tire flats on the roads of Malaysia from driving over curbs or pot holes. 

It is very simple to use, and even my partner had attempted it once when she was out running errands alone and found one tire low on air after shopping.  With me on the handphone, she was able to top up the air and drive home before I bring the car to the shop.

1.   Just plug in the power source to your in-vehicle power source with the vehicle ignition on.  The vehicle engine does not have to be on.

2.   Without turning on the compressor, screw in the compressor hose tip to the tire stem of the deflated tire.

3.   Turn on the compressor switch and turn off when the desired tire pressure is reached on the compressor gauge.  BE SURE TO CHECK WHAT IS YOUR VEHICLE'S SPECIFIC RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE FROM FACTORY.  This can be found on a sticker either on the side of the driver's door or inside cap of the gas refuel compartment.  Many people over pressurized their tires hence causing them to pop.  This is due to the fact that they do not know the recommended pressure and so they go by pressing or kicking the tire to see if the air pressure is sufficient - this is wrong.

4.   Unscrew the compressor hose quickly and screw back the tire stem cap and voila - you are good to go!

You can see below how easy this tire flat fixer upper is:  

Wet Dream

Some Like It Wet

Life Is Perfect

Despite all my insistence to do marketing for fresh produce at the hypermarkets around my kampung neighborhood this morning, my partner cum breakfast buddy-in-crime proceeded to her favorite wet market near the Skudai Bus Interchange.  I could only raise a weak veto knowing that it was a lost argument since she was firmly at the wheels.  Well I will fight another battle another day.

Salty or Sweet You Tiao

She knew a hungry man is an angry grouch - so the first thing we did was to go for my local kopi and - she knows how to win me over after I had given her the silent treatment - my favorite You Tiao, which is kind of similar to the churritos in the West.  The churritos are dipped in powdered sugar, which I absolutely love with a good cup of black coffee, but the local You Tiao comes in both savory and sweet. 
And I was bribed to be a uncomplaining groceries-carrying partner with a huge serving of the sweet You Tiao.  The crunchy sugared exterior complements the sesame and the fresh fried dough - life is perfect after this.
I always presribe the wise adage "you only live once" when I eat more than my aging body could handle.  So I ensure that my partner  agreed (so that there will be no blame game later when we read our cholesterol levels at home) on sharing a lontong and a nasi lemak - again, sinful but what's life without local Malay cuisine every now and then.

Cholesterol Busting Nasi In The Morning

The stall owner is a chatty Malay Aunty who truly knows good PR goes a long long way.  She would chat up every customer, and making jokes while she loads up the plate of nasi with her best fried kampung chicken (at least in my book) and a host of other staples like tempeh, tofu, etc.

She Keeps Me Coming Back For More

Ode To Old Recipe Longtong

I always savour the longtong here as it reminds me of the first time I tried the dish when I arrived on the shores of Singapore decades ago.  She makes it the way I remembered:  slightly lemak (coconut milky) and with all the trappings like one whole boiled egg, lots of cabbage and long beans, a trigular fried tofu, and of course her famous dollop of chilli ikan bilis (which I opted out this morning due to the heat).  My partner swears by this stall's chilli - in fact I always asked her "Why do you like taking chili with nasi instead of the other way around?"  Her answer is always "You Asing will never understand."  Like they say, whatever floats your boat, but in this case, whatever whets you honey.

The wet market is also her favorite as she refers it to as our Little Tiong Bahru market in Johor Bahru - where you get great food and then do your wet marketing.

The wide array of fresh local produce is enough to keep us coming back here at least once a week, and what's more, just like in Tiong Bahru - you get to squeeze in a little shopping for clothes and home knick knacks - but less than half of prices in glitzy Singapore.

Breakfast Al Fresco!

To go Jalan Jalan at our Little Tiong Bahru, please view map below: