Fried Pork Loin @ Kah Kah Loke Restaurant

Bitter, which sounds like please in German but let me tell you that bitter in Chinese and Indian cuisine is good for you.

This is probably the strongest contrast between western and eastern cooking and how I feel that Asian cuisine will always be more exotic than the vanilla styled, diary and herb style ingredients found in continental and American cooking. 

How else can you explain the fascination with Asian flavors. Fortunately, there are cuisines that are still palatable to Westerners who might cringe at the thought of eating bitter gourd. 

At Restaurant Kah Kah Loke, you can heartily dig into a bowl of bitter gourd soup, infused with porky flavors and less than bitter gourd slices. The Chinese believe that eating bitter gourd is a good way to cool the body and for the Indians, it is a cure for diabetes. You can even get the Kavela pills that are made with bitter gourd to treat diabetes so what's not to like about bitter gourd?

The bitter gourd soup at Kah Kah Loke is the most fascinating piece of bitter cuisine, and you get to choose your ingredients. The waiter at hand will ask you if you'd like to have pig offal, such as liver and bits of intestines or just plain pork. Or for that matter everything of the above. The best part of this experience is the bitter gourd soup is actually palatable to Westerners. The bitter gourd itself has been prepared in such a way that the bitterness has been eliminated. The soup self is plesantly porky, and if you like the taste of pork, this is one soup you will be coming back for more. 

The soup dish is eaten with rice of course, and you can call the highly recommended mabo tofu, which is soft bean curd with mince pork or a side of pig offal stir fried with ginger and soy sauce. I have no idea why Westerners seem to dislike offal. Anthony Bourdain regularly woofs it down an calls it soul food.

Even in the past, none of a slaughtered animal was wasted and people too poor to afford the best cuts of meats from the butcher had to settle for offal. Apparently the sophisticated palate is just not in the West. In Asia, the well heeled young will refuse to indulge in anything except prime cuts. Hopefully these highly tasty discarded meat will end up with pets as it would be a complete waste to throw them away.

As much as I like the soup and sides, the killer dish has to be the fried pork loin. Each tasty morsel is coated and deep fried giving it a crisp outside while being moist and soft on the inside. The pork loin is flavored just right, and should it be fed to westerners, they won't be able to stop eating it. I say enough about this dish except to rate it for what it is worth. You can't go wrong with this dish. 

Restaurant Kah Kah Loke has five outlets, two of which are in Johor. The bitter gourd soup unfortunately is not very consistent from branch to branch. The outlet at Taman Sutera, serves up better bitter gourd soup than the original Johor Jaya branch. 

However, the fried pork loin taste superb at both these places so for that alone, I highly recommend it. 

Hakka Fried Pork Loin @ Kah Kah Loke Restaurant, Taman Sutera

Chicken Cutlet with Pasta

Linguine pasta is one of my favorites. It's flat, and has enough bite to satisfy every bite but it comes at a price. For one it isn't cheap as it has to be imported. Second, it has to be prepared well.

The Loading Bay Cafe is a fusion style bistro that serves up Italian and Western cuisine with a fusion touch. Located in the center of Kluang town in Johor, one could cosy up to the place during a hot afternoon.

They recently started to offer a lunch set menu that comes with their signature chicken cutlet. You have a choice of having it with either rice or pasta. The dish comes with a drink of either tea, coffee or ice tea and is priced at US$3.00. This is not a bad price for a start but for sheer value of money, you have to examine the food.

Much Ado about Al-Dente

Having cut my teeth in preparing pasta, I am very critical of how Chinese chefs and cooks prepare pasta. Often, they prepare it too soft, almost noodle like.

This dish in particular fails because of this. The pasta taste like it was prepared in advance and left to warm up later when an order needed to be fulfilled. Then there is a distinct lack of olive oil. Chili is used to spice it up a notch but to no avail. The pasta falls flat. The garlic that flavors it just doesn't have enough olive oil to coat and all you can taste is the chili.

The chicken cutlet on the other hand was well prepared, flavorful and well breaded. But it doesn't stand out as a signature dish. The lack of attention paid to the pasta made the dish imbalanced.

The pasta didn't have a bite to it. It fell apart in your mouth once you started to chew on it. Olive oil, which is a chief ingredient to making it palatable was missing, due to cost probably as any drizzle would have eaten into its profits. Such penny wise pound foolish approach to cost controls is what kills a great restaurant.

This is a poor effort on the part of the chef and for this he will be penalized.  I might add that 3 bucks isn't much, but for that alone in a small town is far above what people are expected to pay for mediocre food.

Chicken Cutlet Pasta @ Loading Bay Cafe

Lamb Chops @ Season Cafe

Every now and then, unsuspecting, I try something new and depending on my taste, I will be critical. So when it comes to commercial grade restaurant food, the first thing that comes to mind is how good is the taste, and the value behind it.

Commercial food is not quality food but then it can be so when Season Cafe offered its US$5.00 lunches, well, you have to admit that it sounded spectacular. Season's Cafe operates more like an American Diner than a cafe so one should be careful about the distinction. In Malaysia and Singapore, the Cafe culture is more savvy so this  term is used more often.

First, I hate to point out to them that they are guilty of false advertising. Lamb shoulders should not be passed off as Lamb Chops even though they appear to be meaty. Lamb chops happen to be prime cuts of meat while Lamb shoulders is not.

My next beef is with the short order cook. I know that these people often do not take their jobs seriously because they are not chefs, but a short order cook should know when meat is cook without having to dry them out.

So here is my story of the Lamb Chops, or shoulders to be exact. Cooked, it is tough and rubbery, when done medium rare, it should have some juicy bits left and is a lot more tender. Then you have the problem of having it pan fried as opposed to grilled. Lamb Chops are traditionally grilled to order in a short order kitchen.

My order of 'Lamb Chops' come out as overdone. Tough as goat hide, and cooked too long on a pan, it wasn't juicy or for that matter had the distinction that it was prepared with any dignity. An animal had died for this and its remains were prepared in a undignified way to resemble food. I had great pity for the poor animal at this point.

To be fair, I did like the plating, wedge cut fries, carrots and a side of vegetables, it looked neat. The Black Pepper sauce was pleasant, and was given generously for you to pour over your lamb. Now for me, this would have desecrated the taste of the meat. You only add copious amounts of sauce only when the meat taste like a long dead carcass. In this case, the 'contraband chops' was pretty close to this hence the sauce I suppose.

So what went wrong with the dish?

Grilling is the preferred way to cook lamb and if need be, fashion a sauce that goes well with it instead of leaving it on the side. I must say that I am not a fan of black pepper sauces but if you must, then find a way to lace it over the meat without over cooking it.

If the short order cook is any good, he will be told how to prepare the lamb. Cooked, medium rare, rare...that will sort things out. Don't assume for one moment that people are paranoid about rare meat. There are plenty of carnivorous people out there who like it juicy.

I cannot fault the condiments. It was done well and yes, I think it looks pretty on a place but to pay US$5 for a dish that is at best, tasteless, no amount of sauce in the world is going to save that dish.

Lamb Chops @ Season Cafe

Teriyaki Chicken Set @ Sakae Sushi Malaysia

Forgive me, but I have never been very impressed by these so called fusion sushi joints like Sushi King or Sakae Sushi. These are not Japanese Izakayas but rather commercial restaurants started by restauranteurs to make money.

Commercial value is what dictates its success and I must say that they are borderline with Sushi King in Malaysia in terms of quality. The outlet in question is located in City Square Johor Bahru, the Sakae Sushi chain was a huge hit in Singapore and started expanding to Malaysia.

The lunch set on offer is something else. It seems like good value for money. The set which came with soup is priced at about US$4.00 and looked very good on paper, until it was served then you started to wonder if there was any false advertising involved. Platted on the advertising billboard, it seems quite generous in size and portion.

Then when the lunch set did come, your expectation is punched like a floating ballon. The portion seemed smaller as it was arranged on a narrow plate and for some reason, the salad and side of corn was there as a side show rather than in a eatable portion.

The taste was less than satisfying. The Chicken was deep fried before being drenched in Teriyaki sauce. It wasn't even grilled! This means any short order cook would be able to whip this up in minutes. It was tasty, I won't argue with that but it wasn't authentic.

Then came the soup. Which is Miso soup without the dashi. This is an expensive ingredient in Japanese cooking, dashi is made with seeweed and bonito flakes. I suppose you could try to buy the cheapest Miso paste on the market and make this with minimum fuss but it does not taste the same as the authentic Miso soup.

The rice, which is the short grain version or arborio rice wasn't cook to perfection. Somehow, I felt that they may have mixed the rice or bought a lesser quality rice to serve as a meal.

Fortunately, there were other items on offer that I had access to, the Fruitti Sushi was pleasant but I felt that the flavors were mixed up. Having salmon and fruit pieces with your sushi roll just doesn't cut it for me. The tiny slices of straberry was at best, sour, while the Avacado slices was hardly noticeable.


I am disappointed. I may not have expected much in the first place but then Sakae Sushi has built quite a reputation for itself in Singapore. It was probably my mistake for expecting it to be authentic. The food is edible. I won't fault it there but the quality is pedestrian. That said, if you are looking for a true Japanese experience, I won't be using this as a benchmark.

Terayaki Chicken Set @ Sakae Sushi Malaysia

Vietnamese Temale @ Saigon Cafe

I am not a big fan of sticky rice. It is starchy and heavy for a meal on its own and I must admit that I don't mind having Chinese Temale when the season comes. The Vietnamese Temale is very similar. Stuffed with lightly fried glutinous rice with a sprinkling of vegetables and meat wrapped in banana leaf and cooked till soft.

Ten years ago, Vietnamese cuisine was a rarity in Malaysia but today, thanks to the more liberal visa system, Malaysia is home to many Vietnamese who come to work and play here. That said, I have fond memories of Vietnam during my time as a journalist in Hanoi. Saigon is more exciting as a food center but that's not to say that North Vietnamese cuisine is of a lesser quality.

I came by to Saigon Cafe to remember the forgotten taste of Vietnam and was mildly surprised by the cuisine on offer. They have made it more palatable by incorporating Malaysian Kopi Tiam cuisine into their menu but there are some originals.

The Vietnamese Temale is one of them. It cost a shade more than US$1.30 and is a tasty snack for any time of day. The flavor is pleasing without being overpowering. There is a hint of meat and dried prawns and is very soft, probably due to it being steamed when ordered. What I like about it is that it is very different from the ways that is prepared in Malaysia and Thailand. In Thailand, we often eat sticky rice as a dessert, which is similar to Nyonya cuisine. Malays use this as both a main meal in the form of Lemang, and in desserts. The Vietnamese Temale is much lighter than the Chinese Temale and comes as a rolled rice stick. It is not stuffed full of goodies but therein lies the difference.

I can't say much about the coffee. It is a Vietnamese blend, Robusta beans friend with Soya beans and Sweet Corn. The coffee is thick, but there is less beans in a spoonful. It came in a traditional Vietnamese coffee press, which is similar to the French Press except that it uses a drip down method. I wasn't won over by the taste which had more of a sweet corn after taste. There was very little acidity so when paired with condensed milk, it felt smooth on the palate.

What I like is that it is Kopi Tiam fare, meaning a meal should not cost you too much. Yes, I would go back to try the other items on the menu and for that I think that makes it my seal of approval.

Vietnamese Temale @ Saigon Cafe

Value for Money Mee Siam at Kluang Rail Cafe

 

Mee Siam, its origins are vague even though the Thais have not credited themselves with the invention as they have a similar dish named Mee Kati. So let's not go into any nationalistic belief to claim this dish in the way that some others have done in the past. 

This is essentially a rice vermicelli noodle dish. but to be fair, I think the rice noodle thickness is closer to angel hair pasta than vermicelli. Eaten as a snack or a breakfast meal, it is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of milk tea or coffee. 

Found throughout Malaysia and Singapore, the one featured here is of course more Malaysian in design. In Singapore, Mee Siam comes with a soupy base whereas its Malaysian counterpart is dry fried.

Since its inception in 1938, Kluang's very own Railway Coffee Station has made quite a name for itself. It serves up very simple fair and it wasn't until they started to branch out as a full fledge cafe and hotel that its dishes started to make its mark. They have franchised their outlets all over Malaysia and can even be found in Johor Bahru.

Mee Siam at the Railway Coffee Cafe is priced at US$1. Comes with a serving of cucumbers, half a boiled egg and a splash of "sambal" made with chilli and prawn paste. An optional wedge of lime is thrown in for good measure for those who prefer a hint of sourness with their noodle.

The complicated part of this dish is the rice noodles. it has be done just right before frying. Done wrongly, it breaks up into a mess. The frying sauce coats the rice noodles infusing the flavors into them.

This particular dish at Kluang Rail Coffee Cafe is one that is well done and should not be missed. I must stress on the value for money part as everything seems to have increased in price lately and getting a dish for a buck is indeed a rarity.

Mee Siam @ Kluang Rail Coffee Cafe

Beef Noodles in Kluang

For most of us, the idea of having beef noodles is pretty remote unless you live in a place like Taiwan. The popularity of this dish is legendary on the island and it's pretty much a national obsession.

The Chinese believe that beef causes heatiness, a term used to associate its TCM values and how it affects one's health. So if you happen to eat a lot of it, chances are you'd break out in spots or have skin rashes.

Regardless, beef noodles among the Chinese community in south east asia are hard to come by because traditionally speaking, it is very expensive to serve this kind of meat.
Pork and Chicken is much cheaper and as such, beef noodles are a rarity.

Historically the Best

Unlike the other famed beef noodle shop, Tangkak Beef Noodles, the Kluang version comes in two guises, soup based or dry. For me at least, there is an old town favorite which I must have even if it kills me and this is the Kluang version of the famous dry beef noodles. I like it dry and this is where it rocks. Trusted that the soup isn't all that bad but I prefer it sans soup for simple reasons. It is the flavors that blend well.

First, is the beef and bits of offal is flavored in Chinese herbs and spices. The sauce that is used to make the dry noodles just taste right. Not too spicy with the white peppers, with a hint of preserved vegetables and a sprinkling of roasted peanuts. You don't have to go far to appreciate this simple dish.

As much as I love the soup, I still prefer it on the side. The flavors are in harmony with one another and having the soup on the side is an added pleasure. In the past, I have avoided mentioning the stall as there was a period of decline. The food didn't taste as good and it was not until the recipe was restored recently, the folks started to patronize it again.

There are now two outlets, the original store was located behind the old Coronation Cinema and moved to Niyor over a decade ago. The new outlet is located in Kluang Mall's Street Food Court. The price isn't cheap, at US$2.50 for a bowl, you'd think twice before ordering it but it is well worth it.

Kluang Beef Noodle @ Kluang Mall