13. Restoran 1001

 Here I am once again on another foodie adventure in my hometown of Kluang, Johor. Although it is a small town, Kluang has many hidden gems when it comes to food. One such place was introduced by my uncle today and this restaurant serves good Malay food.

Tadaaaa!! Unveiling Restoran 1001, owned by Ms. Norita (better known as Che Ta).

Che Ta and my uncle were classmates in the same secondary school. He told me that her food packs a whole lot of punch as the food preparation methods are very traditional. I obviously jumped at the chance to treat my palate to some delicious Malay dishes.

Being the glutton that I am, I decided to order quite a number of dishes touted as specialties by the owner herself.

Her grilled seafood is one which patrons return to time and again. I had to restrain myself from just choosing two which were Pari Bakar (grilled stingray, RM12) and Sotong Bakar (grilled squid, RM9). The sambal (chili paste) was both sweet and spicy at the same time. Restoran 1001 also specializes in Kerang Bakar and Kerang Rebus (cockles either grilled or steamed, served with spicy soy sauce or tamarind sauce). I intend on paying a second visit just to savor these savory shellfish.

Moving on to the Ayam Goreng Kunyit (Fried Turmeric Chicken, RM6). The chicken was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, redolent of turmeric and lemongrass. Tossed along with fried onions, chillies, long beans and carrots, the dish was lip-smackingly good till the last bit. I could even devour a plate all on its own!

As a lover of spicy and sour foods, I always head for a decadent bowl of tom yam (hot and sour soup). Restoran 1001's soup was definitely not a disappointment. The Tom Yam Campur (mixed hot and sour soup, RM7) was marvelous! I slurped every last drop! Not being too spicy as to overpower the ingredients, it was balanced in its piquancy and umami tones. Generous helpings of seafood and chicken were added to the soup, making it worth your buck. 

The star of the show was the Nasi Goreng Kampung (roughly translated as village-style fried rice, RM6). The rice was nice and dry, each grain separated. Sometimes, fried rice can be so wrong in many levels when the rice is soggy but you won't find this here. Given a hidden spicy kick of pounded birds eye chillies and a salty edge from lashings of anchovies, this fried rice left me awestruck. For those of you who love fried rice, you should come over here and order a plate of utter goodness.

For drinks, we had the house specialty, fresh pineapple juice (RM4 per glass). The unique thing here in Restoran 1001 is that their juice has 100% NO SUGAR OR WATER ADDED! You get 100% PURE pineapple juice. The restaurant uses the MD2 pineapple strain. Medium-sized, these pineapples have natural sugars that dissipate into the juice, making sugar redundant to sweeten it. The pineapples are specially sourced from FIMA Ayer Hitam daily. 

At first, I didn't quite believe there were no additions to the juice, but I was invited by Che Ta herself to join her as she made the juice. Freshly squeezed and with just ice for a chill, the juice was so refreshing. It takes 1 pineapple for a glass of juice. Restoran 1001 also sells bottles of their freshly squeezed juice made to order (RM5). If you are in the Kluang area, they have COD as well! 

With a total bill of RM49 for 3 pax, I have to say that prices of the dishes were reasonable and food was equally tasty. For your fix of Malay food, do drop by Restoran 1001, and don't forget to ask for the sweet and friendly owner, Che Ta, who is ever-happy to have a chat with her customers. The restaurant is located along the same road as the Gurdwara Sahib and is difficult to miss.

Tel.: 019 - 744 7020 (Che Ta)

12. Ali's Bar - Part 2

Hey dear foodies! Remember my last post on Ali's Bar? I'm back once again to sing praises on their 2-day old menu addition: STEAMBOAT!!!! 

Look at that spread!!!! I dined out with my mum and uncle so I decided to get two varying sets for sharing. One was the Chicken Set and another the Lamb Set.

Both sets came with platters of fresh vegetables, a stuffed chili (yong tau foo, chili stuffed with fish paste) and slices of silken tofu.

The chicken and lamb were sliced into thin slivers which were perfect to swish it in the hot broth and consume, like how you would in shabu-shabu. 

All the ingredients were truly fresh. The lamb had a sweetish taste which indicated that the cut was from a younger animal. Even the chicken was fork-tender.

There are a few choices of soup available for your picking. Being a spice lover myself, I chose Tom Yam (hot and sour Thailand soup) and Szechuan mala (a piquant soup consisting of Szechuan peppercorns, chillies and chilli oil). Both broths were really concentrated and flavorful. Every sip was truly a sensation on the palate. The mala, though numbing, had a stage of its own in the meal and went really well with the lamb slices. 

For mains, a few choices are provided which are on the house mainly rice vermicelli, egg noodles, glass noodles, instant noodles. I chose rice vermicelli and glass noodles so as not to interfere with the taste of the soup or ingredients. 

Prices are pretty reasonable and the food was quite good for a shop that doesn't specialize in hotpot-based meals. You can check it out for yourself below.

If you still need more ingredients for your hotpot, ala carte choices are available for the vegetables and meat options. 

Before it's too late, I hope you guys can hop on over to Ali's Bar for a memorable hotpot meal. Stay tuned for more foodie adventures!

11. Stesen Makan Makan

Seafood lovers rejoice! There is an eatery in Kluang that will gratify the shellfish eater or the pescitarian. Where you ask? Jom ke Stesen Makan Makan! There were two dishes I tried out, that completely fried my brains out, they were that good!!!

First, let's look into Stesen Makan Makan. This restaurant is still a 9-month old baby on the F&B scene. However, young as they are, they are dishing up platefuls of goodness. Their specialties include their miang pla pao, daging harimau menangis, ikan bakar (grilled seafood) and shellout. Me and my family tried out two out of their four signature dishes.

For drinks, we took a sirap tower (RM18). The beverage's sweetness was balanced and sufficiently chilled without watering it down.

The first dish that arrived was the Shellout Kari Berapi (Fiery Curry Shellout, RM37). This could serve 2-3pax. The mixture of gravy, prawns, mussels, oysters, squid, corn and crab was truly magnificent. The fun part was you don't get served on a plate, the seafood goes directly onto the table which is covered with plastic beforehand. What's left is for you to dig in, no cutleries allowed! As the gravy drips down your fingers, your tongue automatically laps the gravy, redolent of curry leaves and spices. Savory and sweet at the same time, the freshness of the seafood wasn't masked by the gravy. Even my mother licked the gravy clean from her portion of the table, haha!

The next dish to be served up was the Miang Pla Pao (RM35) which also serves 2-3 pax. This Thai dish consisted of a piquant Thai sauce, vegetables, glass noodles, fried prawns and squid as well as grilled sea bass. The fish was so flaky that it disintegrated on my fingertips. Wrapping some glass noodles and fish in lettuce (sorry it's not shown in the photo, lettuce was grabbed before I remembered to take a good photo), I dipped it into the sauce before popping the self-made fish roll into my mouth. The combo of flavours that mingled on my tongue were unexplainable. The natural sweetness of the sea bass, freshness of the vegetables and sharp tang from the sauce kept me rolling and popping.

These two dishes we accompanied with 2 bowls of white rice (RM1.50 per bowl). The rice was good for soaking up the shellout curry gravy. 

I'd definitely make a repeat visit to Stesen Makan Makan for it's lovely seafood. Even the staff are truly sweet and attentive. I called the restaurant beforehand to enquire on its opening hours as I wanted to bring my cousin over for a birthday dinner. The staff even reserved a table and put up birthday buntings and even a neon sign which said Happy Birthday. Their gesture was really touching. 

The food was truly satisfying for a total bill of RM93. They even have set packages that serve 10-15 pax, so big groups can equally enjoy Stesen Makan Makan's Seafood Bounty. Do drop by and feast your heart out!

10. Ram 95 Curry House

Indian food has a long history, redolent with spices and rich in flavours and textures. In the small town of Kluang, Johor, the people can still find Indian food, mostly in the Little India area at Jalan Station. However, there is a hidden gem in Taman Puteri that promises a full belly and satisfied groans.

Ram 95 Curry House is a 2-month old baby in the food business. Recently, they went through an upheaval for their kitchen crew. Now, the chef who helms the kitchen, Mr. Visvanathan, prepares the most delectable cuisine, ranging from spicy Indian food to Malay dishes like Pari Asam Pedas (Stingray in Hot and Sour Gravy) and Udang Masak Lemak Cili Api (Prawns Cooked in Spicy Coconut Milk Gravy).

Everyunday, Ram 95 holds a Biryani Festival and, yes, it is truly a festival for the senses. They have mutton biryani (RM12) and chicken biryani (RM10). On the day I visited, the chef prepared a special biryani tray for me, my uncle and my mother.

The tray consisted of biryani rice, mutton curry, papodom, boiled eggs, ayam masak merah (chicken cooked in sweet and spicy gravy) as well as ayam goreng berempah (fried chicken with spices). 

The rice had a lovely yellow hue, fragrant and the grains were nice and long. The mutton curry used chops and was tender to the bone. It wasn't spicy but rich and flavourful. The ayam masak merah was lightly spicy and tangy with chicken that falls off the bone. The star of the show was the fried chicken. Marinated overnight in spices and then deep fried with curry leaves and onions, it was juicy and moreish.

The biryani side dishes consisted of a curd relish, a cucumber relish, more lashings of mutton gravy and ayam masak merah sauce. The relishes gave a refreshing tinge to every bite. Simply wonderful....

To wrap it all up, we had payasam (sweet sago porridge) and masala tea. The payasam was thick and unctious, making every slurp a sensual experience. The masala tea, a special brew by none other than the chef himself, will make you sweat rivulets and get your digestion moving. Spicy and fragrant, the tea is lovely on a rainy day.

This was the condition of our plates, licked clean. Our stomachs were beyond bursting and we groaned in both satisfaction and lack of breathing space. 

If you want to get a biryani fix that is worth your buck, do come over to Ram 95 Curry House at Taman Puteri, Kluang, Johor. The chef will make you cry tears of joy and satisfaction, making you yearn for the taste of India in Malaysia itself.