Breakfast in Batu Pahat

A few of my family’s favourite picks.

1) Fock Yen Dim Sum

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Fock Yen dim sum

Dim sum in Batu Pahat is like dim sum in Klang – slightly odd in a Hokkien populated area. Expectations must be managed; the finesse ranks the same as an average tasting dim sum shop in Kuala Lumpur.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Fock Yen dim sum - food

There are gems which we enjoy. I think that they make really good char siew pau. Sometimes I’d buy them frozen to bring back to KL. The pork belly mix with sweet sauce combined with a bite of hot fluffy bun, divine!

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Fock Yen dim sum - char siew pao

It was the first time I had Hakka suan pan zi in a dim sum shop. They are made from yam and shaped to look like abacus beads, hence its namesake. Stir-fried with soy sauce, onions, dried prawns, they make it fragrant and delicious!

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Fock Yen dim sum - suan pan zi

Closed on Mondays.

Fock Yen Tim Sum
No. 24, Jalan Kundang 3,
Taman Bukit Pasir,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.

2) Hai Nam Kopitiam, Taman Banang

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Hai Nam Kopitiam Taman Banang

A regular coffee shop selling simple favourites. Mee siam and nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaves, assorted noodles, half-boiled eggs with steamed or toast bread…

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Hai Nam Kopitiam - food

Wash it down with a cup of aromatic coffee.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Hai Nam Kopitiam - coffee

Opens daily from 7am onwards.

Hai Nam Kopitiam
Jalan Jelawat, Taman Banang
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR

3) Taman Batu Pahat hawker centre

The small morning street market is next to the hawker centre. It’s hustle of activities, sellers peddling clothes, toys, and all seemingly important accessories we think we need in our daily lives.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Taman Batu Pahat market

Go on, walk up the stairs to find a host of stalls selling all types of breakfast goodies.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Taman Batu Pahat hawker centre

Here at the popular economy noodles stall, you can get Hokkien noodles – broad egg noodles braised in broth.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Taman Batu Pahat hawker centre - Fujian noodles

At one of the stalls, an Indian family sells roti canai. Piping hot, delicious and cheap.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Taman Batu Pahat hawker centre - roti canai

Other items are hit and miss. Maybe my palate has grown different to what my old town offers.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - Taman Batu Pahat hawker centre - food

Hawker Centre, Taman Batu Pahat
8300 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.

4) Ah Pui economy noodles, Banang Hawker Centre

There are many Ah Pui economy noodles stalls in Batu Pahat. No matter which one you go to, be prepared to go early to wait in line, just for a precious packet of economy noodles.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - economy noodles Taman Banang

Why is Ah Pui economy noodles so sought after? It’s the fiery chilli and thin curry added to your choice of noodles. We LOVE that spicy kick that jolts our senses in the morning.

The add-ons are equally tempting: fish cakes, tau ki (deep-fried beancurd with fish paste) and bean curd.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - economy noodles

Ah Pui (Banang Hawker Centre)
Jalan Seluang, Taman Banang
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.

5) Lontong @ Gerai Mak Ani, Taman Maju

This, my number one must-eat in Batu Pahat. It’s not as well-known as the lontong stall under the tree next to TIGS school. But the latter opens for business too late, is prone to attitude when they get busy, and the quality control is questionable.

Screw that. I love my Mak Ani lontong! They are a stall occupying a lot at Medan Selera Taman Maju, along Jalan Maju. Hard to miss.

Breakfast Batu Pahat - lontong stall

Compressed rice drowning in sayur lodeh – a coconut milk gravy with vegetables, topped with a fried egg, beancurd and sweet sambal sotong. Comforting, familiar food from my childhood.

It is also inexpensive. Whenever my sister or brother-in-law buys us an expensive meal, I’d belanja them back right here without breaking bank. Win!

Breakfast Batu Pahat - lontong

Opens 6.30am. Closed on Wednesdays.

Gerai Mak Ani (No. 8)
Medan Selera Taman Maju
Jalan Maju
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR

Riverside hawker centre, Batu Pahat

Growing up, we’d frequent the Riverside Hawker Centre – popularly known as “Hai Kee” or “He Bian” to feast on our favourite eats.

Jalan Rahmat, Batu Pahat
The end of Jalan Rahmat leading to the river. I love this part of the road come evening; the colours of dusk gently embracing an old part of town.

“Hai Kee” has been around for as long as I can remember. The food court rests on the riverbanks, next to the jetty and maritime office. As a kid, I was TERRIFIED of the floor made of wooden planks. Someone told me that there were CROCODILES in the river and sometimes they would swim up and NOM humans…

Luckily the crocodiles left us alone, never once disrupting our meal. Perhaps there were no crocodiles at all, just an adult trying to scare an impressionable kid. Or maybe the crocodiles dwindled in numbers, much like the food stall operators at “Hai Kee” today.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat
Cross the road to Hai Kee!

After all, continuity means someone’s got to step up and take over. I see a couple of the food stalls have ‘new blood’ to continue with the business, but many others don’t. I wonder how long they will go on.

Our go-to drinks stall operator serves our favourite ice kacang. Coarsely shaved ice with an assortment of red beans, jelly, pineapple, sweet corn and nuts, topped with chocolate malt.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - ice kacang
Ah Lam’s ice kacang

This stall was Ah Lam’s, who passed away last year. His children took over his business and continue churning out drinks and delicious ice kacang.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - the late Ah Lam
The late Ah Lam, photo taken sometime in 2010

We love our Fuchow Mee, prepared by this uncle here. He can’t hear very well so his wife has to shout out orders at him.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - dai chow uncle
Dai Chow uncle

What is Fuchow noodles? Thick egg noodles simmered in a rich, dark sauce. Meat, prawns and vegetables are added. Then the kicker: black vinegar. That makes ALL the difference. You MUST have the black vinegar, don’t forget to ask for it.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - Fuchow noodles
Foochow egg noodles with black vinegar

The o-chien stall is going strong, the original seller still churning out plates of fried egg with oysters.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - Meng Hian oyster
Frying o-chien like a boss

It is decent o-chien. Good even, if you’ve never had the ones in Penang. Here, they make up for it with a generous portion of oysters.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - o chien
Fried oyster omelette

The wu xiang aka lo bak stall is now managed by the owner’s son. Translated to Five Flavours, this fritter dish originated from the Fujian province. The original 5 fritters were: prawn, pork rolls, pork liver, egg rolls and pork sausage.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - wu xiang stall
Deep-fry till the cows come home

Now we have plenty of options, but be warned: this stall runs out early, especially during weekends. Batu Pahat folks love their wu xiang.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - wu xiang
My wu xiang picks: fragrant crunchy prawn fritters and fish fillet

There’s a grilled chicken wings stall. It’s all right, not super fantastic, and very edible. But perhaps an unfair comparison; after all I’ve had the best chicken wings in the country.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - chicken wings

One of the Lee brothers sells fish ball noodles (Penggaram Mee) at Hai Kee. I think his other brother at Taman Bukit Pasir makes a better version.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - fishball noodles

On some days (depends on whether they feel like opening or not), we get grilled stringray loaded with a generous serving of spicy sambal. I had it recently; it was better in my teenage memory.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - grilled fish

The stall next to Ah Lam’s sell sotong kangkung – cuttlefish and water spinach salad. I ate it all before I remembered to take a photograph. But they do things the old school way here, check out the lady toasting you tiao (Chinese doughnut) over charcoal using a Ji-Gong fan.

Riverside Hawker Centre Hai Ki, Batu Pahat - charcoal grilled youtiao

There you go, my personal must-eat in Batu Pahat 🙂

Riverside (Hai Kee) Hawker Centre
Jalan Shahbandar,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.

Ah Chew Laksa @ Glutton Street, Batu Pahat

There is something about Batu Pahat laksa. It is not as famous as Penang curry mee. But it is also less oily and less rich, though no less satisfying. The coconut milk gravy is lighter, so you can enjoy it often without worrying about arteries clogging.

(I’m not a dietitian, please don’t take my word for it)

Laksa Batu Pahat, Jalan Pengkai - Glutton Street laksa
A bowl of laksa from Glutton Street, Jalan Pengkai

The laksa of my childhood is at “Tam Chiak Kue” – Glutton Street. It’s this corner stall along Jalan Pengkai, behind The Store Jalan Rugayah, near the main bus station.

Laksa Batu Pahat, Jalan Pengkai - laksa stall

Mr Chew has been selling laksa and prawn noodles here for more than 30 years. His brother operates at the same stall selling the same thing during the day, but we’d only come here in the evening.

Laksa Batu Pahat, Jalan Pengkai - Mr Chew
The laksa man

What’s in a bowl of Batu Pahat laksa?

Your choice of noodles; we always opt for a combination of yellow noodles and rice vermicelli. Bean curd (tau kua), deep-fried bean curd skin with seasoned fish paste (tau ki), cuttlefish and cockles. A light coconut milk gravy; hot, fragrant and slightly spicy. Be sure to add a generous dollop of sambal chilli, homemade using dried shrimps for an extra kick.

Laksa Batu Pahat, Jalan Pengkai - Glutton Street laksa with chilli

The last I checked (Dec 2014), a small serving costs RM3.80. A large serving (with extra noodles) costs RM4.50. The serving you see above come with extra ingredients. I don’t remember how much it is.

If you go for a bowl of Mr Chew’s laksa, you MUST order ais kacang from the drinks stall next door. Also this part of Tam Chiak Kue is becoming ridiculously popular, getting a table may be a problem!

Ah Chew Laksa
(there’s no official name for this stall, I just made it up)
Glutton Street aka Tam Chiak Kue
Corner of Jalan Pengkai and Jalan Soga,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.

Soon Lai ‘kuey chap’, Batu Pahat

My first introduction to kuey chap was quite traumatising.

“What is that? What are you eating?” I asked my Dad.
He nonchalantly replied, “Pig’s blood.”

Euwww. Can someone of my ethnicity agree with me on how DISGUSTING that sounds to a KID? I can’t be the only Chinese who thinks that eating coagulated pig’s blood is utterly horrifying…!

So no kuey chap for me, until much later in my 20s. Having been re-introduced to it in Singapore, I had only this thought:

OMG WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING ALL THESE YEARS?!?
(I still skip the pig blood, but LET ME EAT EVERYTHING ELSE!!!)

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - kway chap
Batu Pahat kuey chap

Not to mention, it was so easy to get decent kuey chap in Batu Pahat!

What is now the famous Soon Lai kuey chap started out as a humble roadside stall. The founder, Mr Lim sold flat rice noodles served in a braising broth, accompanied by parts of the pig. Stewed of course, they are Teo Chew after all.

In the 50s, Mr Lim peddled his hawker food along Jalan Jenang, which is also home to the famous Ah See Wantan Mee). Later they moved to Jalan Fatimah; I remember them as a busy corner roadside stall next to an old clinic. Then in the 90s, they shifted their operations into the corner shop lot along the same row. It still houses their well-known restaurant today.

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - shop

Kedai Makan Soon Lai is diagonally across the 103 year-old Thean Hou (Ma Zu aka Goddess of the Sea) temple, one of the oldest temples in Batu Pahat. You know a temple is famous when Singaporeans make day trips just to pray there.

They used to keep big tortoises in this temple. I wonder if they are still around.

But never mind temples and tortoises. Back to Mr Lim and his kuey chap

It’s been nearly 60 years since the founder Mr Lim sold his first bowl of kuey chap. Today his grandchildren; the 3rd generation continues his work with gusto. Prep begins at 5am for these youngsters, working hard to open for business at 10.30am.

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - owners
The 3rd generation of Lim hard at work

So, what is kuey chap?

Soft, smooth flat, broad rice noodles; in Soon Lai’s case, shaped triangularly. This is the ‘kuey’. It is served in a lipsmakingly delicious herbal broth topped with fragrant fried shallots, which is the ‘chap’ (gravy).

Now, this broth. It is tasty, not very oily and the exact recipe a guarded family secret. We do know that the broth’s base is soy sauce, and combined with a mixture of herbs, spices, pork meat and offal, it is cooked and simmered for at least 3 hours.

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - flat noodles

You eat the rice noodles with stewed parts of the pig. Choose your sinful platter: pork belly, lean pork meat, intestines, ear, skin, blood, kidney, tongue…

True to our frugal Chinese roots, no part of the pig goes to waste!

Other non-pig favourites include pressed beancurd (tau kua), beancurd skin, hard boiled egg, and chicken feet.

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - pork meat and pig organs

Sides include: pickled mustard green, Batu-Pahat style tauki, fish balls, fish cake, century egg…

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - mustard

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - deep-fried fish cakes

Wash it all down with a refreshing bowl of lime jelly (ai yu) with crushed ice.

You’ll need it because it might be a while before you get to eat…

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - lime jelly

I highly recommend it. Soon Lai ‘kuey chap’ is the stuff of Batu Pahat (pork-eating) childhood dreams. BUT be warned: if you go at peak lunch hours, be prepared to wait a while for a seat. If it’s a weekend during a public holiday, worse.

Would the wait be shorter at their 2nd branch near Jalan Kluang?

No. If you insist on eating there between 12.30pm to 2pm, take a number and join the waiting game.

If you get there later in the afternoon, know that some of your favourites would have been sold out by then.

It’s like that.

Soon Lai Batu Pahat - customers
Hey, these customers look familiar…!

Kedai Makan Soon Lai (main branch)
No. 6C, Jalan Fatimah,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.
Opens daily 10.30am – 5.30pm

Kedai Makan Soon Lai (Taman Ceria branch)
No. 7, Jalan Ceria 1, Taman Ceria,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.
Opens daily 10am – 6pm

Actually it’s not true, they are not open every day. I asked them which days they rest, to which they replied, “Oh, it’s uncertain…”

Hmmm… May the kuey chap luck be with you!

Ah Hee fish ball noodle, Batu Pahat

“What do you eat in Batu Pahat?”

Batu Pahat fish ball noodles, of course! Also known as “Penggaram Mee”. Why the name? Because back in the days, a Mr. Lee operated a roadside stall along Jalan Penggaram (Hakka street), selling handmade noodles served with fresh fish balls.

Eng Kok, Batu Pahat - fish ball noodle
Batu Pahat fish ball noodle aka Penggaram Mee

Today, his children continue the family business, albeit in different locations in town. The eldest son sells it near the bus station. There’s a brother selling near “Tam Chiak Kuey” aka Glutton Street (Jalan Peng Kai). Another plies his noodles at the riverside hawker centre.

Our family favourite is the brother operating at Taman Bukit Pasir, at a coffee shop named “Eng Kok”.

Eng Kok, Batu Pahat - shop in Taman Bukit Pasir
Eng Kok at Taman Bukit Pasir

What’s the difference if the siblings learned the same skills from their father? Oh yes, if you’ve been eating it for as long as we have, you can easily tell which version belongs to which sibling.

Maybe it’s the individual human touch that sets them apart.

Eng Kok, Batu Pahat - fish ball noodle stall
Ah Hee (Mr Lee) working non-stop churning out bowls of fish ball noodles

What is special about Penggaram Mee? The handmade egg noodles has a slight coarse texture. It is al dente – chewy, comes with a bite, and is well seasoned by the mixing sauce.

The soft, springy fish balls always seem to be so fresh! Add some slices of signature Batu Pahat fish cakes (salty skin), lean pork and fried lard, and you have a bowl of my childhood deliciousness.

Eng Kok, Batu Pahat - fish ball homemade noodle
The stuff of childhood glutton happiness

The standard order is for thin noodles. Some prefer mee pok, a flat type of noodles, not unlike linguine.

I find that the thin noodles (mee kia) is more suitable for Penggaram Mee, as it holds the sauce better.

Eng Kok, Batu Pahat - fish ball mee pok noodle
Mee Pok fish ball noodle

The last I checked (December 2014), a small bowl costs RM3.70. A big bowl (with more noodles) sets you back RM4.20. Prices could have well increased by now.

But it wouldn’t bother Mr. Lee. He’s a busy man, there’s no shortage of customers happy to wait for a bowl of his fish ball noodles. He operates his stall no more than 3 hours in the morning before everything is sold out.

Sometimes you can see him at the riverside hawker centre at night, helping out his brother. I think that the two of them look very much alike!

Eng Kok, Batu Pahat - Mr Lee selling fish ball noodle

Ah Hee Fish Ball Noodle (Penggaram Mee)
Eng Kok Kopitiam,
No. 30, Jalan Kundang 2,
Taman Bukit Pasir,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.

Opens Mon-Sat, 8am to 11am (usually earlier ‘cos everything’s sold out)

Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat

“What to eat in Batu Pahat ar?”

If you’re originally from Batu Pahat like me, you’d invariably get asked this loaded question.

There are all these expectations of great food in small towns (it was still small when I left 15 years ago), and that people still cook the old school way of charcoal and passion.

I hate this question. Please stop asking me what to eat in Batu Pahat. I don’t know. Well, I do. But I don’t want to impose my personal favourites unto others. I like what I like. You very well might hate it.

I refuse to be that b* that causes people to go, “Ceh, tell me to eat this that in Batu Pahat, but the food so-so only, nothing special also.”

Go stuff yourself with sand then!

“What do you eat in Batu Pahat ar?”

Now, THAT is a question I can answer. Let me start with a Batu Pahat institution, Ah See Wantan Mee.

Chop See Kee, Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat
Plates of Ah See wantan mee

Yes, institution. I grew up with it and when I came to KL, I missed it (and mostly the tastes of home) so much that I wrote a very silly piece as a sort of odd tribute.

And also for the first few years in KL, I couldn’t take dark soy-based wantan noodles. Just like how the rest of Malaysia could not understand Johor’s wantan noodles that comes with chili or tomato sauce.

Chop See Kee, Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat  in Jalan Jenang
Chop See Kee along Jalan Jenang, Batu Pahat

You see that shop second from right that says “CHOP SEE KEE”? Yeap, that’s “Ah See wantan mee”. There are a lot of small shops whose name starts with “CHOP”. I think it was an older way of establishing that you’re a ‘company’ or ‘business’.

You see that corner shop next to Ah See’s? I lived there until I was about 5.

Chop See Kee, Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat - Mr Chong Kok Heng
Ah See’s third son, a smiling Mr Chong Kok Heng

Some 60+ years ago, Chong Ah See – the family patriarch set up a roadside stall. There, he cooked and peddled “char siu wantan mee” – handmade egg noodles mixed with a sesame-based sauce, served with slices of charcoal-roasted char siu barbecued pork) and wantan (meat dumplings).

Soon the stall was moved to the shoplot where it currently stands. All of Ah See’s 8 children helped with the restaurant. A couple of them still work there today, including Ah See’s eldest grandson who dived right into the family business.

Chop See Kee, Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat - Mr Chong
Another Mr Chong, who seemed more serious

Ah See’s family prides themselves in their homemade ingredients. Sure, modern technology made the work faster now, but quality was not compromised. For example, the handmade noodles were ‘cut’ using a knife, a process that took many man hours. Today, they have a machine to do that.

They still make the noodles at the back of this shop. When cooked and mixed with the Chong’s aromatic secret sauce, the noodles retain their satisfying springiness and bite.

Chop See Kee, Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat - noodles
Ah See’s handmade noodles

The ‘char siu’ is still slow roasted using metal tin ovens and charcoal, right in the back alley like how they did it many years ago. These aren’t the fatty types of char siu, but by no means less flavourful.

Wantan; its meat and skin are also made in the kitchen at the back of the shop. These meat dumplings are tender and juicy. Want these delicious morsels in your own home? You can now buy frozen packages of Ah See’s wantan.

Chop See Kee, Ah See Wantan Mee, Batu Pahat - dumplings
All your wantan are belong to me

A small portion costs RM4, a larger portion costs 50 sen or RM1 more. Order your Ah See wan tan mee with or without chili, it’s how us Johor people eat our noodles.

This is one of the things I eat in Batu Pahat 🙂

Chop See Kee (Ah See Wantan Mee)
No. 2, Jalan Jenang,
83000 Batu Pahat,
Johor, MALAYSIA.
Tel: +607 – 438 8516
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Opens daily from 8.30am to 9.30pm