Food, Glorious Food!: Special JB Edition (Banafee, Malay Village, Tepian Tebrau etc)

So, instead of lumping everything under the monthly edition, here comes a special edition of Food, Glorious Food! featuring some of the most delicious grub from my hometown of JB (that's "Johor Bahru", for the uninitiated).

But before I begin, let me just reiterate a point most Johoreans love to make: We have some of the best food ever in the history of the entire world! Hehe.

OK, let's start...

..

Sedap Corner is a Johor-born chain of restaurants serving some very delicious local fare, including a delectable line-up of kuih muih.

One of my own favourites here is the fish head curry. Although on this particular trip, the fish wasn't that fresh, but the curry was still good.

..

..

But like I said, you MUST try out the kuih. Slightly pricier than your typical makcik kuih joint, but you get 30% more taste as well.

..

..

And speaking of kuih, the humble goreng pisang is taken to another level at Goreng Pisang Mawar at Jalan Sungai Chat (near Thistle Hotel).

..

..

It's so good and so popular, we had to endure a half-hour queue just to get our paws on these babies. Best part? The sambal kicap for you to dip the pisang into. Memang berbaloi!

..

And still at Jalan Sungai Chat and thereabouts, we strongly recommend Tip Top Ikan Bakar at Tepian Tebrau. What to try? Well, how about tahu bakar for starters? Some sotong would be nice as well.

..

..

But the highlight should be these crabs (at RM15 a piece). The dish comes with these stupendous-tasting bread that you can't find elsewhere!

..

..

Also near Jalan Sg Chat is this place that we discovered on this trip, Restoran Melayu Village. The place itself reminds me of places like Bora Asmara with gazebos and Bali-like decor.

..

..

I've read some not so-good-reviews of the place, but I honestly think the whole experience wasn't that bad. The sambal udang petai was rather good, but the other dishes were quite average. So, overall, it was slightly above average.

..

..

Another interesting place is Banafee Village at Jalan Dato' Abdul Tahir. This place on the other hand, reminds me of Rasta in Taman Tun, with a good blend of western and local dishes on offer.

..

..

Banafee is famous for its Ayat Penyek (that's how it's spelt here), so naturally we just had to try it out. Verdict? Bagus! The chicken's tender and juicy and the sambal's got a distinctive kick. Recommended.

..

..

We also tried out the Maharajah fried rice set which came with chicken, pickles, papadom and egg. Interesting, but only slightly above average.

..

..

Something else on the menu that we just had to try was the sup tulang merah Singapura.

..

..

It was red alright, but the rather strong taste was not quite for everyone. And WARNING: the red on the tulang might stick on your hand for days!

..

So, amacam? See anything you like?