In English, we often say North, South, East, West but in Mandarin, the sequence jumbled into “Dong Nan Xi Bei (东南西北)” East, South, West, North. And no matter how you scramble your eggs, the good egg is never confined to one region only. While some may crack their heads looking for good food in Johore, I surf Tony’s blog.
Tyng picked me up from my place, bright and early, to meet Tony (my idol food blogger with more than 2 million pageviews). We intend to beat the traffic at the causeway to Johor, Malaysia, so… Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to work we go! What kinda work are we doing today? As food bloggers, we are going on a food trail of course 😉
I was hoping to cover as many as 8 restaurants but that’s fat hope without my children (8 meals within 16 hours was their record when we were in Kuala Lumpur). Nonetheless, we all had a good time. Scratch good. We had a GREAT time at Nan Bei 南北!
Please click on first photo below to view sequential commentary.
Please click on first photo below to view sequential commentary.
I don’t remember if I had mentioned about my intolerance for lamb/mutton’s gamey smell as I grow older, I used to love eating them especially, lamb chops. When Alan Chan, co-owner of Nan Bei Restaurant suggested (his dad is of Hainanese descent) we should have a bowl, I was not very keen. But hey, I’m a food blogger and I should give it try at least. Besides, Tony and Tyng might enjoy the gaminess. I’m very glad to stay open-minded on this dish. The clear soup was very refreshing, taking in the sweetness from radish, which had a delicate crunch. I also loved the chewy texture of fu chok (deep-fried beansticks). The black fungus provided nourishment which my grandma would approve! Black fungus 黑木耳, according to my old folks helps to reduce bad cholesterol, detox impurities in the digestive system, eliminates skin pigmentation as well as control weight. So introducing this ingredient in the mutton soup is a great idea! I have gone from eww to ooh la la… Clearly a sigh of enjoyment and endorement. This preparation is light not heavy bodied which is good for us living in tropics as I do not want zits popping out of my face! *Chinese believe the lamb/mutton to be yang in constitution and too much consumption especially with herbs can promote heatiness (which is good during winter – promotes blood circulation creating bodily warmth).
Please click on first photo below to view sequential commentary.
While we were enjoying our meal, Alan proposed another dish – Pig’s Trotters with Ginger and Vinegar 猪脚姜醋. Hypnotically, I found my head nodding up and down. The single portion came and everyone agreed that this mild form of the confinement period’s formula, hence it is suitable for daily consumption as this dish is also considered heaty.
Nan Bei Restoran 南北 Address: 68, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, 81800 Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Tel: +60 12-752 0622. Map: http://goo.gl/maps/sfGrT. GPS: 1.563158,103.800834. Opening Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm (Closed on Sunday). Non Halal.
In comparison to the Chinese Mutton Soup I had here and the one in Singapore (see my post here), I will definitely come to Nan Bei for my mutton soup fix!
See my recipe for Pig’s Trotters with Ginger and Vinegar 猪脚姜醋 here.
See my recipe for Roast Pork Belly here.
See my recipe for Dong Po Rou 东坡肉 recipe here.
For review on Nan Bei Restaurant’s Dong Po Rou, please check out Tony’s blog here.
For Tony’s version of this trip on Nan Bei Restuarant, click here.
My trip is not over yet… Look out for the next post!
Happy day tripping 🙂
Thank you Tony for bringing us around and Tyng for holding the silver screen! Special thanks to Mdm Lim who made sure our food was hot after we’d finish the photo-taking session 🙂
