Down & Dirty: Win Seng Heng, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

There are not many great hawker food places left in KL, the rising costs of rent coupled with a labour shortage make it a tough business.

Win Seng Heng is where I was introduced to Malaysian street food after the customary Jalan Alor.  

My favourite kopitiam in KL is hand's down Win Seng Heng and the one one must have dish is the Pork Noodle Soup. 

Actually I would just come even just for the blood sausage which comes with the Pork Noodle soup. You can have it wet (ie all in one bowl) or dry (soup on the side). I prefer to have the dry version and add the ingredients together as I go.

The dish is simple homemade noodles topped with minced pork, fish balls and blood sausage. But that is really selling the dish short, the complex combination of fat, hint of pepper and umami from the meat (and/or the sausages) with a dash of dark soya makes this dish complex. I also like to add the green pickled chilli with each bite for a bit of acidity that completes the dish. 

Pork Noodles, Fish balls and blood sausages for brekky! 

Siew Yoke (Roast Pork)

If you haven't had enough, you can try their Roast Pork, while this is not the best in KL you are already here so might as well try some. #YOLO

Savory Pork Buns getting a shellacking!

The savoury pork buns are baked fresh but save some space for the mini egg tarts which are awesome. Probably the best in KL!

Mini Egg Tarts are the bomb!

Beware: the Eggs Tarts are addictive!!! (you've been warned)

Win Seng Heng is located on Jalan Imbi which is just behind the famous Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Address: 183, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kin Hua Kopitiam:Dirty Dining in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Kin Hua Kopitiam

Part of getting to know the culture of a new place is to experience breakfast "like a local"! In Johor Bahru, there is no better place to do this than Kin Hua. 

It really ticks all the boxes for Dirty Dining-it has a good mix of locals and visiting Singaporeans from accross the border, it is packed from early morning till way past lunch. Everything is prepared & served "old school". The toast is done over coals, the coffee is filtered through a "sock" (figuratively speaking), eggs are boiled and timed to perfection manually. (no immersion circulator here)

I will have to take more photos and update when I have more time.

Look at them buns!

Fresh buns toasted with butter and kaya (coconut jam) were absolutely delish. 

Eggs-cellent!

The eggs were free range and you could tell from the colour of the yolk. The yolk was a dark orange vs the typical yellowish colour we have become used to with industrial eggs.

A dash of pepper and soya sauce and I was all set. Just like the locals did I dunked the bread in the eggs and slurped the remainder of the eggs straight from the bowl.

In Malaysia soft boiled eggs are referred to as half-boiled-eggs. 

Kopi!

Mastering the art of ordering coffee in a Malaysian Kopitiam (coffee house)

Coffee=kopi (koh-pee)
Coffee black with sugar=kopi-O
Coffee with cream =kopi-C (C= carnation evap milk, they dont have regular milk) and they will automatically add sugar unless you specifically mention otherwise.
Coffee with cream no sugar= kopi-C- kosong
Coffee black no sugar= kopi-O -kosong
Stronger coffee =kau

Therefore my coffee is kopi-C-kosong-kau which translates to coffee with cream, no sugar, served strong.

If you want a cold coffee same as above but add "peng"

X = Paid!

They have a unique billing system here. Grandma will come over ask you what you ordered (although she already knows what you ordered). She will then add the bill up using a calculator (although she already has the total amount in her mind). She will show you the total to verify the amount. Pay that amount and dont question grandma!

Once she collects the cash she will mark the table with an "X" to let the others know that you are good to go. 

Remember Grandma is watching so you dont want to get caught out-you dirty,dirty boy.

Brilliant!

Kin Wah Address: 8 Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor Bahru 

Open: 7am to 12pm

Alive & Brewing in JB: a review of Art 52 Coffee Johor Bahru, Malasyia-CLOSED! :(

We Brew Seriously! 

Art 52 Coffee JB

Just like the sign says these guys are serious about their coffee! 

Barista Owner Ang Yee Siang and Stella Teo are brewing up top shelf stuff in Johor Bahru.  Outshining many a shop across the border in Singapore and in capital KL.

Since I rarely read or follow instructions I kept pushing, pulling or sliding the entrance door only to notice that I needed to "RING" to get in. Thats what you get when you keep looking at your phone.

my shadow

Definitely a place for coffee lovers!!!  

The shop serves as an art gallery on the first and second floors. On the second floor hidden behind a door is a real "hole in the wall" cafe.

Did I say HOLE IN THE WALL? 

Today they had single origin Ehtiopian, Sidamo.  He took about three tries to get the perfect pull for my first shot. He tasted each one and did not seem satisfied until the third one. I really appreciate the attention to detail. The result was a very good strong citrus notes with a floral finish. As every espresso drinker knows there is nothing better than your first cup. 

Upon ordering my second one the barista offered to tweak the coffee slightly for me. My second cup was even more enjoyable than the first. This very rarely happens for me. The second cup had longer finish and initial floral notes before a strong lemon finish. 

My second cup!

The Art Gallery!

Have not tried other places in JB but all I can say is the coffee scene in JB is alive & brewing!

Location: Art 52 Coffee,  #52 Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Johor Bahru 

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/art52coffee

instagram: @art52coffee

Common Man Coffee Roasters- Robertson Quay, Singapore

21 April 2014

World Coffee-holics beware this is Singapore's hottest coffee spot...

Its been open for over a year and I have been dying to visit. On recent trip to Singapore I finally got the chance to sneak away for a cup or well … three.  And I found myself waking up earlier each day of my trip to get my fix. By my last day I even arrived before they opened so had to trek back to my hotel and return later.

Common Man Roasters is located on the quiet end of Robertson Quay, near M Social Hotel. The team was friendly and you can feel their passion for coffee as soon as you walk into the place. 

The Pour Over

They were even filming their own video of how to do a pour-over and you could sense their love for their trade. 

 


Each shot of coffee is weighed based on the specific blend or bean on an electronic scale immediately after grinding to ensure a consistent dose. 

The Weigh in..

Not an Old School scale! 

I chose the Ardi Sadama blend from Ehtiopia which was fantastic!

Under Pressure...

The barista also monitors the water temperature, pressure and time to ensure the perfect cup…

the end result ...

...a great coffee! They also served each cup with a shot glass and small dose of sparkling water to cleanse your palette. A nice touch!

 Common Man Coffee Roasters:

Website: http://www.commonmancoffeeroasters.com/#/cafe
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/commonmancoffeeroasters
Instagram:https://instagram.com/commonmancoffee/