Another must-have in Malaysia is their wan tan noodles. This place does it the typical "black sauce" Malaysian variant.
A good douse of black sauce, a dollop of chili paste and we've got a tasty wan tan noodle ready for a quick meal or in this case; a mid-afternoon snack.
If things could not get more fun, turns out my colleague's family owns a durian plantation! Alas, we were about two months early, so we could only satisfy our cravings for these horny fruits visually. Can you spot them hanging on the tree?
I did chance on this "baby" durian on the ground. Fits in the palm of my hand, too bad I don't think there was anything in it. Maybe I'll be back in two months.
Almost becoming a habit of mine is checking out the local cendol scene wherever I am. But this refreshing coconut cream based dessert is just so addictive that I can't fight the urge to explore the intricate details of each different permutation.
This guy's pushcart stall has been serving cendol in the town center of Labis for more than 15 years. He obtains his coconut milk fresh daily from the 150 coconut trees that he owns in a small plantation. It's very traditional, even the ice is shaved by hand.
This wasn't as thick as the one in Geylang Serai but the freshness of the coconut milk shows through. The addition of sago and red beans to the sago also added a nice touch. Nevertheless, it was still cold, rich and sweet, just the thing for the hot weather!
After the bak kut teh, it was time for a second breakfast. This place specializes in kway chap and I was told Malaysian kway chap is quite different from the Singaporean version. Sure, there's still a heap of braised innards and porcine bits but the main difference is the gravy which comes with the dishes. The gravy here is thick and slightly herby compared to the thinner sauce versions in Singapore.
Thinly sliced pork belly.
A variety of braised bean curds.
Braised pig intestines.
Pig ears and fallopian tubes.
There was also an option to have the noodles dry instead of in a soup. Since we don't get this in Singapore, I gave the dry version a shot. The noodle here is more like a flat rice noodle instead of large rice sheets. Still, the dry version with the chilies and fried shallots was quite a refreshing change.
There's pretty much only one place in Labis to get a bak kut teh (localized pork rib soup) breakfast. Fortunately, they do it very well. There are many variants of this dish, ranging from savory peppery versions to more herbal ones. Tian Tian's version is a fine balance between the two.
As with most Malaysian-styled bak kut tehs, this comes with a heap of additional ingredients besides the pork ribs. An assortment of beancurds and pig innards adds some variety to this.
Eaten together with the side-dishes of fried Asian dough crullers, assorted preserved vegetables and a bowl of freshly steamed white rice, this was indeed a great way to start the day.
For some post-supper supper, we decided to hit a popular sate (satay) stall along the town's main road. Just look at those prices! Not only is the street food kickass in Malaysia, but the prices (compounded by the exchange rate) are just fantastic.
As we were already rather full, we just picked up an assortment of lamb, beef and chicken satays. Good stuff!
Labis is a small town in Johor with a population of slightly over twenty thousand. Coincidentally it's also the hometown of my colleague who was gracious enough to play host to me for a short trip. By the time we arrived, it was time for supper and this place is quite popular as a supper joint.
When I saw this dish of fried aubergine on the menu, I thought it'll be similar to Canton Wok's but this turned out quite different; in a good way. Chunky bits of aubergine coated in a crisp batter and topped off with a spicy minced meat gravy. Just the thing to whet our appetites.
The fried chicken wings were smothered in a tangy barbecue sauce which reminded me of a localized version of buffalo wings.
The deep fried fish with butter is similar to butter or cereal prawns, this was fried to such a nice crisp that you could crunch down everything; bones and whatnot.
These deep fried pumkin slices were so thin they were almost like crisps. Great to go with beer.
The morning glory with preserved cuttle fish was a bit too sweet for my liking. It came in a sauce that tasted fruitily sweet. The cuttle fish had a nice crunch though.
