Restoran Uncle Pou Wok (補鑊佬福建面) @ Mount Austin, Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

Even though Malaysia and Singapore is separated by just a narrow strip of water, our food culture still differs in some aspects; one classic example is bak kut teh, and another as controversial dish is hokkien mee!

Nevertheless, I embrace the differences! And together with my fellow friends, we decided to check out Restoran Uncle Pou Wok (補鑊佬福建面) at its branch at Mount Austin in our recent Johor Bahru excursion.

Set up in Year 1999, Uncle Pou Wok was said to be famous in Southern Malaysia and had sold more than 3 million plates of hokkien mee. Ignorant me hasn't heard of it until recently but from what I see on Google Map, there are three branches; hence, the food shouldn't be too bad bah. 

Our order for six persons.

Chinese Tea - although I am the oldest, I was glad to see that the rest had also started drinking Chinese tea; sure sign of ageing!  Anyway, some of them didn't like the tea as there was a funny taste. For me, it just had the flavor of cheap tea. 

Furong Egg - despite its simplistic look, this had the old school taste I enjoyed. Only problem was that the omelette was spread very thinly; resulting in less satisfaction, and there wasn't a lot of ingredients hidden within.

Stir Fried Romaine Lettuce - I think this vegetable would taste better if they are in hotpot. They didn't seem to have been cooked thoroughly, with a bitter aftertaste. Shall go for ladies fingers or choy sum next timer.

Sweet and Sour Pork - above average with a sweet and sour tomato-based flavor that would benefit from more sauce for better palatability. Jammie said she can taste cinnamon, which I agreed after slowly chewed through one piece.

Braised Yong Tau Foo - strongly recommended by the staff, we decided to order a small portion to try. While I am neutral about the yong tau foo (pretty big pieces though), I love the thickened sauce which was savory with a light sweetness; perfect to go with the yong tau foo! 

Cereal Prawns - the most expensive item for our dinner and we can't even see the prawns which were buried under the bed of cereals. We did a count and there were about 17 prawns! 

Size was decent although I wouldn't say they were super fresh; no complaint since each cost only about S$1. Most importantly, the cereals were tasty, buttery, flaky; good for a bowl of plain rice! It also helped that the prawns were coated and infused with a nice, cereal aroma. Alex couldn't stop talking about this. 

KL Hokkien Mee - looking like more like Singapore style char kway teow than Singapore style hokkien mee, you would understand why citizens from both countries can't accept the version from either country! 

For me, I just see them as two different dishes, with similar names. Why need to grapple about which is better?! I love Singapore style hokkien mee and have had really amazing KL hokkien mee at a dirty looking roadside stall! 

I was literally blown away by the sheer amount of lard oil lubricating each strand of noodle; it gave one so much satisfaction, which was further enhanced when the teeth bit into the large pieces of crispy pork lard! Maybe just one small thing to improve; the hokkien mee would have been perfect with more wok hei. 

=====

I will be back.

For sure. 

Address

103, Jalan Austin Heights 3, 

Taman Mount Austin, 

81100 Johor Bahru, 

Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

Lunch - 11.30 am to 2.30 pm

Dinner - 5.30 pm to 9.30pm 

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chinese Tea - RM 0.80

Furong Egg (M) - RM 15.00

Stir Fried Romaine Lettuce (S) - RM 10.80

Sweet and Sour Pork (M) - RM 27.00

Braised Yong Tau Foo (S) - RM 13.00

Cereal Prawns (M) - RM 60.00

KL Hokkien Mee (M) - RM 21.00

(Subject to Service Charge and Tax)