Ah Meng Restaurant @ Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

JB Ah Meng at Geylang is no stranger to me but imagine my surprise when I found out that there is also an Ah Meng restaurant at the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru (also known as JB). Are they related? 

It's funny how we came to patronize this restaurant that was a GRAB ride away from KSL mall. We were searching for seafood restaurants and chose this simply because review score was not too bad from over 1,000 reviewers! p.s. order from QR! 

A typical tze-char eatery with simple decoration and functional furniture. Of course the things that caught our eyes were the photographs listing the chef recommendations. Definitely adding a few to the our order.

Our decent selection; for three persons! 

Chrysanthemum with Pu Erh Tea - at that age where tea is a de-facto beverage for any Chinese restaurant. Love the fact they served the tea cups in a bowl of hot water to kill bacteria.

Wouldn't say the tea was spectacular although I do like the combination of chrysanthemum and pu erh tea; former of which added an infused floral aroma.

San Lou Bee Hoon - the reputation of the signature bee hoon from San Low Seafood Restaurant was so renowned that many tze char eateries had attempted to replicate it in their menu. JB Ah Meng did a good job and let's see if this one from Ah Meng would fare well.

I would deem this as better than the original San Low Seafood Restaurant, unless you manage to secure the one cooked by the original chef! This had wok hei without being overly burnt and overly oily. 

Qing Long Vegetables - my first time having this unique vegetable was at JB Ah Meng and I love it enough to have it whenever I see it on the menu. Not a bad rendition; just too much beansprouts killing the refreshing flavor of the qing long choy.

Fried Baby Squid - my elder sister loves those spicy, dark and crispy baby squids; an affection lost on me despite my love for deep fried food. To be fair, the above fried baby squid would be my preferred cooking style for baby squids; without that additional layer of stickiness. 

With thin batter, they turned out to be much more enjoyable than their caramelized, sticky cousins. They might be too cloying on their own; hence, do have them with the chilli sauce! 

Oatmeal Prawns - numbering just five prawns, the saving grace was they they were really fresh and the aroma of oatmeal had infused into the prawn meat. Definitely the highlight of the meal and I was desiring for a bowl of plain rice just to mix with the cereal. Priciest dish for us though.

Yam with Steamed Pork - on my own with Alex, this would be one dish I wouldn't order knowing Alex would likely ignore after the first bite since he was no fan of yam and pork belly. But, we had the Great Kon with us at Ah Meng! 

The pork belly was tender and absolutely palatable with the savory sauce! Even the yam surprised me with its firm softness! Kon, a Hakka, was so happy with this Hakka dish that he ordered another serving for takeaway! 

Yam Paste - how to resist yam paste when it was available on the menu!? At RM 22.00 a serving, this was to be shared. Don't be deceived by the bowl; it's bigger than expected. 

To be honest, this was too watery and the pumpkins were hard, didn't taste fresh. Only thing I like was that the sweetness was rather muted; healthier in my opinion. However, more cons than pros; and I like my yam paste to have more texture.

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Before and after; I bet the Kon will be back for the yam with steamed pork! I would come again to check out other signatures like preserved radish with steamed fish, king pork ribs, signature tofu and maybe their curry fish head! 

Address

38, Jalan Sultanah Aminah, Taman Iskandar, 

80050 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

As above. Closed on Tuesdays

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chrysanthemum with Pu Erh Tea - RM 12.00

San Lou Bee Hoon - RM 20.00

Qing Long Vegetables - RM 13.00

Fried Baby Squid -RM 20.00

Oatmeal Prawns - RM 38.00

Yam with Steamed Pork - RM 25.00

Yam Paste - RM 22.00

(Subject to Tax)