Johore Bahru: KSL & Legoland Trip

Recently there has been quite a bit of hype about the newly-opened Legoland Malaysia in Johore Bahru. I have received tons of emails for Deals and packages for this new packages and it took a while to pick the right one. Finally, we managed to pick the one that allowed us to go over the Hari Raya weekend, which included one night stay at the KSL Resort for us to also enjoy a relaxing day at Johor Bahru.

Let me start with our little gastronomic adventure near KSL (trust me, it's as good as Legoland) before jumping into the theme park.

Soon Soon Bak Kut Teh

Restoran Soon Soon Heng Bak Kut Teh

Located right across KSL (Exit at the bottom floor through the Hong Kong Cafe), this Bak Kut Teh stall is one of the most visited in JB (A poll to 10 other friends, almost all went there before). When we went in at around 2 p.m., the place was very crowded and we had to wait quite a bit before getting our tables. However, the turnover rate here is usually very fast, so don't be turn off by the crowd - it is worth the wait.

Peak Period Throughout e Afternoon

The table-waiting and ordering can be quite chaotic and intimidating for first timers (there isn't a menu or similar), but once you know how everything works, it will become very simple. While waiting for your tables, head on to the 'kitchen' (the front of the shop) and make your orders.

The Kitchen Area

The way JB BKT is being served is slightly different from the Singapore version. Instead of individual bowls, the JB version puts everything (including your Meats, Innards and Vegetable) into a single Claypot. So its important to tell the server what you want or do not want in your pot. On top of that, communal style is favored, so rather than an individual bowl for each person, everyone shares from the same pot. Other dishes like Pigs Trotter and Salted Vegetables can be ordered separately.

One Claypot For All

We ordered the standard BKT soup (2 pots for 6 people) with Pig Innards (Intestines, Liver & Stomach), extra Golden Mushroom and of coz... the pork meat. In addition, we tried the Pork Trotters and ordered generous portions of Salted Vegetables (aka "Kiam Chai").

Sizzling Hot Bak Kut Teh

Let's start with the main attraction - The BKT soup. Once again, let me highlight the difference between the typical Singapore soup and the JB soup. The Singapore soup is usually Peppery  whereas the JB's soup is more herbal. The meat in Singapore usually comes in big chunks (probably 2 - 4 pieces per bowl) but the ones in JB is smaller and more "bite-size". And the most obvious - one is served in a claypot with everything inside and the other is served in different bowls.

Read on to find out more about the BKT and other dishes

Personally, I prefer the Herbal BKT soup. However, I'm being unfair to the Singapore version as, I have an general dislike for anything Peppery. So all that I can say is it isn't fair to put one over the other, it all depends on personal preferences.

The Soup: With so many ingredients inside, The Soon Soon BKT soup is especially delicious. They not only added the typical ingredients like mushrooms, tau kee and pork, they have also added a generous portion of clams and a tinge of pepper. With the extra pepper, the soup would appeal to BOTH camps of BKT (the peppery and the herbal people) as it gives a good mix of both inside the soup. My favorite thing about the soup is the balance they have achieved (especially with so many ingredients) as the soup isn't too 'gamey' (if there's too much innards) or too 'tau kee-y' (too much tau kee inside).

The Meat: It's easy for me to be satisfied in this area. The meat just have to be soft (but not shredded) and easy to eat and Soon Soon scored full marks here. The meat falls right off the bone and the bite size pieces makes it a pleasant experience. Did I mention how generous they were with the meat?

The Others: This would refer to the Pig innards and vegetables. Nothing much to rave about here as its all standard stuff. They could have added more intestines though.

Pigs Trotters

Next order was the Pigs Trotters in Dark Sauce. I would have to say this isn't their best dish. The meat was soft and nice, the sauce was quite rich and the portion was pretty generous. However, the meat was a little too gamey for my liking. It was one of the less popular dish on the table (the others were wiped clean).

Boiling Hot Sauce

Next up was one of my favorite dish in the world - Salted Vegetables or also know as "Kiam Chai".

Service Pot for Salted Vegetables

Singapore's version

For me, this is the dish which makes or breaks the BKT stall (this is purely due to my love for this dish). Once again, this stall scores full marks!

There is a slight difference between the Singapore version and the JB one too. The Singapore one is usually made mostly of pickled vegetables (sometimes with chili), taste more salty and comes in bigger chunks. However, the JB one has more ingredients like Pork Lard, is usually less salty and comes in smaller pieces with more leafy parts (as illustrated on the right).

[Note: If you are comparing the JB one to the Singapore's "Chai Buay" or "Muay Chai (aka Porridge Salted Veg)", the JB one will be dryer and saltier.]

1 Portion of Kiam Chai 

The Soon Soon Kiam Chai is one dish that I would go back for again and again. The salted vegetables was served hot and they were very generous with the pork lard. This gave the dish more "kick" and prevents it from becoming too salty. The moisture level was just right - not so dry that it becomes crunchy and not too wet that it becomes soupy. Lovely!

Cold Refreshing Honey Jelly

Just a side note: Try the Honey Jelly dessert. Its a good way to beat off the heat and cool down, especially in such a hot weather.

Our lovely lunch

Overall Verdict: This is one stall that I would go over and over again. In fact, this makes the (really short) drive/ride up here totally worth it. The soup is tasty and cater to both pepper and herbal supporters. The portions is generous and their salted vegetables is to die for. Oh, did I mention? We only payed 25 RM pax for everything.

Soon Soon Bak Kut Teh: 236, Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa, 80150, Johor Bahru, Johor. Open 8 a.m - 5 p.m


I'll leave my Legoland post for tomorrow. So stay tuned for more...