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