Nuffnang

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Hwa Mei (华美) Bak Kut Teh near CIQ (Johor Bahru)

Have heard many good reviews of Hwa Mei Bak Kut Teh and we attempted to drive to our destination during one of our trips to Johor Bahru. Although it is located near CIQ, it wasn't easy to locate the shop since it is situated outside the tourist belt. Despite following closely to our GPS, we ended making a wrong turn and it sent us straight to the custom instead! -___-  Not intending to return home yet, we managed to locate the office, filled up a form confessing that we made a wrong turn before getting the green light to make a U-turn back via the Reject Lane. Phew! That was enough to set our panic button on and we gave up our search for the best Bak Kut Teh in town.

Recently, we made another trip in and decided to try our luck. Thankfully, we found Hwa Mei which is tucked away quietly at the corner of a row of shophouses. It was a rainy morning and we were famished after spending nearly 2 hours to cross the checkpoints.  Business is good and very soon the seats were filled up by customers shortly after it opens at around 8.30am.


Opening hours and pricing is clearly indicated on the chart that is hang on one side of the walls.

Our sumptuous breakfast order

Pig's Trotter - succulent meat which is so tender and juicy! The braised sauce is sweet and perfect to go with our rice.

I must say we have tried many Bak Kut Teh in Johor Bahru, and I like the one at Hwa Mei best! The meat is firm yet chewy. Lots of meat within the bowl that is sufficient for 1 or 2 to share. The broth has a mild herbal flavour and not overly pepperish. While it is not too oily, I find the broth a little too salty for my liking.


Pig's liver and kidney - For Hubby only since the rest of us are not so adventurous.

You Tiao - I thought it would be perfect if it was a little warmer and crispier :) Nevertheless, the taste is pretty good even eating on its own. At one point, I was hoping to have a warm cup of soya drink to go with it.

Salted vegetables - one of our favourite side dish which is not overly salty.

Toufu in braised sauce - soft and tender. 

If you go to the back of the shop, where the cooking process is taking place, you will notice Hwa Mei's Bak Kut Teh and rice is cooked using charcoal. That probably explains the richness of flavour and taste. We spent RM87.9 (inclusive of drinks and 6% GST) which was pretty reasonable. We will be back again whenever we crave for Bak Kut Teh!

Hwa Mei (华美) Bak Kut Teh
Address: 146, Jalan Lumba Kuda, Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.460851, 103.767564
Closed on every Mondays

18 comments:

Ai Sakura said...

Wow the serving size looks really good!! Meat looks juicy and thick too. Yum yumm.. worth the drive there :P

Ai @ Sakura Haruka

Jiahui said...

We are fans of the BKT here too! unfortunately, they close on mondays, which are usually when we go in JB! hahaha!

May said...

Oh my goodness!!! I love Malaysia bakut teh but never found the motivation to go look for it because scared lost and kena rob! Yikes! Looking at your pics, make me drool!

Collin Chow said...

I miss Malaysian BKT. Seeing the pics just makes me v hungry now.. Haaaa. I miss the times when I can freely drive into malaysia to have supper with friends. Now with kids got to plan a bit...

~Summer~ said...

Bak Kut Teh, one of my favs! This looks very yummy indeed! How drama, the first time you tried to make your way there but I'm glad you guys didn't give up and tried again, and made it!! Thanks for sharing about this, I will keep in mind when we visit JB! =)

Unknown said...

I LOVE BAK KUT TEH! It is seriously a comfort food for me. This looks delicious! Too bad they don't have a local branch.

Unknown said...

Your post makes me crave for BKT! :D I especially love the thin silvers of pork liver :) Yums!

Phoebe said...

Oh yes! I love to go JB on Mondays too because that is the day where we get to go KSL pasar malam

Phoebe said...

Pricing and serving still reasonable with the current exchange rate. :) Still one of the better BKT to date... until we found something even better. (Personal opinion)

Phoebe said...

Oh yes but it's kinda hard to find initially..We made a few wrong turns...but luckily made it there.. Safety wise, we have to be vigilant and pray hard for a safe trip.

Phoebe said...

Still possible for a short trip across the border. just have to keep vigilant.

Phoebe said...

We had a heart attack when we drive in to the custom.... nearly faint. Luckily there is a reject lane. hahaha. So you know what to do when that wrong turn is made. ^_^

Phoebe said...

There are a lot of delicious food across the border and BKT is one of them. :) Hope to share more foodie on the next blog train

Phoebe said...

I didn't know you are a fan of pork liver! I don't fancy it but my hubby LOVES it.. :)

xavvy said...

Here's another BKT Lover ! Missing BKT from Malaysia especially ! Thanks for sharing this hidden gem ! I will go for that bowl of kidneys !! Yummeh !

Unknown said...

Looks good! I have tried many BKT in johor but I haven't tried this before. Gotta put this in my to-eat list now. Thanks for sharing!

Phoebe said...

Hope it will be to your liking too.

Phoebe said...

Do share where else you go for your bkt. We would love to try too.

Post a Comment