MEETING TWO TESL FRIENDS IN KAMPUNG MELAYU FOR DINNER

 

Puan Hayati Burkhan was in town with her husband, Mr. Amin. They attended a wedding reception of a relative's in the afternoon in Kota Tinggi but was putting up the night in Johor Bahru. I was excited to introduce her to the local food for the first time. However, I met the husband in August for Kacang Pool when he was here [READ HERE].

I just took them to the food court in Kampung Melayu for its Murtabak at Murtabak Azo Food Court.

Puan Salmiah, another UPM TESL friend, and her daughter were also in Johor Bahru because they went to watch the Festival Zapin, a kind of traditional dance event. We invited her to join us and she happily obliged even though they were staying at Kota Iskandar area which was 30 minutes away from town without the traffic jam.

We had to bid each other "goodbye" by 9:30 p.m. as it had been a long they for these people from Kuala Lumpur/Selangor. There will be one more gastronomic adventure with Puan Hayati before she flies back to KL after that.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE WITH KL PEOPLE IN KAMPUNG MELAYU

Mee Rebus

   10th APRIL 2026    ~ After the Eid visit to my house [READ HERE], I took the three guests from Kuala Lumpur for their late lunch at Kampung Melayu. The chosen place was the food court: Azo Murtabak Kampung Melayu. I had to introduce them to one of the eating places I used to take other friends when they were here.

Pattaya Fried Rice

Kuew Tiau Bandung

Murtabak

Laicikang

Everybody had different food of their own choice, which should keep them full until their next meal later in the evening. They would be occupied the following day and I would be meeting them again on Sunday before they left for Kuala Lumpur.

HAVING MURTABAK MENGKASAR FOR DINNER IN KUANTAN

  15TH SEPTEMBER 2025   ~ Murtabak Mengkasar is one of the must-eat local food when one is in Kuantan or Pekan. Puan Aunillah Hilmi and her husband took me out for another gastronomic adventure for dinner in the evening to the place where the Murtabak was made and could be eaten straight from the pan. The eating place was situated somewhere in Bukit Sekilau.

"Murtabak is a stuffed pan-fried bread or pancake, often described as a savory dish. It is made by folding a thin crepe or dough around a filling of minced meat (like beef or chicken) mixed with eggs, onions, and spices, then pan-fried until golden brown. It can be found in the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia, particularly in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia."

SOURCE: AI OVERVIEW

Murtabak Mengkasar sure tasted different from the one I had back home. I even bought two pieces of the frozen Murtabak to take home to Johor Bahru.

My Kuantan excursion would still continue with the lovely husband and wife couple the next day.

SAHUR DIARY: 6TH RAMADAN 1446H

6TH RAMADHAN 1446:

MY SAHUR

• Murtabak Mangkasar [all the way from Kuantan]
• Dates
• Pandan Jelly
• Hot Nescafe

Murtabak: Flat Bread with filling, mine was beef.

SAHUR: The early meal before fasting starts.

FASTING PERIOD: When the sky turns red before sunrise until sunset.

[SAHUR DIARY MAIN PAGE]

 

DINNER WITH THE MONITOR - MR. RIDWAN [PART TWO]

21st JANUARY 2024 ~ The gastronomic adventure of the regular visitors from Shah Alam continued with the dinner session. Mr. Ridwan Wahid and family wanted to specifically have Murtabak at the stall in Kampung Melayu so we went there right after Maghrib prayer.

fried durian

We of course had other variety of food at the stall there but I got Asma Rojak which was the Johor's version of Penang's Pasembor for them to do some comparative work. 😀

One more gastronomic adventure to go the very next morning for breakfast.

WHEN OLD FRIENDS FROM FAR AWAY WERE IN TOWN

Mr, Ridwan Wahid [a friend of UPM TESL class of 1993] and his family were back in town. It should be mandatory for us to meet up and chat over dinner, or any kind of meal.

This time, we went to have Mee Bandung Muar, but not in Muar. The stall was located in Kampung Melayu, just near my house. And we had satay too.

To conclude the evening's gastronomic adventure, we then moved to another food court nearby where there was the popular Azmie Wawa ABC stall. A plate of Chicken Murtabak arrived at the table, the supper supposedly, and there would be no way for us to get other food.

That should end our very brief gathering this time but Mr. Ridwan, wife and daughter would continue with their food-hunting session for breakfast tomorrow. Unfortunately, I could not join them as I have to be somewhere else for work. They are already knowledgeable of the places that serve the best food in town so I am not worried.

HAVING COFEE IN SAIGON [CAFE] BEFORE THE SCHOOL REOPENS

10TH MARCH 2023 ~ We finally got the so-called Vietnamese Coffee from Kopi Saigon in Kampung Melayu.

I ate the fried meatballs the first time I came here but no food was sold anymore in the cafe.

As a result, we opted for Murtabak Tomok which shop was just three doors away. Luckily, we were allowed to eat the food in the cafe.

Thanks Mr. Muhammad Syahir, an ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti, for the company for coffee [and murtabak]. Let's try some other coffee outlets after this, most probably after the fasting month.

MY SEGAMAT GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - AZAM AR MURTABAK

18th AUGUST 2022 ~ We had been passing by this small stall by the roadside at Batu Anam every day and say many vehicles parked on the road shoulder every morning. Only on the third day, we managed to stop by for breakfast to see what made this place, named Azam AR Murtabak, popular.

The stall sold varieties of flat bread/pratha and also Murtabak. We were lucky as we still managed to get the last batch of Murtabak from the hot pan.

It had always been a pleasure to once in a while go on official duty outside school as this was the chance to meet friends and chatted over breakfast/lunch/dinner. It was like the annual event that we were all looking forward too and I would be missing this in a few more years to come.