Riverine town with many eateries: Muar

Muar’s delights: Riverine town has many eateries that are tasty and affordable

IF you have a night to spare in Muar, Johor, there are a few good makan places that you can try out.

High on my priority list, is the fried Hor Chien (oyster omelette) that made this town famous.

Famous around the globe: Chai Kee ‘434’ blended coffee is a must-try when you travel to Muar, Johor.

But before I go any further, where is Muar?

This riverine town (N 02 02’ 10.22”, E 102 34’ 08.81 E) is located South of Malacca and is about two and a-half hours drive from the Klang Valley and about two hours from Johor Baru.

If you take the PLUS highway, exit in Tangkak or Pagoh.

It will take about 20 minutes to get into town from Tangkak which is the nearest point of entry from the Central Peninsular.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend two nights in Muar and checked out several makan places that is noteworthy.

For Hor Chien, I was told that there is a small stall that cooks up a storm with a steady queue of customers.

Details on its location were sketchy and due to my packed schedule, I only managed to try out a stall at the Jalan Bentayan Hawker Center.

My wife’s cousin Felicia and Ronnie Lau who goes back to their hometown in Muar almost every week said the stall was only average.
Muar koay teow: Johor’s rendition of the char koay teow is unique.

We ended up gobbling two plates of Hor Chien at RM10 per serving with plenty of sugarcane juice.

The Bentayan Hawker centre opens daily from 6pm till midnight.

Next on my list, is the Kuay Chap and Muar Char Kuay Teow.

Now, what’s interesting is this: Kuay Chap is endemic to the Southern region and can be found in Malacca and Johor.

The best I’ve tasted so far, is in Muar and if you want to savour this dish, you can try a stall located along Jalan Yahya which opens every morning.

As for Muar Char Kuay Teow, I had a taste of it from a coffeeshop at the corner of Jalan Yahya and its pretty decent.

At RM3.50 per plate, one cannot complain for its quality and value.

There are many coffeeshops in town, of the lot, one came out tops and is actually world famous.

Enter Chai Kee kopi 434.

This landmark kopi-o outlet has a variety of local brew and highly-recommended is the kopi-o ais and toasted bread with butter and kaya.

My bill for two persons inclusive of three drinks, toast and two half-boiled eggs came up to RM14. This is much cheaper than having a cup of coffee in any of the foreign-themed beverage outlets in Kuala Lumpur.

Okay, moving on, my last night in Muar was a treat by auntie Siew Lan, my wife’s relative.

Delicious: Muar’s fried hor chien.

We were taken to Ting Ting restaurant at Jalan Bakri by Felicia and Ronnie to savour ikan haruan beehoon.

This was a memorable outing because as first-timers, my wife and I tried out the snakehead beehoon which turned out to be very tasty.

I gave this noodle dish two thumbs-up for the fine texture and sweet tasting haruan fillet.

With four other dishes, the bill came up to RM72, which is pretty affordable for Muar’s standard.

There are more makan places that are noteworthy in this town, but since time was a factor, I couldn’t try it all. Maybe a return trip in the future would be on the cards.

~News courtesy of The Star~