Restoran A.J. Masakan Melayu Johor (Closed)

Laksa Johor is something that is so different from what I know about Laksa. It was one of the kind. The soup base was very thick with fish meat, almost kuah like. Without the chili paste, it tasted real bland and I felt "muak" after awhile. The chili paste made it spicier but I stil felt "muak" after awhile. Mainly because the use of wrong noodles to go with this. The yellow noodle tasted mash like and tasteless, which contributed to the overall blandness. Soup wise, I must say it was really KAO

If you let me choose between assam pedas pari or assam pedas tenggiri, I would go for pari. The flavor of assam pedas was exactly the same as the assam pedas tenggiri I last had. The temperature of the dish was not deal as it was cold. The pari was something that I would like to shout about. For those whom have eaten pari before, you must be familiar with the texture; firm and smooth, it was exactly what I like about fish. It tasted very fresh, and I could taste assam pedas with the fish. It was

Sitting right beside the curry puff was cekodok pisang, which was my favorite snack from AJ. The look of curry puff was hinting me about what has it got to offer and I was right. I was disappointed by the soggy skin. To me, a curry puff should be puffy and light, not soggy and dense. The filling was decent though as it was not too spicy and at the same time, I could taste the potato cubes.

My first experience with assam pedas was less satisfying due to the lack of heat in it. I prefer my food hot, or at least warm. This assam pedas tenggiri lacked the temperature criterion but flavor wise, it was alright. Mild, I would say. It was mainly sour, injected with some spiciness in it which was subtle so. The texture of the fish was flaky and fresh, which was good. The bergedil was mash like and smooth but lack of contrasting texture while the quail eggs were overcooked.

I think I have tried it once or twice but didn't quite remember how it was until I had a taste of AJ's pengat ubi kayu. The dessert was filled with of fibre, hence it contributed to the density as well as the texture. However it was not too overwhelming and I got to enjoy the soft ubi kayu which was not too old and kayu-ish. The sweetness was not even sweet to my standard but mild. Flavor wise, it did not make me full but the ubi kayu was the real filler.

Personally I find green bean dessert is a good choice when you are feeling heatt (about to get sick) for it is known as the "cold" dessert for body. However when you add in durian into it, I am not so sure about it. Put that aside, this green bean dessert was very smooth and silky. You can smell the fragrance from the durian but it merely mingled with green bean without stealing the limelight. Sago was a nice touch too as it enhanced the silkiness by another notch. You wouldn't feel "muak" but I

Johor is known for the asam pedas. Therefore, any self-respecting restaurant that claims to be Johorean should serve this fishy delight. AJ is very proud and rightfully so - the asam pedas has a strong sour kick, though I wish the spicy kick would match this intensity. The fish is fresh and firm and dense in flavour. The sourness really goes well with mackerel. The tempe is firm and not oily, which makes it a great healthy filler. I only wish that the asam pedas was kept warm so it would taste b

Mee rebus is such a common Johorean thing, but it's less common here, though not so rare that I have much difficulty getting my fix.Restoran AJ's mee rebus is definitely up to par. Sizely portion, lots of tofu and bean sprouts, and most importantly, the gravy is thick, fibrous, a little creamy, and a little sour. One good way of identifying if it's made by real Johoreans is that they call it mee rebus and not mee Jawa.

Wanting some dessert on a weekend afternoon, we decided to try some of AJ's offerings at his restaurant.The pulut with serawa durian is really good. Well, I'm not so much a fan of the pulut (I just don't enjoy Malay pulut that much), but I loved the serawa durian, which was very thick, creamy, and sweet. The sweetness wasn't overwhelming, as AJ likes to keep it moderately sweet, and the durian fibres were abundant.The cekodok pisang is also good. Less oily that the average, but not as rich with

I love the selection of nasi campur at Restoran AJ. They serve Johorean food, and though their selection is not super extensive, they've got some really good stuff nonetheless.The beef rendang was very tender and chunky, thought a little too oily. The brinjals with chilli (terung berlada) is cooked to softness and were a little spicy. Again, this was a little bit to the oily side. The bergedil was dense, but was only decent - there's not enough aroma overall.

Pengat ubi (tapioca in sweetened coconut milk) is really good here. Coconutty but not too heavy, with a sweetness that is just enough to hit your tongue hard but not until it gets too much; and plenty of soft cubes of tapioca.Cekodok bilis is not their specialty, and is a little dry, though still full of anchovy flavour. The curry puff is delightful with potato curry and the crust is thin yet firm and moist.The bandung is unbelieveably good. Lots of evaporated milk, a little bit of ice cream sod

Hot peppery bone broth intensified cili padi and soy sauce with nasi himpit, bean sprouts, and chicken. A simple yet satisfying dish.I love the strong peppery flavours with the dense nasi himpit, but I thought the amount of chicken was sorely lacking; turning a great dish into a bit of a let-down. Flavour wise, it is as it should be. Just need lots more chicken to complete the dish.

Mee bandung is something that is served pretty much everywhere, even though it's quite Johorean (and not many Johorean dishes are available everywhere). The gravy is nice and thick, with a full sourish aroma; but I didn't quite like the overall package. I think it was just one flaw - lack of prawns. Just two pieces of shrimp that seemed to be cooked until too firm and no longer juicy.Perhaps more bigger, juicier prawns would've helped me enjoy it more.

Being Johorean, I miss my lontong since living in KL. The problem is that it's hard to find a really good one.Recently, a Johorean restaurant popped up nearby, and I decided to try the lontong. The gravy was rich, thick, and full of softened cabbages, beans, carrot, tofu, and tempe. The nasi himpit was just the right amount - not too much, not too little; and was dense.Eaten with a mixture of sambal tumis and sambal kacang (the way Johoreans do) makes the flavours nutty and sweet - really good.T

Being durian lover, I would try all sorts of durian dishes, and of course durian! When I saw serawa durian, I was like "wahhhh, what is this?". Basically it is a concoction of durian with santan, sugar, and salt. The serawa durian was mild, which was good for an introduction. It did not taste very santan-ish, which I found it just nice for me. The durian wasn't too strong. I could use a strong version of serawa durian though. On the other hand, the pulut was there for the difference in texture a