In Johor Bahru, you’ll find no shortage of eateries serving kway teow kia. But many taxi drivers swear by Restoran Woon Kiang. Touted as one of JB’s best, this eatery serves theirs in a herbal broth which sets them apart from competitors.
Restoran Woon Kiang is open until 4AM daily, making them an ideal go-to if you’re pining for a comforting supper.
A mishmash of several braised delights doused in a darkened savoury sauce and presented in a manner that’s perhaps not the most aesthetic, what we know as ‘kway chap’ in Singapore is referred to as ‘kway teow kia’ in Malaysia.
The ingredients are pretty much similar in that you have your braised duck, pig offal, beancurd, hard-boiled egg and so on with the only main difference being the noodle variety of choice. Back home, we’re familiar with wide flattish sheets of rice noodle but in Malaysia, theirs features thinner and longer sheets—hence, the Hokkien word, ‘kia’, which translates to kid or child.
Restoran Woon Kiang’s kway teow kia is superb, to say the least. Carefully blanched, the paper-thin rice noodles are smooth, soft and easy slurp up. The broth, comprising part braising liquid and part meaty stock brims with a deep savoury flavour and a subtle herbal quality that makes it unique.
The addition of fried shallots and crispy pork lard provides the broth with even more body. Admittedly it’s pretty oily… But heck, it tastes good anyway.
Braised meats, offal and the usual accompaniments are a must although we must admit that their Signature Kway Teow Kia is tasty enough to enjoy as it is. For a sizeable portion for two, we only spent a total of RM11 which was incredibly reasonable.
Their braised duck is tender and rid of any gaminess courtesy of the long hours of braising. Our only gripe was that the cutting was a bit poor. We would have enjoyed it more if we didn’t have to pick shards of bone from our teeth after mouthful. That aside, it’s still something that we’d order again.
Address: Jalan Pandan 1, Taman Stulang, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 5.30PM – 4AM (Daily)
Contact: +60 7-220 0310
Disclaimer: Uncover Asia made an anonymous visit and paid for their own meal.
Read our guide to Johor Bahru’s supper spots.
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