Kedai Makan New Eastern, Muar

On a recent trip to Johor Bahru, we decided to stay over in Muar. The latter has a reputation as the food capital of Johor rather than JB, the state capital. It was a pretty short visit and besides the famous Merlin Restaurant (look out for a separate post on this restaurant) we had a blast from the past at a place called Kedai Makan New Eastern.

The fascade dates back to 1936

The menu is pretty much Hainanese fare, with the Chicken Chop looking prominent. Other interesting items were steamed prawn, assam fish and a very interesting "ayam goreng samsu" (hmmmm ... the sign prominently reads "Ditanggung Halal" ?).

The Menu from a different era.

We had the Chicken Chop and Fried Rice and both were good.

 The Chicken Chop was served with a perfectly soft bull's eye

The fried rice especially was well executed - not oily and fluffy with individual grains and with nice plump medium sized prawns.

 The excellent Fried Rice

What struck me most about this place was the private family booths - something that has now become extinct in the Klang Valley. This took me back some 30 years, to the coffee shops of the 60s and 70s. Priceless. I hope they preserve this place for posterity.

Kopitiam chairs and private booths

This place is worth a visit, if not for the food, then just for the trip down memory lane.

Location : 86, Jalan Abdullah, Muar