Johor food at Sedap Corner

 

In 2020, I had the privilege to meet the family who started Sedap Corner and documented their story in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, among the brands that were proudly established in Johor.

 

Alisa [Right] showing my participants the page
for Johor delicacies in the Sedap Corner menu

Sedap Corner is a family business that continues to thrive as generations of Johoreans often return to enjoy their wide menu of food, drinks and local delicacies.

 

When I was recently asked to plan a Food Trail with my Heritage Walk, I did not hesitate to include Sedap Corner into the itinerary – tailored to their requirements – to share with participants, a taste of Johor fare that honours the timeless tradition of Johor specialties in a family-friendly café.

 

Due to its location at a cosy corner, this café was aptly named Sedap Corner, with a Malay word, sedap, which means, tasty and delicious.

 

A serving of Laksa Johor

Sedap Corner is easily identified by its logo of a kwali or wok, an Asian cooking pan with an open lid and a few wisps of rising steam that evoke thoughts of an aromatic fragrance. Below this kwali, a single line reads, “Since 1987” the year it was opened.

 

While I am familiar with the menu at Sedap Corner, I made time to drop by at their flagship outlet located in a corner lot at No. 11 Jalan Abdul Samad, to review their menu and to select the Johor dishes for our food-tasting experience.

 

Prior to that date for our Heritage Walk with Food Trail, I reached out to Executive Director of Sedap Corner, Alisa Lamlertkittikul, to share with her about my plan to present the participants with a food tasting experience of Johor cuisine served at Sedap Corner.

 

Roti Jala served with Chicken Curry

Based on the day’s itinerary, I told her that our estimated arrival time should be around 3.30pm to 4pm, just on time for an afternoon-tea tasting of their specialties.

 

Meanwhile, I placed my order in advance for one item each of popular Johor dishes like Laksa Johor, Roti Jala, Meehoon Soto and Lontong as well as local kueh like Sedap Corner’s famous Seri Muka and other Johor kueh-mueh in small portions.

 

As we were on a Food Trail, tasting a variety of food popular in the local community at a number of places, we only required small portions each for a tasting experience.

 

A serving of MeeHoon Soto

For the food-tasting, I requested for side plates to share each dish to let participants sample a taste and also asked Alisa to provide a bill for me to pay for my order of food and drinks.

 

[Prior to embarking on my Food Trail, participants were quizzed about any food allergies and any other food that they may refrain from taking due to health or other reasons.

 

I am also aware that foreign palates – while they may be adventurous to try local food – may be averse to certain ingredients, so I wished to be fully aware and avoid any untoward incidents.]

 

A serving of Lontong

When she acknowledged my confirmation of the arrangements, Alisa said, “It will be my pleasure to give them a good experience at Sedap Corner.”

 

That morning while we were on the Heritage Walk, I received a message from Alisa who asked me to let her know our Estimated Time of Arrival so that she could get my food order ready to serve without delay.

 

I smiled as I replied her message, pleased with her enthusiasm and support to ensure that everyone will have a pleasant experience at Sedap Corner.

 

I especially appreciated her for being present to welcome us and who helped in introducing the food items to the participants.

 

Satay Ayam Goreng, a new item in the menu

My Estimated Time of Arrival was quite accurate that afternoon when we were met by Alisa on arrival at the café and ushered to be seated at a table arranged for us.

 

Even though our food orders were already placed, I asked for their menu to show participants that Sedap Corner has a section in their menu, dedicated to serving Johor favourites.

 

In addition to the Sedap Corner story and other interesting culture and heritage stories, I had the pleasure to share about the legacy of Laksa Johor in Glimpses of Old Johor, documented in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now.

 

I briefly explained that Laksa is usually a dish of rice vermicelli or noodles in curry gravy but Laksa Johor is uniquely served with spaghetti instead of rice noodles. 

 

In fact, Laksa Johor has a royal origin as legend has it that when Sultan Abu Bakar visited Italy, he liked Spaghetti Bolognaise so much that on his return, he instructed his chef to modify the recipe and added spicy fish gravy to go with the spaghetti. 

 

A neatly arranged platter of local
kueh served at Sedap Corner

So Laksa Johor is essentially a dish made with spaghetti smothered in rich, spicy fish gravy, topped with raw cucumber curls, bean sprouts, onions, finely chopped basil and Vietnamese mint and a sprinkle of crunchy chai-poh or preserved turnip. 

 

While this dish was once palace food – fit for royalty – and served only at special ceremonies, now authentic Laksa Johor in rich, fragrant gravy topped with a dollop of spicy sambal belacan, is available from Sedap Corner and other cafés and restaurants. 

 

Spicy fish gravy is an acquired taste so I must commend my participants – German and Italian – for bravely sampling a taste of Laksa Johor and other Johor specialties.

 

It was good to see the Roti Jala – a folded net pancake – served with a side of Chicken Curry, going down rather well with everyone and it was not long before the plate was neatly polished off.

 

Soto Ayam is essentially a Chicken Soup flavoured with spices that may be served as a soup filled with cubes of rice, nasi empit, or rice vermicelli, MeeHoon.

 

At Sedap Corner, this dish was served as MeeHoon Soto topped with shredded chicken, fried ground nuts and a side of begedel, a deep-fried meat and potato patty.

 

For an experience of nasi empit, these cubes of rice were in the Lontong dish, among the vegetable ingredients in a mild coconut milk gravy.

 

At the main entrance of Sedap Corner
with Alisa Lamlertkittikul
 

It was good that the spicy chili that paired with each dish, were served separately for diners to add to their dish if they so wished to enjoy an extra zing.

 

When another dish was served, I was pleasantly surprised as all the dishes that I had ordered were already tasted at the table. Alisa then explained that she arranged for this Satay Ayam Goreng dish from their new menu, for us to have a taste.

 

With that clarified, we did not hesitate to sample this new item. As we nibbled on its agreeable taste, I can simply describe it as Satay but not on skewers, where the meat is savoured with a side of peanut dip sauce.

 

After enjoying the main course dishes, it was time to indulge in a bit of sweetness from the platter of popular local kueh offered at Sedap Corner.

 

Beginning with kueh Seri Muka, Alisa introduced each variety of the kueh like ondeh-ondeh, kueh ketayap and kueh talam, and offered them to the participants to taste.

 

When she came to introducing the Nine-Layered Cake, we recalled that most youngsters had fun eating it peeled off layer-by-layer. I smiled in agreement because I was among those who used to enjoy eating it that way too.

 

Served with the warm hospitality of our gracious host, this food-tasting experience of Johor fare at Sedap Corner came to a sweet and satisfying end.

 

The Sedap Corner flagship outlet is located at No. 11 Jalan Abdul Samad, Johor Bahru. For regular updates, visit official Facebook page for sedapcorner.jb

 

Read the Sedap Corner story in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now.

My Johor Stories books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from mphonline. In Johor Bahru, my books are available from JARO.