On my Heritage Walk plus Food Trail

 

Last December, while I was at Sea.Fire.Salt, the beachside restaurant in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas for a food preview, I was introduced to Area General Manager, Torsten Richter.

 

At the Meeting Point with [Left to Right]
Iskandar, Chef Alessandro and GM Torsten

Torsten, who is German and on his first posting to Johor, showed much interest in My Johor Stories particularly on Johor culture-heritage and the local food scene.

 

When I looked closer at his name card, I learnt that Torsten was Area General Manager for properties that comprised the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, Anantara Uluwatu Bali Resort, Anantara Ubud Bali Resort and Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort.

 

I was privileged to work in partnership with Anantara Desaru Coast since 2022 and have met with foreign journalists hosted at the resort, to share with them further insights about Johor history, culture and heritage through My Johor Stories ‘live’ sessions.

 

These special experiences were documented in, Stories by the Sea with German journalists in 2023 and Meeting Media from the Middle East in 2024.

 

At the entrance to the Johor Bahru
Chinese Heritage Museum

Anantara Desaru Coast team members who have experienced my Heritage Walk in Downtown Johor Bahru in 2023, told Torsten about it and he expressed interest to join and even asked to include a food trail experience for him and Executive Chef Alessandro Graziosi, to learn more about Johor culture-heritage and Johor food.

 

Meanwhile, I thought it rather uncanny that I should meet with another German in Johor when I had recently renewed my acquaintance with the Ambassador of Germany to Malaysia as his guest at a German-Malaysian Friendship music recital.

 

I knew that Torsten was serious about participating in my Heritage Walk and Food Trail when I read his email that provided me with possible dates for this to happen.

 

Torsten [Left] and Alessandro,
trying their hand at drumming

With the year-end and new year festivities upon us, we finally decided on a mutually agreeable date in early January 2025 for a My Johor Stories ‘live’ experience, specially tailored for them.

 

It was always a challenge to be punctual so I appreciated very much that they took into account the morning traffic and made the effort to have an early start from Desaru Coast so that they arrived comfortably on time at the Meeting Point, located in the heart of the city.

 

The weather that morning was pleasantly mild and windy when GM Torsten, Chef Alessandro and Iskandar Hermansyah, Graphic Designer with the resort’s Marketing-Communications Department, arrived at the Meeting Point to start on the day’s itinerary.

 

Their prompt arrival by 10am contributed to the group’s upbeat mood as we set off on a brisk walk into Johor Bahru’s heritage quarter and headed to the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum.

 

Together on the Tan Hiok Nee
Heritage Walk, Johor Bahru

In a typical My Johor Stories ‘live’ experience, I shared interesting snippets of information in a lively commentary throughout the route to let participants know more about the wealth of our local culture and heritage.

 

It was heartwarming to hear Torsten and Alessandro mention that they have been into the city’s heritage quarter but did not have the insights that I was providing.

 

While Iskandar is Johorean and familiar with Johor culture-heritage, I was pleased to hear him say that his experience with My Johor Stories was more enlightening and unlike previous tours he had joined to our heritage quarter.

 

I must commend the gentlemen who showed keen interest in my commentary and participated interactively by asking questions so that I could clarify and provide relevant information for better understanding.

 

Observing the art of brewing coffee the
traditional way at Qin Garden Kopitiam

Inside the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, they learnt more about the basis of the strong relationship established between the Chinese community and the Johor royal family that continues to this day.

 

I shared about the five main Chinese dialect groups – Teochew, Hokkien, Hainan, Hakka and Cantonese – who made Johor their home and discussed the wisdom and foresight of the Johor rulers who welcomed early settlers to open up land in Johor for pepper and gambier plantations.

 

Enjoying freshly brewed Kopi-C-Kosong
and kaya toast at Qin Garden Kopitiam

With benevolence and deep understanding about the Chinese tradition of ancestor worship, the Johor ruler united these dialect groups by presenting them with land for their place of worship and for their burial ground.

 

When I introduced the art of the 24 Festive Drums, Torsten and Alessandro did not hesitate to try their hand at drumming on the Chinese drum displayed there.

 

I had the privilege to feature an exclusive story on Tan Chai Puan, co-founder of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums in My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage while a separate piece on the founding of Art of the 24 Festive Drums was featured among Johor brands in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now.

 

At the foothill of Bukit Timbalan
with Sultan Ibrahim Building in
the background

When I described the dramatic drum performances, Torsten showed much interest in this Johor-born art of drumming and was keen to experience a ‘live’ show. [I made a mental note to share details of the next Drum Show so that he can be wowed by it.]

 

I told him about JB Drums, a professional drum troop, and that the resort may engage them to perform at special events but cautioned him that during the Chinese New Year season, this drum troop will be busy and in popular demand.

 

While introducing the Johor Old Temple, also known as the Temple of Unity, I shared about the Johor Chingay, an annual Chinese New Year tradition of this temple that has not only attracted national but international interest and was even documented by foreign television stations.

 

I wanted to share with them, a typical experience in a traditional coffeeshop, so we made our way to Jalan Dhoby where Qin Garden Kopitiam is an established business run by Tian Wai Ing and her husband, Lim Choon Thang.

 

Outside the Arulmigu Rajamariaman
Devasthanam Hindu Temple

Qin Garden Kopitiam, No. 7 Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru. It was mid-morning when we arrived at the kopitiam, just on time to enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a nibble of kaya toast. 

 

Having documented an essay on our Coffeeshop Culture in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, I had fun sharing with Torsten and Alessandro about kopitiam jargon and how drink orders were placed.

 

The Food & Beverage professional in Alessandro was quick to pick up on the local lingo and impressed us by placing his order accurately as, “Kopi-C-Kosong!”

 

After our orders were made, there was an opportunity for Torsten and Alessandro to observe the skills of the coffee-maker as he strained coffee using a traditional cloth strainer and served the brews in warmed cups.

 

Learning more about Indian culture inside
the Indian Heritage Centre

As we walked along Johor Bahru’s renowned Street of Harmony, I pointed out the various places of worship for the different communities who settled here since the 1800s, as proof of how our multi-cultural community continues to thrive and live together in harmony.

 

The Indian-Muslim Mosque at Jalan Duke marked one end of the Street of Harmony with the Holy Light Church and Church of the Immaculate Conception at Jalan Gereja on its opposite end. Then we dropped by to visit the Johor Old Temple on Jalan Trus, a temple that uniquely bears the State’s name in honour of the ruler.

 

At entrance to the Johor Old Temple

On Jalan Trus – opposite the Johor Old Temple – we passed the Gudwara Sahib Sikh Temple and headed to Jalan Ungku Puan to visit the Indian Heritage Centre located in the grounds of the Arulmigu Rajamariaman Devasthanam Hindu Temple.

 

As in the churches and Chinese temple, these places of worship for the Sikh and Hindu communities were also built on land gifted by the Johor rulers.

 

Among other interesting artefacts in the Indian Heritage Centre, we saw some traditional cooking equipment used in Indian kitchens.

 

Chef Alessandro, who was familiar with Indian cuisine, mentioned dosa and I saw his eyes light up with pleasure when I assured him that we will have a taste of South Indian breads later.

 

Appreciating more about Cantonese heritage
in the Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery

 

As we crossed Jalan Wong Ah Fook into the heritage area traditionally known as Kampung Wong Ah Fook, I shared about road names here, the significance of Chinese clan houses and its essential role for new arrivals to a foreign land.

 

[More information on our road names is documented in A Rich Heritage in Road Names in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now.]

 

In the Johor Bahru Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery, a building that once was the clan house for the Cantonese, I had the pleasure to introduce Johor pioneer, building contractor and entrepreneur, Wong Ah Fook, and how the Johor Sultan entrusted him to build some of the landmark heritage buildings that are still standing today.

 

Elton Ho Wai Yin, sharing about Mee Ho Seng
Kee business matters with the gentlemen
 

I also enjoyed sharing about the Wong family in Johor and introduced the family members who continue to have a strong relationship with the Johor royal family.

 

[Some details of our family’s link to the Wong family in Johor is documented in Family Ties, in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People.]

 

Our Food Trail continued at Mee Ho Seng Kee, a Non-Halal noodle restaurant located on Level Six of Johor Bahru City Square mall for Torsten and Alessandro to have a taste of this family’s recipe of wantan noodles made with duck’s eggs.

 

Mee Ho Seng Kee at Level Six
of a modern mall

While we were seated in air-conditioned comfort, it was not hard to imagine how this business had developed from a push-cart into a café within a modern mall.

 

It was a pleasure to meet with third-generation owner, Elton Ho Wai Yin, who was happy to share about future plans for his business and even took us on a tour of the kitchen to show how he had successfully transformed the system of serving his grandfather’s recipe of wantan noodles from a one-man-preparing-process to a team business model.

 

Mee Ho Seng Kee, Level Six, Johor Bahru City Square, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Johor Bahru. Important Note: Check their official Facebook for update info on new outlets as this mall café will relocate to new locations in the city after April 2025.

 

After a taste of Mee Rebus Haji Wahid, 
Haji Halim surprised us by serving durian!

Then at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, we met with Haji A. Halim Wahid, third-generation owner who operates the Mee Rebus Haji Wahid outlet here. As Torsten and Alessandro tasted his freshly-made Mee Rebus, they understood why this humble noodle dish remains a popular item served in State and private events.

 

Haji Halim shared warm hospitality with our foreign guests by surprising us with serving fresh Malaysian fruits like jackfruit and rambutan, and even durians!

 

While Torsten politely declined the durian, Alessandro and Iskandar were delighted with the extra treat of enjoying a taste of our King of Fruits.

 

Mee Rebus Haji Wahid, Unit L1.2 Ground Level Food Court, Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, Bandar Baru UDA, Johor Bahru.

 

Their smiles are proof of how much they
enjoyed tasting Indian breads like poori
at Kerala Restaurant, Johor Bahru

With more food tasting planned ahead at Kerala Restaurant, I was pleased that the gentlemen had saved space to sample a range of South Indian breads like dosa, poori and vadai, washed down with hot brewed coffee and chilled Mango Lassi.

 

I appreciate very much that Eugene P. Kurisinkal, proprietor of this family business, accommodated my request to prepare these breads for our food-tasting in the afternoon when in fact, the restaurant served breads only up to 11.30am.

 

It was an added pleasure to observe how the gentlemen enjoyed the taste of the vegetable gravies that paired with the various breads, especially when Alessandro’s desire for tasting freshly-made dosa was met.

 

Kerala Restaurant, is at No. 55 Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Susur 1/1, Johor Bahru.

 

The attractive platter of local kueh
before they tasted them, one-by-one

While I was wondering if the gentlemen had any space left to taste the menu of Johor fare served at Sedap Corner, my worries were unfounded because I watched with pleasure at how my orders for Laksa Johor, Roti Jala with Chicken Curry, Meehoon Soto and Lontong, were simply polished off the plates.

 

Our gracious host, Alisa Lamlertkittikul, went the extra mile to arrange a selection of popular local kueh-mueh in a colourful, attractive platter to introduce the local treats to Torsten and Alessandro and encouraged them to sample each type, one-by-one.

 

Sedap Corner, flagship is at No. 11 Jalan Abdul Samad, Johor Bahru

                                                               

When we sat back to review our time together that day, it was good to hear encouraging comments and positive feedback on their experience with my Heritage Walk and Food Trail, comfortably completed in the past six hours.

 

For me, it was worth every effort to share further insights into Johor culture and heritage and the taste of well-loved local food in our multi-cultural community, with such appreciative participants. This sentiment was strengthened when I received an email from Torsten a few days later, which read like this:

 

QUOTE

“Dear Peggy,

 

Thank you for your time and the vast information you have shared during the trip and the entire day. If you could kindly share the addresses of the restaurants we have visited, then that would be great.

 

It is a tour we can passionately recommend to our guests and to anyone who shows interest. Once again, thank you for all arrangements.

 

Kind regards, Torsten”

UNQUOTE

 

With Haji Halim and his grandson at
Haji Wahid Mee Rebus, Johor Bahru

My stories on Heritage Traders who are still doing the businesses started by their forefathers are documented in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People while the story on Sedap Corner is documented among the Johor brands 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 also available from JARO.

NOTE: I have replied to Torsten and provided all the addresses and locations as requested. 

 

Photo Credit to Iskandar Hermansyah and Florence Liew