萬香城餐館 Ban Heong Seng Restaurant @Johor, Malaysia

We had wanted to check out this place for the last few trips but it was always closed (because we kept picking the same day to travel 😡). This time, we especially picked a different day, and called in advance to make reservations.

We found the place slightly before 12 noon, and found the metal gates still locked 😮 However, looking through the gates, it seemed that the back door was open, and we figured that we would just take a peep, as we were not too sure if this was the correct place to be, as there were a couple of similarly-named places found in Google Maps.

Boy, were we glad that we went to the back, for we got to see how 叫化鷄 Beggar Chicken was prepared 😀 The owner was preparing the chicken, and explained to us how it was done, hehe!

Soon after, our food was ready, and we could not wait to start!

• 叫化鷄 Beggar Chicken (RM42): The chicken was very well-seasoned and was tender. We had thought that the chicken would be a dry version, but it came with quite a bit of gravy, which was slightly herbal and not too salty.
• 家鄉魚 Country Fish (seasonal price, we paid RM30): Hubby’s favourite dish 🙂 This resembled an entire fish, but it was actually filled with fish paste. The fish paste was quite dense. I particularly enjoyed the fish head, which was filled with fish paste and deep fried so well that I finished off the entire head, including the bones.
• 冬瓜盅 Winter Melon Soup (seasonal price, we paid RM28): My favourite dish 🙂 This was a clear soup, without any oily feel. The winter melon flavour was very distinct yet felt light. I thought I could finish the entire melon worth of soup myself 😛 喝了不会觉得有负担, 好喝!
• 琵琶豆腐 Pipa Tofu (RM12 for small): The dried mushroom taste was very distinct, making this dish very flavourful.

We also shared 香片Xiang Pian (RM5 per pot), and one bowl of white rice (RM1.50 for a large bowl).

Notes: While customers are strongly encouraged to call up at least a day in advance to make reservations and place order, the restaurant does prepare a few additional 叫化鷄 Beggar Chicken, and sold on a first-come-first-basis. Which was how Ms T managed to secure an additional chicken to bring back to Singapore, since we were the first customers for the day! The lady boss was very kind to help us pack the chicken nicely into plastic bag, wrapped with newspaper, and into a box, to ensure that it could be carried back safely. A big thank you 🙂