BLD with Bob and Julie: Restoran Hua Mui @ Jalan Trus, Johor Bahru

08 January 2012

Restoran Hua Mui @ Jalan Trus, Johor Bahru

Budget Range	Mid-range
Type of Cuisine	Kopitiam with a few exotic additions
Recommended For	A hearty brunch
Catphobia-Friendly	Yep! No cats around! =)

The first thing you’d probably notice about Hua Mui is how charmingly old-school it is. From its brown-and-cream tiled floors to its staircase banister, Hua Mui makes us think of what our parents would call “a simpler time.”

Hua Mui is designated as part of the Iskandar Puteri Heritage Trail, due to its long history in Johor Bahru. The restaurant has been around since 1946, and you can only imagine all sorts of memories and stories that Hua Mui must be keeping for over half a century.

Being a kopitiam, Hua Mui has the usual kopitiam fare on offer: roti bakar, half-boiled eggs and the whole works. But if you can only choose one thing to eat here, without a doubt that one thing should be the Hainanese Chicken Chop. Words cannot describe how unbelievably good this dish is! But try, we must!

Why We Are Mad about Hua Mui’s Hainanese Chicken Chop:

1. The crust is crispy and light, while the chicken meat inside is so juicy! (You know how some places tend to overfry their chicken chops and the meat inside gets really dry? Well, this doesn’t apply here, fortunately for us!)

2. It’s served with wedges! (In our books, wedges beat fries anytime! ;P)

3. The sauce is the right consistency, and tastes AMAZING! (We don’t even like peas but we find ourselves even polishing off the peas with this sauce. A testimony to how good it is, maybe?)

Ardent Hua Mui-ers

Hua Mui also offers several rather exotic additions to the menu, such as the Mongolian Chicken Rice (RM7.20). The juicy chicken pieces are served in a creamy, spicy gravy. The Butter Cream Chicken Rice (RM7.20) is pretty yummy as well!

It’s so cute how such a dated restaurant like this offers such modern selections as these! For those who prefer noodles instead, try their Kuay Teow Hua Mui (RM5.50). The noodles, with its heart-warmingly hot gravy, are perfect for a cold, rainy day.