Azo 96 Murtabak Kg Melayu Majidee @ Johor Bahru

I first had murtabak singapore in Singapore, in Kampong Glam/ Arab Street. To be precise, we had murtabak from Zam Zam, which was famous for that dish. 

How does murtabak Sg compare to My?

The murtabak I'm familiar with is yellowy and a little wet from the filling. Sg murtabak is drier but it feels more meaty. This could be because they use ground beef instead of finely minced beef. The roti is also thicker, crispier and chewier. The filling is cooked individually and added layer by layer. 

It's served with curry or sos cili and cucumber (at Zam Zam anyway) instead of pickled red onions.

Size wise, the sg murtabak is a LOT larger. About double, quadruple the size. Of course this means the price is heftier too (especially when you convert huhu)

When I brought some back for my grandmother, the purist to try, she took one look and declared that it was not murtabak and the best murtabak can only be found in Kota Bharu (she's biased).

So if you, like my grandmother, are stuck in your definition of what's a murtabak, then no, it's not a murtabak. It's a square roti canai stuffed with ground beef and with more ground beef on top. Now try it cos it's delicious, mmkay?

K - I was first introduced to Murtabak Singapore at Kg Melayu Majidee a few years back when I was on a working trip to JB. My colleague who was a Johorean brought me here and wow, it was really good. Not only did I finished it in double quick time, I even bought a few more to bring back to KL. Now that I'm back in JB, a trip to Kg Melayu Majidee is a must. However, the outlet I went to at that time was not the same one I went to today. But they both taste just as good.

Azo 96 is in a warung opposite of the Masjid Jamek Kampung Melayu Majidee, so it is relatively easy to find due to the landmark. This area is apparently famous for Murtabak Singapore as there are several stalls offering this dish. 

How does JB's Murtabak Singapore compare to the one Singapore?

Fuh! Very well fought indeed, pretty much neck-and-neck in taste. But I'm going to give JB the crown because it's easier on our Malaysian wallet (about rm7). Extra points for not serving it with sos cili and cucumbers (that stuff should never touch murtabak).

K - I have to disagree with TJ here. No, I'm not saying Zam Zam's murtabak is better. I'm saying that Kg Melayu Majidee's murtabak is waaaaaaay better than Zam Zam's. Why? Zam Zam's ground beef on top of the murtabak is quite dry, it sticks in the throat. Kg Melayu Majidee's murtabak on the other hand still retains it's juice & moisture so it tastes sooo much better. 

Verdict - Best in JB and better than Singapore!

Azo 96 Murtabak Kg Melayu (map)
Jalan Masjid
Kampung Melayu Majidee
Johor Bahru

Price - $
Opening Hours - forgot to ask, one website claims 5pm but we went earlier, around 2pm and it was open.

Halal

Kacang Pool Haji

When K added Kacang Pool to our JB makan list, my first thought was, "wtf is that?"

A pool of beans? Is it a sweet dish like bubur kacang merah?

Fuh, so wrong and how!

Kacang Pool is actually Ful ("f" is not native to bahasa), which according to wikipedia, is Ful Medames, "an Egyptian/ Sudanese dish" consisting of mashed fava beans (kacang parang).

If you, like me, have never had Kacang Pool, the closest dish I can think of would be chili con carne like at Wendy's (but miles better than the fast food place of course).

This robust dish is thick not watery, and instead of leftover burger meat, you have fresh ground beef for added texture. There's a slight sweetness (courtesy of red onions) to balance the spices. According to a Harian Metro article, there's no added salt, sugar and additives used.

Kacang Pool is served with lime (to squeeze), sunny side up egg,  fresh chopped green cili and diced red onion and a thick slab of home-made toast. It's a breakfast dish, so you can come over from 7am. I hear that the weekends can get pretty busy though.

The stall is located at the Medan Selera Bomba Larkin. They have other dishes such as rojak buah and tauhu bakar but we were saving stomach space for another makan place.

It's a tiny food court so the parking here can be quite limited, the view ain't pretty, and there's no air conditioning. But who cares?

K: However: The drains around the food court is filthy. Food containers & other food stuff were clogging up the drains. So if you are picky about stuff like that, avoid the place.

Behind the food court is an open field overgrown with lallang and other shrubs. When we were parking our car, we saw a mother burung wak wak with her chicks foraging for food. I've seen adult burung wak wak before but not the chicks. So, that was a big plus.

Verdict- Omnomnomnomnom. Hearty, cheap and healthy(ish)? Good god, I need another trip to JB!

Kacang Pool Haji (have a map)
Medan Selera Larkin Bomba
Jalan Tun Abdul Razak Susur 5,
Taman Larkin, 80350
Johor Bahru

Open from 7am
Price range - $