JOHOR BARU, April 24 – The tiny drops of chilli oil in the curry broth promise a world of fiery flavour. Fresh bean sprouts hide a mound of noodles – rice vermicelli or yellow mee – underneath.
But the true stars of the show are the assortment of morsels, from red chillies stuffed with savoury fish paste to squares of pork skin. Absolutely mouthwatering.
This is the signature yong tau foo curry mee at Ankee Yong Tauhu in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Baru. It’s considered by many old-time regulars to be the best yong tau foo in town.
Select and order at the entrance.
The neighbourhood is home to many bustling kopitiams, shops and restaurants but sometimes the best way to gauge where to eat is to look out for the long line outside.
Certainly that is the case at Ankee Yong Tauhu (or Ankee, for short), particularly on weekends and public holidays. There always seems to be a queue though to be fair, the line moves quickly.
Customers select their yong tau foo and order at the entrance before going inside to locate an available table. The staff will bring your order to you based on the numbered ticket given to you earlier.
Volcano Iced Coffee (left) and Barley Ginkgo Foochuk (right).
It’s an incredibly simple and fuss-free system, so that there is no back-and-forth and time wastage. Food is thus served quickly and you don’t have to wait long if you’re hungry. Perfect.
While Ankee is rightfully known for their yong tau foo, we observed every table also partaking of the shop’s extra kaw coffee and daily tongsui (Cantonese sweet dessert soups).
The most popular order by far is their Volcano Iced Coffee, aptly named given how the robust and milky kopi overflows into the saucer it arrives with. A bit gimmicky, sure, but if it tastes good (which it does), one could hardly mind a bit of cheesy flair.
Our bowl of Barley Ginkgo Foochuk is more down-to-earth. Every (soy) milky spoonful is comforting and tinged with nostalgia. All meals ought to come with a bowl of this tong sui, really.
What’s your favourite type of ‘yong tau foo’?
The highlight, of course, is when our orders finally arrive. Who orders what is part of the experience; a guessing game of who might select only fried yong tau foo or who is greedy enough to get one of everything.
What’s your favourite type of yong tau foo?
Whether served in soup or dry (as is, or re-fried again), there are dozens of options.
First you have the numerous types of vegetables stuffed with fish paste: lady’s fingers, chillies, eggplant, bitter gourd, long beans, mushrooms and more.
Those who would like some greens can order actual leafy vegetables blanched in hot soup: yau mak, kangkung or siu bak choy.
But most of us are after the meat and seafood. There are fish balls, lobster balls and pork meatballs. Pork skin and pork blood cubes. Quail eggs and crab sticks; siu mai and dumplings. Taupok (tofu puffs) and taukee (beancurd sheets). Enoki mushrooms and seaweed.
The list seems to go on forever.
Various condiments.
My favourite happens to be the yau char kwai (fried crullers) stuffed with pork paste. Springy inside, crunchy outside, a pure delight.
Then they ask you what sort of noodles you’d like and recite another list: mee, koay teow, loh shu fun, bee hoon, wantan mee, mee pok, Sarawak mee or, for those on a Keto or Paleo diet, no carbs at all.
Let us be grateful for too many choices rather than no choices at all. It’s a blessing, truly.
Don’t forget to drop by the condiment station while you wait for your order to arrive. Set up near the cashier, there are various condiments available.
There are sauces such as traditional sweet sauce, creamy mayonnaise and the famous Kampung Koh chilli sauce; each of the sauce containers comes with a convenient pump so you don’t have to worry about making a mess.
Self-serve ‘sambal’ that goes perfectly with the curry mee.
The other condiment vats contain homemade chilli sauce, pickled green chillies, pickled red onions, belacan, cili padi, chopped fresh garlic, fried pork lard and fried garlic chips.
It’s a cornucopia of toppings for your noodles and yong tau foo!
But the most popular condiment has to be the self-serve sambal; so much so there is an entire rice cooker pot full of it (which keeps the sambal nice and warm). This fiery sambal goes perfectly with the curry mee.
Good enough that you might return to the condiment station for more, and good enough to keep you coming back to Ankee for more curry yong tau foo in the future.
Restoran Ankee Yong Tauhu 安記釀豆腐84, Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor BaruOpen Thu-Mon 7am-4pm, Tue closedPhone: 016-712 2251
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
Restoran Ankee Yong Tauhu 安記釀豆腐
84, Jalan Pahlawan 2,
Taman Ungku Tun Aminah,
Johor Baru
Open Thu-Mon 7am-4pm, Tue closed
Phone: 016-712 2251
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
