农耕记湖南菜 Nong Geng Ji @ Aeon Tebrau — Restaurant in Johor

Nong Geng Ji has finally made its way to Johor Bahru, opening its very first outlet at AEON Tebrau City. The grand opening drew a huge crowd, a testament to the growing local interest in Hunan cuisine—a promising sign for fans of bold and spicy flavors.

Unfortunately, our visit was off to a rocky start. The front reception took a long time to seat guests, causing a significant delay and creating a long queue at the entrance. This lack of efficiency at the start was quite frustrating.

We tried a few dishes to get a sense of their overall quality: Signature Grass Fish Fillet with Chilli – The fish was sliced too thin, which made the texture quite mushy after cooking. The dish was also overwhelmed by chilli, with far more spice than fish. Stir-Fried Beef with Tea Oil – This was one of the better dishes. The beef was well-cooked and tender, with a good balance of flavors. Stir-Fried Pork with Abalone and Chilli – My personal favorite. The combination was flavorful, though I wish the pork slices were slightly thicker for a better bite. Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple – This dish missed the mark. The chicken was soggy, likely due to an overly generous amount of sauce. Personally, I prefer the Cantonese-style version, where the chicken remains crispy despite the glaze.

Service throughout the meal was subpar. Despite many staff members being present and walking around, it was surprisingly difficult to get anyone’s attention for assistance.

Overall, while there’s potential in the menu, Nong Geng Ji’s JB outlet still has room for improvement in both service and consistency in food preparation. Hopefully, things will smooth out with time as the team adjusts to the...

We had lunch at Nong Geng Ji last week after hearing many good things about their Hunan dishes and seeing the strong 4.9 rating online. The restaurant looks clean and modern, and service was generally polite and efficient. The menu is extensive with many tempting options featuring spicy and savoury flavours from Hunan cuisine.

We ordered the Sauerkraut Fish with Soup, Stir Fried Pork with Abalone, and Xiao Long Bao. The Xiao Long Bao was the best among the three. It was juicy, nicely wrapped, and filled with flavourful broth that tasted fresh and comforting.

However, the Sauerkraut Fish with Soup was disappointing. The presentation was attractive, but we found fish scales on many of the fish pieces, which affected the dining experience. The soup itself was average, lacking the depth and balance expected from a dish priced at this level. It could have been more refined in texture and taste.

The Stir Fried Pork with Abalone was decent. The portion was generous with many small abalone pieces, and the dish had a pleasant aroma. It was savoury with a light spiciness that worked well with rice. Still, it did not stand out enough to make up for the earlier disappointment.

Overall, Nong Geng Ji offers a comfortable setting and a wide menu, but consistency in food preparation seems to vary. Based on our experience, especially with the fish dish, we are unlikely to return. I hope the restaurant can improve quality control, as the potential for great authentic Hunan food is...

Staff asked me for a review (to get a free desert) BEFORE my meal started. I replied that I will do so AFTER my meal. When I was almost done eating, I gave a decent 4 stars (3.5 would be fair) and asked for my desert. Staff took my phone in order to take a photo of my review. She meddled with my phone for 30 seconds while I was eating before returning my phone. When I returned home I checked and realised my review was amended to 5 stars and the comment I wrote was removed. Shocked, I have now amended it to 2 stars.

my reflections on this incident: -I don't blame the staff but am astonished at the KPI/requirement set by management on their staff -your restaurant already has 6000 over reviews by giving such an incentive. isn't that sufficient? would advise your staff to tell the customer honestly that only 5 stars reviews are entitled to the desert. it's not ethical to amend my review without permission. We just want to have a pleasant dining experience. this incident really spoils...