Zainals Place — Restaurant in Johor

Mee Rebus Original = RM8.00 Sup Tulang Gearbox = RM22.00 No Service Charge

The Signature Dish in this Place (at least from what I read in Google Reviews) is their Mee Rebus. I had also originally wanted to try out their Lamb Stew which looked Delicious but it was unfortunately not available on the day I went.

The Staffs are Friendly especially for a Very Courteous Malay Lady Staff who spoke Decent English who was on hand to help explain to me incase I did not understand Malay.

It was thru her Recommendation that I chose their Sup Tulang Gearbox as a Replacement for their Lamb Stew. She even wished me very nicely "May You Enjoy your Breakfast Sir" in a Very Courteous Manner when the Dishes were served up in about 3 Mins. I appreciated her Effort in Customer Service.

Mee Rebus Original = RM8.00

Beautifully Presented, the Amount of Noodles are Generous. There is also 1 Full Hard Boiled Egg. I like the Little bits of Goreng Flour Batter Pieces which gives it some Nice Crunch Texture amidst the Softness of Everything.

The Mee Rebus Gravy here tastes Distinctly Sweeter compared to the ones I've had in Singapore. It has a Thick Viscosity but not Overly Gluey. Compared to some Mee Rebus I've had before in Singapore, this one is Completely Not Spicy at all.

I agree with some Google Reviewers that this Mee Rebus taste almost the same as the ones we have in Singapore. Other than the Slightly Sweeter Gravy, I couldn't detect any Major Differences. The Portion given here is however certainly alot more Generous and Filling in Comparison.

Overall, I can't say this Mee Rebus is Mind Blowingly Amazing. It's Not Bad, but I don't feel that this is a Die Die Must Eat when you come here. But it is a Well Made Dish of Mee Rebus.

Sup Tulang Gearbox = RM22.00

Served in a Very Big Bowl with at least 3 Big Bones. The First Thing that hit me was that the Soup has a Very Nice Buttery Taste. Quite Unique, this is the First Time i've tasted a Sup Tulang Soup that tastes Buttery. Doesn't have much Meaty Taste, its more Savoury and Creamy.

Fats and Collagen on the Bone were Soft and Fall of the Bone Tender. Mutton Taste is Noticeable but Not Overpowering. Because the Meat is also soaked in that Buttery Creamy Soup, it makes the Meat also have a Creamy Taste to it.

Bone Marrow is Nice and Enjoyable to suck out with the provided Straw. Again, because the Marrow is also Soaked in that Creamy Soup, it makes the Already Creamy Marrow even Creamier. This Creaminess did work against it though because even though I wanted to drink the Soup dry, but I couldn't because it did start to feel Jelak for me towards the End of the Meal.

When doing a Comparison, I personally prefer A Jabar's version which was Meatier and Fattier with More Big Pieces of Collagen. The one here felt abit Less Meaty and Not as Much Collagen in Comparison. Meat Texture also felt abit Dry to the Bite.

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At RM8.00 (S$2.30), I would say the Mee Rebus is worth to try. Although it didn't taste really that Mind Blowing for me, the Portions given for the Price were Generous and Filling.

RM22.00 (S$6.40) for the Sup Tulang is slightly more expensive, but I did enjoy this more Buttery and Creamier Soup even though it did get Jelak for me.

While I cannot give this place my Highest Score, I can still recommend it because of how Friendly and Courteous the Lady Staff was and how Welcome she made me feel. Her Friendly Customer Service gave me a Good Impression of this place.

Perhaps the Next Time I come here, I will try their Lamb Stew in the Future. It really does look quite Delish when I saw other people's photos of it online.

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On the way driving back to KL decided to have brunch here. It was the most fulfilling food stop I had in years. This Zainals place supposedly signature dish is its "mee rebus" .So my wife who is great but lazy cook herself ordered the "mee rebus" while I ordered my usual fare of nasi campur which consist of salted eggs, "tempe" and a squid. Top it up with 2 variant of curry gravy and dug in. The first time I ever felt the chilly sting in a curry gravy in a very long time but still not the perfect "gulai ikan" Penang flavor. Nobody beats Penang curry but nonetheless it is a vast difference from the mass produced mamak kitchen cooking. Liked it. Definitely a must visit on my future trips. My daughter ordered a " bakso" I think and based on her comments it is also different from your roadside bakso. You can pick out the taste of the main ingredients that makes bakso. I am no fan if bakso never tasted even a spoonful so I cant comment. Now the "mee rebus". It is not the original mee rebus that originate from Penang.It is an attempt to copy the Penang mee rebus that much I can say. Mee rebus uses a very thick gravy rather than soup ( whether curry or other broth). But in Zainals attempt it manage to create its own flavour ( you can see the difference in Penang style which is reddish and this one yellowish) with the addition of crush dried prawns in its gravy. You can pick up the prawn flavor from the gravy. My wifes conclusion is it is a unique tasting mee but you cant really compete with the original mamak mee rebus from Penang ( which is also facing extinction) But even if you skipped the mee the other rice dishes made this one my favorite must go...

The food, as always, was fantastic. It’s been a while since my last visit, but their mee rebus remains the best in town. My family has always been huge fans of their dishes, even before the place was beautifully renovated into two shop lots. I’ve been a loyal customer since the early days, back when I used to enjoy their lamb shank with nasi padang.

However, today’s experience left me deeply disappointed and saddened.

While I was packing some takeaway food for my family, a waitress or perhaps the madam, approached me with a calculator in hand. In front of other customers, she questioned me about how many pieces of chicken heart I had taken, in a tone that felt accusatory, as if I owed her something. I was still holding another takeaway pack at the time and replied that I needed to calculate.

Without warning, she snatched the chicken heart from me and began to speak in a sarcastic, almost mocking manner. She said, “You didn’t read the menu, did you?” as if implying I was illiterate. To make matters worse, she added, “You’re Malaysian and don’t understand Malay?”

All of this was said despite the fact that I had been speaking to them in fluent Malay the entire time. I take pride in my ability to speak Malay well, and the way she belittled me was deeply hurtful. The sarcasm, the public shaming, and the lack of respect left me feeling humiliated in a restaurant that was full of patrons.

Bahasa Kebangsaan: Makanan seperti biasa memang sangat sedap. Sudah agak lama saya tidak datang, tetapi mee rebus mereka tetap yang terbaik di bandar ini. Keluarga saya memang peminat setia hidangan mereka sejak dahulu lagi, bahkan sebelum kedai mereka diubah suai menjadi dua lot kedai yang cantik. Saya juga merupakan pelanggan lama, sejak zaman mereka menyajikan lamb shank bersama nasi padang.

Namun, pengalaman saya hari ini amat mengecewakan dan menyedihkan.

Ketika saya sedang membungkus makanan untuk keluarga, seorang pelayan mungkin juga Manager kedai, datang kepada saya dengan kalkulator di tangan. Di hadapan pelanggan lain, dia bertanya kepada saya berapa ketul hati ayam yang saya ambil dalam plastik bungkus itu, dengan nada seperti menuduh, seolah-olah saya berhutang dengannya. Pada masa itu saya masih memegang satu lagi bungkusan makanan, dan saya jawab bahawa saya perlu kira dahulu.

Tanpa sebarang amaran, dia terus merampas hati ayam tersebut daripada tangan saya, sambil berkata dengan nada sinis dan menyindir, “Tak baca menu ke?” seolah-olah saya tidak tahu membaca. Lebih menyakitkan hati, dia tambah lagi, “Orang Malaysia tak faham Bahasa Melayu ke?”

Sedangkan sepanjang perbualan saya dengan mereka, saya bercakap dalam Bahasa Melayu yang fasih. Saya amat berbangga dapat bertutur dalam Bahasa Melayu dengan baik, namun cara dia memperlekehkan saya sangat menyakitkan. Sindiran, cara dia mempermalukan saya di hadapan pelanggan lain, dan layanan yang tidak beradab benar-benar membuat saya rasa dihina.

Ia merupakan pengalaman yang sangat menyedihkan di sebuah tempat yang dahulunya saya...