Since young, I have been a frequented customer to this restaurant where my family would tuck into a table full of exquisite delicacies either before our regular shopping trip or after a long day before heading back to Singapore.
This has been quite a norm in our family where we will just spend a day trip in JB for food & shopping purposes. The exquisite delicacies that I have just mentioned would have easily cost us at least SGD $200 when dining in at Singapore’s restaurants & hence it is something that I don’t usually feast in which really entice me to look forward to such “abroad” trips! With times like this, it is also when I am truly appreciative of our strong Singapore’s dollar.
Been around for more than 40 years, Restoran New Lucky is a cozy & comforting restaurant with still fairly alright in terms of hospitality service. Similar to your typical Chinese restaurant, they do offer all the classic dishes that revolve around seafood, meat & vegetables. If it is your first time dining here, please be mentally prepared that there is no hardcopy menu for your browsing reference but instead, feel free to take a look at their “menu” which is being displayed right outside near its payment counter & outside kitchen. Sadly, there won’t be any display of dish’s pricing but you can always approach the staff for more enquires.
I will not be at all surprised to learn that their customer base would largely consists of regulars where food pricing & menu have long been “engraved” in their head.
Nonetheless, their dishes are available in small, medium & large portion so just remember to indicate upon ordering.
No meal at Restoran New Lucky should begin without having Braised Fish Lip Dry Scallop and the Dry Scallop Crab Meat Shark Fin Bowl as the starting dishes.
The Braised Fish Lip Dry Scallop is their signature dish which you will not commonly find it elsewhere.
It is prepared in a delightful starchy mixture that has a nice balance without being too overly starchy & soupy.
I love the slippery texture of the fish lips that is soft & slightly chewy, as well as the generous portion that is given. They have also added some dry scallop to contribute to the overall flavour, making this entire dish to be so nourishing to consume! Similarly, the Dry Scallop Crab Meat Shark Fin Bowl adopts the same culinary method except for the addition of crab meat and egg flower to enhance the flavour. For this dish, the portion of actual shark fin given is relatively lesser which is highly recommended to go for the larger size if you are looking at it.
Definitely a dish that anyone must order, it has to be the Imperial Seafood Pot!
Robustly packed with all the heavenly ingredients that one can look forward to, this dish is a true gem that is served in a sweet gooey gravy.
Despite it being named as seafood pot, do forget about your typical seafood ingredients (such as fish, crab & prawns) and think bigger in terms of the more exquisite ones!
It contains a wholesome amount of ingredients such as sea cucumber, fresh mushroom & beancurd that are fully immersed with richness & flavours of its gravy. The sea cucumber is my absolute favourite as it not only huge, but it has a delicate chewy texture which is so sumptuous on its own! One of the comforting vegetable dishes that my family will always order, it will be the Sambal Kangkong. Please do not set yourself with too high of an expectation for this dish as I personally feel that it is still fairly decent. The vegetables are not too lumpy in texture which have sufficient flavour from the sambal chili & dried shrimp. However, if the wok fragrance could have been further enhanced, it would have been fantastic!
For meat dishes, the Steamed Salted Kampang Chicken (or better known as kampong chicken) is a great choice to order as it offers something that is so familiar while yet being so toothsome.
Just the sight of it would melt your heart as you resists yourself from not salivating over its magnificent beauty. Unlike the typical chicken that you have outside, the kampang chicken has a meat texture that is very firm & slightly on the tougher side.
This salt preparation technique has managed to bring out the pure fragrance & freshness of the meat which is so savoury to indulge in. Simply pair it with their homemade ginger purée & chili sauce to take it to the next level! On the other hand if you are slightly adventurous, I would recommend one of my personal favourites which is the Essence Steam Live Frog (aka frog legs). This nutritional dish is prepared by adding aromatic Chinese herbs such as goji berry, ginger, dang gui (ginseng) that are all steamed together with frog legs. The flavour of Chinese herbs from the gravy is not too overwhelming but it is something that is so worth cherishing which I cannot get enough. I love the tenderness of the frog leg that has been totally infused with flavour!
All in all, Restoran New Lucky will be a dining spot that I am most happy to share about because just how often do you get to savour in such exquisite delicacies for a fraction of the price as compared to in Singapore? Even for dishes such as Braised Fish Lip Dry Scallop and the Imperial Seafood Pot, it may not be that common in Singapore. I love how they have maintained the quality of their dishes over the years, although sadly the prices are increasing but it is still very much affordable for us as Singaporeans! If you are looking for other seafood dishes such as fish, they are equally good as well.
Hahahaha frankly speaking, I have to be honest that I am totally spoilt for choices whenever I would dine in here because there are just too many of my favourites which I have to be selective.
If you do own a car, this place would be much more accessible as it is a 15 mins drive away from the Malaysia’s immigration checkpoint.
Address: 1-5, Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau, 80050 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 11:30 – 23:00
Tel: +60 73337519
Average Price:
- RM $12.00 – Sambal Kangkong
- RM $20.00 – Dry Scallop Crab Meat Shark Fin Bowl
- RM $29.00 – Steamed Salted Kampang Chicken
- RM $32.00 – Essence Steam Live Frog
- RM $35.00 – Braised Fish Lip Dry Scallop
- RM $35.00 – Imperial Seafood Pot