Pondok Jawa Timur - Tahu Telor

Okay okay so I know it's weird.
When you try out some place new for the first time, you normally go for their main dishes or at least the dishes which are supposed to be the star attraction.

But this is not the case today...

Two of our avid readers, @Siti Zulfie, messaged us on FB one day to update us that Pondok Jawa Timur was finally certified Halal. We first visited Pondok Jawa Timur when we were doing the EpiKebabs review but they informed us that they were not yet certified Halal. Well, I guess they fixed that problem!

Tahu Telor ($9.90)

That's right. We started with a side dish. And that's all we had.
Truth be told, we were just killing time before a movie and thought this would be a nice snack.
And what better snack than some fried stuff right?

First things first - this is a huge serving. Definitely enough to share between 4-5 people.

Second things second - It's actually quite tasty. The peanut sauce is quite nice and not too think or too watery. Gives a nice oomph to the dish especially when the deep fired egg soaks up the gravy and you take a nice big soggy bite. Nice big pieces of tahu mixed in there too.

Third things third -

I don't know if this is an Indo thing but there was a hidden treasure beneath the tahu and the telor.
Potatoes and lontong! It was as if there was a golden blanket covering these little morsels!
Anyways it wasn't much. Just some extra filler-uppers I guess.

Another thing you might want to take note of is the sambal on the side.
This is some spicy stuff so beware if you're not a fan of fiery mouths.

And they also had some pickled cucumber on the side which is always welcome in my books.

Es Kelapa Muda Gula Jawa ($4.50) & Es Soda Gembira ($3.50)

Well just because we had only a side dish doesn't mean we didn't need to wash it down.

I had my usual choice of Soda Gembira.
Unfortunately it wasn't good and was pretty tasteless actually. Can't beat the #1 Soda Gembira in my books.
And it was a little pricey too.

My darling wife had the  Es Kelapa Muda Gula Jawa.
It's not Gula Melaka okay.. it's Gula Jawa! Which was actually a very nice touch to the coconut juice but unfortunately they were a little stingy on the coconut itself. Not worth the price.

Adam's Rating:
Tahu Telor 3/5 -- Es Soda Gembira 1/5

Maryah's Rating:
Tahu Telor 2.5/5 -- Es Kelapa Muda Gula Jawa 3.5/5

Maybe next time we will get a chance to try out the mains.
@Siti Zulfie recommended a few like Nasi Kuning Komplit, Nasi Campur Surabaya, Ayam Bakar Kecap and Gado-Gado! We have a favourite haunt for Indo food but seeing as to how the dishes at Pondok Jawa Timur are quite similar, I guess it's time to do a comparison!

Pondok Jawa Timur

Wilkie Edge
8 Wilkie Road #01-21

Tel: 6884 5853

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 10.00pm Daily

EpiKebabs

Does anyone remember the kebab shop that was situated at Peace Centre along Selegie Road?
It was called Sultan Kebab and it was really popular because it had some delicious kebabs.

Well, for those of you who go to Peace Centre now looking for it (like I did), you'll find out that it's already closed and before you start Google-ing to find out where they moved to, let me save you the trouble.
The owners of Sultan Kebab actually closed shop because they returned home to their native land from what I heard.

But fret not!

Just a little further up, you'll find Wilkie Edge which houses the new incarnation of Sultan Kebab.
They call themselves - EpiKebabs. And before you start thinking that this is just a joint that's trying to capitalize on the popularity of Sultan Kebab in the area, think again.

Photo from EpiKebabs

For those of you who have ever been to Sultan Kebab, you're definitely going to recognize that dude there.
That's Safak - one of the 2 regular faces you would have seen at Sultan Kebab.

The owners of EpiKebabs are good friends with them and obviously there has been some knowledge passed down so rest assured that this is not someone trying to copy the original. Think of it more like... Kebab v2.0!

Kebab Roll ($5.50)

Just like the original Sultan Kebab, they have choices for you.
Roll, rice, sandwich or salad. And of course, either beef or chicken.
If you're really a carnivore (like us!) you can opt for the mix of beef and chicken!

So the roll is as expected. Some veggies, sauce and the MEAT!
EpiKebabs takes a new turn by throwing the roll under a Panini toaster to give the wrap a little go.

The wrap overall does bring back memories of Sultan Kebab.
The first thing I notice is that the size of the roll is a little bigger. The meat DOES bear a resemblance in taste to the original as well but I actually would have like a little more sauce.

My darling wife who normally doesn't go for kebabs actually enjoyed this one. He favourite of the day.

Kebab Sandwich ($6.00)

The Kebab Sandwich also come with your choice of meat (beef/chicken/mixed) with veggies and sauce.
It's basically a kebab with Panini bread instead of a wrap.

I'm not too sold on the Panini though. But still good for those who like something a little more filling than a roll... And speaking of filling...

Kebab with Rice ($6.50)

This is something I used to have at Sultan Kebab.
They serve some meat with veggies and rice. It used to be white rice at Sultan Kebab but they've updated it to a more fragrant and tasty rice here at EpiKebabs.

The reason I always used to order this is because I can really enjoy the flavour of the meat.
I used to get them to squirt some mayonaise over my meat at Sultan but I opted to keep it 'clean' this one time because I really wanted to taste the flavours at EpiKebabs.

I've always preferred the beef at the original shop even though it was always a bit on the dry side.
It had a good flavour and that's still the case at EpiKebabs.

The chicken is still juicy and tender and has a nice flavour to it. If you're like me, then you'll consider yourelf lucky if you get the slices where some of the outer layers have just charred up a little on the roaster.
Nice big juicy bite of flavour right there!

They also have salads by the way!

Adam's Verdict:
Kebab Roll 4/5 -- Kebab Sandwich 3/5 -- Kebab with Rice 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Kebab Roll 4/5 -- Kebab Sandwich 2/5 -- Kebab with Rice 2.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Kebab Roll 3.5/5 -- Kebab Sandwich 2/5 -- Kebab with Rice 2/5

My brother really misses Sultan Kebab.
He says that everything seemed a little better at the original (like most cases).
But for those of us who still want a good kebab, at least we know we can still go to Selegie and grab one.
Or three.

And here's a tip, they always make less beef than chicken every day so if you're a beef person, make sure you go early to get your fill of cow meat. (Anyways, the chicken is pretty good too).

EpiKebabs

Wilkie Edge, 8 Wilkie Road #01-17
Tel: 8575 6393
https://www.facebook.com/EPIKebabs

Operating Hours: 11.00 am til 8.00pm Monday-Saturday
Closed on Sunday