Restoran Todak, Johor

Restoran Todak is a typical kelong-style chinese seafood restaurant which rather curiously puts the words "orang asli" in brackets after its name. "Orang Asli" literally means "original people", and refers to the indigenous or aboriginal people in Peninsular Malaysia.

Located in Teluk Jawa, Masai it can be easily reached by using the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) expressway from Johor Bahru. Kelong-style means of course that it is an open air simple wooden timber plank structure over the sea, and not a proper enclosed restaurant.

From the car-park you walk across a timber jetty-like walkway across to the restaurant. At night it is lit up by red chinese lanterns on both sides.

Upon reaching the restaurant, find an empty table. Try to reach before 6:30pm on the weekend, or you may not be able to find a place to sit! Its that popular. Don't expect five-star service from the waiters, just grab whatever place that is available.

Sitting on the open air timber deck, you overlook the Sembawang shipyard across the Tebrau straits in Singapore. Behind the restaurant is a grubby fishing village on stilts. If you get in before sunset, the murky straits can actually look picturesque as the sun goes down in the west.

Try to attract the attention of the waiter, then order your food. You will notice that unlike your typical chinese seafood restaurant, some of the waiters are orang asli, not only chinese.

As you wait for your food, take a wander around and look at the fish tanks. You can't really argue about the freshness of the seafood, one minute they are swimming around in tanks, the next they are in the frying pan.

The restaurant also rears its own farmed fish and prawns around the platforms at the back.

Other shellfish are imported in from Sabah in East Malaysia. Scallops, cockles, clams, you name it, they got it.

Once your food arrives, all that remains is to tuck in.

Kale (Kailan)

Nestum Prawns

Steamed Kerapu (garoupa) in Soy Sauce

Salted Egg Crab

A simple dining experience, but satisfying. If in Johor Bahru, why not make the journey here for that seafood experience.

Restoran Todak (Orang Asli)  

Address: 1, Kampung Orang Asli,Telok Jawa, Masai, 81750 Johor Bahru, Johor.
Telephone:  +607-386 3696
Business hours: 11.30am - 11.30pm (daily)