Oi Fah (left) and Oi Ling serving herbal drinks behind the counter at the century-old Kok Yow Yong Drinks Shop in downtown Johor Baru. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
IN the face of development and modernisation, many old and important trades in the heart of Johor Baru have vanished over the years.
A handful, however, have withstood the test of time.
These surviving businesses, which began decades ago, have been passed down from generation to generation and are still going strong.
Among them are outlets selling traditional food and beverages.
Iconic eateries such as Hua Mui Restaurant, which has been serving kopitiam fare since 1946, and It Roo Cafe, founded in the 1950s, still have a strong following today.
Meanwhile, some have lasted more than a 100 years thanks to families honouring the legacy of those who started the ventures.
Century-old family recipe
Wedged in the corner of Jalan Pasar and Jalan Trus in downtown Johor Baru is an unassuming shop that has been serving herbal tea beverages for more than a century.
Kok Yow Yong Drinks Shop is run by Wong sisters Oi Fah, 79, and Oi Ling, 68.
Every day for a large part of her life, Oi Fah has been getting up while it is still dark to prepare for the day and ensure the stoves are fired up at 4.30am to boil herbal tea.
She said the herbs must be dried, cleaned and boiled for hours before the drinks are served to customers. Some customers believe that these drinks can “treat” common ailments such as cough and stomach ache.
“The recipes were passed down from my late father-in-law Kok Yow Yong, who started the business when he migrated to Johor Baru from China.
“At the time, clinics were hard to find, so people relied mostly on traditional remedies such as herbal drinks to treat illnesses.
“He first sold the drinks in a pushcart before opening a brick-and-mortar store in Jalan Siu Nam,” Oi Fah said, adding that rising demand prompted Kok to expand the business to a second location.
However, the Jalan Siu Nam shop had to close to give way to development, but their other stall remains standing till today.
“When my father-in-law passed away in the 1970s, my husband and I took over the business.
“My sister then came on board to assist me.
“My nephew also helps out for the evening shift as we have to stay open until midnight to cater to customers who prefer to come after work,” said Oi Fah.
She said that back then, her father-in-law insisted on operating round the clock with the stoves constantly boiling fresh herbal tea.
Now, though, because of lack of manpower and old age, Oi Fah opens from 9am until midnight, Tuesdays to Sundays.
StarMetro observed that many customers finished off their glass of bitter tea on the spot and also bought extra to take home.
“Our customers range from children to adults, locals of various races, and foreigners.
“They usually consume our herbal drinks to expel heat or toxins from their body and often request to add traditional herbal powder to their tea to treat certain discomforts such as sore throat and headache,” she said.
The resilient Oi Fah said she would continue selling the drinks to carry on her late father-in-law’s legacy.
“Not many young people want to do this taxing work nowadays, so it is difficult to find someone to take over the business.
“The family’s secret recipe stays with me for now. I want to keep working for as long as I can, despite my age and slower movements,” said Oi Fah.
Only licensed toddy shop left
Over at Jalan Sulaiman sits another century-old shop that specialises in air nira or palm nectar.
It is also probably the oldest licensed toddy shop in the city that sells the milky white beverage extracted from the sap of palm trees.
Every morning at 7.30am, owner K. Subramaniam, 63, rides his motorcycle the two hours from Kluang to Johor Baru to deliver fresh toddy to the shop.
“I have been commuting between Kluang and Johor Baru since the 1990s when I took over the business from my brother.
Subramaniam (right) serves fresh palm nectar to his customers at a single-storey shop in Jalan Sulaiman, Johor Baru.
“I was working in construction before that.
“I make trips to get fresh palm sap from the plantations there as I want to ensure the freshest quality is served to customers.”
He added that he found a plot of land a few years ago nearer to the city, where he planted palm trees but the saplings were destroyed by wildlife and had to be replanted.
Subramaniam said he could sell 20 to 30 litres of the beverage daily and even more on hot days when customers visited the shop for a cold glass of toddy to cool off in the heat.
“As Chinese New Year nears, the quantity I sell will increase as many customers also buy the beverage to make rice cakes or huat kuih.
“Customers tell me that the toddy helps the kuih to rise more beautifully,” he said.
He insists on keeping the shop as close to its original state as possible, so it looks similar to when his father and siblings opened its doors in 1920.
The humble single-storey shop, with peeling paint and wooden shutters, is a stark contrast to the popular malls and busy hotels in the city centre.
Besides locals, tourists from countries such as Singapore, China, Italy, France and South Korea made it a point to stop by the shop for a taste of the beverage and snap photos, said Subramaniam.
“I want people to feel like they have taken a step back in time when they visit my shop.
“This is a place where they can slow down and enjoy a drink.
“I do not plan on moving despite the development happening around us, as we will lose our regulars,” he said.
Subramaniam said there was no succession plan for the shop at the moment and it depended on whether his children were interested in the business.
“They have their own jobs and lives.
“One son helps me out when he has free time but I will not force my children to take over the business.
“It will be a shame, though, if this shop disappears in the future,” he added.
Freshly baked, 106 years on
It is not a surprising sight to see long queues in front of an old bakery in Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, which has been producing freshly baked buns and banana cakes since 1919.
The biggest draw of the 106-year-old Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory is that the family recipes and baking methods have been maintained since it started operations.
Currently managed by the family’s third-generation owner Lim Toh Huei, the business is popular among locals and tourists who do not mind standing under the hot sun to get their hands on its famed baked goods.
The place gets especially crowded on weekends as Singaporeans make up more than half of the customers.
It is not a surprising sight to see long queues in front of Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory in Jalan Tan Hiok Nee which has been producing fresh buns and banana cakes since 1919.
The heritage business started when Hainanese baker Lim Boon Jan set up a wood-fired wall oven to bake bread.
During the Japanese occupation, Boon Jan’s family were prohibited from operating the shop.
They reclaimed the shop after World War II and continued producing freshly baked products.
After his passing in 2003, his son Lim Meng Chin took over the business for years before passing it on to his own son.
The bakery is now managed by Meng Chin’s son Toh Huei, 36.
“While we are known for our banana cakes, our fluffy buns with an array of fillings such as coconut, peanut, red bean and kaya are also crowd favourites,” said Toh Huei.
Toh Huei has been helping out at the bakery since he was 18.However, he said that his ancestors initially only sold plain buns or roti buku when the bakery began operations.
“That type of bread was preferred by British officers at the time.”
Toh Huei said that during his father’s time, they tried selling other pastries but the customer response was not as they had hoped.
“So we decided to make banana cakes to sell alongside our savoury buns.
“It eventually became our star product, until today,” he said, adding that the wood-fired oven gave its products a unique taste and aroma.
While the family business is still going strong after so many years, Toh Huei said it was not without challenges.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, our sales dropped by at least 50% as a huge chunk of our customers are from Singapore.
“We were relieved when the restrictions were finally lifted on April 1, 2022, and customers returned in droves,” he said, adding that many tourists made it a point to buy banana cakes from here before returning home.
Looking ahead, Toh Huei, who has been helping out at the bakery since he was 18, is hopeful that his son and nephews will one day inherit the business and continue the family legacy.
