When one talks about Thai cuisine in Johor Bahru, there's only a few which surfaces in the head that will stir up my interest (and appetite). I had first hand experiences at restaurants in Taman Molek, Taman Gaya & JB city (*drums roll* yes, it's Carabao) and mind you, they aren't cheap. Affordability is a word one don't come across easily these days, especially in Johor Bahru. Sighh ...
Rooted just besides Aeon Tebrau City, the shophouses are gradually blooming with a selections of Japanese restaurants and cafes. Truth be told, it still pales in comparison to varieties and numbers from those around Aeon Bukit Indah vicinity. Nonetheless, JB Foodie still managed to unearth one gem from the basket - Cestino Bakery & Bistro. Decorations are simplistic, no fuss and dominated with an imposing portrait sketch of Marilyn Monroe. For me, the place works out to be a good place for some rejuvenating personal time, sipping on a cuppa with a book in hand idling the time away. Joints like these usually serve good coffee, tasty pastries and cakes but crappy food ... barring all my biased, negative thoughts, I hope I'm not right on the spot again.
JB Foodie 我啊那天心血来潮，一个念头之下就决定来趟四湾岛半日游。驾了好久好久，飞驰了很远很远，终于过了Desaru，再来个30分钟的车程就大概到了。四湾岛 Sungei Rengit 位于柔佛的东南方，是一个聚集了许多鱼村的小镇-尤其是周末会看见大批的新马人来此，成群结队骑脚车郊游，享用海鲜大餐。从这里就可以衔接到Pengerang的码头，有直通新加坡的渡轮，方便长年累月生活在都市里的新人类，陶醉于片刻的乡土气息。  |
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Amber@West Restaurant is equipped with a state-of-the-art open kitchen where guests can watch their dishes being prepared live, by students from the School of Hospitality. Regardless of the students' relative inexperience, they manage to conjour up a magnificent attitude by putting on their very best to accede to each and every of our request. Imperfections are of course warranted in this case, and what's there to complain when you are getting fine dining at neighbourhood prices. It's a win-win situation in my opinion, bringing fine dining into the heartlands at inexpensive prices and at the same time, providing the young, budding chefs an opportunity to hone their skills.
Diversity might not be the theme at play in Junction10, but it does come with a few reputable cafes (just to name a few Kungfu Paradise, Paradise Inn, Toast Box) when you feel like spending that extra bucks to pamper yourself, or alternatively NTUC food fare and the kiosks lined across the main entrance to save up on the ka-ching.
A casual dining concept for the chic & young at heart, where East meets West. It is a good place to chill out with friends over a plate of tasty Oriental or Western dish. It got me curious with its peculiar and cheesy name, looks like some cheap imitation following on the trail of the widely-popular animated movie Kungfu Panda. A check on the internet reveals otherwise, it belongs to part of the Paradise Group of restaurants, which has numerous outlets of varying concepts all around Singapore's prime locations, ION Orchard, Marina Bay & Singapore Flyer, just to name a few. Paradise Inn as introduced before in my blog, belongs to the group as well. Today, I've managed to free up some time after work and enjoy a chill out session with my friends at this newly opened joint @ Junction 10.
A little food joint located just a floor below Miao Yi Restaurant which I've blogged on 2 weeks back. Was on a food trail to look out for something light on the stomach, instead of the usual greasy, fattening food. I was undecided whether to take a step forward when I stood in front of eatery ... it was small, unassuming and the walls were littered with posters and newspaper cuttings.
I kid you not, recently dessert shops have been sprouting out around Mount Austin area. Drive along the main road heading towards Setia Indah from Sultanah Aminah Hospital (besides Jusco Tebrau City) and a tally easily brings the count to at least 5. I reckon the students at Sunway College contributes a part to it as well, accelerating the liveliness and prosperity of this area.
The cafe aims to replicate the American dining experience by offering their GlamBurgers, gigantic patties for people with humongous appetite. A concept of multi-layered burger that targets to challenge the expansive limits of one's stomach. To be frank, the decoration or menu at best, offers neligible hints of their half-hearted intentions. Their location wasn't exactly situated at the best spot as well, hidden between rows and rows of shophouses, within the maze of Taman Sutera. It's just one of the cafes among all the eateries, if you get what I mean.
Today is my Dad's birthday celebration and I was pondering hard over where to host the dinner. To make it special, it has to be a place we haven't been to for a while or an entirely new place, and of course the dining experience has to be top-notch. Can't be too shabby, I thought. Took me a while to pluck out 2 places from the air, Ming Court @ M-Suite Hotel or Meisan @ Mutiara Hotel. Of course, the latter is famed around JB for its exquisite, delectable dishes and reasonable pricing. The former though, hasn't gained as much traction as Meisan in terms of popularity but one of their selling point is the seaview and ambience. Food wise, they have exhibited major improvements over the last time we were here.
Japanese cuisine has never topped the list of my all-time favourite food, and I wasn't ever prepared to change that. Japanese food in my dictionary is all about sushi, sashimi, fishy items or something light in flavor, a stark contrast to what is acceptable by my tastebuds. Add on to the battered image I've had of Sushi King, Don Sushi, Sakae Sushi and the likes of those franchised Japanese restaurant, skipping the details of my encounters with them ... that's why it has never make it to my chart. 
恭祝每位朋友，新年快乐，万事如意，龙年行大运，升官发财，身体健康，过个丰收年 ! Lunar New Year, this is a very important occasion for all Chinese around the world, or quite simply THE festival for all of us. Everybody is in a jovial mood, buying festive goodies, pampering oneself with new clothes, accessorisng the house with LNY decorations, watching dragon dance performances and lighting firecrackers. Most importantly and deeply rooted within our culture, it is for family members to gather around, catch up on the past year and a time for visiting distant relatives and friends.
After a considerably long drive from Johor Bahru to Muar, approximately 2 hours, I need a break to freshen up, food or otherwise. Somewhere I can rest my foot and reward my back with a good stretch. Since it was not exactly lunch time yet when we arrived, and couldn't check into the hotel earlier, I thought we could go for a cuppa at the hugely popular (or overhyped, in another man's word), Sai Kee 434 coffee.
Most of the locals would have known of this particular fried kuey tiao (炒粿条面) stall, situated in the hawker food centre just beside the old Cathay cinema. Just ask around where's 旧国泰 and I'm pretty sure any locals can provide the exact location. 
Still threading along Jalan Yahya and with a piece of 面煎粿 in hand, munching away as I took my steps forward, a small little signage beckoned for my attention. “Laksa 叻沙”. These words are just all too recognisable for anybody, coming across it in hawker centres, foodcourts, on the menu of cafes, and even throughout the duration of this road trip. Tradition aside, it has proven how a simple, inexpensive bowl of noodles managed to capture our hearts, keeping a firm foothold in Malaysia's food culture. 不让他人专美，食材简单纯普的叻沙也在马国饮食文化中，占有一席之位，与许许多多富丽堂皇的佳肴美食肩并肩.
Muar appears to have transformed from a lively into a sleepy town, after sun sets into the horizon. There's nothing much to do especially into the late night, driving across Muar town, one sees all the shops closed for the day, with the occasional bright spots along the quiet, dimly light street. Mind you, scouting for some late night supper is a challenge in this town, or maybe its because we don't know where to begin our search. 
Ice Town ... Ice Room ... are they related in any way ? Answer is No and it got me confused for a while between the both. Ice Room is the cafe (part of a franchise chain) I visited one late night during my Port Dickson trip which was eventually accorded a thumbs up by me. Ice Town on the other hand is on its own, operating in the thriving town of Muar, Johor. The only common point between them is their signature item, Snow Ice series 雪花冰, a rather popular dessert in this part of the continent, with the ever hot tropical weather.
Nusa Bestari is a place laden with yummylicious food and chain eateries, and to think years ago this place was a god forsaken land. Today, it is one of the bustling township in Johor Bahru with well connected roads to either JB city or the Iskandar area (and recently Legoland). It is by chance that we wandered into the place one late afternoon, en-route back home, stomach rattling with hunger pangs. We thought policing around the shops along the main road is our best bet, and how well it paid off. It was a reward that got me smiling from ear to ear, "A truly satisfying lunch" I said.
