Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Jalan Sisi for supper and Jalan Yahya for breakfast. Running in parallel and separated by a few streets between them, one can really spend a day in Muar without fear of getting hungry. Lunch is no big deal as well, the infamous 贪吃街 is just sandwiched between them, 真的是从头吃到尾.

The 面煎粿 I had today is somewhat similar to what is sold in Singapore, filled with grounded peanuts and sugar as its core, sandwiched with a thick & fluffy pancake. No red bean paste, no coconut shreds, just plain old traditional peanuts and sugar.


传统古早味面煎粿的制作过程,依然被这富有浓浓乡情味的城镇保留着, 并没有被时间的流失而逐渐的迷失了方向.



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. 

Saturday, January 7, 2012

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.

Friday, January 6, 2012

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.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

These days, a trip up to Kluang is never complete without a visit to Cincin, be it for lunch or dinner (refer to my previous post). The restaurant has naturally turn out to be one of the must-visit places for my family trip, besides paying pilgrimage to the infamous Kluang Lim coffee shop and yong tau foo (yet to be reviewed).

This place needs no further introduction, as I've done so in my previous post. It's one of my parents' favorite place for a luncheon, 忙里偷闲, shying away from the hot tropical sun. In recent times, that biased perception in me, of the Hong Kong cafes out there serving crappy food has also started receding with a large part attributed to Let's Eat. I'm beginning to see the light and accept Hong Kong cafes in Johor Bahru with a different perspective.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

(Please visit here for the latest article) Was dropping by to KSL City shopping mall on a weekday, after work to get my new wireless modem after my D-Link got busted by Zeus (The almighty King of God living on Mount Olympus in Greek mythodology, ring a bell ?) . The strike was so incredible that it had my telephone line fried and the adapter exploded ! Sounds scary eh...but that's the truth. I arrived home last week to see the remains of my modem adapter lying in smithereens on the floor. The lucky part, there was no fire outbreak and ironically, I had to thank God himself for keeping my house still in one piece.

So there I was, ending up at Re Della Pasta after getting my modem, feeling famished but not keen to head home so early for fear of getting stuck in the daily traffic jam after office hours. Choices are aplenty in KSL but this is probably one I would love to try and yet to try ... I'm always game for Italian food. The containers of fusilli, fettuccine, linguine, penne, farfalle etc etc dominated the outlet's facade, and that's what caught my attention.


The interior and ambience is nothing to shout about, minor decorations here and there but yet nothing to suggest this place serves Italian cusine. Besides this, another minus factor is the air-conditioning which doesn't seem to be functioning as expected, luckily they have installed numerous ceiling fans to circulate the ventilation, otherwise I would have stepped out immediately. Can't dine properly while I'm sweating away and suffocating right. Luckily, my threshold has not been breached and can still dine in comfort.

One thing for certain, their menu is extensive and it can get a bit mind-boggling to narrow down amongst all the pastas, pizzas and mains. Variety is good, a wide selection is even better but its certainly not authentic Italian food which they are serving here. More like fusion food, to cater to the mass's taste bud...fair enough but this isn't exactly really what I'm yearning for at that moment. Disappointment is definite but still containable, oh well just have to make do with what's available then.



Saturday, December 3, 2011

It's a weekend yet again, and that means dining out for us today. Nobody's cooking, everybody needs a break and that means eating out, and it ultimately means adding the count of reviews to my blog. Today, we decide to try something new, some Chinese restaurant that's just recently opened for business near where I live. Man, I must say they face a fierce rival, positioning themselves just opposite Hong Ming Restaurant which I've blogged previously about and had given rave reviews. That's some ambitious effort in attempting to get some bits of the lion's share.

Friday, December 2, 2011


What's best on a cold, rainy weekend ? Steamboat !!! Nothing beats having a boiling pot of soup at the center of the dining table. The most widely available soup bases we've known are chicken broth, tom yam or even with porridge (which reminds me of 田园火锅).