3 Days 2 Nights Johor Bahru Getaway

Zoom zoom! I used to head across the causeway for suppers or vacations about twice a week before I got tied down. By the ring on my ring finger? No! Somehow my life has been so exciting that we could not find time until this trip. To our horror, the last time the man swept me off to Johor Bahru was 1 year ago!

Being so deprived and since there was not much time, instead of a to-do list, I have a to-eat list. I have my mind set on all the must-eats once I get there. Who knows when is the next time I will get to hop over again...

We sleep in until late on the first day before making our way over the causeway and reached in time for brunch. With so much social media coverage on cafes and bakeries sprouting all over Malaysia like mushrooms after a rainy day, there's no way a foodie like me can give it a miss!

Seven Oaks Bakery Café

Address: 134, Jalan Serampang, Taman Tebrau Jaya, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Hours: Open today · 9AM–11PM

We managed to grab a parking lot right in front of the bakery and the friendly staff informed us that we need to get carking coupon as the chances of getting fined is pretty high. So we walked further down and got some at a stationery shop.

Out from the unforgiving scorching sun, we entered the 4 level building. First level is where the functional bakery and display shelves of breads and pastries for sale are. The second level is very nicely décor-ed, grand and classy. The patrons there at that point of time were pretty well-dressed. Suddenly, I felt a little conscious on my laidback attire and manicured toes exposed in my sloppy flip-flops. I smiled sheepishly while the waiter ushered us to our table next to a window and my hunger took over immediately. 

We ordered Lamb Shank (RM 42.90), Seven Oaks Buger Set (RM 23.00) and our food arrived. Personally, these 2 main courses are mediocre. Maybe I order the wrong items...

The main attraction for me to the café is the highly-raved Salted Egg Yolk Lava Croissant because I  have an immense penchant for anything salted egg. However, they are only available at 2pm. We waited until 2pm, went down to level 1 to order two croissants and waited for them to be warmed up and sent up to us.

The buttery croissant is soft and flaky and I wobbled with joy when I tasted the savoury and sweet salted egg yolk that oozed out. I noticed that the salted egg yolk is different from the ones we always get in many of the overly processed "salted-egg" stuff we get out there. The lava tasted of the real deal, the distinct umami within the rich briny salted egg yolks hits the taste buds immediately. This is super awesome stuff!

We then checked into our hotel and when on with our shopping in KSL City Mall and booked our movies tickets for the next day. Time flew by and it was dinner time and we were just strolling along the shop houses nearby and chanced upon this brightly lit coffee shop at the one end of Jalan Serigala. I can't find the unit number but it's just across the road from the Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge place. 

118 Food House

Address: Jalan Serigala, Taman Abad, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Everywhere else was either closed or quiet. This place had the most people at around 10pm on a Friday, so we followed our instincts, it can't go too wrong and settled our dinner there if there's human traffic. 

We order a dry version of Bak Kut Teh, something we don't normally find in Singapore. It's full-flavored and I can taste the wok-hei in this dish, again something we don't normally find in most Singapore coffee shops. That was the first time I tried the Dry Bak Kut Teh and I like it! It's a little spicy and the dark sauce goes so well with rice and although it taste a tad bit similar to Kung Pow sauce, I still like it enough to reminisce of it after I got back from the vacation. On a side note, their home-made barley drink was so nice that we each had a second cup before we end our first day on a satisfied note.

Before we retired for the night,  we walked over to a nearby spa for a foot massage.

Sawadee Thai Spa

Address: 193, Jalan Dato Sulaiman, Taman Century, Johor Bahru, Johor 80250

We like this place because the cosy and relaxing ambience. There's ample parking within their compound so we would not be too worried if we drove.

On our second day, we hung out mostly in KSL City Mall as our movie was schedule in the middle of the day. We woke up late in the morning again and rushed to the mall to squeeze in a brunch session. We saw this dim sum restaurant's giant decal advertisement on the auto-doors entering to the mall and since we both love dim sum, we made a bee line straight to the restaurant which happens to be just next to the cinema.

D' Shanghai (大上海点心)

Address: No 33, Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad, Level 2-132 (B), KSL City, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

I will not say much because just looking at the pictures make me so hungry all over again. Menu is extensive in my personal view, I need more than one visit to try everything that I fancied. All the dishes we order met my expectations (except two, but they were still decent because the rest were really good). Our smiles beamed bright after we saw our final bill... We endured the jam and travelled far for this perk, so it's super worthy.

Our order

We ordered 1 serving of original Xiao Long Bao and another of Rice Wine Xiao Long Bao. The rice wine version brings out the already sweet broth swimming in the thin-skinned pouch. I can't emphasis enough that this is a must try.

Guan Tang Jiao (灌湯餃) is one of the decent one

Scallops in Yam Balls was a little dry

Prawn Rice Noodle Roll

Ting Zai Porridge (艇仔粥)

Rice Noodles with Mushrooms and Fried Fritters

I am so impressed with D' Shanghai that I highly recommended my colleague to drop by when I heard she spending a day over in Johor. She came back raving about their dim sum as well. 

We enjoyed our movie and spent the rest of the day strolling down the isles of Tesco, a place both the man and I love. 

It's dinner time once again and we headed to our old haunt, Arashi Shabu Shabu Restaurant in the mall. Still as good as before, click here for my review.

Full from our early dinner, we requested for hotel masseuses to drop by our hotel room and the both of us had full body massage. We also bought some durian for our supper and that wrapped up our second day of our vacation.

We woke up on the third day, skipped breakfast, packed up and checked out the hotel. Off we go to our lunch location.

Nam Moon Korean BBQ

Address: 31, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Hours: Open today · 11AM–10PM 

This restaurant is always filled with some Korean patrons indicating authenticity of the traditional cuisine they serve. They offer both sets and ala carte options in the menu and you can choose to have the well-marinated meat grilled in their kitchen or at the table grill right in front of you. 

We always go for the set for 2-3 which does not seem much until all is served, with the banchan. The meal is super scrumptious and filling that I could not eat much of dinner at the end of the day. 

I will not be doing justice if I don't mention the heavenly Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon). It is so well seared that it's crispy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside. Stuffed full of seafood and scallions, we can't get enough of this pancake although the serving is really big. 

Best of all, they serve my favourite Korean Ginger Cinnamon Tea (Sujeonggwa) after the meal. This sweet & spicy drink warms up the body and aids digestion. The bill came and we beamed ever so brilliantly again.

Banchan galore!

Very authentic Kimchi Soup

My dearest Korean Seafood Pancake, I miss you so~

Feeling contented that I have polished of all the must-eats that I had listed, we made our way just across the road for our final massage.

Foot Mark Therapy Reflexology Sdn. Bhd.

Address: No.10, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru, 80400, Johor Bahru, Johor, 80400, Malaysia

Service is good, the guys did an extremely good job exfoliation all the dead skin from the man feet and I tried the Ba Guan treatment for my soles.

Completely refreshed and rejuvenated, we wrapped up the trip with a car wash and headed home. I just realised have, once again, expanded my to-eat list. 

So much food, so little time...

Sawadee Ka!~ Thai Express

My  dear readers, it's been a long time since I last blogged about my "doings". I confess, it's not that my life has dissolved into "absolute mono-boredom nothingness"... but it's on the flipside.

I've found someone to share my days with and he's a real sweet guy. We've shared lots of time by each other's side but it never seem to be enough, guess they call it the honeymoon period. I want it to last for as long as it gets. Greedy girl... yap! I am! We have not made it for any holidays yet but we have had many good meals together. I did take all the photos however they are currently all neatly archived in his laptop, so I will be able to blog on those later.

Hence this entry is actually a meal I've feasted on quite some time ago. Long ago, I was never a fan of Thai cuisine as I had the concept that it's always overpoweringly sweet/ sour/ spicy. It was until my first holiday in Bangkok when I order my very first Phad Thai (ผัดไทย) right after I checked into my room in Twin Towers. I was starving and when it was sent to my room, I spent no time wiping the plate clean. However, I was intrugued by all the condiments and sauces that came with a plate of stir-fried noodle... so intrugued that I ordered the same dish that night for super-late supper again. Yes, it was not my hunger which made it delicious during the day...when I ate it that night, it was still as yummy. I took the time to slowly study the dish, crushed peanut, sugar, chilli flakes, fish sauce... hmmm. Nice.

The next few days I spent in Bangkok for that specific trip, I ate nothing but Phad Thai for every meal. I found out that every resturant, cafe, roadside stall, etc. have their own style of cooking Phad Thai. By the end of the trip, Twin Tower's Phad Thai emerged the victorious winner!  It's a pity that when I tried to find a replica back in Singapore for a Phad Thai of comparable standard, there is none except one... That's Thai Accent located in Vivocity. It is close to my Twin Tower Phad Thai but many times more expensive. Sad but true, many Pad Thai-s in Singapore don't even have the condiments served and many a times I was disappointed that they don't even have them when I requested the waiting crew to spare me some.

Anyway, for more accessible thai cuisine treats, I'll normally head to a nearby Thai Express. That will "kind of" curb my Thai-Foodie-Withdrawal Syndrome for a while. Below are some photos I took during one of my visits.

My Favourite Thai Dish...
but it was not photoed as I forgot.

I still prefer the ones from Twin Tower and Thai Accent thou...

Stir-fried Basil Minced Chicken and Century Egg

This is surprisingly delicious but quite spicy

Khao Gai Tod
“Bangkok Chicken Rice” with a Special
Thai Ginger-Chilli Sauce

The Special Thai Ginger-Chilli Sauce

Dessert



Red Ruby with Coconut Ice-cream

Thai Chendol. I like the chendo served here as they have fresh jackfruit bits in it.

I miss Bangkok...

I'm on a Braised Pig Trotters Galore!

Within two weeks sometime ago, I devoured 4 meals of lovely but sinful braised pig trotter meals. That's an average of twice a week. I was a little amazed with myself as I have not eaten the dish for years and started on a eating-spree with vengeance.

For starters, I'll shun away from piggy dishes that carries any hint of "piggy stench" or if it's not properly prepped (over my dead body to eat something that needs epilation). Thus the below places' serve piggy dishes are embossed with my "Stamp of Approval" in this sense. I also love to have them fully infused with the sauce that they are braised in, meat so fall-off-the-bone tender. Yummy!

First, I had it braised in dark soy sauce at Tanjong Pager Food Centre for lunch on a work day. It was okie, a normal meal with no apparent increase in heartbeat.

Second meal was a feast at Lavender Cheung Mun Kee which is awesome! I left the camera in my friend's car hence sincere apologies, no picture for this specific place. Do visit the link provided as this blogger is real funny if you will like to see some photos and find out more. Coincidentally we ordered exactly the same dishes, that's all I can say at this point. I'll do another after I have my next meal there, but really, if you like the Vinegar Pig Trotter (猪脚醋) dish... go give this a try.

Third meal was at Ang Mo Kio Food Centre for dinner after work with Mr Benzu.

Lastly, I had the dark soy sauce version at Woodlands Terrace Industrial Park Food Centre for a weekend lunch with Ling and Jade Jade. It really not bad at all, it complete my weekend perfectly, the kind that makes one feel like doing nothing at all... just chill, sip a cold drink and enjoy the breeze. Life is good when you remember to treat yourself some affordable but unhealthy indulgence... once in a while, not 4 times in 2 weeks, tsk tsk tsk...

No more pig trotter for me for a long long time! On the other hand, I'm starting to crave to the vinegar version right now... Until next time, happy feasting!

A Special Farwell At Paulaner!

I am stuck at home over the weekend down with a terrible cold (runny nose and sore throat), taking some super-duper drowsy medication. It's not that bad since I got to be at the airport later tonight, forcing me to really stay at home, get some rest and blog a little. To think about it, I've not been sick for the pass 3 months (except for a minor food poisoning saga). Great, I am definitely getting happier by the day! Oh, I will really like to mention that I started feeling unwell since Friday and my colleagues were very nice and showed much concern. I thank them for being so sweet.

Anyway, I was down at  Paulaner Bräuhaus and Restaurant recently to send a colleague off as he found a "greener pasture" out there. I sincerely wish him all the best, and as our Head said, we'll definitely see each other in this specialised industry. Once again, all the best, work hard and play harder!

Back to the food that I'm suppose to blog on, this is a German restaurant that serves an authentic Bavarian menu (available on their website, link provided above). I must also say, the service provided by the crew was fantastic. I totally enjoyed the food and the ambiance of the place, merry but not rowdy, I'm referring to the second floor where the restaurant is as the ground floor area is purely for the drinkers and a live band, no restaurant food is served there.  

The stairway leading to the second floor

A photo taken from outside the restaurant

The centrepiece decor of the restaurant, looks really cheery to me.



The interior of the restaurant.
 It's not a very well lit place for you information,
but rest assured you can still see your company and the food.

Where "liquid gold" flows fresh from the tap

A little bread starter for the hungry, served with liver pate and butter

The liver pate's smooth and pleasant to the taste buds, I'll love
to spread it on my hot toast every morning for breakfast. Yum yum...

Bavarian creamy mushroom soup with fresh herbs (Bayerische Schwammerlsuppe
 mit frischen Kräutern) for SGD 9 a bowl.  

The mushroom soup's quite expensive but it is worth it. It's superbly creamy, buttery smooth and ohhh-so-mushroomie. It screams "Comfort Food!!!". Love! 

We also ordered the Smoked Norwegian salmon on crispy salad, apple horseradish, capers and onions (Norwegischer Räucherlachs auf grünem Salat, Apfelmeerettich, Kapern und Zwiebeln) for SGD 18.50 which is enough to serve 2 to 4 people. I did not manage to take the picture of the salad because it was place too far away from me when served, by the time it got close enough, it was already in a delicious mess. The greens are so fresh and crisp, love the burst of saltiness every time I bite into a tiny caper berry. The smoked salmon and all the rest of the ingredients complimented each other so well that I'll mentally noted that I'll come back one day and have the whole salad to myself, muahahaha.  

Paulaner Brew House special platter (Paulaner Bräuhausplatte) 
for SGD 29.50 per person 

Their sumptuous platter is heaped full of Kassler, Nürnberger, cheese Krainer and grilled pork sausages, grilled and boiled knuckle, meatloaf, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes (Kassler, Surhaxe, Wurstschnecke, Leberkäse, Käsekrainer, Nürnberger und Grillshaxe mit Sauerkraut und Kartoffelpüree). I was really pleased when it was served and thought "It's like food porn, oh... don't think, just eat." Everything on the plate was flavourful, grilled-juicy and really so lovely tender. Yes, just eat.

Extreme top of the photo:
Bavarian sausage platter (Bayrischer Würstelmix)
SGD 25.50 per person 

The sausage platter was placed at the other end of the table, so apologies that the actually-really-big-serving of sausage platter looked really small in the photo. The platter's piled with Cheese Krainer, sausage Snail, Kolbazi sausage and Nürnberger grilled sausage served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes (Käsekrainer, Wurstschnecken, Pepperoniwurst und Nürnberger mit Sauerkraut und Kartoffelpüree). It a good dish to order if you want to try all different gourmet sausages they have.

Close up photo of Paulaner Brew House special platter

By now I guess even my readers are getting the point I got during that meal. Too meaty, even for a meat-lover like me. Other than the salad I had at the start, I might not have enjoyed the meal as much if not for the mustard condiment and sauerkraut that came along with the orders. I've always loved sauerkraut and it was that I was really looking forward to when I knew we were heading to Paulaners, however I realised that not many knew what it was, it's purposed for it to be served with a meat dish and how to appreciate this pickled dish. Hence, I happily dug in to the whole portion of sauerkraut that was virtually untouched.

The star of the meal, Munich Lager. (Alc. 5.0%)

I must agree that this place serves one of the best beer you can get in Singapore. It's fresh malt beer that they self-brew with Hallertauer Perle hops, hence it's refreshingly fizzy and leaves a slightest bitter-sweetness to the taste buds. I really love how smooth it went down the throat. It's one of the best thing to have after a hard day at work, SGD 13 per pint is worth it, but the consequence of having a beer belly stopped me toying around with the idea.

My colleagues

Overall, we all enjoyed the meal thoroughly, got pleasantly high after a few rounds of beer and when home with a blissful smile stuck on our faces. Great place, wonderful food. You must go and experience to know what I'm talking about. Until then, happy feasting!