The Southern Escapade (Johor Bahru) - Part 2

Really apologetic for the lack of updates the last few days. Spent the weekend (and then some) over in KL, a "getaway" of sort for me, from the mundane, routine life here in Ipoh. Though come to think of it, other than the FOOD, and shopping, what else is there in KL? Hmmm, ponder on THAT ... =)

Continuation from Part 1 of The Southern Escapade (Johor) ....

The ZON Regency Hotel ... (Geez, the management seriously owe me some promo wages !!!)

KAFE ENAMPULUHAN - Opens from evening onwards (not sure the actual operating hours)

A short post, as I've to UNpack, and then REpack for another trip up north, to Hulu Perak district for 2 days starting tomorrow. And I was about to lament on my backache from long rides. Sigh ....

Mee Rebus Stulang Laut (RM3.50?)

One of Johor's specialty is the Mee Rebus at Stulang Laut. Yup, it's famous enough to warrant Jeff Ooi's attention. (Click HERE for his take). Mee Rebus is basically yellow alkaline noodles in sweet-curry gravy with lots of potatoes for a thickened consistency. (Still in doubt, click HERE). One familiar sibling of this is Mee Jawa.

So, what makes the Mee Rebus in Johor Bahru stand out from the rest? The loads of fritters sprinkled liberately on top, for one. Delivering crunch and fragrance to the otherwise lacklustre noodles, this simple, unpretentious, supporting character is the STAR of this dish. The gravy is not spicy at all, but rather a tad sweetish. But on a bearable scale, no worries. Squeeze some lime, mix them up well, and slurp away. Good stuff. No wonder people throng this restaurant til no end ....

Otak-otak Kempas (50 cents each)

Still remember my April excursion to JB? Where me and my colleagues had seemingly unlimited supply of Otak-Otak (click for explanation). Yup, this delicacy has various transformation in various states/countries (M'sia, Indonesia and S'pore serve them). Even Johor has TWO, a version from Muar, and another named Kempas. The ones served here is the latter, bloody red in colour, but very addictive in nature. Before you know it, you would've popped a few.

Shop away at the duty-free zone at erm, The ZON. (no pun intended)

The hotel is located within the duty-free zone, therefore a duty-free shopping complex is directly situated inside the hotel itself. Chocolates and liquor are good bargain, (especially the latter, as cans of beer go for less than RM4). Needless to say, KYT made a deal with the devil, the lure of alcohol somehow got him ending up with a few. =P

Sigh ..... that's all this fatigued mind, and restless fingers could manage for the night. Further updates on JB (and of course, the July KL Mini-Food Tour) in upcoming posts. Now, I can get back to my UNpacking and REpacking activity. Oh, what fun ...

The Southern Escapade (Johor Bahru) - Part 1

A cool, breezy morning on the highway ...

We thought June was a hectic month. And July had the potential to be stress-free, with lighter schedule, and fewer outstation trips. But as usual, we were wrong.

(P/S : This job is unpredictable. Imagine packing and unpacking, and then packing again in a matter of days. All within short notice.)

No need to strain your necks/eyes for the movies, secondary screens available!

However, compared to the previous trip in April this year, we could not book flight tickets in a rush, therefore the 6 of us had to travel by bus. Yeah, not unlike school children, going on a field trip. 7+ hours on a bus (RM56 on Nice Express @ Jln Bendahara, Ipoh) was taxing, but at least we were entertained by TWO "blockbusters", ie : War of the Dragons (still on show in theatres, hmm ... ) and 10,000 BC. Kinda made the trip slightly more bearable ....

Plain old nasi lemak (RM3.50)

Those familiar to travelling down south to Singapore/Johor by bus would've recognized a place called Yong Peng in Johor, the assigned rest stop for express buses. With so many unsuspecting tourists forcibly alighting for a quick fix, we felt like slabs of meat on chopper boards, waiting to be chopped ....

All the food served is HALAL (supposedly) or rather pork-free, but the prices are inflated. Paying RM6 per plate of chicken rice, sizzling noodles, or fried rice may sound absurd, for these are NOT restaurant-quality servings. But who's to complain? Our Singapore counterparts may find them reasonable, and they made up quite a number of the passengers.

Anyhow, the nasi lemak with sambal, anchovies and peanuts, and a fried egg was pretty good (or I could be really hungry), at RM3.50 per plate, at least did not dent my wallet so severely.

Sensing familiarity here?

Arriving in JB in the evening, we were glad to be transported from to the hotel instantly by taxi (RM8 from town to our hotel at Stulang Laut). Checking in was a breeze (albeit some teething problems) as our Johor counterparts booked the rooms for us in advance. Wanna know where we stayed? Let's see some hints ;

All 16 floors of the hotel, overlooking the middle lounge on 5th floor

A handy gadget, controlling practically all the switches and electronic gadgets in the room

Plush, comfy beds - ensuring a good slumber ...

Yup, the SAME hotel I stayed in April. Not to condemn though, far from it. Situated at Stulang Laut, overlooking the Tebrau straits, Singapore's basically a "swim" away. But of course, none of us pushed our luck ... =)

One noteworthy gadget in the room is the almighty remote controller by our bedside, whereby everything's a click away, from the TV channels to the lights in the room, and setting alarm as well as requesting for a room makeover, or a 'privacy please' note. Talk about inventions.

Nasi Lemak with condiments and Rendang Chicken

Cured beef slices, like an old friend now

Golden balls of indulgence

Yummy, unlimited pancakes

Unlike previous experience, this time around, only breakfasts are complimentary to our rooms. Shucks ... and we thought all meals are provided. Salt & Pepper Cafe on Level 5 is a trusted name, reassuring of a hearty breakfast, although the variety may get slightly repetitive. But, who's complaining? (certainly not the gluttons in us!)

The fun ZON - Coming alive at night ...

Singapore's on the other end ...

More delicious posts in subsequent episodes. Gee, my posts lately are continuous, huh? Sorry, but quite hard to squeeze everything in one single post.

P/S : Will be down to KL for the weekend, therefore blogging would take a back seat. Care to bump into the Motormouth in KL? =P

Once Upon A Time in Johor ... (Part 5 - Nasi Lemak Berlauk)

The 'floating' restaurant : Malam Indah Selalu

Still on Johor food, bear with me ya? One fine evening 2 Johor friends drove us to a place supposedly famed for its nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk), somewhere around Permas Jaya (?), or something like that. Bad memories ...

The seating area, realize all the customers chose to sit by the river/strait/sea?

After a journey of roughly 10-15 minutes, we arrived at some secluded area, right by the straits of Johor, where we can view our beloved neighbour, Singapore, from our seats. This restaurant is situated alongside some seafood restaurants, so no worries if they're closed.

Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken (RM5)

The Johor guys led the orders, suggesting nasi lemak with either the fried chicken or the rendang version. One glance at the menu on the wall revealed that they DO serve other dishes to go with their nasi lemak, namely rendang daging, and various fish dishes.

Otak-Otak Kempas : A Johor Bahru speciality

As usual, no meal (Malay ones, at least) is complete without the ever-popular appetizer of Otak-Otak, right here in JB.

The amazing sambal, fried egg and ayam rendang

On to the main characters of this food venture, the nasi lemak. Hot, fragrant, right consistencies, not too sticky nor tough-like-nails, albeit a little too sweet for some. Yes, SWEET. The santan (coconut milk) used to cook the rice is different from the ones we usually have in northern states. Some of us could not bear the sweetness, while for me, the rice is cooked just right, and paired with their killer sambal (a little sweet also, btw) the dish is good in its own right, rendering the chicken completely unnecessary for extra brownie scores.

Not to say the chicken was bad, mind you. The fried version was crispy and delicious (according to them anyway, as I had the rendang one). But be warned their rendang is NOT the run-of-the-mill type. It was a tad erm, sweet (hehe), and not spicy at all.

Ikan Siakap Tiga Rasa (RM4/100g)

BK (the pure Johorean) ordered an extra dish of siakap tiga rasa (rough translation : 3 flavours sea bass) for us to try. Sweet, sour and erm either spicy/salty, the dish was alright, savoury, but the overwhelming 'mud smell' of the flesh kind of put me off.

Remember to turn at this sign, if you manage to find this anyway ... :)

Location : Haha, asking the wrong person here. Let me see, it is at an area called Permas Jaya, there is a slightly more outstanding seafood restaurant called Senibong Village Seafood restaurant right before the sign board above. Word of advice : Ask a Johor guide to prevent unnecessary & extra miles. =)

Once Upon A Time in Johor ... (Part 4 - The Mains)

.... continued from Part 3

Not my intention to bore you any longer, might as well post everything else we had at The Zon Regency, Johor Bahru ...

Notice the reflection of Suzy? How nice of her to pose strategically between Salt n Pepper ...

Boiled prawns, mussels, and scallops on ice
Smoked salmon and some random fish (sorry, bad at identifying species)
Oh yeah, unlimited & free supplies of fresh seafood
Made-to-order spaghetti, and various cooked dishes
Nasi Briyani, Mutton curry, Grilled Lemon Fish, & funny-looking Cekodok Pisang (sp?)
Bread and Butter Pudding (again) @ every meal
Hors d'oeuvres ?
Chef in action, slicing up leg of lamb with ease
Was wondering, what's the orange sack next to the scallop? Roes?

Yeah, imagine every meal of indulgence for 4 days. The consequences? Broadening of horizon? or rather horizontally broadening ... Hmm ... who cares? :)

There were 101 & more items that I did not manage to snap, for mealtime was pretty limited. Everyone was raiding the buffet spread like there's no tomorrow. LOL.

The hotel management was considerate enough to rotate among this Western restaurant, a Thai restaurant, and another Chinese one for 3 days' worth of lunch. However, the Chinese restaurant (A halal one) was really really bad, while the Thai one was forgettable. Lucky for us dinners were served at Salt n Pepper.

Location : Salt & Pepper Cafe & Restaurant, The Zon Regency Hotel, 88, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Stulang Laut, 80720, Johor Bahru.

Once Upon A Time In Johor ... (Part 3 - The BIG Breakfast)

(... continued from Part 2)

After feasting on the eye-candy of an amazing dessert range, kindly allow me to share my breakfast experience at The Zon Regency's Salt & Pepper Cafe ....

Omelette cooked on-the-spot, lempeng with sambal ikan bilis, BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING, and hash brown

Range of yoghurt, fruits, cold cuts, etc

So many pastries, how to choose?

Cured beef slices, chicken ham, salami, grilled tomato and peaches (and hash brown, AGAIN)

Jason showed his mean streak ... "Grrr .... WHERE's MY EGGS???"

Seldom we expect GOOD breakfast spread in hotels, probably coz they're always complimentary, and even more seldom do people actually PAY for them.

However, this was not the case at the Zon. Though the breakfast buffet for all 3 days did not differ much in terms of choices, the quality, and diversity of the spread really opened my sleepy eyes. Favourite of mine include : Hash Browns (Better than McD, and any other I've tried, really), bread and butter pudding (amazingly, this was served for breakfast, lunch and dinner), various cold cuts (salami, ham, beef bacons), grilled tomatoes with cheese, pastries and danish, 'lempeng' (Malay pancake) and freshly prepared omelette and fried eggs.

Hmmm ..... What a way to jump-start the day(s) !!! =P

Once Upon A Time in Johor ... (Part 2 - The Desserts Post)

(.... continued from Part 1)

Cheese Cakes, Chocolate Pies, Fruit Flans = Time for Statins? ;)

Lower right's egg custard. Good stuff.

All-time favourite dessert, Sago Gula Melaka

Bakerzin's dessert tapas look-alike? Haha ...

The mousse, cream puff, and some random tart

Marshmallows and Biscuit sticks dipped in white and dark chocolate sauce

The desserts section itself warrant a GREAT deal of your attention.

Yeah, remember boys and gals, NEVER skip your desserts no matter how full you are. LOL.

(P/S : Nope, this is not through ONE solitary meal, mind you. If yes, my sugar level would have spiked, followed by subsequent sugar rush. Haha. The buffet spread were literally peppered with such great variety of desserts, for every single meal. Some sweet delights I did not get the chance to sample were : DIY Cendol and Ais Kacang, Various cakes/pies. Oh, and their Bread-N-Butter Pudding was GOOD stuff. More on that in later posts ....)

Location : Salt & Pepper Cafe & Restaurant, The Zon Regency Hotel, 88, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Stulang Laut, 80720, Johor Bahru.