We brought our girl on a Road Trip to Johor last November and drove up to Sungai Rengit and Desaru exploring places that we have yet to visit.
Left home early in the morning and crossed the custom before 6am.
We had breakfast at Kin Wah Coffeeshop in JB (which opens at 6am) before starting a longer drive ahead.
As it is still early, our first stop is visiting Malaysia's first Temple Village (边佳兰六湾神庙村) as it is open from 8am. Located in Pengeran, the temple village is a collection of 8 temples!
After our prayers at the temple, we drove on to check out Jomis Old Jetty- heard that many will drop by to take pictures with the pillars there. Best taken during low tide.
We didn't walk down as it looks a bit dangerous and there was quite a bit of insects around. Decided it was good enough to take a picture from afar. Our Youtube vlog captures how to get to the Jetty.
Finally it is time for another round of breakfast as we set off very early today. Hong Gim Coffee (宏锦咖啡) is located in a pretty secluded area off the tracks from the town. We depended solely on Google Map to direct us there. One of the main highlights is to witness how the coffee are roasted as we have our breakfast.
Unlike the city, Sungai Rengit is a pretty quiet town and there aren't any shopping malls to visit. Hence, we decided to rest at a cafe before our lunch.
Along the way, we drop by Kedai Kek Lim Choo Seng (聚成中西饼店) - a century-old traditional bakery shop currently run by the 3rd generation. Hubby had a chat with Mr Lim before buying a packet of biscuits.
We were a bit tired by now and a pit stop at Yard & Co. is a perfect choice! The aesthetic cafe by the sea is an awesome place to rest as it is cosy and the interior deco of the cafe is spacious, bright and cosy.
Sungai Rengit is also known as Lobster Town. Hence it is a must to have lobster while we are here! There are many restaurants selling fresh seafood & lobster. We picked Super Lobster Restaurant and had a mini feast!
After a heavy lunch, it's time to burn off the calories! We drove to Desaru Fruit Farm (迪沙鲁果园) and purchased tickets for a Fruit Farm Tour. There are other packages as well which includes Lunch and ATV. You can pick the tour package that suits your preference.
Instead of staying by the Desaru coast, we decided to stay at Amansari Hotel Desaru as it is not too far from the fruit farm and we are not going to the beach area. Room is neat, spacious and clean. Decent for our 1 night stay at an affordable price.
We had a harder time finding a place for dinner as there aren't many cafe or shops around. We decided to settle in at a nearby shop selling satay and nasi. Dinner was surprisingly good atRestoran Aneka Desaru - Particularly the satay! We love it so much that we ordered another serving.
Check out our Youtube Video for our day trip in Sungei Rengit & Desaru!
Total Expenditure ~ RM1055 (SGD320)
- Early Breakfast @ Kin Wah Coffeeshop (RM26)
- Breakfast @ Hong Gim Coffee (RM21.2) + 2 bottles of Ice Coffee (RM8)
- Brunch @ Yard & Co. (RM176.3)
- Lunch @ Super Lobster Restaurant (RM379.25)
- Desaru Fruit Farm Tour (RM114)
- Dinner @ Restoran Aneka Desaru (RM100)
- 1 night stay @ Amansari Hotel Desaru (RM230)
To beat the traffic and avoid the traffic jam on the causeway, we often drove in super early into Johor Bahru. With the shopping malls and most cafes/restaurants not opened, we are constantly looking for eateries to eat and rest. Delighted to learn that Jiah Xiang Dim Sum (佳香点心茶楼) newest outlet at Plaza Sentosa (Taman Sentosa) opens 24hours daily!
Enjoying our favourite dim sum even before the sun rise and they were served warm. Prices is affordable and the dim sum generally taste good too. Definitely another option for us if we are looking out for places to eat in the wee hours.
Check out our Youtube Video below for more details!
Jiah Xiang Dim Sum (佳香点心茶楼)
Address:
Taman Sentosa Outlet (24 Hours)
Lot 1, Ground Floor, Block F, Plaza Sentosa Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor
Mount Austin Outlet
No 113 & 115, Jalan Mutiara Emas 2A, Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor
Hours: 7am - 12am (Open Daily)
Horizon Hill Outlet
No 7&9, Jalan Horizon Perdana 4, Horizon Hills, 79100 Johor Bahru, Johor.
Hours: 7am - 12am (Open Daily)
Visited: Apr 2023
Want to find out more where you can dine in Johor Bahru?
There are many cafe/restaurants around Taman Molek and we stumbled upon The Salts Kitchen. Heard that it started from a mobile food truck specializes in Western Food and I believe business must have been good that it is now an established restaurant!
Humble and cozy space for meals
We visited on a Tuesday afternoon and the restaurant is almost full by 1230pm. More residents/workers from nearby vicinity started to come in for lunches/takeaways. Thankfully we arrived slightly earlier and our orders were served after waiting for about 10 minutes.
Prices on the menu is really value for money and you can get a main dish from RM10.90 (~$3.50) onwards! Portion of the food is generous as well!
I ordered Fried Chicken Cutlet with Salted Egg Sauce (RM16.90) and really appreciate that it came with salad, coleslaw, mash potatoes and fries! Usually only 1 or 2 sides are available and this plate has it all!
Hubby had Signature Beef Burger (RM18.90) and it is just as filling. Burger had egg, beef patty, cheese, tomato and lettuce within.
Recently, Hubby brought me to try the beef noodles from Din Kee (鼎记牛腩面) at Bukit Indah as he recalls trying it before from a different location many years ago.
We found the corner shop located along the row of shop houses (about 5 minutes drive from Aeon Bukit Indah).
Shop space is neat, bright and air-conditioned. There aren't many people during our visit (probably cos we visited on a weekday).
We picked the beef noodle bowl with a mixture of all the different kinds of beef (meat slice, tendon, tripe) so that we can have a taste of everything. Price at RM15 (~SGD4.60), the serving portion is good with lots of meat within.
Personally, I prefer the dry one compared to the soup version as I like the stronger flavour and its sauce. Was delighted to see that they added peanuts in which makes the beef noodle bowl complete. Some may argue its a bit salty or flavour not strong enough etc, but I thought it was to my liking. Like the chewy tendon and the beef is tender and juicy.
Din Kee also have other dishes on their menu like fish soup and pork noodles, but I will go for their signature instead. It is one of (if not the best) beef noodle I have tried in JB so far.
Din Kee Beef Noodle (鼎记牛腩面)
Address: 56, Jalan Indah 1, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Singapore's first Pop-up Grab-n-Go Manga Library opens at City Square Mall from now till end-August 2023! Gladys and I went to have a look today to check out the new library especially so since she is also a Manga fan.
Located on Level 4 of the shopping mall (near Daiso Japan), though the space is not big, it has about 5,000 graphic novels and comic collections. The books are new and we saw many familiar titles like Beyblade, Fairy Tail, Dragon Ball, Detective Conan, Spy X Family, Assassin's Creed etc.
Only books on the Lending section are available for borrowing. The other titles placed on the Reference shelves are only for browsing. Nevertheless, I took opportunity to borrow some comics too for my leisure read. Seems like rekindle the good old days.
Entry and exit into the Manga Library is via scanning of your NRIC. Borrowing of books is also made easy with the Grab-n-Go concept. Simply pick up to 8 books and scan your NRIC prior to exit. Do ensure the titles of the books that you are borrowing are correct.
Pop-up Manga Library is only open for the next 6 months so you may want to check it out if you are a Manga fan and around the area.
Our first visit back at TANBA after 3 years. Quality of food did not change much but the price has definitely increased significantly. The total amount was about RM172 per pax (~SGD53) for dinner price which is steeper. However, we really like the variety of dishes (more than 100 items) on the menu - especially the assorted marinated meat and sashimi.
We came here for New Year celebration and it still feels good to be back. The ambience and service is the same - prompt and friendly. We can pick our dishes from the tablet and we just need to sit, relax and eat to our hearts content. Assorted marinated meat grilled over charcoal taste extra sweeter.
Children price is based on height
Below 90cm: Dine for Free
91cm-100cm: RM20++
100cm-138cm: 60% discount
ADDRESS:
Twin Galaxy Outlet
Address: Twin Galaxy, Jalan Dato' Abdullah Tahir, Johor Bahru
Molek Outlet
Address: 31, Jalan Molek 3/20, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Opening Hours:
Daily (12pm - 12am)
Cedar Point Food Court (食得福美食中心) is our favourite food centre in Johor Bahru. Whenever we have cravings for local delicacies, this is the place to go. After so many years, we are still very fond of the variety of food choices, taste & flavour and economic pricing.
Tucked next to Grand Paragon Hotel and only minutes walk away from KSL shopping mall, Cedar Point Food Court is also very popular among locals and tourists.
Check out our video for some of the stalls we go to frequently
Our favourite picks
Tampoi Satay: The most famous pork satay in town since 1972. Sweet and tender meat dipped into a delicious mix of peanut sauce enhance the flavour of the meat. We always order beef, pork and mutton flavour.
Hong Kee BBQ Chicken Wing: Hubby often order this as he likes chicken wings. We used to packet some to munch along the way but now its best to have it served warm on the spot.
Ikan Bakar Sin Kee: We have tried many ikan bakar in Johor and this is still our favourite. Not overly spicy and the meat is juicy and fresh. We always come back whenever we have craving for stingray.
Sugarcane drink is my must order when I am at the food centre. Super big cup enough for 2-3 to share.
Sentosa Rojak: Tasty rojak with a selection of different ingredients. Might be a bit pricy for RM20 for the locals though.
(Not in this video but we still love the food)
- Meng Fang Kway Teow Kia (Opens in the morning)
- Ipoh Fried Kueh Teow
- Century Curry Fish Head
- 77 Curry Fish Head