Great Food Places Across the Causeway
Come the long weekend, Johor Bahru is a great location for Singaporeans to have a short getaway. Just across the causeway, JB is very convenient for us to find delicious eats at a fraction of a price. Below are some of the places we have explored which are within walking distance or 5 min cab ride from City Square Mall:
Kam Long Curry Fish Head
As soon as we went past the checkpoint, we knew that this has to be our first stop for food. Kam Long Curry Fish Head serves tasty curry fish head inside a claypot. Each pot comes with curry, lady finger, Tau Kee and of course, soft and fresh fish head.
The curry may look daunting but it is not spicy at all. In fact, it is quite sweet and flavorful. Each sip of the curry will make you crave for more. Serving comes in small (RM24), medium (RM35) and large (RM48). You can also add in extra veggie or Tau Kee for RM6 each. Rice comes in small (RM0.60) and large (RM1.20).
The portion is not very big and two person can easily finish a medium size pot. We came in a group of 7 and we ordered 2 medium, 1 large pot and it was just the right amount for all of us.
The store can be easily recognized by the big yellow signboard and the ridiculously long queue outside of it. That being said, expect to queue up to 30-40 min for it.
Address:
74, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Bandar Johor Bahru,
80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Tel: +6016-752-8382, +6016-796-2228. +6016-205-1610 GPS: 1.459398, 103.764758 Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 8am to 4:30pm
Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory
Our next stop is another 5 min walk from Kam Long Curry Fish Head. We heard about this super popular banana cake located at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, where many of the cafes are located, and decided to check out what the hype is about. When we reach the store, we were shocked by the crazy long queue trailing out of the shop. Nevertheless, we decided to join in the queue as we do not want to miss this opportunity.
Later on, we found out that the reason why the queue is so long, is because the cakes comes out batch by batch, and each batch takes about 15 min to be ready. As many people take multiple orders, it took almost 45 min for us to get our hands on the banana cake. Much to our pleasant surprise, the banana cake was amazing! First was the aromatic fragrance that was emitted by the cake. We immediately took a bite and it was so sweet and soft, and we cannot stop eating after that!
The banana cakes comes in small (5 cakes for RM 5) and big (10 cakes for RM 10). It is insanely cheap thus making it a great souvenir when visiting JB.
Address:
13, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 Johor Bahru GPS: 1.456931, 103.764222 Opening Hours: Mon – Sat 7am – 6pm; Sun 9am – 1pm
Shakespeare
Located just a few steps away from Hiap Joo Bakery, Shakespeare is a cafe which serves milkshake, waffles and soft serves. We decided to stop here in the air-con to escape the scorching weather.
We ordered this Banana Nutella Soft Serve (RM10) which is surprisingly good. It comes with two fried banana chips, drizzled in Nutella cream. The soft serve itself is very refreshing and it really helped to cool us down in the heat. There is also granola at the bottom which goes really well with the soft serve. This easily becomes one of our favorite cafes in JB.
Address:
9, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru,
80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 12-11pm
Bev C'afe
We researched about this cafe which serves espresso in the form of an ice cube and decided to check it out. This brings us to our next stop, Bev C'afe, which is also within walking distance. What makes this cafe special is that, the first floor is actually a clothing shop! The cafe is located at the second floor.
Each espresso ice cube is priced at (RM 13.90), which is slightly more expensive than expected. The only interesting thing about this drink is that you get to pour the milk over the espresso cube.
Address:
54, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru,
80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
D'Laksa Asam Laksa
After a few rounds of laser tag, we got hungry again. We carried our empty stomach to KSL shopping mall to look for food. As we explored KSL, we were drawn to the smell of Penang Laksa.
We ordered the Penang Laksa (RM6.00) and the curry fishball (RM4.00). The laksa contained sliced onions, pineapples and fish, with the classic sour asam broth. The taste is excellent and it is the next best alternative if you do not want to go all the way to Penang to get some Penang Laksa. You also get to enjoy the food comfortably inside air-conditioned room.
The base for the curry fish balls is quite similar to the laksa base. It comes with 5 fish balls per serving and it pairs really well with the laksa. Overall, we felt that this store is a great place to get a quick bite at such a cheap price.
Address:
33, Jalan Seladang, Taman Century,
80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Soon Soon Heng Bak Kut Teh
As dinner time comes, we all got hungry again. This time round we decided to roam outside of KSL mall to look for food. We randomly came across this Bak Kut Teh resaturant which had a queue trailing out of the store. Logically speaking, a restaurant with a queue means it has a high chance of serving good quality food. Hence, we joined in the queue. Luckily for us, we did not have to wait for very long and manage to get a table quickly.
Our Bak Kut Teh finally came sizzling hot in a claypot. In each pot, there are enoki mushrooms, tau kee and of course pork ribs. The pork ribs are really soft tasty. The broth is more sweet than pepperish, in contrast to the regular Bak Kut Tehs we find in Singapore.
In addition, we ordered the sesame oil chicken, which also comes in a claypot. The chicken meat is rather tough and a little overcooked. There is nothing spectacular about this dish, and honestly it felt like a dish which you can order from a local economic mixed rice store.
We were not sure what was the breakdown prices for each of the dishes (Refer to above picture for food prices). For 7 pax, we ordered 2 pots of Bak Kut Tehs, 1 pot of sesame chicken, 1 braised pig trotter and a salted vegetable side dish and rice. Total bill was RM 159 (About SGD$7.50 per pax) which was really cheap as the portion was quite big! Soon Soon Heng Bak Kut Teh restaurant is definitely worth a try for their Bak Kut Tehs only.
Address:
43, Jalan Serigala, Taman Abad,
80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Conclusion
This sums up all the food we managed to eat in one day in JB. All the places mentioned are easily accessible from the customs checkpoint. If given more time, we will definitely try out more food places in the area! What are some of the food places which you have tried?