Positively Johor

What is there to love about Johor Bahru? 


 Never far from vast swathes of forest. Great for bird watching and spotting other insects. Just the other day, while on a morning walk, I spotted a blue collared Kingfisher. And as if on cue, the incessant calls of the Asian Koel pierce the tranquility of every early morning. Irritating for a city girl like me, whose idea of being woken up is by my alarm clock. 














2.    FOOD 

Nasi Lemak everyday is great. I love the anchovies and peanut crunch, they make such a lovely protein snack. Especially perked up with delicious sweet tangy sambal sauce. There's crispy roti canai or prata, nasi biryani, fishball noodles, roasted duck, chee cheong fun, curry laksa, assam laksa and much more. Sweet desserts like durian chendol, durian ice-cream and durians! I've come to love Raja Kunyit aka Tumeric King because of its resemblance to the orange flesh of turmeric.

Introducing ...Raja Kunyit



Durian ice cream for the faint hearted



 
I was fortunate to be in Johor before the start of Ramadan, which meant lots of cookies and cakes were on sale. I visited Angsana Mall several times as it is known for selling Raya cookies. I purchased pineapple tarts, sugi cookies, kuih makmur and butter cookies.  A strong recommendation for kuih lapis fans - definitely check out Sutera Rasa cake shop.

The one thing lacking was the wet variety of Malay kuih which i used to buy in Singapore during the Ramadan fasting month. Neverthless, Nyonya Kueh would be next best thing and these are available easily and inexpensively. Other savories and sweets included flaky pies filled with mung bean paste and lotus seed paste, portuguese egg tarts and filled soft buns. 

Raya cookies that's worth the calories...


Nyonya Kueh types: Kueh Kochi, Kueh Seri-kaya/ Sarlat, Kueh Dada rolls, Kueh Ubi Kaya


Adventurous out of town eating can only mean "buy and cook"  trip. The drive to the fish market in Pontian to buy seafood was fun. Especially for a scuba diver like me, perpetually torn between eating seafood and preserving marine life. It was sad to see so many stingrays ( and some really huge ones) dead on the concrete floor. On dives, divers would be thrilled to spot them lying half camouflaged on the sandy bottom.  Other fishes that i recognised included mackerel, jackfish, pomfret, grouper, snapper and barracuda. After purchasing some clams, grouper, giant prawns and squid, we went across the street to an eating house called Ah Huat. Here, chef Ah Huat suggested what he would do with the seafood and cooked up an amazing mouth-watering feast. We had assam fish head and squid, steamed grouper, clam noodles, har-lock style fried giant prawns. He really should get a Michelin star..

Pontian Fish Market 
Sting Rays, Barracuda, Belt Fish






















Assam Fish head and Squid

Clam up in rice Vermicelli..


















3.   BEAUTY SERVICES 

Hair salons, nail salons, massage parlors and spas compete for business at KSL mall, the favorite to-go place for Singaporeans. Hair extensions, eye lash extensions, manicure and pedicure services and hair color treatments cost 1/3 the price compared to Singapore. Are they really good? My fingernail polish survived last than 6 hours and peeled off one by one. By the next morning, 5 pieces were missing. I went back to the salon and demanded a redo which they did, grudgingly. Cheap but lousy. 



4.  RIDE HAILING 

 Reliable, cheap and gets one from point A to B without the hassle of getting lost. Grab, AirAsia are the go-to apps. They are secure and avoid the need of flagging down cabs on the street, which may take you for an extended ride. 


Finally, tried and tasted listings that will make the fussy Nyonya ( yours truly ) buy again:

  1. Daipur Ummi - Pineapple tarts and assorted cookies 
  2. Ming Ann - Chinese flaky pastries 
  3. Jmm Cookies - Pineapple tarts 
  4. Sutera Rasa Cake shop - Kuih lapis
  5. Kuu Van Cha - local food esp. rojak and chicken rice 
  6. Aunty Lim Kopitiam - Otah Otah 
  7. The Secret Nyonya - Kueh 
  8. Yummy Puffs/ Yummy Nasi Lemak House - Curry Puffs and Nyonya kueh 
  9. Oriental Kopi - Portugese egg tart

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