JB Food Adventures: Eating Our Way into the Heart of Malaysia (Part 1)

Our family loves to travel. And we love adventures. Unfortunately, our epic 40-day trip to the United States last year has left a rather large hole in our pocket. But we cannot resist the travel bug, and as such we have been making a series of short driving trips to Johor Bahru, the gateway to Malaysia. So yes. It is still possible to have fun and to enjoy life even when holidaying on a budget, and this post is a record of some of the favourite places that have won their way into our hearts... and to our stomachs...

Bomnal Korean Cafe

Johor Bahru is home to many Koreans. A quick check on Google will reveal that Malaysia is the second most popular market after the US for Korean real estate investment. And if you want to get your Korean food fix, it's the perfect place to go.

We chanced upon Bomnal as it's a stone's throw from our hairdresser. It was raining, and we decided to run into this cosy Korean fusion cafe for shelter and a snack. We were not disappointed.

The fried chicken was absolutely delicious, delicately crispy with a tangy soy garlic sauce to tickle the palate.

Our younger boy loved the food, and he was all smiles as he got to choose his delightful Pororo white grape drink.

A surprise hit was the carbonara, with its creamy cheesy sauce and crisp bacon strips. This has become the favourite of our older son.

The food is served with 3 refillable side dishes, a la Korean, and we love the warm and sincere Korean hospitality.

Jeju Korea Restaurant

Located rather near Bomnal is another Korean restaurant. This place is famous for its BBQ meats, and has been one of our favourite spots over the past few years that we have been visiting JB. We loved Jeju from our very first visit as it reminded us so much of Korea. From the comfortable Korean platform seating to the lavish buffet of side dishes and refreshing barley tea, this place made us feel as though we were transported back to a restaurant in the middle of Andong city in central Korea.

It is always a treat to enjoy the Korean side dishes. They are either enjoyed best as appetisers or wrapped together with the cooked meat in a traditional Korean lettuce roll.

What we love about Korean BBQ is that we get to see the food cooked on the table before our eyes. The chef will normally rub the grill with an onion to provide flavour and to ensure that the surface is slightly moist.

The meat is then allowed to sizzle on the pan before it is removed and cut into bite-sized pieces. The meat is then enjoyed in a lettuce roll lathered with sesame oil and gochujiang, a fermented soy bean sauce. I like to add a slice of kim chi to my roll, which provides a kick to the dish.

Cafe Snowing

A blog on JB Korean food would not be complete without the delightful Cafe Snowing. Bingsu. This is the creme de la creme of desserts. Light and fluffy as snow; yet rich and intense with flavour. And Cafe Snowing does it so well!

The matcha red bean bingsu was sheer delight to the senses. The rich and intense flavours of red bean and green tea were nestled delicately on a bed of soft shaved ice.

This was a huge treat for Mummy and the kids. We don't eat bingsu in Singapore as it's so costly. Only in Johor where things are a fraction of the price back home.

Chocolate bingsu. The absolute delight of both boys!

And this was Daddy's indulgence - cold brewed coffee. What a treat to sip the rich flavours of coffee delicately delivered to a thirsty soul.

Ramen Kingu House Japanese Restaurant

In addition to the delectable Korean delights, JB is also home to many Japanese restaurants. We stumbled on Ramen Kingu House after looking for a ramen place for our older son. To our delight, the restaurant not only offers ramen, but a selection of sashimi and grilled dishes as well.

This is the star of Ramen Kingu House - the Miso Ramen. The deep flavours of the pork broth were balanced carefully with an umami miso stock. Sprinkle in some finely sliced pork pieces and bamboo shoots to complete a sumptuous meal.

Ramen is more my older son's thing. For me I'm a rice person, and the tendon was an utter delight. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the generous crisp tempura portions, which were drizzled lightly with tempura sauce over the soft rice grains.

They ran out of salmon sashimi when we were there and so offered salmon belly instead. I didn't complain! :)

This was the piece de resistance. An entire portion of grilled squid, with the meat as tender as the skin was crunchy. We went back on more than one occasion for the squid alone!

Sushi House (Sunway Iskandar)

This was a new place we discovered recently when we were checking out the new Citrine Hub. This houses the exotic Jaya Grocer supermarket - home to a million and one international brands. The sushi was priced reasonably, and the ambience of soft Japanese music provided a solace of peace on a day when it was raining heavily outside.

I went crazy when I looked at the salmon menu - I mean the sushi menu.... Every morsel of fish was carefully prepared and gave us great joy!

This was the coup de grace - salmon belly grilled to perfection! I almost didn't get to eat any - the younger son was feasting on it and said, "This is the best, Daddy!" Yes, he truly is a gourmet.

Juicy fried oysters. I must confess I have a weakness for oysters. Granted these were not the best I've had, but they nonetheless fulfilled my oyster craving.

And to cleanse the palate, cold soba, This was served in a bowl of ice. Yes the bowl housing the soba was fashioned out of ice - so the soba is kept cold and doesn't get soggy even if the ice melts.

We hope this post gets you in the mood to drive across the Causeway for a hearty meal! And yes we will be going back again soon - can't wait to sink our teeth into the good food of Johor Bahru!

Coming soon - Part 2 of this post will feature the more "local" food offerings in Johor!

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