Exploring Telok Ayer - Royz Et Vous and Fu Lin Bar

Got a chance to explore the Telok Ayer area a little bit more the other day in November when a few of us (Kris, Jennifer and myself) trooped down there to meet up with Tiara for lunch.

For first timers to the area, the famous landmark to look out for would be the Thian Hock Keng temple. It's a Mazu (Sea Goddess) temple and is one of the oldest and important temple for the Hokkiens. Rebuilt in 1839.

Thian Hock Keng Temple

Next to this landmark, is Chong Wen Ge cafe. Hmm, a cafe in a temple-like structure? Instagram-ready with its beautiful tiles.

Chong Wen Ge Cafe

Directly opposite of the temple would be Royz et Vous cafe that serves decent cuppa. The cafe is spacious and serves halal-food.

Royz et Vous Cafe

interior

Mocha and Piccolo

For lunch, we had yong tau foo at Fu Lin Bar. That place would be packed by 12pm so head on down early. Otherwise, the wait for a table would be at least 20 to 30 minutes.

Fu Lin Bar

Yong Tau Foo in a hipster looking bar but with traditional signboard. Interesting. The interior had dim lightings and crowded on weekdays as the office workers nearby seemed to like this place by quite a bit.

To order, just pick your ingredients and pay at the counter. Indicate whether you'd like rice or noodles. Pay and wait. You'll be buzzed once the order is ready. Most items will be deep-fried after payment.

wait

interior

Got myself the minimum pieces (6) and the noodle was good. Doused with meat sauce and pretty Q.

Fu Lin Yong Tau Foo

If you're still feeling peckish, there's always Frankie's Peanut Pancake to fill the gap.

peanut pancake - ban chiang kueh

Day Trip on a Weekend to Johor Bahru

Getting to Johor Bahru By Public Transport (requires patience aplenty)

Great if you drive, but if you don't then there's lots of public transport going in. We went via bus #950 from Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange. This will bring us to Woodlands CIQ (Checkpoint) where passengers will disembark and go through the Singapore Customs. Yes, there was a traffic jam on the way in and that stole about half an hour away. Upon clearing the immigration, proceed to take original bus or whichever bus that you fancy to bring you across the Causeway. (ps: the queue for the bus was really really long...)

Then, we paid another $1 (cash) to board the smiley bus (yellow) CW1 which will then bring us across the causeway to Johor CIQ. Again, there was alot of people going into JB that day and we spent another 40 minutes to await our turn to get through the Malaysian customs.

Please note that there's no toilet at the Johor CIQ after you've cleared the customs. Nearest washroom would be at City Square mall. There's money changer and you could also get local data SIM card there too. Digi is offering 1GB of data and able to make local calls at RM10. Adequate for 5 hours of usage and kept us connected during our day trip there. Just remember to restart your phone after the installing the SIM card.

bus ticket issued to travel to JB Customs

All in all, allocate about 2 to 2.5 hours to travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru inclusive of clearing the customs on a Saturday morning.

After which, just follow the link bridge to City Square Mall to start shopping or to hop onto a cab to bring you to your next destinations.

1st Stop: Tai Chiang Coffee Shop Saleng (沙令大眾茶餐廳)

Address: 7 Jalan Jelawat, Taman Saleng Jaya, Senai, Johor, Malaysia

What is it

An old school coffeeshop that serves up eggs and toast nanyang-style (think soft-boiled eggs and charcoal grilled toast), good ol-kopi, hainan chicken rice, fried kway teow and yong tao fu.

kampong chicken soft-boiled eggs (RM1 per egg)

looking good

kopi @RM1.80 and kaya butter toast @RM1 per piece

fried kway teow (干炒河粉）@RM5

There were a lot of uncles and aunties enjoying their weekend breakfast there. Wanted to order char kway teow (those with seahums) but ended up with a plate of fried hor fun. Haha! But it turned out to be quite good. Enjoyed our breakfast there especially those who ordered the organic kampong chicken eggs.

The chicken rice looked promising with its chunky 'white' chicken but a customer whispered to our ears and said that the chicken was a tad rough for that day so we ended up not ordering any.

Was supposed to try wild boar meat on our next stop but unfortunately, it wasn't open at the time that we wanted to go. Plus, it was drizzling so decided on bak kut teh for lunch instead.

2nd Stop: Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh 顺发肉骨茶

Address: No. 11, Jalan Sutera 1, Taman Sentosa, Johor Bahru 80150
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShunFaRouGuCha/

What is it

It's a curious place. It looks like it has a cafe-front that also sells local products like heong peah (biscuits), chinese new year cookies and coffee packs. It even has cold-press fruit juice! But the back of this shop, is where one could order the bak kut teh.

One pax pot is priced at RM14 while a 4-pax pot is priced at RM56. We took the 4-pax pot and added everything on their menu except kidney since we ordered a pot each of kidney and chicken in ginger and wine sauce.

bak kut teh @RM86

chicken in ginger wine sauce @RM15

The bak kut teh here is leaning towards the peppery variant instead of the herbal variant. The soup was pleasantly mild. Loved the ginger wine claypot chicken. Such tender bouncy meat and a slightly sweetish sauce with a tinge of chinese wine taste. Great sauce to go with the steamed rice.

3rd Stop: 7 Oaks Bakery Cafe

Address: 134, Jalan Serampang, Taman Tebrau Jaya, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevenoaksjb/

What is it

A rather opulent looking bakery-cafe with interesting facade and decoration. It sure has very pretty looking cakes. The dining area is at Level 2 and it has its own lift too. The view at the balcony is pretty nice too but unfortunately, that's also the smoking area.

cakes

One chooses the cakes either from Level 1 or 2, make payment and the staff will serve them when you are seated. All the tiny pretty looking cakes were retailing for RM14.70. P&P, pricey and pretty.

D'Or @RM14.70++

Mango Charlotte and Lavender @RM14.70++ each

Taste wise, we enjoyed the gelee like skin of the D'Or and Lavender. The Mango Charlotte was ruined by the mango toppings which had a flavour that wasn't agreeable to us.

Salted Egg Croissant

salted egg lava @RM6.90++

"It didn't flow." We were saddened.

That was the reaction and we thought it was because the lava had hardened when the pastry had cooled down. So, off it went for a reheat and it turned out the same. Nevertheless, the croissant was adequately flaky and buttery with the salted egg yolk fillings having a custard-like texture.

Sparkling water "Rossa" @RM9.50++

4th Stop: Lavender (Flagship Store)

Address: 64/66/68, Jalan Serampang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Website: http://www.lavender.com.my/
Contact: +6 07 335 9966, +6 07 339 1333 
Business Hours: 9am-10pm daily

What is it

As this place is nearby 7 Oaks, plus it has the much raved about cheesecake by Tiara and Ivan, hence, it became a must-visit place with a mission to purchase the cheesy goodies.

The flagship store is huge! There was a nice guard who opened the door and welcomed the guests with a smile. Wow!

inside the shop

The shop has counters to display the cakes, tarts and also the usual shelves to display the daily bakes. So many variety and one getst that feeling needing to buy this, that and well, almost everything! Interesting much!

cheese tarts

For tourists, you may want to purchase individual items and try it at their cafe with a cup of coffee before deciding what to buy back. We tried the hanjuku cheese cake, cheese tart and also the nama chocolate cake.

Nama Chocolate Cake @RM16.90

Made a mistake of taking a big big bite of the Nama Chocolate cake. As its namesake suggests, the texture of nama chocolate which in a way had sort of a dense texture once it gets into your throat. Hence, savour this cake/chocolate slowly. Velvety smooth and not too sweet. One cake is shareable by 4 to 6 pax.

Hanjuku Cheesecake @RM3.80 per piece

If you think about it, RM3.80 for a tiny weeny piece of cheesecake that can be finished in 2-small bites is really expensive. After conversion, this is about SGD1.25 apiece. But, it was really good. So soft, so cheesy, so enjoyably sweet. You can purchase this in a box of 4 or 6 pieces and can be kept for up to 5-days in the fridge.

Even more exhorbitant pricing, was the Hanjuku Cheese Tart at RM6 per piece! Smaller than Prima Deli's cheese tart, I think. This version has a crisp crust and the same cheese as the cheesecake but a tad firmer. Amongst the group, some prefer this over the cheesecake.

Hanjuku Cheese Tart @RM6

5th Stop: Chua Kee Seafood Restaurant 蔡記海鮮樓

Address:Jalan Kacang Panjang, Gelang Patah, 81550 Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia
Contact: +60 12-761 0529
Business Hours: 11:30am to 11:00pm (closed on alternate Weds)

What is it

Seafood restaurant! Yay. This was what we needed as a finale for our day-trip to JB. And, the address amuses me. Jalan Kacang Panjang? Why, that's Long Bean Road! Hahahaha.

The restaurant has its own parking space which is at the opposite road. It was raining that evening and the parking lot road could get quite muddy. With nary a care to the price, we ordered away.

There's 6 of us and we ordered 8 dishes. Yup, that's our style!  As first-timers there, we ordered their signature dishes.

signboard

our dinner

We had a complete meal which had soup, vegetable, egg, meats, seafood and carbs.

Lala (Clams) Soup @RM18

The soup was an interesting milky coloured ginger clams soup with some wolfberries and lettuce in it. Comforting bowl to start off our dinner in the cold weather.

The butter chicken cubes were really tiny tiny deep-fried flour coated chicken with sweet savoury spicy sauce. Addictive like a crispy sweet-sticky popcorn chicken. 

Butter Chicken Cubes @RM18

Seafood Hor Fun @RM20

The seafood horfun has an interesting visual. Loaded with clams, some lean pork, fish cakes and prawns. The hor fun had good wok-hei, and you can't help but to scoop up some more after you've tasted this. Or, was it because we were hungry? Can't be, 'coz this was our fifth stop of that day!

Black Pepper Crab @RM132

The must-must order is really the seafood. The crab. We had two good sized crabs done in black pepper sauce style. Has a spicy kick and so shioks. The meat was fresh and sweet and not too firm. Lovely! Will come back for this.

it was a good meal

Thoroughly enjoyed the day with fellow foodies. My spend on that day was about SGD50 for a taste of the above.

Thank you Hence for getting us around JB, Tiara and Jen for the bus-trip company from SG to JB, and Kris, Tracy, Ivan and Justin for the makan recommendations and queuing up at Hiap Joo Bakery.

[Media Invite] The Peranakan Restaurant @ Orchard Hotel, Claymore Connect

The Peranakan is an authentic Straits cuisine restaurant helmed by Executive Chef Raymond Khoo. He brings to the table years of culinary experience and an arsenal of family recipes accumulated from three generations. Many of the dishes are labour intensive with complex preparation and requires long hours of cooking.  Lucky for us diners, we can skip all of those and just sit back, relax and enjoy Peranakan food at the restaurant with our loved ones.

Location: Claymore Connect is within walking distance of Delphi and Forum Shopping Mall. Was invited by Hence to join him and fellow foodies (Elle, Ivan and Justin) for a tasting session at The Peranakan.

Claymore Connect

The restaurant is interesting. Brightly lit by the many chandeliers, and at every nook and corner, there was always something that catches the eye. Porcelain items, beautifully crafted screens, tiffin carriers and even baju kebaya. It was like a treasure trove!

The Drink

Soursop/Passionfruit with biji selaseh @$8++

Had a glass of soursop passionfruit with basil seeds drink. Served in a tall glass and was a rather nice thirst quencher. Just that often times, the soursop fruit got stuck on the straw.

While waiting for the food to be served, one could munch on the complimentary prawn rolls. Yup, those tiny popiah looking that has hae bee hiam (fried dried shrimp sambal) inside. These were rather spicy and quite addictive too.

prawn rolls

The Food

For soups, what are the first things that came to mind? Yes, you are right. That'll be Itek Tim and Sup Bakwan Kepiting. The version at The Peranakan has a mellow and mild taste. The kiam chye (preserved vege) and duck taste was rather subtle.

Itek Tim @$9++

Thought it was pretty interesting to see in the menu that one could add sea cucumber to the soups by topping up extra $9++.

Sup Bakwan Kepiting @$9++

For appetisers, we tried the Prawn Ngoh Hiang. A rather more'ish meat roll that was fried to a deep brown and then cut. Served with homemade chili cuka (vinegar chili) and sweet sauce. The ngoh hiang has minced pork, prawn and chestnuts in it.

Prawn Ngoh Hiang @$15++

Liked it when all the dishes were brought out at the same time and quickly filled up our round table.

just missing a few more dishes

Suggest to skip the white rice and order their Nasi Ulam Istimewa. Loosely translated as Special Raw Herb Rice. This was a plate of refreshing zesty carbs. Consisting of  raw herbs, vegetables, minced fish and salted fish. Enjoyed this quite a bit. Sedap!

Nasi Ulam Istimewa @$17++

Every Peranakan meal would not be complete if these were not ordered. Ayam Buah Keluak, Nonya Chap Chye and Babi Pongteh. Do you agree?

Ayam Buah Keluak @$22++

Nonya Chap Chye @$15++

Kaki Babi Pong Teh @$19++

The buah keluak is a curious thing. According to wiki, the fresh buah keluak contains hydrogen cyanide and is poisonous if consumed without prior preparation. Since this seed is essential in the ayam buah keluak dish, then extra care and meticulous preparations are required before the fruit/nut is edible. Is this the 'fugu' of the plants?

The Ayam Buah Keluak dish at The Peranakan differs from others as one buah keluak here actually contained two portions. A quaint tiny spoon is provided to dig into the nut. Tried a bit of this and found it smooth. It is still an acquired taste and so I will just enjoy the meaty chicken thigh and the excellent thick sauce.

Sotong Masak Asam @$19++

The Sotong Masak Asam is a dish of squid cooked in tamarind, palm sugar and starfruit. Not as sourish as it sounds. In fact, it was more on the sweeter side.

Satay Babi Sum Chan @$19++

As you may have read at other blogs' reviews, there's nothing remotely 'satay' about the Satay Babi Sum Chan (三辰) dish. No peanut sauce, no skewers, nope so don't go asking for satay sticks nor was the meat grilled. This dish was of pork belly rendered down till the fats melted into the sauce for an overall slightly sweet meat'ish taste. The sauce was flavourful and I'd drizzled lots of it onto my plate of steamed rice. Yums.

In comparison of the two pork dishes, I preferred the Kaki Babi Pong Teh. Cooked for hours, the pork trotters were tender enough but not till the meat falls off the bones.

All meat and no vege? There was. The second vegetable dish was the steamed ladies fingers topped with sliced onions, and chincalok. Simple dish but so good to eat. Feels like home.

Bendeh @$12+

Save some space for desserts

Oh boy. When we said we'll have coffee and dessert, we didn't expect another mini feast. But glad that we did. Loved the Pulot Enti Kelapa and the Pandan Chiffon Cake with Gula Melaka and Durian. Recommend the Pot of Malacca Milk Tea too.

Pot of Malacca Kopi-O (served with kueh bahulu) @$6.50++

sugar, condensed milk or evaporated milk?

Pulot Enti Hae Bee @$6.50++

Pulot Enti Durian @$6.50++ 

Pulot Enti Kelapa @$5++

Make sure you try the Pandan Gula Melaka Cake with Durian. Chef had removed the fibre from the durian, so one gets a fragrant smooth sauce. The hot lemongrass tea is also a good option for those who like to have a not so sweet drink paired with the desserts.

Pandan Gula Melaka Cake @$6.50++

Pandan Gula Melaka Cake with Durian @$8++

Also worth mentioning is the Pineapple Tart. Buttery and with just the right sweetness of the fruit.

The Peranakan Restaurant also offers Peranakan High Tea from 11am to 530pm daily @$24++ and @$28++ per pax on weekdays and weekends. If you'd like to experience a Tok Panjang feast, simply order a day in advance so that Chef and his crew can prepare the ingredients prior to your visit. Tok Panjang is available @$45++ and @$65++ per pax. Both the High Tea and Tok Panjang requires a minimum of 2 pax dining. An 8-course degustation menu is available @$88++ per pax.

You may also let Chef Raymond decides on the menu via the Chef's Table experience. The Chef's Table seats 8 and requires 3-days advance booking notice. Yes, pretty much omakase-style of dining and its price of $288++ per pax is inclusive of wine and sake pairing.

Thank you Chef Raymond and his team at The Peranakan for their warm hospitality and Hence for the invite.