JJ Wine & Tapas Bar in Taman Pelangi is well known among wine and liquor lovers in JB. Regulars know that the bar also serves good food to complement it's fine drinks.
JJ is one of the top wines, beers and liquor distributors in Johor and Malaysia. JJ Wine & Tapas Bar serves as JJ's show room and place to entertain clients.
JJ Wine & Tapas Bar occupying two shop lots at Jalan Pingai in Taman Pelangi opened in 2014. Stepping inside, we were greeted by an impressive display of bottles of all kinds from wall to wall.
Customers can choose to enjoy their food and drinks in the well appointed main dining and drinking room.
There are also five comfortably furnished private rooms for more intimate get togethers.
Ken and Chef Jayson hosted us, guiding us through the wines and food served at JJ Wine & Tapas Bar. Chef Jayson is experienced in fusion and Western dishes. Ken is very knowledgeable about all kinds of alcohol and suggested wine and food pairings for us.
We like sweet fruity wines, so Ken recommended a bottle of Ama 2013 Chianti Classico, an Italian red blend. The wine has berry/ cherry flavour and a hint of spice with light smooth tannins and subtle zesty acidity.
Chef Jayson started us off with Smoked Duck Bruschetta (price RM18++).
It's crispy toasted sliced French loaf topped with diced smoked duck, fresh tomatoes and house made apple chutney. It's a savoury sweet appetiser.
Seafood Tomyam Risotto (price RM38++).
Soft al dente risotto rice smothered in house made savoury spicy tomyam stock and served with prawns, calamari rings, mussel and scallops.
Seafood Coconut Laksa (price RM38).
The mildly sweet spicy laksa broth was very likeable. In the laksa broth were scallops, mussels, prawns and calamari rings. It is served with linguine pasta or toasted slices of French loaf.
We enjoyed the "milky" sweet spicy laksa broth by dipping into it with crispy toasted slices of French loaf.
Roast Pork ala JJ (price RM25++).
The slab of pork belly is blanched, grilled, sliced then stir fried with sambal chili paste. The quite firm pork belly slices were robustly savoury with mild spiciness - Roast Pork ala JJ is designed to go with spirits, wines and beers.
Char Grilled New Zealand Lamb Cutlets (price RM48++).
The NZ lamb cutlet was grilled to medium doneness. The meat was tender and juicy. Outside, there was a slight smokiness from the crisped surface while inside the meat juices was naturally sweet with a subtle gaminess in the fat at the edges. The dribble of cherry sauce add a slightly zesty sweet citrussy flavour to the rich tasting lamb.
Australian Wagyu Beef (price RM188++).
The 200 gram Australian wagyu was grilled to medium doneness. Chef Jayson asked if I like my steak pre-cut into bite size cubes or served the normal way (meaning, I have to cut it myself with fork and knife, the conventional way).
As I wanted to keep my hands free for my wine glass and camera, I opted for pre-cut 😀
The steak done medium was oh... so.... tender, almost like scrambled egg. Really.
The tender meat and fat was saturated with sweet warm beefy juices.
👉 4-Star (out of 5). JJ Wine & Tapas Bar is a place worth considering for your special dates like Valentines, anniversaries and celebrations. The range of wines and liquor is among the top in Johor. There are many good dishes to enjoy with your drinks. 4-star dishes which I especially enjoyed are the char grilled NZ lamb cutlet and Australian wagyu steak.
Disclosure: Please note that this was an invited tasting.
Restaurant name: JJ Wine & Tapas Bar
Address: 58, Jalan Pingai, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
GPS: 1°28'57.4"N 103°46'28.2"E 1.482608, 103.774514
Tel: +607 331 5461 | +6016 733 4737 (Whatsapp)
Hours: 11:00am to 2:00am | Dinner is served 5:00pm to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal
Date visited: 25 Nov 2016
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Went for mother day dinner tonight. Cody atmosphere. Food delicious. A superb experience. Unfortunately steak no longer available.
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