Fine Dining in Johor JB. SPROUT

This was my third visit to SPROUT since the fine restaurant opened in JB in 2015. They just launched a new menu and Chef Mui invited me for a tasting.



Inside SPROUT, it is still that familiar minimalist European chic with an open kitchen. Simple, sturdy, comfortable furnishings. SPROUT serves fine food but Chef Mui modestly insists that it is a casual restaurant offering modern European cuisine.



My favourite perch is at the bar as I love to watch the kitchen team in action 😄

Chef Joseph prepared the dishes and helped me with details about them. Chef Joseph and Chef Mui, both Anak Johor, were classmates at the culinary programme in KL's Taylor's College and now partners in SPROUT.



Mui and Joseph are always hungry - passionately hungry for culinary knowledge, that is. Mui, Joseph and the team are continuously learning and striving to take their art further. You will see, taste, smell and feel the creativity, passion and dedication on each plate when you are at SPROUT.



SPROUT just launched their 4 Course Dinner Set. It's simple to order 😄 Diners pick a dish for their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th courses. Price per person for the 4 Course Dinner Set with snack and bread included is RM195++. (There is also a 7 course set which looked very interesting also.)

Here are the dishes I had.



I started with a zesty lime with jalapeno and coriander. So perky and refreshing 😄



House made sourdough bread with ultra smooth bone marrow and onion butter. It's a nice blend of gentle savoury, sweet, sourish flavours in the mouth.



Spiced mango puree, coconut gel, lime gel set on a crispy rice cracker and dressed with herbs. A nice appetiser that gets the stomach juices and saliva flowing.



Unique salad of toasted broccoli, boiled broccoli, broccoli and lemon puree, and quinoa salad dressed with savoury Parmesan chips and a trickle of Parmesan oil.



I love this beautifully plated pickled mackerel dish 😋



The pickled Atlantic mackerel is tender and moist with fish oil inside. The flavour is briny, mildly savoury with a bit of sweetness. So delicious. The accompanying buttermilk dressing, pickled cucumber, radish and avocado dressing added other savoury sweet sourish layers to the dish.



This Wagyu beef rump is so full of flavours 😋



The grade 6 Aussie Wagyu beef rump is marinated with fermented garlic (hence the charcoal black outside). The tender and juicy beef was saturated with beefy goodness with a slight underlying savoury sweetness.  Coupled with lovely garlic taste and aroma, every bite it is oh... so... delicious. 

The tender rump which had a slight chewiness was like a flavour sponge releasing it's addictive juices with every bite. Mixing in a bit of the savoury sweet caramelised onion foam, added another layer of flavour in the mouth. Roasted spring onion, chive oil and beef au jus complete the delicious dish.



Too soon, it was dessert time already 😄

This is a pear dessert - there is poached pear with wine and pear sorbet dressed with spiced crumble, zesty candy ginger, burnt honey cream and crème fraîche (buttery sour cream). Needless to say, everything is made in house at SPROUT.



🚩 Traffic information: Turning into SPROUT from Jalan Tebrau can be a bit tricky as it is a near 90° left turn, into oncoming traffic and the opposite lanes are often obstructed by parked cars. I usually drive 20 metres further up and turn left just after the overhead bridge into a small carpark there. Slow down and signal left early before turning as traffic on Jalan Tebrau is usually fast and heavy. Heavy sand laden lorries are also common as there are mega condo projects under construction further down the area.

Alternatively, take UBER or GRAB here. It's less than 5 minutes drive from the JB immigration checkpoint.

Mackerel with avocado, cucumber and buttermilk.

A post shared by Tony Johor Kaki (@johorkaki) on Aug 8, 2017 at 3:34am PDT

👉 The food at SPROUT are lovingly prepared, artfully presented by creative, passionate chefs. Each dish is an exciting collage of flavours thoughtfully blended together - the flavours are in balance and harmony. The ambiance is of a fine contemporary restaurant but the atmosphere is casual, relaxed and welcoming. Service is friendly, earnest and attentive. At RM195++ for a 4 course set of such fine food, I feel it is quite reasonable. It is not a gluttony feast but portions are perfect, especially for most ladies. Personally, SPROUT is among my top of the mind places in JB for special occasions.

Disclosure: Please note that this was an invited tasting.



Restaurant name: SPROUT
Address: 61, Jalan Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 
GPS: 1°28'06.8"N 103°45'39.4"E | 1.468548, 103.760945
Tel: +60 11-2181 6118 
Hours: 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon off)  

Non Halal  

Date visited: 22 Dec 2015, 28 Sept 2016, 8 Aug 2017

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.