Brazzo by the Bay, Western Fine Dining in Johor Bahru

I was invited to a private media dinner at The Brazzo by the Bay by LAB brand & PR consultants. The dinner was part of celebrations for The Brazzo outlet at Taman Ponderosa clinching the Best Product Quality honour at the prestigious hospitality awards hosted by GAB (Guinness Anchor Berhad).

The Brazzo by the Bay is Brazzo's third and newest in Johor Bahru. The other two Brazzo outlets are in Taman Ponderosa and Taman Sri Tebrau.



The Brazzo by the Bay is set in a tastefully remodelled classic sea front bungalow house along Jalan Skudai. Brazzo by the Bay is located right the across Jalan Skudai where the Danga Bay Marina is located.



Inside Brazzo by the Bay, the decor exults classic luxury and finesse, a place to indulge in life's finer pleasures.



The extensive collection of fine wines at Brazzo by the Bay.



Luxurious Cuban smokes kept in a specially environment controlled room.

I am often asked by readers what is the secret of success in running a restaurant.

I have never run a restaurant before and so, I am really not qualified to answer this question.

But, from the over six hundred restaurant and stall bosses that I've met so far, a good supply chain was often mentioned as a critical success factor in running a restaurant.



Here at The Brazzo, Sean, Chef and Partner, personally sees to the supply chain. Sean will personally go to his Singapore suppliers and to the local markets to touch and feel his ingredients. This is something other successful restaurant bosses also mentioned.

Little wonder then that The Brazzo clinched the coveted Best Product Quality honour from among 200 restaurants nominated for the award.



The kitchen at The Brazzo's new outlet, Brazzo by the Bay is helmed by Chef Siang 祥. Siang 祥 is just 20 years old and it speaks volumes of the confidence the owners of The Brazzo have in the passionate young Chef to let him run Brazzo's flag ship.

From the food that I enjoyed today, I must say the confidence in Siang 祥 was very well deserved indeed.

Here's the food we had at the media tasting session.



We started off with a slice of savoury Ibérico Parma ham wrapping a small sweet block of fresh juicy rock melon.



Brazzo's clean tasting hydrophonic salad with seasonal beans and fruits drizzled with Brazzo's signature salad dressing.



I was fascinated by the translucence of the finely sliced radish.



The pan seared Hokkaido scallop on a stick of dragon fruit dressed with red wine tomato salsa.



The goose liver mousse with a thick chunk of smoked duck with citrusy orange sauce.



I love the layers of savouriness from the tender smoked duck with crispy fatty skin on, and soft goose liver mousse balanced with gentle orange sweetness and tanginess.



Double cooked King Cod with saffron cream sauce.



The thick slab of tender snowy white meat was cut from an (at least) 15 kg King Cod fish, pan seared and then water baked.



Charbroiled baby lamb rack with pepper sauce.



Charbroiled 300 days sirloin steak with garlic beef steak made with Australian Black Angus (with marbling score 3) from Rangers Valley, New South Wales. Done medium rare.



Baked Kahsima pork cheek with fruit sauce.



I love this large Portobello mushroom that comes with some of Brazzo's mains. I like the big mushroom's bouncy, spongy texture, and the flavours from the savoury sauce which was balanced by the mushroom's pleasant earthly taste.

I actually ate up the Portobello mushroom on Sean's main as well, after finishing mine :P



I love this dense, rich chocolate cake with a good balance of bitter and sweet (without being sugary).



If you are looking for fine dining in Johor Bahru, do check out The Brazzo by the Bay.

Restaurant name: The Brazzo by the Bay
Address: No.29-D, Jalan Skudai, Straits View, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/MTNa4
GPS: 1.474665,103.724927
Hours: 4:00pm to 2:00am
Non Halal

Date visited: 17 Jun 2014

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CLOSED Insomnia (formerly Cestino Patisserie) in Country Garden, Danga Bay, Johor Bahru CLOSED

David, one of the partners of (formerly) Cestino invited me to visit their new outlet at Country Garden in Danga Bay. Country Garden is a 9,000+ unit luxury condominium development, the centrepiece of the Danga Bay project. 

Located inside the grand sea facing clubhouse, Insomnia Cestino Patisserie is easy to locate once you are in Country Garden.

(Update 2026: Insomnia has closed and replaced by a generic Starbucks outlet.)

Johor Tomahawk Steak at Lazio Italian Restaurant and Bar

When Stanley, Lazio's Executive Chef invited me to try his Tomahawk steak, I took a double take. What's that lethal weapon? Well, when I saw Stanley with that huge cut of rib-eye, Tomahawk is a very apt description indeed 😄 Tomahawk is that fearsome Apache Indian battle axe. That Tomahawk steak should send chills down the spine of cholesterol and calorie fearing mortals 😄

Best Steaks in Johor Bahru at Lazio by Danga Bay

I was at Lazio in Danga Bay last night at the invitation of Stanley, the Manager and Executive Chef.



Stanley wanted me to try Lazio's steaks.





Lazio is a well appointed restaurant specialising in Western cuisine. It has a comfortable air conditioned section and a breezy al fresco section outside with a pretty view of the Danga Bay Marina and the yatchs.

Stanley had worked in the restaurants of Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore before assuming the Manager and Executive Chef position at Lazio early this year. Stanley has since introduced a whole new menu at Lazio which included his signature steaks that he showed us last night.



Stanley graciously granted me permission to view him and his staff in action in the kitchen. It was such a pleasure for me to watch the maestro doing his magic.


USDA Black Angus Ribeye RM12.00 per oz

From that fire and drama came this (corn fed) USDA Black Angus Ribeye which I asked to be cooked medium rare.



On the outside, the steak was tender and smokey while the inside was succulent and dripping with flavourful savoury juices. My mind quickly registered this as one of the best steaks that I have ever tasted.



Lazio's USDA Black Angus Ribeye was an unforgettable love at first bite for me.


Bone in Ribeye 900 grams RM120.80.

Our next was the Bone in Ribeye (OP or oven prepared ribeye) made with Australian wheat fed beef, done medium.








This hefty, thick chunk of tender beef had that lovely bovine flavour and a nice smokey taste from the charred outside. At 900 grams, it initially looked a daunting challenge to finish it especially after the 10 oz USDA Black Angus. In the end, we dispatched all of it easily because it tasted so good our minds overruled the stop signals from our filled stomachs. So, is this what they mean by "mind over matter"? :P



For the sides today, I had rich, artery clogging ox tail soup which is one of my favourite soups :P I ate up most of the meat and fats which I patiently prised out with a fork from the vertebrae.

I was chilling and chatting with Stanley, and nibbling at this grilled corn. This corn was so good, it hijacked our conversation topic. The USA imported corn was sweet and was saturated with the savoury sauces and juices from the steak.  



Chicky fries made with chicken luncheon meat. Eaten with house blended Tartar sauce. Unique and popular but I didn't have much of this as I was really full after the two large steaks.



To wash our steaks down, we had a couple of wines from Lazio's well stocked bar which has the full range of beers, wines and liquor to complement the food.





I would like to come back to Lazio soon because besides their wonderful steaks, Lazio also offers so many different foods like their oven baked pizzas.

Oh.. if you are coming to Lazio, before you come, please feel free to give Stanley a call at +607-221-7988 or +6010-900-2048 and he will reserve your steak for you and cook for you personally when you are here. How's that for commitment and customer service? I think that's outstanding :))



Restaurant name: Lazio Italian Restaurant and Bar
Address: Danga Bay, Jalan Skudai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/y4WL8
GPS: 1.475931, 103.723533
Hours: 12:00noon to 1:00am daily. Closing time 2:00am on Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 23 Apr 2013

7 Spice Indian Cuisine at Danga Bay, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

When I asked my friends from Johor Bahru to recommend a good Indian restaurant, the name 7 Spice Indian Cuisine often come up among the most mentioned favourites. Today, we visited 7 Spice at Danga Bay at the invitation of the owners, Siwa and Nisha. 

When I entered the well appointed, air conditioned 7 Spice Indian Cuisine restaurant, the first thing that struck me was the fragrant aromas that greeted me. This soothing fragrance of spices filled the air in 7 Spice. The experience was like dining and aroma therapy at the same time :P

We were presented several of 7 Spice's popular dishes and this huge curry fish head (RM50) was the centre piece. The fresh, thick, supple and still moist flesh was half submerged in thick curry gravy. The fragrant and flavourful curry was smooth and not too spicy, and would appeal to most palettes. 

My favourite of the day was the signature 7 Spice Garlic Cheese Prawns (RM20) with large fresh prawns in a special 7 Spice gravy.

The flesh was firm, bouncy, juicy and sweet as expected of fresh prawns. But the loudest ooos and ahhhhs were reserved for the special 7 Spice garlic cheese gravy. It's a complex blend of pleasing tastes and flavours of sweet and savoury with subtle spicy notes. Throughout the session as we chatted, I couldn't help myself from dipping my teaspoon into the gravy to savour its unique flavour. Definitely a must try.

Another signature dish, the 7 Spice Chicken (RM9) was drumsticks well cooked in savoury, flavourful, thick curry gravy.

The neat heap of spiced briyani rice with the tender pieces of fragrant mutton buried under the mound of nutty, aromatic basmati grains. Not surprisingly, the briyani lamb (RM15) and briyani chicken (RM13) are hot sellers at 7 Spice Indian Cuisine.

Claypot Lamb Curry (RM18)

I love the aroma and taste of spice infused mutton with moist, tenderly soft fibres.

Fried Squid

We were munching on these crunchy and chewy fried squid rings in spicy batter.

When I ate the last squid ring at the end of our session, it was still crispy.

Mango pudding (RM5)

Coconut pudding (RM4)

When it was time for dessert, I was already filled to the brim. So I wasn't too eager and intended to just take the obligatory, polite sampling. Then, one mouthful changed my mind completely.

These puddings at 7 Spice Indian Cuisine were made with fresh mangoes and coconut. They were cooling and refreshing, and so good that I requested for a second helping :)

A couple of the long, tall, cool, refreshing lassi that we had.

7 Spice Indian Cuisine is highly accessible as it is just off Jalan Skudai near to Tune Hotel and Clark Hatch Fitness Centre.

Restaurant name: 7 Spices Indian Cuisine
Address: G-01, Danga Bay, Jalan Skudai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/JSQpS
GPS: 1.484482,103.718074
Hours: 8:00am to 10:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 1 Oct 2012