Japanese Buffet Restaurant Ayukawa near Sutera Mall, Johor Bahru (This Restaurant is Closed.)

  

Where in the world can we find a "not big" restaurant that serves for one price over 700 plus Japanese dishes in an "all you can eat" a la carte buffet?

Where else? But, in Johor Bahru.

I really take my hat off to Ayukawa Japanese Buffet Restaurant's enterprising owners Ray and Rebbecca for the ingenuous system that delivers the customers' orders from such a massive menu even during full house, especially on weekends.



To make it even more amazing, the food are freshly cooked to order and not pre-cooked and then merely distributed.



For customers who are spoilt for choice, ordering from this massive menu is easy. Just look at the pictures of the food in the menu book, write your choice on the order chits provided and send it off to the staff.



The chits are then sorted in this "nerve centre" and what happens here is nothing short of a minor miracle, especially on full house days. How the right orders go the right tables in good time is, of course, a trade secret.



Fortunately, we just leave all that complicated stuff to the staff and we just enjoy our food in a casual and informal, yet comfortable setting.

As usual, while I fussed over food photo taking, my impatient (or long suffering) companions indulge in the ordering. These were what appeared at the table - so I am not responsible for making your mouth water :P





























Still, I made sure that I have my favourites like this salmon head and grilled sanwa.

We enjoyed our sumptuous lunch at Ayukawa.

Seriously, if I have to organise an eat out for a large group and don't want to think about what to order while having plenty to eat within a reasonable fixed budget, Ayukawa at Sutera is one of my top picks. While the food may not be exquisite like those in expensive exclusive Japanese restaurants, it was definitely more than competent and a few of the dishes were actually very good, in my opinion.

Little wonder then that Ayukawa is a favourite hangout for high school and uni students, and shoppers at Sutera Mall and the Johor Premium Outlets once they found out about the deal here.







Restaurant name: Ayukawa Japanese Buffet Restaurant
Address: 101-103, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Taman Sutera Utrama, Skudai, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/fOM2S
GPS: 1.516215,103.670366
Hours: See photo above
Non Halal

Date visited: 24 Jan 2013

Dim Sum at Chang Man 常满 in Taman Nusa Bestari in Johor Bahru

I was at Chang Man 常满 Hong Kong Dim Sum at the invitation of the owner Adrian Ooi. Chang Man opened for business about two months ago and there was already a steady stream of customers at the restaurant on a Monday morning. I guess this is partly because Chang Man serves dim sum, chicken rice, char siew rice and hor fun which are familiar staples that are usually in demand, and more importantly, the food at Chang Man is good. We tasted some of the dim sum, chicken/ char siew rice and hor fun at Chang Man and it was obvious that a lot of effort had been put in to create good food for customers.

Lao and Thai Food at Restoran Tam Zabb in Taman Nusa Bestari, Johor Bahru (Restaurant is Closed)

I was food spotting in Taman Nusa Besari near the Giant Hypermart when I stumbled upon this new restaurant. I was intrigued that it offered Lao and Thai food. In particular, I was curious as I had never eaten Lao food before.

I stopped and stood at the entrance for quite a while, and then the two Indian gentlemen eating at the nearest table said to me smiling, "Try it, the food is nice." One of the gentlemen then got up and said he will introduce me to the boss. "The boss is very friendly", he said reassuringly.

And so I met Benny Sriphet, the owner. Benny is an IT professional from Sweden and the lady boss Aphinya Sriphet is from northeastern Thailand at the border with Laos, hence the Lao and Thai cuisine at Restoran Tam Zabb.

Aphinya had been a Head Chef in a Thai restaurant in Sweden before moving to Singapore where Benny works and now opening Tam Zabb in Johor Bahru.



Sriphet with her hometown kitchen crew.

The decor in Tam Zabb has a minimalist contemporary Nordic feel with touches of Thai and Lao in pictures and ornaments adorning the walls and niches around the restaurant.



What does the name Tam Zabb mean? It sounds like "thumbs up" and in Lao it means "Delicious Mortar". Aphinya said that in Lao cooking, the fresh ingredients are pounded using a mortar. In fact, there are different types of mortars made of different woods and stones for different ingredients. Foodies familiar with Southeast Asian cooking will know that hand pounding creates unique flavours and textures that cannot be replicated with modern electric blenders and grinders.

Aphinya said that Tam Zabb serves authentic Lao and Thai food with many ingredients imported from Thailand and Laos. Some of the herbs are even grown in their own home in Johor Bahru to ensure a secure supply of the key ingredients.



Wood Apple drink at RM5. Sweet with a hint of herbal flavour, this reminded me of the Chinese dried melon herbal tea.



Lemongrass Infusion drink served hot or cold at RM3. Made with Thai lemongrass which tastes milder than the local variety. Benny said that Johor Kaki readers will be offered a free Lemongrass Infusion just by mentioning "Johor Kaki" to the staff. So, you can try this Lao drink whenever you dine at Tam Zabb.



First up was the Som Tam Thai (RM10), a salad of fresh vegetables eaten with hot glutinous rice served in quaint little satchels made with woven leaves. Som Tam Thai was a complex blend of sweet, spicy, tangy and savoury flavours with interesting textures. It's a great appetiser to "open up the stomach" as the Chinese phrase goes.



Num Tok Phla (RM25) is a tilapia fish, its flesh diced into cubes, marinaded with hot spices, deep fried and served with garnishing.





Classic Larb (RM15) is fried finely chopped pork in tangy, savoury sauce. This is a classic Laotian dish. Also available made with chicken.



Steamed Glass Noodles with Shrimps at RM15.  Savoury and spicy flavours.



Tam Zabb's Thai staple Pad Thai at RM12 was quite subtle in flavour. Aphinya said that this would allow the customer to add condiments like powdered nuts, chili powder, sugar, or chili pickle according to their personal tastes.



For me, I like my Pad Thai to have a little sting.



I like it that Tam Zabb's Pad Thai come with crunchy, pearly white bean sprouts with their roots removed.



Everybody, well almost everyone, orders a Tom Yam Kung when dining in a Thai restaurant. Tam Zabb's rendition of this Thai classic is mildly spicy and doesn't have that lingering sting of some Tom Yam.



With the milder palate that I have nowadays, Tam Zabb's Tom Yam was just nice for me. The key to good Tom Yam is fresh ingredients and Tam Zabb got that well taken care of.



We rounded up our sumptuous dinner with the Sticky Rice Mango dessert (RM12). The refreshingly sweet and subtly tangy mango went very well with the sweet sticky rice. That milky syrup on the mango is made with palm sugar extracted from "sea coconut" palms. Refreshing and yet not overly sweet. Not available in Johor, so Aphinya gets the palm sugar directly from Thailand. This was so delicious that somehow, my stomach found space for this rather substantial dessert.

We had a lot of food for four people and need to come back again for other interesting Lao and Thai food like the BBQ catfish which I can't wait to try.



Restaurant name: Restoran Tam Zabb Lao and Thai
Address: 48G, Jalan Bestari 3/2, Taman Nusa Bestari, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/QBa4W (rough)
GPS 1.481964,103.666407 (rough)
Hours: 11:00am to 11:00pm (Closed in Tuesday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 21 Jan 2013

Closed - Nasi Briyani at Jitterbug Café in Plentong (near Tesco Extra Hypermart), Johor Bahru

Sharifah, the owner of Jitterbug Café was excited to have us try her family's nasi briyani made with a recipe passed down from her grand dad.



Sharifah's grand dad (second row, middle) was a police officer and was passionate about cooking. This nasi briyani is available only on Sundays as Sharifah's dad, Enché Said, who learnt how to cook briyani from his own dad, personally makes it.



Enché Said who is an executive in the oil and gas industry had been passionate about cooking for as long as he could remember.  Enché Said learnt the recipe for this nasi briyani from his dad as a child and together they had been making this briyani for family gatherings and weddings for many years. After much persuasion from family and friends, Enché Said decided to add the family heirloom nasi briyani to the menu of Sharifah's Café, but only on Sundays as he has his own business. (Enché Said will serve his nasi bryani on other days if there is a special order for at least ten persons.)

Jitterbug's nasi bryani is special in that Enché Said uses only fresh vegetables and nuts like chilies, tomatoes, ginger, almonds, turmeric, lemon grass and garlic to make it. The only dry or powdered spice used is just a little white pepper. So, the aroma and flavours of Jitterbug's briyani are mild, refreshing and leave no aftertaste on the taste buds. 



The fluffy Basmati rice had the distinctive taste and fragrance of QBB brand ghee and saffron which I liked. The ghee was just lightly enveloping the long rice grains and not overly greasy.



The mutton was blanketed in gravy that was mild and deliciously flavourful. The gravy was pleasant and gentle on the taste buds and olfactory nerves (sense of smell). 



Inside, the mutton was tender and moist, with the smokey mutton flavour highlighted by the mild delicate gravy (unlike the average mutton briyani where pungent and stinging spicy gravies tend to overwhelm the natural mutton flavours).

At RM26 nett per serving, Jitterbug's nasi briyani is undoubtedly set at premium pricing. Sharifah said that the premium fresh ingredients used account for the premium pricing.



There is good news for Johor Kaki readers :) When you order Jitterbug's nasi briyani, just mention "Johor Kaki" to the staff, and you will be given a long glass of Jitterbug's minty, tangy, sweet house drink Hocus Pocus on the house i.e. briyani plus Hocus Pocus drink at RM26 nett. (Hocus Pocus is normally sold at RM9.)

Jitterbug Café is very much a family affair. Dad whips up his speciality nasi briyani and mum too has something for Jitterbug's customers - it's the family's Nasi Ayam Masak Panggang.



This chicken is served with fragrant white rice and you can also ask for it to be served with briyani rice.



The large piece of chicken leg was lightly fried and then cooked with the similar gravy as Jitterbug's mutton briyani. This chicken is a good alternative for those who prefer chicken over mutton.



I especially enjoyed the accompanying fried vegetables. Refreshingly fragrant, crunchy, juicy with delicate natural sweetness and savouriness from the bits of fried anchovies. 



It love eggs cooked in chili and spices. This was one of the best chili eggs that I have tasted - fresh, tender and flavourful.

The Nasi Ayam Masak Panggang costs RM22 and you also get the Hocus Pocus house drink at no additional charge by just mentioning "Johor Kaki" to the staff. This chicken dish is available daily as mum is at the café everyday. 



To round off our lunch, we had Ferrero Rocher and banana pancake with maple syrup at RM14.90. I enjoyed it though I don't really have a sweet tooth while the ladies raved about it.



Jitterbug has a wide range of fresh juices - this was the orange and dragon fruit mix.

Sharifah positioned Jitterbug as a "boutique café" where people come to chill and enjoy premium quality food in a hip, cool and serene ambiance.  

This was our second visit to Jitterbug Café. We tried Jitterbug's innovative Western food menu during our first visit last year.

Getting to Jitterbug Café from downtown JB or CIQ is a breeze with the EDL (Eastern Dispersal Link). Just 15 minutes driving, toll free! :)

Remember to mention "Johor Kaki" to the staff to claim your free Hocus Pocus house drink with your nasi briyani or nasi ayam masak panggang.

Restaurant name: Jitterbug Café
Address: #G-33, Jalan Masai Jaya 1, Plentong, Masai, Johor Bahru (Next to Tesco Extra Plentong)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/0Jihw
GPS: 1.522122, 103.813650
Hours: 11:30am to 10:00pm (Closed on Monday)
Not certified Halal, no pork, no lard served

Date visited: 29 Nov 2012, 20 Jan 2013