Little Red Cube at Puteri Harbour Johor - Media Launch

Today, I was at the media launch of the Little Red Cube at Puteri Harbour in Nusajaya, Johor. The Little Red Cube is Johor's newest food and fun attraction focused on family oriented entertainment and retail. 



Dato' Eddy Leong, Chief Operating Officer at Destination Resorts and Hotels leading the key tenants at the Little Red Cube media launch.



We were entertained to a fashion show by cute little tykes dressed by Poney, a retailer specialising in children's apparel.



We were hosted to lunch at The Olive Tree - a restaurant and bar that serves Indian cuisine. I liked the food at The Olive Tree a lot and definitely want to come back for a proper try out.

During this school holiday period from 5 to 23 June 2013, Little Red Cube is having a Carnival with lots of activities and games at the concourse.



Photo opportunities with cartoon characters.



Live entertainment by Cherlike, a Johor homegrown music band.



The Stompers making music with oil drums, trash cans, paint tins, pots and pans, and used car parts.



Juggling clown and tumbling "sumo wrestlers".



At the Little Red Cube, the friendly ambassadors are always ready to help visitors have an enjoyable day.

We were given "media passes" and let loose at Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and The Little Big Club.






Sanrio Hello Kitty was packed with Hello Kitty fans of all ages happily lost in the fantasy world of walk-through attractions, interactive activities and rides.




The Little Big Club is a whole floor of rides based on popular children's characters like Bob the Builder, Barney and Friends, Angelina Ballerina, Pingu the Penguin, and Thomas and Friends. The decibel level was high with screams of excited children (or were there some adults too?). I was moving from ride to ride until a Little Red Cube staff tracked me down and informed me that the media visit was already over LOL. Time passes very fast when you are having fun :P



Little Red Cube can be reached by car or by public bus from JB Sentral.

(Take a look also at my post on LAT's Place, another food and fun attraction at the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park.)



Little Red Cube
Address: Puteri Harbour, Nusajaya, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/eYA8w
GPS: 1.416984,103.658484

Date visited: 5 Jun 2013

Old JB Town Heritage Food Trail at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee 陈旭年街 in Johor Bahru

Updated 2024 edition here 👈 click

✍ Jun 2013. In this post, I am taking you on a walking heritage tour of the old hawkers of old town Johor Bahru, mainly along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and also the surrounding streets as well. For this heritage trail on foot we start at 10:00am and end at about 2:00pm.



Our first stop is Sang Heng 甡兴 just next to the OCBC branch at the east end of Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. The Teochew kway teow soup uncle has been here since the 1950s.


Ah Seng also sells braised duck and pork at the stall.

Uncle Ah Seng is the oldest hawker on this street and one of the oldest in the whole of Malaysia. Ah Seng's loyal followers say his kway teow soup hasn't changed at all, all these years. "Old school" they say. Let's try Ah Seng's popular kway teow and mee pok but we'll save the coffee for our next stop.



After Sang Heng, we walk along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and at the junction with Jalan Trus turn to our right towards restoran Hua Mui along Jalan Trus. Like Sang Heng, Hua Mui opened for business in the 1950s.

We shall stop here for Hainanese coffee, soft boiled eggs and French toast. Unlike Sang Heng, Hua Mui has been considerably updated to the chagrin to some of its old timer fans. But, at least, this cup and saucer are still originals :)



After coffee, walk up slope along Jalan Trus. At the next junction (with Jalan Pasar), you will be at Kok Yow Yong herbal stall. Kok Yow Yong has been here for a hundred years, making it the oldest here in old JB town. The stall front has just been modernised. Lost most of it's old quaintness and original charm but thankfully, the herbal drink is still the same.



After herbal tea at Kok Yow Yong, we walk back down towards Hua Mui. Back at Hua Mui turn right along Jalan Dhoby and keep walking along the shops until you come to Salahuddin Bakery. No much changed at Salahuddin's since the bakery started business here in 1937. That old wood fired oven is still in use. We can still get those lamb filled Bengali curry puffs with flaky crusts - the same as those from my childhood.



After Salahuddin, we cross Jalan Dhoby to the restaurant diagonally across - Restoran IT Roo. IT Roo started business in 1961, and during its heydays was even named the Best Chicken Chop in Malaysia in 2003. Much has changed at IT Roo with only the old photographs in the shop to remind us of it's legacy. IT Roo's chunky chicken chops are still a crowd puller.



After IT Roo, walk down along Jalan Pahang. At the junction of Jalan Pahang and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, you will see the most photographed building in old town Johor Bahru - called the Red House for obvious reasons. Originally the home of a wealthy Indian family, the Red House is now the venue of cultural and art events.

At the Red House, walk along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee towards Jalan Trus. At the junction of Jalan Trus and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, you will see the popular Kin Wah kopitiam. Right across Kin Wah along Jalan Tan  Hiok Nee is Hiap Joo bakery - the final stop of our Heritage Walk.



Like Salahuddin bakery, Hiap Joo also uses a wood fire oven from 1919. The traditional hot favourites are Hiap Joo's coconut buns and banana cakes.



We will take away some straight out of the oven before making our way home. The new generation of owners are coming up with more contemporary pastries but I just stick to old time favourites :)

There you are - heritage walk and heritage food trail of old town Johor Bahru's Jalan Tan Hiok Nee "Culture Street" 文化街.

Plenty of food tasting and photo opportunities for foodies and photography buffs.

Summary of Jalan Tan Hiok Nee heritage food trail:

10:00am Teochew kway teow soup at Sang Heng
10:45am Coffee at Hua Mui
11:15am Herbal tea at Kok Yow Yong (drink and go)
11:45am Pastry shopping at Salahuddin bakery
12:15pm Chicken chop at IT Roo
1:30pm Pastry shopping at Hiap Joo bakery. End of heritage tour.

Updated 2024 edition here 👈 click

Wild Boar Meat at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru

We had just finished eating our kampung chicken rice set at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭, when I noticed that they also sell curry wild boar meat as a side dish.

Our stomachs were already full but I remembered many queries especially from Singapore readers about where to find good wild boar meat in Johor - so I am on a constant look out for this.

We decided to try Ah Lee's curry wild boar meat especially since this stall in Taman Sri Tebrau is so accessible for Singapore readers.



Curry is one of the hardest food to photograph as it is not very photogenic and that attention seeking big potato has to get in the way LOL. Ah Lee's curry wild boar is served with plain white rice and tasty chicken soup at RM7 a set.



Ah Lee's curry wild boar is all ribs (except for the potatoes). The wild boar ribs were tender and completely smothered in mildly spicy and fragrant curry. Greasy as expected of boar meat.

Very tasty but if you are hoping for a distinctly exotic texture or gamey flavour, there is none. In fact, I found it indistinguishable from domesticated pork.

So, for foodies hunting for wild boar meat in JB, here it is at Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice stall, and very tasty too :)



Restaurant name: Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 (inside Tyson kopitiam)
Address: Junction of Jalan Badik and Jalan Badik 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WTb4d
GPS: 1.486227,103.768959
Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal

Date visited: 27 May 2013

Johor Buffet - Cafe BLD in Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel in Permas Jaya

 

With the Grand Opening of Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel by YAM Tunku Idris Iskandar on 28 May 2013, Johor Bahru now has more exciting dining choices.

 

 

Cafe BLD is the cafe at the newly opened Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel. I am fortunate to visit this exciting new dining option in Johor Bahru twice recently, once at Renaissance JB's Grand Opening and again today during lunch at the invitation of Ervina. Two days, and yet not enough stomach space to try everything. All I could do was to eat to my heart's content, and the rest, I can only take photos and feast with my eyes only.

 

 

Inside Cafe BLD, everything is spanking new, squeaky clean, yet the decor is warm and has rich welcoming tones. Seating is comfortable and spacious at Cafe BLD.

 

 

The food is prepared on order in a central island, open concept kitchen - the first and only such kitchen in Johor Bahru at the moment. We can enjoy watching the chefs prepare our food :)

 

 

I went round and round the four sides and corners of this kitchen, hunting for the best food and photo opportunities. I seemed to discover new, interesting things with every round.

 

 

This is the friendly Executive Chef Foong making cotton candy for us :) Chef Foong who hails from Ipoh has a wealth of experience in international cuisine having worked in restaurants and hotels in London, Osaka, Shanghai, Perth, Jakarta and Singapore.

 

In case you wonder, and some of you might have already guessed it, Cafe BLD stands for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

 

Follow me and let me take you around Cafe BLD.

 

 

There are lots of Western and local appetisers - this is the succulent smoked duck, my personal favourite :)

 

 

The seafood station during the Grand Opening - I tried only the oysters and they were plump and fresh. I could literally taste the sea - went two rounds on this one :P

 

 

Chef Foong is very proud of his signature Nasi Goreng Kampung. The prawns and scallops were fresh and well executed. The fried rice was savoury. That sunny side up quail egg was a interesting touch and the fried keropok were crispy and tasty. The nasi goreng kampung is served with a couple of sticks of satay. Available from the a la carte menu.

 

 

I didn't take the satay - saving it for another day but from the looks, charred bits at the edges and the meat grilled to golden brown, they must be delicious.

 

 

The chef was frying thick chunks of fish with a spicy looking sauce.

 

 

Sushi from the Japanese station.

 

 

Roast duck lovers - look out for this roast duck, it is one of the best that I've tried. This roast duck is one of the signature dishes at Renaissance's own Cantonese restaurant, Wan Li.

 

 

The roti canai station - everything is freshly made.

 

 

Shaolin pizza by Chef Yap at the pizza station.

 

 

Crispy, thin crust pizza.

 

 

Fire works at the pasta station.

 

 

I can't help myself catching another flambe at the pasta station - this spectacular one by Sous Chef Thana who was visiting from Marriott Singapore, helping out at the Grand Opening.

 

 

The Briyani station during the Grand Opening. The lamb was gamey, tender, succulent and infused with spice fragrance. I had two helpings :P

 

 

 

The spicy tom yam noodle soup from the noodle station.

 

 

We were spoilt for choice for dessert, both Western and local.

 

 

For cake lovers, the Western desserts are made at Renaissance's own Chocolate Cake Company. 

 

Cafe BLD changes its menu regularly, so you can expect to see something different during different visits.

 

Here are the prices for the international buffet at Cafe BLD.

 

Breakfast Buffet : RM 42.00++ (Monday – Sunday)
Lunch Buffet : RM 55.00++ (Mon- Thurs)/ RM 60.00++ (Fri – Sun)

Dinner Buffet : RM68.00++ (Mon- Thurs)/ RM80.00++ (Fri – Sun)

 

· 50% for children below 12 year old – 7 year old

· FOC  for children below 6 years old

 

 

 

Restaurant name: Cafe BLD (in Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel)

Address: 2, Jalan Permas 11. Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Masai, Johor

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/w6A4u

GPS: 1.495097,103.812786

Hours: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

 

Date visited: 28 May 2013, 31 May 2013