Toast Box Johor Jaya 土司工坊 in JB

Janet, the Operations Manager of the newly opened Toast Box café 土司工坊 in Taman Johor Jaya invited me for a visit. 



The large corner outlet in Johor Jaya stood out in the busy neighbourhood which is a JB makan hotspot. The outlet is easy to spot as it looks so attractive and inviting. Janet told me that this is the largest Toast Box 土司工坊 outlet in Southeast Asia. (When a big overseas F and B player comes in in such a big way, it's another sign of the thriving JB food scene.)



Inside, the interior décor has an elegant dreamy white theme which is very pleasing to the eye. It reminds me of those trendy wedding studios and there are a few famous ones here in Johor Jaya LOL. I feel light hearted and cheerful just by stepping into the outlet.



Everything is clean, neat and well thought through. Make your order at the counter or at your table from the extensive menu and all your orders will be served to you. This is Toast Box's first full service outlet in the world (imagine that) :D


Traditional Nanyang Kopi RM2.30

First things, first. When in Toast Box, one must of course drink their Nanyang style kopi. I like the medium body and mild flavours of Toast Box's old style kopi.



When I am in Singapore, Toast Box's kopi is one of my preferred options as it is widely available and is consistent in body, taste and flavour across it's outlets. The young staff are well trained.




The coffee beans are roasted right here at the Johor Jaya café with this machine. Only the Johor Jaya café has this roaster - none of the other Toast Box outlets has this, not even in Singapore.



Traditional kaya and butter toast at RM2.30 a set, pairs well with good old kopi.



Toast Box uses the famous Xiao Mei otak otak from Muar for their otah baguette.



The popular otah baguette was a tad dry for my taste.  A little moistness would make it perfect for me :D



We tried Toast Box's Chicken Curry with rice (RM7.50). The curry was rich with coconut milk and was mildly spicy. The chicken and potato chunks were nicely tender. I am glad that Janet insists on going the extra mile, using only chilled instead of frozen chicken for this dish - it's just like mum's cooking.



This is like home cooked rice eaten with the chicken curry. We can also choose toasted baguette for dipping in the curry.



Janet was eager for us to try the Singapore style laksa, one of Toast Box's signatures. The laksa gravy is heavy with coconut milk, spices, chili and hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimps).



Each bowl of laksa comes with two of these large fresh prawns. The shelled prawns really got me sitting up :D



Janet let us try the laksa with popular mee tai mak 老鼠粉. The mee tai mak is slightly chewy and bouncy, and appeals to many people. Call me old fashioned but personally, old school bee hoon still works better with me. Shall ask for bee hoon next time  :P

This good laksa at RM7 with two large prawns is such good value, especially in the nice, cosy environment. This laksa at Toast Box, I think is hard to beat.



Toast Box Johor Jaya is a good place to hang out for tête-à-tête with friends. The variety of food and drinks is extensive, competitively priced and the environment is clean and beautiful. Needless to say, there is free wifi LOL

Restaurant name: Toast Box 土司工坊 Johor Jaya
Address: No. 2 & 4 Jalan Dedap 13, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/zgJ59
GPS: 1.543071,103.801231
Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 7:00pm. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays from 7:30am to 7:00pm.
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 12 Nov 2013

Johor Chicken Rice at Yuen Kee 源记鸡饭 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah JB

I passed by Yuen Kee 源记 chicken rice stall several times during past food hunts and noticed that it was always crowded during lunch. Every time, I was either too full or on my way to somewhere else, and so I have never tried 源记 till today.

Singapore Best Food @ Good Morning Nanyang Café 早安南洋

Good Morning Nanyang Café gave old school kopitiam a creative twist with Italian Ciabatta toasts, grainy eggy kaya, and velvety robust kopi. Skip Good Morning Nanyang Café, if you don't want to risk changing your view of traditional coffee and toast forever :P  Read More.

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Johor Western Food Buffet at La Prosperidad De Restaurant 兴旺发西式自助餐 in Kulai

My friend Mandy invited me to visit her relative Adrian's newly opened La Prosperidad De restaurant in Kulai. Besides it's rather unique tongue twister of a name, LPD's unique selling point is that it serves all you can eat Western food buffet at RM28.90 nett. Yes, you heard it right - RM28.90 nett all you can eat Western buffet. Wait! There is more. Children pay only RM13.90. (Sounding like TV commercial :P )

Restaurant name: La Prosperidad De Restaurant 兴旺发西式自助餐
Address: 49, Jalan Gangsa 1, Taman Gemilang, Kulaijaya, Johor 
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/DqCi7
GPS: 1.654114,103.588822
Hours: 5:00pm to 11:00pm
Tel: Adrian +6017-785-2660
No pork, not lard, no Halal cert

La Prosperidad De is a simple, small shop lot restaurant. The tacky décor and basic layout of the buffet line reminded me of those cafés at dinghy small budget hotels.



The young kitchen crew is led by Amos (right) who is also a partner at La Prosperidad De. Amos had trained in Kuala Lumpur, worked in Singapore and now a partner in his own start up.

Initially, I was healthily sceptical about what kind of food a customer would get for a RM28:90 nett all you can eat buffet.

There turned out to be a couple of pleasant surprises.



My favourite dish of the evening was La Prosperidad De's chicken chop. It was a well marinated thick, chunky piece of grilled chicken topped with savoury sauce. The chicken was juicy, tender and nicely sweet. I can easily and happily go for two of this chicken chop in one sitting.



La Prosperidad De's fish and chips was another winner in my opinion.



The batter was nicely browned encasing quite thick strips of dory that were still succulent and sweet. This was better than some places that slice their dory too thin and made it too dry. Inexpensive fish and chips are seldom palatable but LPD's version bucks the trend.



La Prosperidad De also serves pretty good lamb chops made with Aussie lamb. Nicely grilled, still tender and juicy with that lovely gamey flavour that lamb lovers enjoy. However, understandably for cost reasons, each customer is limited to only one lamb chop per person.

 

The spaghetti today was average with the pasta a little limp.



Besides the main courses there are various sides. There is even a clunky small chocolate fondue fountain - a crowd pleaser, especially for the young.



There are also soups, salads, wieners, sausages, French fries and other sides which I didn't explore. Am already stuffed, just tasting the chops. 



It was near full house when we were there on a rainy evening - value seekers have already found La Prosperidad De. Not surprisingly, most were families with children.

If you are shopping with family at Johor Premium Outlets and want to explore small town Kulai, a simple dinner at La Prosperidad De may be an option.

Date visited: 27 Oct 2013

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Johor Famous Bao 包 at Wee Hoi Kopitiam in Gelang Patah 惠海咖啡店

Left to right. David, Leslie, Megan, Lisa (holding the loot of bao), Miki, and James

After Leslie got his bagful of fresh wild caught prawns and we all got our gigabytes of photos at the Pontian fish market, our friend David brought us to Gelang Patah for Wee Hoi's famous old school bao 包. This is the same kopitiam serving Miki's favourite "3 for 1" kopi.

Johor Coffee and Eggs at Wee Hoi 惠海 Kopitiam in Gelang Patah

Miki with her Threadfin catch

Today, we went to the wholesale fish market at Pontian with Leslie Tay of iEatiShootiPost and our mutual friends, David and Miki. After our fruitful foray at the fish market, Miki suggested that we go to Wee Hoi 惠海 kopitiam in Gelang Patah to try their kopi (coffee) which is "so good that you will have 3 cups".

Restaurant name: Wee Hoi 惠海 Kopitiam
Address: 6, Jalan Kacang Panjang, Gelang Patah, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/J1wYl
GPS: 1.446838,103.587325
Hours: 6:00am to 5:00pm (closed on Thursday)
Non Halal

Wee Hoi is a typical small town kopitiam. Wee Hoi's main claim to fame is their traditional bao 包 (buns). When we arrived at about 12:30pm, customers were already waiting for the bao to arrive. Meanwhile, everyone was relaxing with a good cuppa tea or Wee Hoi's popular coffee.



Wee Hoi's coffee is freshly brewed at the back of the kopitiam.



Wee Hoi's coffee is light bodied but aromatic and robustly flavoured with a quite strong aftertaste. It tastes similar to coffee at Daily Grain in Taman Perling and Keng Guan Hiong in Pontian, both of which I liked.



I like Wee Hoi's coffee for it's robust distinctive flavour and aroma.



I certainly can have three of this coffee though perhaps not in quick succession in one sitting because I found the caffeine kick rather strong. It didn't score hat tricks with everyone though, as some found it a little acidic and needs a bit of getting used to.



As Wee Hoi serves soft boiled kampong chicken eggs (which is harder to find in Singapore), Leslie decided to give this a try.



Leslie's daughter Megan was the appointed Official Egg Taster for an unbiased assessment. Megan whose credentials include eating eggs everyday, immediately showed her egg tasting mettle by eating her eggs the expert's way.



A good sign - Official Egg Taster polished off the egg in three smooth slurps and looked blissfully satisfied as she savoured the eggy flavours lingering on her finely tuned taste buds.



Suspenseful moments as we held our breath, waiting for the Official Egg Taster to gather her thoughts.



Hurrah! We were relieved when Official Egg Taster broke into a smile as she delivered her final verdict. It's official - Kampong chicken egg is indeed tastier than ordinary farm chicken eggs. It has a nicer flavour and it's texture is better compared to runnier ordinary eggs.

Remember to try Wee Hoi's soft boiled kampong chicken eggs when you are around Gelang Patah :)

Date visited: 3 Nov 2013

Johor Nasi Lemak at 七里香 Stall at Happy Land Cafe in Kulai

Just a couple of days after trying the fried chicken at Happy Land Café, I decided that I have to come back to Kulai with bloggie buddies to blog about this little nasi lemak 七里香 stall outside Happy Land Café 欢乐园饮冰室.

Restaurant name: Nasi Lemak and Fried Chicken 七里香 stall at Happy Land Café 欢乐园饮冰室
Address: 1-38 Jalan Pinang, Taman Kota Kulai, Kulai
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/pNvVO
GPS: 1.668227,103.578801
Hours: 11:00am to 4:30pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

A simple plate of nasi lemak with ordinary ingredients. No fancy add ons but everything was in place and done well, making for a basic nasi lemak which all four of us agreed was outstanding.

The rice was a mound of gentle coconut milk perfume. The rice grains were the right texture, loose yet each grain was of the right tenderness.

The fried chicken had a surprising texture, a balance of tenderness and firmness with slight moistness still in the fibres. The chicken's subtle natural flavour was still present, while complemented by the marinade's more robust savoury flavour clinging onto the golden crispy skin.

The sambal was sweet from fresh unions bits with a mild spicy sting that lingers briefly.

The nicely done fried egg was almost grease free. 



We were on a day long food hunt in Kulai with an ambitious itinerary of many more food stops ahead, so we were ultra cautious about not wasting limited stomach space. But, 千里香 stall's crispy fried chicken was so good, we couldn't resist ordering this drumstick to savour it's seductive aroma and flavour one more time before setting off for the next stop on our Kulai "Eat List".

The Wong sisters run this humble corner stall, quietly plying their trade for the past 10 years. They seemed a little reserved and unaccustomed to unannounced visits and attention from pesky strangers with clunky DSLRs pointing at them clicking away. They must be wondering what the fuss was all about.



The Wong sisters at work. She would only let me take pictures of her hands :P



七里香 stall was doing a brisk business of takeaways.



The Wong sisters make their own sambal chili from scratch at the stall using red onions, chili peppers, garlic and spices.



Order a plate or two of this nasi lemak when you are at Happy Land, I am confident that you won't be wasting any calories :D

Dates visited: 30 Oct 2013

Johor Fried Banana Chips at Deepavali Expo in Downtown JB

Today, I stumbled upon this banana chip stall at the Deepavalli bazaar at the Hindu temple in downtown JB. This was just one of the dozens of colourful temporary tent stalls selling food, clothes and trinkets during Deepavalli.

Restaurant name: Fried Banana Chip stall at Deepavalli Expo
Address: Jalan Ungku Puan (outside Sri Raja Mariamman Temple) Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/YJyoo
GPS: 1.458872,103.763701
Hours: 12;00noon to 9:00pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

I was browsing the stalls when a blaze of flying banana chips shot across my eye.



Then these men looking like a music band shooting sliced bananas point blank at rapid fire into a large wok of boiling oil stopped me in my tracks.



I looked around and realised that this was like a small efficient banana chip factory. The process starts with peeling the bananas at the stall. (These are more accurately known as plantains - a close cousin of bananas but larger, firmer and lower in sugar.)



The bananas peeled and ready for slicing and frying.



The banana chips are fried salt free. Just real bananas sliced on the spot and  dropped straight into the hot oil with nothing added.



The fried banana chips almost done :)



Freshly fried banana chips :D Notice how free of oil and grease the baskets are?



Each plastic bag of freshly fried banana chips sells at RM15.



Each paper bagful sells for RM5, which isn't cheap. But, it's crackly crispiness is addictive. I finished my bagful within minutes :P



There isn't too much taste or flavour in the banana chip - just a very slight gritty sweetness. It is just fried unripe pulp. Banana (plantain) chips are stiffer and denser than potato chips. It also has nicer texture and are quite healthy for something fried.

Best thing is, these chips are not greasy. Even after a whole bagful all by myself, I did not feel any rancid or oily aftertaste. This banana chips make for pretty guilt free munching :-P

I love these chips :)



Unfortunately, this stall opens only during Deepavalli. At other times, these men go back to their normal jobs.

Date visited: 1 Nov 2013

Best Johor Traditional Hakka Lei Cha @ Volcano Coffee House 火山擂茶 in Kelapa Sawit, Kulai

Lei Cha Rice Set RM4 (2013 price)

The night before going to Kulai for food hunt, I asked Johor Kaki Facebook readers for suggestions. I was especially interested in traditional Hakka dishes as Kulai has a large Hakka population. Many readers from Kulai suggested that I try the lei cha 擂茶 at Volcano Coffee House in Kelapa Sawit.