holiday Archives - Page 68 of 91

Johor Food trail shares about our best food.
Friends visiting our blog know SengkangBabies enjoy road trips up North, but we purposely avoid “notorious” places like Johor and Petaling Jaya (PJ).

When we visited Kidzania at PJ, we dine in and around the hotel, never venturing out. The nagging fear for us is to return to an empty parking slot, where our car was supposed to be!

Back to Johor, we know they have a lot of good and cheap food, but we are more acquainted with Legoland haha. Before the kids came out, we used to drive to Taman Sentosa on the spur of the moment and enjoy butter clayfish or BBQ sotong or whatever.

After the kids pop out, and with negative media coverage of crimes, snatch thefts, car jacking etc, it put a brake to our Johor trips. Even non-original DVDs and wildboar meat (野味) could not lure Daddy over.

Fast forward to 2013, we partner Heng Family and Tan Family on a Johor food trail recently. Heng Family are regular explorers in Johor Bahru.

And most importantly, we have Johor Kaki‘s blog for reference.

Tony’s food recommendation and GPS locations make it hard to miss good food in Johor, and Johor Bahru is easily 2.5 times bigger than Singapore 🙂

For our virgin Food Trail, we will only focus on Johor Bahru precinct (the capital of Johor).
KSL Resort hotel was our rest point over 3D2N stay. The ground floors belongs to KSL City, good for shopping and food.

We will share more about KSL hotel later, but you need to know that 2min across this hotel, lies more GOOD food !

There are a lot of F&B options in KSL city, but we strongly encourage you to be adventurous and walk across the street for some delectable street food.

In our First blog post, we will only feature the Street food which we consumed over 3D2N.

Day 1 Lunch – There are a few famous Bak Ku Teh in Johor, but none is nearer to KSL city than “Soon Soon Heng”. (Our favourite is Hwa Mei)

Name: Soon Soon Heng Bak Kut Teh Restoran (顺顺兴肉骨茶)
Address: 43, Jalan Serigala, Taman Abad, 80250 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.486233,103.761647
Rating : 3.5/5

The Bak Ku Teh (pork ribs) is more herbal than pepperish. Although the stall is seldom empty, waiting time is bearable. Kids must be hungry, we finish every last drop.

Daddy thought the meat was a tad too tough, and kids have problem chewing. We spent 44Rm for 2 adults and 4 kids, really value for money (read cheap).

Day 1 Dinner – Mixed rice dinner

We are still new with exploring Johor Bahru, so we went back to the row of eateries across KSL City (Same as our Bak Kut Teh lunch). Malaysia’s mixed rice is buffet style, you pick your own servings and gravy, and the boss will give you a price. The food might not look appetising, but do not let it deceive you.

Mixed rice is many office workers stable food option, as it reminds us of home-cooked food.

Char Kway Teow and soupy Yee Mian noodle. Daddy and Mummy wanted to try out everything. You can view Heng family’s satay here.

After our dinner, we were hunting for Tang Yuan to celebrate Dong Zhi (冬至汤圆), but alas no luck. We end up with some fusion dessert at BlackBall.

Day 2.1 – Md. Salleh is a plain looking shop. They do not serve fancy Roti Canai (or pratas), but their plain and egg servings are good. Crispy, paper thin foils, with a little burnt corners.

Name: Restoran Md. Salleh
Address: Jalan Pingai (Opposite Pelangi Leisure Mall)
GPS: 1.482377,103.773111
Hours: 7am to 3pm (closed on alternate Weds or Thurs)
Rating : 3.5/5

The boys can easily consume three pieces of plain Roti Canai each, and we scooped every piece of morsel off the plates 🙂

Day 2.2 – Hengs Hengs Kopitiam

Name: San Ming Penang Prawn Mee (三民槟城福建虾面)
Address: 58, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.481779,103.775042
Hours: 7am to 2pm daily
Rating : 3.5/5

Singapore’s Chee Chiong Fun is consumed plain, but Malaysia’s Chee Chiong Fun can go with side dish for a hearty breakfast (or any meal of the day).

Johor is not exactly near to Penang, but you will encounter Penang Rojak (fruit), Penang Laksa, and in this case Penang Prawn Noodle 🙂

Day 2.3 – Love Durian? Love Nian Gao? Remember Wah Cai (华仔).

Name: Wah Cai 3 in 1 Chinese Cake (华仔3合1招牌炸年糕)
Address: 86, Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (TUTA), Skudai, 81300 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.522640, 103.664664
Hours: 7am – 4.30pm daily
Rating : 4.25/5

Wah Cai’s best selling items are it’s 3-in-1 Nian Gao (三合一年糕) and the durian fritters. The Nian Gao is sandwiched between sweet potato and yam, thus the 3-in-1 name.

All delicious.
3-in-1 Nian Gao – 2Rm
Durian fritters – 2.50Rm

With every bite, durian aroma fills your mouth. The pulp will seep into the crispy exterior. One is never enough.

Day 2.4 – We brave the rain for some splendid Banana cake, Hiap Joo has a Fanpage too.

Name: Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory (协裕面包西果厂)
Address: 13, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.456701, 103.764421
Hours: Daily 8am to 6pm (closed on Sunday)
Rating : 4.5/5

Hiap Joo is an old establishment, 1919 ! Look at the old school stove, the staff has to push the shovel deep inside the furnace to bake the pastries and cakes.

At 12.30pm, thick Banana scent will fill the shop ! We advise you to arrive earlier to queue up in order to grab a box of banana cake. Limited edition :p

Banana cake shiok! Every tantalising banana chunk will melt in your mouth. You must order the upsize at 8Rm, and one box is never enough for hungry kids !

Adults will love the coconut buns too.

Day 2.5 – If you arrive earlier than 12.15pm, go and enjoy a cuppa of Nanyang Kopi (coffee) across the street. Restoran Kin Hua and Restoran Hua Mui are both popular.

Name: Kin Wah Restoran (锦华咖啡店)
Address: 8, Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.456776, 103.764367
Rating : 4/5

Restaurant Kin Hua’s toast, egg and Kopi. Just add pepper and sauce to the half-boil eggs, they complement each other well, and perfect for a cool drizzling afternoon.

Day 2.6 – Hiap Joo’s boss was even kind enough to recommend Uncle Barry to “The Best Chicken Chop in Town”.

Name: IT Roo Cafe Restoran
Address: 17 Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.456845, 103.763546
Hours: Monday to Sunday 11am to 10pm
Rating : 4/5

Ordering from the menu cannot be too difficult, as they are only two 5* items haha 🙂

We love the Chicken Chop and the Root float ! Crispy, tender, with a huge dose of mushroom sauce.
At 13Rm only, this Chicken Chop is a steal.

Day 3 – By now, you should realise that most good old fashion food stalls will use traditional rooster bowls. Is it a trademark for yummy food ?

Ah Hua Kueh Teow is on the same row as Soon Soon Heng.

Name: Ah Hua Kueh Teow
Rating : 3.75/5

There are a few shops selling Kway Teow soup and we randomly pick Ah Hua. The tasty soup is filled with ingredients and we love the liver. Mummy confirmed no msg is added in the stock.

We pay about 22Rm for soup, dry Kway Teow and another bowl of fishballs.
Delightful and satisfying breakfast.

As Daddy is working on the Johor Food trail blog, he kept swallowing his saliva. We must plan for Food Trail 2, soon.

We would rate our experience 5/5! It was fun travelling with like-minded friends, sharing of food, driving adventures. we are now more confident to explore more of Johor 🙂

Do pop by Heng family’s food trail on our 3D2N trip here. Our 3D2N photos are already up on our Fanpage :

– Johor Street Food
– KSL City’s Pasar Malam (Mon only)
– KSL Resort pool and shopping
– Safety driving tips in Malaysia

Daddy sucks when it comes to food vocabulary, let MissTamChiak and Derrick impress you with more Johor Food porn 🙂

For those who still resist driving into Johor Bahru, fret not, Tony has a walking guide! Follow his Johor and Singapore hawkers Fanpage.

A lot of Singaporeans still have reservations about driving into Malaysia, do pop by our Driving and GPS tips for traveling up North.

* Daddy has copy the shop locations from Heng Family and Johor Kaki, if anything is not updated, please let us have the latest update.

** If you are taking Grab and heading back to Johor Custom, set destination as “CIQ Jalan Jim Quee”. In worse case (or to await jams), you might opt to drop off at City Square and walk across

* Massage recommendations in Johor (blog)

ps.. Follow our Instagram tag #SengkangBabiesJohor for more JB adventures

Not too long ago, Daddy used to resist a GPS (Global Positioning System).
He says it removes the joy and adventure out of a road trip.

Yes, even if we miss a turn or exit, that is part of the road trip “fun”…
but kids are not impressed.

Maybe it is the macho stuff, where guys need to be able to topo (navigate) and find their bearings anyway everywhere.

After a few painful “hollands” (navigation failures) near Melaka, Daddy is finally convinced GPS is not a nice-to-have, but a must-have. Maybe it is the constant reminder from the Mrs (you just over shoot the landmark again!) or worse, kids (are we there yet?)

Back to our topic, we will share why a GPS is useful when we travel up North.
It brings us to the last M-I-L-E.

Trust us, in Malaysia or any other country bigger than Singapore, that last mile can prove elusive. When we are hunting for food stalls, you really need to be precise to the street name or junction ! Otherwise, kids will be clamouring (we are hungry) again !

A GPS’s basic role is to bring us from point A to B.
Garmin, Tom Tom, and Marbella are some of the popular brands in Singapore’s IT fairs.

Nowadays, a GPS has more functions and computing power.
Do we really need a bigger screen, voice activation, smart phones connectivity ?
Daddy thought the extra functions might end up distracting the driver.

Get familiar with your GPS system in Singapore before driving into Malaysia.

Some newbie questions which we encounter before :

– do I need to set country to Malaysia when I drive to Malaysia? (nope)
– does GPS needs a constant internet or connection? (nope, as map is preloaded)
– so many ways to input the destination, POI (points of interest), postal code, street name, coordinates (GPS). Even Image (landmark) Geotag.
– you can even use your mobile phones to push the coordinates directly into your GPS unit

– One constant issue is loss of signal when we travel under a flyover. Those entering Johor via Woodlands custom will understand the challenges like the sharp bends, overhead flyovers, your GPS will be barking turn\keep left\right every 100 metres !

Focus on the road first and only GPS-navigate when you are confident of road conditions. Do not cut lanes abruptly or brake suddenly, you can always U-turn further up.

Another less common issue might be to convert your GPS coordinates from Decimals (eg Google Earth) to Degrees and Minutes.

Example Legoland’s GPS Coordinates :
– Degrees, Minutes, & Seconds: 1º 25’ 38″ N 103º 37’ 47″ E
– Decimal: 1.427361, 103.62987
– GPS: N 1 25.642, E 103 37.792

Your GPS unit might not understand Decimal coordinates, and we need to convert them into Degrees.

1) example how to change decimals “1.427361, 103.62987”.
2a) Use the digits after the point, ie 0.427361 x 60 = 25.64166, we round up to 25.642
2b) 0.62987 x 60 = 37.7922, round up = 37.792

2c) Thus we get “1 25.642, 103 37.792”

Alternatively, we can use a convertor — http://www.csgnetwork.com/gpscoordconv.html

What features do you like in your GPS?

– lifetime map update for SG and MY ?
– ability to find carpark lots?
– detecting the next speed-trap (illegal in Singapore) (updated 201710 – try Waze)
– one day, our Smartphone will become our default GPS navigation unit
– bigger screens?
– detours, traffic jam avoidence
– GPS unit price can range from $150 to $500++, what do you need?
– ability to tell Tow Truck or Ambulance your location coordinates

Daddy is still primitive when it comes to GPS, he justs punch in the numbers, and listens to the instruction. He does not need to understand the satellite and receiver technology behind the GPS infrastructure,

Viola destination, Hooray food trail, yeah 燒肉 !

If you find the hungry kids photos irresistible, do pop by our recent Food trail Johor and Pasar Malam KSL city. Do not visit the albums on an empty stomach !

Now that you are more familiar with your GPS system, review our Holiday destinations in Malaysia ! We have some Driving tips too, in case you are apprehensive about driving up North.

More GPS (Garmin) features on this video clip “Coordinates on GPS usage”.

Thank you to our humble Garmin Nuvi 1250 🙂
You have brought us so much Fun, and Food.

ps.. do pop by our Google Map hacks too