I wonder if you guys realised but i’m starting to update my blog more often nowadays, LOL Every weekend i will try to find some inspiration and think of topics to blog about and unless i went to some interesting places, or try new food (like my previous post on Creamery), i usually have to come up with a topic like the previous previous skincare post, and on certain ”lucky for me or not so lucky for you guys” weeks, it might be an advertorial, but rest assured it’s definitely gonna be of relevance and relatable. I will definitely not blatantly accept any 阿猫阿狗 advertorials or sponsorship :D
So like the title suggest, this post is gonna be about my day trip to JB last Friday. I always loved going across the border to JB because of the food, the malls and probably the only thing that matters to most people - the exchange rate. There are several ways to go over to Jaybee like driving in, taking the train (something that i would like to try someday), hiring a private car from Bugis or the option that i’m using so far - taking the public bus from woodlands.
The only downside about taking the bus is that the amount of time needed to enter Jaybee is based on the crowd. From Woodlands interchange to Woodlands custom is still not that bad, it’s only when you arrive at the JB custom to get your passport chopped. There was once i queued almost 2 hours and recently my friend queued for 3.5 hours! Then again, it all depends on timing. Usually it gets really crowded over the weekends and public holidays. Weekday not so much, probably 10 to 15 mins queue and you will be inside City Square. Total about an hour from woodlands to JB.
Went in around lunch time so for brunch/ lunch, i brought everyone to the Cafe hopping area (Jalan Dhoby) which is walkable from City Square, to one of my favourite cafes - The Replacement. I love love love the overall white feel of the cafe and the food is good as well. The awesome thing about dining/ shopping in JB is that even though the price of the item may reflect the same amount as in SG, it’s the exchange rate of RM3.15 is to SGD1 that changes the whole game. Typical brunch instagrammable brunch menu and the food is really not bad in terms of taste and presentation.
Some notable food items to try - Soft Shell Crab Bao, Chef Salad with Avocado, Croque Madame and their churros with dark chocolate or Salted egg yolk dip.
Honestly, it felt really good to spend a weekday at a cafe, comfortable seat and good food. After having a hearty brunch, we decided to hop to a nearby cafe for coffee so i recommended Bev Cafe. Never had a chance to visit Bev C despite being to Jaybee so many time, i have also seen photos of their espresso cube so thought we should head over to try it out since we are looking for coffee. Just note that the cafe is on the 2nd level. First level is their retail store.
I have no idea why i didn’t take a photo of the espresso cubes (probably because i didn’t think i would do up a post on the trip, lol) BUT i took photo of my pretty drink and the 2 cakes that we ordered. Firstly i would like to share that the expresso cube drink wasn’t amazing (based off the comments of the 3 expert coffee drinkers that i went with) The ratio of coffee to milk was unbalanced. But on the other hand, i really love my drink that i ordered. I really want to share more about this drink but i searched everywhere online for a good 15 minutes to get the name and what it contain but to no avail. Bev C ah, if you are reading this, can you at least put a copy of your menu somewhere online like your website or FB??? Anyway, my drink was really pretty in terms of aesthetic and refreshing when it comes to the taste. It was quite citrus-y with slices of Japanese cucumber in it and to top it off, watermelon ice cubes. Love it ♥♥♥
Ordered the pretty cakes as well. Had the Earl grey lavender dark chocolate dome cake, taste wise quite meh but it’s super chio and instagram worthy, LOL The other one we ordered is the Dark chocolate peanut butter. I honestly prefer the latter, but taste wise both are just pretty normal and they are not exactly very cheap also. For read on more cafes, you can read http://www.imandystorm.com/2015/07/cafe-hopping-in-across-border-johor.html
After which we took a GrabCar over to KSL Mall, another mall which i frequent whenever i’m in JB. At one glance, there seem to be nothing much inside the mall but what i enjoy would be the basement where they have a lot of food and supermarket (so auntie, lol) and also the top level where they sell all the electronics like handphone covers, cables, power banks etc. Not only that, there is also a cinema, quite a number of hair salons, nail parlours for the ladies and also massage.
Also, if you are there on a Monday evening, there is a pasar malam just right outside the mall, it stretches forever, like never ending and they sell all kind of stuff like food, toys, bags, kitchen utensils and even live fishes. Some notable food to try: Muah Chee and Carrot Cake! Read more on this KSL Pasar Malan: http://explodingbelly.com/2016/01/06/reason-why-you-should-visit-jb-on-mondays-ksl-pasar-malam/
Last but not least after our shopping and massage (RM60 for foot and upper body massage) at KSL, we took another GrabCar to Taman Sentosa or what they call - “大馬花園” to have tze char dinner at Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant! One thing i notice about the GrabCars in JB is that the drivers don’t really know their way but they will still accept the booking and depend on their GPS to bring you to your destination. If you are looking for cheap and good zi char place in JB near KSL, you can consider searching - “Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia” for reference.
What i really like about eating here is the quality of the food as well as the price. Let me least down the food that we ordered that night for the 4 of us - Yam ring, Butter Crayfish (0.5kg), Kailan, Kar Cheong chicken, Fried you tiao with sotong paste and prawn eggs. Total price? RM95 which is equivalent to SGD30, less than $8 per pax for this amount of food. Where to find such cheap and good tze char in Singapore?! After the dinner you can also go opposite to have durian or if you are there late, you can go to the same area to have lok lok.
That’s all for my day at Jaybee. I wished we had more time because it was already quite late when we return back to City Square and the shops were already closing. Before i end this post, remember to get the Roti boy coffee bun as you walk back towards the immigration building, it’s super good! You should be able to smell it from a distance away, HAHAHA Time to plan my next trip to Jaybee!
Till the next post,
