BRIYANI GOODNESS

I have told you before about The Village. Suka suka suka their Briyani! Kami telah pergi beberapa kali and they never failed to please us. But to find the place is a bit tricky lah, but for the purpose of this entry, I cakap sajalah it is somewhere near to Danga City Mall. If you are interested, tanyalah I and I will ask my Husband to give you the direction. Heheh.

Sila baca untuk tahu sejarah Briyani. Yawn.

Saya yang (gemuk dan) gembira mahu makan Briyani lazat. Saya suka interior kedai ini. Very homey. And the service is always good.

Ya, si dia membaca menu sambil senyum. Apakah?

Mutton Briyani for him. RM15. Lauk kambing tahap tak habis.

Chicken Briyani for me. RM14.50. Ayam ada 2 dan besar! Puas makan.

Chicken 65. Ketulan ayam & hirisan kentang goreng. Hebatlah spices yang digunakan untuk marinate the chicken & potato. Sangat lazat.

Palek Paneer. My Husband’s favourite Indian dish. Adalah blended spinach served with Indian cottage cheese. Boleh jadi kuat macam Popeye lepas makan.

Natijahnya. Licin selicin-licinnya. Pandai makan. Anak siapa ni?

SAWADEEKAP

This time around I’m featuring a Thai-Western fusion restaurant, Carabao. We went there for the first time for buka puasa last Ramadhan and had a feast of scrumptious Thai meal tapi terlupa to take pictures back then. This time around, we had some simple lunch.

Carabao ada pondok-pondok kecil duduk bersila. Seronok.

He had Thai Fried Rice. Chef recommendation. Which was OK.

I had Sea Food Tom Yam with Mee Hoon. The Tom Yam was good.

Thai style fried squid. The Husband liked it so much but it didn’t suit my liking. Maybe my tekak yang pelik on the day kot.

As you can see, the deco juga adalah fusion antara Western and Thai influence. Carabao adalah sebuah restoran yang sangat cosy dan sangat-sangat sesuai untuk bawa keluarga.

HAINANESE CHARM

I’m a fan of kopitiam. Terutama kopitiam yang tak makan dek waktu, untouched dek kemodenan. You know, the kind yang tak pretentious, yang masih ada old school charm intact. And guess what? We have one right in the center of Johor Bahru! It’s Restoran Huamui! So okay, for my Muslim readers’ benefits, fret not, the foods served are halal. And most workers are Malaysian Malays.

The interior: untouched, unpretentious, friendly and warm. Oh and note the signage, they don’t sell liquor to Muslims. Good for them! Restoran itu adalah 2 tingkat and we chose untuk makan di tingkat atas, so I don’t actually have the pictures from downstairs. Kelihatannya seperti lebih cantik di bawah. Can you see how ramai the patrons? That was on Sunday afternoon, but Hubby said memang setiap haripun ramai begini dari pagi. Oh and you can even make reservation. There was a reservation for a Malay family of 20 at the time.

Okay, wajah wanita itu penuh pengharapan agar makanannya sedap.

We were served with salted peanuts while waiting. On the house.

Beef Kuey Teow for him.

And telur separuh masak as well (yes, he was hungry. Hehe)

I of course had to have their Hainanese Chicken Chop because they claim that they serve the Best Chicken Chop in town.
It was alright, but I’ve had better.

Our drinks. It’s a kopitiam, so naturally, Iced Tea and Iced Coffee for us. Drinks were good. I like restaurants yang serve minuman sedap. Sangat, sangat penting IMHO.

Overall, I surely want to go there lagi dan lagi dan lagi.

SERENITY

Siapa sangka di hujung dunia Johor Bahru sana ada suatu tempat yang sebegini membahagiakan? Situated next to Johor new administration center, Nusa Jaya, Puteri Harbour is a picture of luxury and tranquility.


Walaupun tak ada yacht untuk ditumpangkan di harbour yang indah itu, itu tak menghalang kami untuk menikmati kelazatan makanan, keenakan dendangan live band dan keheningan angin laut di Puteri Harbour Café. The foods were good (oleh chef bertaraf 5 bintang). A bit pricey but nevertheless good. The live band terlalu terlalu menggembirakan jiwa. And of course, nothing beats angin laut sepoi-sepoi bahasa.

I had their Fried Rice Kampung Style; which is by far the best Nasi Goreng Kampung I’ve ever had. Lihatlah telur kuning itu! Yummeh!

Lamb Chop for Hubby; besar dan lazat.

Orange Juice for me (of course, I’m currently an addict, remember?)

And Cappucino for him.

The peaceful ambiance:

KABHI KUSHI

There are a few recommended places here in JB if you’re looking for good Indian Briyani. Our favourites would include 7 Spice and the Briyani Village. But recently we had the chance to try out Chakra, famously known for its orange exterior and legend has it that this is Sultan Johor’s favourite restaurant (according to The Star, that is)

The Star gave a remarkable review on the place so we decided to try their Briyani and man, we were glad we did! Their Briyani was good!

The restaurant is divided into rooms (it used to be a house, which explains) and this is where we were seated. It was cozy. Sesuailah kalau ada private function then you can book a room and close the door from outside world. Best best.

The Husband had Lamb Briyani (I couldn’t remember the Indian name) which costs RM16.90. Seems pricey tapi kambing sangat banyak!

I had their Chicken Briyani, RM14.90. Yummylicious!
I kenyang sampai malam!

Plain Fish Curry – with no fish and only a few ladyfingers, you’d think they’d give it to you free of charge, kan? No. It is RM6.90.
Di sini Chakra kalah dengan 7 Spice because 7 Spice gives all kinds of plain gravy for free.

Papadom. Wajiblah. They’re as big as Afdlin’s in Papadom the movie.

Picture says a thousand words, so they say.

Happy, kenyang people, we were :)

THE BROWN FIELD

If you’re a fan of Steam Boat or Yong Tau Foo or its kinds, you’ll love this place in Penang. Penangites call this food Celoq-Celoq (that is Celur-Celur in proper Malay) and it is situated in Padang Brown (although it is fondly known as Padang Brom - don’t ask me why) As you can see, all the sticks are colour coded – each colour representing different prices.

Another must-try in Penang!

SEHARI DI MUAR

Got a Court case in Muar and Hubby decided to take leave to tag along; and we went jalan jalan cari makan dari pagi sampai petang! Who would have thought that Muar is a foodie haven!

First stop: Satay! Muareans makan satay for breakfast. The best one, according to a friend, is the one di depan stesyen bas. Sedap indeed. Order saja SATU and they'll send you a plate of sate daging, ayam dan perut, lengkap with nasi himpit, timun and yummy kuah kacang.

Beza gaya pemakanan lelaki dan perempuan. Ehem.

Cendol di tengah hari panas.


Yang paling wajib tentunya Asam Pedas JJ! Lazat!

Kedua wajib ialah Kopi Sai Kee 434; the Muar treasure, the pride and joy of Muareans. Or so they claimed. Heh.

But truly, Kopi 434 is super delicious!

Even Monalisa endorsed them tau! (Sorry about the pic;
I don't know what happened. Ngeh)

Our last stop was at the Pagoh RNR for their must-try-Mee Rebus;
but it was not that great.


But all in all, I heart Muar foods! :D

UDANG LOVERS

We are udang lovers, my Husband and I. Me with my sinus problem and all, tapi masih suka udang. Heh. But yeah, setiap kali pulang ke Banting, mesti puas makan udang. And my father almost always bekalkan udang to bring home to JB. This time, Udang Harimau 1 1/2 kilo. With udang this big, selalunya I prefer to just fry them. Sometimes goreng garam-kunyit saja. Sometimes variasikan dengan goreng with garlic, sometimes bakar or like today, goreng with garlic and pepper and red chilli macam ini. Yummy goodness!

PECEL LELE, I LIKE!


Another Indonesian lunch in Jakarta:

The Pecel Lele was nice but seriously I prefer the one served in one small restaurant behind my office in JB, named Lesehan (which means, 'bersila' in Malay). Their Pecel Lele is heavenly, with sambal belacan yang pedas dan lazat dan ikan keli yang perfectly fried.

BAKSO AND WHAT NOT


Indonesian lunch in Jakarta: