Almost Famous Cafe, Johor Bahru

So you're near Bazar Karat and you're hungry for some snack. Look for Chaiwalla and walk across the main road to Almost Famous Cafe. It's a plank/wood (?) themed cafe and while the table we got was uncomfortable, the food was good.

Table 3 or was it 6? Can't remember

Decor

Taste - #iLove

Price - Affordable and fair. RM45.20 for 3 pax.

Ambiance - It's a themed-cafe. Not very cozy but plenty of photo opportunities. And it seems like they allow smoking at all tables as well.

Traffic light. We didn't plan this!

Forgot the name. It has a cheese name in the name. My gf said sedap.

My mini burgers (chicken) yummy! <3<3<3<3

Chicken chop (big portion)

To be safe, go at night. Cool place to lepak for a bit before continue shopping in Bazar Karat.

Chamek Kopitiam, Danga Bay

So you're in Danga Bay, staying in Tune Hotel or Zoom Inn (like I suggested) and you're hungry. Where to eat?

Worry not! There's a delicious place nearby called Chamek Kopitiam.

Apparently 'Chamek' is the name of a place in Kluang. Why Chamek? You gotta go ask the owner la :)

They have many outlets but the one I visited is in Danga Bay.

Taste - Delicious! #iLove
Price - RM26 for 2 pax. We ate a lot- Nasi goreng ayam merah, nasi goreng ayam kunyit, keropok lekor, telur dadar, limau ais & i forgot my girlfriend's drink.
Ambiance - Cozy. Got alfresco dining as well if you prefer

#iLove Turmeric chicken fried rice <3<3<3<3

Telur Dadar

Keropok Lekor

Clean and cozy

Service was fast and friendly. Being a picky eater, I asked a lot of questions like what colour is the fried rice, how's the chicken gonna be like (cut into small pieces or one part liddat) and how spicy the rice will be. ALL questions were answered nicely by the lady who took our order. She's friendly too!

When the food arrived, my girlfriend got the *wrong* fried rice. She asked for extra spicy but received the normal one instead. She decided not to complain but somehow they realised the mistake and brought a new dish of spicy fried rice instead. How attentive and nice kan?

I LOVE the turmeric chicken fried rice and keropok lekor. The keropok reminded me of those sold nearby my home. Sedap :')

Promise you'll visit this kopitiam?

Zoom Inn Boutique Hotel, Danga Bay: A Revisit

Hey all!

I stayed in Zoom Inn Boutique Hotel again recently. The one in Danga Bay (owner said they are opening a new hotel in town, somewhere near a water theme park! Weeee~) with plenty of parking spots.

Booking - Very Easy. Multiple platform available. This time I used Expedia.

Rate - RM273.70 (3 Days 2 Nights) Executive Room Family (no breakfast)

Location - Very Good

Dining - Plenty of restaurants nearby. Will share one place- delicious weyh!

Service - Very Good

Overall 5 <3<3<3<3<3 of 5

Must rajin compare price la. Some room cheaper direct booking, some cheaper on Expedia, some cheaper on Agoda. Check-in and check-out were quick. No need to wait long. Front desk also very friendly and helpful (I asked how to get to Singapore using bus). Different person manning the desk. Didn't see the guy from my last visit.

Room also very nice. No sliding door yang close half-expose half like the other room.

I like this place because room is comfy and cheap. Good location because near a police station, there's a grocer nearby and plenty of restaurants within walking distance. Tune Hotel is also nearby so if you want to go to USS, you can get the shuttle ticket a day earlier and go the next day.

Johor Premium Outlets (JPO)

Hi! It's me again. Urukhai. Shea is still lazy.

Well I'm sure this place needs no introduction to the ladies. Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) is famous for genuine, off-season posh brands sold at a discounted price. Handbags, shoes, perfumes, chocolates, fashionable clothes you name it, they are here.

Come early on weekdays to avoid the crowd of mad bargain hunter

You don't see this peace on weekends or holiday

No. Not a place for your kids to take a dip

The JPO complex has the usual coffee shops like Starbucks and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. There are also a few restaurants and a huge cafeteria with a lot of choices of food from western to local food.

Public amenities like the restrooms and surau are above the Malaysian standard. Pretty impressive in my opinion.

Look what's opening soon!

THE place to chill after shopping or rest in between shopping

However from my observation based on my two trips there, you can get more choices at the end of the year compared to other months. Say for example the Guess store, you're more likely to find nice bags or purse in December instead of in June. I have no idea if this is only based on the store's ability to stock up their wares on time. So take my tips with a huge dose of salt. 

I don't know much about nice bags actually.

-Urukhai-

Bazar JB (Pasar Karat)

If you're in Johor Bahru please do drop by at the Pasar Karat. It is essentially a big night market around some nice hip cafes and boutique eateries run by young Johoreans. 

Pasar Karat operates roughly from 7.00pm to midnight.

Okay, what about parking arrangement? You can park by the road side wherever there are spaces and as long as your parked car don't obstruct the traffic flow obviously. The traffic police are quite lenient around Pasar Karat area. I think.

Interesting gateway to Pasar Karat.

I reckon this is the Chinatown part of JB.

Plenty of nice small boutique cafes around.

If you fancy a chai drink, this establishment is among the most popular in Pasar Karat.

A corner shop lot with intricate Chinese design.

Another hip cafe brimming with young customers.

Another boutique cafe.

A boutique eatery.

Part of the crowd

Lively scene.

You can see the Pasar Karat signage above an interesting stall selling vintage posters.

What sort of things can you purchase over here in Pasar Karat?

Well, the market caters for the young audience and the old alike. There are plenty of clothes, independent  t-shirt sellers with unique designs, henna decoration service, vintage items ranging from old vinyls, posters, books and antique paraphernalia and a lot food & beverage stalls.

You'll need at least an hour to fully cover all the market at a leisurely pace. So if you're in town, the Pasar Karat is a nice place to stop by.

-Urukhai-

Amansari Residence Resort, Masai, Johor

Why Masai? What to do in Masai?

Well, if you are not 'balik kampung' for raya/CNY or have siblings studying in UiTM/Excelsior/UniKL or planning to eat/play golf nearby, there's not much reason to need a hotel in Masai. But when you do need to stay, you might want to consider Amansari Residence Resort.

Booking - Very easy, multiple ways

Rate - No idea. Mom paid :p Affordable, I'd say.

Location - Average. Easily found.

Dining - Average

Service - Good

Overall: 3 <3<3<3 of 5

Check-in and check-out were quick. Room was not very spacious but comfortable and equipped with mini bar, iron, ironing board, basic toiletries, hair dryer, etc. There's a safety box as well but it was already locked. Room was clean even if the balcony was quite dusty.

Bathroom. Toilet is behind the door

Shower and the basic toiletries

Comfy bed and pretty painting

Mini bar. Hairdryer in the drawer, iron & ironing board in the wardrobe

A bit dusty :(

View from the room

I ordered room service for dinner. Asked for no veggie fried rice but what arrived about half an hour later was veggie fried rice. When I told room service the problem, they sent the correct plate and let us keep the wrong plate FOC. Commendable in crisis management, I'd say!

This is supposed to be the fried rice no veggie. Not a piece of chicken in sight

The one they sent after I complained. At least there's a prawn there! Yay!

Breakfast was okay. Plenty of tables available and they served variety of food (mainly local) at the buffet line. Taste wise- average. There are swimming pools and dipping pool (or was it jacuzzi?) but I didn't take a closer look. It's shaded (in the building) so, meh for me. Gym looked clean and well-equipped. They also have spa in the complex.

From the lobby, walk down the stairs

Breakfast area from outside

Plenty of parking available. Once you get your room card, you can touch that to enter instead of taking the ticket.

In short, this hotel is a good choice if you need to stay in Masai :)