Village Countryside Cuisine

Village Countryside Cuisine is an extension of the Village Briyani Cafe which is located a few doors away. Both are excellent.

Village Countryside Cuisine buffet

On the weekends they have an excellent vegetarian buffet (15 MYR). I have enjoyed the egg thosai and fish masala and really like the weekend buffet. You get a selection of dishes and it seems to me they rotate the dishes quite a bit so you get to try new dishes each time.

Aloo Ghobi Carrot Dry and Vegetable Doloha

Patchedi at the buffet

The Village Countryside Cuisine offers selections (see the menus below) of various typical Indian food from the countryside for lunch and dinner.

The restaurant includes wonderful artwork and is very nicely designed. The service is also excellent.

The restaurant has several wood mosaic “paintings” on the walls depicting rural scenes.

The restaurant is located in the Johor Bahru Central Business District between Danga City Mall and Tropical Inn.

Lunch menu

Lunch menu

Vegetable soup and cabbage daal at the buffet

Rice at the buffet

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Village Countryside Cuisine
phone: 07-222-0360
Susar 1/1, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 80000, Johor Bahru

Related: Annalakshmi Indian Restaurant in Historic JB – JB Station Kopitiam (in Danga City Mall) – Chakra Indian Restaurant

As their webcast says it is suitable for ages 1-109 with 300 artists giving 30 performances.

Performers include: Najwa Latif

Couple

Azmyl Yunor and The Siggarettes

There are also workshops you have to register for in advance, such as: Modern dance workshop by Slashoot; and Zapin and Joget Workshop by Aswara Dance Company.

Karnival Seni Kreatif Kita has been identified as an Entry Point Project under the Economic Transformation Programme NKEA Communications Content and Infrastructure targeted to elevate and ramp up development of the local performing arts industry. This event is a nationwide initiative making its debut in Johor before travelling to other parts on Malaysia in 2013. Performers and participants at the event will be engaging with the local community through various performances, highlighting the rich cultural diversity of the country in one venue.

Related: The 9th Johor Bahru Arts Festival September, 2012 – 18th Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival, Johor, Malaysia – Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur

There are 6 clan jetties in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. The historic sites include housing built over the water, which continue to be lived in today. Old town Georgetown, including the clan jetties was designated an UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 (along with Melacca).

When the jetties were established in the mid-19th century everybody who lived on the same jetty had the same surname because they all came from the same fishing village in China’s Fujian Province. When they arrived they did not have money to buy land and so decided to build their own villages: the jetties. The families were used to living close to the water and most men who lived on the jetties worked as fishermen or as coolies in the port.
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The UNESCO World Heritage status saved the jetties from planned demolition. The fact that the jetties now have heritage status guarantees that they will stay.

– Francine Linssen, Passage magazine, Friends of the Museums of Singapore, Jan/Feb 2012

Related: photos of Penang – Penang Condo Market – Penang’s Economic Success – Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Kedai Makanan Dan Minuman Seng Huat includes several venders selling local food, fruit and bakery items. Kedai Makanan Dan Minuman basically means food and beverage shop. Seng Huat is located across Jalan Trus from the Old Chinese Temple in old town Johor Bahru.

I generally just get fruit here. I enjoy coconut water and don’t find it at that many places; I get it here every time I pass by (which includes anytime I eat at Annalakshmi Indian Restaurant or the food court at Galleria Mall Kotayara). Learn more about coconuts and the health properties of coconut water.

Fresh coconuts. The water is found in fresh green coconuts. As they ripen the water is absorbed into the coconut pulp.

Prepared fresh fruit.

Several vendors offer food and there is shared seating.

Related: Salahuddin Bakery – Danga City Mall food court also has fresh coconut at the vendor to the right of the JB Station Kopitiam, they are only available about half the time I go though) – City Square Mall

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Fraser’s Hill, Malaysia is a small town in the highlands (about 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur). There are quite a few nice trails that let you get a sense for a natural forest yet they are easily walked to from the many inns and hotels in Fraser’s Hill.

The Bishop Trail is one of the longer trails with a few fairly difficult sections. I found it quite enjoyable, but be prepared for a couple sections that will challenge you to scramble across a creek bed or up a steep collapsed trail.

Related: Kuala Lumpur Bird Park – Big Lizards in Johor Bahru CBD – Banyon Tree Overgrowing Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia – Mason Neck State Park, Virginia, USA

Bells on exterior wall of the old Chinese Temple. Note the turtle at the bottom of the flagpole.

The temple is a place of worship and a symbol of unity among Five Chinese Dialect Groups which are “Teochew”, “Hoklo (Hokkien)”, “Cantonese”, “Hakka” and “Hainan”.

The temple hosts 5 Deities. There are:

• Yuan Tian Shang Di (元天上帝) (大老爷)
• Hong Xian Da Di (洪仙大帝) (洪仙公)
• Gan Tian Da Di (感天大帝)
• Hua Guang Da Di (华光大帝)
• Zhao Da Yuan Shuai (赵大元帅)

Each of the deities are separately worshipped by the “Teochew”, “Hoklo”, “Cantonese”, “Hakka” and “Hainan.”

Ceremonial chairs. Not they are designed to have long poles inserted into them so the chairs can be carried in parades (like Chingay parades during the Chinese New Year celebrations).

I took all the photos.

Location: Lot 653 Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 81800 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Related: Buddha Tooth Temple (Singapore) – Masjid India Mosque, Old Town Johor Bahru – Hindu Glass Temple in Johor Bahru

Video showing some scenes from the 2012 festival:

Related: Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival #17 in Johor Bahru 2012 – The 9th Johor Bahru Arts Festival (September 2012) – Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Malaysia’s High Real Yields Mean Flows Top Peers in Southeast Asia

Foreign ownership of the local-currency notes [in Malaysia] rose by $8.4 billion in the first 11 months, compared with a full-year increase of $4.9 billion in Indonesia and $6.6 billion in Thailand, according to official figures. Malaysia is rated A3 by Moody’s Investors Service, three levels above Indonesia and one step more than Thailand, while its 10-year bonds pay 2.3 percent after accounting for inflation, versus 0.9 percent and 0.1 percent for its respective peers.
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Bhd. Malaysia has the lowest inflation in Southeast Asia even as the central bank kept borrowing costs on hold since May 2011, while limiting ringgit appreciation to 0.6 percent over the past two years.
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Malaysia exempts foreign investors from paying income tax on bond earnings to boost investment in the $289 billion economy, Southeast Asia’s third largest. Thailand imposed a 15 percent levy in 2010 to stem gains in the baht, while Indonesia, the biggest of the three in terms of gross domestic product, introduced a similar tax of 20 percent in 2009.

Overseas investors held $42 billion of ringgit-denominated government bonds as of November 2012, central bank data show. That compares with $17 billion of baht securities in December and $28 billion in rupiah notes as of Jan. 21, according to data from the Bank of Thailand and Indonesia’s finance ministry.

Malaysia’s worsening fiscal deficit and high household debt, if not addressed, may add downside risk to the sovereign credit rating, said Wong.
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Gross domestic product in Malaysia will increase 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent this year, compared with the 5 percent estimated for 2012, according to a government forecast in September. Indonesia’s GDP will rise 6.6 percent to 6.8 percent, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said Jan. 14, versus the central bank’s projection of 6.3 percent for last year. Thailand’s economy will expand 4.9 percent, compared with 5.9 percent in 2012, Bank of Thailand Assistant Governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan said on Jan. 18.

There are some significant strengths in each of these economies and Malaysia has some distinct advantages including a strong natural resource base and fairly small population along with a strong current accounts surplus (exporting more than they are importing).

The biggest worry in Malaysia is the large government debt even after the advantages of selling natural resources. The lower population is an advantage in trying to rapidly increase median income. Malaysia has been doing well at this, but continuing it is not easy and perils have far too frequently interrupted other countries success at doing so. Balancing fast enough growth without tipping over into unsustainable bubbles (often with high leverage) is tricky. Malaysia will have to find a way to decrease the budget deficient while continuing the many things they are doing right to continue to succeed.

Balanced growth is important. Growing numerous strong economic sectors (say health care, manufacturing, natural resource, tourism, education, finance, housing) is critical to creating a robust economy that can grow over the long term even as individual segments suffer. It seems to me the housing sector is a bit over invested in which is a risk. Making sure to develop an economy that provides many good jobs is the key (as a strongly diversified economy will – for all different types of workers, highly education, technically skilled, vocational trained, even unskilled). Lots of expensive houses people can pay for has created many problems recently all over the globe, Malaysia hasn’t experienced that yet but it seems to me there is a risk of that problem. Avoiding that drain (overbuilding housing) will be key to how rapidly median income can increase in the next 20 years.

Related: Malaysian Economy Continues to Expand, Budget Deficits Remain High – CIMB Takes Aggressive Investment Bank Actions – Manufacturing in Malaysia: Bahru Stainless Starts Production

Entrance to the Annalakshmi restaurant in Johor Bahru

The Annalakshmi is a vegetarian, Indian restaurant that offers good food in an inviting environment with friendly service. Annalakshmi restaurants exist in several other cities including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Chennai. They offer a interesting policy of letting you decide what to pay.

The restaurant is located in historic Johor Bahru near many other attractions: Salahuddin Bakery, Masjid India Mosque, Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim, Sri Raja Mariamman Temple, Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple, Tiong Hua Chinese Heritage Museum, Sikh Gurdwara Sahib and a pleasant stroll from City Square Mall.

Annalakshmi is the culinary arts section of Temple of Fine Arts (TFA), an artistic and cultural organization dedicated to serving the society through arts, music and dance. This heritage is seen in the very nice decor.

The buffet offers about 8 dishes along with rice and papadum (crispy bread). Several of the dishes seem to be permanent with several rotating. They are quite good and several of the dishes I have never seen before.

I have been back probably 10 times; it is quite tasty.

This wood inlay with scenes of lions is quite impressive. The artistic sense is certainly captured here. They also have some very nice paintings on the walls.

Location: 39 Jalan Ibrahim, Johor Bahru
Telephone: 07-227-7400
Monday to Saturday.

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The Galleria @ Kotayara is a newly completely refurbished mall in JB town (Johor Bahru CBD). It is across the street from the Sikh Gurdwara Sahib and Sri Raja Mariamman temple and (on the other side of the mall) Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim.

The food court has been open for a few months but the rest of mall is still mainly empty. Still the food court already has almost no seating (I went at lunchtime this time but another time, even in the middle of the afternoon the food court was very full).

The food stalls (probably about 15 with mainly Malaysian dishes) offer very good food at great prices (the two times I have tried it so far anyway). Main courses are about 5-8 MYR ($2-3 US).

My meal was quite good. I think this was Nasi Goring Paprik (but I can’t remember for sure).

The mall looks like it will open soon but as of 2 weeks ago there were almost no non-food stores open (there were some pre-Christmas temporary stalls open). It looks very nice – the previous incarnation of the mall was not very appealing.

There is also another section of the mall.

Related: City Square Mall, Johor Bahru near causeway – Plaza Pelangi Mall – Used English Bookstore in JB (Permas Jaya)