Tag Archives: restaurant

Carabao Thai Restaurant

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Carabao Thai Restaurant is located in Johor Bahru’s CBD, next to the New York Hotel.

photo of the exterior of Carabao Thai Restaurant

The restaurant has only outdoor seating. They spray mists of water and use shade and fans to help keep things relatively cool. I think the setting is the best reason to chose Carabao, as the food is only decent as is the service.

photo of the interior of the Carabao Thai Restaurant

Even though it is downtown they do a nice job of situating the restaurant on the back of the lot with some shade trees so you do get a bit of a feel of escaping the city. They also have a large parking lot.

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Ajisai Japanese Restaurant

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Ajisai Japanese Restaurant is near Plaza Pelangi (in the same strip of shops as Furusato Japanese Restaurant, Rosmarino and Clinic Australia).

photo of sushi lunch special

My favorite sushi special

I really like the sushi special in the photo, it includes everything you see except the fried lotus root for I think 18 MYR (super deal ~ US$6). This special might only be available at lunch. I usually get one small item with it and they have some great choices (fried quail eggs, pumpkin tempura?, sushi items etc. – the fried lotus root was actually my least favorite so far).

photo of Interior view of Ajisai Japanese Restaurant

It is my favorite Japanese restaurant with great sushi and good prices and good service. There are really several quite good sushi restaurants, in my opinion, this is my favorite but the others are very close to the same quality and service.

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Shahrzad Restaurant

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Shahrzad Restaurant is located between KSL Mall and the New York Hotel in downtown Johor Bahru.

photo of humus and pita

Excellent humus and pita

As you would expect the humus was excellent. The restaurant offers very good Middle Eastern food. I recommend it.

photo of the entrance to the restaurant

Shahrzad Restaurant with New York Hotel in the background. All photos by John.

There is a nice patio with tables and trees and tables inside also.

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Tera Thai Restaurant

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photo of Tera Thai restaurant building

Tera Thai restaurant is in an old house.

Tera Thai restaurant is near downtown Johor Bahru. Still some taxi drivers have a problem finding it – even with an address. It really shouldn’t be hard it is about 2 km away from the Thistle hotel but it in a quiet area with not much else around (it is near Sri Mulia Condominium and to get to Pangsapuri Adamai Condo, you have to pass the restaurant).

photo of beef dish

This was a great beef dish at Tera Thai, but I can’t remember what it is called.

It is a very nice restaurant with a great atmosphere and good service. The food is very good.

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Qi Bakery, Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru

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photo of Qi Bakery exterior

This is my favorite bakery in JB (I like quite a few bakeries here actually). It is located in Permas Jaya, right next store to my favorite book store: Treasures n Books. Straits View condos are visible in the left background of this photo and the Renaissance hotel is a block away.

photo of buns at Qi Bakery

I really like these buns (shaped like a ball) that were not available the day I took the photo (I think they are some sort of Korean bun). The chiffon is also very good – blueberry especially.

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Furusato Japanese Restaurant, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru

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Photo of Furusato sushi maki

The sushi plate is quite good (30 MYR)

Furusato Japanese Restaurant is an excellent option (I guess it is my favorite Japanese restaurant in JB – though I like a couple) located in the strip of shop lots on Jalan Kuning, next to Plaza Pelangi Mall.

The California maki is quite good and large (18 MYR). The sashimi is quite excellent. They also have cooked food, I just normally get sushi and sashimi there when I go.

Inside view of Furusato restaurant

The interior of the restaurant is also quite nice.

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Village Countryside Cuisine

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photo of inside of the restaraunt

Village Countryside Cuisine

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

photo of buffet at Village Countryside Cuisine

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.

photo of Aloo Ghobi Carrot Dry and Vegetable Doloha

Aloo Ghobi Carrot Dry and Vegetable Doloha

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Kedai Makanan Dan Minuman Seng Huat

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photo of whole fresh fruit including pineapples, mangos and bananas

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.

photo of exterior of the food court

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.

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Annalakshmi Indian Restaurant in Historic JB

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photo of the elaborate doorway entrance to the Annalakshmi restaurant

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.

photo of the interior of the Annalakshmi restaurant

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.

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Manhattan Fish Market at KSL Mall

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Update, 2013 – I have been back several times and the service has declined consistently. Last time the food took at least 20 minutes to show up and wasn’t cooked 0 parts of it were still cold [that doesn’t mean not hot, but actually cold – likely it had been frozen and not even cooked enough to get to warm]. Given all the good options in JB, I would not recommend eating here.

I shied away from the Manhattan Fish Market due to the name (it just seems like at least I should try Asian food). Not that there is really any reason for that, but I do feel a bit silly when I am eating western food here. As a traveler I would eat local cuisine, but as an expat I do find I enjoy to eat good western food, which thankfully I have found in several places in JB. I have eaten at the Manhattan Fish Market several times now and I really like their baked fish. They are excellent.

The market is located on the second floor of KSL Mall, in the Johor Bahru CBD. The service isn’t the greatest and the atmosphere is typical mall: not much to like. But the food is great and the price is reasonable (about RM 25-40 for a meal).

Manhattan Fish Market is certainly not a place I would try to visit as a tourist. But for those living in Singapore and Johor Bahru it is an excellent option. From what I have eaten it has been more of a Asian fusion type of food, but some of the other choices are a bit more typically western (fish and chips, for example). So expats or locals can choose what style they prefer.

Related: JB Station Kopitiam at Danga City Mall – Chez Papa French Bistro – Village Briyani Cafe

I thought I had photos from one of my visits, but I can’t find any. I’ll add some when I get a chance.