Lavender

10 THINGS TO DO IN JOHOR BAHRU

July 10, 2018 by Little Miss Honey 2,234 Comments

One of the great things in living in Singapore is its proximity to neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. So if you are living in Singapore, you are just several minutes away from Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Surprisingly, this proximity hasn’t been taken to full advantage by people residing in Singapore. I have been to Johor Bahru approximately 5x. In my recent trip to Johor with my family, I got better acquainted with the place after a local gave us some recommendations of things to do and places to go.

Here are a few things you can do in Johor Bahru, Malaysia:

1. Stay in Hotel Jen

Staycations are a trend right now. People like to book a hotel and just enjoy the amenities & comfort of a hotel. We loved staying at Hotel Jen at Puteri Harbour. It is very kid-friendly with its spacious space for kids to play in the lobby with big pillows, a large TV, several iMac to use while I check in the hotel. I am happy that we get to do an early check-in when we upgraded our room to the harbour view. We loved our room and the aesthetics of the hotel. Our kids were particularly happy and comfortable at Hotel Jen.

We love that our room is overlooking the harbour and kids enjoying seeing the yachts below. We like the location of the hotel. There are lots of nearby restaurants and there are pharmacies, convenience store and boutiques as well. The hotel provides free shuttle bus to Legoland and it is just walking distance to Hello Kitty Town and Thomas & Friends. The hotel staff were all so friendly and accommodating. When we plan to stay for a night or two in Johor Bahru, we know that we will be staying at Hotel Jen.

2. Enjoy a day of fun & rides with your kids at LegoLand

Of course, when you speak of Johor Bahru, it is often synonymous to Legoland Malaysia. So you must visit Legoland when you have young kids when you are in Johor Bahru. Our eldest celebrated his birthday there twice when he turned 2 years and recently when he turned 4. Kids would surely love it there. For younger kids below 4, they will enjoy the playgrounds while 4 years and older will love the rides.

If you opt to stay in Legoland Hotel, it would be an awesome experience too. Their themed hotel rooms are so cool and spacious with a treasure box for you to figure out how to unlock. We had a fun time when we stayed in Legoland Hotel too.

3. Ride the Thomas & Friends train or Have a Nice Afternoon Tea with Hello Kitty

Thomas & Friends Train is currently our kids’ favourite cartoon especially our second-born. Naj and Fynn were so excited that they get to ride the Thomas & Friends’ Train. Thomas Town is found 3rd and 4th floor of building while Hello Kitty Town is at the 2nd floor. We are happy that it is just a few steps from Hotel Jen. Since we got boys, we didn’t visit Hello Kitty and opted to just visit the Thomas Town. There were several kiddies rides. Afterwards, our kids get to enjoy the large playground while my hubby and I stayed at the Parents’ Lounge to enjoy some armchair massage.

Hello Kitty Town

Thomas Town

4. Go shopping at Johor Premium Outlets

If you like shopping branded stuff, try visiting Johor Bahru Premium Outlets. You will find great deals there. You will enjoying spending a half day walking around the area searching for items that would attract your fancy.

Credit: sgtojb

5. Enjoy some cakes & hang out at TreeSea by 3C Cafe

Someone from JB suggested this cafe to me for its yummy cakes. It is found inside Horizon Hills. The place looks very instagrammable. People would love to hang out there for a chill afternoon away from the sun. My family and I had lunch there before we headed back to Singapore.

6. Have a tall glass of Old Town White Coffee

If I don’t reach out for my favourite Singaporean kopi peng, my next best thing is the 3-in-1 Old Town White Coffee in Hazelnut. In Johor, they have cafe that serve the Old Town White Coffee bought as 3-in -1 here in Singapore. They also serve meals for their customers.

7. Buy some yummy breads at Lavender

If you want to buy some breads to munch on going back to Singapore, I suggest you drop by Lavender bakery. You can find one in City Square. Must try their Pandan Sponge Cake, Macaroons, Corn Peppers and Chicken Ham & Cheese Bun.

8. Pamper your nails at Cynbolic Nail Bar

You can also have a pampering treat at the lovely posh Cynbolic Nail Bar. It is definitely worth the trip. My nails looks so pretty and nice after they did their 5-step Cynbolic Treatment on my poor nails.

I love how pretty the place looks and that they are very particular with their hygienic practices to provide clean and high quality service to their customers. They also serve refreshments for their customers. They have a mini-retail store area upfront, selling cute stuff that you would be tempted to buy.

9. Stroll around to shop or eat at JBCC Komtar or City Square Mall

If you are in Johor to just shop and eat, visit City Square Mall or JBCC Komtar Mall. You can just stroll around and enjoy your favourite boutiques and restaurants that are usually half the price cheaper than in Singapore. Once my galpal and I chance upon a sale in Padini and shop ’til we drop. It was perfect time because it was near Christmas season and we bought our Christmas gifts to our families there. My gall also love the KFC in Johor and would always buy a bucket of chicken there. She says it takes way better in Johor than in Singapore for some reason. While my family and I would often have dinner at Tony Roma at JBCC.

10. Enjoy a beach stroll or the evening lights at Danga Bay

Danga Bay is a a new recreational park in Johor which was opened in 2017. We noticed it on a taxi-trip back to our hotel when we say bright lights from what looks like a carousel. Danga Bay got a theme park for families to enjoy. Nearby also is the Dang Bay Beach which you can have a quiet stroll or you can take a cruise ride which can accommodate up to 12 people. There are nearby cafes and restaurants too.

Credit: blog.tunehotels

So for the next long weekend, you might consider trying out exploring Johor Bahru, Malaysia if you are living in Singapore. Let me know if you have other discoveries in JB too.

THE ENTERTAINER SG APP FOOD TASTING INVITE: THE.TWENTY.CAVAN

February 27, 2017 by Little Miss Honey 1,456 Comments

If you are in a search for a hipster vibe dining which I am fond of, I often suggest going to areas like Tiong Bahru, Haji Lane and Lavender. Recently, Lavender has another addition of those wonderful instagrammable restaurant that would delight those who love to dine with great ambiance and amazing foods. Introducing the.twenty.cavan.

the.twenty.cavan is a 10 minutes walk from the Lavender MRT. It has a tricky surroundings because you cannot find that many food shops along that lane that you might missed it. Most restuarants and cafes are at the next lane. the.twenty.cavan is a modern cuisine restaurant with Asian fusion. The design concept is very rustic dining area with strategic display of lightbulbs on walls. The reason for the emphasis on light bulbs is to acknowledge Jalan Besar’s association with lighting shops. Andrew and Alex are the owners of the.twenty.cavan and are both professional chefs.

The Entertainer App Sg invited us, bloggers to a night of dining at the.twenty.cavan. It was nice to see some old faces and was happy to meet new bloggers & instagrammers.

the.twenty.cavan is one of the merchants on both the Entertainer Singapore and the Cheers Singapore 2017 apps. The Entertainer Singapore app features more than 1,700 Buy One Get One Free deals across choice merchants in F&B, beauty and fitness, attractions, retail and luxury hotels worldwide. The Cheers app is a sister product of the Entertainer Singapore, and features more than 800 Buy One Get One Free offers exclusively redeemable on alcoholic drinks at your favourite restaurants, bars and nightspots. Each app retails at $125 and are available for purchase at https://www.theentertainerme.com

the.twenty.cavan offers three 1 for 1 main course Entertainer vouchers. This includes their all-day breakfast items. So cool, right? (Do note that premium items, marked with a “P” on their menu, are excluded from this deal.)

They also offer three Cheers vouchers which will give you:
– 1 for 1 on bottle of house wine

– 1 for 1 on house beverages

– 2 for 2 on house beverages

For starters, we had the Garden Green Salad with pan-fried prawns, cashew nuts, fresh berries and green chili dressing ($12), Mushroom Skewers which comprises peppercorn-flavoured Portobello and Shiitake mushrooms ($8), Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab with curry chicken floss ($9) and Quad Seafood ($12) which comprises top shell, scallop, prawn, baby octopus tossed with mint hot bean sauce served with jellyfish. A choice of three starters costs $21 and four starters cost $26. It was a great way to kick start our gastronomic adventure in the.twenty.cavan.

Chicken Galangal Rice Bowl ($18)

This is a diced chicken tossed with rice in blue ginger sauce with zucchini, tomatoes and edamame. We were figuring out what the hairy fibery yummy ingredient in the bowl. We thought it was chicken floss. We were surprised to learned it is ginger, maybe sliced thinly. It is an interesting dish that we really liked.

Crispy Fish & Chips ($17)

It is made of tilapia coated with lager batter and fries with the skin on. This is a thick and large portion of crispy fish than most fish & chips I have seen.

Cavan Breakfast of brioche, bacon, pork bratwurst, sautéed button mushrooms, corn kernels and choice of eggs ($18)

Who loves the idea of eating breakfast food all day? I do! All of the content of a good breakfast are on this platter. You get a big meal just right here. You can order this in the Enteratainer App if you get in during lunch or dinner.

Canton Roast Chicken with homemade Thai chili sauce and black rice ($18)

Ahh, this is definitely one of our favorite dish. It is flavorful and juicy. It wasnt dry at all. I love the marinade of the chicken and the nuts on top.

Red Rice Braised Pork Ribs with roasted vegetables ($20)

Chef Andrew’s made a pork ribs version of the Hakka chicken dish made with red glutinous rice wine lees. This is another favorite of mine. Chef Andrew have perfected his craft on this wonderful dish.

Stir-fried Blueberry Lamb Chop with cous cous ($20).

For the main course, they have saved the best for last. The lambchop was gloriously marinated with sweet blueberry. It was soft and tender. It can with a healthy complex carbohydrates, cous cous which I would prefer that the regular white rice. Do note however this is under the premium menus and cannot be ordered in Entertainer App.

Pumpkin Yam Puree with chilled coconut cream ($8)

This is a modern version of the traditional Teochew orh nee has aloe vera and pandan juice mixed in with the pumpkin and yam puree. I reminds me of the afternoon snack my nanny used to make for me when I was young.

Matcha Pudding with mixed berries, black sesame cream and a dollop of pulut hitam ($7)

Matcha-lovers would be delighted on this dessert. It has a wonderful mix of sweet and sourish taste to play with the gustatory senses.

Lemon Pudding ($7)

If you like tarty flavor, this is for you. Its hint of mango balances out the tartness of fresh lemon juice.

I urge you to come visit this fab restaurant that is great for dates as well as meet-ups with friends. The food, the interiors and the friendly staff would be a sure hit on your date or your clique.

For details on redemption of both Entertainer and Cheers offers, kindly refer to the Rules of Use found within the app. Basically, you can only use one voucher (either Cheers or Entertainer) for every two people. To use two vouchers (one Cheers and one Entertainer), you need a company of four people.

Get your Entertainer App & Cheers App here!

the.twenty.cavan

Address: 20 Cavan Rd, Singapore 209851

Phone: 6612 6024

Nearest MRT: Lavender

Disclaimer: This was a food tasting invitation by Entertainer App Sg & Cheers App Sg in collaboration with the.twenty.cavan. The food tasting was free. No monetary compensation is involved. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

FOOD DISCOVERIES: THE TIRAMISU HERO

February 18, 2016 by Little Miss Honey 1,947 Comments

I have noted that the Lavender area, particularly in Tyrwhitt Road, have great hole-in-the wall restaurants and café available for the foodies of Singapore. My sister’s friend brought us to this cute place, The Tiramisu Hero, that serves yummy variety of tiramisu. I didn’t stay long that time and vowed to come back next time.

The next time, I brought along my colleagues for an after-work afternoon of tiramisu and lively chat. The Tiramisu Hero is a small but adorable place. Inspite the small location, the establishment made pretty good use of the space with some merchandises sold in the front part of the cafe. The wall is decorated by drawings and a big head of their cat mascot, Sir Antonio where people can take a photo.

The Tiramisu Hero is a dream project of Aileen and Peggy who wanted a cozy and fun café for foodies. They picked Tiramisu because it is their favourite Italian dessert. They have come up with several types of tiramisu for all types of taste buds.

We all picked a tiramisu of our choice. There were tiramisu that have alcohol content. I picked the Original and brought a jar for my hubby, the Oreo flavour. The Classic flavour cost $7.50 per jar while the Premium flavour cost $9.50.

The tiramisu was moist and yummy, nothing spectacular. I had better tiramisu but I liked the presentation. It was a bit pricey though for its size.

We also got other foods in the menu which we tried.

CHUNKY MUSHROOM SOUP ($6.00)

This is a nice feel-good dish with warm mushroom that was blends perfectly with toasted garlic bread that is great with this dish.

TRUFFLE FRIES ($9.50)

We couldn’t get enough of these fries, we had two orders of these. I love the dip that comes with it.

RISOTTO AL FUNGI ($15.80)

I ordered this. This is a cream-based risotto with bacon strips, button mushrooms, organic baby spinach and pesto sauce. Unfortunately, I am disappointed with this one. The risotto wasn’t a bit too dense for me and the flavor of the sauce was mediocre.

AGLIO OLIO ($14.90)

This is looks and taste delightful. This is angel-hair pasta cooked al-dente with garlic, good-sized prawn, and lots of crisp bacon tossed in extra virgin olive oil. This dish has my thumbs-up.

TRUFFLE & SAGE PASTA ($15.90)

This is a very creamy pasta though I am not a fan of Portobello mushroom. The pasta was cooked perfectly al-dente like the Aglio Olio. This is hand-kneaded tagliatelle with truffle, sage and mushrooms. But this is not favourite though.

The Tiramisu Hero is a great place for people to hang out for chats and enjoy trying different types of tiramisu. It is also perfect for food photographers/ bloggers to take wonderful photos with their cute aesthetics of the place. When you visit be sure to take your photo with Sir Antonio’s head.

The Tiramisu Hero Cafe

121 Tyrwhitt Road

Singapore 207548

(+65) 62925271

Opens 11 AM to 10PM daily

Website: www.thetiramisuhero.com

Facebook: thetiramisuhero

Instagram: thetiramisuhero