The Toast (土司坊) @ Mount Austin in Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

I was in Johor Bahru (JB) again last week but it was an entirely new area that I had yet to explore; Mount Austin, which had grown to be a well known food district in the state capital.

There's something strange that I realized in my recent visit; there's a high chance I would go with traditional local breakfast whenever I pop by Malaysia for a day trip! And a place like "The Toast (土司坊)" would definitely appeal to me! 

With five branches within Johor Bahru, I guess further expansion would be expected. Even before eating what they had, I must say the interior design would have won over those from my parents' generation and older; they would remember the abacus, the bread man on bicycle etc.

Spanning two shop spaces, business was booming and we were glad to secure the last available table! I was surprised as I purposely visited on a Monday and 10.00 am shouldn't be considered as peak breakfast period. 

Our order for two persons.

Kopi - it's necessary to kick start the day with a cup of local Malaysia / Singapore coffee! This was pretty good as it wasn't too sweet, although a bit milky.

Butter Kaya Toast - 15 types of toast to choose from, with four that were recommended; butter kaya, tuna mayo, cheese ham, cheesy sausage. Being a hardcore traditionalist when it comes to toast, butter kaya shall be the choice for the day.

Kaya definitely didn't ooze out the way it did on the menu but we all know pictures are purely for illustration purpose. To be fair, it was still a sizeable chunk of butter in the middle. The bread was lightly toasted and its soft fluffiness was evidenced when my teeth used minimal effort to break through. Only issue was that there were just too much butter and at some point; I appeared to be just eating butter.

French Toast Peanut Butter - this shall be voted the ugliest French toast ever! However, we must always remember the old adage; looks can be deceiving.

Well, it was oily, bread was mushy, you get a bit of crisp edges from the eggs surrounding the toast which was better than nothing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it better than the toast as the overall poackage, with the crunchy peanut butter inside, was more satisfying, albeit on the sinful side. 

Sambal Seafood Fried Noodle - given the name, I assumed it would be strands of noodle with a red tinge and peppered with cuts of chilli padi and / or chilli flakes. At one glance, I thought it was the wet style hokkien mee! 

Turned out this was the best dish at The Toast that morning and it reminded me of a dish I had in Singapore before. Punggol mee goreng even though this was saucier and had a rich tomato-based flavor blessed with a spicy kick (I can't control the peals of sweat rolling down my head) that was incredibly appetizing! 

Burp! 

=====

Address

19, 21, Jalan Austin Heights 3, Taman Mount Austin, 

81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above. 

Pricing

Kopi - RM 3.30

Butter Kaya Toast - RM 2.80

French Toast Peanut Butter - RM 6.40

Sambal Seafood Fried Noodle - RM 11.50

(Inclusive of Service Tax)

Guann (元) Signature Minced Pork - Crab Meatballs with Prawn and Fish Maw Soup in Onze @ Tanjong Pagar [Singapore]

My mom prefers a bowl of soup over fried chicken and I decided to bring her to check out a soup place with pretty good Google reviews after her visit to Fook Tet Soo Hakka Temple last weekend. 

There wasn't any noticeable signboard for Guann (元) and that's unusual as most businesses, especially new entrants, know the importance of having prominent signage! Thankfully, Onze @ Tanjong Pagar is compact with just a few commercial entities.

Signature Minced Pork-Crab Meatballs with Prawn and Fish Maw Soup - I am just going to dive into the topic! The pork+crab meatball soup was literally the only dish with variations based on whether you want prawn, seafood, fish maw. For me, the signature option seemed like the obvious choice. 

As I was sharing the soup with my mom, I topped up with a bowl of cabbage rice; grainy with a nice aroma and too oily, this was not bad although I think a scattering of shallots would have enhanced the flavor. Sadly, my mom can whip up a mean serving of cabbage rice and hers was definitely better.

Now on the signature soup; said to be MSG free with ingredients like cabbage, mushroom, tofu and tomato, the broth was light and tasted appetizing. It wasn't rich though and I bet some people might find it a bit bland. 

I loved the ingredients which did a marvelous job in soaking up the broth! They were fresh and I would have gladly paid for more of the crunchy cabbage with mushy insides. Fish maw was the usual but I only took one piece as the rest were quickly cleaned up by mom! 

Aside from the soup, it appeared that the minced pork - crab meatballs were another signature. While they didn't disappoint, I would have thought they were essentially very soft handmade pork balls with negligible taste from the crabs.  

What caught me by surprised was their chill; spurts of sharp spiciness that was sour in the beginning and eventually gave way to a sweet onion aftertaste! The potent spiciness lingered on the tip of my tongue for a while but it was worth it. p.s. perfect condiment for the meatballs! 

Cleaned up! I like the soup but personally, I prefer a flavor that was more intense and rich. And at S$12 a bowl, it could only be an occasional indulgence even though you could get a basic minced pork + crab meatball soup for just S$8.00.

=====

Address 

11 Kee Seng St, #01-05, 

Onze @ Tanjong Pagar,

Singapore 089218

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Minced Pork - Crab Meatballs with Prawn and Fish Maw Soup - S$12.00

Cabbage Rice - S$1.50 

Bami Express - Vietnamese Baguette (Banh Mi) @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza [Singapore]

Does banh mi appeal to you? When I first got to know of this Vietnamese food, my first thought was its similarity to subway and back then; I didn't quite enjoy Vietnamese cuisine and lacked the motivation to explore further.

An older me is like a different person; I have taken a liking to bun cha and banh mi! Bami Express was on my radar for quite some time and I wasn't successful in my first three visits; once was due to off day and the other two was because of out of stock, and I didn't have the patience when I saw the long queue.

I am 4th time lucky; there was just one person in front of me and I got my banh mi in less than five minutes! There were nine options and we opted for bami saigon, which was presumed to be the signature for being listed number one on the menu and that its name doesn't refer to any ingredients like fried egg, fish patties, tuna, smoked duck, bbq chicken etc.

My Bami Saigon had ingredients like pate, pork ham, stewed pork and chicken floss. You can choose to add extra ingredients and I had go with fried egg, given my love for them.

"Scrunch~~!!" The sound caught my mom by surprise; it's actually her first banh mi and I guess she didn't expect the texture to be that crispy! Said to be baked fresh on a daily basis, the baguette didn't feel heavy on the tummy and had no strong yeast taste.

Mom was pleased to find so much vegetables inside! In summary, a satisfying meal that could only be described as both healthy and delicious; I absolutely enjoyed the combination of the aromatic freshness of the cilantro, the sour-sweetness from the carrot and radish and subtle savoriness from the meats. p.s. if you are looking for more meat satisfaction, I would feel that Nhung Kitchen is a better fit.

=====

Address

Block 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, 

#02-02, Singapore 081005

 

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Bami Saigon - S$5.50

Add Egg - S$1.00

Sugar And Tease in Onze @ Tanjong Pagar [Singapore]

Onze @ Tanjong Pagar is a building beside Tanjong Pagar Plaza that most people wouldn't have noticed as it's at one corner with only one floor of commercial entities; I wouldn't be surprised if some of you assume it's the renovated backyard of Tanjong Pagar Plaza. 

I was on my way to check out a soup place within Onze @ Tanjong Pagar but the above eye-catching display stopped me in my tracks. I figured I could leave some stomach space for desserts.

45 minutes later, I was back with mom at Sugar And Tease; this tiny cafe that could maybe just sit ten customers! There was even a label on each table for customers to limit their usage to 30 minutes. Thank god I am not a cafe hogger. 

Aside from the cakes and tarts, you can also indulge in cookies, brownies and loaves! With only two tummies between us, I guess we have to be selective on what to have.

A cup of Lotus Tea would help make us feel less guilty; earthy with a touch of bitter aftertaste. I was most happy with the complimentary cookies; so nice to give us four pieces knowing there were my mom and I! They were delicious and almost melt in my mouth; from the look of them, I think they are pecan cookies and valrhona dark chocolate & fleur de sel. 

One in a Melon - introducing to you Sugar And Tease's signature watermelon cake! This was the reason I braked in front of the cafe! There were so much red in it; I initially thought it was a over the top strawberry cake.

A closer look revealed that there were also slices of grapes, some flower petals, in addition to strawberries and watermelon. Now, I love watermelon but never in cakes. Would it be weird?

Sandwiched by two thin layers of cake (which could have been mistaken as bread toast) was a slab of chantilly cream with chunks of watermelon peering out. As watermelon is a fruit with high water density, the cream has to attain a high vicosity so that the watermelon doesn't sink! 

Mmmm! With so much cream, I was surprised it didn't taste cloying; was in fact light and fluffy with an interestingly flowery-scent to its taste! The pieces of watermelon resulted in crunchy yet juicy bursts of sweetness that soothed the throat on hot days.

=====

Maybe I would buy one for a family's birthday celebration.

p.s. there is a dark forest cake that I would love to check out too! 

Address

11 Kee Seng St, #01-04, 

Onze @ Tanjong Pagar,

Singapore 089218

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.sugarandtease.com/

Pricing

One in a Melon - S$12.00

Lotus Tea - S$4.00

Buffet Breakfast @ Grande Centre Point Hotel Ratchadamri in Bangkok [Thailand]

In normal circumstances, you don't see me opting for  hotel breakfast when I book accommodations for overseas trips, unless they come free without topping up. It was the same stand adopted for my stay at Grande Centre Point Hotel Ratchadamri in my recent trip to Bangkok.

However, the continuous bombardment of TV publicity in the hotel lifts, that the buffet breakfast cost just 350 baht (about S$14.00) per person, and the traffic situation based on timing, eventually swayed my position on checkout day. 

Here we were; outside Horizon Room on the mezzanine floor of the hotel. As our plane was scheduled for departure at 12.15pm, we figured it might be too rushed for us to grab breakfast, especially if we didn't manage to wake up earlier. Hence, breakfast in the hotel made better sense. 

Interior of the premises; we followed the advice of the "traffic" situation and reached at about 7.00 am, said to be the "low" traffic for the restaurant, with ample tables for us to choose from. As it isn't located on high floors, there wasn't much of an outside view although I still prefer window seating.

Beverages to start the day; from drinking water, infused water, juices, green tea latte to americano, espresso, hot chocolate and tea. A varied selection. 

Numerous cereals with a selection of nuts and options for low fat fresh milk. This breakfast section was least patronized by me as I have never been much of a cereal person, except for coco pops with fresh Japanese milk from the Meiji brand. 

I don't mind porridge so long they have appetizing condiments for me to mix in! The choices here did appeal to me but it would be even better should there be fried onions, fried garlic etc. 

OMG; moo ping too?! As some of you are aware, Alex and I love the grilled pork skewers from Thailand and in this trip, we had it almost daily! So glad to see it being available for our last day in Bangkok! 

You can choose to have the moo ping with sticky rice. If I recall correctly, some people would have a few sticks of moo ping, with rice and that should be a meal for the day. 

Japanese food too; with Japanese pork cutlet, Japanese rice, miso soup!  

There were also tamagoyaki, seaweed, wakame, kimchi, soft tofu etc, if you need to spruce up your Japanese meal. I am surprised there was no natto as it is a basic Japanese breakfast fare although foreigners usually can't accept its taste and texture.

A typical Northern Chinese breakfast; the only thing I could consider would be the Chinese doughnut, known as youtiao. I can't imagine soy milk with sago, boiled millet, red beans etc even though I shouldn't say too much if I don't even attempt. Maybe it would blow my minuscule brain away. 

Southern Chinese breakfast - dimsum which comprised of ginkgo and yam bun, char siew bun, siew mai  (pork dumplings) and har gow (prawn dumplings)! Had to try despite the preconceptions that they would not likely impress. 

Looking for something more substantial? Go for the stir fried noodle with sweet and sour fish and bak choy! Again, not something I would try unless I faced the same kind of dishes everyday and needed something new to refresh my palates. 

Westernized breakfast with baked beans, oatmeal, bacons (normal and crispy), chicken sausages, grilled mixed vegetables (squash, capsicums, mushrooms), potatoes and frittata (like quiche). 

The very important egg station! 

You can indicate your preferences here before passing it over to the staff in charge. It's so nice to have the pictures; given our different accents, this would definitely help reduce any misunderstanding. p.s. to me, over medium is generally known as fried egg in my country. 

Hard boiled and soft boiled eggs! Now that I am older, I realized hard boiled eggs fill up my tummy very fast. In the past, I can easily have five hard boiled eggs at one go; now, just two or three would make me stop all food intake. 

When we talk about western breakfast, how could we do without bread!? Aside from sweet bread like banana cake loaf and chocolate marble cake loaf, you have others like your usual white bread, whole wheat bread, Fresh bread and English bread.

Butter was separately served on a small glass bowl and jam offerings were interesting; in addition to marmalade, strawberry and blueberry jam, there were peanut butter, nutella, and even ovomaltine crunchy cream! Known as ovaltine in Singapore, it's not commonly seen as a spread for bread. 

Mayble syrup? I figured this would be maple syrup as Singapore pronunciation did sound more like mayble too! It's funny to see such literal translation but Thailand is not an English speaking country and hence, such mistakes are forgivable.

Pastry corner! There were egg tarts, cinnamon rolls, muffins, pizzas, danish rolls, waffles, croissants. I am happy to see the variety as it can be quite boring when it's filled with muffins with just different type of toppings / fillings. 

Mediterranean breakfast - with cheese, ham, salami, yogurt, pickled onion, black olives etc. Don't play play, the ingredients were said to have played an important part for longevity and good quality of life even when you are old! 

The four types of cheese; brie, mozarella, cheddar and edam.

Salad options were limited though; well, I wouldn't eat salad in a buffet unless there are slightly unhealthier versions like egg mayo etc. I do like my fruits though and it's always nice to see fruits other than your typical watermelon and pineapple! 

There were two sections for fruits and you can find dragon fruits, guava, papaya, bananas and even rambutans! For me, loading the tummy with fruits is a necessity to conclude the meal.

Almost forgot; there's chicken rice. I am a chicken rice snob as I think Singapore has the best chicken rice; so much so that a Malaysian friend, who is picky and generally dislike Singapore food, said that one dish in Singapore that's absolutely better would be chicken rice.

Whatever the case; here's what I had. Nothing that particularly stood out; the moo ping could have been better if they were sizzling hot and crisp.  Interestingly, it's my comfort food that I enjoyed; simple toast with strawberry jam and better. Nevertheless, I shouldn't be complaining given that it was S$14 for the wide variety! 

Ending the meal with more fruits! 

p.s. they were all sweet and nice.

=====

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok