Johor Bahru - Ci Xun Yuen Vegetarian Cafe (慈薰园中西素食料理)

Over the weekend, My family and I went over to JB to attend a distant relative's wedding. As the wedding dinner was held at night, we went over early in the morning to do some shopping before heading to my favourite cafe in JB for lunch. This cafe is located near the Giant Supermarket at Taman Johor. It is also 5 minutes drive away from Jusco, one of my favourite shopping mall.

Fish and Chips RM17

This Fish and Chips is one of Must-Try as the Fish is home-made and the portion is enough for 2.

Grade: 5/5

Bibimbap RM8

Grade: 5/5

The Bibimbap is also one of the MUST TRY at this cafe. Though the taste is not as authentic as compared to the one at Green Pasture (which I have commented on earlier), this malaysian version tastes great as well. The rice is sweet instead of spicy.

Miso Soup Udon RM8

Grade: 4/5

We ordered the Miso Soup Udon for Ah ma as she was feeling heaty. The Udon Soup tastes Authentic and reminds me of the Udon Soup that Sunflower cafe (at Far East Plaza) used to sell. Though there are not much ingredients, the soup itself is worth the price already.

Seafood Soup Noodles RM8

Grade: 3.5/5

The soup tastes ok for this seafood soup noodle. There is also a generous serving of noodles where my cousin cannot finish the whole bowl too.

Fried Abalone Mushrooms & Mashed Potatoes RM4 each

Other than mains, we also order side dishes. The Fried Abalone Mushrooms is a MUST TRY as it tastes crispy. Also, the mash potatoes is very tasty as the cafe made their own sauce which is similar to what KFC is selling.

Overall, if you are a frequent traveller to Johor Bahru, I would highly recommend this cafe. However, the cons of it is that it is not located near the customs area and takes around 25 mins of driving to reach. If you are taking a cab from city square, it costs between RM15-20. Remember to Bargain with the driver!

Location: 28A&30A Jalan Rosmerah 3/2 Taman Johor Jaya 81100 Johor Bahru

Tel: 07-357 5862 / 357 5863

Notes: Depending on your luck, sometimes the cafe may close due to function. However, you may still proceed to the restaurant downstairs (as they are owned by the same owner) to order the normal chinese dishes. The salad prawns is great!

Pinetree Stall (Bugis Food Junction) - CLOSED DOWN

This stall is closed down. Seems like the only location is at Fortune Centre. Do let me know if they relocate elsewhere!

Last Friday, my friends and I were on our way to watch " The Campaign to Confer the Public Service Star on JBJ ". so we drop by at Bugis Food Junction for dinner. A few years back, Bugis Junction was a rather vegetarian unfriendly place as very often we have to travel to nearby places like Fortune centre or the Lao Di Fang (along middle road) for meals, which made it quite inconvenient. Since the revamp of Food Junction (now located at Level 3 - the previous "the edge"), there is new stall available for vegetarians. The stall serves quite a variety of vegetarian food which I'm glad this serves as an option for more.

Miso Soup Noodles $5

For a big bowl of Miso Soup Noodles like this, I find it worth the money, as I could not even finish the whole bowl of noodles. The soup is clear and not too salty. Some may call it blend. Lonnie tart hates it, as there is no taste of Miso At all. Nonetheless, there's lots of veg and mushrooms.

Curry Fish Head with Rice $5

The curry tastes quite ok. However, the choice of "fish" is wrong as it tastes more like chicken rather than "fish". Anyway, at this stall, they place strong emphasis on eating healthy as brown rice is served instead of the normal plain rice. Also, there are not many "deep-fried" options which is good as very often, people percive vegetarian food as oily due to too many deep-fried foods. Anyway, this is a good option for you if you are in for a light meal~

Curry Mutton with Bread $4

We originally ordered curry chicken, however we were served with curry mutton instead, which we are fine with it. However, it is really disappointing that the curry is served cold. I would not recommend it if you have a weak stomach.

Laska $4

The only food which I find worth the price so far is Laska. Serving is big and the soup is not too spicy. The ingredients is also splendid. I personally liked the Vegetarian roll on top.

Hint: In Bugis Junction itself, another alternative is Sakae Sushi where they serve vegetarian menu as well.

Location: Bugis Junction (alight at Bugis MRT), Level 3, Food Junction

Miao Yi Vegetarian Restaurant (妙益素食馆) *MOVED TO CHINATOWN*

On birthdays or gatherings, My family and I like to put this restaurant as one of our favourite choices. Reason being the Most Popular Dish - The Vegetarian Suckling Pig. So last night we were there as it was Mum's Bday. As soon as the dish was served, I told my family to wait so that i can take the picture. Trust me, my ah ma adores this dish that as soon as I finished taking, ah ma asked me:" have u finished taking"? (which also meant to say: Hey, im FAMISHED!)

Vegetarian Suckling Pig $35 (鸿运烧猪)

Grade: 5/5

If you are pondering on how to eat this dish, it is easy. Similar to eating the usual Peking duck, this dish is to be eaten with the fresh lettuce. Grab a piece of it, add a tiny cucumber on it, then with the red meat. Lastly, put a little of the black sauce, wrap (in any way you want) and put it in your mouth! JUICY! The taste is crunchy and fresh and most importantly, it is still the best 'suckling pig' i can find so far. Trust me, even 8 treasures or Classic Lao Di fang or the Lao Di fang at Middle Road cannot be compared (as other bloggers may adore them..) After a trip to Miao Yi, you will find the other places aint as good.
Of cos, this is a very authentic chinese restaurant where you can order other dishes that go with Rice. They serve a special kind of rice called the ginger rice. However, it was not available last night, hence I could not take any pictures. The Hot Plate Veal is a MUST TRY too. A pity that I missed out the pic as well, as we were too busy eating on the yummy food!
Nonetheless, Dishes that I would highly recommend: Sambal Kangkong, Spicy Prawns, Hotplate Veal (鹿肉).

Location: 101 Upper Cross Road People's Park Complex #03-32
Opening Hours: Lunch: 11.00 am - 03.00 pm Dinner: 06.00 pm - 10.00 pm
Telephone: 64671331
Note: Do remember to reserve a place on weekends as it is usually packed

Green Pasture Health Food Trading

Before I am into organic foods, I always think that they are tasteless cos they are supposed to be healthy. However, after going to Genesis and Green Pasture, organic food cafes has becomed one of the choices I bring my friends/ colleagues who are non-vegetarians to.

Thanks to Maboo & Zenzen for introducing me Green Pasture. Im amazed that BiBimbup (Korean Rice) can be so tasty though its the organic version.

BiBimBup $7.50 (add $2 for Kimchi)

Grade: 5/5

Claypot Buckwheat Noodles $6.50

Grade: 4/5

Seaweed Roll $4

Grade: 3/5

Me and my colleague ordered Bibimbup, claypot noodles and seaweed roll. There is also self-serviced soup at $1 per bowl which is donated to the charity. Though there is not much mock meat in the food, the food is tasty and healthy. The seaweed roll comprises of beetroot which I do not usually like to take. However, it tastes good in the roll. We paid $20 in all for the 3 dishes above and 2 soups and we were full up the the brim. The only bad point I feel is that the owner of this cafe is not really friendly, as she is quite "loud", and seems a tad too proud of her food. heh. This cafe was also featured in the TV show a few months back.

Im surprised that Fortune Centre is full of vegetarian cafes and restaurants. The Vegetarian Health Food (which veggiebun LOVES) is located at the first floor. On the second floor, there are 3 more cafes (including pinetree cafe as well).

Anyway, if you are a tourist and would like to try some organic food. Fortune Centre is located 5 minutes away from the Famous Guan Yin Temple at Bugis.

Location:

190 Middle Road, #04-22, S(188979)

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm Sun: 11am-7pm

Tel: 6336-2700

QQ Rice (台湾饭团)

A new Rice franchise from taiwan has just arrived in Singapore. Nonetheless, since my sister loonie tart has introduced this new snack, I have completely fallen prey to it.

Step 1: Choose Your Rice (Be it Wheat Rice, Brown Rice or Purple Rice)

Step 2: Choose 5 Ingredients

(Thanks Loonie tart for helping me scan the order form)

Step 3: Pay the $$ and Collect your rice roll Example Vegetarian Combo: Sliced Burdock, Vege Pork Floss, Mushrooms, Vege Ham, Pickled Veg.. SEDAP!

Its simple and easy, and it is not very expensive, at only $3.20 per roll. Most Importantly, the RICE is healthy!

Do not fret that the utensils used are unclean, as the vegetarian section is using different tongs. Also, if you do take eggs, please do not choose the egg fill, as it is used together with the 'meats' tongs.

Taiwan Web: http://www.qq-rice.com/

QQ's Flyer:

Locations:

1. Plaza Singapura Shopping Centre (Basement 2)

2. Novena Square

Taiwanese Snacks

Ever since I started watching the taiwanese variety shows (mostly by jacky wu), I have a very strong interest in the taiwanese food that were introduced. So off i went to Taiwan last year with Mrs Tibet for a taste in the GREAT food i've longed for.

Fried Mushrooms

Imagine how much i LOVE these mushrooms that I guessed I ate at least 4 packs of it within our 4 days in Taipei. You may choose the assorted mushrooms or just the golden straw mushrooms which totally captivated my heart!

Ai Yu Ice

This is the famous Ai Yu at Shilin market. It tastes exactly like our Ice Jelly in Singapore, therefore, it is not exactly a "MUST-TRY".

Ice Kachang (The Taiwan Version)

See that BIG portion of ICE kachang there? In taiwan you get to choose the ingredients you want in your bowl of ice, unlike singapore where one bowl is standard. But anyway, Im not a kachang enthusiast, so this bowl of ice is only so-so too.

Mixed Vegetables & Rice

In Taiwan, it is common to see small cafes selling mixed-vegetables & rice in a buffet style. Each plate is charged by the weight of the food. I remember we had a similar cafe in Singapore back then. However, it has since closed down. Nevertheless, the lunchbox (shown above) is cute enough to make me want to ta bao some home. Taste wise, it is ok, acceptable.

Taiwan Vegetarian Stew

In Singapore, it is very seldom to see stalls (totally vegetarian) in the night markets. However, in Taiwan, they seem to be in almost all the night markets, which made me LOVE taiwan right away. One night, though super filled, mrs tibet and me still decided to try out the local lor mei. Great experience! Food wise... Normal~

More Fried Mushrooms~

阿妈的乌梅汤 (Plum Juice)

As we follow the guidebooks, it was said that when travelling to Danshui (淡水), the plum juice (Ah Ma's Brand) is a must try. Its the same kind that we have in Singapore. Nothing much though. However, if you are prone to gastric, you may give it a miss. I love the soury taste though.

Smelly Beancurd

This is one local snack which I Missed freaking a lot. It is not exactly smelly, and tastes PERFECT. I loved the grilled version. It also comes with vegetables. Remember to tell the stall owners that you want the vegetarian one. Judging by the fact that I ate a total of 20 pieces of Tau Kwa within 4 days has confirmed that My FAVOURITE Number 1 Taiwan snack is non other than the... SMELLY BEANCURD!

Dumpling

We chanced upon this stall in the Shilin Market while walking around and decided to try the 扣肉饭 and 水饺... im very impressed that vegetarian food is almost everywhere in Taiwan. Cheers!

Overall: Taiwan is a very Vegetarian-Friendly country which I would recommend to all vegetarian food enthusiasts to go!

Divine Realm Vegetarian Cafe (天运素食园)

The owner of this cafe used to own a restaurant near lavender area. However, due to the high costs, they have decided to move to Hougang. Anyway, the specialty food here is Ramen (La-mien) whereby there are quite a few chinese chefs who are experts in hand-making the noodles. Multiple Flavours at only $3.50 per Bowl. It is definitely a cheap deal!

担担拉面 (Dan Dan Ramen)

Roti John (Herbs Bread with Curry) $3 per set

The Roti John sold here is a HIT as the bread is served hot and crispy, and the curry comes with chicken chunks. Even my uncle who dislikes vegetarian food loves this!

Claypot Rice $4.50

I would say the claypot rice is not really worth a try, as the rice is not really crunchy at the bottom. However, the ingredients are a lot.

Venue: 501 Hougang Ave 8 #01-630

Tel: 6386-1258
Opening Hours: Business Hours : 7:00am to 10:00pm ( Last Order 9:30pm)

Peanut Cookie (Chinese New Year cookie)

Before I found a job last year, I had wanted to make some money during the chinese new year period. So, I went for some CNY cookies baking class and learnt some cookies such as the Peanut Cookie. AHOY! It turns out quite well and these days, I seldom buy from outside as the homemade ones are definitely easier and of better quality. Even my colleagues are ordering from me. heh!

For people who are lazy, this is definitely a very easy recipe!

Ingredients needed:

500g Peanut Powder

600g Plain Flour

300 - 500ml Peanut Oil
240g Icing Sugar

1tsp Salt

1 Egg (for glazing)

(This is for approximately 200 pieces. You may use propotionately if you want a smaller portion.)

Method:

1. Mix the Peanut Powder together with the Icing Sugar

2. Sift Flour together with Salt

3. Mix the Flour into the Peanut Powder

4. Add the Peanut Oil (You may add any amount between 300 -500ml), depends on your preference. Normally I add 450ml

5. Form the mixuture into a dough

6. Make into small round ball and place into a greased tray.

7. Polish a small amount of egg on top (Be careful on your strength when applying as you may deform the shape)

8. Bake at 180 degrees for 12 Minutes (Convention Oven). For Normal Oven, it is recommended to bake for at least 15 Minutes.

Points to note: 5 Minutes before the baking is done, remove the tray and apply another layer of egg glaze. Continue to bake to enjoy a nicer golden finish.

FINAL PRODUCT~ Peanut Cookie!

Grade: 4/5