Restaurants in Peninsular Malaysia – East Coast
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Medan Selera Meldrum Walk
Every late afternoon, the little food stalls crammed along this alley (that runs parallel to Jln Meldrum) start frying up everything from ikan bakar to the local curry laksa. Wash down your meal with fresh sugar-cane juice or a Chinese herbal jelly drink.
reviewed
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Sunset Corner
Right near Nazri’s on the plush southern part of the beach, this is the ideal place to split a pizza and sip a cold beer while watching the sunset. Fresh fruit juices are also available for RM5. Happy hour is from 5pm to 7pm.
reviewed
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A
Noodle Station
Next door to the Hotel Sentosa, this is a smart little café serving, naturally enough, lots of noodle dishes, plus Western meals and good coffee. English magazines are provided for customers.
reviewed
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Nabill Café
Eat where the locals do and save a handful of ringgit. Choose your fresh seafood then watch it get grilled in a delicious spicy sambal.
reviewed
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Itroo Cafe
A popular cafe with very friendly service in JB’s colonial district. The best iced cappuccino in Malaysia.
reviewed
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B
Night Market
The best and cheapest Malay food in town is in the night market: look for the yellow arch reading ‘Medan Selera MPKB’. The stalls are set up in the evening around 5pm, when the sizzle of oil and heat hits the air and magic ensues. They’re used to foreigners here and stall owners often tone down the heat without you having to ask; the resulting food is sometimes overtly sweet. Say ‘Suka pedas’ (‘I like it hot’) to eat as the locals do. Specialities include ayam percik (marinated chicken on bamboo skewers) and nasi kerabu (rice with coconut, fish and spices), blue rice, squid-on-a-stick and murtabak (pan-fried flat bread filled with everything from minced meat…
reviewed
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Food Courts
The shopping malls around town are littered with food courts. Try Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (Komtar; Jln Wong Ah Fook) and the upper level of the Plaza (Jln Ungku Puan) shopping centre. The basement of Johor Bahru City Square (108 Jln Wong Ah Fook) is stuffed with Chinese, Japanese and Western restaurants and cafés; for coffee, Starbucks (wifi zone) and Coffee Bean are on the ground floor.
reviewed
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Hijau Restaurant
This place rocks the tastebuds, serving everything from Indian specialities including an outrageous vegetarian aloo ghobi (potato and cauliflower dish) for RM10 and tandoori prawns for RM26, Chinese dishes (try the excellent ginger fish for RM8) and authentic Western dishes including good breakfasts. It’s set on a hillside terrace perfect for sunsets over a bottle of wine (from RM40).
reviewed
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Port Café & Bistro
A surprisingly hip little open-air bar and eatery right at the jetty, service and food here are excellent. Western grub like pizzas (from RM22) and grilled chicken salads with balsamic dressing (RM10) are delicious, as are the gourmet Malay specialities like a dolled-up nasi lemak (RM9). The bar serves beer, wine and cocktails and there’s live music some nights.
reviewed
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C
Batu Buruk Food Centre
One of the best food centres is Batu Buruk Food Centre in a pleasant outdoor location near the beach; don't leave without trying the famous ais-krim goreng (fried icecream). There's a night market along the beachfront nearby every Friday evening; it's a great place to sample delicious snacks, including kerepok, satay and a huge array of sweets.
reviewed
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Akob Patin House
Fancy trying patin, the local delicacy? This riverfront place serves both wild caught (RM20) and farmed (RM8) patin in a tempoyak (fermented durian sambal) sauce served buffet style with other Malay style meat and vegetable dishes – the price is per fish. The friendly staff can help explain what’s what.
reviewed
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Billi Kopitiam
Billi’s isn’t your average kopitiam (coffee house). This smooth little spot, decked out in Chinese vintage movie posters, brews a mean cup of joe (the iced version is divine), but the chef also whips out some interesting variations on standards like nasi lemak and anything goreng (fried).
reviewed
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Teh Sarabat
Good for those wanting to sample street food in more sterile surrounds, this place at the mall serves up sophisticated versions of all the local favourites at prices similar to those at grittier food stalls. The well-stuffed masala tosei (RM3) is fantastic, as is the Sarabat rojak (RM5.90).
reviewed
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D
Pasar Malam
Outside the Hindu temple, this nightly market provides an authentic alternative to Singapore's sanitised food courts. Local specialities include Johor laksa (noodles steeped in coconut flavours); and mee rebus (noodles drenched in a thick sauce), showing the Javanese influence here.
reviewed
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Food Stalls
Food stalls can be found next to the river opposite the Padang Merdeka and by the Jln Hamzah bus station, and there's a modern food court (Jln Hamzah; ;lunch & dinner) inside KB Mall. The old central market (Sat-Thu) also has a block of food stalls on its ground floor.
reviewed
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Ya Wang Restaurant
Ya wang is Mandarin for ‘duck king’, which gives you a fair idea of what this little restaurant a few blocks from the Causeway border crossing specialises in. Savoury, juicy, delicious and half the price of what you’ll pay in Singapore.
reviewed
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Duyong Restaurant
Raised on stilts at the western end of the beach, this offers unbroken views around the bay. There’s a large selection of seafood, steaks, poultry and vegetables, but it’s the setting that is superlative. Try the tom yam (hot and spicy seafood soup, RM8).
reviewed
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E
Four Seasons Restaurant
A little pricey by local standards, but there's an excellent range of Chinese dishes on offer, including steamed fish, buttered prawns and deep-fried chicken with mango. Just don't ask for a 'table for one' as it only serves set meals for a minimum of two diners.
reviewed
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F
Medan Selera Kebun Sultan Food Court
A big, bright and bustling food court with a variety of standard Chinese dishes on offer, such as claypot chicken rice and kway teow (rice-flour noodles). Everything’s in Chinese, but there are numbered photos you can point at. Beer is also available.
reviewed
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Terapung Puteri
This busy Malay restaurant is perched on stilts, kampung-style, on the seafront next to the jetty. There’s a huge menu, with fish, prawns and crab featuring heavily, as well as local items such as kerepok and a few Western dishes.
reviewed
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G
Restoran Golden Dragon
The Golden Dragon seems constantly packed, usually with loud (often drunk) Chinese customers. There’s beer aplenty and one of the finest Chinese seafood menus in town – anything steamed and off the fish list should serve you right.
reviewed
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H
Restoran Golden City
This basic but very good Chinese eatery in the centre of town has a big menu, in English, of the usual steamed fish, chicken, bean curd, rice and noodle dishes. At night, they’ll serve beer until the last customer stumbles out.
reviewed
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Restoran Al-Arif
Serving up roti canai (flaky, flat bread; 60 sen), roti telur (roti with an egg; RM1.40) and nasi goreng (fried rice; RM3), there’s not much selection but the food is good and vegetarian options are available.
reviewed
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Payung Restaurant
Off the main road against the quiet riverside, this semi-outdoor hang-out serves thin-crust pizzas and a selection of pastas (all from RM17). There’s often groovy music playing and a friendly extended family to hang out with.
reviewed
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I
Annalakshmi
An authentic vegetarian Indian buffet run by volunteers of the Temple of Fine Arts, the motto here is ‘eat what you want and give as you feel’. There’s also an Annalakshmi in Singapore; donate generously.
reviewed
