Jom, Pergi JB!

These are some of the most phenomenal banana breads I’ve ever had. 🍌🍞 On first impression, I thought it was going to be dry to a fault. As soon as I went in for my first bite, I was shocked. Criminally moist is what this was. It was so soft too, much like how I’d imagine clouds in the heaven would feel like. And what added to its enjoyment was how the banana flavour was a median of sugar sweet and fruity sweet…not sure if that makes any sense though? 🤔 Hahaha

Anyway, this was one of those items that actually live up to all its hype. No wonder people buy this one in bulk, especially knowing that it is going for RM5 for five and RM10 for ten. That’s really a steal for such a gem! (7.5/10)

Despite its decadent and inviting façade, this was…rather tame. The circular pan, of which the radii are formed by pieces of ebi maki sushi, is engulfed by a blanket of melted mozzarella, topped with a meandering drizzle of mayonnaise, ebi roe, and some chopped scallions. Can you tell that it resembles a volcano post-eruption? 🌋

All these, as well as tempura fritters in each piece of sushi, coalesce into a largely satisfying bite. There’s no question to it - it is as sinful as it looks. If you’re on your cheat day(s) and need your fix of cheat meal, this would seem like an ideal choice. However, if you’re looking for something gourmet, this is definitely not your go-to. Its flavour profile lacks depth or anything genuinely surprising. This also means that you’ll find it ‘muak' or ‘jelak’ after downing say, half of this (assuming you’re having this all to yourself, of course).

Still though, I’d say this was pretty decent for what it was worth. (7.3/10)

Not too smitten by this though. I did like that the ice-cream had only a kiss of oolongcha, so it was mild enough for anybody (even those who aren't keen on tea) to enjoy. There was a medium-sized brownie cube buried underneath too, which was a nice surprise though I think preemptively cutting it up into bite-sized pieces would allow one to enjoy it with a scoop of the softserve. 😬

The puffle was a combination of all things wrong, however - thin, brittle and possessing an insignificant amount of matcha flavour. Yet, I don't know what's a good benchmark for it, as I've never had one prior to this? Can anyone enlighten me please?! 😦

I guess…I have mixed opinions about this. It didn't meet my expectations, but it's not awful by a mile either? Ah well, at least I got the chance to try it! (6.8/10)

In all honestly, I haven’t had many donburis in my life (or at least near-authentic ones), so I was quite clueless as to what I should expect from this. It arrived at my table on a glossed rectangular wooden tray with a smaller bowl of miso soup and a mini jug of dark soy sauce.

It undeniably has its peaks and troughs, but I overall loved this. The yolk of the onsen tamago unfortunately wasn’t runny to my liking, but it still provided a smooth and marginally gooey texture to every bite. In fact, every mouthful from this rice bowl was immensely satisfying - the intermittent burst of savoury-saltiness from the miso soup, the honeyed taste of the sauce, the soft and fluffy, yet crispy texture of the tempura, and the chunkiness of the chicken; all these meshed into a wonderful flavour as well as taste that floored me from the introductory ingestion.

I haven’t had an array of Japanese food myself, but for a first-ish time, this was an exceptional meal that immediately etched in my mind for days. 🤤 (8/10)

I quite liked this. The bite-sized chunks of chicken nuggets, dipped in the sweet-spicy and gojuchang sauce, made for a pretty addictive appetiser. I do wish the sauce was a little spicier though. It could've used an extra kick with a tongue-singing zing! Oh, and the chicken bites seemed to have been interspersed with fried chicken skin, which was…a little disappointing, but it's no biggie given that it was overall quite satisfying and tasty. 😗 (7.5/10)

I got the Callebaut Dark Chocolate (w/ Nuts) soft serve (RM12.90/S$4.15) on my first visit to Softsrve at Taman Mount Austin. A quick Google search will tell you that Callebaut is a type of couverture chocolate from Belgium, made from roasting the whole cocoa bean instead of the typical method of roasting the cocoa kernel. An ingredient as sophisticated as this Belgian chocolate can only mean an ice-cream to remember, right? But unfortunately, this was…pretty underwhelming.

I hope it’s not only me who feels that the quality of café foods in JB are a shadow of the ones here in Singapore. Well, generally speaking, as i am aware that there are exceptions to this. Truthfully, while the taste of the chocolate was mellowed, yet still packing a jab of flavour, and that the soft-serve was smooth, it wasn’t remarkable or at least memorable at all. But that’s not surprising given how standard/typical a couverture chocolate usually tastes. I was hoping for an element of surprise, but there seemed to be none.
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Plus, the workmanship of the swirling was decent at best - the helix-conical swirl seemed to be slanted towards the west and the top looks quite deformed. I was definitely a little disappointed. Yet, I would say it’s certainly still worth a snap or two? 🤔
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They do have other things on the menu such as Belgian/puffle waffles and some shaved ice dessert, but I must say - don’t expect any sort of grandeur in taste, unless you want to deliberately set yourself up for disappointment. (7/10)

Been wanting to cross the borders to have a go at Faculty of Caffeine for the longest time. It's a very cozy hideout located at Jalan Trus, opposite Galleria Mall ans a few blocks away from the area where all the well-known cafés are.

These were pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. The Truffle Fries embodied a nice crisp whilst incarcerating a fiefdom of fluffiness. The texture remained as such from the first fries to the last, even when I took my time finishing the Aglio Olio. The truffle oil needs to be more evenly distributed though. I could hardly detect anything when I was close to finishing it.

And the Aglio Olio with Beef Bacon? It was so fragrant, so light in texture and flavours, and tinged with a little sweetness; hands down the best one that I've had. However, I do feel that the onsen egg wasn't the best choice of an addition here. The coagulated whites was rather offbeat. It would've been fine with only the yolk being in liquid form. Hence, I believe a regular poached egg would've been best suited for this dish.

Still though, my experience here was nothing short of great! I'm already thinking about planning a second visit to this place.

“The ice-cream isn't that nice lah. It's just damn Instagrammable.”
— a dude with his friends

He really wasn't lying though, despite it being a common yet unspoken sentiment. The vibrant and shapely presentation, coupled with the dramatic smoke show from subliming dry ice beneath the softserve, is absolutely stunning and photogenic. It's a feast for the eyes that is best witnessed in person. I 100% mean it when I say digital visuals don't do it justice.

The taste is passable thankfully - characterisitc flavours of chocolate and matcha were present, though neutral at best. If you're hopping from café to café around JB, consider sharing this. Otherwise, nothing wrong with having it all for yourself!

This comes in three different flavours - Chocolate, Matcha and French Vanilla. I would tell you to choose your flavour carefully, but I mean…you could get all three. I would have done that, but I had lunch before dropping by. 😩 (6.5/10)

Their churros were something special. Maybe it's how they were served free of the usual obnoxious coat of sugar, or maybe it's their addictive smooth, rich salted egg dip. Either way, I could have these for days! (7.5/10)

It took me long enough, but I finally found the time, will and companion to cross our nation's borders to have a go at this place. Located about a 10 to 15-minute walk away from City Square mall, this cozy, whitewashed space finds itself tucked along the cluster of shophouses at Jalan Dhoby.

Even on a busy Friday afternoon, the crew made sure to have us feeling comfortable with their apparent friendliness and a keenness to serve their patrons.

Pictured here is their Eggs Benny with Smoked Salmon. Not exactly the most impressive eggs benedict that I've had - the bread was too soft for my liking - but it's still passable. I must say too that I admire their unique way of drizzling the Hollandaise sauce over the centrepiece.

I also had the salted egg churros which I will get to in another post. And like many others, I hope to be back for more soon! (6.5/10)