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Restaurant Lemon Tree @ Taman Melodies, Johor Bahru

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22 January 2014

Restaurant Lemon Tree..... The first thing cross my mind is the "Lemon Tree" song 's lyric. da dada  de dada da de...... humming along as I walk toward the shop. Gentle breeze accompany me as I walk toward the shop. The sound of leaves rustle and sway as the wind blows. Serenity. Peaceful. This quiet area captures my heart.

Beverage.
Left: Mango Juice Right: Sour Soap 

Honey Lemon RM5.50

Main Dishes

Tropical Hawaiian Pizza RM17.80
I prefer this restaurant Hawaiian pizza. It have lots of  ingredients. Pineapple, cucumber, ham, capsicum, chicken bites and some chilies. It is a bit spicy. 

Island Seafood Pizza RM19.80
Big prawn pieces and lots of tuna meat. However, I prefer thin crust pizza. 


Spaghetti Hawaiian RM8.80
The hams are  saying "Hi" to me. The sauce is slightly sweet. I like to have some spaghetti on the fork while the ham on the tip of the fork. Yummy, Yummy !!

New Zealand Air Flown Rib Eye Steak RM49.00
The salad is nice as it mixed with vinegar. The steak is medium well cooked. I found it a bit dry. May be cook until 50% will be better taste

Mee Mamak
Our "Mamasan"'s special request dish. She really like mee mamak. 


Tuna Bruchetta Cheese Bread RM6.80
Don't the book by it's cover, The bread is evenly spread with tuna before wrapped up by cheese.  Cucumber give the extra crunchy ad refresh filling. The sweet and sour tomato is like the catalyst for cheese and  tuna. The bread is slightly toast. When I bite into it, I can taste different bread texture. Crunchy crust and warm soft filling. 

Mushroom soup RM5.50
The chef used 5 type of mushrooms. The mushroom pieces are very small. Every scoop, I can taste the mushroom. 

Mixed Fruit Salad RM5.50
Fresh and juicy fruit pieces. There are watermelon, orange, pineapple, cucumber, honey melon, cherry tomato and lettuce leaves.  The salad dressing attract me the most. It is specially made using fresh orange jiuce. The dressing is very refreshing and appetizing.  


Spaghetti Seafood Alio-Olio RM12.80
This dish have 4 big prawns. It will tempt you with its fresh seafood. If you like garlic with olive, this will be your dish. 


Special Fried Rice RM13.80
Once upon a time,  there was a client complained the fried rice portion is too small. He request the chef to add extra side dishes for him. First is fried chicken wing. Second is ham and cheese will some black pepper. Third is a bull eye egg. To ensure, the meal is complete will all the nutrition. A small portion of salad is served too. The client visit the cafe regularly. The chef get the idea and named the dish as "Special Fried Rice". There is an interesting way to taste this dish. Pour some black pepper sauce over the rice. Then taste it. It is very different. The black pepper sauce is not that spicy that will burn off  your tongue. However, It add some extra moist and taste to the fried rice. It is  very filling dish for girl.

Desserts
Tiramisu 
Tiramisu or "Pick me up" is one of the famous dessert in history. The chef used 3 type of coffee to make this dessert. Every bites I taste differently. What capture my attention is the cheese cream? It is very different. The cream is very fluffy yet creamy. It is very light on my taste bud. Usually Tiramisu cream have this very heavy texture. The chef have secret recipe for this. 

Creme Brulee
 It is very creamy. You can just let the cream play like a child before slowly slide down to the throat. At the bottom of the cup, there are many vanilla seeds. The Chef only use fresh vanilla for this dessert. 

Chocolate Lava
70% dark chocolate. No word can express this dish. Allow me to use image to express my feeling.

There are a few girls go over crazy with this dessert. MUST TRY. 


Ler's Reviews:
Halal?: No Pork No Lard, No Halal Cert 
Service: 4/5
Delicious: 4/5
Parking: 5/5 

(Less / No "saman" or traffic tickets on weekday. Ample of parking lots during night time)


18, Jalan Bedara,
Taman Melodies
80250 Johor Bahru,
Johor
07-335 5688
Operating Hour: 12.00 noon to 11.00 pm
Closed on Monday

Out of Topic
Restaurant Lemon Tree has a new extension. The new extension can fit up to around 20 to 30 persons. It will be a great place to host a small private party or gathering.

I was more attracted by the floor board. Couple or anyone can just dance on it without renting extra floor board. 

Advantages of hosting a small event here
  • Ample of parking lots
  • No or less "Saman"/ traffic ticket if the event is on weekday (PS: no need to put parking coupon)
  • KSL mall or hotel is just a few streets away. 
  • Good location ( near to Jalan Tebrau Lama or Jalan Kebun Teh)
  • A private and cozy place for you to decorate during your events
  • Delicious finger food/ food/tapas/canapes by experienced chefs
  • Reasonable price
  • All ingredients or food preparation have HACCP standard
  • Free Wifi for your guests to immediately upload photos


For more information, please visit
Website: http://lemontreerestaurant.yolasite.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restaurant-Lemon-Tree/157181411041060

Photo Credit to Aud and Carinn

Song dedication to everyone.


PS: I am still singing this song when writing this post. Invited post

Toast Box @ Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru

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18 January 2014



Saturday,  a rest day for most of the Malaysians. Some often like to rest a bit longer to catch up on the sleep. Erm... Not in my case, I am early bird. Today, we decided to enjoy our brunch (breakfast + lunch) at Toast Box, Taman Johor Jaya.

Beverages

Caramel Cappuccino RM7.90

Ice Lemon Honey RM3.50
This drink need to stir well before taste it. It is very soothing for my throat. 

Nanyang Coffee RM2.30
The roasted coffee beans are grounded and brewed in this cafe. Thus,  the aromatic smell of  coffee is retained  and presented to the customer.  Toast box process their own coffee bean. They roasted and ground themselves. You can see their toast box coffee package can be seen in the movie "Ah Boy To Man". The coffee is very smooth and fragrance. 

Teh-O RM2.30

Aloe Jelly RM3.80

Toast Bread Series
Peanut Butter Thick Toast RM2.60
Peanut lover, this dish is for you. 

Traditional Kaya Toast RM2.30
The butter is very thick. The kaya is very sweet. My favorite childhood breakfast. I like the butter to be thick too. 

Otah Baguette RM3.50
For me, this is interesting. I often see otak- otak is made into sandwich. Toast Box spread the otak-otak paste over a big piece of bread. Toast it  before serve. It was toast with the banana leaf. It really smell very "Nan Yang" to me. I like this unique idea. The taste is great too. Please eat it while hot. The crust will get too hard after sometime. 

Curry Puff RM2.40
The first thing attract me is the half oval shape. It is very crispy and less oily even after 10 minutes. The puff is filled with chicken bits, potato and half piece of boiled egg. It taste a bit spicy for me. But I like the crust. 

Kaya French Toast RM3.60
The bread is wrapped in egg and pan fried to golden brown. The kaya still very moist in between the bread. 



Local Cuisine / Main Dish
Curry Chicken with Rice or Baguette RM7.50
Fresh chicken drumstick is bought daily from the nearby Johor Jaya morning market. The soup is very light. a very good gravy to eat with rice. The chicken can be easily tear with fork and spoon. Another interesting fact is only this Toast Box cafe served with chicken drumstick. It is usually served with chicken wing. 
Spiciness: 2/10

Mee Mamak
Kim like mee mamak dish. The noodle here do not have alkali smell. The fresh tomato added the extra sourness to the dish. 

Laksa Mee Tai Mak RM7.00
Mee Tak Mak  or "米台目" or "老鼠粉" is a type of noodle that often see in Kuala Lumpur (KL). Toast box use "mee tak mak" as it is much more chewy or QQ. The fried shrimp paste is very tick. For me, it is not that spicy. It is very suitable for kids to try. 
Spiciness: 2/10 

The laksa soup is more to Singapore style. More coconut milk in the soup

Mee Siam RM6.50
Gravy based  mee siam is seldom seen in Johor Bahru. I often eat  dry friend mee siam. This dish is very appetizing because the soup is a bit sour but quite sweet. The peanut paste added extra fragrant to the noodle.  The different between this dish and mee rebus is the gravy. Mee rebus's gravy is thicker compared to mee siam. It is best eat the mee siam with some soup to enjoy better tasting. 


Dessert or Cake
Pandan Chiffon Cake RM2.80
I am very surprised to find a big piece of cake still selling at this price. The portion is quite big

Banana Cake RM 2.40
I prefer banana cake to be moist and fluffy


Butter Swiss Roll RM 2.40
I like this Swiss roll among the 3 cakes. It has a very authentic taste.

Ler's Reviews:
Service: 4/5
Delicious: 3/5
Parking: 3/5 
(No need to display parking coupon on Saturday and Sunday )



2, Jalan Dedap 13,
Taman Johor Jaya,
81100 Johor Bahru,
Johor.
Tel: -
Operating Day: Monday to Sunday
Operating Hour: 8.00am to 7.00pm

Out of Topic

 Toast Box, Taman Johor Jaya is.....
  • The largest Toast Box  in South East Asia
  • The first Toast Box Cafe with modern rustic setting
  • The first table service concept
  • The first cafe not in shopping complex
  • Ample of parking lots. 
  • A cafe with disability friendly pathway
  • A clean nursing room for mother and baby to rest
  • 20-30% cheaper than other branch
  • The first cafe that serve all time favourite / "四大天王"  Eg: Mee Siam, Laksa, Mee Rebus and Curry Chicken
The cafe has a nursing room. It will be very convenient for mother with baby.Now, parent can  change diaper with baby in this clean and calm room.

A pathway for wheel chair , disable or elderly people. Sometime, kids enjoy running up and down too. While, at least that is what I enjoy when I was a kid.... (Hmm but I still have young heart ^^). We will play with anything we see around.


Check out the latest Chinese New Year Cookies and Cake. 

Photo Courtesy of  BreakTalk, PrincessNeverland and Carinn

Facebook:



Website: http://www.toastbox.com.sg/index.html

Invited post 

All Natural Weight Loss Solution - Konnyaku Diet Noodle

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4 January 2014

Thanks to Diet Konnyaku, we got the chance to try new healthy food.

Diet Noodle, innovated by University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Don't worry it has HALAL certificate. 

No MSG is added the noodle.


 The noodle is made out of konnyaku. Konnyaku is a kind of yam with high fiber and water content.

"It is an alkaline food that provides several nutrients to the body. It contains water, protein, carbohydrate, lipids, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, pantothenate, niacin, fatty acid, folic acid and dietary fiber."
extracted from Diet Konnyaku

It is very easy to cook. Just add some hot water, wait for a few minute then itadakimasu (eat)~~

How does it taste without MSG? 
Good ~~. The soup has chicken soup taste. However, the nature of konnyaku is high water content. The noodle do not have wheat noodle or rice noodle texture. I prefer noodle to be chewy.

Baked Cracker
I like Baked cracker. It is not oily and salty like potato cracker. It is a good way to keep myself from hunger and staying healthy at the same time. The red packaging remind me of Chinese New Year is coming. 

My Reviews:
Health Conscious : 5/5
Delicious: 3.2/5


For more information, please visit
Website: http://dietkonnyaku.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diet-Konnyaku/299239530112754

Food Republique @Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru

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6 January 2014

Thanks to Ben and Ms Kim Tan's invitation. This is my first food tasting invitation. The exciting part is I got the chance to meet Johor Kaki's author, Tony. Johor Kaki food blog is very famous among Johorian and Singaporean. I am so happy to meet him personally.

Texas Mexico Sauce
Texas Mexio Glazed Sauce
We are here to tried out this newly created sauce.
The sauce is purely vegetarian (contain onion). The uniqueness of this sauce is It will taste differently with the main dish.  It may look like "Rojak" sauce but it is totally different. "Rojak" sauce have this pungent smell. However, this sauce have fruity with a bit honey smell. Try it yourselves. ^^

Appetizer 


Tortilla Nachos RM12.90
It is a Mexican originated snack. The salsa source is made out of tomatoes, lemon juice, onion and basil leaves. The secret of the salsa source is "garden fresh". I can really taste the chilled and sour sauce with the crispy nachos.

Fried Polenta RM8.90
This dish is seldom sold in local  western restaurant. The reason is polenta flour not often sold in Malaysia. We are very lucky to have Ben bring us this dish to Johor Bahru. Ben shared some background of polenta. The corn flour we often see in the market are in white powder form. The specialty of this polenta is crushed from corn. Polenta has a creamy texture due to the gelatinization of starch in the grain. However, it may not be completely homogeneous if a coarse grind or hard grain such as flint corn is used (Wikipedia, 2013).

This is how the crunchy palenta look inside. It is very soft inside. 外脆内软 I really like the creamy  texture.

Bruschetta Appetizer RM6.90
The toppings was served chilled with the lighted toasted french toast. It is best use our finger to pick up. You can taste the vinegar and sweet tomato. The vinegar is really great do not have pungent smell. The slightly warn french toast act as catalyst when chew with the topping. 
(PS: Please watch Korean drama "Jewel in the Palace" to have better understanding on vinegar.)

 Main Dishes
Salmon Ala' Carbonara Pasta RM28.90
The ladies like this dish very much. It is very creamy and thick texture.The fresh tomato cubes  add some sourness in this dish are a great combination. You should see  Kim Tan's  facial expression when tasting this dish. She really enjoy this dish. For me, this dish is a bit sweet. I prefer light pasta.

Smoked Grilled Chicken Burger RM20.90
If you can not consume beef, tried out this smoked grilled chicken burger. It is very juicy. Addition to it,  Food Republique used special burger bun. That is why their burgers are the best seller. 

Texas Glazed Rib Eye RM55.90
The rib eye is cooked to medium well level (70%). It is time for us to taste the beef with the new invented sauce.  The beef tasted a bit salty and have a bit pineapple smell.
Personally, I prefer the boiled vegetable with the texas mexico sauce. 

Texas Honey Glazes Burger RM24.90
This is currently the best burger in my list. Reasons?
  • The cheese just melted on the hot grilled burger meat
  • There are sliced of bacon on the meat patty 
  • I can pulled the cheese very high up before it break
  • the combination of meat patty, bacon and cheese is so perfect 
  • Not to forget the bun. The bun is very soft. It absorbs some meat juice and bring out the taste. The bun did not go soggy like  other bread does. 
  • To describe the perfect state, please watch anime "妙手小当家"。 The anime describe better than me

Texas Glazed Salmon RM52.90
The salmon slide is very thick. The salmon tastes a bit sweet with the sauce. While the prawn tastes a bit spicy. To avoid taste boredom, it is advisable to take a bite of salmon then a bit of prawn.Then,  You can always taste something new. I personally also recommend the smashed potato. It is very smooth. No small chunk or big chunk in it. I really like the boiled vegetable. It has sweet potato in it. However, the sweet potato disguise itself like carrot. When we eat vegetables, it is like playing hike and seek with taste bud. 

 Dessert
There will always be another stomach for dessert 
~ quoted by Ler

Hot Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream RM9.90
The brownies was baked by Ben. The edge  of the brownies is a bit crust and crunchy. As you slowly eat into the center of thee brownies, it is very soft.  The right way to taste this dessert is
1) use spoon or fork to cut a small edge and taste the bitter sweetness
2) take a bit of ice cream and some brownies
3) continue the above steps

Then you can taste the difference. First bite is bitter sweet. The second bite you can feel the hot brownies then a bit  of cold ice cream. It is a very exciting taste bud experience. Not sure why when  tasting this dessert remind me of   Katy Perry - Hot N Cold Song



Ler's Reviews:
Service: 4/5
Delicious: 4/5
Parking: 4/5 
(quite easy at night, as much of the shops are not operating at night )


72, Jalan Kuning,
Taman Pelangi, 
80400 Johor Bahru, 
Johor.
Operating Day: Monday to Sunday
Operating Hour: 12.00 noon to 10.00pm


 Out of Topic

 There are many ladies on the table. We decided to slide the corn and share among us. However, the usual method is 
1) use hand to take the corn
2) open your mouth
3) bite into it and chew 

We look at corn. The corn look back to us. When we decided to use our hand to slowly peel it.   Tetetete.......Ben offered his help. 
Ben personally teaches us cut up a corn. It is very cool to see a professional chef slides up the corn within minute.
1) let the corn stand on the plate and slide one side
2) let the corn lay down on the plate and slide another side ( refer to the image above)
3) continue the steps till all the corn is "nude"

Photo Credit : Kim Tan

Food Republique lunch deal is very attractive. At RM25 you can taste 4 dishes. The deal only offered between 12 noon to 3pm.


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