4 in 1 Instant Coffee

In most supermarkets, you can easily find different brands of instant coffee and most of them are either 2 in 1 or 3 in 1 instant coffee. Recently I saw a 4 in 1 instant coffee bag for sale in Johor Bahru. This coffee originated from Melaka and I have not heard of this brand called Meet U Malaysia Coffee brand. Anyway, this Meet U brand had 2 types of 4 in 1 instant coffee bags which I had bought.

First is the Melaka Gold White Extreme Coffee. It is a 4 in 1 instant coffee that is made of malt chocolate, Robusta white coffee, sugar and creamer. It is similar to cafe mocha and the good thing is that it is not too sweet in taste. Overall the taste is nice and it is creamer than the normal 3 in 1 instant coffee - perhaps due to the added malt chocolate.

The second 4 in 1 instant coffee is called the Black and White Platinum Coffee. It is made of White and Black coffee - traditional black coffee and Robusta White coffee, sugar and creamer. The taste is a stronger cup of coffee as compared to the above Melaka Gold White Coffee - which is my preference. And the coffee is not too sweet as well, which is good for me.

Just when I thought I have seen it all; I saw a 5 in 1 instant coffee on the shelf. This must be the mother of all instant coffee. The 5 in 1 coffee is made up of Tongkat Ali, Ginseng, White Coffee, Sugar and Creamer.

If you want to read more about this 5 in 1 instant coffee, just follow the link below: -

5 in 1 Instant Coffee

Rotiboy Coffee Bun in Johor Bahru

I was delighted to see a Rotiboy outlet at the Customs and Immigration center in Johor Bahru. The shop is opposite Starbuck Cafe and the KFC outlet. It is a small outlet - buy and go. Even before you arrived at the Rotiboy outlet, you can smell the coffee bun from quite a distance away.

There was a small crowd of people queuing to order their bun and pastries. I noticed that most people were buying the signature coffee bun. The cheapest coffee bun was RM2. I ordered the RM2.50 coffee bun which had coffee cream filled inside the bun. Another version is the coffee bun filled with butter cream also at the same price of RM2.50.


The coffee bun taste good while it was hot and crispy. I find it rather too sweet and the smell of coffee is not too overwhelming. Overall it was a nice quick snack but I don't think I would liked to eat 2 coffee buns - even though the paperbag says ' one is never enough '.

Going to Johor Premium Outlets by Bus

Even since the Johor Premium Outlets ( JPO ) opened late last year, many of my friends had already visited this JPO. Some of them commented that it was quite far away from the main Johor Bahru town; while others told me that the prices of merchandise were not that cheap.

I visited the JPO recently and I went there by public bus. I was surprised that it was relatively easy to get there and the journey was pleasant too. Yes, the JPO was indeed situated far away from the JB main city but I think it is acceptable. Most of the people going there are looking for a value buy for branded products - and there are lots of well known designer brands to choose. The international designer brands that have outlets there include - Levis, Armani, Burberry, Lacoste, Canali, Pedro, Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Guess, Vincci, Michael Kors, Braun Buffel, Ralph Lauren and Salvatore Ferragamo.

To find out more about how I took a bus trip to JPO, just click the link below which will direct you my main blog: -

Bus Trip to Johor Premium Outlets

Tudor Gold Chocolate from Malaysia

Christmas season is a time for shopping and it is also a good time to buy chocolate as it is always on promotion and on sale. I can see that there are many brands of chocolate in the market nowadays - so the chocolate candy market must be quite competitive. I remember the time when I was just a kid, the popular brands of chocolate was Van Houten, Mars, Kit Kat, Cadbury and some other unknown brands. Nowadays you have well known brands like Hersey, Toblerone, Delafee, Godiva, Ferrero Rocher, etc which are virtually unheard when I was a young kid.

There is one brand of chocolate that is made in Malaysia - Tudor Gold Chocolate which I think is quite good. If you are not willing to spend too much money, nor willing to pay a high price of a premium Swiss chocolate, then try this Tudor Gold Chocolate. I was surprised that it has a very smooth chocolate taste, the almonds were very crunchy and fresh. More importantly it only cost less than US$3 ( sale price ) for one pack. The weight of one pack is 180gm.

The Tudor Gold chocolate is a delicious chocolate snack and is very affordable in price.  I understand that chocolate can help in lowering cholesterol levels and it is good for the heart too. But try not to eat too much of it as it is perceived as a heaty food and relatively high sugar content.

KFC Malaysia on Successful Crisis Management

My friend shared a video to me about a staff in KFC Malaysia tampering with the food that he was preparing it in the kitchen restaurant. I think this employee was having fun by lifting the chicken with his foot. Of course anyone who view this video would be disgusted with this act and may stopped patronizing KFC in Malaysia. After all, there are many restaurants in Malaysia serving fried chickens. If you have not watch the video, here is the video from Youtube.

KFC Malaysia immediately took action to mitigate the damage to its reputation by conducting its own internal investigation, filing a police report, using Youtube video and Facebook to explain and engage its customers and the public on the actions that KFC Malaysia took to address this problem; and steps taken to prevent such incidents from happening again. The KFC Malaysia video is below:-

KFC Malaysia had demonstrated successfully its ability to handle this crisis in a professional manner; and more importantly took positive steps to regain customers' confidence in their restaurants and brand. I think this case should be included as a case study in the curriculum of those studying business course either in polytechnics or university.

Personally, I will continue to patronize KFC restaurants in Malaysia. By the way, many of my friends and myself included love the KFC chicken rice. The chicken rice is really delicious, even better than some of the so called famous chicken rice stalls in Malaysia. I have also written a blog previously comparing KFC Malaysia and KFC Singapore - which is better in terms of food and ambiance?  If you want to find out, just follow the link below -


Comparing KFC Malaysia and KFC Singapore


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Money Changers in Johor Bahru

I noticed that the money changers in Johor Bahru and even in Kuala Lumpur have common rates unlike in other countries such as Singapore and Indonesia. For example when I visited Johor Bahru yesterday, the currency rate for Ringgit to Singapore dollars was quoted at RM241 to $100 Singapore dollars. All  the money changers there would followed the same rate. Whereas in Singapore, I would normally go to the Arcade Building in Raffles Place to change my money. Over there you will see different rates quoted by different money changers.

 

It is better to change your Singapore dollars into Ringgit in Singapore before visiting Malaysia. In Johor Bahru yesterday, the rate of exchange was RM241 to S$100. In Singapore the rate of exchange is RM243/4 to S$100.  So I would get more value for my Singapore dollars when I changed it in Singapore. I just wonder why is it that the money changers in Malaysia are unable to offer attractive rates of exchange unlike in Singapore? Is is because they conspired to squeeze higher profit margins from travelers especially those from Singapore?

Many of my friends had already advised me to change my money in Singapore than in Malaysia - you get more Ringgit for your money here. I will follow their good advice.

Groundnuts from Malaysia

My friend has given me a packet of groundnuts that is made in Malaysia. She told me that this packet of groundnuts came from Sungei Siput in Perak and it is a well known brand over there. Normally during Chinese New Year, her family members will buy about 30 packets of this groundnuts to serve their guests.

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I looked at the packet and the brand is Mee Hiong Yuen and there is a picture of an old fisherman carrying a fishing rod and basket. The packaging itself looks rather old fashioned and boring. Anyway, I opened up the packet of groundnuts and eat them. The groundnuts tasted delicious and it was not too salty. The groundnuts are quite small in size but it has a great taste and very crispy too.
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The Mee Hiong Yuen brand of groundnuts are not selling in Singapore. Even in the local supermarkets in Malaysia, it is rarely found. That is why my friend will always buy them whenever she goes back to her home in Perak.

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Penang Food - Ghee Hiang Babies Mascot

Here is a mascot of a famous food product manufacturer in Penang. The name of the company is Ghee Hiang. The sesame oil that are produced from this company is well known for its quality. Besides sesame oil, the company also produces traditional Chinese cookies, pastries and coffee. I am not going to write about their products here. What I want to show is their mascot which is the Ghee Hiang Babies.
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I think the Ghee Hiang Babies have attracted my attention while I was walking at a mall in Kuala Lumpur. That is what a good mascot must do - attract attention. In this respect, the Ghee Hiang Babies certainly have passed this test. What I liked about their mascot is that these mascots always has a very cheerful/ playful and energetic appearance. If you see their mascot, then the store is just around the corner.

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I took a glimpse at their store that day; but didn't have time to browse through their products as I have an appointment to keep. But certainly their mascots have brighten up my day. I will make a point to try out their pastries products when I am back in Kuala Lumpur later this year.