City Park in Johor Bahru

   If you are in City Square Mall at Johor Bahru and would liked to take a stroll outside the Mall, you could go the the mini park just opposite the Mall. The park is not located directly opposite the City Square Mall. After crossing the road or alternatively you can use the overhead pedestrian bridge, you need to keep left and continue walking.

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   After you reach Plaza Seni which is a old mall, you can see rows of small stalls selling all kinds of stuff on the pavement. This is where the walk starts to get interesting. You can visit these individual stalls and they offer a wide variety of products, especially leather goods and bags at very reasonable prices. Sometimes I do my shopping here, when I want to buy leather belts, caps or bags.

   The city park is most of the time quite deserted. You will see people walking by, using this park as a route to reach their final destinations. For me, sometimes I would sit at the bench on this park and relax under the shade of the trees. It is quite relaxing and peaceful here. However, like many of the places in Johor Bahru, the park is not well maintained but it is reasonable clean. In my opinion, it is relatively safe here during the day, as you still can see people walking along the pavements and children with parents. If the Johor Bahru administration could renovate this park, add more interesting kiosks, and create more social activities here, I am sure that more people would visit this park. After all, there isn't any nice park around this area except this city park. 

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Bee Cheng Hiang Store in Johor Bahru

   Many Chinese people will be familiar with Bee Cheng Hiang stores in Singapore. The company has been selling the popular barbecued pork called bakkwa in Singapore and Malaysia for many years. In fact the history of Bee Cheng Hiang dates back before the Singapore Independence and even the Second world war.

   If you are keen in trying out the Malaysian version of the barbecued pork, the nearest store is just about 10 minutes from the Johor Bahru CIQ. Besides the usual barbecued pork, the store also sells Chinese pastries. That note that you are not allowed to bring in the barbecued pork from Malaysia into Singapore, as the Customs and Immigration in Singapore prohibited it.

  I noticed that the prices of the barbecued pork sold in Johor Bahru is not cheap at all. In fact the prices are almost comparable to that of their stores in Singapore. I was having this impression that it should be cheaper in Johor Bahru, after all the cost of business operations such as rental of premises and staff salaries should be much cheaper than in Singapore. So why is this not reflected in the prices of the barbecued pork sold in Johor Bahru. I believe many Singaporeans will patronize the Bee Cheng Hiang store in Malaysia if the prices of their products are cheaper. They will buy it for their own consumption or give it away as a gift to their relatives, friends or business associates in Malaysia.

   I wonder whether there are other barbecue pork stores near the CIQ  in Johor Bahru besides Bee Cheng Hiang? Once I find out that there are other similar barbecued pork stores, I will furnish the details in this blog, so that the consumers have alternatives choices.

Delicious Wanton Noodle in Johor Bahru

   As I was at Meldrum street in Johor Bahru, I took the opportunity to try out the wanton noodle stall. If those who are not familiar with what is wanton, it is basically minced meat dumpling served together with yellow noodles. You can order either the dry or soup version. The dry version means that the noodle is served dry with chili and tomato sauce and sometimes added vinegar oil. Wanton noodle is a basic and popular food among the Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore.

   The stall which is situated inside a worn out looking coffee shop. In fact if you are in Meldrum walk, you will notice that most of the coffee shops there are old. But don't let the outward appearance of the coffee shops deceived you. There are plenty of good food being sold at these coffee shops. I always take the time to go to Meldrum walk whenever I am in Johor Bahru as it is very close to the CIQ ( Customs and Immigration ), just less than 10 minutes walk away.

   The wanton noodle stall is normally very busy in the morning and also at lunch time. I like the noodle as it is light and fragrant. The only complain from me is that the standard serving is quite small in portion. You can in fact swallow the entire noodles in the small bowl within a few gulp. I have also try the Sui Jiao which is the meat dumpling but my preference is still their wanton noodle. I find the Sui Jiao has too much meat stuffing. I prefer Sui Jiao stuffed with minced meat, prawns, mushroom and sliced vegetables.

   If you intend to try the wanton noodle, try to do it on weekdays instead of weekends. Because the coffee shops are normally very crowded during the weekends, you may not be able to find a vacant table/seat. I have written a blog on this wanton noodle stall, if you are keen to read them, just follow the link below:-

 Wanton Noodle in Johor Bahru