The Best Places To Feast (and Stay) in Johor

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Last month, I asked everyone on Instagram @travelwithyasminuurya what you wanted to see more of from Yasmin Uurya, and the majority of you answered that you wanted to see more places to eat. So here we are!

Three weeks ago, I packed my bags again, and went on an impromptu domestic road trip with my brothers, sister in law and my niece to the wonderful southern state of Peninsular Malaysia – Johor! Now for those of you who are not quite familiar with Johor, let me enlighten you on where exactly is this place. If you look closely into the map, Johor is literally right across the straits of Singapore.

Our global Covid-19 situation isn’t exactly helping at the moment and I know that it could take us all a year or two (maybe more) to finally be able to travel beyond our borders again. However, when we do, and if you plan to visit Malaysia plus see Johor, you can always come back here to find eateries you can visit and feast in!

1. Warung Saga

First stop, Warung Saga! If you must know, we drove from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru, which without traffic, took us about 3 hours to reach. And since we departed on Friday evening, we arrived at night and decided to try out Warung Saga on Saturday Morning.

This restaurant is popular for its local breakfast menu. Their famous dish is Lontong Kering – compressed rice, a potpourri of veggies such as long beans, leeks, potatoes and chicken rendang. The entire dish is then doused with peanut sauce making it one of the most tantalizing breakfast meal to kick off your day. Add that with Teh Tarik and you’re good to go.

Unfortunately for us, we came for breakfast a tad bit too late and missed out on eating Lontong Kering. If you plan to try out this dish here, you must arrive early in the morning because by 11 am, this dish will be long gone.

However, we still manage to settle with Nasi Lemak, which was just as delicious and hearty as it can get.

2. 7 Secret Restaurant

Next up 7 Secret Restaurant! Ayam Penyet and Ayam Pedas is their speciality. Ayam Penyet is a Javanese dish with smashed fried chicken, usually served on a pestle mortar to make the chicken softer. The dish consists of sambal (a spicy sauce), cucumbers, fried tofu and tempeh.

But the real star dish is the Ayam Penyet Banjir, which is basically the dish I just mentioned above but with a little twist. This dish is prepared and cooked in coconut milk.

7 Secret is located in Forest city – the critically acclaimed development that comprises of 4 smart man-made islands. Combined the islands span across 30 square kilometres and are situated at the southernmost tip of peninsular Malaysia. It is also near Singapore by the Tuas checkpoint.

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3. Selera Senibong Seafood

Famous for its grand selection of seafood, this restaurant is located just slightly out of Johor town and sits right across the straits of Singapore. Here you’ll be able to select fresh fish, prawns or squid, and then decide how you want them cooked – be it butter prawn style, steamed fish or Sotong Goreng Tepung, which is basically squid fried with batter (almost similar to squid tempura).

Not forgetting their local favourite, the Chilli Crab!

What I love about this place is that it offers a super casual family atmosphere, all while enjoying freshly cooked seafood. This restaurant opens daily from 4:30 pm to 2 am.

4. Nelayan Seafood by the Coast

On our third day, we decided to check out Desaru Beach, which is famous for its pristine coastline and sits right beside the South China Sea. Besides the beautiful beach we wanted to eat more seafood and face the beautiful beachfront while we’re at it.

The food was good, however, they were priced slightly on the high side but if you think about it, it’s not too bad of deal because the portion was huge and we get the beachfront view all to ourselves.

Staying in Forest City

We stayed in a 2-room apartment located in Forest City – an integrated development situated on the slopes of Gelang Patah. The apartment was rather pleasant accommodation. It has wifi connection, 2 rooms, and the unit was complete with a hood and hob. So if you are on a budget you can definitely cook here.

I love that the location of the apartment is so near to the Tuas link to Singapore. So if you have Singapore in your itinerary, this apartment will make your travels super convenient. It may be a bit of a drive if you plan to go to Desaru beach or to Johor.

Room Rate: RM 150 per night

For bookings: 013 288 4216

2 thoughts on “The Best Places To Feast (and Stay) in Johor”

  1. Jam

    Hope my trip to Johore will be less hassle. Got that apartment at Forest City. The guy in charge, Afiq has been very helpful. The place is new and extremely clean.

    Thanks for sharing Yasmin.

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