Johor Bahru 2D1N: GBW Hotel + Burger Bandit

Saturday 26/5/18

The first half of the year has been a rough year for me, I was tormented for the past 3 months with work and studies, I was so caught up with all these stressful jobs that I often neglected my life and the people around me.

With exam over and I have a day or two to catch up my work before they get piled up again, bf and I went on a short getaway to Johor Bahru (JB). For a busy person like me who is unable to spare a few days to go on an overseas vacation, a weekend getaway staycation is good enough for me to relax myself and get recharged for another battle.

The weekend crowds visiting JB was madness, the queue started to get longer and longer. I guess we will be visiting less frequent if the crowds still sustain.

One of the taxi driver tried to take advantage of us. He quoted us RM50 for the distance to our hotel from City Square. Crazy fellow, we are not going to pay such a price for a 10 minutes ride. We found a second driver who charged us RM15. Though it was still a little expensive, we were willing to pay for it.

We reached GBW Hotel at 4.10pm, a 4 star hotel located at Tanjung Puteri. It was formally known as Grand BlueWave Hotel. 

Note: There will be an additional RM10 to be paid for tax when staying in Malaysia's hotel.

Arriving at our level.

The first glimpse to our hotel room. Judging from the long walkway, we knew that the toilet will be spacious.

I like their bathroom design where it is spacious and there is a glass door to separate the toilet and bathroom.

Our view from level 17. As our hotel was near Puteri region, it offered partial sea view that is sandwiched between Singapore and JB. I could see Singapore from our hotel.

Our Deluxe Queen Room.

I love staycation in JB because I'm completely away from the stressful city without having to travel far. I love traveling to JB for their food too. We shall let our foot rest for awhile before we leave the hotel.

What I normally like to do after finish exploring the room is to take selfie and to catch up on social media accounts.

My OOTD. Dressing in casual but with little bit of chic design. 

A last photo of me with my long hair, I'm going for haircut later on.

GBW Hotel 

9R, Jalan Bukit Meldrum, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia 

Price: S$4.66 per night

We went to the hotel lounge to have a slice of Red Velvet Cake (RM4.50). It was delicious and affordable, the cake has a fluffy, moist and buttery texture.

We then set off to KSL City Mall to spend our evening there.

The first thing we did when reached KSL was to look for Coconut Ice Cream. However, we couldn't find the Hawaii Coconut Desserts, so we bought from Bali Coconut instead. We got the Coconut Cone Ice Cream at RM2. It tasted equally good.

I went to Team Studio for my haircut and Shiseido hair protein treatment. I always blow dry my hair after shower, it leaves my hair feeling dry and damaged. I need regular hair treatment to revive my hair.

With a slightly shorter hair length, my hair is much more easily to manage. My hair felt smoother after the hair treatment. My fringe was so much shorter. I like that my hair felt lighter.

We were famished by the time I finished my hair treatment. We walked around to see what we want to eat and we settled for Burger Bandit by The Hotdog Bar located at ground floor.

Here's what we have for dinner:

- Chicken Nuggets (RM9.90)

- Mozzarella Beef Burger Meal Combo (RM20.40)

- Prawn Katsu Burger (RM13.90)

They have a wide range of burgers to choose from, I immediately opt for Prawn Burger that is not commonly seen in other fast food chain. The portion of the burger was big. 

After the dinner, we went to Watson to purchase our toiletries. I also got my mummy a box of plasters which cost RM193.70 as Mother's Day present for her. 

Before we head back to hotel, we stopped by the Thai Mango and Sticky Rice stall to have dessert. It was located at basement 2.

This was one of the nicest Mango Sticky Rice that I ever had. The mango was accompanied with the delicious sticky rice and drizzled in coconut milk. Everything just taste so sweet and delectable, I love the sticky rice especially.

The beauty products that I brought over for the staycation. During staycation, the travel size products come in handy. We bought the Lux Shower from Watson earlier at RM5.80. 

Sunday 27/5/18

I didn't have a good sleep last night and woke up quite early. The room was not sound proof, I could hear vehicles driving past throughout the period that I was awoke.

2D1N staycation passed so fast,it's time for us to check out the room. This short getaway was indeed a wonderful retreat.

GBW Hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, we have a stroll by the pool before heading down to the lobby for check out.

Before we bid good bye to GBW Hotel, we have our last round of dessert at the lounge again. We were very hungry and need some food to fill our tummy first, it was 12pm and we didn't have our first meal yet.

2D1N staycation was so fast over, we shall go for a long one next time. We still want to enjoy the relaxing time.

We have Chicken Pie and Cake for sharing.

We loved the chicken pie where the flaky buttery crust was encased with creamy chicken filling.

Knowing that I am a cookie lover, bf got me a bag of cookies from the lounge at RM7. The cookies were so nice, I think I can finish it one shot. 

With that, we were ready to set off to City Square for our lunch and quick shopping before heading home. I got some beauty fix at Watson.

As we were not very hungry, we settled with KFC for lunch. Their menu is a little bit different from Singapore. I have this mini chicken tender wrap meal.

With this, I ended my JB trip. 

I'm ready to face reality again, another 2-3 months of struggle. Jiayou.

Happenings in May - Paradigm Shift In Ear Headphone + Cafe & Meal MUJI

Friday 4/5/18

Finally the peak period has temporary ended, I have the opportunity to ease my pace for 3 weeks before chiong-ing again. To celebrate, I reward myself to my favourite place for lunch - Hooters.

It's been more than a year since my last visit, I miss their buffalo wings very much.

All 5 of us ordered the buffalo wings set that comes with curly fries.

The buffalo wings were succulent and not too spicy (I opt for the spicy flavour). There were 7 pieces, making up of either wings or drumstick.

The ice cream of the day was Strawberry ice cream. I enjoyed this meal very much, I wish that I could come back often, I love their food and atmosphere. Till the next time.

It was a happy day because I get to come home before the night approaches.

Thursday 10/5/18

We traveled to VivoCity for lunch today, lunch has always been an adventurous one. Because the group has cravings for yakitori, hence we went to Shin Kushiya to satisfy their cravings.

All 6 of us ordered Mixed Kushiyaki Set at $18++.

It consists of grilled mixed kushiyaki skewers, buta bara, black pepper yakitori, ebi and tomato maki. The portion was quite little, not really worth the price paid.

My current earpiece has spoilt so I am changing it to Paradigm Shift In Ear Headphone, thanks Paradigm for this earpiece which comes just in handy for me. I got this earpiece during one of the events organised by Paradigm.

I prefer earpiece that comes with earbud.

A quality earpiece is so much different from the earpiece that I got from Daiso previously. 

How good is Paradigm Shift In Ear Headphone?

Paradigm Shift In-Ear Headphone sounds as good as the output of speakers

Paradigm applied the a speaker magical sound to the design of in-ear headphones. Even at low volumes, we can still hear the full spectrum of sound clearly.

The In Ear Headphone comes with a small black pouch for us to store our In Ear Headphone when not in use. It will so convenient to carry around.

Paradigm Shift In Ear Headphone has been a great companion during my everyday bus journey, be it listening to songs or talking to friends. It delivers better audio and better listening experience.

GF got me this Hask Essentials Leave-In Conditioning Spray during her Phuket's trip last year. I have just started using it. This is actually a 5-in-1 Formula leave-in spray which have the following functions:

1. Moisturizes to prevent damage 

2. Detangles & smooths 

3. Controls frizz & flyaways 

4. Adds shine 

5. Provides thermal protection

I sprayed it after finishing blow drying my hair. It can be spray on damp or towel-dried hair and comb through. There is no need to rinse off. I love this Leave-In Conditioning Spray, it helped to moisturize my hair and giving it a healthier glow.

Bro just came back from Taiwan and he got us this famous Suncake 太阳饼 from Taichung. It was super nice, I tried the cheese and original flavour.

Friday 25/5/18

Finally my exam was over, time to mug on work to catch up on where I have stopped. I foresee slogging time will begin next week. Dragging for the time to come.

We tried out a new place for lunch at Cafe & Meal MUJI.

Muji has opened up a cafe in their outlet at Plaza Singapura. Café & Meal MUJI uses the natural taste ingredients which are full of blessings from the sun, soil and water. 

I had 2 Deli Set at $12.80. Here's my selection: 1 Hot Deli (Hokkaido Potato Croquette), 1 Cold Deli (Smoked Salmon & Fennel Salad), 16 Grain Rice, Cumin Carrot Soup and Onsen Egg.

I quite like the food here, it was quite nice. We can come back for lunch again.

Look forward to my first weekend after exam where I don't need to cope at home to study anymore.

Food Review: Toby's The Dessert Asylum

Attention to all the people staying or working at west, I have found a new food place to share with you: Toby's The Dessert Asylum.
It is a cozy cafe located in Tradehub 21 which is in the middle of Clementi and Jurong East MRT station. Folks working around the proximity can come here for lunch as Toby's offers $9.90 set lunch during weekdays.

Despite being located in a commercial area, Toby's is also open during weekend from 11am to 10pm and we can see folks coming here for their food and desserts. It provides an alternative for us who wish to look for a less crowded place for meal.

Toby's The Dessert Asylum is a causal dining restaurant that provides quality American food in a cozy and laid back setting without reasonable pricing. Toby's offers an al fresco dining area and indoor dining.

Entering the restaurant gave me a relaxing feeling where I can enjoy the gastronomy experience with a group of friends in this cozy environment.

Toby's is a hidden gem to be uncovered. It has moved to Tradehub 21 since 2 years ago, it was founded in 2009 and previously located in the east at Parkway Parade.

Toby's offers a extensive menu ranging from starters, mains, house specials, drinks and desserts that will spoil us for choices. As the restaurant's name suggested, Toby's The Dessert Asylum, we go crazy when it comes to dessert selection. There are so many things that we want to try but hard to decide on the selection. Thankfully, the staff has prepared the selection for us.

For drink selection, there is also a variety of selection to choose from. I decided to go with Pear-a-dise ($5.90) while bf opt for Oreo Monster ($7.90). The Oreo Monster was made from chocolate ice cream and crushed oero cookies.

Pear-a-dise is actually ice blended pear.

It was very refreshing and light, it has quite a few pieces of pear in it too.

Here comes the main course. 

First up was Baby Ribs Platter. The best ribs in town is now having a promotion, you can get it at $49+ instead of the usual price of $89+. The promotion is valid daily from 3pm to 10pm from now until 31 May 2018.

The platter was also accompanied with 5 side dishes of mash potato, onion rings, taco fries, potato salad and cheesy focaccia. 

The Baby Ribs are each coated with different sauce. From left to right: BBQ Baby Ribs, Hickory Smoked Baby Ribs and Guinness Stout Baby Ribs. The baby ribs were well marinated, every flavour brought out their unique taste when consumed. The girls all love the Hickory Smoked flavour which has a sweet smoky taste while the guys all love Guinness Stout. Guys, hahaha. The baby ribs have a good mix of lean meat and fatty meat. The portion was just nice for the 6 of us.

Second main course was Chicken Cordon Bleu ($18.90) where we can select either potato salad, fries or garlic rice. We opt for garlic rice since we already tried on potato salad and fries.

The fried breaded was wrapped around chicken and ham, with cheese filling filled in it. Once slice open, we witnessed the cheese flowing out from the wrap. I love dipping the Chicken Cordon Bleu with the cheese while consumed, it was rich in cheese and each bite was an indulgence.

We also ordered Smoked Duck Pizza ($16.90) for sharing. How often do you find such a unique combination of pizza in a restaurant?

Of course, this is a must pick when we are in Toby.

The Western thin crust pizza with Shitake mushrooms, crispy spring rolls and Hosin sauce was well like by all of us.

We have saved space to try out their desserts. Check out some of Toby's recommended desserts, they are definitely worth the name, Toby's The Dessert Asylum. Every piece just looked so good and mouthwatering. Not to mention, it was also Instagram worthy, we can't wait to sink our teeth in.

The Rambo 7 ($7.90) has caught our attention with it's colourful rainbow layering sponge cake toppled with chocolate ganache. It just looked too pretty to be eaten. The white chocolate in between the sponge cake has enhanced the overall sweetness of the taste.

The Fruit of the Forest ($5.90) was a combination of black cherries and rum. Upon the first bite, I could taste the strong flavour of alcohol and alcohol lovers will like this. Strong taste of alcohol but not enough to get you tipsy, so don't worry about getting drunk on cake.

Ondeh Ondeh ($7.90) was my second favourite dessert. It has a taste of Asian delight, a taste of Malacca with the familiar pandan and coconut shreds in it. I am always a fan of coconut. The cake was light and contained only moderate sweetness that makes it appealing for everyone.

My favourite has got to be Seek Asylum ($15.90). I was so happy that this was served to us because this was the dessert I wanted to try initially. 

This was another alcoholic dessert where the mud pie was served with macademia ice cream, mocha almond ice cream with cookies and Baileys Irish Cream. I was sold by the heavenly taste of the dessert, every bite allowed me to experience different textures of the dessert, the softness and smoothness of the ice cream, and the crunchiness of the cookie chunks. Cravings for ice cream satisfied. 

Last but not least was Arctic Bombshell ($12.90).

Arctic Bombshell was like a piece of artwork and the portion was quite big, it was good to order for sharing so that sweetness can be spread and share.

What lies in the outer layer of meringue was browine with chocolate ganache and vanilla ice cream. The sweetness of Arctic Bombshell just melt our hearts. By the last dessert, the level of fullness has already reached our brim. 

I can't believe time has passed so fast. I knew both Tracy and GF at the same time during a beauty event back in 2011. I'm so glad that we still maintain close contact up to now. Cheers to many more years of friendship.

A well spent day with delicious food and awesome company.

Thanks Toby's The Dessert Asylum for having us at the tasting, we enjoyed the meal very much. 

For more information about Toby, pls visit http://www.tobys.com.sg/

Toby's The Dessert Asylum

8 Boon Lay Way, 

Tradehub21, #01-35 

Singapore 609964

Opening hours: 11am to 10pm daily