Johor Bahru Day 2: Cafe Hopping in JB

We have a good rest and woke up to our checkout day. Weekend staycation passed so fast. Nevertheless, I still have a great escape and nice weekend.

We got up and got ourselves ready for checkout before 12pm.

Greeted by the view out of our hotel window. 

Good morning, JB.

One last photo before we checkout our room.

We have a great stay at Grand Paragon Hotel. Everything was pleasant, a hotel that I will recommend to my family and friends who are looking for hotel stay in JB.

Cafe hopping in Johor Bahru has become trending and there are many interesting cafes awaiting our explore. We decided to embark on cafe hopping in JB each time we come here for staycation.

Today, our first stop will be Bev C'afe, located along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. We took uber down to the cafe from our hotel.

This is one of the popular cafes located near the CIQ Checkpoint which is just 15 minutes walk away.

I wanted to visit this cafe after reading many interesting reviews from my friends and through the internet. Finally I made my visit here.

Bev C'afe is actually a boutique cum cafe, providing a space for creativity to be expressed through fashion design together with beverage crafting. The first level is a boutique selling clothes and bags while the second level was the cafe.

This is an interesting concept. With this, we can eat and shop at a single place.

This will be a great place to chill out for a drink or light bites. But if you are looking for something full, Bev C'afe only have a limited choice for main course. I would suggest you to come here for something light instead.

The place looked chic with just simple design and furnishing.

Relaxing in the cafe while waiting for our food.

Super hungry because we didn't have any breakfast and this was our first meal.

We have smoked duck pasta for our lunch. The texture was al dente, but too spicy to my liking.

It was quite a special one, first time having pasta in black.

Done with our meal.

We went to explore around the cafe and discovered a resting corner which resembled a bedroom with a bed for people who would like a rest.

It's a nice place for photo taking.

My casual outfit for brunch.

I got this top as a gift from GF and I love the thin material and chic looking design. I felt comfortable in this top and definitely something that I will be wearing again.

We love capturing every moment we have together so that we have something to look back on.

Bev C'afe

54, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Opening hour: 12pm

There are different cafes located nearby that is within walking distance from one another. We then hopped to Big Bites Cafe for some light snacks, a cafe inspired by delectable French and Italian pastries.

We ordered a cake for sharing, the texture was soft and creamy, literally just melt in the mouth. 

A rich indulgence.

We also have mushroom soup with dough to end off our lunch.

We enjoyed trying out different food variety from different cafes. 

Big Bites Cafe

18, Jalan Ibrahim, Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Operating hour: 9am to 7pm

Before walking back to CIQ Checkpoint, we passed by this pastry shop and went in to purchase their freshly baked chicken and char siew pastry for our family.

Headed back to Singapore straight after lunch to avoid the jam and allow ample time for checkpoint clearance.

Ended my day with western food for dinner at Clementi Market & Food Centre.

I have a wonderful weekend with eating and shopping spree accomplished. With additional 5 new clothes, I am done with the shopping for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Johor Bahru Day 1: Grand Paragon Hotel + KSL City Mall

With CNY just a week away, we decided to cross the border over to Johor Bahru (JB) for the festive shopping, to search for more new clothing to revamp my wardrobe. I have disposed many pieces of old clothes to make way for the new.

I have been traveling to JB very frequently lately because it allows me to shop and eat till I drop.  Weekend is no longer dull for me. Time to break out from being a couch potato and reward ourselves after 5 days of work, it is also my last weekend before new school semester starts.

We reached Kranji at about 10.15am and the queue for bus 170 was the longest I ever seen. Everyone wants to head in early to maximize their time in JB.

Upon clearing the custom at JB, the first stop I went for shopping at Komtar JBCC, the shopping mall just right beside City Square. When you reach the cross junction, turn left and take escalator up will lead you to City Square. And when turn right and continue walking, it will lead you to Komtar JBCC. It is a more high end shopping mall, it housed more prestige brands that are more expensive as compared to City Square.

I got myself a dress and 2 tops at Padini @ Komtar JBCC. The famished us then proceeded for lunch at Sakae Sushi @ City Square. 

Other than the food available at the conveyor belt, we can place order on their iPad menu which prevent the hassle of getting the staff's attention especially during peak hours. 

My favourite of all, juicy scallops grilled with codfish roe and mayonnaise. The sauce made it so delicious and addictive. It left me wanting for more.

Helping ourselves to more and more serving of sushi.

Green tea is my standard order of drinks when having Japanese cuisines, I love having non-sweet drink which has lower or no calories.

Fried ebi.

The grilled salmon was succulent and flavourful, I'm loving it.

Right after lunch, we made our way down to Grand Paragon Hotel for a night of staycation. We love weekend staycation in JB because no planning is required and it can be done over a weekend. We can achieved going "overseas" for relaxation without having to plan or book air ticket. Only booking of hotel is required.

Grand Paragon Hotel, Johor Bahru is located beside the Tebrau Highway. It is approximately 10 minutes drive from JB City Square. The room is luxuriously furnished and equipped with modern amenities for both business and leisure travelers.

We stayed in the standard room which cost about $66 a night.

The view from level 17.

All the shops and buildings looked so small and tiny.

Before we headed out for shopping, we went to check out their outdoor swimming pool. One can enjoy the scenery while swimming or sun tanning. 

The weather didn't look good, we better proceed to our destination.

Last photo before we left and proceeded to Holiday Plaza, a place recommended by my friend.

Holiday Plaza is quite small and has nothing much in it. We spent less than 15 minutes in the mall.  Lucky, it is walking distance away from KSL. We then walked to KSL which took us about 10-15 minutes.

So happy, I got another 2 tops from KSL. It's a fulfilling day for shopping.

Restoran Di Hwang Ya - Meng Meng Roast Duck - 阿明帝王鸭

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We were attracted by the display of the duck and decided to went in to try.

A glimpse of the Chinese restaurant. The restaurant gives people a very clean and neat feel that makes people feel warmly. 

We ordered the mix combo that consists of roasted duck, roasted pork and char siew.

The char siew was super delicious with the smoked sauce coated, so flavoursome. Our favourite of all three variety. 

The roasted duck was tender and the roasted pork was yummy.

Wanton soup to go with our dinner.

Since we still have 20 minutes left to buffer before our movie, we went for a quick dessert at Snow City Desserts.

Snow City Desserts 雪山飞狐

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I went for chendol shaved ice.

The portion was really huge and recommended for sharing. I couldn't finish it all by myself.

We catch the movie showtime at 7.50pm.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

Extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is thought to be long dead,

 comes back to action for a new assignment given by his handler Augustus Gibbons. He is set on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang (Donnie Yen) and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora's Box and dealing with the deadly conspiracy of world government collusion.

The movie showcased many fanciful stunt by Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa that got us entertained.

After the movie ended, we walked back to our hotel which is 15 minutes walk away. It was pretty dangerous to walk by the side of the road as there is no pathway. I would suggest you to take a transport instead.

So tired by the time I reached hotel. Going to have a hot shower and sleep. Good night.

That all for my day 1, thanks for reading.

Day 2 will be up soon.