Johor Buffet - Cafe BLD in Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel in Permas Jaya

 

With the Grand Opening of Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel by YAM Tunku Idris Iskandar on 28 May 2013, Johor Bahru now has more exciting dining choices.

 

 

Cafe BLD is the cafe at the newly opened Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel. I am fortunate to visit this exciting new dining option in Johor Bahru twice recently, once at Renaissance JB's Grand Opening and again today during lunch at the invitation of Ervina. Two days, and yet not enough stomach space to try everything. All I could do was to eat to my heart's content, and the rest, I can only take photos and feast with my eyes only.

 

 

Inside Cafe BLD, everything is spanking new, squeaky clean, yet the decor is warm and has rich welcoming tones. Seating is comfortable and spacious at Cafe BLD.

 

 

The food is prepared on order in a central island, open concept kitchen - the first and only such kitchen in Johor Bahru at the moment. We can enjoy watching the chefs prepare our food :)

 

 

I went round and round the four sides and corners of this kitchen, hunting for the best food and photo opportunities. I seemed to discover new, interesting things with every round.

 

 

This is the friendly Executive Chef Foong making cotton candy for us :) Chef Foong who hails from Ipoh has a wealth of experience in international cuisine having worked in restaurants and hotels in London, Osaka, Shanghai, Perth, Jakarta and Singapore.

 

In case you wonder, and some of you might have already guessed it, Cafe BLD stands for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

 

Follow me and let me take you around Cafe BLD.

 

 

There are lots of Western and local appetisers - this is the succulent smoked duck, my personal favourite :)

 

 

The seafood station during the Grand Opening - I tried only the oysters and they were plump and fresh. I could literally taste the sea - went two rounds on this one :P

 

 

Chef Foong is very proud of his signature Nasi Goreng Kampung. The prawns and scallops were fresh and well executed. The fried rice was savoury. That sunny side up quail egg was a interesting touch and the fried keropok were crispy and tasty. The nasi goreng kampung is served with a couple of sticks of satay. Available from the a la carte menu.

 

 

I didn't take the satay - saving it for another day but from the looks, charred bits at the edges and the meat grilled to golden brown, they must be delicious.

 

 

The chef was frying thick chunks of fish with a spicy looking sauce.

 

 

Sushi from the Japanese station.

 

 

Roast duck lovers - look out for this roast duck, it is one of the best that I've tried. This roast duck is one of the signature dishes at Renaissance's own Cantonese restaurant, Wan Li.

 

 

The roti canai station - everything is freshly made.

 

 

Shaolin pizza by Chef Yap at the pizza station.

 

 

Crispy, thin crust pizza.

 

 

Fire works at the pasta station.

 

 

I can't help myself catching another flambe at the pasta station - this spectacular one by Sous Chef Thana who was visiting from Marriott Singapore, helping out at the Grand Opening.

 

 

The Briyani station during the Grand Opening. The lamb was gamey, tender, succulent and infused with spice fragrance. I had two helpings :P

 

 

 

The spicy tom yam noodle soup from the noodle station.

 

 

We were spoilt for choice for dessert, both Western and local.

 

 

For cake lovers, the Western desserts are made at Renaissance's own Chocolate Cake Company. 

 

Cafe BLD changes its menu regularly, so you can expect to see something different during different visits.

 

Here are the prices for the international buffet at Cafe BLD.

 

Breakfast Buffet : RM 42.00++ (Monday – Sunday)
Lunch Buffet : RM 55.00++ (Mon- Thurs)/ RM 60.00++ (Fri – Sun)

Dinner Buffet : RM68.00++ (Mon- Thurs)/ RM80.00++ (Fri – Sun)

 

· 50% for children below 12 year old – 7 year old

· FOC  for children below 6 years old

 

 

 

Restaurant name: Cafe BLD (in Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel)

Address: 2, Jalan Permas 11. Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Masai, Johor

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/w6A4u

GPS: 1.495097,103.812786

Hours: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

 

Date visited: 28 May 2013, 31 May 2013

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Summer Rice Salad

Every summer, my mom makes this amazingly delicious, refreshing rice salad.  It's the kind of salad that is best enjoyed on a hot summer day, right out of the fridge.

With produce abundant all summer long, there is no better time to try this recipe.  It's perfect to bring to picnics and barbecues.  It's also perfect to make and just keep in the fridge, because it packs great for lunch and it's easy to eat for dinner.

Along with being delicious and easy to make, this salad can be as guilt-free as you like.  I make it with low fat Italian dressing, but fat-free tastes great as well.  Add in the brown rice, and you have fiber as well as a plentiful serving of vegetables.

Excuse my recipe, I kind of throw this together, as does my mom.  But you'll get the idea!

1 box Boil-in-Bag Brown Rice (3 bags)
3 peppers, any combination of red, yellow and/or green
1 medium red onion
1 cucumber
1 bottle 16oz Italian dressing (your choice, I like low fat Wishbone Italian)

Boil rice as directed on box, and chop cucumber and peppers into small squares.  Dice onion, I use about 1/2 to 3/4 of the red onion.  After rice is cooked, drain and toss in bowl with chopped vegetables.  Add dressing, using about 3/4 of bottle and toss salad to mix.  Save extra dressing to freshen up salad if needed.

Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Serves about 12-15.

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A Thursday, Weather Related, List

1.  I bought an air conditioner today.  I finally broke down and spent the money because it's awful hot outside.  And it will be awful hot again tomorrow.  And so on.

Hubby cannot function, or sleep, in a room that is 80 degrees.  My "keep the curtains closed" wasn't cuttin' it anymore.

2.  Yesterday, with pool water that was up to code for swimming, two of my more adventurous munchkins decided to swim.

For about 7 minutes.

After 7 minutes they couldn't feel their lower extremities.  But hey, they are totally stoked we own a pool.

3.  Today is Field Day for my 2nd grader.  He was thrilled to be out in the super hot sun.

He actually was, until I asked him for a picture.  Cue the downward spiral.

4.  No more cooking for me.  The kitchen closes in June, because I am not crazy enough to stand in front of a stove with no central air.

Hello cereal, toast, pancakes and eating out.  Whoop whoop!

5.  I personally do not mind the heat nearly as much as everyone else I know.  I can't even wear shorts unless it is at least 75 degrees with pure sun, shining on me, all day.

I do however, mind winter.  very much.

Happy Thursday!

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Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru

I heard a lot about a popular kampung chicken rice stall in Taman Sri Tebrau and finally tracked down Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 today.



The key man at the stall is Ah Fei who does all the cutting and cooking.



Ah Fei worked at his dad's chicken rice stall when he was a boy and he worked at a chicken rice stall in Jurong (Block 505), Singapore for many years before returning to Johor Bahru. This stall is named after his partner, Ah Lee 亚李.



I asked for a drumstick so my chicken rice set came to RM7.50. The "normal" chicken set costs RM6.50.

The drumstick was longer and more slender compared to the usual farm chicken or "meat chicken 肉鸡 " as it is known here. The meat was neatly cut and nicely presented.



The thigh meat was tender, juicy and very slightly stringier that "meat chicken". The meat has streaks of smooth gelatinous jelly in between which I love. The smooth chicken meat had a pleasant, lightly savoury flavour. I didn't pay much attention to the sauce as I wanted to taste the kampung chicken's natural flavours.



Caught a pic of another customer's order. Ah Fei obviously takes pride in presenting his food - no topsy turvy random heap of scattered bones and chicken pieces here and there.



Ah Fei told me that his stall uses good quality Thai fragrant rice to cook their chicken rice. Ah Lee's chicken rice is indeed fragrant and the loose, tender grains were lightly coated with chicken fat.



This soup may look clear and ordinary but it has body and is savoury and flavourful. It was one of those soups that I will ask for seconds, which I actually did ;)



The chicken rice was served with ground chili and ginger. I just did a dip test - both were fresh and complemented the chicken well. I didn't use the chili or ginger much as I wanted to savour the natural flavour of the kampung chicken.

If you are looking for kampung chicken rice, give Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 a try.





Restaurant name: Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭
Address: Junction of Jalan Badik and Jalan Badik 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WTb4d
GPS: 1.486227,103.768959
Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal

Date visited: 27 May 2013

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Taroko Teppanyaki Grill near Sutera Mall in Johor Bahru

I always liked teppanyaki because I love to watch chefs in action. The sometimes random, sometimes rhythmic clanging, clinking and clapping of the teppanyaki trowels sound like music to my ears.

Today, I had the opportunity to watch the chefs in action when Thomas invited me to visit his newly opened Taroko Teppanyaki Grill. Thomas is an old hand in teppanyaki cooking. Actually, Thomas has many years of experience in operating teppanyaki grills as he used to run the popular teppanyaki stall in City Square Mall food court in downtown Johor Bahru.



I wasted no time in making my way to the front row seat to watch the action at the griddle. These inviting prawns were sizzling on the griddle, glowing like red hot charcoal.



Taroko Teppanyaki customers can choose to sit inside the aircon comfort of Bangkok Village Thai food restaurant which also belongs to the same boss i.e. Thomas. In fact, the Thai dishes like Tom Yam from Bangkok Village go along well with the teppanyaki dishes.



Our first order was Taroko Teppanyaki's popular Seafood Fried Rice. The chef mixing and tossing the rice and seafood in the hot griddle while we watched.



I like this Seafood Fried Rice (RM7.90). The savoury rice was fluffy, not overly greasy, and the shrimps and squid were nicely done too. There were fried eggs and also crunchy chopped long beans in the rice.



We also had this Mixed Seafood Set at RM35.90 which is a combination of large and thick USA scallops, prawns and cod fish fillet.



Close up of the succulent prawns in the Mixed Seafood Set.



We had a serving of Australian Wagyu beef which the chef expertly cuts up into bite sized cubes at dazzling speed on the griddle.



I like to sit at the al fresco area near the griddle because you never know when you will be entertained by spectacular fireworks. Here the chef doused the Wagyu beef with whisky and then torched it in a spectacular plume.



Our freshly cooked Australian Wagyu (200 grams) at RM88.90.



Wagyu beef comes with smokey fat which can be eaten guilt free as it is high in artery friendly omega oils - according to health experts, no kidding :)) 



Tender and juicy Wagyu beef, no marinade, great beefy flavour on it's own.

Taroko Teppanyaki Grill offers a wide range of teppanyaki dishes. Teppanyaki fans, check it out :)



Taroko Teppanyaki Grill is just beside Bangkok Village.

Restaurant name: Taroko Teppanyaki Grill
Address: 99, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/2, Taman Sutera Utama. Skudai
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/F3MvO
GPS: 1.515040,103.667732
Hours: 12:00noon to 11:00pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal Cert

Date visited: 29 May 2013

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