Vivo Pizza & Panini at JUSCO Tebrau, Johor Bahru

Today, we were invited to visit the Vivo American Pizza & Panini outlet at AEON JUSCO Tebrau.

The interior of Vivo pizza outlets are all spacious, bright, clean, inviting and family friendly.

The main purpose of our visit was to taste Vivo American Pizza & Panini's.... pizzas and Italian rolled bread sandwiches!



We had the Smoked Chicken BBQ Pizza.



And, the Premium Prawn Pizza.



The first thing that I noticed about Vivo's pizzas is the size. They start at 8 inches (RM16.90), which makes even their smallest pizza good for two people to share. I like this because I, and possibly others too, see pizzas as bonding food to be shared and enjoyed together with family and friends.



Vivo's pizzas have a medium thickness crust with good bite. The dough for the crusts are hand made at the outlets.



Looking below the crusts at other pizza joints, I often found it saturated with sticky grease. Not so at Vivo Pizza. The entire browned crust was dry, firm yet it has flex and nice mouth feel.



The colourful ingredients covered by a layer of melted mozzarella cheese are all freshly cut, diced, chopped and peeled. For example, the prawn pizza is topped with shelled fresh prawns. (Only fine dining Italian restaurants would do this.) We can feel the crunchiness of the toppings of Vivo pizzas, unlike mushy canned or frozen ingredients in lower quality pizzas.



I am delighted by the Vivo pizzas that I tasted today. The melted cheese was savoury without being overly salty. The toppings were crunchy and were a mix of interesting textures. The crusts were equally lovely.

I actually do not expect such artisanal pizza except at higher end Italian fine dining restaurants - so, kudos to Vivo for making quality pizza accessible to more people.

Besides the pizza, we also tried Vivo's crispy chicken panino (plural panini) or Italian rolled bread. 



Vivo's crispy chicken panino comes with fries and house made Italian rolled bread at RM13.90.



The rolled bread, slightly crisp outside and bouncy inside wraps a large slice of fried chicken which is also crispy outside and still juicy inside. The fresh lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices added texture to the panino, not to mention the much welcome vitamins :D  



We couldn't resist two rounds of Vivo's Volcanic Chocolate which is one of my favourite lava cakes in Johor Bahru. The cake overflows with warm dark molten Danish chocolate. Combine the warm chocolate with sweet icy vanilla ice cream, it's a pair that melts resolve and puts an end to many diet plans.

I am happy to discover Vivo American Pizza & Panini. Good food, cheery environment and reasonable prices.

Restaurant name: Vivo American Pizza & Panini (AEON JUSCO Tebrau outlet)
Address: AEON JUSCO Tebrau, Johor Bahru (Vivo has a total of 12 outlets in Johor Bahru, Segamat, Malacca, KL and Singapore)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/LtWM4
GPS: 1.549441,103.796350
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Certified Halal

Date visited: 25 Nov 2013, 10 Dec 2013

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Today, we were invited to visit the Vivo American Pizza & Panini outlet at AEON JUSCO Tebrau.

The interior of Vivo pizza outlets are all spacious, bright, clean, inviting and family friendly.

The main purpose of our visit was to taste Vivo American Pizza & Panini's.... pizzas and Italian rolled bread sandwiches!



We had the Smoked Chicken BBQ Pizza.



And, the Premium Prawn Pizza.



The first thing that I noticed about Vivo's pizzas is the size. They start at 8 inches (RM16.90), which makes even their smallest pizza good for two people to share. I like this because I, and possibly others too, see pizzas as bonding food to be shared and enjoyed together with family and friends.



Vivo's pizzas have a medium thickness crust with good bite. The dough for the crusts are hand made at the outlets.



Looking below the crusts at other pizza joints, I often found it saturated with sticky grease. Not so at Vivo Pizza. The entire browned crust was dry, firm yet it has flex and nice mouth feel.



The colourful ingredients covered by a layer of melted mozzarella cheese are all freshly cut, diced, chopped and peeled. For example, the prawn pizza is topped with shelled fresh prawns. (Only fine dining Italian restaurants would do this.) We can feel the crunchiness of the toppings of Vivo pizzas, unlike mushy canned or frozen ingredients in lower quality pizzas.



I am delighted by the Vivo pizzas that I tasted today. The melted cheese was savoury without being overly salty. The toppings were crunchy and were a mix of interesting textures. The crusts were equally lovely.

I actually do not expect such artisanal pizza except at higher end Italian fine dining restaurants - so, kudos to Vivo for making quality pizza accessible to more people.

Besides the pizza, we also tried Vivo's crispy chicken panino (plural panini) or Italian rolled bread. 



Vivo's crispy chicken panino comes with fries and house made Italian rolled bread at RM13.90.



The rolled bread, slightly crisp outside and bouncy inside wraps a large slice of fried chicken which is also crispy outside and still juicy inside. The fresh lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices added texture to the panino, not to mention the much welcome vitamins :D  



We couldn't resist two rounds of Vivo's Volcanic Chocolate which is one of my favourite lava cakes in Johor Bahru. The cake overflows with warm dark molten Danish chocolate. Combine the warm chocolate with sweet icy vanilla ice cream, it's a pair that melts resolve and puts an end to many diet plans.

I am happy to discover Vivo American Pizza & Panini. Good food, cheery environment and reasonable prices.

Restaurant name: Vivo American Pizza & Panini (AEON JUSCO Tebrau outlet)
Address: AEON JUSCO Tebrau, Johor Bahru (Vivo has a total of 12 outlets in Johor Bahru, Segamat, Malacca, KL and Singapore)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/LtWM4
GPS: 1.549441,103.796350
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Certified Halal

Date visited: 25 Nov 2013, 10 Dec 2013

Return to home page.

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Menu Please Bistro at Taman Maju Jaya near Plaza Pelangi in Johor Bahru

Jayson the boss of Menu Please Bistro invited me to try their "Signature Dishes Sharing Set Meal". The idea is for two persons to share a set consisting of a pair of Menu Please's signature dishes. Jayson let me try "Set D" with the Oriental Duck Pizza and Braised Lamb Shank as the main courses. The Set D costs RM65.80 nett.



That's Jayson the boss, on the right taking orders. Co-incidentally, that's my friend Jason and his family :D



Jayson is a SHATEC graduate and he had worked in Singapore's Four Seasons Hotel and Marina Bay Sands Hotel before returning to JB to set up Menu Please Bistro.

Let's start our dinner.



The opening course is a choice of either the Soup of the Day or a salad. As I had tried Menu Please's tomato soup during my previous visit, Jayson let me try the salad.

Jayson's willingness to experiment is reflected in this salad. The jumble of shredded carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, fried tofu and beansprouts is stuffed in a glass jar. At the bottom of the jar is a tangy, spicy, drippy Thai sauce and on top is a paste-like peanutty, sweet and savoury satay sauce. The idea is to screw on the jar cover, and then mix and blend everything by shaking the jar vigorously. Pour out and serve on a plate after mixing.

It's an interesting mix of textures, tastes and flavours. Try it and see for yourself.



Next up is Menu Please's signature Oriental Duck pizza.



Taste wise this innovative pizza has everything - the sweetness of the tangerine with a tinge of tanginess, and different sorts of savouriness from the smoked duck, melted cheese and char siew gravy. There was also a herbal fragrance from the basil leaf garnishing.



Texture wise, it was also interesting. Juicy spongy tangerine, tender duck with some fat, gooey gummy melted cheese on a thin crusty handmade pizza base.

I enjoyed this interesting pizza even though I am not a pizza fan.



The second main course was Menu Please's top selling braised lamb shank. This was my second time having the lamb shank at Menu Please, and I am still looking forward to it.



The meat was braised so tender that it fell off the bone like a coat dropping off a stiff hanger. The tender meat was rich. The gaminess and aroma of lamb which mutton fans love was only subtly present.



Finally, the Cake of the Day was this durian cake. It's a sponge cake with creamy real durian between the soft spongy layers.

To go with the cake, the Set Meal comes with two hot or cold drinks.

I think this set is ideal for couples - the dishes are tasty and interesting, and the amount of food is just nice for two people.



Restaurant name: Menu Please Bistro
Address: 25, Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya, Johor Bahru (near Plaza Pelangi)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/1vLa8
GPS: 1.480859,103.766314
Hours: Tues to Fri 12:00 noon to 3:00pm and 5:30pm to 12:00 midnight. Sat and Sun 12:00 noon to 12:00 mid night (Closed on Mondays)
No pork, no lard, no alcohol, no Halal cert

Date visited: 3 Apr 2013, 1 Nov 2013

Jayson the boss of Menu Please Bistro invited me to try their "Signature Dishes Sharing Set Meal". The idea is for two persons to share a set consisting of a pair of Menu Please's signature dishes. Jayson let me try "Set D" with the Oriental Duck Pizza and Braised Lamb Shank as the main courses. The Set D costs RM65.80 nett.



That's Jayson the boss, on the right taking orders. Co-incidentally, that's my friend Jason and his family :D



Jayson is a SHATEC graduate and he had worked in Singapore's Four Seasons Hotel and Marina Bay Sands Hotel before returning to JB to set up Menu Please Bistro.

Let's start our dinner.



The opening course is a choice of either the Soup of the Day or a salad. As I had tried Menu Please's tomato soup during my previous visit, Jayson let me try the salad.

Jayson's willingness to experiment is reflected in this salad. The jumble of shredded carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, fried tofu and beansprouts is stuffed in a glass jar. At the bottom of the jar is a tangy, spicy, drippy Thai sauce and on top is a paste-like peanutty, sweet and savoury satay sauce. The idea is to screw on the jar cover, and then mix and blend everything by shaking the jar vigorously. Pour out and serve on a plate after mixing.

It's an interesting mix of textures, tastes and flavours. Try it and see for yourself.



Next up is Menu Please's signature Oriental Duck pizza.



Taste wise this innovative pizza has everything - the sweetness of the tangerine with a tinge of tanginess, and different sorts of savouriness from the smoked duck, melted cheese and char siew gravy. There was also a herbal fragrance from the basil leaf garnishing.



Texture wise, it was also interesting. Juicy spongy tangerine, tender duck with some fat, gooey gummy melted cheese on a thin crusty handmade pizza base.

I enjoyed this interesting pizza even though I am not a pizza fan.



The second main course was Menu Please's top selling braised lamb shank. This was my second time having the lamb shank at Menu Please, and I am still looking forward to it.



The meat was braised so tender that it fell off the bone like a coat dropping off a stiff hanger. The tender meat was rich. The gaminess and aroma of lamb which mutton fans love was only subtly present.



Finally, the Cake of the Day was this durian cake. It's a sponge cake with creamy real durian between the soft spongy layers.

To go with the cake, the Set Meal comes with two hot or cold drinks.

I think this set is ideal for couples - the dishes are tasty and interesting, and the amount of food is just nice for two people.



Restaurant name: Menu Please Bistro
Address: 25, Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya, Johor Bahru (near Plaza Pelangi)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/1vLa8
GPS: 1.480859,103.766314
Hours: Tues to Fri 12:00 noon to 3:00pm and 5:30pm to 12:00 midnight. Sat and Sun 12:00 noon to 12:00 mid night (Closed on Mondays)
No pork, no lard, no alcohol, no Halal cert

Date visited: 3 Apr 2013, 1 Nov 2013

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Tasconi's Pizza in Johor Bahru near AEON Jusco Mall Bukit Indah

The boss of Tasconi's Pizza, Noor Hashim, who is a Johor Sedap Halal foodie group member invited me to his pizza restaurant which opened about six months ago in Bukit Indah, conveniently right next to the AEON Jusco mall. Tasconi's Pizza is a Bruneian franchise with restaurants in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.



Inside, Tasconi's Pizza restaurant is inviting, simple and neat, yet comfortable. Besides dining in at the cosy restaurant, Tasconi's pizza also provides free pizza delivery (delivery hot line is 07-300-3180).

At Tasconi's Pizza, there are 17 types of pizzas on the menu.



Noor let us try Tasconi's regular 10" Spicy Beef pizza (which sells for RM26.90).





Tasconi's Spicy Beef pizza had generous toppings of minced beef, beef salami, beef pepperoni, jalapeno peppers, onions, with lots of imported Italian mozzarella cheese.



We next tried Tasconi's regular 10" Mexicana pizza (at RM26.90).



Tasconi's Mexicana pizza had loads of toppings of ground beef, onions, red and green peppers, fresh tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and again, plenty of mozzarella cheese.

I liked both Tasconi's Spicy Beef and Mexicana pizzas. The thick crust was just the right crispness outside and inside it was moist. The ingredients were fresh and the molten cheese was rich and creamy. Though rich, Tasconi's pizzas were not overly greasy.



Tasconi's roll, the franchise's signature dish available with beef or mackerel fillings at RM16.90.



We had the beef with plenty of cheese. To me, it taste and felt like a huge pie.

 

Tasconi's sides are pretty good too. This cream of mushroom soup was the soup of the day (RM5.90). Made with fresh mushrooms, it was tasty.



The macaroni baked with minced beef and cheese.



Spicy baked chicken wings.

After enjoying the sumptuous meal, as usual, I made the bold request to visit the kitchen :P Noor graciously agreed to let me in :))



The centre piece in the kitchen was this large double decker oven with conveyor belt system. This oven which reminded me of those Transformer robots was imported from Italy.

I had the opportunity to watch the entire process of making a Tasconi pizza :)



Each pizza is assembled upon order. The tomato sauce and fresh toppings are added to the dough according to the order.



The Tasconi beef pepperoni pizza with all the toppings enters the oven from the right.



The pizza making its way slowly through the hot mid section of the oven.



The hot pizza peeking out of the oven on the left.



Presto! A piping hot beef pepperoni pizza straight out of the oven after 6 minutes.

Tasconi's Pizza is definitely worth a try, whether eating in at the Bukit Indah restaurant or at home by free home delivery.





Restaurant name: Tasconi's Pizza
Address: 97, Jalan Indah 15/2 (opposite AEON Jusco Bukit Indah)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/UNLEw
GPS: 1.479856,103.656982
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 25 Mar 2013

The boss of Tasconi's Pizza, Noor Hashim, who is a Johor Sedap Halal foodie group member invited me to his pizza restaurant which opened about six months ago in Bukit Indah, conveniently right next to the AEON Jusco mall. Tasconi's Pizza is a Bruneian franchise with restaurants in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.



Inside, Tasconi's Pizza restaurant is inviting, simple and neat, yet comfortable. Besides dining in at the cosy restaurant, Tasconi's pizza also provides free pizza delivery (delivery hot line is 07-300-3180).

At Tasconi's Pizza, there are 17 types of pizzas on the menu.



Noor let us try Tasconi's regular 10" Spicy Beef pizza (which sells for RM26.90).





Tasconi's Spicy Beef pizza had generous toppings of minced beef, beef salami, beef pepperoni, jalapeno peppers, onions, with lots of imported Italian mozzarella cheese.



We next tried Tasconi's regular 10" Mexicana pizza (at RM26.90).



Tasconi's Mexicana pizza had loads of toppings of ground beef, onions, red and green peppers, fresh tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and again, plenty of mozzarella cheese.

I liked both Tasconi's Spicy Beef and Mexicana pizzas. The thick crust was just the right crispness outside and inside it was moist. The ingredients were fresh and the molten cheese was rich and creamy. Though rich, Tasconi's pizzas were not overly greasy.



Tasconi's roll, the franchise's signature dish available with beef or mackerel fillings at RM16.90.



We had the beef with plenty of cheese. To me, it taste and felt like a huge pie.

 

Tasconi's sides are pretty good too. This cream of mushroom soup was the soup of the day (RM5.90). Made with fresh mushrooms, it was tasty.



The macaroni baked with minced beef and cheese.



Spicy baked chicken wings.

After enjoying the sumptuous meal, as usual, I made the bold request to visit the kitchen :P Noor graciously agreed to let me in :))



The centre piece in the kitchen was this large double decker oven with conveyor belt system. This oven which reminded me of those Transformer robots was imported from Italy.

I had the opportunity to watch the entire process of making a Tasconi pizza :)



Each pizza is assembled upon order. The tomato sauce and fresh toppings are added to the dough according to the order.



The Tasconi beef pepperoni pizza with all the toppings enters the oven from the right.



The pizza making its way slowly through the hot mid section of the oven.



The hot pizza peeking out of the oven on the left.



Presto! A piping hot beef pepperoni pizza straight out of the oven after 6 minutes.

Tasconi's Pizza is definitely worth a try, whether eating in at the Bukit Indah restaurant or at home by free home delivery.





Restaurant name: Tasconi's Pizza
Address: 97, Jalan Indah 15/2 (opposite AEON Jusco Bukit Indah)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/UNLEw
GPS: 1.479856,103.656982
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Halal

Date visited: 25 Mar 2013

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Chicken and Mushroom Pizza @ George and Dragon Café in Johor Premium Outlets (JPO)

My family have always wanted to shop at the recently opened Johor Premium Outlets and I always wanted to try out JB’s long established English restaurant, George and Dragon Café.

So when I heard that George and Dragon has opened a branch in JPO, I have no further excuse to delay any further J

We headed to the JPO via the North South Highway from the Woodlands-JB causeway link. (The North South Highway is now conveniently linked to the Johor CIQ via the Eastern Dispersal Link or EDL).
 

After heading north (towards Kuala Lumpur) for about 30 minutes on the North South Highway, look out for the prominent JPO buildings on your right – ask your passengers to help you J Once you see the JPO buildings, exit left at the next exit which is Exit 253.

After exiting the Exit 253 toll gate, go straight ahead for about 1 minute and exit the first left. Next, stay on this stretch of straight road for another 3 minutes and exit the next left (Exit 304).

About 3 more minutes later you will see the signs (Exit 302A) pointing you to the JPO.

The Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) is a sprawling shopping complex built on Genting plantation land. The Mediterranean themed JPO is laid out following the design of similar complexes in the United States. Many brands are represented here, and many more will follow when the next phase of JPO is opened.

The Food and Beverage outlets here include a large food court named Food Channel, several coffee and fast food franchises, and a handful of mid-range restaurants.

For my maiden visit, I opted for the George and Dragon Café here J

Look out for this tall and handsome knight's armour standing guard at the shop front of George and Dragon.

 

 

I am very impressed with the careful thought and great effort put in to create the distinctive medieval ambiance of the café. The signature décor of George and Dragon blends very well with the stone walls of the Mediterranean themed Johor Premium Outlets.

George and Dragon Café is famous for its Angus steaks, pizzas, pasta, and desserts, especially their traditional English scones.

 

For my first visit, I ordered their Chicken and Mushroom Pizza and asked for the thin crust.

Isn’t this pizza pretty J The delicious pizza came topped with a tomato and cheese based bright red sauce with diced chicken and mushrooms. The cheese was just right for me – not too rich and not oily. The crust was crispy at the fringes and softer towards the centre – many people like it this way though personally I prefer my crust crispy throughout J

LOL, I am sure this is only my first trip to JPO and there will be many more obligatory visits to come with pestering family and friends J 

Next time, I will try the much heralded Angus steaks at George and Dragon J

This is Peggy Loh's take on George and Dragon at JPO.

 

Restaurant name: George and Dragon Café

Address: Johor Premium Outlet, Indahpura, Johor

Map: http://g.co/maps/r2j79
GPS: 1.601649,103.621823

Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm

No Pork, No Lard, No Halal Cert

Date visited: 9 April 2012

My family have always wanted to shop at the recently opened Johor Premium Outlets and I always wanted to try out JB’s long established English restaurant, George and Dragon Café.

So when I heard that George and Dragon has opened a branch in JPO, I have no further excuse to delay any further J

We headed to the JPO via the North South Highway from the Woodlands-JB causeway link. (The North South Highway is now conveniently linked to the Johor CIQ via the Eastern Dispersal Link or EDL).
 

After heading north (towards Kuala Lumpur) for about 30 minutes on the North South Highway, look out for the prominent JPO buildings on your right – ask your passengers to help you J Once you see the JPO buildings, exit left at the next exit which is Exit 253.

After exiting the Exit 253 toll gate, go straight ahead for about 1 minute and exit the first left. Next, stay on this stretch of straight road for another 3 minutes and exit the next left (Exit 304).

About 3 more minutes later you will see the signs (Exit 302A) pointing you to the JPO.

The Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) is a sprawling shopping complex built on Genting plantation land. The Mediterranean themed JPO is laid out following the design of similar complexes in the United States. Many brands are represented here, and many more will follow when the next phase of JPO is opened.

The Food and Beverage outlets here include a large food court named Food Channel, several coffee and fast food franchises, and a handful of mid-range restaurants.

For my maiden visit, I opted for the George and Dragon Café here J

Look out for this tall and handsome knight's armour standing guard at the shop front of George and Dragon.

 

 

I am very impressed with the careful thought and great effort put in to create the distinctive medieval ambiance of the café. The signature décor of George and Dragon blends very well with the stone walls of the Mediterranean themed Johor Premium Outlets.

George and Dragon Café is famous for its Angus steaks, pizzas, pasta, and desserts, especially their traditional English scones.

 

For my first visit, I ordered their Chicken and Mushroom Pizza and asked for the thin crust.

Isn’t this pizza pretty J The delicious pizza came topped with a tomato and cheese based bright red sauce with diced chicken and mushrooms. The cheese was just right for me – not too rich and not oily. The crust was crispy at the fringes and softer towards the centre – many people like it this way though personally I prefer my crust crispy throughout J

LOL, I am sure this is only my first trip to JPO and there will be many more obligatory visits to come with pestering family and friends J 

Next time, I will try the much heralded Angus steaks at George and Dragon J

This is Peggy Loh's take on George and Dragon at JPO.

 

Restaurant name: George and Dragon Café

Address: Johor Premium Outlet, Indahpura, Johor

Map: http://g.co/maps/r2j79
GPS: 1.601649,103.621823

Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm

No Pork, No Lard, No Halal Cert

Date visited: 9 April 2012

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