From The Straits Times    |
family day trip to Johor Bahru

1) SHOON HUAT BAK KUT TEH 
Shoon Huat seems to be the all round favourite on the great interwebs for good Bak Kut Teh across the causeway. Rich soup, lots and lots of liao, and a queue long enough to justify its cult status. The soup is clear, but rich. It’s free from the herbal or peppery taste you get from most bak kut teh stalls, yet it is still addictive enough to keep you coming back for more. The ingredients aren’t the best (button mushrooms everywhere) but the soup makes all the difference here.
Located at:
Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh 236, Jalan Sutera 1, Taman Sentosa 80150 Johor Bahru 8am to 5pm

2) IPOH ZHU CHANG FEN

It is not easy to find this place. It’s a small little store at 123 Kedai Kopi Kai Sing. This coffee shop is a street behind the famous Kam Long Fish Head curry.


Like yong tau foo, you pick out the ingredients you want, the uncle fries them up in his wok of bubbling hot oil. Then he dumps them onto a purple plate, drenches it in sweet sauce and chilli and there you have it. Crisp, delicious fish balls, bean skin and ngoh hiang accompanied by son chee cheong fun.

Oh, but heads up, don’t eat anything else at that coffee shop. Bleargh.

Located at:
No. 20, Jalan Meldrum, Bandar Johor Bahru
80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

3) KSL SHOPPING CENTRE
Relatively close to the causeway, and in the same vicinity as taman sentosa (that means good food), KSL is one of the stops you must make if you’re looking for cheap… everything.

Cheap nails:

A photo posted by Amanda Jayne (@ijayne) on

I had gel overlay extensions and artwork done on two thumbs for just 120RM – that’s $40!!!! I had the same thing done in Singapore for $108.

Interesting ice cream:

Photo credit: anqitai

Cheap movies:

Photo credit: xling.ng
Prices for movie tickets start at 9RM. WHUUUTTT!! $3?!?! Sign me up. Only downside – subtitles are in Malay. So don’t watch Lord of The Rings or shows with a foreign language.

4) LaserTag
Next, at everyone’s favourite shopping centre – City Square, you have one of the best family activities ever. Lasertag.
Priced at 35RM for two games, it’s more affordable than Singapore’s version. You dress to kill in vests with sensors on the front and back with a gun attached to it. It’s those arcade-type guns that fire light lasers. Once you hit someone’s sensor, they power down for 5 seconds before recharging and getting back to the game. It’s perfect for a competitive, fun afternoon, cause they display the names of the highest scorers at the end of the game, giving you bragging rights.
Located at: City Square mall

5) Koone
Located in the Haji Lane of JB, this is definitely one of the coolest places to be right now. Cause ice cream. Get it? Cool? Okay never mind.

Located at: 30, Jalan Dhoby, Bandar JB, 8000 JB

6) HIAP JOO BAKERY & BISCUIT FACTORY

Don’t be fooled by the small, rundown appearance of this place. Walk in and the scent of fresh banana bread hits you like a wave. People are busying around the space mixing the batter, prepping bananas, manning the wood fire and pulling pan after pan of bread.


This place is so beautifully old school they still use a KDK standing fan to cool the bread hahaha.

But keeping this old-school gives you beautifully fragrant and moist banana bread:

The brown crust aside, everything is nice a spongy with a natural sweetness that lingers after you finish a bite. The banana bread is moist but not oily, and soft and crumbly.

Located at:
13, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 Johor Bahru