PONTIAN REVISITED AFTER A FORTNIGHT FOR THE WEEK'S GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE

  11th OCTOBER 2026   ~ We ventured out to Pontian again for our gastronomic adventure. We were in the quaint town a fortnight ago [READ HERE] and saw Cendolboy Restaurant was filled with many customers. It is a popular belief an eating place is good if there are many visitors. Hence we decided to visit this place this time.

It was Sunday afternoon and there were many people still having lunch after 2:00 p.m. Luckily we managed to secure an empty table in the dining area.

If you want to have Nasi Campur [rice with different dishes] for lunch, there were a variety of Malay dishes to choose.

When I saw the Rojak station, I had a feeling this restaurant was actually a rebranded Mamak place. Correct me if I am wrong.

I had Asam Pedas Ikan Pari [Stingray]. Unfortunately, the gravy was a bit too salty and that already was a turn off for me.

I also had Cendol which should be the specialty of this place, and it was commendable.

Another eating place visited in Pontian and now we have to find other venues for our upcoming gastronomic adventure.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE AT WARUNG BUNDA WITH GUESTS FROM SHAH ALAM

11TH OCTOBER 2026 ~ The next gastronomic adventure with Shah Alam people was the breakfast session. I myself wanted to try the food at this place called Warung Bunda which seemed to be popular.

We arrived at the place at about 8:30 a.m. and the dining area was already jam packed with customers. Finding an unoccupied table could be the first challenge.

We went into the room where all the food and drinks were served on buffet tables. I took one big round tray to put all the plates of food. Another option was to get a trolley which was too big. There was a huge crowd and moving around and choosing food was another challenge. The queue was also long and the tray I was carrying was getting heavier by the minute.

We had no issues with the food so it was worth the adventure. Perhaps the management could set up food or drinks stalls/counters somewhere else outside so there would be more space for people to move in the room where all the food was put. As for the time being, try to avoid going there on weekends or public holidays. Always put the blame on Singaporeans. One thing worth mentioning: the prices were reasonable.

Thanks to Mr. Ridwan, the wife and daughter for the dinner [READ HERE] and breakfast meetings during their short stay. Will always be looking forward to try food at new places or revisit the same old places for more gastronomic adventures after this.

ANOTHER LUNCH TREAT FOR MY BIRTHDAY

Someone wanted to treat me lunch for birthday so a lunch was set. The chosen venue was Plaza Pelangi and I suggested we had a sandwich each at Subway.

The place was still empty when we arrived at about 12:30 p.m. but soon the place was crowded with people who came to buy food for lunch.

It was a short meeting as my friend had to go back to work once lunch break was over.

Thanks Mr. Shafiq Jaafar, an ex-colleague of SMK Dato' Jaafar, for the birthday treat and the birthday present as well. Only Allah may repay your kindness.

THE IMPROMPTU BREAKFAST SESSION WITH A FRIEND FROM SUNGAI PETANI

Puan Suhana Abdul Jamal, a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993, is in town. She is visiting and taking of her mother for a few days.

Early this morning, she messaged me to notify her whereabout. She was with her mother at Kampung Melayu Market [now known as Medan Niaga Kampung Melayu], about to have breakfast. She asked me to quickly meet them there.

I managed to get there in less than 10 minutes as the venue was quite near [and there was no heavy traffic]. I had Cucur Udang and then a plate of Sate to be shared with the other two diners. It was a short sit in session. This was my first time meeting Puan Suhana in Johor Bahru, despite the fact that she frequently comes back home, believe it or not. There is a possibility for another breakfast session after this but we shall wait for confirmation.

THE PARCEL THAT ARRIVED ONE DAY EARLIER BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY

  

   9TH OCTOBER 2026    ~ A parcel arrived one day earlier before my birthday and it was from Puan Hazlina Aziz, another friend from UPM TESL Class of 1993 group. Thank God she messaged me to ask whether the package had arrived so I did not have to find out who the sender was on my own.

Thank you, Puan Hazlina. Only Allah may repay your kindness.

THE BIRTHDAY LUNCH AT TEA GARDEN

   10TH OCTOBER 2026    ~ Even though I already informed my gastronomic adventure buddy there was no need any celebration for my birthday, he still insisted that we went out for lunch. Despite the fact that I was still full from the feast at the wedding reception before meeting him [READ HERE], I did not want to let him down. I suggested we just went to Tea Garden Restaurant in Taman Nusantara and hopefully there would be something light for me to eat.

Unfortunately, there were many items on the menu that we wanted to order were not available, like the Portuguese Egg Tarts and Fried Radish Cake.

I opted for Fried Kuew Teow while Mr. Redzuan chose to have Fried Rice.

Thank you Mr. Redzuan for the birthday treat. Birthday or no birthday, the gastronomic adventure must go on.

INTRODUCING SS9 FOOD COURT TO GUESTS FROM SHAH ALAM

    10th OCTOBER 2026    ~ Mr. Ridwan A. Wahid, Puan Suhaila Sulong and their daughter, Ms. Reihana, were back in town. We decided to meet up for dinner and this time I wanted to introduce SS9 Food Court to them.

We just had the usual food selections and it was a relief that they had positive reviews of the choices made. Puan Suhaila wanted to come back to this place to try the Rice Porridge next time.

The gastronomic adventure would commence the next morning for breakfast at another new place [for us].