MEETING TWO TESL FRIENDS IN KAMPUNG MELAYU FOR DINNER

 

Puan Hayati Burkhan was in town with her husband, Mr. Amin. They attended a wedding reception of a relative's in the afternoon in Kota Tinggi but was putting up the night in Johor Bahru. I was excited to introduce her to the local food for the first time. However, I met the husband in August for Kacang Pool when he was here [READ HERE].

I just took them to the food court in Kampung Melayu for its Murtabak at Murtabak Azo Food Court.

Puan Salmiah, another UPM TESL friend, and her daughter were also in Johor Bahru because they went to watch the Festival Zapin, a kind of traditional dance event. We invited her to join us and she happily obliged even though they were staying at Kota Iskandar area which was 30 minutes away from town without the traffic jam.

We had to bid each other "goodbye" by 9:30 p.m. as it had been a long they for these people from Kuala Lumpur/Selangor. There will be one more gastronomic adventure with Puan Hayati before she flies back to KL after that.

GOING WESTERN FOR DINNER IN PORT DICKSON, NEGERI SEMBILAN

   18th OCTOBER 2026    ~ After too much Malay food in Melaka, we decided to go western for dinner when we were in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. My co-pilot cum gastronomic adventure buddy, Mr. Redzuan, found this place called "Kafe Santai" which was not that far from the hotel where we were staying.

We ordered the Dulang Set [TRANSLATE: tray] which contained a piece of chicken chop and lamb chop, French Fries and two portions of fried rice. Western but Malaysianized as some people just could not live without rice.

The meal size was sufficient for two people and taste wise, all the food in taste was tasty that we finished everything.

That was a good start for our gastronomic adventure in Port Dickson and we would continue with the next episode the next day.

MEETING AN EX-CLASSMATE/SCHOOLMATE IN GELANG PATAH

My ex-classmate/schoolmate of Budiman class, SMS Muar, informed me in the Whatsapp group in the morning that he would be in town. A dinner date was promptly made and we decided to meet at Alsafa Restaurant in Gelang Patah.

This was my second time visiting this Mamak restaurant and the first one took place last month [READ HERE].

 

Fried Rice

Fried Maggi Noodles

Chicken and Beef Sate

We bade our goodbyes for now at about 10:15 p.m. and God willing, we will see each other again. Thanks to Mr. Abdul Razak Sapian for always contacting me when he is back in Johor Bahru. He is one of the few school friends that I frequently see up until now.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN SULTAN SALAI IN ALOR GAJAH, MELAKA

  17th OCTOBER 2026   ~ Before checking in at the hotel and attending the wedding reception [READ HERE], we stopped for lunch at a restaurant at Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah. The place is called Sultan Salai, which seemed to a popular eating place.

an uphill task

We arrived slightly earlier than other people so there was no queue and there was no problem finding a table.

The specialty of this place was Masak Lemak - everything cooked in coconut milk gravy.

We had Grilled [Giant] Squid, Beef Masak Lemak, cabbage and fried egg in soy sauce. Honest unpaid review: I loved all the food chosen.

local ice cream for dessert

This was the first gastronomic adventure episode of the staycation series. There were more restaurant/eating place hopping activities going to take place.

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].

MY BANDAR PENAWAR GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - PART 2

   16th SEPTEMBER 2026   ~ We had to drive more than 20km for dinner to Dapur Kembar. I had bought a hotel in room in Pengerang and the original plan was actually to stay in Desaru. My gastronomic adventure buddy discovered this place on TikTok so we wanted to give it a try.

When we arrived at about 8:00 p.m. all the tables were taken. We had to wait for quite some time and at one point, we decided to make a move and find another eating place. Then only, people started leaving and we managed to be seated for our meal. Guess people came at that same time for dinner that evening.

The foods ordered were Sate, Fried Rice and Fried Noodles. The portion was big and the food was quite spicy but that was alright for me.

Based on the crowd we met at the restaurant, this could be a popular place among the locals. One place you would consider for a decent dinner in Bandar Penawar.