THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE WITH KL PEOPLE AT SELERA JOHOR

   12th APRIL 2026    ~ Before Puan Adila Ahmad [a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993] and her daughters left Johor Bahru, I took them to Selera Johor for breakfast. The place was chosen as there were many food choices, and a few of them were synonymous to Johor state.

For breakfast, on the table, we had Laksa Johor, Sup Tulang Merah, Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak, Cekodok Pisang and Kacang Pool Haji.

A bowl of ABC [Air Batu Campur] was ordered to conclude the gastronomic adventure of the day in Johor Bahru.

It was then time to send them to JB Sentral as they had a train to catch at 12:45 p.m. to take them back to Kuala Lumpur. Hopefully they will come back one day to try more food here that they have not tasted.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE WITH THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

The original plan was to go for lunch at this place called Kopi Tenggek. We only realized the restaurant closed on Tuesday so we rerouted to Selera Johor.

We arrived at the food court during lunch hour and all the seats were occupied. We managed to find a empty table but I had to clear all the plates and utensils by sending them to the counter. There was only one person who was in-charge cleaning the place at that moment and she must have had a very hard time carrying out her duty at that very hour.

We just settled for the Asam Pedas Clay Pot Rice set.

Thanks to my ex-colleague of SMK Dato' Jaafar, Mr. Amirulhakim, who is now the Principal of SMK Tasek Utara 2, for the time spent. He will get busier by next week when school reopens for the new session. Nevertheless, we still need to make the gastronomic adventure to Kopi Tenggek happen. Where there is a will, there is a way.

THE BREAKFAST SESSION WITH MR. RIDWAN AT SELERA JOHOR FOR THE UPTEEMTH TIME

Fried Banana

  12th OCTOBER 2025   ~ As promised, Mr. Ridwan Wahid, Puan Suhaila Sulong and I met at Selera Johor for breakfast. We were there as early as 8:00 a.m. as a big crowd would be expected on Sunday Morning. Blame it on the Singaporeans.

Fried Mushroom

We were still full from the buffet dinner the night before [READ HERE]. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the food from the few stalls there as we believed breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Kacang Pool

Cekodok Pisang
a.k.a Banana Fritters

We the walked to Larkin Market which was just across the street as the couple had to get something to bring back home to Shah Alam. It was when the downpour started and we got stuck at JB Sentral. The best option was to get back into the building and the unplanned shopping session happened.

We managed to kill more than two birds with one stone that morning and the outing was a fruitful one. The rain had stopped and it was time to bid farewell again to my two dearest friends but we would be meeting again in Bangi this coming weekend.

I have to thank them both, as well as the daughter, for coming all the way from Shah Alam to celebrate my birthday. We need to go somewhere else for breakfast next time or else it will no longer be a gastronomic adventure.

WELCOMING A TESL FRIEND AND HER FAMILY MEMBERS TO JOHOR BAHRU

   28th AUGUST 2025    ~ Puan Hanna Sheikh Mokhtar, her husband, Mr. Azizul, and kids were in town. They were actually going to Singapore the next day but putting the nights in Johor Bahru. The last time we met was during the trip to Surabaya in July [READ HERE] and I was more than happy to welcome and meet them for meals on the first day of their stay.

The first meeting was at Selera Johor for breakfast. They had just arrived in the wee hour of the morning [at 4:30 a.m. to be exact] at Larkin Sentral but I could still see they were ready for this short gastronomic adventure at 8:00 a.m.

They had Mee Rebus, Lontong Kuah and Laksa Johor, all the authentic Johor food, and Fried Mushroom and Banana Fritters were also added to the list.

my ex-colleague's husband/ex-student's
father sitting behind us

The next meeting took place during supper. I suggested  Onn Kitchen which was near to their accommodation and we met up at 10:00 p.m.

Someone suddenly approached me at my table to say "hi". A TESL friend's younger sister, Puan Hasanah, was also there with her daughter and her daughter's friend. There were just too many fans to meet and greet every time I went out. 😀

We had this time Fried Noodles and Kuew Tiaw, and also Fried Rice - which sounded more like late dinner rather than supper.

I am always delighted to entertain friends when they come visiting. Guess I will be seeing them again soon in wedding receptions coming soon.

MEETING AN EX-CLASSMATE FOR BREAKFAST AT SELERA JOHOR

An ex-Budiman classmate of SMS Muar was in town as he had some work to attend to in UTM. A breakfast date was set today and the chosen venue was Selera Johor [again].

Mr. Abdul Razak Sapian was one of the few names in my list of classmates whom I frequently met after we finished school and I had to thank him for still keeping in touch despite his busy schedule. We had to bid farewell and hoping for another meeting to happen soon.

THE BREAKFAST SESSION WITH AN EX-COLLEAGUE AND HER FAMILY AT SELERA JOHOR

Puan Nor 'Aini Mohd. Nor and her husband was in town. They were attending the Alumni Hi-Tea event at SMK Taman Universiti on Saturday. They came all the way from Nilai, Negeri Sembilan and was staying here for a few days.

A breakfast date was set with them this morning at Selera Johor.This time they were accompanied by their daughter who is currently teaching in SMK Mutiara Rini. We now had more time to chat over breakfast.

Thanks Puan Nor 'Aini and Mr. Abdul Rahman for coming from faraway to attend the gathering. It is always my pleasure to see old friends and meet them for meals, especially now I have a lot of time. Hope to see them again some other time.

THE BREAKFAST SESSION BEFORE GOING BACK TO SEREMBAN

Mee Rebus Johor

The original plan was to go back to Pondok Santapan [READ HERE], the place we went to get breakfast the day before. However, when I arrived there, the place was not opened on Friday. I called Puan Sakinah Ismail and a spontaneous decision was made to go to Selera Johor which was nearby.

Kacang Pool

We were there at 8:00 a.m. Surprisingly, a few stalls were not operating and a few others were just about to be opened. Before this, the stalls were ready for business quite early.

Fried Banana

We still enjoyed the breakfast which comprised of authentic Johor food such as Kacang Pool, Mee Rebus and Fried Banana dipped spicy soy sauce. Puan Sakinah and her husband drove back straight to Seremban right after. This should conclude our introductory gastronomic adventure for 2025. Hopefully we could do this again some other time soon.

SELERA JOHOR REVISITED FOR BREAKFAST

Mr. Ridwan Wahid, his family and I were back at Selera Johor for the first meal of the day. I was there a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. and managed to secure a [big] table for four. A few minutes after that, all the dining spots were already taken

As usual, we had the table full of variety of food with all the pictures above as the evidence. I remember there were photos of at least two types of food not taken.

We had to give way to other people who arrived later and had been eyeing for people leaving so they could get the seats. The gastronomic adventure was adjourned to another session about two hours later.