Tag: johor

SR Inn, Simpang Renggam

Now to introduce a local small town hotel. I had a photography assignment in tiny Simpang Renggam town in Johor at one time and I stayed at a small budget hotel. The town is as small as one can get.

The other alternative was to stay in Kluang and take a daily half hour drive each way. It is not the only act in town but I am happy with SR Inn for several reasons. It is centrally located in the middle of town though don’t expect any action or entertainment after 8pm.

The biggest attraction, for me, was the hotel is next to a coffee shop that sells Chinese lontong and porridge in the morning. While the hotel included some rudimentary breakfast in the lobby, I liked the convenient eatery next door.

Other nice thing was they gave me and crew rooms on the ground floor so we needn’t lug our camera and lighting gear up and down a staircase. More for safety of the equipment at night as it was street parking with no guards.

Rooms were clean, with reliable air conditioning and hot water supply. Am surprised to see the tariffs are now cheaper than the walk in rates I paid. The take away is one should book rooms online and it may be cheaper.

Thousands of small town hotels can be found online if you search at MyCen Hotels. Better start booking now if you are going back to your hometown this coming Hari Raya festival. Many families are planning to stay in hotels because their pampered urban kids can’t sleep without air conditioning and in granny’s mosquito nets or to bath without hot water showers.

Link to SR Inn Booking Page: http://www.mycen.my/sr-inn-simpang-renggam/

Review Of A Malaysian Love Hotel

Japanese love hotels are well known for their water beds, vibrating beds and mirrors on ceilings. If you are into it, you can find one locally. Before you get your hopes up, you may want to know it is in Danga Bay, JB. It is few doors from Tune Hotel JB, where I was staying earlier. I was fortunate to chance upon the Malaysian version of a love hotel when Tune was fully booked after I came back from Pontian. To my surprise, the toilet and shower cubicles had doors made entirely of transparent and half height frosted but translucent glass. One glass shower cubicle didn’t even have doors. Many hipster hotels are installing glass bathroom doors these days. Not so good for straight guys sharing a room with a hairy male colleague. Haha. There is a (somewhat mini) rain shower which I love and there is a standalone bowl type hipster wash basin that I hate.

Anyway, this room had true all-glass partitions and you will discover how your girlfriend, who is the “save the planet NGO type”, likes wasting a container of toilet paper just to wipe after ever drop of pee on the porcelain throne. Amazing what transparency can reveal. At this hotel, lie back on the very soft bed and zoom in on your girlfriend as she poops, pees and showers. So make sure your partner is sufficiency kinky or uninhibited. It is the voyeuristic twist that is supposed to be the erotic draw here, I guess. Depends on the individual or the mood, of course. There is no adult channel on the room TV nor is there hentai tentacle sex wallpaper.

Although, the hotel is possibly Ah Beng owned, the wallpaper design was chic and tasteful. After all, the boutique hotel moniker is much abused these days. Unlike Japanese sex motels. there is no discreet checking in or out here. The receptionists were as annoyingly loud as greeters in a TGIF restaurant. Requests for S&M gear and they’ll probably hand you an electric iron or an electric heater coil stick for boiling water. LOL. I asked my then girlfriend if I can tag her while writing this and she said “no way” since her mother reads her FB, it seems. The other day I was writing about another girl’s fondness for meat and she told me her Dad was very upset after reading what I wrote. Problem is; many dads think their daughters are as chaste as Susan Boyle when she’s more like Linda Lovelace from his youth. For goodness’ sake, if one of your parents reads your wall, please enable Timeline Review.

Book Zoom In Boutique Hotel, JB via this link:

http://www.mycen.my/review-of-a-malaysian-love-hotel/

Some things may have changed as I stayed here circa 2011.

Mee Bandung Muar.

The Muar Mee Bandung at Warong Mak Tim was so authentic, it brought back memories of eating it at famous Abu Bakar Hanipah’s in 70 year old Wah Sun kopitiam in Muar town.

The jolly mamak proprietor was such an intense PR guy he overwhelmed me and my Muar guide, the then local court interpreter Christine Yeow Cher Yuin. Believe me, as a court interpreter, cynical Christine has heard many tall tales and exaggerated claims. LOL.

If you like the thick gravy version from Muar, Mak Tim serves a near similar version. The gravy may not be as thick as Hanipah’s but it was still quite delicious. There are many wannabes all over Malaysia and Mak Tim may be the place to sample it, if you can’t head down to Muar, Johor.

#muar #merbandung #muar #johor #maktim #localfood #malayfood #noodles

Laksa Johor

Here is another view of Johore Laksa as served on the table at Warong Mak Tim. That is before we cleared the garnishing and lifted the noodles to uncover it for photography. See earlier pic and post titled Women’s Day Treat.

As legend has it, the then Johor ruler, Sultan Abu Bakar, also the first Malay ruler to visit Europe in 1866, instructed his royal chefs to use spaghetti instead of the traditional rice noodles. The royal recipe caught on.

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 500, f3, 1/60 sec.

#localfood #malayfood #johorfood #johor #laksa #spaghetti #noodles #warung #maktim #setiawangsa #muar

Nasi Tomato Ayam Masak Merah

I love tomato rice. At Warong Mak Tim, I ordered a plate of Nasi Tomato Ayam Masak Merah (with red cooked chicken). Not sure if it is of Johor origin but it is nice that they used long grain Basmati rice. Mak Tim also serves Nasi Beriani Gam and they most likely use the same long grain.

Mak Tim, comes from a family of cooks and is now 75 years young. She started the business in the late 1970s to cater to weddings and corporate functions. She still oversees the business, albeit from home. Picture of Mak Tim (inset) sent by her daughter. The area I know as Setiawangsa is Taman Desa Keramat, it seems.

On Facebook, their address is given as 23 Jalan AU1A/2B Taman Keramat, 54200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 016 226 5939

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 200, f4, 1/80 sec.

#localfood #malayfood #johorfood #johor #warung #maktim #setiawangsa #muar #rice #nasitomato #ayammasakmerah #tomato #tomatorice #red