Next up, you have the entrees. I think that the way that I would describe this place would be that this is friendly to the pockets of people coming over from Singapore (were talking about ~60SGD per pax.) Probably one of the best options (even though there arent many to begin with) for a fine dining experience in Johor Bahru. Address: 9, Jln Molek 3/20, Taman Molek, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, (But I do believe that they are adding a lunch menu and they actually have a teatime thing going on from 1pm to 5pm selling some nice, high quality pastries). Im a super big fan of coconut desserts, and this just enhanced that thought further. Lots of different components here and there, but overall a pretty nice dish. Then, you have the choice of the wagyu beef or the pork belly (which we tried one of each of and shared). Please do note that you can actually order it a-la-carte, albeit at higher per-dish prices (just ask for the a-la-carte menu) and theres even a RM298 11 course meal (but you have to pre-order this). Halal, Eco Botanic, Indian, Curry, Iskandar. As usual, unedited photos here, edited (or at least I try coming up on my IG @bibzeats ! and unfriendly to people from Malaysians. This is a restaurant that prides itself on a farm to table concept - choosing to display the freshness of local ingredients - to showcase a Japanese twist on modern European food (which I guess from the style of the plating, you will quite evidently see). A really pretty dish, I must say. I didnt actually think that something as sour as a mango sorbet and passion fruit jelly would go well with something like a coconut mousse, but this one works WELL. Chef Koh has worked in numerous Michelin starred restaurants, even Noma (legitimately one of the best restaurants in the world - see the video below)! A really light dessert which makes for a fantastic meal ender. You have an actual dragon fruit which they have deconstructed and made this dragon fruit balls which are I guess more palatable than just the normal dragon fruit - but together with roselle jelly and the granita. (For people looking for other fine dining options, you guys can take a look at Restaurant VoID (Citrine Hub) - it is on the even pricier end, but it is worth considering if you are looking for another fine dining experience). Last, but not least, the pork belly dish. A Dubai Food Blog (Written by a Malaysian), Nusajaya, Medini, Japanese, Salmon, Educity. I would say that since Sprout JB closed down, there arent too many more options around the JB area for a fine dining experience. Lots of richness coming from the semi dried tomato, saffron beurre and waterchest - so you have that richness that means you really forget this is even a fish! Crispy skin, a really nice cook, I really couldnt ask for anything else! (which I do recommend if you are planning to come on Friday - Sunday). The marrow crumb and the red wine jus together with that little bit of acidity from the Japanese artichoke makes this both me and my girlfriends dish of the night. A bit of a miss - I like the concept and the texture of those dragon fruit balls but I guess the flavour could be a little bit richer. What you do get in the set is a 7 course meal which I guess you can see in the menu that Im putting below this.

But its basically an onsen egg in some brown rice green tea (which I feel kinda has that soy sauce vibe to it) broth. The breakdown of the RM510.40 is like such: 1 tasting menu (pork belly) - RM198 and 1 tasting menu (wagyu) - RM238 (add RM40 for wagyu), as well as 2 bottles of mineral water (RM28), together with 10% service charge. (especially for people that are not big fans of fish like me and my girlfriend) So this is a pretty darn nice main dish. And this isnt saying much apart from the fact that the Malaysian currency is weak XD. Starting off with the seasonal fish (which happened to be seabass for us), this is one of those dishes that is really colourful in flavour. But this is taking into account the price point that it is at for a Malaysian perspective. The daikon is one of those really light dishes that really whet your appetite for the dishes to come. Lots of flavours working together to make a flavour explosion in your mouth. Parking is free and aplenty around the restaurant. They have got some pork dishes - as well as their Wagyu main dish using a red wine sauce, so with this aspect, I do recommend that you eat at your own discretion (this is a non-halal eatery). It is located along one of those rows of shop-lots and it is pretty bright, so it is hard to miss. First up, the dragon fruit dessert. I feel as though this is a really good reflection on this European-Japanese fusion/omakase-esque cuisine. Really yum. But the meal that we had ultimately came up to RM510.40 which ultimately comes up to ~RM250 per person, so were talking about a meal on the really expensive side. It all starts off some bread with a seaweed butter (if I heard correctly XD) before the feasting begins. Saw it on IG and made the reservation through Instagram as well. Youve got a really nice prawn stuffing with a tinge of lime dressing in order to balance the dish - and also one where you can actually eat everything in order to actually appreciate the stuffing! The wagyu beef itself I feel isnt like the type of wagyu beef that makes you marvel in the quality of the beef, but I would say that it is complemented very well by the strong umami-ness coming from that DELICIOUS mushroom puree! 2, Jalan Eko Botani 3/2, 79100 Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Youll see a common theme of broths/sauces being poured in front of your eyes starting here with the combination of the radish and that miso dashi going really well together to produce one of those really zen dishes. I dont really see too many landmarks around, so I would just say that you should follow your GPS route and you should be fine. Then, the prawn with charcoal tuile.

Eat lean, eat healthy, but dont forget to eat what you love to eat.

My girlfriend picked the daikon as her clear favourite for the entrees.

Context: Came here with my girlfriend for our anniversary dinner . But now you can look no further than or Initial, brainchild of Chef Koh Chin Hong. It is located in Taman Molek in a rather lonely area. Great food and a cozy ambience complimented by service that is eager to please. But just for comparisons sake, Metas (Michelin star restaurant in Singapore which I reviewed a few months back) 7 course menu is priced at SGD188 per person - of course take into account the Michelin star and the fact that it is in Singapore, but this is just a basic comparison of the value you get if youre crossing over the Causeway. Lastly, the coconut dessert! If you want me to pick the stars, my personal favourites were the daikon/prawn entree, the wagyu main and the coconut dessert. Definitely one of the most aesthetically pleasing dishes of the night. The egg is the last entree and I guess this one is the one that I was a bit meh about. 8/10.