Malaysia road trip - Day 11 (Desaru - Johor Bahru)

It was our second morning having breakfast at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort and also our last day staying there. I headed down to Seasonal Tastes around 8.50am and managed to get an indoor table with air-conditioning, which was a nice start to start the morning. Just like the previous morning, the breakfast spread was extensive, with many familiar dishes making a return, including scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, Chinese tea eggs, chic kut teh, baked beans, and chee cheong fun (steamed rice noodle rolls). The food labelling was clear and easy to follow, making it convenient to identify the dishes.

I started with the spaghetti aglio, which was slightly firm but packed with flavour. I also had my favourite fried egg, although it was not quite as good as the one I had the day before. One of the highlights was the roasted lamb. It was tender and paired perfectly with the black pepper sauce. The tater tots were also enjoyable, crispy on the outside while remaining soft and fluffy inside. There were plenty of other dishes available, including seared fish with tomato sauce, poached chicken salami, pineapple fried rice, vegetarian fried noodles, pandan buns, peria tumis, ayam goreng berempah, idli, nasi beringin, vadai, beef kacang pool, chicken and beef floss, mixed vegetable chicken dumplings and sauteed mushrooms.

The nasi beringin was slightly hard, but it paired surprisingly well with the chicken and beef floss, as well as the rich and flavourful beef kacang pool. The vegetarian fried noodles were a little too salty for my liking, while the pineapple fried rice was decent. Unfortunately, the mushroom congee was rather bland and lacked seasoning. Overall, although several dishes were repeated from the previous day, there were still enough options to keep things interesting. It was a fairly relaxed way to wrap up our stay before checking out at 1pm.

Bread station

Cereal station

Congee station

Fruits station

Fruits station

Roasted lamb

Sauteed mushroom

Scrambled eggs

Seared fish with tomato sauce

Poached chicken salami

Spaghetti aglio e olio

Tater tots

Baked potatoes

Chicken sausage mushroom

Dairy station and assorted Malay kuih

Noodles station

Pineapple fried rice

Vegetarian fried noodles

Chinese tea eggs

Chic kut teh

Steamed buns

Chee cheong fun (steamed rice noodle rolls)

Mix vegetable chicken dumpling

Peria tumis

Ayam goreng berempah

Nasi beringin

Indian station

Indian station

Coffee and tea station

Baked beans

Egg benedict

Egg station

My breakfast

My breakfast

Congee with chicken and beef floss

Fruits and nuts

We decided to have lunch at Desaru 899 Good Restaurant to try their famous chicken rice before heading to Johor Bahru. We were supposed to try it the day before, but the stall was closed. By the time we arrived at 1.30pm, only chicken wings were left, so we had no choice but to go with those.

My partner ordered a teh c ping kosong (no sugar), and it turned out rather light in flavour with a bit too much milk. Fortunately, the chicken rice did not disappoint. The chicken wings were tender and juicy, served with fresh, crisp cucumber. The sauce was delicious, with a familiar sesame-like flavour, while the chili had a slight kick that paired perfectly with the chicken. The rice was fluffy, soft, and fragrant. The lady serving us was friendly and welcoming. Despite the limited choice, we still enjoyed our meal and would definitely come earlier next time to try the other cuts of chicken.

(Total bill - RM 12)

Desaru 899 Good Restaurant

Roasted chicken wings

Chicken rice

Soup

Address:

Desaru 899 Good Restaurant

Jalan Kempas 1,

Taman Desaru Utama,

82200 Bandar Penawar,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Tel: +6010 - 712 7737

Opening hours: 7.15am to 4pm

We departed at 2.05pm and headed to Four Points by Sheraton Johor Bahru. The journey took about 53 minutes, and after a couple of toilet breaks along the way, we arrived at around 3.20pm. After checking in and resting, we headed out again at 6pm for dinner at Uncle Pou Wok Hokkien Mee.

We ordered the Bu Hou Lao Hokkien Mee, a grouper fish steamboat, and drinks. The hokkien mee was good and paired perfectly with the dry prawn sambal. It was served on a banana leaf and came with fish cakes, prawns, cabbage, and pork slices. The pork was tender and tasty, adding more flavour to the dish. In contrast, the grouper fish steamboat was just average. The broth lacked depth and was nothing special. The pot contained yam, grouper fish, tau pok, goji berries, and cabbage, providing a good variety of ingredients, but the soup itself was rather ordinary.

(Total bill - RM 104.60)

Uncle Pou Wok Hokkien Mee

Plain water - RM 0.70 each

Grouper fish steamed boat (small) - RM 65

Bu Hou Lao Hokkien Mee (medium) - RM 27

Sambal

Address:
Uncle Pou Wok Hokkien Mee (Permas)
44, Jalan Permas 9/2,

Bandar Baru Permas Jaya,

81750 Masai,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Opening hours: 11.30am to 10pm

After dinner, we stopped by Cleanpro Express to do some laundry. It was a self-service laundromat with simple and straightforward machines. The self-service laundromat charged RM 5 for a 9kg cold-water wash cycle, which took 24 minutes. Once the wash cycle was done, we transferred the clothes to a 14kg dryer, which cost RM 7 for a 28-minute cycle. The dryer was strong enough to get the clothes mostly dry within one cycle, which made the whole process quite efficient. Overall, it was a quick and convenient stop that helped us get our laundry done without much hassle before continuing the night.

Cleanpro Express

Address:
Cleanpro Express Self Service Laundry (Taman Mount Austin)

G-57, Jalan Mutiara Emas 9/3,

Taman Mount Austin,

81100 Johor Bahru,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Opening hours: 24 hours

Instead of heading back to the hotel, we went dessert hunting and ended up at Ninetea Ice House. The shop is located on the first floor. We ordered the Da Hong Pao Snow, expecting a refreshing treat to end the day. The first spoonful was sweet with a light, smooth flavour, but it didn’t quite stand out as anything special. It came with white jelly and water chestnut pop for added texture. However, the chestnut pop had an unusual bite that didn’t really suit our taste, and it became a bit distracting rather than enjoyable. Overall, the dessert felt a little underwhelming, and in the end, we couldn’t finish it.

Ninetea Ice House

Da Hong Pao Snow (small) - RM 16

Address:
Ninetea Ice House
22-01, 10, Jln Austin Heights 7,

Taman Mount Austin,

81100 Johor Bahru,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Tel: +6011 - 5509 2995

Opening hours: 4pm to 1am - Monday to Friday / 1pm to 1am - Saturday to Sunday. Closed on Tuesday

On the way back, we spotted a durian stall and decided to stop by. The durian was creamy and rich at first, with a good aroma. However, the experience tapered off toward the end, as the final layer felt firmer and less satisfying, missing that full burst of flavour we were hoping for. The coconut drink, on the other hand, was sweet, refreshing, and helped balance out the heaviness of the durian nicely. That wrapped up the night, bringing a close to a full day of food and travel.

19 Durian Trading

Musang king durian (1kg RM 65) - RM 107

Complimentary coconut drink

Address:

19 Durian Trading

Jalan Cantik,

Taman Pelangi Indah,

81800 Ulu Tiram,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Tel: +6016 - 266 1919

Opening hours: 11am to 11pm