Welcome to the first episode of Explodingbelly explores JB, hence EB X JB.
It’s not like I’m gonna travel into JB a lot, but I’ll try. Here’s a rundown on my 1 hour +++ ride into JB on a weekday night just to have dinner here at Cafe Racer. It’s a big deal because being on a bike with a knee that does not have full flexion is pretty much.. A bitch. And, that’s probably why my ROM has improved so tremendously because JUST FORCE ONLY LAH. Anyway, back to my adventure.
If you guys hate reading my post, here’s a snapchat of my day with majority of it being my trip to JB, then can close the window already ok. Haha!
The Place
I wish I could help you guys with the directions but my gosh, I really can’t. And this renders the post useless already huh? It’s located at Jalan Pingai, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru. If it helps, the only landmark I recognize is that it is probably a 10-minute walk from where the Ah Piao abalone noodle place is, AND OH, it is opposite a HUGE GIANT HYPERMART. :/
Well.. On to Cafe Racer. This cafe is one of the best furnished cafes I’ve been to. AMAZING exterior, as you can see from the video, and their shop front is really pretty as well. It was a pity that I couldnt take a picture of it because of how dark it was then! It’ll be pretty difficult to miss because it stood out in stark contrast with its neighbors.
Cafe racer occupies 2 levels, decorated with scooters and helmets to match the theme of their cafe. Pretty cool! I didn’t take a picture of its interior because it was crowded and going up and down the stairs is still my biggest nightmare. I apologize. But doesn’t this entice you to visit them for yourselves? Ya. That was my ploy. HAHAHA!
The Menu
A surprisingly extensive menu to boot as well. The offerings may be similar to what we usually have in cafes, we tried to go for the more unique creations. Tried.
The Food
Exchange rate currently: 1 SGD:3.04RM
We went for the highly recommended Ox Croquette (RM 18, ~S$6) for appetizers.
I was initially a little skeptical about this dish because eee.. OX? I don’t know what’s Ox really. It’s an animal lah, but I don’t know if I’ve actually eaten it before. Besides, it’s croquettes, so.. anything fried should be just so-so right? We just ordered anyway because the server was really passionate about this dish. She was right, this was amazing. Perfectly battered on the outside, and a beef rendang like warm-ish interior greeted us. So moist, and so tender – what a good contrast in textures, not forgetting how flavorful this was too. Wow. We couldn’t stop eating it and the tomato salsa-like dip gave it an additional tangy kick. Perfect.
For the mains, I stalked Instagram and found the 2 of the most frequently ordered and pretty dishes. They are:
1. Jack the Cheese (RM29, ~$9.67 aiya make it $10)
$10 for a burger. No way. NO WAY. That’s like getting a burger from the Western Stall at a kopitiam, and you don’t even get such generous ingredients. We went for the beef option, and this burger consists of 4 cheeses – Fried cheese, mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar cheese, together with the protein of your choice, greens and bacon.
Heart attack, cholesterol, and high blood pressure in one burger. Flavorful and tender beef patty aside, the excitement was really the fried cheese – the 2 balls above the burger.
LOOK. So yum. SO WARM. SO GOOEY. Pretty damn awesome these little balls were. This burger was really one of the better ones we’ve had because of how value for money it is, and the pretty quality ingredients, but the bagel burger buns could do with some buttering to add to the (cholesterol, high blood pressure) flavors, and of course some moisture to the otherwise dry bagels.
2. Waffle Rumble (RM25, ~S$8.30)
Please don’t get me started on how I think Singapore’s brunches and waffles are SO DAMN OVERPRICED. DONT THINK I DONT KNOW THAT WAFFLES ARE CHEAP TO MAKE, AND HOW DARE YOU CHARGE ME $21 (AHEM Sin Lee Foods), OR LIKE $15++ for waffles. Okay, I could rant some more but that’s not the point.
We ordered this waffle because I saw how cute it looked with those blobs of nacho cheese and mayo in the waffle drains, and also the encrusted sesame seeds. So visually pleasing! And hey! For $8, you get half a waffle with scrabbled egg, cheddar cheese, ham, a sausage, fries and greens! Pretty worth it, in my opinion.
While the drinks menu did not impress us, the Cheesy Cheese Milkshake (RM15, ~$5) caught my eye! Made with cheddar and parmesan cheese, HOW COOL IS THAT.
No. Not cool at all. I believe it’s vanilla ice cream blended together with cheese, and the entire drink tasted like the puke-y cheese smell. No. Just no. Thank goodness we ordered a Iced Fruit Tea (RM10, ~S$3.33) for a back up. Your classic fruit tea, which tasted like a million dollars in contrast.
Closing Remarks
It was certainly a great and exciting experience traveling into unfamiliar grounds to try out the food in their cafe. While the cafe scene isn’t as bustling as the ones here in Singapore, the pictures of all these JB cafes I’ve seen online are nothing short of amazing. Did I mention, just down this stretch lies another cafe, which had really chill and sleek vibes called Ink N Water! I can’t wait to make my trip down there and also, check out the other cafes closer to the customs!
Oh, and the prices are SO MUCH more justifiable here across the customs, and hey, NEW SUPPER SPOT!
How to get there?
Jalan Pingai
Taman Pelangi, 80400
Johor Bahru
Opening Hours
11.30am to 12mn daily.
They have stated that on their doors, even though online sources state 11.00pm! Will check with them to confirm on the opening hours and last orders!
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