Jalan-Jalan Kluang

 

Confession: Growing up in JB,  Kluang was just a name I’d heard -- one of those small Johor towns that people said had good food and a relaxed vibe. (And lots of keluang [bats] flying everywhere!) I never made it there back then, but now, every time I drive back to JB, it’s almost an automatic stop.

And the first order of business usually? The original Kluang Station, of course. Started as a humble canteen in the railway station in 1938, it has moved with the times and evolved into the well-known “Kluang RailCoffee”, now boasting four modern outlets around town. But the original? That’s where the magic is. It’s kept its rustic charm so well that stepping inside feels like travelling back in time. 

Unlike the newer outlets with their expanded menus, the original outlet keeps things simple: a glorious range of breads — roti bun bakar, roti bun gandum, roti keping bakar -- plus steamed buns, Malaysian classics, and a long list of beverages. 

The laksa warms the soul, the bun bakar is crispy outside and soft inside, and the coffee? Strong enough to fuel your road trip for hours. If you’re with friends and family, don’t bother choosing, just order everything and share.

From there, wander over to Laman Kreatif Kluang, a lane splashed with colourful murals that’s perfect for your next OOTD shot. It’s the kind of place where you can spend half an hour taking “just one more” photo. 

But Kluang isn’t just about food and photo ops. It’s got stories in its streets. Founded in 1915 as a railway town, its name comes from keluang, the fruit bats that once filled the skies here. The railway turned it into a bustling hub for rubber and agriculture, and by the 1930s, coffee culture was firmly rooted in its kopitiams. Even wartime didn’t erase its charm; Kluang picked itself up and grew, blending old-world warmth with small-town buzz.

Today, it’s that mix -- heritage, flavour, and laid-back charm -- that makes Kluang the perfect stopover for anyone with good taste, whether in food, history, or just living well.

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Food, Glorious Food!: 3 Places To Go For Laksa Johor

Firstly, growing up in JB, we never ate Laksa Johor at shops. NEVER. It's a traditional, home-cooked dish, and that's how we used to prepare and consume it. It was something for special occasions, especially. Our Hari Raya would simply not be complete without our atuk or one of my aunties making Laksa Johor for everyone at our family home in Kampung Melayu, JB. (my late mom's own specialty was mee rebus.)

So, Laksa Johor for me = fabulous food + meaningful memories. 

It's a relatively "simple" dish. We use spaghetti, instead of other types of noodles. (Some people foolishly laugh at this and say that because of this, Laksa Johor is a recent creation. But in fact, it was because the Sultan of Johor was a world-traveller even back in the 19th Century, and he took a liking to spaghetti and asked for it to be part of this traditional dish.)

Then there are the condiments; taugeh, daun kesum, shredded cucumber, bawang and caipoh. MUST. HAVE. CAIPOH. The pièce de résistance is the gravy; a thick and flavourful fish-based goodness. And not forgetting the sambal belacan!

These days, plenty of restaurants serve Laksa Johor, especially the ones that specialise in Johor cuisine, even in the Klang Valley. But over the years, it's been a hit and miss affair for me personally. (Even places touting to serve "authentic" Johor food have failed miserably when it comes to Laksa Johor.)

But here are 3 places that I recommend!

1. The Teapot Deli, SACC Mall, Shah Alam

2. Puteri Restoran, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, TTDI

Couldn't find a pic of me at the restaurant, so here's that time I tapau-ed some home. And yes, the real Johor way is to makan pakai tangan!

3. Kafe SERVE, Bandar Baru Bangi

 

1-6, 6-1 -- Revenge Is Sweet!

I travelled from JB to KL with my late father in a packed van to watch the 1986 Malaysia Cup final. It was my first time tengok Tugu Peringtan, and pergi Pertama Complex and Merdeka Stadium. But then, Johor lost 1-6 to Selangor. We got booed at the stadium. I was heartbroken and don't even remember the journey home. 

BUT a couple of months ago, I was part of the 80,000 people at the Bukit Jalil Stadium to witness the FA Cup final between JDT and Selangor. 

And the final score was... JDT 6 Selangor 1! Revenge is sweet, I tell ya! 

Kisah Anak Gen-X: Darjah 1 Mengajarku Segalanya

Masuk darjah satu tahun 1978 di Sekolah Temenggong Abdul Rahman (2) Johor Bahru, aku bermula dari ‘O’. Literally. Tak tahu kenapa, tapi aku hanya merasa belajar di tadika hanya buat beberapa minggu. Mungkin tak serasi, tetapi ya, aku tak belajar ABC sehinggalah aku menjejakkan kaki ke sekolah rendah. Maklumlah, cikgu YouTube pun belum wujud ketika itu. Dan pada hari pertama persekolahan, guru darjah Mrs Singgam, mengajar kami sekelas menulis huruf ‘O’. Itu saja. 

 

“Bukak buku ‘O’!” Mrs Singgam akan arahkan kami setiap kali kelas bermula selepas itu. Dan buku itulah menjadi saksi kemajuan aku sebagai seorang pelajar; sebagai seorang manusia yang kian membesar. Dari belajar menulis huruf, kami belajar mengeja dan menulis perkataan. 

Mrs Singgam juga seorang guru yang berpengalaman dan no-nonsense. Walaupun kelas kami, 1 Hijau, secara amnya semua berkelakuan baik (ahem ahem), tetapi feather duster sering kelihatan di tangannya. Oh tidak, ketika itu kami tak mudah tersentak dengan “ancaman” ke atas kesihatan tubuh badan. Bukan sebab tak rasa takut, tapi kami tahu guru perlu dihormati dan tugas mereka adalah untuk membentuk kami menjadi orang. Dan kalau report kepada ibu atau ayah, takut kena double pulak hukuman. 

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Food, Glorious Food!: Restoran Yeo Sekeluarga

A great discovery in Tanjung Kupang! 30 mins from downtown JB, we went thru stretches of dark (and suspect) roads to get here, but it's all worth it. Apparently, it's quite popular as we had to wait for a bit for a table. But the food is top notch! The udang, sotong, fish semua fresh and sedap, Chinese Muslim style. Even the plain nasi goreng is memorable 😁 And yes, we're on top of the selat with views of Forest City and Port Tanjung Pelepas all around. Will be coming back, for sure 👍

Food, Glorious Food!: Mee Bandung In Muar

We're in Muor and having the best Mee Bandung in town! It's at a typical Chinese coffee shop that also sells Malay dishes. Brilliant muhibbah spirit! The mee bandung itself is wonderful with thick gravy and packed with flavours. It's like how people would cook at home, without the frills to suit city taste buds. 👍👍😊 @ Mee Bandung Abu Bakar Hanipah

The Greatest Malaysia Cup Final Ever...

... was the 1991 final between Selangor and my home team, Johor. For sure I'm biased lah, but it was indeed a gripping match with plenty of subplots that added to the whole drama and emotion.

Those who know their Malaysian football would remember that '91 was the year Johor brought in the Australian duo of Abbas Saad and Alistair Edwards, both of whom had played for rivals Singapore. Well, Alistair made his feelings known about his ex-team rather quickly when during a match vs the Lions, he flashed a rude sign to their fans after scoring a goal. Haha.

Anyway, Johor that year was a powerhouse with not only the duo but the brilliance of their homegrown players and of course, the long-serving Croatian (and my favourite foreign player of all time), Ervin Boban.

Okay, speeding things up, under the guidance of Aussie coach Michael Urukalo, Johor swept the league title and were well on their way to picking up the most prestigious title of all, the Malaysia Cup.

Abbas and Alistair had consistently starred for the team including during the tough semis where they got past mighty Kuala Lumpur. BUT, Abbas picked up a second yellow and was automatically suspended from playing the final! What now?!! Was what the Johor fans were asking.

I was in my first year in law school that year. For the final, I went to Stadium Merdeka alone, although I usually went with my Selangor buds for the weekend league matches.

I wore a bootleg Johor jersey, and prayed for the best. And as some of you might remember, it poured and poured before the game. The pitch was waterlogged, but the match was to go on.

Without Abbas, Johor did look a little pincang. Then Selangor scored, and my heart sank. I think it stayed that way at halftime.

But after that, Urukalo showed what he was worth as a coach. Johor played only in the dry areas and started to pressure Selangor.

Then my beloved Boban scored. I screamed my heart out and hugged strangers around me. Then Boban scored again, and another time for good measure. A historic hattrick at a historic ground.

Johor were the double champions. The forgotten hero was in tears and so was I.

Completely drenched, I was happy and shirtless as I took a mini bus back to the campus.

A memorable night, and in my books, still the greatest Malaysia Cup final ever...

Legoland, Malaysia: The Highs & Lows

So, during this past Chinese New Year holidays, we finally made our way to Legoland, Malaysia which (in case you didn't know), is located right in the backyard of my kampung, Johor Bahru. I had promised the little one a trip during the first term break in March, but being the awesome dad I am (ahem), I naturally over-delivered.

Anyway, since we were staying in the centre of town at KSL Resorts, we got out reasonably early that day and took the new coastal highway to Legoland. And what an easy drive that was. The signboards came rather late, but it was pretty much a straight line once you get into the highway. And no, I didn't remember paying any toll. So I guess we're safe, at least for now :)

Once we got within the vicinity, all of us just went "Whoa!" when we saw the huge Legoland sign ala the world-famous Hollywood one. THEN, the first sign this was still in Malaysia happened...

Despite being early, we had to queue for a long while to get into the HUGE parking area, just because they made us stop and take a ticket from this ONE guy operating the barrier manually. Ugghh. Seriously, I've raised this matter before when the other Johor attraction, JPO, first opened. Why the need to profit from parking fees?

With Legoland, I had already paid RM390 for tickets, and there was no doubt I'd be spending more on food and merchandise, why so "hadap" on the parking fees? I'm sure the management team have made their "lawatan sambil belajar" before the park's opening, so surely they must have seen that such a scenario does not happen in Australia, Korea, the US etc. Priority should always be on customer convenience. Especially with a location like Legoland where most people would go there in private cars, easy access into the parking area should be of paramount importance. And for what it's worth, the area was not even properly tarred!

OK, OK, let me move on now. And it didn't look good immediately though as we were then faced with a slew of ticket touts. Most of whom were conducting business under signs warning us about dealing with ticket touts! Sigh...

I can go on and on, but let's get to the good stuff now... Starting with the absence of queues at the entry point, hurrah! And just standing there taking photos gave us a sense of fun and joy as a feel-good soundtrack played over the PA system.

It was rather dark that morning though, but we were still determined to make the best out of the day. Armed with the park map, we started exploring the various rides and attractions. Kiddo had a great time taking her Legoland driving license, and despite the drizzle at this point in time, it didn't ruin her semangat in any way.

We also got to the Miniland area, which drew oohs and aahs from us and the rest of the visitors. The structures were magnificently built! Definitely the spot for cool photo opps.

We also caught a show at the auditorium and guess what, yours truly was pulled up on stage to show off his percussion (non) skills during the CNY-themed show. Hehe.

Then it was time for lunch and we made our way to the Market Restaurant which had local and western set meals. I think I paid RM27 for the western and RM25 for the local chicken rice meals. I've read on some blogs complaining about the price and I have to say that I agree. I was prepared to pay a bit more, this being an international theme park, but I really think food prices here could be 15-20% cheaper.

But what was most shocking about the Market Restaurant was... the various leaks in the air-con vent! Yup, we had to move places a couple of times as the areas were getting somewhat flooded. I then did a quick survey and found leaks elsewhere in the restaurant. Yes, a ridiculous thing to happen at a newly-opened place!

The fun then continued at Lego Kingdom with more cool stuff to explore.

But just as we got to the Imagination area, a thunderstorm broke out and dozens of us got stranded under one of the play areas for close to an hour. We were warned by many about the blistering heat before going there, but what we experienced was exactly the opposite! When the rain subsided, we went on to catch the 4D show. It was cool in the beginning, but there was a technical glitch halfway thru that left everyone going "huh?" at the end of the show. Hope they've got that fixed.

Before we proceeded to Lego Technic, we stopped by the Lego train station for a ride around the park. There was already a long queue, but what irked everyone was the lack of announcements by the staff on the status of the train. True, the rain must have screwed up operations, but it wouldn't have hurt to inform everyone of the estimated waiting time. In the end, we quit the queue like most everyone else.

We then walked past Lego Technic but since it was already close to 5pm, we decided to call it a day. But not before checking out the merchandise store. Bought a few things, but again, I thought prices could be 15-20% cheaper. I mean the stuff was definitely more expensive than, say, Dreamworld and Movie World in Gold Coast Australia.

So, final verdict? I'd still give it 4 stars out of 5. It's world class alright, but the stuff I mentioned above should be rectified immediately. We'll definitely go back since there's still a lot more to explore. And it was actually good to see so many foreign tourists around, but I couldn't help but overhear them comparing Legoland to Universal Studios in Singapore and other theme parks around the world. So, do take note, Legoland!