Bubu and I visited #JB on the weekend of Mother's Day 2022. We booked two connecting rooms in KSL Hotel & Resort - one for us and one for mum.
Citysquare mall
Bubu and I took 170 at Kranji Mrt on May 6, 10am and breezed outta JB CIQ within half an hour. Like best friends, we made a happy-mad dash towards #Citysquare, a mall we visited 2 years ago due to border closure.
Shops have just rolled up their shutters and Hari Raya melodies stroke our Friday vibe. Sukuriti in black barrets patrolled the mall, grinning at each other amid unsuspecting Singaporeans. Little Bubu felt safe yet fearful.
Citysquare looked and smelled exactly the same 730 days ago, less shops like Old Town White Coffee, which folded in 2021, stripping signboards bare and unsightly. New shops, selling N95s, Chestnut biscuits and phone accessories sprout like daisies in a post-covid spring.
We quicken our footsteps, extended our selfie stick and forced out a smile. A hungry smile.
Finding 生肉面
Bubu wasted no time and googled for #生肉面 (Pork noodles) and found 2 stalls claiming to sell authentic Sabahan-styled 生肉面. We tried both, on different days, with lofty expectations. Here's our review.
1. Hometown Sangnyukmian Restaurant (53 Jalan Setia 3/3, Taman Setiah Indah)
No photos of 生肉 cos Bubu didnt take foto LOL. I ordered mince meat noodle (I enjoyed!)
Presentation: 7/10
Taste: 6/10 (pork has strong smell)
Hot Lemon Tea: 6/10 (added syrup)
Hospitality: 7/10
Price: 7/10
Verdict: 生肉 is 🐴🐴🐯🐯 with strong pork odour. Mince meat and wanton noodles are yummy. Will come and verify again.
2. 万香生肉面 Wan Xiang Noodle (93, Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau)
Cooked with charcoal to enhance taste.
Again, I skipped the pork and chose meatball soup because im a big time animal lover (You don't know?)
Presentation: 7/10
Taste: 8/10 (Charcoal fragrance. Pork no odour)
Hot Lemon Tea: 7.5/10 (Lemon sliced thin. No syrup added. Sour-Sweet chemical reaction. Bagus!)
Hospitality: 6.65428/10
Price: Don't worry, just eat. nothing is ever expensive in JB.
Verdict: Dining at #万香生肉面 is now a must, whenever we visit JB.
KSL Hotel & Resort
Together with mum, we drove to #KSL for staycation, a first here for us. Singaporeans love KSL - till today nobody knows why. Maybe things here are cheap and good? Or fengshui?
Singaporeans arrive in buses, whacking haircut, massage, food, movie, jerseys, staycation, etc. Bubu shared her golden tip: "If you want the best deal, just do what Singaporeans do and go where they go." Clap clap, salute Bubu.
Our rooms, on level 10, overlooked a township of shophouses and low-rise residence. The rooms are clean and of decent sizes.
Sulena's daughter shared that someone broke into her room in the middle of the night claiming that receptionist gave the wrong key. She had to chain up the door and slept with eyes opened. Thankfully nothing happened during our stay.
Check out these timelapse taken from our room window.
After Bubu and mum did their hair, we sped to Taman Sentosa, marched right into Pekin Restaurant and demanded a seat for 3 to celebrate Mother's Day 2022. The waitress politely guestured us to our table as the crowd outside looked on, startled.
Bubu was in charged of selecting the dishes. I was in charged of paying. The Japanese-styled cod, while tasty, cost almost half the bill. But meals here are always affordable. We left bloated, burping like winners.
Black Spike Durians
Half an hour later, mum and I decided it was indeed supper time. We pulled the red chairs and sat at the durian stall outside KSL, with Bubu looking confused.
"Want to try this?" mum asked, pointing inquisitively at Black Spikes. I was game-on-impressed. Black Spikes, also known as Black Gold in SG, is the King of Kings, tasting more bitter and stronger than Musang King. Im sure angmo who eat this will KO mouth foaming.
You see the golden flesh and their faces, can tell Black Spikes really #BoBehZao (没马跑, No horse run). In Singapore, we use 1 word to describe: Tokong! (Superb!)
Oh btw, Causeway bus service stopping outside KSL's main entrance ply Citysquare and CIQ. Cost RM1.50 (or was it RM1.20?) Frequency: Every 15 mins. We did not take. Mum drove us to Citysquare.
Is it safe to go JB, you asked, now that borders have reopened? We think so. Traffic was smooth. Custom clearing was a breeze. Everyone wore mask. We didnt encounter robber or police requesting to check our *ahem* passports.
On our way back, Bubu took a timelapse of the linkbridge connecting CIQ and Citysquare. Sinkies, mostly youngsters, were flip-flopping in, carrying backpacks and sling bags.
Let's hope traffic continues to be as smooth in the coming months.
Thanks for reading! 🐻
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