How to plan a stress-free JB day trip with Klook
Planning a day trip to JB
On a whim, a few of us decided to put together a (makan) day trip to Johor Bahru. We decided that we’d make use of Klook’s car rental services so that we could drive out to wherever we wanted to at our own leisure and not worry about having to get a Grab or a taxi.
Browsing Klook’s available rentals revealed dozens of cars for us to choose from – from Proton Saga, to Perodua, to Toyota and even Porsche. The process is incredibly simple, too: Choose your preferred car, and follow the steps displayed on the page to make the booking.
You’ll be asked which package you want, as well as any add-ons you may require.
Take note that the name on the credit card used to make the booking needs to match the name on the driver’s license.
We also needed data for GPS so that we wouldn’t get lost, and that meant getting an eSim. Thankfully, Klook has plenty of options for multiple destinations, and at very affordable rates, too.
You simply select the eSim you need, and then pick how many days you need it for, as well as the amount of data you want.
We went with unlimited data for 1 day, and the cost came up to just S$2.19. Not bad, we say!
Once your booking for the eSim is confirmed, you’ll receive instructions on how to activate it via the Klook App, which is a very easy and convenient process. Plus, if you ever run into any problems with rentals and bookings, Klook’s customer service will be more than happy to assist you in sorting things out.
Other than eSims and car rentals, Klook also has travel insurance in case you need it. It covers you in multiple areas, such as medical expenses, flight cancellations, delays and loss or damaged baggage.
Now all we needed to do on the day of the trip was to make sure our passports were in order and that we had all our essentials (passport, sunscreen, powerbanks, snacks, money…)
Oh! Before we move on, we’ve got something for you, the reader. Quote “SETHLUI” to get 10% off for new users, and 5% off for existing Klook users with a minimum spend of S$50. The code is usable up to 5 times per Klook user, and is capped at a S$10 discount.
Picking up our rental
Upon getting through customs and the Causeway, we first headed down to pick up the rental car. Klook sends you a confirmation email with all the details you need on how and where to pick up your vehicle.
The staff walked us through the process of collecting the car step by step, as well as gave us numbers to contact if (knock on wood) we got involved in an accident or damaged the car.
Once we got settled in the car (and Seth, who was our friendly driver for the day, figured out how the gear stick worked), we were off to our first destination.
Destination 1: Restoran Kedai Makan Hock Chiang Hin 福振兴餐室
Our first stop was Kedai Makan Hock Chiang Hin for brunch. It’s regarded as one of the oldest dim sum places in Johor Bahru, and also within walking distance from City Square. Some say they have probably the best pau in JB, and everything is still made the old-fashioned way at their stall.
The kopitiam has an extremely nostalgic vibe to it, and it’s not a sight you find often in Singapore anymore.
The menu along with prices are on the wall near the front of the stall, and ordering is done simply by telling the friendly auntie what you want (or just pointing at whatever item is in the steamers if you’re like me and not very good at Chinese). We were a bit late, so they’d sold out of some of the items we wanted to try – namely the crystal dumplings (水晶饺), fan choy (饭菜) and lo mai kai (糯米鸡).
We ended up with Char Siew Pau 叉烧包 (RM1.80), Big Pork Pau 大肉包 (RM3.60), Red Bean Pau 豆沙包 (RM1.80), Sio Mai 烧卖 (RM3), Honey Spicy Pork Rib 蜜辣排骨 (RM4), Fried Fishballs 炸鱼丸 (RM3), Beancurd Rolls 腐竹卷 (RM3) and Stuffed Tofu 豆卜卖 (RM3).
The dim sum here, especially the Sio Mai, tastes quite different to what we usually have in Singapore, and the pau were really, really good. The bun was slightly sweet and incredibly fluffy, and the fillings were equally good. Everything had a very homely taste, and was the perfect start to our makan trip.
18, Jalan Siu Nam, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
Mon to Sat: 7.30am – 2pm
Closed on Sun
Bellies (somewhat) full, we tumbled into the car for our next destination.
Destination 2: Kedai Makan Rahmat Siakap Goreng
Our next stop for lunch was Kedai Makan Rahmat Siakap Goreng, which is famous for siakap goreng, or deep fried barramundi. The restaurant opened in 1986, and the event was attended by the Sultan of Johor.
The place was set out on stilts over the sea and the wooden floorboards creaked with every step we took. It also had a great view as well as plenty of sea breeze, which helped with the blazing noon sun. The sky was completely clear, and we could see Pulau Ubin as well as what we assumed to be Punggol across the sea.
We arrived early enough to not need to queue for a table, but upon walking in, we noticed a lot of reservation signs and about a third of the restaurant was already full of people tucking into the food. It didn’t take long after for the rest of the lunch crowd to stream in and pack the place.
We ordered the signature Siakap Goreng, a half portion of Udang Goreng, Bergedil, and some omelette. We decided to skip rice as we didn’t want to go on the road with heavy food comas. My travelling companions seemed taken aback by the size of the fish, worried about being unable to finish it. But I confidently said, “I can eat half of this fish on my own!” (And, I’m almost embarrassed to admit, I really did. Oops.)
The siakap was incredibly fresh with sweet-tasting flesh, and the prawns were somehow cooked to a point where they were still juicy and the shell wasn’t sticking to the meat. The entire bill came up to just RM67, which is really value for money.
Jalan Pantai, Kampung Pasir Putih, 81700 Pasir Gudang, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
+6019 740 8847, +60 7271 1770
Sat to Thu: 11am – 3.30pm
Closed on Fri
Destination 3: Hidden Garden by the Sea
Our last stop for the day was a cafe called Hidden Garden by the Sea, and the name, as we found out, was quite literal. We ended up on a dirt road and it felt like an off-road safari-esque trip… plus we missed the entrance and had to reverse to do a U-turn. Eek.
Pulling in, we were greeted by a lot of lush greenery and… no sign of the cafe. We decided to park, and explore the place on foot.
Eventually, we ventured further in and found a parking spot with ATVs belonging to the cafe, which turned out to be behind a gate (and some very cute doggies).
The cafe had an almost Scandinavian vibe, done up in calming blues and cosy neutrals with wood elements. It was too hot to sit outside, so we requested for an indoor table.
You get great views of the sea all around, as well as plenty of Instagrammable spots and outdoor seating.
The cafe serves up the kind of fare you’d expect, but they had some interesting shaved ice creations like Black Sesame Shaved Ice (RM23). We were slightly apprehensive of it at first, but we found that we enjoyed it a lot – although the black sesame flavour could do with being more robust.
We wanted to try their cakes, but they weren’t available for that day, so we opted for Mozzarella Sticks (RM24). For drinks, we ordered the Crispy Apple Crush (RM17), Green Garden Mojito (RM17) and Ocean Breeze Mojito (RM17). None of the drinks were alcoholic, despite the names.
If you can, make it a point to arrive at this cafe just before sunset – the vibes are going to be immaculate and you’ll probably get some killer shots for the ‘gram.
MLO, 2387-1, KG, Kampung Teluk Jawa, 81750 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
+60 12-372 3875
Daily: 9am – 12am
And with that, our JB makan trip was complete. We then headed back to the car rental location to return the vehicle, and made our way back to Singapore to sleep off all the food we ate.
Thanks to Klook, everything for the trip was available in 1 place for us, which meant we spent less time fretting about getting everything and more time just enjoying ourselves.
Klook is Asia’s leading platform for travel services and experiences. They have over half a million different curated experiences, and provide travel services for more than 2,700 destinations. Everything you could need for a trip – hotels, transport passes, tours and attractions tickets, even eSims and car rentals – it’s on Klook.
* This article is brought to you in partnership with Klook.
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