Sangkaya

Dairy milk products like ice cream are one of the least environmentally friendly foods we can consume with the added complication of inhumane conditions for the animals used. Local Malaysian company Sangkaya easily navigates around those issues with their delicious coconut milk based offerings, now being served in their new shops in Johor Bahru - one on Jalan Dhoby and a new one in Mount Austin.

In a perfect world, those coconuts would also be locally sourced - they're currently from Thailand but the owners say they want to eventually source their main ingredient from their own local plantations. Its a small gripe in context of what they are supporting: non dairy, fairly locally sourced, all local Malaysian staff - and of course it champions a classic local ingredient - coconut.

We love their contemporary, innovative, local centric and sustainable direction - so if you want a relatively guilt free indulgence we recommend them as the best and most sustainable choice in an exploding artisanal ice cream scene in the city.

Platform Coffee & Homestay

Tucked in a regular housing estate in Pekan Nenas is Platform Coffee & Homestay, full of laid back rustic charm. You can stay overnight here or just chillout at the coffee bar and outdoor 'platform' area that looks like a cool surfer shack in Hawaii.

Coffee is served in handmade ceramic cups ( you can join a workshop to learn how to make one if you stay there) with an assortment of homemade sweet treats. Check out their facebook page to see what movie they're showing that night.

Rowan & Parsley Food Atelier

Rowan and Parsley is set in a gated garden compound where you can see chef Shawn Sum occasionally dash out to harvest herbs and vegetables for his well executed and beautifully plated dishes. Drinks by the bar staff like iced tea infused with mint, lemon and ginger are top notch. 

Owner Sam Soon whose background is in the wedding photography business hence the visual appeal of the space also has a vision to provide a fresh, local twist to their western fare with the use of local ingredients bringing 'plant to table'. The number of plants he is growing keeps increasing as he discovers their suitability for addition to the menu like Peperomia Lucida below.

The space has intimate corners but is large enough for private gatherings. An outstanding addition to the JB food scene.

Doi Chaang Coffee

The recently opened Doi Chaang Cafe in City Square, Johor Bahru arguably serves the greenest cup of coffee in Johor Bahru. While most of the new artisanal coffee joints in town brew single origin beans from the far flung continents of Africa and Central America, Doi Chaang's source is their own farms in neighbouring Thailand which reflects a much lower carbon footprint.

My Liberica

Johor is a coffee growing region and My Liberica is a great example of merging a local heritage industry with modern coffee culture. Their vertical enterprise includes their own plantations producing the coffee it roasts and serves in its cafes in Taman Molek and Taman Mount Austin. Check out their video below:

MY LIBERICA
Posted by My Liberica Coffee on Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Roost, Repurposed & Recycled

Salad bar and frozen yogurt menu items have been expanded to include things like sausage and mash since they expanded downstairs but the charm of the upstairs lounge with the hand built upcycled furniture is still this place's main draw.  A quiet chill out place in downtown JB where you can admire the inspired decor - wooden hanger chandelier and cardboard chairs, with a coffee or a beer.

Roost, Repurposed & Recycled is on 14, Jalan Trus Johor Bahru. They are open Mon - Sun: 18:00 - 12:00.

N'ice Artisan Gelato

NOW CLOSED

N'ice Artisan Gelato are an artisanal ice cream /gelato and popsicle enterprise situated in the lower ground floor of City Square in Johor Bahru.

Their products have no artificial flavouring, colouring, or preservatives, are made fresh in their store and celebrate local ingredients and flavors.

Find out more on their Facebook Page