After becoming a Mid Valley Master on my previous JB adventure, I was asked (read: forced) to go to AEON Mall and resume my foodie adventure. I will say, there is A LOT of Japanese food in this mall. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if you know who owns the AEON franchise, but a girl can’t be eating sushi and ramen all the time. Nevertheless, I searched high and low, and was able to fill most of my list with different cuisines. Hope you enjoy having something different everyday 💙
01 • Kanbe Ramen
Tsukemen is an underrated dish, so I was glad to find a highly rated tsukemen and ramen store in the mall.
Kanbe Ramen offers many customisation options for your noodles, including 8 different soups and add-ons like Parmesan Cheese (7RM/2.20SGD) and Truffle Balls (9RM/3SGD). According to reviewers, the other non-ramen dishes are also delicious and worth a taste. But if you’re just looking for ramen, try ordering yours with the Sakura broth, priced at just 34RM (11SGD).
📍 Address: G138, Ground Floor Food Hall, AEON Mall Tebrau City, 1, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Sun to Thur, 10am – 10pm | Fri & Sat, 10am – 10.30pm
🍴Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: instagram.com/kanberamen
02 • Black Canyon
Before you read on, tell me: do you think this is a Western restaurant? If you said yes, then you were bamboozled just like me 😭
Contrary to its name (and the cowboy plastered on the restaurant logo), Black Canyon specialises in Thai cuisine. In fairness, they do sell Western food like Beef Steak (49.95RM/16SGD) and Lamb Chop (44.95RM/14SGD), but their spicy Thai food is where the restaurant’s culinary skills really shine.
🍽️ What I ate here: I had the Pad Thai with Prawn (17.95RM/5.50SGD) and Spicy Prawn Tom Yum (24.50RM/8SGD). I appreciated how they didn’t skimp on the spice, so I felt the full fury of the chilli peppers 🥵🔥
📍 Address: S46A, Level 2, AEON Mall Tebrau City, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Sun to Thur, 10am – 10pm | Fri & Sat, 10am – 10.30pm
🍴Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: blackcanyon.com.my
03 • Oc’Daka
As much as I love rice balls and the colour purple, I don’t know how to feel about combining the two.
None of Oc’Daka’s customers seemed to mind, as I watched several walk away while happily munching on the store’s famous purple rice balls. After chatting with a friendly passerby, I was told that the Classic Taiwan Sausage Rice Ball (19RM/6SGD) and the Pork Chop Rice Ball (20RM/6.50) are pretty good. But no matter how tantalising they looked, I couldn’t bring myself to eat a purple rice ball. Next time I’m back, I’ll try the regular white rice balls instead 😅
📍 Address: S11, Level 2, AEON Mall Tebrau City, 1, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Sun to Thur, 10am – 10pm | Fri & Sat, 10am – 10.30pm
🍴Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: facebook.com/OcdakaMalaysia
04 • Lavender Bakery
I always have trouble picking what to eat at this bakery. Not because I’m picky, but because everything looks SO good.
Japanese, European, Chinese, and so on—you’ll never run out of options here. On top of that, the bakery is always coming up with creative designs for their treats. Take their Dorayaki (3.20RM/1SGD) for example: the Azuki Redbean is emblazoned with a cute mouse, and the Pandan Kaya one has a teddy bear. Drop by the adjacent Lavender Cafe for a cup of Honey Green Tea (12RM/4SGD) to pair with your pastries.
📍 Address: G29 & 30, Ground level, AEON Mall Tebrau City, 1, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia⏰ Opening hours: Daily, 9am – 10pm
🍴Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: lavenderbakery.com.my
05 • Restoran Hua Mui
I was hyped to go to this restaurant because literally ALL of its reviews praised it for the large portions and flavourful dishes.
It seemed like every other person in the mall had the same idea, because it took a while for our food to be served. Our saving grace was the lovely and attentive staff members who answered all our questions with a smile. I will say, the food is worth the long wait, so if you have a lot of time, consider having a hearty meal here 😋
🍽️ What I ate here: I HAD to try the famous Hainanese Fried Chicken Chop (21.90RM/7SGD), and my sibling had Mee Siam with Hainan Chicken Curry (17.90RM/5.50SGD). It took about 30 to 45mins for both of our dishes to arrive. The Chicken Chop was crispy without being overtly oily, and my sibling was happy with the amount of chicken and potatoes in their curry.
📍 Address: F65, Level 1, AEON Mall Tebrau City, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Daily, 9am – 10pm
🍴Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: huamui.com
06 • Maruki Ramen
Maruki Ramen is one of the pricier ramen stores in Tebrau City, but the food quality here is top-notch.
I was expecting more people here since it racked up 4.8 stars on Google Reviews, but it was quite peaceful and made an excellent spot for lunch with family. If you’re looking to sweat, order their Deluxe Volcano Ramen (45.90RM/14SGD) and ask for the Devil Spicy level. You could try their highest level, Flaming Spicy, but your stomach might not survive that encounter, so buy at your own risk.
📍 Address: G65, Ground Floor Food Hall, AEON Mall Tebrau City 1, Jalan Desa Tebrau Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Sun to Thur, 10am – 10pm | Fri & Sat, 10am – 10.30pm
🍴Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: facebook.com/marukiramen
07 • Dolly Dim Sum
I was lucky to be full when I came here, because I would have ordered everything and wasted all my money. Okay, it wouldn’t really be a waste. The food at this eatery is worth every cent, and the service is speedy even with the weekend queue. The pastel colours and hand-drawn murals in the restaurant create a lovely retro ambience, perfect for chowing down on dumplings. Safe to say, I had a jolly time at Dolly Dim Sum.
🍽️ What I ate here: I nibbled on some Steamed Beef Balls (10.90RM/3.50SGD), Siew Mai (11.80RM/3.80SGD), Smoked Duck Wraps (11.60RM/3.60SGD), and drank a Mango Honey Mocktail (12.90RM/4.50SGD). Overall, this place was excellent ⭐️
📍 Address: G118, Ground Floor, AEON Mall Tebrau City 3, Persiaran Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Daily, 10.30am – 10pm
🍴Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: dollydimsum.com/menu
08 • Dudu House
After spending so much time around the mall, I was looking forward to some comfort food.
When I say the chefs here can cook, I mean they can COOK 🍳🔥 Every bite elicits memories of your grandmother’s homemade dishes alongside nostalgic flavours from childhood. If you don’t believe me, have a mouthful of the Claypot Chicken & Sausage Rice (29.90RM/9.90SGD) or the Golden Soup with Pork Belly (25.90RM/8.10SGD) and let me know what you think 💭
📍 Address: S35 & S36, Level 2, AEON Mall Tebrau City, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Sun to Thur, 10am – 10pm | Fri & Sat, 10am – 10.30pm
🍴Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: facebook.com/duduhouse.my
09 • Tsukiji Sushi
Omakase-style dining? Yes, please! A front-row seat to watch chefs prepare your sushi? I’m there. Premium quality ingredients shipped from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market? Say less, I’m handing over the cheque. If you don’t have the money to flex, fear not—the sushi here starts at 2RM (0.60SGD), so saving money and eating good won’t be a problem at all 😎
📍 Address: S45, Level 2, AEON Mall Tebrau City, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Daily, 10am – 10pm
🍴Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: tsukijisushi.com/menu-page
10 • Hut Dining Buffet
I saved the best for last, and I’m not saying this lightly. The star of the show at Tebrau City is (you guessed it) their all-you-can-eat buffet. I almost never get to eat buffets in Singapore because of the price, but here, I can let loose and indulge 🥳 The dishes here are also plated beautifully, like the Super Premium Platter, which can only be described as a cornucopia of seafood. It’s a feast for the stomach and the eyes!
🍽️ What I ate here: I’m not gonna write down everything I ate because we’ll be here all day 🤪 Instead, I’ll tell you my favourites from the Premium Buffet (278RM++/86SGD++): Salmon Carpaccio, Hamachi Sushi, Ponzu Jelly Oyster, and the Shimomuragyu A5 Wagyu Don. They charge a food wastage penalty, so make sure to eat whatever you get (which shouldn’t be too hard).
📍 Address: S45, Level 2, AEON Mall Tebrau City, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
⏰ Opening hours: Daily, 11am – 3pm | 6pm – 10pm
🍴Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: hutdiningbuffet.com
(Featured photo: Abdul Latif Azmi)
