Category Archives: Malaysia – Johor Bahru

Jan 12 2026
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Cafe, Food, Malaysia - Johor Bahru

OTTO Café, Johor Bahru – New Aesthetic JB Café in Taman Melodies

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Opened in September 2025, OTTO café is one of the latest cafes in JB to check out on your weekend or holiday getaway. It occupies a plot in a private residential area where many other cafes can be found in the vicinity, making it a good addition into your café-hopping agenda.

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The walkway leading to the entrance of the café featured brick-red aesthetics with neat landscaping. Stepping into the inviting and spacious indoor dining space, I could see there was an attention to detail in putting together the interior. From the clever use of contrasting curved and sleek lines, brick and terracotta designs, and primarily orange and grey tones, the space was well-designed like a model house featured in an interior webzine.

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With a large glass window at the front and an area with a see-through transparent ceiling, the cafe allowed much natural light to fill the space.

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From the selection of drinks, I tried both the coffee and matcha. My preference here was for the Latte (RM14, SGD4), followed by the Mocha (RM14, SGD4) and then Matcha Latte (RM19, SGD6).

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If I were to pick my favourite item from the dishes I’ve tried, it would be their Soft Shell Crab Toast (RM35, SGD11) which was also one of their signatures on the menu. I loved the distinct but not overwhelming curry flavour in the dish, which paired well with the creamy egg mayo and crispy and substantial soft shell crab. Non-spicy eaters could also enjoy this dish.

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Another main course that was recommended was the Mum’s Aglio Olio (RM38, SGD12) comprising spaghetti, vannamei prawns, chili flakes, confit garlic and ginger flower. The al dente spaghetti packed a garlicky punch.

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We also had the Golden Salmon Fillet (RM38, SGD12) which was a fusion Thai dish. The coconut toh kha, green pea, and papaya brought a good balance of sweet, tangy and savoury flavours to the dish.

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For the appetizers, you could go for a healthy option such as the Summer Garden Salad (RM23, SGD7) which featured an aesthetic plating of mesclun, yogurt honey dressing, seasonal fruits, and crumbled feta, or you could go for the less healthy but more tantalizing Crispy Cauliflower with Sour Plum Dust and Almond Flakes (RM23, SGD7).

Living up to its namesake, the cauliflower had a crispy batter which and made a crunchy dish together with the almond flakes, while the plum dust gave a sweet-sour edge. As sinful and addictive as it could get.

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As a dessert, we had the Tropical Acai Bowl (RM24, SGD8) which featured three small scoops of acai with homemade granola, banana, jackfruit, kiwi, mango, peanut cream, and chia seeds. The acai had a smooth and creamy texture, with notes of dark chocolate and berries.

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Meanwhile, I found the OTTO’s Brownie with Toffee Sauce (RM26, SGD8) slightly too dry for my liking.

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While the cafe is still new to the scene, the owner is a chef and entrepreneur with experience in cafe operations in Singapore, and that was evident from the overall quality of the food, service and ambiance.

81 Jalan Chengai 80250 Taman Melodies, Johor Bahru, 80250 Johor, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia

Mon to Fri 10am – 6pm

Sat to Sun 9am – 6pm

Aug 10 2017
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Cafe, Food, Malaysia - Johor Bahru, Travel

[Johor Bahru] People and Places Cafe

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This semester break, I started venturing into Johor Bahru to café hop and I did wonder why I haven’t done this earlier, especially since a dish there can cost only up to a third of that in Singapore. Apart from the more common cafes, I went to this gem of a place most recently and in my head I’ve been deliberating whether to share it asap, or make a few more return trips first. But here I am starting to write just less than a week after my brunch and thus so it is that I am pretty bad at keeping such news to myself.

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Located in the industrial area near Taman Mount Austin is People and Places, a 2 months old café serving up Melbournian brunch and coffee. Having already seen pictures on Instagram, I knew what to expect. Everything from the 2-storey high ceiling to the concrete layout to the drapey plants and succulent furnishings completed the look of the industrial warehouse café theme. It reminded me so much of my laid back, café hopping days in Melbourne.

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To my coffee-drinking friends and readers, don’t skip the coffee here. I ordered the Mocha (RM10.5) for myself and was surprised by how smooth it was. The acidity level was also just right for me. I have not gone to many cafes in JB yet but so far, this was the best cup. The Matcha Latte (RM13) was legit as well with its distinct tones of matcha yet not leaving a powdery aftertaste.  

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Our main courses then came very promptly, and very prettily. I mean – look at those pink poached eggs of the Aussie’s Avo on Toast (RM25), which also came with mashed avocado, pomegranate, feta, dukkah and dried chili flakes served on dark rye bread. This was a simple and comforting dish and I loved the colours at play.  

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Call me basic as you wish, but I can never resist getting hotcakes if I spot them on the menu. The Melbourne’s Signature Hotcake (RM23) came in a portion smaller than what I expected, albeit with a price 1/3 of what I usually pay in Singapore/Melbourne. Though decent, the hotcake could be fluffier (note to self: shoot more quickly next time I’m here) and infused with more blueberries on the inside. I also thought that the pea sprout’s bitterness didn’t match the taste profile of the hotcake.

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And it turns out that our favorite was their Asian take on the quesadilla – the Quesadilla Breakie (RM25). What won us over was the smooth, creamy tomyam scrambled eggs paired with sriracha aioli sandwiched between tortilla sheets, exuding an authentic but not overpowering taste of tomyam. This felt like a refreshing breath of air amongst the old western brunch classics.  

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The prompt and friendly service here, short waiting time for food and drinks, and quality ingredients used here proves that this place is more than just an Instagram worthy café. It’s somewhere I would like to frequent, as it is for my usual haunts. Yes, I will be back for sure.  

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P.S. As of current, the exact address of the café is not on Grab/Uber so you might have to re-pin the location to elsewhere nearby, like the adjacent road.

People and Places Café

6, Jalan Kencana Emas 2/3, Perindustrian Tebrau III, Johor Bahru

Tel: +60 7 351 5303

Tue to Sun 10am – 6pm (Closed on Mon)