Food Blog | Poise by J | Skudai

With People & Places not operating now, I’ve been looking for a new hipster cafe to recommend to friends and I think that Poise by J is definitely one of them!

Context: Came here for dinner with my girlfriend (walk-in, no reservation).

Is it Halal?

Poise by J is a restaurant that operates by the no pork, no lard in the menu principles. If I’m not mistaken there’s no halal certification, so do eat at your own discretion if you’re worried on that front, but I do believe that this is probably one of the safer options - please do note however that they do serve cocktails here.

Where it Is

Best way for me to describe is that this is pretty near Sutera - kind of connected through a back road to Sutera Mall. What you’re basically looking for is the KFC and McDonald’s outlet nearby. It almost looks like a residential house, but it is quite clear from the outside which building it is.

Parking is pretty free and accessible, but this is one of those restaurants that I think you should avoid if it looks like it’s going to be a rainy day - just because from the parking to the restaurant itself it’s not covered.

Interior design wise, I would say it looks like an almost monochrome version of People & Places. Lots of light coming in from outside, a very ‘green’ concept which involves plants and the general feel of the place just reminds me of People & Places.

Address: No. 6, Jalan Roda 3, 81300 Skudai, Johor

 

Operating Hours:

Normal Operating Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 12 midnight (Closed on Wednesdays)

CMCO Operating Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 10pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

What it Costs

As usual, I usually order a little bit more than 2 people would usually order just to try out more things on the menu (for the sake of loving food and slightly for more content for the blog XD) but the two of us ate for a total of RM110.

We basically ordered a few of the recommended items on the menu and here’s the breakdown of what we ordered:

Mala Pasta (RM28)
Beef Bowl (RM38)
Truffle Fries (RM16)
Gula Melaka Panna Cotta (RM18)
Subtotal: RM100
Service Charge (10%)
Total: RM110

They also gave a voucher for next visit, but I mean when the expiry date is in a months time, I don’t really think that I would ever get to use that.

They also have a few cakes for around RM16.90 and cocktails are around RM25-28. There are quite a few vegetarian options as well! Water is free and self service here.

How it Tastes

So, starting with the truffle fries. I’ll be perfectly honest here and say that this is one of the places whereby it doesn’t have that really strong truffle taste which I would usually associate truffle fries with. (basically what I’m saying is that the truffle taste isn’t that strong) I also think they could have added more cheese because what you end up is basically just some small flakes of cheese on top.

(The reason why I say this about the truffle fries is because of my personal gold standard). Granted, I recognise the prices are not the same at all, but even truffle fries from other JB options like Brazzo House are markedly better for me.

Mala Pasta (RM28)

I had more of the Mala Pasta and I guess it’s pretty good to try just for the novelty of it compared to your normal Mala noodles. I would say that this is a very clean but very Mala tasting Mala noodles. (sorry I had to use ‘mala tasting’ to describe Mala, but I couldn’t find any other ways xD).

The crunchy elements make it a pretty good main as a whole too. I guess this is just good to try because I haven’t seen too many Mala pasta out there (the only other place I’ve seen it but not tried it is at Rowan & Parsley).

Beef Bowl (RM38)

The beef bowl is overall a good beef bowl. Beef is tender, tasty and marinated well. Lots of elements including the vegetables, that succulent egg on top and a mixed grain rice to give the dish as a whole more texture, so this is one of those ‘safe to order’ dishes that pretty much anyone can enjoy. Reminds me of a KL option, the Moo Moo Rice Bowl from Mei by Fat Spoon (if you guys are familiar with it XD).

For the Panna Cotta, I would almost describe it as a very ‘breakfast style’ kind of dessert. The reason I say it is because I would say that the strong elements of the dish would be the Gula Melaka and all the nuts and oats rather than the Panna Cotta itself. I’m personally more of a fan of either hot desserts (eg. tarts) or cold desserts (ice creams) but this one falls sort of in the middle of that, so there’s that component too.

Star Rating

7.5/10. Nice place with a nice ambience. I’m not sure it was because it was busy on the night but sometimes it is hard to call for a staff. I believe there is a button to call for staff but that didn’t make much difference at one point but it’s not something in particular that I was too fussed by. Good food with a pretty wide menu.