Causeway Crossing

If you’re a uni student like me, you’ll understand the fatigue that comes with hours of lessons, mugging late into the night, and a barrage of presentations and reports due in the same few weeks. For some, recess week isn’t recess week at all. It’s practically hell when you slog away to prepare for midterms, when really, recess week should be a breath of fresh air before you return to the grind. It’s always good to have a getaway in the midst of this insane paper chase, even if it’s just for a day. That’s exactly what I did – took a day out of recess week and crossed the causeway for some much needed respite.

We made our first stop at the wildly popular Replacement Lodge & Kitchen. The Replacement has made its mark amongst foodies on both sides of the causeway for its churros, served with a remarkable salted egg yolk dip. This, however, we did not try; we delved straight in to our savoury mains. For a moderately small serving, the Soft Shell Crab Burger packs a punch, especially with its dipping sauce. The Eggs Benedict is rather delectable too.

If you’re an interior design junkie, the Replacement definitely won’t disappoint. Stepping in, you’re welcomed by a mix of industrial (think cement floors & bare walls) and Scandinavian (I’ll let the white wood ceiling & hanging lamps speak for themselves). And yet, there’s a touch of heritage: the bar and tables are lined with decorative tiles reminiscent of Peranakan homes. And for all you food-grammers, this is the perfect go-to if you’re ever in JB!

The area was packed with dessert cafes that we just HAD to check out. Never mind the fact that we were practically bursting from brunch! There were a bunch of options: regular ice cream, coconut ice cream, cakes & coffee, and the like. We settled on Koone, a pretty picturesque cafe dedicated to soft serves. The interior itself is yet another design dream. With long suspended lamps and vines creeping off the railings, the decor perfectly complements the gentle sunlight seeping through the windows. They also have a little cactus garden which I didn’t manage to snap a photo of.

Koone’s matcha soft serve was pretty good (well honestly, to me, anything matcha flavoured is good LOL). The soft serve comes with an additional novelty effect – dry ice. This makes for good photo ops, and honestly, who doesn’t love dry ice?

With our tastebuds finally satisfied, we explored the area a lil’ more and browsed the retail shops. I’m a huge sucker for vintage stores, so naturally I gravitated to any shop with the word “vintage” on its signboard. I was reluctant to part with my money; many of the items on the rack were too far above my budget. But I managed to cop a Strokes shirt which was on sale, so yay! What I loved most about these shops were the little bits and pieces of inspiration that one could draw from them. Even if I can’t afford anything right now, I’ll keep these photos for future references.

JB is indeed the perfect getaway if you need a quick breather. This is definitely the first of many more trips across the causeway to come.