If you’re feeling a little adventurous this weekend, why not hop onto a bus and get yourself right across the border? Johor Bahru is less than an hour away from Woodlands Interchange, and if you’re lucky, you can get there in just 30 minutes! Last week, we ventured out into the streets to find 10 cafes within a 10-minute walk from City Square Mall.

1. The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen

The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen is the latest café in Johor that has gotten everyone talking. With white-washed walls, wooden counter tops and a handful of Kinfolk magazines, every bit of this cafe looks absolutely Instagram-worthy. Their menu features cold-pressed juices, churros and all day brunch. For those into sweet and savoury dishes, we recommend their B&B French Toast (S$6.30), which has caramelized bananas, beef bacon and vanilla ice cream piled on top of a fluffy brioche toast. If you’d like to stay for a night or two, Replacement will be having a lodge on level 2 in the near future! Address: 33, Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm daily

2. Faculty of Caffeine

Opened by the same folks behind The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen, Faculty of Caffeine boasts a completely different vibe. With dark walls and dim lighting, the café exudes a cozy and homely ambience. With plenty of brunch options to choose from, we decided to go with Sunrise Breakfast (S$6.50) which includes toast, 5 minutes eggs, spinach, mini rosti and beef bacon. Brunch aside, what we love from this café is their Salted Caramel Affogato (S$4.30) – a shot of expresso topped with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel sauce and finished with butter cookies and sea salt. Address: 106, Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: 9am - 6pm daily

3. Roost Repurposed & Recycled

The first modern looking shop house before turning to Jalan Dhoby – Roost Repurposed & Recycled – is hard to miss. Just as its name suggests, the café’s furniture is constructed by the owners using recycled materials such as paint buckets, clothes hangers and kitchen towel cardboard rolls. Definitely one of the most quirky and out-of-the-ordinary furniture you’ll see! They have also recently expanded their salad and yogurt menu to include main dishes such as Mashed Potatoes with Chicken Meatballs (S$5.50). Address: 14, Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

4. Roost Juice & Bar

Just two units away from Roost Repurposed & Recycled, Roost Juice & Bar is a two-storey vintage-style café featuring mismatched furniture, old-school collectibles and toys. Food-wise, we highly recommend the Hainanese Beef Noodles. For S$ 3.30, the generous bowl of thick rice noodles with chunky beef brisket is unlike anything you have tasted in Singapore. They are opened till 12 midnight daily so you can pop a few beers here at really affordable prices (5 bottles of Heineken for S$21.50). Address: 9, Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: Mon - Sat: 12pm - 4pm, 6pm - 12mn | Sun: 6pm - 12mn

5. Bev C

Founded by designers Beverly Ang and Cally Chin, the first storey of this shophouse is a fashion boutique featuring mostly monochromatic clothing and interesting accessories. The second level, however, is where the fun begins for us. With interior design done by Roost, the same quirkiness flows through. Crisp white shirts are used to decorate the walls and there’s even a bed in the café. A popular choice amongst the café-goers was their line of ice cube drinks. We paired their recommended Chocolate Mint Pie (S4.80) with a very refreshing Iced Lemon Tea (S$4.80). Address: 54, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: Tue - Fri: 2pm - 11pm | Sat & Sun: 1pm - 11pm (Image from Bev C's blog)

6. Chaiwalla & Co. Container Café

Nobody’s going to say no to a cooling cup of tea on a sunny day! Maybe that’s why Chaiwalla & Co is almost always crowded. While the weather was way too humid for us to enjoy lounging outside this container café, all drinks fortunately come in takeaway cups for a grab and go. We settled for a Chai Latte (S$2.90) but would have loved to take a seat and savour a brownie or hot tuna puff on cooler days. Address: Lot 2810, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs, Sun: 12pm – 12mn | Fri & Sat: 12pm – 1am

7. The Ice Cream Project

Liquid nitrogen ice cream is nothing new in Singapore but if you’re a huge fan of milk, you got to try out The Ice Cream Project's homemade ice cream. With only 5 flavours available, we went for the Brownies & Cream (S$5.20). All ice creams are made-to-order, so we were able to witness the rapid freezing process of milk, freshly baked brownies and liquid nitrogen that produces smooth and fine ice cream that is free from crystallization. While waiting for your ice cream to be made, feel free to choose from a huge selection of Gryphon artisan teas available. Address: 31, Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: Tue – Thu, Sun: 3pm – 10pm | Sat – Sun: 3pm – 12mn

8. Maco Vintage

Maco Vintage is a spacious two-storey contemporary café serving an extensive range of mille crepe cakes, pastas and pizzas. The food may not look like much but it took us by surprise when we sank our teeth into the crispy thin crust Chicken Ham & Mushroom Pizza (S$5.60). We also love the Rose Latte (S$3.30) paired with the Tiramisu Mille Crepe Cake (S$3.15). Boasting a quiet and unpretentious space that provides free wifi, this café also makes for a great place for those who work on the go. Address: 18, Jalan Ibrahim, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 12:30pm – 11pm | Sat: 11am – 12mn | Sun: 11am - 11pm

9. Coffee Valley

Hidden behind an alley, we almost missed Coffee Valley's black door. We were welcomed by a display of colourful trinkets and fragrant aroma of coffee after climbing up a flight of stairs. With waffles being the main star at this café, we couldn’t possibly miss out on them. The recommended Mushroom Waffle Bruschetta (S$4.00) consisted of one of the best crispy and fluffy waffles we’ve tried, topped with mozzarella cheese, sautéed mushrooms and drizzled with garlic and herbs oil. What we’ll be trying next: Smoked Duck Brunch Set with some desserts of course. Address: 12, Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: 12:30pm – 10pm daily except Wednesday

10. IT Roo Café

Awarded the “Best Chicken Chop in Malaysia” title by The Star newspaper way back in 2003, this no-frills café is still dubbed to have the “best chicken chop in town”. 2003 is more than 10 years ago though, so we went there without high expectations. At $5.20, you can choose to have your chicken chop either grilled of deep-fried, drizzled with mushroom or black pepper sauce. Each plate also comes with a side of coleslaw and potato wedges. Verdict? The chicken chops were cooked to perfection - tender and juicy. We’d definitely be back for more. Address: 17, Jalan Dhoby, 80100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Opening Hours: 10am – 9:30pm daily (Image from xseralo.blogspot.sg) *Prices are based on an exchange rate of 2.7

Written by Fiona Phoon; Images are author's own unless otherwise stated.