KSL City Mall — Local services in Johor

As a vegetarian visitor to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, KSL City Mall stood out as a prominent landmark. It's often recommended for its diverse offerings, and after a recent visit, I can confirm it’s a strong contender for a comprehensive shopping and dining experience, especially for those seeking vegetarian options. My experience lands it a solid four-star rating. The mall itself is a bustling microcosm. It's enormous, packed with a wide array of shops ranging from fashion and electronics to beauty services and a large supermarket (Lotus's, which is great for picking up local snacks and groceries). The ambiance is lively and energetic, often filled with families and shoppers. It's well-maintained and clean, making for a comfortable environment to spend several hours. Being connected to the KSL Hotel & Resort, it’s also incredibly convenient for guests staying there or for those popping over from Singapore. For a vegetarian, the dining landscape at KSL City Mall is surprisingly accommodating. While it's not exclusively vegetarian, many establishments make an effort to cater to plant-based diets, which is a huge plus. I found a few noteworthy spots. One pleasant discovery was Arashi Shabu-Shabu. They offer individual hotpots, and crucially, they have clearly marked vegan broth options (like herbal or arashi veggie broth) and a good selection of fresh vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu. This allowed for a customizable and healthy meal, which is often a challenge at hotpot places. Being able to enjoy a dedicated vegetarian hotpot without worrying about cross-contamination was a huge relief. Beyond Arashi, the mall's food courts (particularly the one in the basement) are a treasure trove of local stalls that often offer vegetarian versions of classic Malaysian dishes. You'll need to ask, but many stalls can prepare vegetarian fried rice or noodles (nasi goreng sayur or mee goreng sayur) using only vegetables and sometimes egg, or entirely plant-based if you specify "no egg." I also noticed the presence of "Veggie Temptation" (also known as Vegemore), a specific vegetarian eatery within the mall that focuses on Chinese-style mock meat dishes. While not my primary preference, it's a dedicated option for those who enjoy such fare. For quick bites and desserts, there are numerous bakeries, bubble tea shops, and cafes that offer vegetarian pastries, breads, and drinks. It's easy to grab a coffee and a sweet treat without much fuss. The service across the mall's eateries was generally efficient and polite, as one would expect in a well-managed retail environment. Dishes arrived promptly, and staff were usually helpful when asked about ingredients. Why not a full five stars? While the vegetarian options are decent, they sometimes require a bit of active searching or asking for modifications, especially in the general food court stalls. A truly dedicated, high-end vegetarian restaurant with a more diverse menu of different cuisines (like Indian, Italian, or Western fusion) is still somewhat lacking within the mall itself. Also, during peak times, KSL City Mall can become extremely crowded, making finding a table in food courts a challenge and the overall experience a bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, KSL City Mall offers a very satisfying experience for a vegetarian visitor. It's a convenient, vibrant destination with a good variety of plant-based food choices, making it a highly recommended stop if you're in...

The mall is ok with a decent variety of shops. The upkeep of the place is not perfect but it's definitely not unpleasant. There's a Cinema for leisure and a good number of eating options. This mall definitely caters more to the Chinese crowd with their food options. It's a good place for getting a hair cut and nails done as there are many salons (around 20 I heard) and manicure places. There are also a few massage parlors around. For grocery shopping there is a tesco here that is a reasonable size but not big by Malaysia standards. There is also a japanese/korean snack shop on the upper level near the cinema if one feels like something different. The assam laksa is supposedly quite good but I've never tried it. In fact apart from the snacks, I tended to eat at the stalls near the mall instead. My favourites are the Hong Kong egglets and shihlin (taiwanese) snacks on the cinema level and crispy cream puffs from Maison Au Choux near KFC. It's not a stellar vanilla puff that tastes like vanilla beans or a good custard but it tastes like marshmallows and I enjoy the crispy puff pastry. There is some bak kut teh across the road from the KFC side of the mall (if I recall correctly) that is decent. Prawn noodles and coffee at the coffeeshop near where the car washes are at is not bad as well. On Monday evenings, they close a section of the road right outside KSL and a night market is set up. The muah chee there is good and a couple other things which I can't quite recall now. But the night market is worth checking out for some snacks and if you're looking to buy fruits, herbs or other food stuff. It gets quite crowded so if you're not one for squeezing and walking among crowds then you might want to give this a miss. I'm not sure about food safety but I have yet to get a stomachache from the select food I have tried at...

It's a decent 3 star hotel. Parking is at their multi-storied car park. Use TouchNGo card or credit card to enter. Remember to get the same card validated when checking out. There is tower 1 and tower 2. Tower 1 boasts better city views. Lifts and lobby get very crowded during peak check-in and check-out periods. Rooms are modest. Our 22nd floor deluxe room had a decent view of Woodlands (singapore), carwash outlets and the housing estate infront of the hotel. Basic ammenities are provided, like coffee/tea, toothbrush, shampoo/bodywash. The bathtub/shower leaked, flooding the bathroom floor. It also choked with every use. We did not eat at the hotel because the choices within the attached KSL mall were far more varied and tempting. I will keep returning to this hotel. The price is very reasonable (you get 15% discount for booking via their website). The KSL mall provides cheap shopping, eating, and massage/manicure/hair management outlets. Lotus department store on LG level is not the best but good enough outlet for groceries. Location is probably the main reason, i keep coming back. Close enough from the causeway, but outside of the ciq area traffic jam. I recommend this hotel and mall, but it will not give you any bragging rights amongst your more glamorous, holiday snob friends ;) Try the Century Street Food center nearby. That's the reason for going to JB in...