Palates & Bagels by T.A.M - Melodies of Thai — Restaurant in Johor

I rarely do a detailed review unless it's worthwhile. Here goes...

1. Parking is a little bit challenging in this area. But that is the case for every other cafe in this area. My advise is to avoid peak eating hours.
2. All seating is upstairs which will be a challenge for elderly and physically disabled. There is seating available downstairs, highly limited and first come first serve basis.
3. Coconut cendol latte - like the darker notes to this coffee, gives it's depth and boldness but not too the extreme that it's overpowering. Not overly sweet as most would expect for typical cendol-style concoctions. My only criticism is the coconut notes can be a little bit more forward to make the drink "lemak" and rich. This will work well as the ice melts and the drink dilutes. Alternatively, make part of the ice cubes to be coffee based and as it melts, the taste is not diluted.
4. Dino bagel - Not a particularly visually appealing dish. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the sauce. It has a little kick and fragrant. Not overpowering so that it is pleasant from first to last bite. The pumpkin seed bagel had a lovely texture, not as stiff as a traditional old school bagel, which works well in this case as a bagel sandwich. The cheese melting level and portion of chicken can be improved. And a little green salad would balance it out to give it freshness.
5. Mushroom soup - fragrant, fresh. Good amount of mushroom. Not overly thick that it gets heavy. Healthy with good rich flavours.
6. Mushroom pasta - Finally a place that is not cheapskate with ingredients! Full of mushrooms. Pasta perfect al dente. I'm generally not a fan of truffle oil as it's fake and can be overpowering. This was acceptable as I could still taste the natural flavours of the fresh mushroom. Perhaps a brown butter based sauce would be a nice alternative if people don't want truffle, to give the dish depth.
7. Pain au Chocolate - definitely give this a miss. The first one served was uncooked on inside, there was still raw dough. The replacement they served was better, but it lacked the needed honeycomb texture on the inside. While the outside had flaky layers, inside is a little doughy and needs a little bit of chewing. While better than the run of the mill pastries, not the best. I would say they are better at bagels and stick with that.

Service is friendly and helpful. I would definitely be back again to try other items...

I had heard so much about this place being known for having the Best Bagels in Town, so during our JB day trip we decided to stop by for breakfast. It’s conveniently located just a 10–15 minute drive from CIQ, which makes it an easy first stop when crossing over for the day. We ordered a mix of dishes to try both their breakfast platters and bagel creations. The Big Breakfast came with chicken cheese sausage, beef bacon, mixed mushrooms, hash brown, truffle mashed potatoes, and our choice of bagel — we went with the Black Truffle Bagel. The portion was extremely generous, more than enough for one person to finish comfortably, and it had a good variety of flavours. To contrast, we also tried the Light Breakfast, which included truffle mashed potatoes, poached eggs, parmesan cloud, and a Parmesan Cheese Bagel. Although it’s positioned as a lighter option, it was still surprisingly filling and satisfying. Among the bagel mains, the standout was definitely the Pulled Lamb Savoury Bagel. This was a huge sandwich packed with pulled lamb shoulder, Thai soft green chili, Japanese mayo, hash brown, egg, cucumber, tomato, and sliced cheddar. Every bite was an explosion of flavours and textures — the kind of bagel that requires you to open your mouth wide just to get everything in one bite, but it’s absolutely worth it. For dessert, we tried the Lychee & Rose Bagel, which came with a cranberry bagel filled with rose and lemon cream cheese and fresh lychee. The rose and lemon cream cheese was the highlight of this dish, giving a refreshing floral note that paired beautifully with the sweet fruit. Drinks here are not to be missed. The Dirty Latte even comes with a card instructing you not to stir right away, so you can admire the layers and enjoy the taste progression. The Minty Coconut Latte was unique, served with coconut jelly that made it feel like a dessert on its own. Both lattes had a lovely coconut milk fragrance. For something lighter, the Red Guava Apple Jasmine Tea was refreshing and surprisingly well-balanced. Overall, this spot really lives up to its reputation with creative bagel options, generous portions, and memorable drinks. Highly recommend saving this place for your...

I know many has rated this place highly.

First and foremost I rate places I visit for it is for. In this case, it ought to be reviewed for it's Bagels.

I'll start with the atmosphere.

ATMOSPHERE 4/5 Polished, chic and very comfortable. Though they seated us a huge table that wasn't designed to go with a fixed bench. It'll would have been a better experience if the huge clunky table was paired with individual chairs instead of a bench. Nonetheless A plus effort in terms of decor.

SERVICE 2/5 Nope. No rude staff. Just for a place like this, I expected more. Cause we been to places like these that had way better service. Warmer, more attentive service. The service here was merely regular. More like here is your seat and no smile, robotic manner of answering your questions. Lacked human touch.

FOOD 1/5 Am really sorry. If you are really here for bagels. You be utterly disappointed. It's more like fluffy light buns shaped like bagels. If you know bagels, they are supposed to have developed gluten, dense chewy interior and texture that holds up the ingredients and sauces well. The bagels here just DO NOT cut it.

For credit the ingredients are fairly decent in terms of portion. Sadly the T.A.M. lacked depth in terms of flavour. The sauce was an attempt to be interesting with an Asian twist I suppose but turned out mostly salty with a pinch of spice. The chicken though supposed to be crispy lack enough crunch to make up for the lack of texture.

As with other bagels or should I say fluffy buns, the taste from each failed to stand out.

CONCLUSION If you are simply here for the decor,the 'feel' of a nice place and don't mind how the cost does not match the quality of food here. Yup, it is worth a visit. But definitely not a place to go to if you really love bagels. It will...