Palates & Bagels by T.A.M Jalan Dhoby — Restaurant in Johor

Okay, so here's the scoop on P&B – a refreshing change after a not-so-great experience at Replacement Cafe right across the street. I was on my way out from Replacement (which is just right opposite P&B), not in the best mood, when I spotted this cafe with a super cool balcony. Thought to myself, why not give it a shot?

First off, the cashier was a gem – super friendly and knew their menu inside out. Gave me a detailed run-through of their offerings, which was pretty impressive.

Headed up to the 2nd floor to chill on that balcony I spotted. The vibe up there is solid. Most of the staff were friendly and polite, a TOTAL upgrade from Replacement. There was this couple next to me, and one of them asked for the music to be turned down and a rubber band because no aircon on the balcony. The waiter at first couldn't promise anything but, surprise, he came back with a rubber band in like 5 minutes. Kudos to him!

But here's the thing, ordering food and drinks was a bit of a hassle. You got to go downstairs each time you want to order, which is a bit much, especially since QR code ordering is popular among most of the F&B these days. I mean, it's a new cafe, so you'd think they'd be on board with that, right?

And it's not just the absence of QR code ordering. The waiters don’t take orders at the table. When I asked, they told me I had to go down myself (seems like it's their rule?). But then, this one waitress – an absolute STAR – noticed I wasn't satisfied about it. She offered to take my cash and place the order for me downstairs. Talk about a lifesaver! The boss is lucky to have someone like her on the team.

The ambiance is a mix of antique and industrial chic, gives off a pleasant and cozy feel. As for the food, it was decent, nothing mind-blowing, but definitely enjoyable.

So yeah, despite a couple of service quirks, P&B was a solid and lucky find to me. Great staff (mostly), cool environment, and good food. If they streamline their ordering process, it'd...

Palates & Bagles by T.A.M (same folks behind Principle Cafe - love their croissants) has a rustic and woody charming interior with dimmed lighting and a 2nd floor dining area.

Bagels are the star here with a variety of freshly baked bagel flavours. We had the option to choose our bagel flavour of choice for each bagelwich. The bagels deserve a shout-out as I would eat them on their own. They were light, airy, soft, and slightly chewy with a crispy crust.

The hearty Dino combines a crispy fried chicken with spicy butter milk and topped with egg omelette, cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The chicken was moist with a crunchy skin. Overall, it was a flavour-packed bagelwich with a mild fiery heat.

A vegetarian option, the Mario has truffle cream cheese with mixed mushrooms, fresh salad and sliced cheddar. The truffle taste of the cream cheese was mild, and the creaminess was a good match with the sauteed mushrooms.

The one I enjoyed most was the Clooney - classic smoked salmon and creamy cream cheese on a sesame seed bagel. The crisp toasted bagel, the creamy tang of cream cheese and lemon, and the smoky salmon came together to create a light savoury and creamy goodness.

The Almond Croissant was pretty good but not the best I've had. It was flaky and buttery with a generous filling of sweet almond paste. Sadly the Peanut Butter Blueberry Chocolate Soft Cookie fell short. It tasted like a blend protein cookie.

The Iced Honey Oat Latte was surprisingly not made with oatmilk. It was slightly sweet and came with an oat cracker. The White Cold Brew was thin but light and balanced with a slight bitter aftertaste.

The service staff was friendly and attentive from the start of our ordering process. Occasionally checking in and refilling our glasses....

Came here with my friend for brunch ! When we first got there, it was PACKEED and they said that there was a queue so they will contact us when a table opened up ! We ended up walking around the area which was pretty nice cause it was the day before Malaysia’s Independence Day and there were a few temporary booths along the different lanes where we walked. I think that also contributed a little to the crowd but I think we didn’t wait that long? We waited for about 15 minutes ish? which I think is still pretty reasonable. We got seated upstairs at a long table for six so we shared the table with another pair of people ! It was pretty cozy and packed ! We ordered the Louis Bagel with the Brown Sugar Bagel as our choice of bagel and Dino Bagel with Parmesan as our choice of Bagel. Both were savoury and filling ! We were so full after our meal 😂 I would say that the bagel was not bad but it would be nice if they cut it in half too so it would be a little easier to eat ! We also tried the Iced Chocolate and Iced Caramel Matcha Latte. Ok honestly I didn’t really like the caramel matcha latte cause the taste of the caramel is too overpowering and I couldn’t taste the matcha at all 😭💔 didn’t know about the iced chocolate but my friend didn’t complain about it so it might be good? Idk LOL honestly not the best bagel I have eaten but maybe it was partly cause of my choice of bagel but for the price point I would say it was pretty worth visiting ! The total bill was about RM113 for 2 people (bagel and drink each) and it is really filling as well ! Would be nice to get a seat outdoors upstairs but might be a little hot. Unfortunately we didn’t get to sit outdoors cause there was no seat avail 😭🥀🫩💔 worth a visit ! The staff were really chill and...