On Sydney streets again

 

In Johor Bahru, where the public transport system is just now slowly being improved, getting to and from destinations quickly means having to drive or use a phone app to call-a-cab.

 

Inside the Burwood Chinatown, a food
court for Chinese and Malaysian food

As in Singapore, Sydney has established a wide network of bus and train services.

 

So on January 4 (ahead of my travel!) with the help of my friends, Hwee Ling and Wei Leng, we had what I would call, a pre-travel experience in neighbouring Singapore where we trekked around the city center and used public transport by trains and bus.

 

It was a preliminary exercise to remind me – who seldom used public transport – on how to use the cash card to tap on and off the bus or trains. This outing to Singapore was a very helpful trail experience that helped to equip me for my public transport adventure in Sydney.

 

An Opal card, a cash card for payment
of fares on buses, trains and ferries

The next day since I arrived in Sydney, I was given an Opal card – essentially a cash card – to pay bus and train fares. This will be useful when we travelled by public transport for our outings. I was pleased that the Opal card was not alien to me.

 

So when Malcolm kept his appointment at the Concord Golf Club, Yeen and I headed out to a neighbouring suburb, Burwood, to show me a nearby Chinatown. [It was always fun to experience Chinatown in various cities but this was just a Chinatown in a nearby suburb, populated by a Chinese majority.]

 

She explained that this bus route would conveniently take us to Burwood where the population was predominantly Chinese, from mainland China. So the stores and food outlets in the Burwood Chinatown catered to the needs of this community. With a higher turnover of products, she often shopped here as the fresh produce here was usually fresher!

 

Sinking my teeth into
 a savory pancake!

So we trekked down the road, past the Post Office and across the road to reach the bus stand. The sun was shining while the cool breeze kept us comfortable.

 

Yeen pointed out the bus numbers that passed that route to our destination while she checked online for the scheduled arrival times. And just like clockwork, the bus showed up and when we waved to signal the driver to stop, it came to halt in front of us.

 

With my recent experience on the public bus in Singapore still fresh in mind, I coolly followed Yeen’s lead to board the bus and tapped my Opal card on the payment scanner to pay my fare.

 

Enroute to Burwood, Yeen pointed out some landmarks along the way that included their family’s favourite Fish & Chips place, which I hope, we will dine here one day.

 

As we neared our destination, I read the signboards on the shopfronts and noted that they were mainly names of Chinese establishments among the banks and chemists.

 

Check out that delicious
Chocolate Eclair...

And soon it was time to press the bell to tell the driver to stop. Before alighting, I got my Opal card ready and followed Yeen’s lead to tap my card on the scanner before disembarking from the bus. I was, in fact, quite pleased with myself for successfully completing my first bus ride in Sydney.

 

Inside the Westfield mall, we were immediately swallowed up by the weekend crowd, shopping, browsing or just hanging out there. The set-up was similar to other malls with a departmental store and supermarket as anchor tenants along with other stores of familiar brands for sports equipment, fashion and accessories.

 

Foot paths were narrow due to the booths and stalls that occupied the corridors. For me, it was interesting to observe that the fresh meat counter sold poultry, beef, lamb and pork, all in the same, brightly lit showcase.

 

There were also a small food court and cafés for sandwiches, pies and pastries, and of course, hot beverages like coffee and tea. Tables dotted the concourse where diners relaxed over coffee and cake, typical of the Aussie coffee culture.

 

Yeen guided me around the cafés to take a closer look at the range of cakes and pastries that were available. The strategy was to head over to the nearby Chinatown for lunch and return to the mall café for coffee and dessert.

 

Yeen's homemade Sticky Date
Pudding drizzled in Butterscotch
sauce... mmm...

My eyes zeroed in on the creamy chocolate éclairs and tangy lemon tarts, pleased that the trays were full as this assured us that some should still be available when we came back later.

 

As we were looking at the cakes and pastries displayed within the showcase, Yeen asked me, what kind of dessert I desired (besides chocolate eclairs!) so I said, “Sticky Date Pudding!” 

 

She promptly replied, “I will make it for you!”

 

[I hugged her positive reply to myself with much pleasure as I very much liked to savour this delightful dessert again…]

 

We left the mall and headed to the Burwood Chinatown that comprised two levels of food court with stalls that serve a selection of Chinese street food and pastries along with stalls that offered Thai and Malaysian, specifically Penang food.

 

No, I did not pick any Malaysian food but opted for something that was not easily available in our country.

 

The earthen ovens in the stall that served Jiangxi delicacies caught my eye as I watched the vendors kneading pastry and baking pancakes inside the jar ovens.

 

See the shallots sprouting in
Yeen's herb garden on the balcony?

For a taste of something unfamiliar, we picked their menu option made up of a freshly-made savoury pancake with a bowl of beef noodles – to share. This was to ensure that we saved some space to enjoy coffee and dessert.

 

The weather, however, had turned wet as torrential rain came down in intermittent heavy downpours but this did not stop us from walking outdoors, shaded by handy collapsible umbrellas.

 

The wet weather certainly did not dampen our enthusiasm as we returned to the mall for hot coffee enjoyed with one chocolate éclair and one lemon tart, split between us.

 

The rain had abated when we emerged from the mall so it was more comfortable to board and alight from the bus, and for our short return walk back home.

 

Their home is on the first floor of a low-density apartment block designed with a balcony that overlooked the streets below. This breezy balcony presented an ideal spot to set up my workstation for me to journal the highlights of my chill-out time.

 

Homemade version of bibimbap!

This balcony was also home to Yeen’s potted plants that included several herbs and useful greens like kafir lime, lemongrass and shallots/spring onions. I observed that she would just harvest what she needed to use in the dishes she served for dinner.

 

In fact, that evening, we had the pleasure to savour a baked chicken dish topped by minced kafir lime leaves that were grown in their balcony.

 

Oh, did I mention that Yeen is from Brunei and she lived her entire adult life in Australia? She is an excellent wife and mother and also a versatile cook, blessed with creative culinary skills in various cuisines – from Chinese, Korean to European – prepared mostly from scratch, complete with elaborate sauces and side dishes.

 

Mango Pudding filled with chunks of
fresh mango

I am not exaggerating: One dinner, we enjoyed her own-made Hainanese Chicken Rice and the next, bibimbap, a Korean rice dish topped with a variety of vegetables, seaweed and sliced beef – just minus the egg – and on another evening, Shepherd’s Pie stuffed with a delicious stew of minced lamb and diced vegetables, then pasta... shall I go on?

 

In the course of our conversation, Yeen confided that her practice was to use fresh ingredients, with no shortcuts or processed food, to feed her family even if it meant more effort in preparation.

 

With gratitude and thanksgiving, I am deeply honoured to be pampered by the family’s warm hospitality along with Yeen’s wonderful homecooked dishes and puddings! Thank you ever so much.

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesJanuary 2026