When
I was invited to Grand Straits Garden at its new location, I had a flashback to
a time when this Chinese restaurant was a frequent dining destination for our
family.
Opened
at Danga Bay since 1985, Grand Straits Garden Seafood Restaurant went through
several building renovations to upgrade its premises and became the restaurant
of choice for hosting Chinese banquets on a grander scale.
Entrance to Grand Straits Garden, Legend Park
Renowned
as the largest Chinese banquet restaurant here, the flagship restaurant in
Danga Bay could accommodate up to 3,000 guests and had some 160 fulltime
employees and over 200 part-timers.
In
fact, for my nephew’s wedding, we chose this restaurant to host the dinner
banquet as our guest list was well over 70 tables and even to this day, some
guests still talk about the unforgettable taste of the individual bowls of
superior soup that was served in the menu.
In
early 2018, an international Food & Beverage investment consortium from
Hong Kong acquired the Grand Straits Garden group of restaurants that comprised
the flagship restaurant at Danga Bay, its outlet at Bandar Seri Alam and the
Grand Bayview Seafood Restaurant, Danga Bay.
The iconic crab outside City Plaza
With
these thoughts in mind, I accepted the invitation and made my way to Legend
Park at City Plaza along Jalan Tebrau, the new location of the Grand Straits
Garden.
My
foodie friend, Yoshiko, said to meet at the Garden section of the restaurant so
I parked at the outdoor carpark at City Plaza, followed the signage and saw a
flight of steps that led downwards to the restaurant.
As
I scanned a nearby sign with the layout for Legend Park, my interest was
instantly piqued when I saw that the indoor section was dubbed, Meisan Hall and
Polo Hall, familiar brands reminiscent of the former Mutiara Hotel Johor Baru.
When
Yoshiko introduced me to Bruce Lee, the Malaysian representative of the Hong
Kong investment consortium that owned the Grand Straits Garden group of
restaurants, I knew that there must be story behind this man and his name.
Bruce Lee discussing the layout of Legend Park
[I
don’t know about you but I would balk if and when I was introduced to a man who
had the same name of iconic action movie stars like Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee.]
In
the course of our conversation, Lee shared his story – which started in Pahang
– about how he was inspired by the legendary action star who earned his fame in
Hong Kong and Hollywood, and who left an inspirational legacy of his martial
arts and philosophies.
No,
Lee is not a martial arts exponent but he adopted the name Bruce because he admired
and shared the values and philosophies of Bruce Lee, a renowned action hero who
had earned the reputation as a Legend. 
The illusion of a waterfall in
the landscaped garden
The
inspiration from this famous personality is evident in Lee’s life as he
embraced the philosophies expounded by his namesake and applied it to business
investments like the Grand Straits Garden, developed across the Legend Park.
Lee
said that after its business model was restructured, the restaurant’s business
improved dramatically but when the global pandemic reached Johor in early 2020,
the business at the Grand Straits Garden, as with other banquet restaurants,
was seriously affected.
When
their business was hit by the global pandemic, the owner of the property that
housed their flagship restaurant in Danga Bay, issued a notice for them to
vacate the premises.
Hit
by such a double-whammy, there was no alternative but to consider closing the
business. As a caring and considerate employer, Lee then gave his staff the
option to stay or to leave.
Bruce Lee with two assistants...
Looking
back, Lee said it was a series of circumstances that guided the consortium to
consolidate their business by closing the Grand Straits Garden Restaurant,
Bandar Seri Alam and the Grand Bayview Seafood Restaurant, Danga Bay, and to relocate
the flagship restaurant from Danga Bay to its new location in December 2020.
Lee
and his staff (those who chose to stay!) made good use of the time during the
lockdown by developing the sprawling space next to City Plaza – known to locals
as Wadi Hana – that comprised a pocket of greenery and two rows of old terrace
houses, and turned it into a complex of indoor and outdoor dining halls, a
landscaped garden, fish pond and pet sanctuary.
Indoors,
the dining hall, bar and lounge has a small stage that features a baby grand
piano for live music entertainment so the entire space in the Grand Straits
Garden is collectively dubbed the Legend Park… after the Legend of Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee at the
Whale Spirit mural
on 26 Dec 2020
The
affable Lee said he gave his staff a free hand to express their creativity in the
design of the space while he enjoyed painting murals in the indoor and outdoor
sections of the restaurant.
When
Lee shared about how he painted the Whale Spirit mural on the outside wall of
City Plaza, I heard the sheer pride in his voice as he talked about this feat which
he accomplished with the help of two assistants, within the span of eight hours
on 26 December 2020.
Meanwhile,
I was still keen to discover why their indoor dining hall was dubbed the Meisan
Hall…
Then
Lee clarified that when the Mutiara Johor Baru ceased operations in June 2021,
their investment consortium also acquired the furniture and fittings from the Meisan
Chinese Restaurant and the Polo Lounge. In fact, the ornamental fish from the
Meisan was also relocated to the pond in the Legend Park!
Familiar furniture from the Meisan in the
indoor dining hall of Grand Straits Garden
The
familiar sight of the dining tables and chairs in the indoor dining hall on the
Lower Ground level of City Plaza, filled me with a sense of nostalgia because I
remembered them from the Meisan of the former Mutiara Johor Baru.
I also
recognised the wooden reception counter from the Meisan, upcycled for use in
the bar and lounge where the Polo Lounge logo was installed as a special
memento of a popular watering-hole from a bygone era.
Spot the familiar logo from Polo Lounge!
Lee
was pleased that the Legend Park had even inherited a vintage collection of tableware,
crockery and kitchen range from the Grand Straits Gardens and Meisan, including
their experienced chefs who are skilled in serving Chinese banquet cuisine.
The
sight of familiar furniture, table cloths and crockery arranged in dining halls
that were decorated with a mish-mash of memorabilia from the two established restaurant
brands, set against an eclectic choice of wall murals, created a sense of
organised chaos in the décor which I thought was retro charming but yet rather confounding.
A souvenir glass panel from the
flagship Grand Straits Garden
Lee
had also removed a glass panel from the flagship Grand Straits Garden restaurant
and installed it at the entrance to the restaurant in Legend Park.
He,
however, kept on the stickers for Business Hours in 2020 and MBJB A-grade cleanliness
ratings by the Johor Baru City Council as an inspiration to the staff to
maintain such standards here.
Since
its soft launch on 23 March 2023, the Legend Park has hosted several private
events while loyal diners have been returning to savour the familiar flavours
served by Grand Straits Garden and Meisan.
While
waiting for our dinner to be served, I observed a stream of diners arriving as
they walked in along the outdoor path – an alternative route from the flight of
steps – through the landscaped garden into the indoor restaurant. 
A VIP dining room designed
in the terrace house
[Lee
had taken the liberty to place an order for us to sample some of their
signature dishes but politely declined to join us for the meal.]
Before
he left, Yoshiko suggested to capture a photo memento of our time together and as
Lee agreed, he reached for a pair of aviator sun-glasses and put his cool shades
on for our photo.
When
Lee told us that their restaurant continues the relationship with the same
suppliers and sources of products and ingredients to prepare the same recipes using
the same stoves and cooking range, I could not help but anticipated the same
flavours in a familiar dining experience.
Our
meal started with the restaurant’s own-made Hakka Tofu topped with minced
chicken and stir-fried crunchy Hong Kong Kailan with whole garlic.
A photo memento with Bruce Lee
in the Garden dining area
This
was followed by a dish of braised noodles in a light broth, topped with omelet
and whole plump prawns.
Before
the platter of wok-fried Chillie Crab was served with deep-fried mantou buns,
the waitress brought a tray of hand towels with finger-bowl and a separate tray
of tools including shell-crackers along with plastic hand-gloves, for us to tackle
our crab dish.
While
Yoshiko put on the plastic gloves to start on the crabs, I was pleased to find
a tap and sink nearby to conveniently wash my hands.
Over
convivial conversation, we enjoyed a leisurely meal, nibbling on tasty morsels
of Chillie Crab with ample gravy to dip the deep-fried mantou buns.
Wok-fried Chillie Crab with mantou buns
Grand
Straits Garden Seafood Restaurant [No Pork, No Lard] is located at the Legend
Park, City Plaza, No. 21 Jalan Tebrau, 80300 Johor Baru, Johor.
Open
daily from 3pm to 12 am. Closed on Monday.
For
reservations, Tel: +6019 – 325 8058.
For
more info, visit Grand Straits Garden Seafood Restaurant at Facebook.com
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