Come for the tastes, stay for the vibe

 

My first dining experience at KaMe by Flow was just a month after it opened in July 2026. Proof that its reputation had spread like wildfire was in the spacious dining hall that was crowded with diners, enjoying a leisurely lunch.

 

Facade of KaMe by Flow at Jalan Chengai,
Melodies Garden, Johor Bahru

Social media was abuzz with posts about this café. My interest was piqued when an alumnae of the Johor Bahru Convent School urged fellow alumni to go for a taste at KaMe also because she said, the café owner had a link to our alma mater.

 

As a subtle hum prevailed through the soothing music playlist, I observed that the café owner – that must be her – was going from table to table, chatting with diners.

 

When she arrived at our table, I introduced myself to a co-owner and Pastry Chef, Jacqueline Oh better known as Jacq. She was gracious to offer us a taste of her freshly-baked sweet and savoury pastries, with her best compliments.

 

Creative decor that spells,
KaMe in a croissant motif

And as we savoured the shared portions of a platter of signature Spinach Ricotta Pain Suisse (Swiss Bread), Pineapple Danish and croissant topped with almond flakes, my friends and I agreed that we should come back again to taste more from their range of pastries and menu items.

 

For my next visit, I arranged to meet Jacq at off-peak hours with Ally, a mutual friend and a family friend of Jacq since their childhood, when they were Primary schoolmates in the Johor Bahru Convent School. This time, Jacq was able to sit down for a chit-chat to share with me, a little about her journey to creating KaMe by Flow.

 

I listened to Jacq as her story unfolded, interrupting her only to clarify certain points and to better understand the chronology of exciting events that spanned from Penang to Johor Bahru and Singapore, and onward to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia before coming full circle, back to Johor Bahru.

 

For a start, I learnt that KaMe simply means “us” in classical Malay. She said it was all about “us” – how the café was curating a range of food and sharing it with diners. Good food, good music, good ambiance and a good vibe in a rhythm of life that flows together. And this was how the group’s name, Flow, came into being.

 

Jacq and I in a candid shot by Ally

With her father’s job transfer from Penang to Johor Bahru, Jacq was just a year old when she arrived here. Growing up with Penang Hokkien culinary roots where her mother’s skills in making bak chang, savory glutinous rice dumplings, and ang ku kueh, red tortoise cake, were simply top-class, Jacq learnt the basics about how quality ingredients created superior tasting dishes.

 

After leaving Primary School in Johor Bahru, Jacq completed her Secondary School in Singapore. Armed with a passion to enter the Food & Beverage industry, she joined Shatec, the Singapore Hotel Association Training and Education Centre.

 

While this appeared to be her first step in her journey into the F&B world, it was suddenly interrupted by an unfortunate setback when Jacq suffered a slipped disc.

 

Spinach and Ricotta in a cut-up Pain Suisse

Her relieve and recovery after spinal surgery gave her a fresh impetus to continue her journey in F&B and in 2010, she headed to Kuala Lumpur to work and acquire skills in baking. In two years, Jacq proved to be a competent baker but she was determined to hone her skills with formal training and to specialize in making pastry.

 

Encouraged by her baking mentor, in 2012 Jacq registered to train with Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, Australia, and earned her Degree in Patisserie specializing in pastries, cakes and other baked products.

 

After a job attachment with Devon Café which thrives with a casual café culture in Sydney, Jacq immersed herself into the local café scene and carved out a comfortable career in F&B working as a Pastry Chef, both in Sydney and Melbourne.

 

A serving of Fried Tamago
with Unagi for starters and
[Background] Creamy Miso
Mushroom Spags

Everything was going well for Jacq until 2019 when she suffered yet another painful slipped disc incident which rendered her physically immobile due to the acute pain.

 

While the pain was familiar, this next setback was much worse than that which she first felt at age 17. Jacq was understandably reluctant to leave the vibrant Australian café scene but in such a helpless health condition, she had no alternative and was compelled to return to Johor to seek medical treatment.

 

After undergoing her second spinal surgery, this was followed by a very sad and depressing season of rehabilitation and recovery, filled with uncertainty on whether she would ever regain the zest for life and pursuit of success in her F&B journey.

 

As the economy gradually reopened after the global pandemic, Jacq applied her baking skills to supply seasonal goodies like Chinese New Year cakes and cookies, Shanghai Mooncakes and ang ku kueh made in 24 flavours, from a baking studio.

 

Whole Chicken Leg in Truffle Sauce
with a side of mash and mixed vegetables

Jacq attributes her miraculous recovery to the support she received from her parents and friends in Johor, who encouraged her to literally, get back on her feet, to pursue her career in F&B.

 

She and her partner, Dawn Tan, often talked about opening a cosy café but it was just wishful thinking until one day when their group of friends met for chats over coffee. In the course of conversation, the topic moved to talking about a partnership in opening a café. After that heated discussion, three months passed quietly.

 

Then Jacq received a phone call from their friends who wanted to follow up on that conversation. When they sat down together again, they reached an amicable agreement and wasted no time in starting to look for a suitable place for the café.

 

Shakshouka with Focca

When they saw this property at Jalan Chengai in Melodies Garden, they could visualize the image of the café and building renovations started soon after.

 

While renovations were in progress, they made good use of the time to source for furniture and fittings for the café and kitchen, while carrying out Research & Development to curate the items for their menu.

 

As the café gradually took shape, Jacq and Dawn realized then, that it was no longer wishful thinking but hard work ahead, with total commitment to the café operations.

 

Blend of fruit and berries infusion
by Tea Drop

Speaking of renovations, Jacq was pleased to say that KaMe has separate staff and customer restrooms, and made one cubicle user-friendly for the elderly and physically challenged customers. Her consideration for these people, I believe, came from her own experience of needing help for what we often take for granted.

 

I have yet to taste the items on the menu but just listening to Jacq’s brave journey to recovery from two spinal surgeries was such an encouragement and inspiration to me and others who have experienced challenges, both physical and emotional.

 

Throughout our chat, diners were arriving and being served, but Jacq was wise to set aside a few pastries for us – before they were sold out.

 

The platter served to us had two signature pastries, Spinach Ricotta Pain Suisse and Strawberry Tomato Danish, while the other two, Pineapple Curd Bomboloni and Triple Chocolate Pain Suisse, were very popular choices.

 

Pastries to enjoy with freshly brewed coffee 
[L to R] Signature Spinach Ricotta Pain Suisse,
Triple Chocolate Pain Suisse,
Signature Strawberry Tomato Danish
and Pineapple Curd Bomboloni

A range of pastries like danish, donuts, croissants, madeleines and choux pastries were baked daily, most ready by opening time, while additional items like brioche, baguette and sourdough breads were available only on weekends.

 

She was pleased to share that their menu will be revised from time to time and very soon, the range of bakes will include butter cakes, orange cakes, sugee cakes, chocolate-banana cakes, cookies and scones.

 

Jacq was proud to say that they use premium quality ingredients and made jams, curds and creams from scratch (nothing store-bought!) and even make their own ricotta cheese.

 

The KaMe concept puts “people” as a priority and by using Halal-certified suppliers, a wider community of customers will feel comfortable to dine and get pastries here.

 

Seated in the dining hall that featured floor-to-ceiling glass windows where natural light poured in on wooden furniture, live potted greenery and shades of Green (Jacq’s favourite colour!) the décor, music and menu served, blended well to exude what we deem as a cool Aussie vibe.

 

Jacqueline Oh [Right]
with Dawn Tan at KaMe by Flow

As the dishes were served, Jacq was pleased to share that their serving of Fried Tamago with Unagi, topped with pickled shallots, spicy yuzu mayo and gerkhins, was inspired from her trip to Osaka, Japan.

 

Another popular item was, Creamy Miso Mushroom Spags, spaghetti tossed in miso, mushrooms, broccoli and slivers of almonds, topped with a poached egg. First, the spaghetti must be properly tossed in the creamy egg and gravy and then with each bite, I can taste the different textures along with the crunchy almond slivers.

 

When the dish of Whole Chicken Leg in Truffle Sauce with a side of mash and mixed vegetables was served, I observed that the chicken was thoughtfully cut into three portions to share among us. [The chicken was usually served, cut into two!]

 

We kept the Shakshouka with Focca, to the last item for tasting due to its stronger flavour. The simmering poached eggs in spicy sauce of tomatoes, parmesan, olive oil, peppers, dotted with edamame, was served with a stick of focaccia bread.

 

I thought there was no better way to appreciate this dish than to use my fingers to crack the stick of bread and dunk it in the rich gravy before savouring each mouthful.

 

To end our meal, Jacq introduced a range of fruit and flower teas by Tea Drop. Just when I thought that we already had plenty to taste that afternoon, a platter of warm madeleines was served. Then Jacq casually announced that they were Orange Madeleines and it took eight (8!) days to prepare.

 

Orange Madeleines that took eight days to make!

Madeleine connoisseurs will understand that preparation of the orange juice that flavours the madeleines would take such time and the best baked ones must have that little hump on each shell-shaped, sponge cookie-cake.

 

As our time together ended sweetly, Jacq mentioned that KaMe was open to collaborations and this season, a little corner of creativity was assigned to Bloom & Brush by local artist, Joanna Khoo.

 

KaMe by Flow café is at No. 53, Jalan Chengai, Taman Melodies, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor. [No pork products are used in the kitchen and bakery.]

 

Open daily from 10am to 7pm from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday. Last food order latest by 6.15pm. For enquiries and reservations, Tel: +6010 – 283 8353.

 

For updates, check out KaMe official pages on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and Tik Tok.