JB Eat: Kokoro Don & Noodle (心丼) @ Tan Hiok Nee

Rick
Jul 29
3 min read

Updated: Sep 13

Kokoro Don & Noodle is a new restaurant located along Jalan Trus, near to Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk, officially opened on 11 November 2024. Although Kokoro Don (心丼) is a new setup in Johor Bahru, its main outlet in Batu Pahat, called Mòng Cafe & Bakery (梦), has been serving Japanese fusion dons since 2018.

Kokoro's Johor Bahru outlet has two levels and is very spacious with cosy lightings and wooden furnishings.

Kokoro Don & Noodle (心丼): Spacious interior

The restaurant's main dishes are fusion dons and noodles with either chicken or fish. Rice bowls have additional choice for Smoked Duck Kimchi Don (韩式泡菜熏鸭丼) — I tried it in Batu Pahat and love it! For beverages, there are western coffee, kombucha, tea pots, special refreshments and cheese top (seems interesting). They have several selection of burnt cheesecakes too.

Kokoro has set lunch promotions, a main dish and a drink from a selection list, from 12pm to 3pm. All main dishes, regardless of rice bowls or noodles, will be accompanied by a bowl of dashi, with tofu and kelp, and a small side dish comprising cold tofu, century egg and bonito flakes in light sweet-savoury sauce — a Taiwanese-style of hiyayakko.

The Spicy Kokoro Don is the spicy version of the signature Kokoro Don and served with chicken katsu on soft, fluffy egg and Japanese short rice. The fried chicken has crispy batter and the meat is tender. The egg is topped with seaweed strips, cherry tomato slices, bonito flakes, chopped spring onions, spicy spice powder and dribbled with light sweet-savoury sauce. This rice bowl is delightfully tasty and with nice flavours.

Kokoro Don & Noodle (心丼): Spicy Kokoro Don

The Sun Chicken Don (太阳鸡丼) is similar to Kokoro Don except that a sunny-side-up egg, laden with melted cheese, is laid on chicken katsu on top of the Japanese rice with same set of garnishes and ingredients. The runny egg yolk and soft egg white adds smoothness, in addition to cheesy flavours, to the already-flavourful rice and crispy, tender chicken cutlet. A simple change of the egg creates another wonderful rice dish that offers a new taste experience.

Kokoro Don & Noodle (心丼): Sun Chicken Don (太阳鸡丼)

The Spicy Soy Sauce Noodle with Crispy Fish (香辣酱油拌面+香脆鱼排) has a fluffy Japanese-style omelette laid on thin-flat whitish noodle (slightly thicker than mee pok), tossed in a sauce that comprises soy sauce and spicy mala sauce (麻辣), and sprinkled with the usual set of garnishes. The nicely-fried fish fillet is served separately with cheesy sauce and a cut of lemon, and is deliciously crispy. The Sichuan-style mala sauce adds tasty flavours, instead of plain spiciness, to the firm-texture, chewy noodle. This fusion noodle dish is too delicious to stop eating once started.

Kokoro Don & Noodle (心丼): Spicy Soy Sauce Noodle with Crispy Fish (香辣酱油拌面+香脆鱼排)

Under the "Refreshment Special" category, the Pomegranate Lychee is a soda drink with two fresh lychees. It has nice flavour, mildly sweet and the presentation is attractive. Under the "Kombucha" category, both the Pineapple and Passion Fruit flavoured kombuchas are refreshing with delightful flavours and without the sharp acidity of the fruits. The kombuchas are healthier alternatives to caffeinated beverages. I am curious about those "cheese top" drinks on the menu too — I will try them some day.