One of my favourite weekend activities as someone working in Singapore is crossing over to Johor Bahru to visit cafés. There are so many cafés to discover—from 3littlechef, Keijometo, Otto Café, and now, a new addition called Carfeidian.

The name itself is a fun play on words. "Car Fei" sounds like the Chinese pronunciation of "coffee" (咖啡 Kāfēi), while also referring to "cars". True to its name, Carfeidian combines a car workshop with a café, so you can grab brunch and coffee while waiting for your car to be serviced.

Another fun fact is that the founders also own Coexist Coffee Co. in Singapore, which some of you may already know from my previous reviews. I've visited both their Hillview and Pasir Panjang outlets before, and I still think about their Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup and Thai Krabby Toast every now and then:

Carfeidian also recently launched a monthly filter coffee tasting session and the team kindly invited us to attend it. After the session that morning (read the full experience here), we stayed behind for lunch.

Here's what we ordered:

Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah

💸 MYR28.00
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

We started off with a Malaysian classic: Nasi Lemak. The chicken came with coconut rice, sambal, ikan bilis, peanuts and cucumber—the classic combination that can't go wrong.

While everything tasted pleasant, we felt the coconut rice could have been more fragrant, and the fried chicken leaned slightly towards the dry side. It was a decent plate of Nasi Lemak, but personally, there were other dishes on the menu that impressed me much more.

Chilli Crab Shakshuka

💸 MYR38.00
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.9/5

THIS is the reason you should visit Carfeidian. I don't think I've ever seen Chilli Crab Shakshuka on another café menu before, so I was already intrigued before taking my first bite.

The thick chilli crab sauce was rich, savoury, and packed with flavour. Dipping the toasted bread into the sauce was addictive. The amount of crab meat surprised me, too.

However, I'd love to pair this with artisanal bread like focaccia instead of the simple garlic bread as I think it'd enhance the flavour further. I also found the spice level slightly too high to enjoy the dish completely.

Ayam Bakar Sambal Belado

💸 MYR38.00
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5

If the Chilli Crab Shakshuka was my favourite dish, this came in a very close second.

The grilled chicken was crispy on the outside while remaining juicy inside. The sambal belado sauce reminded me of a richer garlic chilli sauce, and it paired well with the chicken. That said, I thought the chicken was cooked so deliciously that I prefer eating it without the sambal.

The only part that felt a little underwhelming was the grilled corn on the side, which was rather bland compared to how flavourful everything else on the plate was.

Berry's Waffle

💸 MYR18.00
⭐️⭐️ 2.5/5

Unfortunately, this was probably the only dish that didn't stand out to me.

The portion was generous, with four evenly sized waffle quarters topped with vanilla ice cream, berry compote and crunchy sweet toppings.

It was a nice dessert for sharing, but it wasn't as memorable compared to the rest of the meal.

White Coffee

💸 MYR12.00
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

Since we had attended the coffee tasting workshop earlier, it only felt right to order another coffee before we left.

Carfeidian uses their own house blend consisting of beans from several origins, producing a smooth and nutty cup of white coffee.

Personally, I thought it leaned just slightly too milky, but still a very enjoyable cup of coffee.

I like the concept that Carfeidian brings to the Johor Bahru café scene. A café inside a car workshop isn't something you see every day; it's practical and it works well.

More importantly, the food left a good impression on us—the Chilli Crab Shakshuka alone is worth making the trip for. It's creative, comforting, and unlike anything else I've tried recently.

If you're planning your next JB café-hopping trip, I'd recommend checking Carfeidian out. And if you're a coffee lover, don't forget to check out their monthly coffee filter tasting workshop too. You can contact @carfeidian on Instagram to find out more.

Check out the full menu here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0776/9784/3422/files/CFD_Menu_July_A4_compressed.pdf?v=1784181034

Carfeidian

📍11, Jln Chengai, Taman Melodies, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia