> Quick view: until 31 October 2026, Amari Johor Bahru is running a Thai menu called The Taste of ChomSindh at its all-day restaurant, Amaya Food Gallery. The cheapest way in is the RM40 nett semi-buffet lunch, served daily. The full weekend buffet dinner is RM188 nett per adult on Fridays and Saturdays, and only four of those nights are left. There is also a RM118 nett TWG afternoon tea for two and an à la carte menu priced from RM25 to RM45 a dish.

The guest chef is Jo Aphilak, Executive Sous Chef at Amari Pattaya, flown in by the hotel group for the month. We checked every price below against Amari Johor Bahru's own dining-offers page and the 12-page à la carte menu the hotel links from it.

One correction before you plan: a JB lifestyle site reported the weekend buffet at RM118 per adult. Amari's own page says from RM188 nett per adult. RM118 is the price of the afternoon tea set for two, which is probably where the mix-up came from. Go by the hotel's figure.

The four ways to eat it

  • ChomSindh Weekend Buffet Dinner: Fridays and Saturdays, 6.30pm to 10pm, from RM188 nett per adult. The hotel pitches it as seafood-heavy, built around dishes from the ChomSindh menu.
  • Inspired by ChomSindh Lunch Semi Buffet: daily, 12.30pm to 2.30pm, RM40 nett per person, tax included. You pick your mains from the ChomSindh range and help yourself to the rest.
  • ChomSindh TWG Afternoon Tea Set: daily, 2pm to 6pm, RM118 nett per set for two (RM59 a head), a three-tier stand of sweet and savoury bites with TWG tea.
  • À la carte: daily, 12pm to 9pm. The menu doesn't say whether these prices are nett, so ask when you order.

What the à la carte menu costs

From the hotel's ChomSindh menu:

  • Chef Jo signatures: Squid Ink Rice with Assorted Seafood RM40, Stir-Fried Holy Basil with Prawn RM45, Northern Thai Chicken Noodles (Khao Soi) RM40.
  • Appetisers: Pomelo Salad with River Prawn RM35, Eggplant Salad with Crispy Suphanburi Sea Bass RM35, Spicy Fried Chicken Wing RM30.
  • Soups: Spicy River Prawn Tom Yum RM40, Crispy Suphanburi Sea Bass in Coconut Soup RM35.
  • Mains: Pad Thai with River Prawn RM35, Stir-fried Squid with Ink Sauce RM35, Deep Fried Sea Bass with Lemongrass and Cashew Nut RM40.
  • Curries: Crab Curry with Wild Betel Leaves and Samut Songkhram Seablite RM38, Green Curry Beef Cheek RM45.
  • Desserts, all RM25: Mango Sticky Rice, Som Choon (tropical fruit in citrus and kaffir lime syrup), Grilled Banana with Young Coconut, Sago with Coconut Milk and Taro.

These are hotel prices for single portions. A mid-range Thai restaurant in JB will charge less for pad thai or tom yum, so the case for coming here is the river prawn and sea bass dishes and the guest chef, not the bill.

How to book

  1. Pick your slot. Buffet nights left: Friday 23, Saturday 24, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October.
  2. Call +60 7 266 8888 or use the "Book Here" link on Amari's dining-offers page. The hotel says advance reservation is "highly encouraged" for the buffet.
  3. Say which discount you are claiming when you book (senior, child, birthday, in-house or ONYX), and ask the age limits for senior and child pricing, which the page doesn't give.
  4. Bring proof: your room booking, ONYX membership or ID showing the birthday.

Who it's good for, and who should skip it

Good for: couples or friends who want a proper Thai seafood dinner in JB city centre, families with young children (the 50% child rate brings a child down to RM94), and seniors (RM150.40 after 20% off). The RM40 lunch is the best value of the four and suits a weekday office lunch near the city centre.

Skip it if you mainly want quantity. At RM188, this is priced against JB's other hotel weekend buffets, not against a Thai restaurant. If you only want two or three signature dishes, à la carte for two costs well under one buffet seat (see below). Also skip the buffet if you cannot make one of the four remaining Friday or Saturday nights.

Worked examples

  • Couple, à la carte dinner: Pomelo Salad RM35 + Squid Ink Rice RM40 + Holy Basil Prawn RM45 + Mango Sticky Rice RM25 = RM145 before any tax, against RM376 for two buffet seats.
  • Family of two adults and one child, buffet: RM188 + RM188 + RM94 = RM470.
  • Two ONYX members, buffet: 15% off RM376 = RM319.60, a saving of RM56.40.
  • Two in-house guests, buffet: 10% off = RM338.40.
  • Four colleagues, weekday lunch: 4 x RM40 = RM160 nett.
  • Afternoon tea for two: RM118 nett, or RM59 each.

Fine print that trips people up

  • No stacking. The buffet terms say the offer "cannot be combined with other offers or discounts". So an ONYX member who is also celebrating a birthday gets 15%, not 25%. Whether an ONYX parent's 15% also applies to a child already at 50% off is not stated; assume not.
  • "From RM188". The page uses "from", which usually means the floor price. Confirm the rate for your date when you book.
  • Senior and child ages are not published. Ask before you count on the discount.
  • The à la carte menu shows no tax line. The buffet, lunch and tea are stated as nett; the menu is not.
  • It ends on 31 October. The ChomSindh lunch, tea and à la carte all stop that day too. The separate weekend breakfast buffet (RM75 nett adult, RM38 child aged 7 to 12, Saturdays and Sundays, 6.30am to 10.30am) runs until 31 December 2026.
  • Name check: the menu lists "Deep Fried Sea Bass with Lemongrass and Cashew Nut" but its description says grouper. Ask which fish you are getting if it matters to you.

Getting there

Amari Johor Bahru is at 82C Suasana Iskandar Malaysia, Jalan Trus, in the old city centre. The lobby is on the 6th floor, and Amaya Food Gallery is in the hotel. If you are coming from Singapore, the city centre sits close to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar checkpoint, so a buffet here fits around a day trip without needing a car.

*Image: Amari Johor Bahru*

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