I did very little to no research on my holiday in Kota Kinabalu. This resulted to my plea on facebook on what to eat and was answered with a single word, ‘Rice’. As my network of friends are of not much help, I turn to blogs, and through some of the local food bloggers, I manage to experience the best of Kota Kinabalu has to offer in food.

Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh

I found this place through Google Places and Bloggers. The Google Places coordinate on Google Map is a little off and we had a hard time finding the place the first day. As in all Malaysian Bak Kut Teh restaurants, all kinds of Bak Kut ingredients are available with sides of tofu and assorted vegetables. Sadly, the vegetables we ordered did not come. Each of the dishes are presented in small plates and the prices are based on how many plates you consume. The Bak Kut tea has a very strong medicinal taste with a pack of heat to it.  Its very different from those had in Peninsula Malaysia and its a must try for those who visits Kota Kinabalu. Even the Chinese Tea (Tie Guan Yin) was served on a tiny cup and the flavor was foreign to me.  It complements the Bak Kut Teh well. Yu Kee BKT Facebook.

Fook Yuen Cafe

I We took a cab to this restaurant for breakfast and the cab fare were more expensive than what we spent on the food.  This is the sad state of Malaysian Taxi where out of the capital of Kuala Lumpur, metered taxis are almost non-existence or the meter were never used. We later found out that Fook Yuen Cafe has a branch at Gaya Street and we had our subsequent breakfast there. This restaurant offers Bread, Pastries, Toast/Steam Bread with Kaya and Fried Noodle/Rice with assorted sides such as sausages, yong tou fu, etc.  We started with the recommended Butter Kaya toast and Milk Tea (Teh Si).  The Butter & Kaya Toast was better than the steam ones and was much more generous compare to Old Town Kopi Tiam. The Milk Tea need some getting used to. We later develop a liking to it and found that it goes well with oily food where it helps to wash away the oily after taste on some of the food offered.  Fook Yuen Cafe Facebook.

Five Star Chicken Rice

I stumble upon this place while searching for Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh on the first day. This was the brightest lit shop at Gaya Street and with a few patrons. We decided to try it out and was not disappointed. The chicken was very smooth and tasty.  We also had the soup with fish cakes, though it is not the best, it complements the Chicken rice Well. Five Star Chicken Rice Website.

SEDCO Complex Seafood

Can’t come to Kota Kinabalu without trying out the Seafood. We just had to try out one and found this Sedco Complex at Kampung Air, Kota Kinabalu. Coming from Penang (Andaman Sea), we were very interested to try out the local (South China Sea) catch. We tried the 4 dish above, RM50 for Tiger Prawns, RM50 for Sea Crab, RM50 for Rock Fish (with green bones) and Sabah Vegetables fried in Sambal. There were various types of seafood, and since there were two of us only, we couldn’t try all, plus, we were not that adventurous. At Sedco Complex, there were about 3-4 Seafood Restaurants there, with each concurring their end of the complex. Some bloggers said this place is cheap, we thought it was ok and definitely cheaper than the Chinese Seafood restaurants scattered around the city.

Tuaran Mee @ Seng Hing Coffee Shop

On our last day, we went to Seng Hing coffee shop which was famous for it’s Tuaran Mee and Laksa. Tuaran Mee was indeed unique and we have not come anything like it in Peninsular Malaysia. Its yellow egg noodle fried with sausages, roast pork and egg. The laksa or Curry Mee is also unique where it is sour, more like a fusion of curry powder, coconut milk and tom yam. Tuaran Mee comes in Fried or Soup version and it is the most ordered dish among the patrons there. Tuaran Mee from around the web.

We enjoyed our stay at Kota Kinabalu as much as we enjoy the food there. Mostly, the unforgettable Tuaran Mee and Bak Kut Teh marks Kota Kinabalu as one of the Food City of Malaysia.

We saw this place a couple of weeks back and we thought we should try it out. We arrived at about 6.30pm and the restaurant was already full. We manage to get the last empty seat for two and dive down into the menu. The menu is pack with Fish, Chicken, Pork, Lamb and Beef western style entrées. Overwhelm by the choices, I decided on the only item that caught my eye, the Stuffed Fish(RM10) and the Chicken Cordon Bleu(RM10) by my wife. Our orders were entered into the system at 6.38pm and we started to wait. A line started to form at the front of the restaurant. And we wait. Plenty of help and all the staff were busy delivering food or clearing the table up. And we wait. At 7.02pm, my order arrived, 2 minutes later the Chicken Cordon Bleu arrived.

The stuffed fish was actually Fish Cordon Bleu, ham & Cheese wrap with Fish and then covered with bread crumbs and deep fried. There were two pieces, the first was rich in cheese, while the second, I could merely taste any cheese at all. Mid Size Fries, coleslaw with onions, bun, green peas, one slice of cucumber, tomato and lettuce as sides. The Chicken Cordon Bleu has the same sides except for the coleslaw. Both the Stuffed Fish and Chicken were above average. We could not explain the crowd. The drinks were affordably priced, with some on Jumbo size at RM5.50. We spent RM25 for dinner for two, and this may be the reason for the crowd.

The restaurant was decorated to look like a sports bar(almost), with the large LCD TV on sports, an island drinks bar and several seating sections differently decorated. What’s missing are sports memorabilia. They didn’t need it, the restaurant was filled to the brim, even the seating overflow to the carpark. I rate this place 7 out of 10 for the food quality, ambiance speed of food delivery considering the restaurant was full.

Address: 21 Jalan Fetes Park, 11200 Penang, Hours: Tue-Sun 4pm-11.30pm, Facebook.

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The Taling Chan Floating Market is located at the Taling Chan District Office.  A relatively small floating market serve fresh foods and open only 3 days a week (8.30am-4pm Weekend).  The market was not that accessible so we took a cab from our hotel at Sukhumvit.  The cab drop us off at the District Office, which is just next to the floating market.  Comming to the floating platform, there were stalls on the left and right side of the road selling a range of items from food to handicrafts.

There were two side to the floating platform, left and right and both have boats on the side selling food of various kinds.  While we were getting to the platform connected by a narrow bridge, we saw some visitors feeding a swamp of fish.  The fish looked huge and they were battling over the bread thrown onto the river.  I notice a lady was selling bread for THB 10 and so I bought one pack and gave to May Lin.  She happily feed the fishes and at occasion, the fishes splash and everyone around turn and have a look.

Finish feeding the fishes, we proceed to the platforms to see what is on sale.  First thing i notice was the tiny little stools and tables on the middle of the platforms.  Almost all the tables were filled, this shows how popular this place is.  There was a range of foods from fry, soup, rice to bake and BBQ.  We just had our breakfast so none looked appetizing.  There was a boat selling BBQ fish, the fish was about 1ft long, a huge fish that was first rub with salt and then BBQ over low charcoal heat.  Many patrons bought the fish and I could see them enjoying it.  I on the other hand just feed some huge looking fishes, and can’t stomach the thought of just feeding the fish and then slaughtering them for a meal.

The Taling Chan floating market was relatively small and there was only a handfull of boats with some of them selling the same items.  After covering the entire platform, we proceeded to have some refreshing coconut water before catching a cab to Chatuchak Market.

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This is one Thai Restaurant in Penang that is worth some mention.  This restaurant is located at the housing estate area of Sg. Ara.  It can be a little hard to get to if this is your first time.  Its a house turn into a restaurant.  The interior decorations as well as outside were a little dated.  The first impression that I had was that this is another restaurant wannabe, low budget conversion of a house to restaurant.  The food turns out to be much better than their taste of decorations.

We ordered the Tom Yum, Pandan Chicken, Krabu Kacang Botol and Onion Fried Egg.  The Tom Yum was spicy and sour, the way that we like it.  We could drink the soup dry, by then, we would have drank to stomach discomfort, yes, it was that good.  The Pandan Chicken was fragrant and was well done, it complements the Spicy and Sour Tom Yum with sweet pandan fragrance.  The Kraby Kacang botol was a good starter, however, I felt that after towards the end of the meal, the source of the krabu was a little too spicy and was also sour, it did not go well with Tom Yum.  This dish may have been better with Green Curry instead of Tom Yum. 

The restaurant received 4 star out of 5 from us.

Photos taken with iPhone 3GS.

During my Round Island trip yesterday, we arrived at the Spice Garden around lunch time and decided to have lunch there.  Thai food was their base offerings and we decided to give it a shot on this nice breezy afternoon.  When we first arrive, there was not that many people around, and we choose a spot that under a nice shade.  We seated ourselves facing the sea and the first thing we notice was the tranquility of the surrounding and the sound of the waves hitting the beach.  It was romantic. 

We ordered a Seafood Tom Yum (RM9.80), Chicken Green Curry (RM14.80), Omellete Onion (RM12.80), Steamed Rice (RM2.00 each), Lemongrass Soda (RM7.00) and Nutmeg Soda (RM7.00).  The lunch came up to RM60.95 after service charge and it was exorbitant. 

The Tom Yum was small, but enough for two people, the sour taste of Tom Yum overpower the entire dish, however it was passable.  The Green Curry was very good, it taste and look like the ones we had in Bangkok.  The Omellete Onion was good, you cannot go wrong with Eggs, if Eggs also dont know how to fry, then the chef is not fit to cook.  The Lemongrass and Nutmeg Soda was refreshing.  This is our first time having it and was taken aback by the strong taste.  The sweet soda made it likable. 

It was a pleasant lunch, the ambiance and food scores highly, however, the price could be a little too expensive.  I would definitely come back to this restaurant, not for the food, but for the ambiance.  Its a great place to get lost into a book on a lazy afternoon. 

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The restaurant received 3 star out of 5 from us.

Photos taken with iPhone 3GS.