Noms City Mall (KK FoodieVenture #263)

After our lunch at Olde Station Kopitiam at City Mall, we obviously decided to walked around the mall since we were already there. And it was then that I realized that I haven't posted anything about this cookies store, located on the ground floor of said mall (even though I'm actually a frequent customer - my bad). They usually made an assortment of soft cookies and the ones that we'd gotten that day were their regulars the Oreo Cheesecake, Double Choco Chips & Tiramisu and all were of course chewy, yummy and not overly sweet. They're also very active within the smaller, local food carnival scenes and as far as I know had also opened another shop at Karamunsing as well as kiosks at ITCC Mall and Riverson. 

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OLDE Station Kopitiam City Mall (KK FoodieVenture #262)

So now let us continue on with my other Dec KK food ramblings, shall we? My hubby is a fan of the Olde Station Kopitiam kiosk at Imago Shopping Mall, particularly their assortment of local kuih. So when I told him that their actual restaurant is located at City Mall, Jalan Lintas (on the ground floor, accessible from the side entrance to the open air lots), off we went to try them out. The kopitiam reminded me a bit of Fook Yuen (with its similar concept) but more towards the ready made kuih selections and pre wrapped Nasi Lemak. Basically they're the larger version of their Imago kiosk, with other local dishes available to order as well. Both of us had always loved their kuih (we had their Mini Burger Sambal, Curry Potato Puff & Pulut Panggang) & their Nasi Lemak (Nasi Lemak Mamak Style & Nasi Lemak Beef Rendang) were also very tasty. 

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The Great Room @ Holiday Inn Express KK (KK FoodieVenture #261)

Our one night stay at the surprisingly satisfying Holiday Inn Express KK included a free breakfast at their lobby area (linked to their social media promoted cafe, the SignalHill Coffee) so it would be unwise for both of us to skip it. Plus I was kind of curious as to what their spread would be like and both of us were pretty happy with what we'd seen & sampled. There were ample selections of typical breakfast food such as nasi lemak, fried noodles, congee, waffles, breads, pastries, fruits on display, as well as a salad bar & soto station. All in all, me and hubby were very satisfied with what we'd eaten that morning. And it is also good to note that the food were actually pretty appetizing & tasty. It's just a shame that we don't exactly have time to try out their actual cafe. I mean, the brand literally promoted their chain of hotels as a 'coffee & breakfast' type of establishment so it's only fair for us to try them out next time right? 

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Outward Vacay: Holiday Inn Express Kota Kinabalu

Before we move on to my other KK food discoveries, I would like to squeeze in this hotel review first since I just noticed that I haven't posted it out yet. Man, getting old is definitely a struggle for my brain 😮‍💨

This was actually during me and my hubby's visit around early Dec last year (hence the Xmas decor) when we decided to try out this hotel since we were in town for only a night. I usually avoided booking this hotel since it sits quite far from any malls (it is actually located just across the street to Hilton KK at Asia City) even though they're a well known brand. I wasn't expecting much checking into the hotel but I was left impressed in the end. Check in was fast, the room might not be big but still of acceptable sizing & cozy, free parking were available onsite and most importantly they actually had an ATM at their lobby (a rarity in KK). Plus their breakfast spread were actually pretty good (more on that later) and we loved their free flow of welcoming drinks at the lobby. I was definitely won over by them so kudos 👍 And to quote from their official website, "Holiday Inn Express is focused on frictionless travel for guests with offerings like complimentary hot breakfast, a relaxing room design, and quality bean-to-cup coffee available 24/7" so if you're looking for a swimming pool, this hotel might not be for you. It's tailored more for business & people who wants a chill & relaxing place to stay. 

Type - Standard Room

Room - 5/5 (can we just talk about the Dove bath products for a second?) 

Price - 4/5 (not bad actually, considering we also got breakfast out of it) 

Service - 4/5 (swift & polite) 

Decor - 4/5 (classy vibes & still considerably new) 

Facilities - 4/5 (again, a pool would be nice but not exactly a deal breaker) 

Location - 3/5 (major malls might be a bit far from said hotel but still walkable to such places; nearest is probably the Centre Point Shopping Mall) 

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Tea Co. Sutera Avenue (KK FoodieVenture #260)

After a satisfying lunch at the nearby Cabe Ijo, my stomach decided that it still has some room left for a nice, cool drink and so we made our way into this place (located at the front side of Sutera Avenue, on the same row as a Chagee branch & ASNB office). I never actually knew that they also have a selection of munchies to go along with their drinks so we'd ordered their Fried Sweet Potato Fries to go. It was really nice & the portion was also pretty big despite ordering their small sized. For drinks, I initially wanted their Cheesy Chocolate but since it wasn't available, I opted for their Peace Ice Tea instead. I was rather surprised to find the drink has quite a lot of mix fruit chunks in it but hey, I'm not complaining. It was definitely a refreshing drink & will be my fave for future visits. 

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