TCC Wok & Grill

Honestly I have been passing through this place all through my life and not once have I've actually been here. It's one of those places where you always wonder about but it's not strong enough for you to actually go into the place. That is, until now of course! And it's all thanks to my dad for finally making it happen (apparently it's one of the places to entertain his clients). And yes, judging from the name it is an actual social, membership only club. But do not worry since the restaurant is open to those without said membership (myself being one of course). Heck my dad is not even one.

The Tawau City Club owned cafe is situated right at the opposite side of Marco Polo Hotel (trust me, you can't miss it) at Jalan Abaca, Tawau. The place definitely gives you the 'clubby' feel and it's a place for people to hang out and have a few drinks with friends. It's a very chilled out place so to speak. The place divides itself to two sections; indoors (more family friendly) and al fresco seating (preferred by young people and smokers).

Now food wise it's an interesting thing. I think I had a somewhat high expectations when I went to the club. It's a pretty well-known club around Tawau so I expect the food to be on par with its reputation. So we went and ordered ourselves some Nasi Goreng Special, Nasi Goreng Daging (I'm pretty sure it's called differently but it's essentially those types of fried rices), Mixed Vegetables and Deep Fried Chicken Drumsticks. When the food first arrive at our table, I was pretty excited to see the appealing forms of said food. But then when it comes to taste, I'm a bit disappointed for some reason. It's definitely not bad, but nothing great either. Very so-so.

** Current status - Still in operation (as of May 2014)

(Updated on 04/04/2018 - Me and my parents had stop by recently to check out their latest offerings, which includes their Sliced Fish Curry, Singapore Fried Mee Hoon, Tuaran Mee and some Fried Cassava - all were above average in terms of tastes)

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Backyard Vacay: De Choice Hotel

After almost 4 months worth of work-without-play, I finally manage to dragged myself from my much loved workload (sarcasm *sigh*) and got around to again indulged in my favourite pastime. So this time around I'm at De Choice Hotel, within the ever popular Fajar Complex in Tawau. Now don't be surprise to see a lot (and I mean, A LOT) of government like functions and seminars being held at the hotel. From what I've heard, it's the numero uno place for them as they gave out cheaper rates for such events. And from my personal experience, that usually means that the hotel might not be up-to-par in some areas (aka overused bedrooms etc). And yes, true to my expectation, the Superior Room that I've stayed in told me just that.

But lets start from the beginning, shall we? Check-in was uneventful. And yes, there's this seminar going on for some government sector when I was there so the lobby it's a bit crowded. The place isn't actually that big, it's kinda in the mid-range in terms of size. Lobby decor was also a bit dated and simple. Like I've said, nothing special to mention here. The hotel also had a functioning restaurant next to the lobby so room service is also available. There are ample parking space around the hotel compound (but then again, it might be 'tricky' to find one whenever there's a seminar going on, as evident when I was there). So all in all, it might not be perfect, but I'll take it as you actually get what you'd paid for and I can relaxed for the weekend.

Now onto their room. Although it might not be as new or as spotless as some of the places I've been, it still feels kinda cosy and since I'm not one of those extremely fussy people, I let some of the 'minor details' slide my attention (spots on the carpet, peeling wall paint etc). And you know what, it's also kinda spacious as well for a single bedding room, so I'm happy about that. The furniture including the bed looked aged a bit but it is still in fully working order. It had all the basic neccesities you'll expect in a mid-range hotel (minus a fridge thought, cause that would made my day even more). My personal favourite was their 'Chinese-tea-pot' inspired electric kettle. Such a cute thing!

My final verdict?

Type - Standard Double Room
Room - 3/5 (will benefit from some upgrades here and there but overall still okay)
Price - 4/5 (like I've said before, you get what you'd paid for)
Service - 3/5 (maybe in need of some more employees? The place looks out-of-staff or something)
Decor - 3/5 (dated but still comfortable)
Facilities - 3/5 (think your usual mid-range hotel facilities)
Location - 4/5 (it's still within the Fajar Complex so you only need to walk around a bit to find everything)

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