Le Cottage Cafe

Like I’ve mentioned several times before, my mom and I went to the Giant Hypermarket almost once per week so by extension, we also roamed around the Perdana Jaya commercial area quite often. So it doesn’t escape my eyes that this new eatery (positioning itself facing the Giant Hypermarket main entrance) has been gaining fans lately. Now if you’re going by their outer looks alone (and name of course) you’re expecting a western food café right? But what you’ll actually be getting is a KFC like chicken franchise. Yup, it’s actually a fast food joint, mainly the Peninsular Malaysian originated franchise called MyFC.

I was always curious (there are other MyFC stalls in and around the Tawau area but this is the first full fledge café/ restaurant for said food) and often wonder what does the fried chickens from this particular brand tasted like. I tried out their 2 piece Chicken Meal and Popcorn Chicken (sounds familiar right?) and what I can say is that they have a (very) long way to go to catch up with other well-known franchises. The fried chickens were actually pretty crispy but were too oily for my liking and borderline tasteless as well. Granted my mom is not a fan of fast food so she opted for a Honey Chicken Wings dish (yes, they do have several other dishes not related to the MyFC brand available) and she said that the dish is probably better tasting than mine (to which I agree – the marinated chicken looked more appealing). I’d also ordered their Cheese Sandwich (again, not originally from the MyFC menu) out of a whim and that dish was so ordinary in both taste and presentation (they just slap a slice of cheese in between a toasted bread) that I reckon I can fixed a better meal myself. But like any other newly opened café, they do seem to have their own fan base so it depends on your personal preferences.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of September 2016)  

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Secret Recipe Tawau

I admit that I’m absent minded sometimes so it’s not surprising when I recently discovered that I totally forgot to post this review. It’s been sitting inside my laptop, waiting patiently for me to notice it so today’s your chance Secret Recipe! This well known franchise restaurant doesn’t really need any lengthy introduction since I’m pretty sure that there’s at least one of them available in your hometown. In Tawau, the location of the eatery can be considered as unique, since it’s situated within a single row of residential area (but still within the Fajar Complex). It’s a (formerly) double storey terrace house converted into the restaurant. Just imagine being the next door neighbour to such a place huh?

Food wise, I have been to this place a couple of times so among the food that I’ve ordered and tasted (of course with my friends and family present) throughout those times were Thai Style Fried Rice (a little on the salty side but I still loved it), Curry Mee (my mom said that the curry has the right amount of spices in them), Grilled Black Pepper Chicken (one of my colleagues swears by this dish), Golden Crispy Chicken (while another said that the batter to this chicken chop dish tasted not too pleasant) and Spaghetti Meatball (my partner loved the minced meatballs but the sauce was so-so). And obviously another reason why you should visit the place (if you haven’t already) was definitely for their array of delicious cakes and brownies. I’ve personally tasted a variety of cakes such as Absolute Chocolate (my personal fave since it has the right balance of chocolate and sweetness), Mango Delights (it has huge chunks of actual mangos in them and are not overly sweet – an awesome combination) and Chocolate Lava (sweet as hell but also very chocolate-y and goes really well with whipped cream), just to name a few.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of September 2016)  

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Open House Bar & Cafe

Judging from multiple selfies, I’ve noticed recently that a bunch of my social media friends have been hanging out here often so it got me curious. And I like the fact that it combines a typical bar like atmosphere (with dart machines in the corner no less) with an ordinary café setting so patrons with families will not feel as if they’re out of place there. So if you’re interested, you can visit them at CTV Junction commercial area (yup, that single row of shops at Jalan Sin Onn. It’s also in the same row as Wukka Cafe).

Since everybody seems to be posting about their ‘desert beverages’ (as they’d called them), it is only natural for us to try them out. We have decided on their Chocolate Milkshake and Chocolate Oreo respectively and I would say that the latter tasted better. Although I must admit that both drinks tasted just so-so. Without those strategically placed add-ons on top of them, the actual ice-blended drinks were very bland. And trust me; I took a sip way before I ate all those sweet, yummy goodies on top of it. The food was a bit of a disappointment to me as well. I’d ordered their Honey Chicken Rice and it’s very ordinary. The sliced chicken was actually well seasoned but there’s this weird taste with their rice though. But my partner loved their Chicken Wings & Sausages though. There’s nothing special about their sausages (it’s your typical store bought sausages) but the fried chicken wings were pretty good. It tasted salty but delicious, no doubt your usual beer companion munchies (not that I drink beer mind you – I just had a lot of friends that did). 

** Current status – Has been closed (as of January 2017)  

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Sandwich Recipe by Aryana

It was a rainy day when me and my partner decided to roam around the in famous Empire building in town. We’d planned to have a somewhat late night snack at the food stalls within the area but since it is still drizzling a bit, we’d decided to try out the relatively new sandwich joint located right next to our intended destination. For those of you still not in the clear as to where they are, they are actually within the Empire building (facing the stalls area). It’s good to note that there’s a Butik B.O.B by Afdlin Shauki right next to their eatery (yes, a place that sell that pelikat pants everyone seems to be wearing nowadays).

I’ve only went to a sandwich shop once here in Tawau so I was thrilled to discover this place. The small shop provided a variety of sandwiches such as C’Ketchup (nope, it’s not what you think it is), C’Roasted, Meatball, Chicken Loaf, Seafood, Beef and their weekend special, the Fish Recipe. We were there during a weekend but unfortunately my initial choice (the Fish Recipe) and my second choice (the C’Ketchup) were unavailable. In the end, I settled for their Chicken Loaf sandwich and it tasted… err, ordinary to me. There’s nothing too special about it since they just slapped some chicken ham, salads and (a whole lot of) mayonnaise inside the sandwich. Not a good start in my books though. But my partner was luckier than me when he ordered their Beef sandwich which tasted better than mine. I had a taste and it tasted very barbecue like and the beef chunks were tender. So I guess it all comes down to what you ordered and personal preferences to their sandwiches since I took a peeked at their Facebook page and patrons seems to be raving about their sandwiches.

** Current status – Has been closed (as of June 2023)  

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Sri Titingan Seafood Restaurant Fajar

If you’re a fan of the locally famous (and most probably the only Malay owned seafood restaurant in Tawau) Restoran Sri Titingan but you always thought that their location was a tad ‘out of reach’, then good news people! They have recently opened a new branch at Fajar Complex, right next to the AX nightclub (their current venue was formerly the Tawau Seafood Restaurant). Technically this is their second attempt at opening a branch elsewhere (their main restaurant is at the Tawau Lama area), since their first try at Taman Univilla didn’t go so well. So how did they fare this time around?

I was there with my entire family (which includes my sister and her family as well) so it was somewhat a feast for us. We’d ordered a couple of their staple food such as Steamed Fish with Tauchu, Sweet and Sour Fish, Mixed Vegetables, Kangkung Masak Belacan, Corn Crab Soup and Butter Prawns. It’s quite obvious that the dishes won’t be totally the same as its predecessor (different kitchen staff of course) but I initially hoped that they’d at least retained some degree of similarity to the latter when it comes to tastes. Unfortunately that is not the case, since almost all of the dishes that came out (except for the Sweet & Sour Fish – which tasted more towards the sweet side rather than sour) were somewhat bland. It surprises us because their main branch usually dishes out meals that were full of flavours and fresh. Also, their waiting staff has got to be one of the laziest bunch I've ever encountered in Tawau (and that's saying a lot). Management is definitely the key (as it seems non-existent) so here's hoping that they'll improved in the future. 

** Current status – Still in operation (as of September 2016)  

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