Truffle Bar & Restaurant

So my first foray into the gastronomic world within yet another newly opened commercial area called Kubota Sentral (situated right beside the well known Kubota Square & right behind Bintang Kubota) introduces me to this western cuisine restaurant. Just to be more specific, they’re located at the main entrance leading into the commercial area and visible from the Kubota Food Court

The modern and classy looking restaurant has a fine dining atmosphere to it and I personally find it refreshing since we do not have many of those here in Tawau (don’t worry though, they’re more casual than you think). But what really attracted me to give them a try was when I saw their Christmas lunch promotion from their FB page. And with an even attractive price, I wasted no time in stopping by one late afternoon (well, it was more towards tea time by the time we were there). After going through their menu, me and my mom decided to try out their Sweet & Sour Fish Rice as well as their Spaghetti Chicken Bolognese and both were savoury and flavoursome. My mom especially appreciated the lovely plating of her dish and I also loved the portioning of my pasta, as it was bigger than expected. They also include a fresh orange juice with their very affordable December lunch promo so I highly recommend everyone to give them a go. They’re opened throughout the day (from 11am to 10pm if I’m not mistaken) especially during this festive month. My only peeve with their place was that there wasn’t any immediate parking nearby – you do need to make a huge turn around the building and park at the backside of the area.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of December 2017) 

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LowCost Cafe Muhibbah Square

So before I begin, let me just get something straighten out first okay. No… the food and drinks available within the eatery were not priced at a ‘low cost’ but instead can be considered as very reasonable. The outlet that I’ve visited recently was their Muhibbah Square branch (as oppose to their main branch at Taman Sawit, Balung), yet another new commercial area along Jalan Muhibbah and located right in front of G-Mart Supermarket. 

Since me and my mom were checking out the somewhat newly opened supermarket within said commercial area (since it’s not that far from where we live), we got hungry and decided to dropped by for a quick lunch. I was told by a colleague that the cook was a Thai national so I wasted no time in trying out their White Tom Yam, couple with some Nasi Goreng Lalap (my go-to dish) as well as Sweet & Sour Chicken Rice for my mom. Portioning for the food listed was on the smaller side (befitting the ‘reasonable prices’ that I’ve mentioned) but still pretty sufficient and was actually quite delicious. I like the fact that their tom yam was not too spicy and has a nice fragrance to it. The sour taste was also nicely done and just tickles my tongue into emptying said dish. A few weeks after that, we'd dropped by again and this time we'd ordered their Nasi Goreng Pataya and Fried Mee Hoon and both were satisfactory but not that memorable I'm afraid. 

** Current status – Still in operation but now goes by the name Dee Cost Cafe (as of Dec 2020) 

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Restoran Resepi Bonda

Since my partner is a die-hard footie fan, I got dragged into places that I never thought I would’ve gone numerous times in the past. So when he found out the existence of this particular restaurant (bearing his numero uno team no less) he wasted no time in coaxing me to stop by the latter, which is located at Jalan St. Patrick (the single row shop right in front of LA Hotel).

This restaurant is an obvious hub for local Liverpool FC fans to gather around and trash talk other teams each time there’s a big game being streamed live (from my personal observation of course). But if you’re not into the whole football scene, you can always opt to immerse yourself in your own gastronomic world and ordered an array of local dishes available from the menu (like I did). I’ve eaten their Nasi Ayam Lalap (which was surprisingly appetizing although some might argue that it was a tad salty) as well as some Grilled Chicken Wings from a stall nearby (so-so at best). My partner had their Nasi Goreng Cina and he’d also said that it was quite tasty despite the less appealing look (well, it’s either that or because his team was scoring the moment I’d asked him about it). One thing that I would like for them to highlight on is their cleanliness though (or the lack of it to be exact).    

** Current status – Still in operation (as of December 2017) 

**Yup, my partner is standing by his team, no matter what

*** (Updated on 29/07/2019) - We've stopped by the restaurant recently & notice that they've redecorated some areas of the place. Also they seemed to have quite a selection of lunch time pre-cooked dishes for you to choose from.

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Big Apple Donuts & Coffee

I still remember the time when Big Apple Donuts & Coffee first opened its doors here in Tawau (specifically in Fajar Complex, on the same row as Kingston Executive Hotel) a few years back. Man, you could barely make it to their cashier counter due to the overwhelming crowd and very long queues. But now that the hyped has died down, the situation is the exact opposite of the latter. When I suddenly had the urged for some donuts recently, it does not escape my attention that the place was pretty vacant. But on the other hand, I did get to sit down and enjoy my donuts peacefully so it’s all good (for me at least).

Since they’re the one and only donut shop here in Tawau, I can’t complain much on the variety of their pastry since I do admit that it is quite vast. But what I do want to comment on however is their sometimes overbearingly sweet flavours. For example, I opted for their Java Lava, Chocoholic and Mimi Lolo donuts and the former was by far the sweetest one of them all. Granted, I do love its (very) chocolate-y flavour but even a self-proclaimed ‘chocoholic’ such as myself would agree that the sweetness should be taken down a notch. Ever heard of ‘less is more’ Big Apple? Ironically though, I did ordered their Ice Peach Tea to wash off my tongue and got a very watered down version of said drink. Definitely not worth paying RM8 for something that you could easily buy elsewhere (the drink is from the Lipton variety) for half the price.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of December 2017)

  

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Rumah Makan Putri Minang

Also known as Restoran Putri Minang (I’m purposely using their other name just because it sounded cooler and more authentic), the barely a month old eatery has opened its doors within the ‘hotel row’ of Fajar Complex (they’re directly below the Heritage Hotel). God knows just how much I’d missed Indonesia’s Padang cuisine (there was a Padang food eatery that had opened a few years back at Kubota Square but has since been closed) so I was more than happy that this particular restaurant has decided to take the plunge and open such eatery within the notoriously competitive commercial area.

The foods were as veritable as it can get, since the friendly veterans manning the restaurant were Minangkabau in ethnicity. Although food selections were not as vast as one would hoped from a Padang cuisine restaurant (as they’re typically known for their multiple choices of readily cooked ‘lauks’) the foods that me and my partner had tried were nevertheless flavoursome. Now do forgive me if I’ve wrongly identified the dishes (as the waiter was talking a bit too fast for me to fully caught up to what he was saying) but we did tried out their Beef Rendang (my partner cleared this dish up all by himself so that was a good sign), Gulai Ayam (its whiter than what I usually had but the chicken was juicy with superior spice level), Grilled Fish (the sambal lado on top definitely elevated the taste of said fish) and Fried Begedil (you just can’t go wrong with a potato patty now can you?). They’d also given us some Daun Ubi (boiled cassava leaves) as our ‘ulam’ for free so the experience dining there was a positive one for us. Now all I had to do is to cross my fingers and prayed that this place will lasts longer than expected, as the previous tenants to the shop had issues maintaining a steady stream of customers in the past.       

** Current status – Has been closed (as of November 2019)  

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Backyard Vacay: The Dream Hotel

My birthday had come and gone recently so I’ve decided to pamper and gifted myself with my usual ‘backyard vacay’ activity. And I must say that I had mixed feelings coming back from said hotel (which is strategically located within the ever busy Fajar Complex, with its main lobby being on the first floor – right on top of Pizza Hut). So here are a few pros and cons that I’ve listed down to make it easier for you guys to read my review (and for the fact that I’m on my lazy mode right now so please bear with me okay)… 

Pros

• The room was very spacious and has a beautiful Japanese concept (also known as the Sakura Suite). Other themed rooms include Roman & Chinese rooms.
• Loved the overall design (such as the king sized mattress on the floor & on the same level as its other furnishings) as it felt like an actual Japanese room.
• Friendly and attentive staff especially the female receptionist (who’d noticed that it was my birthday and wished me which I think was thoughtful)
• Price was slightly cheaper when booking online than when you walk in

Cons

• There’s no lift and the stairs were pretty steep (and there were 3 sets of stairs to climb should your room is on the top floor – like mine was)
• Signage leading up to the rooms were not very clear (as I literally had gotten lost while searching for my room & needed some assistance to locate it in the end)
• Maintenance might also be an issue as some of the lights were off, the fridge were a bit run down & the water pressure was very low
• There’s only 1 socket for the entire room
• There’s also this somewhat eerily feeling since I suspected that I was the only occupant on the floor that I was staying (cue the scary, horror movie music…)

 But overall…

Type – Japanese (10 Tatami) Room

Room – 4/5 (could do with a little TLC)

Price – 4/5 (very good pricing even for walk-in patrons)

Service – 4/5 (a simple greet can really make your whole experience better)

Décor – 5/5 (I’m a sucker for themed rooms)

Facilities – 3/5 (nothing much expected from this no frills accommodation)

Location – 4/5 (rest assured that you’re surrounded by lots of shops, banks & eateries)

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