Sushi Zanmai Suria Sabah (KK FoodieVenture #83)

My last foray into the KK gastronomic scene (at least for the time being) brought me to this well-known Japanese franchise at the lower ground floor of the Suria Sabah mall. I was a bit surprise when my ‘not-a-fan-of-neither-Japanese-nor-Korean-food’ partner suggested that we visit this particular joint as we were making our way around said mall. Since I have never tried this franchise before (yup, not even once) I welcomed my partner’s change of heart with open arms.

                      

It was only later that I found out why my partner was so interested in trying this particular place out. It seems that somebody had told him that a particular dessert called the Chocolate Monaka is to die for hence the sudden decision. We did ordered the ice-cream wafer like dessert and it was so creamy and delicious that we’d ordered another one soon afterwards. Our main dishes for the day includes some donburi meals (the Madara Don and Kakiage Don if I’m not mistaken) and both were scrumptious with its crispy shrimp & fish slices plus a well seasoned rice. We opted for the ‘small’ size but they were still pretty filling. We’d also had their tuna & tamago sushi and even though the tastes were good, the assembly needed a little work (as they were quite crumbly and hard to pick up). All I have to say is that I’m converting myself to the Sushi Zanmai cult from here onwards, as everything was just delish and superb in terms of taste and variety. But do take note that their preparation and serving time might be a little longer should you went there during their peak hours (like we did during lunch time). 

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Restoran Padang Sari Ratu Prima (KK FoodieVenture #82)

I was drawn to this eatery by a review that I’ve read elsewhere and for the fact that I just love padang food (as evident in my frequent visit to another similar restaurant within Jesselton Point). So I wasted no time in semi-dragging my partner to their place on the first floor of Oceanus Waterfront mall, on a hot afternoon no less. I was glad that the place provided air-conditioned seating, as well as an al fresco style seating that is facing the lovely ocean for their customers.

But as we made our way towards their display cases, I was a bit downhearted to see the limited selection of lauks available. The waitress on duty did her best to promote other items that were only available upon request but those items were only a handful as well. I did contemplated on going somewhere else to have our lunch but eventually decided to give them a try and ordered a couple of dishes. We tried out their Tempe Orek, Begedil (potato patties) and Ayam Goreng Special and had them with some 'sambal merah'. Taste wise, everything was actually above average and flavoursome but my disappointment in their lack of variety did affect my judgement a bit. My personal theory to the matter is that the management might have decided to reduce the amount of food available due to the lack of customers. Unfortunately this plan (if it is the case) might backfire on them since they will also loose any potential new customers in doing so. Ah well… theories are just theories right? I did check out their FB page and discovered that they did have another branch in Kolombong which looked more promising than the former.

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Nando's 1Borneo (KK FoodieVenture #81)

Initially I wanted to have lunch at another famous food franchise on the lower ground floor of 1Borneo Hypermall but my partner has this sudden urge to go into this place instead as we made our way in front of their eatery (note to self – avoid walking past a restaurant that may entice said partner should I wanted to go somewhere else). To be fair, I did owe him one from our previous visit to KK so in the end I relented and decided to give them a go as well.

Since this is our second time entering the franchise (the first was when we were at Imago KK mall about 2 years ago) we at least have an idea on what to expect so we quickly ordered ourselves their Quarter Chicken meal but with different choices of sides. Mine were the PERi-Wedges and coleslaw while my partner tried out their spicy rice and PERi-Chips. And this time around, we specifically told them our preferred marinate (I opted for the newly added Mango & Lime sauce while my overconfident partner tried their Mild sauce, to which he later came to regret). Personally I do like my tangy tasting, succulent chicken but I still prefer their closest rival’s food (to which coincidentally reside just a few stores away). My partner was also a fan of their chicken but he could not take the heat (even though he only tried out their mild level of spiciness). But I’m proud that he’d decided to soldiered on and finished his dish, accompanied by his bottomless soft drink. Well, I did tell him so…

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Restoran Anak Mamak (KK FoodieVenture #80)

While we were still staying at the Klagan Hotel, my partner found himself a bit hungry late one night and decided to drop by this 24 hours Indian restaurant for a quick tapau (because he was too lazy to walk any further). The restaurant is situated on the ground floor of Warisan Square shopping area, right beside our hotel. He ordered some Roti Canai and a Fried Chicken off of the display tray for his late night meal. Some things that he did comment on the roti canai were that it was strangely a bit powdery and insipidly taste (he theorized that maybe it was due to the repeated usage of the same oil). The fried chicken was unremarkable and just okay in terms of taste. But some customers seem to like them all the same so maybe my partner just got a bit unlucky that night. A little fun fact about the eatery – they also provide free breakfast for another boutique hotel nearby called the Celyn City Hotel.

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IZ Tropical Fruits (KK FoodieVenture #79)

This is going to be a somewhat short post since there isn’t much to tell about this place. After finishing our lunch at the nearby Mia Boat Noodle restaurant, I felt like eating something sweet. So my eyes landed upon a fruit kiosk called Iz Tropical Fruits (just a few steps away from the latter, on the lower ground floor of Imago KK) and quickly made a beeline towards them. Hey… I’m not all about chocolates and cakes only okay guys (wink wink). So I grabbed a plastic container and proceed to scoop some fruity items off of their food trays. Afterwards, you bring your fruit filled container to the counter to be weighted and priced. And if you fancy some condiments to sprinkle on top of your fruits, you are welcome to do so to your hearts content (available in front of the cashier counter).

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Mia Boat Noodle (KK FoodieVenture #78)

One of the places that I really wanted to stop by but was unable to so before due to its overwhelming crowd is this Thai inspired restaurant. Man, it’s as if the eatery is giving away free food judging by the crowd daily. But we were quite lucky during our most recent stopover at the food mecca on the lower ground floor of Imago KK shopping mall, as we’d managed to snag a place during said time.

Now if you think that trying to find an available table was already a challenge by itself, similar situations can also be seen upon ordering (as the waiters seemed to be dashing at the speed of light whenever you tried to call them) and while waiting for your food (my partner's dish came earlier than mine; around 35 minutes or so after that). And after all that, you do expect the food to be spectacular right? Well, sadly I found the dishes (especially their staple dish the Signature Noodles) to be very underwhelming, with its one-for-all broth and limited-to-one-per-bowl fish balls. I’m just glad that I didn’t get greedy and ordered more than 5 of those mini soupy 'snacks'. My partner’s Chicken Basil Rice (if I’m not mistaken) was okay at best and a bit salty according to him while our side order the Thai Chicken Wings were just your typical fried food with a so-so taste. I definitely did not expect to be disappointed by my first visit to the restaurant but that might just be my taste buds though since the place seems to be extremely popular with other patrons. The overall menu were also very limited, with more than a few items being labelled ‘coming soon’ (which I guess might not come soon enough judging by their fading & peeling menu).  

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Deco Cafe & Grill (KK FoodieVenture #77)

Since the hotel that me and my partner were staying for our year end holiday has also provided us with free breakfast, it was only fair that I did a feature on their food as well right? Officially named the Deco Café & Grill, the classy and laid-back café is located at the ground floor level of the hotel. There are 3 entrances into the café; one right beside the reception counter while the other two faces the Gaya Street and Jalan Datuk Salleh Sulong respectively.

The café itself is reasonably big in terms of size but during the first few days of our stay, the crowd was more than what they’d probably expected. Hence, we were forced to wait outside of the café for any available table which can be a bit annoying. But thankfully, the café staff were attentive and well-trained so our wait was short and a bearable one to boot. I initially forgot to take pictures of the food (as I was too busy enjoying them) and only remembered to do so during the last day of our stay so please don’t mind the less than stellar pictures below. But overall most of the food was very nice and flavourful. Selection were vast but geared more towards the Asian palate, with only a few Western dishes available (that is probably due to the fact that the hotel seems to have quite a number of Chinese and Korean patrons than others). They also seemed to run out of clean plates, glasses and cutleries rather quickly but the staff will quickly replenish them so no worries there. I personally loved the high tables and chairs beside the bar as it was very comfortable and secluded; a good way to enjoy your breakfast peacefully. Other than breakfast, the café also provide mainly Western menu for lunch and dinner. The hotel also has 2 more eateries within the premise (a bakery of sorts & an Asian restaurant) but unfortunately we did not manage to sample their food.

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Outward Vacay: Horizon Hotel

After trying out the new floor at the Klagan Hotel for a few days and were pretty satisfied, me and my partner decided to do our usual hotel-hopping activity and had our eyes set on going to a hotel that is situated right in the heart of Gaya Street, the Horizon Hotel. Mind you, one of the main reasons for our choice was the fact that they have a swimming pool and it’s been ages since we’ve been to one (poor us).

But before I get ahead of myself, there’s one thing that really bothered me about the hotel’s policy. During check in, the receptionist was very adamant for both of us to show our IDs. Although this might not be such a big deal, it does make you feel as if you’re being interrogated and made both of us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. I have been to many hotels before (big and small) and this is the first time that I’ve encountered such situation. Anyway, we were given a room that was on the highest floor of the hotel and the view was fantastic. Granted, we did get a view of the city but I personally enjoy people-watching so that was actually a plus for me. The spacious room looks modern and sleek but has this manly vibe to it with the almost all black concept (which also made the room looked darker than it was suppose to). And although I do love the slightly higher floor inside the showers, it does annoy me that the faucet actually came off of the handle every time we wanted to use it. Clearly a more thorough maintenance should be done here as the room does look its age. The breakfast was free (more on that later) as well as their parking (again, please have your ticket stamp at the counter before you leave). And yes, we did enjoy their pool even though it might be smaller in size and with limited seats available around the area. Kudos to the pool staff for their friendly and attentive manner.

So I’m rating them…

Type – Superior Room

Room – 4/5 (I reckon that the hotel’s former interior designer must be a male)

Price – 4/5 (still can be considered affordable, although it’s on the high end side)

Service – 4/5 (the staff were very patient & understanding)

Décor – 3/5 (again… obvious ‘male’ touches everywhere but what’s up with the horse décor near the reception area though?)

Facilities – 4/5 (they do provide facilities akin to any 4 star hotels)

Location – 5/5 (they’re the definition of central – the infamous Gaya Street starts at their doorstep, like literally)

*The front side of the hotel

*The reception area (notice the horse statue on the left)

*Our room on the 13th floor (sorry for the somewhat dark pic)

*The hallway (again, very darkly lit)

*The swimming pool on the 6th floor (opens daily from 7am till 8pm)

*And last but not least, the view from our room (of the Sunday Market)

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