BTC Bistro Restaurant & Catering

The BTC Group Berhad is no stranger when it comes to textile as they’re quite synonymous to the business. But not everyone may know (especially if you’re living outside of Kota Kinabalu) that BTC has also ventured into other businesses that include restaurants and providing catering services (just to name a few). So when we heard (or more precisely saw their well placed banners all over town) that they’d opened a branch in Tawau (situated within the old Sabindo town area, right at the backside of their textile shops) me and my partner decided to stopped by one evening for dinner.

Feeling a bit apprehensive as we made our way into their upscale looking restaurant (as it was practically empty during said time), we nevertheless decided to soldiered on and ordered some cuisines right off their menu. My partner decided upon their Nasi Goreng USA (to which he said that it was tasty but a bit spicy) plus some Roti Canai while I opted for their Nasi Goreng Mamak Ayam (yummy and well seasoned). I’d also checked out their selection of pre-cooked items from their display trays and upon recommendation by the staff, decided to give their Peria Goreng Berempah (Spiced Bitter Gourd) a go. Mind you, I never like eating that particular vegetable before but the dish did looked appealing in my opinion (or maybe because I was just greedy) so finally I said why not. And may I say that I definitely did not regret it since it tasted delicious as the spices had covered most of the bitter gourd’s bitter taste. I’m definitely a fan of their version of the latter now!

** Current status – Still in operation (as of February 2018) 

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CaCa Patisserie

I would be lying if I said that this cosy looking place did not intrigued me the moment I’d laid my eyes on them at the 1Arena commercial area (the in-famous single row shop lot right next to Giant Hypermarket, in the same row as Arteasan). But a quick search on the internet (specifically their FB page) puts me in somewhat a dilemma. You see, they’re originally a shop that specializes in baking custom made cakes and pastries, as well as selling good quality baking goods. So initially I had no real reason to be there until a few months ago when they’d suddenly had an epiphany and decided that it’s finally time for them to renovate some part of their shop into a café as well.

So as I was cruising around the area solo one hot evening (sometime before Xmas no less), I finally decided that it was time for some relaxing tea break. As I made my way to the front of their display case, I found myself slightly umm… disappointed. I mean, the variety was nothing to complain about as there were definitely plenty of choices to go around. I guess what disheartened me was when I took a look at the size of their cakes, as almost all of them were quite small. I ate two of those (the Super Dark Chocolate cake & Almond Latte Mousse Cake – both tasted above average at best) and I was seriously thinking of ordering another slice soon afterwards but decided against it in the end. But then again, the price for the cakes (apart from their brownies) was just RM9.00 each so I shouldn’t be complaining much either right? It was probably because I was expecting more since they did produced lovely looking custom made cakes (judging from their FB of course). I also had their chamomile tea to wash off the sweetness away. The beverage was pretty plain but still adequate.

** Current status – Has moved elsewhere (as of Sept 2018) 

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Tawau Kopitiam

I have been meaning to stop by this place for awhile now but there seems to be a lot of people crowding the eatery especially during night time (which in turn, turns me off from going there). Granted, it is one of the more well-known eateries in Tawau for people to hang out after work, what with its biker inspired décor (that may be due to the fact that the owner is a hardcore biker himself). But my partner was adamant in going there one night so I’m all for it. By the way, the restaurant is situated (and visible) near the main entrance road leading into Fajar Complex, right in front of a hotel called Eden Boutique Hotel.

We were quite impressed to discover that the restaurant provided a wide range of food and drinks, most notably (from social media of course) their Ice Coconut Blend. I’ve ordered said drink and I must say that I heart it now. The ratio of the coconut juice and condensed milk were just right and that combination had produced a delicious tasting drink. My partner tried out their Nasi Goreng Lalap Ikan and he said that everything on the plate were very palatable. As I was not too hungry during our stopover, I’d only eaten their (tiny) pre-packed Nasi Lemak (it was just okay) and some Chicken Satays (very succulent as it’d been marinated beforehand).

** Current status – Still in operation (as of February 2018) 

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Kedai Kopi Yuan Yuan

My goodness… There aren't any other eateries in Tawau that is as (to quote Barney Stinson from HIMYM) ‘legen… wait for it… dary’ as this place. Prominent food bloggers from various places have made their journey to this unassuming eatery (located within the Taman Megah commercial area, on the same row as a bakery called Sweet Secret Bakery) just to get a taste of their ever popular soto dishes. And I’m not even exaggerating when I say that it’s a waiting game when it comes to dining there since most of the time, the place is packed with customers. But I do like the fact that most of the patrons were very understanding and doesn’t mind sharing their tables with other people (which is unavoidable most of the time anyway).

And that is exactly what had happened to me and my mom when we decided that it was finally our time and braved the notoriously crowded eatery ourselves. After waiting for less than a minute, we got lucky and managed to share a table with this friendly Chinese couple and ordered up. Mind you, the place is well known for their breakfast cum brunch staple (that is the soto) so unfortunately they aren’t any other choices of food should you’re not that into the latter. But they do have an extensive choice of ingredients for their soto so I’m sure you’ll find something that you might like. In our case, my mom had ordered their Seafood Soto (of prawns & fish slices) while I’d gone for their Kon Lo Men + Chicken Soto combo instead. And after finishing our meals, I must say that we’re definitely not disappointed. The soto broth was well balanced and saporous, with a generous amount of ingredients being put into each bowl. Their dish is definitely up there when it comes to the best soto in town but I do need to disagree when it comes to their sambal though. A few bloggers has mentioned their somewhat delicious sambal but it was just ordinary tasting for me. But then again, do try them out for yourselves to see whether or not you agree with me.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of February 2018) 

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Sankina Hotspring Park

Tawaurians can now rejoice at the newly opened ‘water park’ in this uneventful town of ours. The place might be tiny in comparison to other parks out there but hey, we take what we can get. Its location can be a ‘challenge’ on its own since it is quite hidden from plain sight and the management has not put up any clear signage leading up to the place (yet). All I can tell you is that it is located deep within Jalan Hotspring and within the same area as Tawau Hot Spring (yup, literally a hot spring within Hotspring… hehehe). If you guys are interested in checking out the place (I’m just telling you guys right now that although the pool might be vast, it was unfortunately only knee deep so it is more suitable towards families with small kids) you do need to pay RM35 per adult and RM25 per child upon entry. But that fare includes a RM10 food coupon which you can redeem at their restaurant nearby and they also waived the fee for senior citizens 60 years old and above.

Speaking of which, I admit that their eatery was what got me to put up this review in the first place. After lounging at the pool, it is always a good idea to drop by their restaurant not just to redeem said coupon but to genuinely try out their selection of food. And may I say that they do have plenty of choices to choose from. Since I was there with my whole family (which includes my sister and her children) we’d tried a bunch of stuff such as Curry Chicken Rice (my mom loved the non spicy curry), Sambal Prawn with Rice (my dad said that the prawns were fresh and reasonably spicy), Honey Lamb with Rice (my brother-in-law cleared the whole thing so…), Chicken Bolognese Spaghetti (the portion was huge) and last but not least the Hotpring Park Chicken Burger (my sister commented that it was lovely with pineapple slices inside). It’s good to note that they’re also open for dinner and private functions. And if you’re there just for the food, then you still need to pay RM20 for their entrance fee (including that RM10 worth of food coupon).

** Current status – Still in operation (as of February 2018) 

***Here are pictures in and around the restaurant (plus our lunch)...

... and the surrounding water park area

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