Era Food House

It was already late when me and my partner finished our late night viewing of the Black Panther (which was spectacular by the way) one evening. My partner complains of being hungry so we decided to roam around the Fajar Complex area on a hunt for some supper. This particular restaurant seems to be one of the main places for Tawaurians to hang out until the wee hours of the night and that fact was what eventually attracted us to try them out (they’re in the same row as a KFC branch within the area).

Their food consists of your typical local dishes such as the Nasi Goreng Kampung and Chicken Rice that we had. The dishes might look simple but both were pretty good and fully-flavoured. They also provide the traditional Buginese dessert called tapai on every table should you’re interested in trying them out. Personally, I do not like it (as the dessert was too sweet for my liking and the fermented smell was just a bit overwhelming for me) but both my partner and my dad loved them and can’t seem to get enough of them.

** Current status – Has been reopened (as of April 2022) 

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Kedai Kopi Selera

It’s been a number of years since I last dropped by this small establishment since I rarely have business around their location (which was at Jalan Chester, right in the heart of the old Sabindo town and behind the former Pasar Gantung) and for the fact that the area is notorious for being ‘jammed central’ especially during the day. Nevertheless, I found myself within the area one day together with my mom so we decided to finally give them a go. The tiny but air-conditioned Chinese run eatery has definitely stand the test of time and is almost always packed with people so you would think that it was an exceptional place, regardless of their unassuming appearance right?

Well, I personally think that people were packing the kedai kopi due to the aforementioned reasons only since I was less impressed with their food. The place was known for their chap fan (aka the Chinese version of the Nasi Campur) and everything was either very salty or very bland in terms of tastes. I was hoping that after all these years that the taste might improve but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Their pricing has also ‘grown’ exponentially and some items were even not fairly priced. I was given a tiny portion of an omelette (approximately 1/3 of an ordinary sized omelette) that I’ve requested from their display cabinet (meaning that it was pre-cooked no less) and was charge an extra RM3 for it. Let’s just say that it will probably take me another few more years to stop by the eatery again.

** Current status – Has been closed (as of Dec 2020) 

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Ultimate Al Nur Cafe

Another ‘fish only’ eatery has popped up within the Fajar Complex area (they’re also right in front of the Secret Recipe), right around the corner to its main rival (the Ikan Bakar TNT restaurant). Curiously though, the place only has one way of cooking said protein, which is by way of grilling. So if you wanted your fish to be prepared any other way, then I suggest that you visit the other eatery instead. But what the other place lacks, this place certainly covers for it especially in terms of the variety of fish available and a more affordable pricing.

I did mentioned before that I have almost zero knowledge when it comes to fish so I can’t specifically tell you what type of fish we had (because I’d conveniently left that choice entirely up to my parents). But what I can tell you is that the fish was somewhat fresh and has been grilled thoroughly. And the sambal that accompanied the latter was definitely on the hot and spicy side. Some patrons had commented on the deliciousness of said sambal but I don’t think I shared their enthusiasm as I personally find it to be lacking in terms of flavour. It was all hot but without any real taste in it. Your order of fish usually comes with white rice and vegetable soup as a set so no worries on whether or not you need to order them separately.   

** Current status – Has been closed (as of Nov 2018) 

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Mi Amabam's

As I had finished a meeting within the Sabindo Square area one day, I’d come across this new café as I made my way to my car. Like a magnet, I entered the small but warm eatery without any prior knowledge of said place (which was something that rarely happened on my part since I have this habit of Google-ing the hell out of a place before even thinking of stepping into any cafes or restaurants). The commercial area is not a place known for its modern cafes at all so I made a split decision to enter the café( they’re right next to the Century Supermarket and in front of Tawau’s main post office) .  

I was greeted with a much needed air-conditioning and the sweet smell of cookies and pastries that definitely made me think that I’d made the right choice for dropping by. Scanning their display shelves and cute jars neatly lined up on the counter, I was a bit dismayed however when I noticed that there aren’t any cakes available (only for the day I think, since a quick check on their FB page later on proves that they actually serve cakes) but nevertheless decided to try their Chocolate Brownies and a Red Velvet soft cookie together with a glass of ice tea. Both were a little too strong on the sweetness front but I wouldn’t mind eating the brownies again as it was moist and rich in cocoa (even though it might be tiny in size). They also provide several hearty meals on the side so I’ve decided upon their Nasi Lemak Ayam, which was unfortunately not as remarkable as their pastries. Everything on the plate tasted just average for me. But hey, they’re still new to this so maybe with time the food might get better and eventually attracted more customers to their eatery.

** Current status – Has been closed (as of August 2018)

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Ding Tea

We take a short break from all those hearty eating all throughout the Chinese New Year (by the way, Happy Doggie New Year everyone!) and chill out with a selection of drinks from this place. A well known beverages franchise originating from Taiwan (the ground zero for all things milk tea), the Tawau branch has opened its doors to patrons at the Bintang Kubota Commercial Centre, sometime last year. I did notice them while I was driving by the area every weekend but it took a little err… controversy for me to actually stopped by the store and try them out. What can I say, I’m a sucker for gossip and as I’ve discovered after visiting their joint, good refreshing drinks as well.

They did have quite an extensive choice of beverages available, making it a bit hard for us to choose. In the end though, me and my mom had tried out their Classic Chocolate and Double-mixed Chocolate (the latter had both pudding & boba included in the drink which was just superb) as well as their Pineapple Green Tea and Mango Green Tea (from their Fruit Tea section). All of the drinks that we’ve tried were indeed thirst-quenching, with moderate level of sweetness and some yummy chewables. Not just that, they also had various flavours of teas, lattes, juices, cream mousses, yogurts, milk teas and smoothies for you to choose from (yup, making our lives even more ‘difficult’ indeed).

** Current status – Has been closed (as of June 2020)  

*These are the Classic Chocolate & Pineapple Green Tea...

*... and these are the Double Mixed Chocolate & Mango Green Tea respectively

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