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Macao Imperial Tea Imago (KK FoodieVenture #121)

No joke y’all… I had actually passed by them so many times before on the 2nd floor of Imago (and even took some selfies with their cute giant teddy bears) but never once did I notice that it was actually a kiosk selling bubble teas (I know… I’m slow as hell). But you know what they say… better late than never right? So after looking through their menu (which was surprisingly not as extensive as I’d thought it would be) I chose their Cocoa Milk tea and it was just okay for me. Not too bad but nothing too distinguishing about it either. I was tempted to try out their then promotional items (which was a slew of flavoured soy milks I believe) but decided otherwise. Oh well, there’s always next time.    




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Gong Cha Suria Sabah (KK FoodieVenture #120)

Now let us move on to some bubble tea action before we continued our journey with my other hotel-hopping activities okay? During my previous visit to the Damn Good Burger joint at Jalan Dewan, I did notice this well-known bubble tea shop right next to them. But I was a bit reluctant to walk all the way there again just so I could get my hands on their beverages so I was so happy when I found out that they did in fact had opened a kiosk on the lower ground floor of the Suria Sabah mall. It was pretty obvious that I was going to taste their GCS Chocolate Milk and you know what, I absolutely loved it. It was both rich and creamy and definitely one of the better ones out there. 



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Grand Castella Imago (KK FoodieVenture #119)

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Taiwanese castella cakes so finding out that this Taipei originated franchise is also available on the lower ground floor of Imago (they’re directly facing Everrise supermarket) delights me. Although I initially wanted to taste their jiggly offerings, I was somehow attracted to their other, non-castella cakes instead, namely their Chocolate Lava Cake. So I ended up with said cake instead and it was not disappointing at all. The cake was moist enough to be cut into but the chocolate lava was gooier than runny. Well, not a big problem for me since I ended up finishing it anyway. I’m planning on trying out their actual castella cake in the future so stay tuned guys.  




*They also serve beverages and soft buns



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Burger King Imago (KK FoodieVenture #118)

I know this is my third post on this fast food franchise (click HERE and HERE for my previous posts) but I simply can’t get enough of them. Or more accurately, their Onion Rings of course. I have always been a fan of the latter so it was a no brainer for me to drag bring my partner to their Imago branch as well (if you’re wondering, they’re at the lower ground floor of said mall). As my primary focus was for their Onion Rings (which was satisfying as always by the way), I decided to have something ‘lighter’ for my combo meal set which was the Mushroom Veggie Burger. My partner obviously decided not to follow my lead and instead choose their Supreme Nacho Deluxe Tendercrisp set. Both burgers were super yummy and accompanied with a serving of (bigger than normal) fries; which my partner found amusing for some reason. They do however have cut down on the free flow of ketchup and chilli sauces so you’re given a limited supply of those at the counter and that’s it. Or is it always been like that? 







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Nur Balqis Restoran (KK FoodieVenture #117)

Okay, so here are some ‘advertisements’ before I continued on with my hotel-hopping reviews. Right after checking into our first accommodation, me and my partner had to run to 1Borneo Hypermall to meet up with some colleagues. But since we arrived earlier than expected (and famished beyond words), we decided to go to the lower ground floor for some food. My partner was attracted to the pre-cooked food being displayed in this Indian Muslim restaurant so I said why not try them out. The Nasi Campur that my partner had was pretty tasty (according to ‘empunya badan’) while the Nasi Briyani Ayam Goreng that I had was simply marvellous, complete with a generously big chicken thigh to boot. Definitely one of the best Nasi Briyani that I’ve had in recent years. I’ve also spotted quite a number of nearby UMS students dining in as well so that shows that apart from delicious food, the prices were also pretty reasonable (as any respected undergraduates or even graduates would understand πŸ˜‰). 






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Outward Vacay: KK Times Square Hotel (Version 2.0)

Well guys, the end of 2019 is approaching and so are my reviews on my annual end-of-the-year trip to KK. And yes, I do realized that I’ve been to KK quite a lot this year (mostly unexpected I can assure you πŸ˜‰) but apparently there are still more for me to discover and review (as proven when my hotel-hopping syndrome came back with a vengeance; as you will see in the next couple of posts).

Now onto my first hotel yes? Since I’ve actually been to this hotel before, I will not be commenting much on said hotel but rather the room that I’ve stayed in. Now why I’m highlighting the room instead is because I was pleasantly surprise by the difference between their existing rooms and the newly renovated rooms. The family room that we had recently was a far cry from their usual Deluxe Rooms (click HERE for my previous review) and we’re loving every minute of staying there. The semi-apartment concept room consist of very comfortable double king beds (well, it is a family room) and an open kitchen area (plus an island to hang out) which were equipped with a microwave, mini fridge, toaster, eating utensils and a sink (but not a stove for some real cooking I’m afraid). But what I’m really impressed with was their really spacious shower area, his and hers sinks & bathtub, as well as the strategically placed internal cupboard for dressing within the shower/ bathroom area. Definitely a step up from their other in-need-of-refurbishment older rooms. Also, these rooms are located in a separate lift (next door to their original main lift) so I would guess that the family rooms had only recently became available hence the relatively new and modern accommodation.

All in all…

Type – Family Room
Room – 5/5 (highly recommended for you guys to try even if you’re not in ‘family’ mode)
Price – 4/5 (very affordable for what you’re getting)
Service – 4/5 (way better than before – the receptionist is friendlier this time around)
DΓ©cor – 5/5 (very practical and modern – I like it)
Facilities – 4/5 (everything is still fairly new so I’m good)
Location – 5/5 (it can’t get any better than waking up beside the Imago right?)










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Boba Milk Tea Mania: Tawau Edition (Part 2)

As I’ve promised in my previous post, here are the rest of the bubble milk tea places available here in Tawau. Mind you, I’ve included some of the ‘babies’ of the bunch and I will be posting new entries should any newer bubble tea joints pop up in the future.

And as I’ve stated in my last entry (more like copy-pasting my own words since I’m too lazy to retyped them 😜) – I will be focusing more on bubble milk tea specialty stores instead of full fledge eateries that features boba teas in the menu (there will be a separate post regarding that much, much later). And since I’m a self-proclaimed ‘chocoholic’ I will also be primarily tasting their chocolate series. So this is solely my opinion on their said flavour line and might not reflect on their other beverages. 

So again, in no particular order…

DRINK TEA

Where? TB16002, Lot 2A, Pusat Komersil Unijaya, Jalan Sungai Tanjong
Originated from? Taiwan (but I can’t confirmed this 100% since it was very hard to find any legit info on their origin)
What I had? Chocolate Milk Tea
The Good? It’d just occurred to me that among all of the boba shops that I’ve been to, this is the only place that had actually ask me about my preferred ice and sugar level. Also, this OG place has been around for years so the taste of their drink kind of reminds me of those old-school bubble drinks during my teenage years; way before the current boba crazed blew up. 
The Bad? Although I do like the drink that I had, I also think that my milk tea is very sweet (and not chocolate-y sweet, more like the sugary sweetness). So do adjust your orders according to your preference as I’d ordered mine ‘normal’. 







ESTRELLA’S

Where? TB4701, Jalan Haji Karim, Bandar Tawau
Originated from? Tawau
What I had? Boba Choco
The Good? I think because I have such high expectation for this much hyped up kiosk (which was opened by a former baker and entrepreneur) I was a bit let down by their watered down chocolate tasting milk tea. But their tapioca pearls more than made up for the latter, as it was both softly chewable and sweetly taste.
The Bad? Since it’s a prime spot for hanging out especially during the evenings, it is best to avoid such times to order your drinks as you’re in for a very long wait. Also, the cashier can be a bit dismissive while taking your orders since she is also helping with the preparation of said orders. Meaning; they should hire more people in the future.




*This is their Boba Choco (together with their Choco Cheese Cake) 

TWENTEA

Where? Lot B2, 8-0, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun
Originated from? Tawau (from what I can gather from their FB page)
What I had? Chocolate Brulee
The Good? Their creamy chocolate milk tea was pretty good although I must be misunderstanding the ‘brulee’ part since I can detect neither the ‘brulee’ taste nor the usual burnt look in said drink. Also they do feature a slew of local drinks within their menu such as the cendol, Nescafe and Milo.
The Bad? Well, it was not necessarily something bad; it is understandable that the barely a month old shop staff will be a bit slow in taking and preparing your orders, way slower than the other places that I’ve been to (so patience is key especially during peak hours)




*This is my Chocolate Brulee & my mom's Grapefruit Four Seasons Tea

THE KAZEN

Where? Pusat Komersil Bintang Kubota, Jalan Chong Thien Vun (has moved to Kubota Sentral area, formerly the spot of Qong - as of 2021)
Originated from? Tawau (from what I’ve been told)
What I had? Uppercheese Boba Roasted Brown Sugar Chocolate Swiss (yup, a mouthful I know)
The Good? During my premier visit, I thought that their brown sugar chocolate boba was very delicious and was one of my top choices for such drinks. But when I came back and tasted the same drink but with grass jelly instead of the usual tapioca pearls (as they'd run out of the latter) I found it to be just meh. So do make sure that you try said drink with the boba instead of the grass jelly okay (updated on 13 July 2020). 
The Bad? As with any fledging businesses (that does not come from a big franchise) their choices for drinks are currently very limited (a repeat of 3 or 4 choices). Also, their sit down area is a bit small and with similarly limited sitting spaces so do be prepare to stand around as you’re waiting for your order.








QONG

Where? No.88, Lot 51, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun (has now been closed - as of Apr 2021)
Originated from? Taiwan (although I can’t verify it for now)
What I had? Cheese Belgian Chocolate
The Good? Generally speaking, almost all of the boba places that I’ve been to were prettily decorated but the life sized monkey mascot in front of this shop win hands down for the cutest Instagramable mascot there is. Plus, they’re located in a quieter part of the increasingly busy Kubota Sentral so parking is still abundant in that area. And even though their chocolate drink was not that interesting, I do find their Peanut Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea to be quite tasty (especially if you added an extra helping of Oreo with it). 
The Bad? As I've mentioned above, their actual chocolate drink was just so-so for me though. The cheese foam does overwhelm the chocolate taste a bit especially if you mix them up. This is definitely a drink more suited for someone who loves cheese more than chocolate. 








*FYI... this is their Brown Sugar Bobo Milk that I had during their soft opening (not to be confused with the Peanut Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea mentioned above)

THE YUNIQUE TEA

Where? No. 92, Block T, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun
Originated from? Taiwan
What I had? Dirty Chocolate Milk, Yunique Milk Coco
The Good? I like the fact that even though the milk tea tasted milky than anything else, their tapioca pearls were very flavourful (much like Estrella’s). They also have a selection of Cake-Of-The-Day which are worth mentioning (as I've tried their Nutella Chocolate Cake before). And I do appreciate the girl manning the counter for being very friendly and patient with my questions.  
The Bad? Located just a few steps from their immediate rival Qong, both shops are located within a more vacant part of the increasingly popular Kubota Sentral commercial area. So customers might not notice them unless they intentionally went looking for them (like we did). But hopefully things will pick up for the spot in the near future so there’s still some hope.







 *This is my partner's Signature Brown Sugar Milk (left) and my Dirty Chocolate Milk (right)
... and this one is their Yunique Milk Coco

*Updated on March 2020 - Here's PART 3 (yes, there's a part three) of my local bubble tea round-up should you guys are interested

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