RSS

Boba Milk Tea Mania: Eateries Edition

Here it is folks, the eateries version of my Boba Mania roundup (click HERE and HERE for my previous boba list posts). Granted there are actually quite a number of eateries that has their own bubble tea line here in Tawau (cuz it is the ‘in’ thing to do right now) so I’ve selected my personal favourites out of the bunch just for you guys. More often than not, the other drinks not featured below were either too diluted or too sugarly sweet for my liking. But then again, those were purely based on my personal taste buds so it might not be the same for other people, so you should check those places out for yourselves. 

(Disclaimer: Similar to my previous boba posts, I will be listing these out based on the tastes of their chocolate drink line)

So without further ado (and in no particular order)…

ACTEASAN (formerly known as ARTEASAN)

Where? Formerly within the Pusat Komersil BDC area but has moved to No.93-0, Lot T2, Block T, Ground Floor, Kubota Sentral (updated info on 01/07/2020).
What I had? Cocoa Cheese
The Good? It was only recently that I discovered that I actually like their chocolate milk tea (as I’d avoid ordering them for some reason whenever I went to the cafe)  and the cheese taste is stronger than their chocolate (probably because of the ratio of the cheese as well, as seen in the picture below).
The Bad? Since they’re in the process of relocating to Kubota Sentral (at the time I did this post) and change their name (slightly) I’m not too sure whether their menu will remain the same. Here’s to hoping that they will continue their bubble tea drinks as they were commendable.  

** Check out my previous review of their café.



DOZO: THE INNOVATIVE NOODLE LAB

Where? TB528, Ground Floor, Jalan Hj Karim, Bandar Tawau
What I had? Chocolate Dirty
The Good? I admit that I’ve frequented this café mostly because I simply loved their Chocolate Dirty drink as they added quite a generous amount of chocolate sauce/liquid, though I usually had them sans the pearls as it tasted a bit rubbery to me.
The Bad? Their bubble tea drinks seemed to be quite popular among customers so do expect the pearls to run out frequently. Even though I’m fine by it, it might be a different story for other die hard fans of bubble teas.

** Check out my previous review of their café.


SOYA BEAR @ SUN BAKERY

Where? Formerly within the Pusat Komersil BDC but has also moved to Taman Sri Aman, Jalan Apas (updated info on 01/07/2020)
What I had? Gula Melaka Pearl Soya Milk
The Good? Although they do not offer any chocolate drinks, I do like that they had a healthier option in terms of soya bean. Also, their combination of soya bean, gula Melaka & pearls seems to be doing it for me.
The Bad? Since they’re mainly a bakery, the choices for their drinks are very limited (for now) as they only offer 4 varieties within their menu. But on the bright side, they do sell breads, pastries and other fried munchies at affordable prices (with err.... sub-par qualities).









DEAR FRIENDS

Where? TB224, Lot 1-4, Jalan Bunga, Bandar Tawau (below Shervinton Hotel)
What I had? Boba Gula Melaka Chocolate Brulee
The Good? Their drink (in my opinion) had a good balance of both chocolate and cheesy tastes. Also, their pearls were softly chewable and at just the right sizes for me.
The Bad? I do hope that they’ll promote their boba line better. When I first saw their café, I thought that they’re selling ice shaved desserts only. No pictures of said drinks were put outside of the premise so potential customers might missed them all together.  




YELLOW CUP @ TASTE TWO

Where? TB16298, Lorong Perdana Jaya 9, Jalan Chong Thien Vun
What I had? Chocolate with Grass Jelly
The Good? I like the fact that their drink is not too sweet (as even the most delicious chocolate-y sweetness can be overbearing sometimes) and that they had grass jelly as a main option for their drinks. And it doesn’t hurt that their pricing were quite affordable as well. 
The Bad? What's funny was that probably due to the lack of customers, the counter for said drinks is almost always vacant so do expect to wait a bit to get any service from them. But the staff were actually a friendly bunch & are quick to prepare your drinks after you’d managed to get their attention.

** Check out my previous review of their café.


SAGE CAFE + KITCHEN

Where? Lot F6, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun
What I had? Brown Sugar Pearl Choco Cheesy Brulee
The Good? I was surprise to find that I’d actually liked their bubble teas, as I’ve had a few not-so-good experiences while dining there. The taste of their bubble tea is similar to that of Dear FriendS & their burnt cheese tasted really nice.
The Bad? Depending on you luck, sometimes the waiting period for their drinks (as well as food) can be a bit nerve-racking. So do have lots of time and patience if you decided to try them out. 

** Check out my previous review of their café.


SECRET RECIPE

Where? TB1756, Jalan Masjid, Fajar Complex
What I had? Boba Cham
The Good? Since their chocolate line is not made available at their Tawau branch (yet), I was ‘forced’ to try out their other flavour & had picked out the latter simply because it looked closest to a choco drink to me. A tad too sweet but still pretty yummy in my humble opinion (I will update on their choco line should it become available in the future).
The Bad? It is advisable for any patrons to drop by well over 11am (at least – if you’re there mainly for their drinks) since they’ll begin their business at 10am but so will be the preparation for their tapioca pearls (as it takes around an hour to boil those babies).

** Check out my previous review of their café.


ICE WORLD

Where? TB542, Tacoln Complex Town Ext 2 (Fajar Complex)
What I had? Chocolate Milk Tea with Chocolate Pudding
The Good? Even more OG than Drink Tea, I’m including this one on the list simply because the drink ‘heavily’ reminds me of my teen years. And even though the overall taste might not be as superb as the others; I like the consistency in quality within their drinks. 
The Bad? Bear in mind though that they originated from the old school bubble tea line so do not expect to see those add on cheese or brulee technique here.

  
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Payau House

I was a bit reluctant to go to this eatery despite passing by them several times at the far end of Fajar Complex (where Kampis Cafe used to be) because I initially thought that they only sell payau dishes (deer in Sabah). As I cannot take red meat due to health reasons, I avoid going there until my partner (who has no problems with meat whatsoever) insisted upon trying them out one day. Thankfully, my assumptions were proven incorrect as they do provide other non-payau based meals within their menu. My partner obviously went for their Sup Daging Payau with Rice and he said that they were quite good but a little too salty for his liking. I opted for a safer choice which was the Fried Chicken Meehoon and it was okay at best. I was also very surprised to find something familiar when my eyes caught the sight of a small, pinkish freezer in the corner of said eatery. I sneaked a peek and discovered that it was indeed KK based Kak Kiah Cake House baked products. Man… They sure have come a long way (literally) from just opening a simple bakery huh? Since the choices for their ‘frozen cakes’ were quite limited (as most of them seems to be sold out) I finally picked out a chocolate looking cake (sorry, I have no idea what it was actually called) and it was surprisingly tasty and moist despite being in a freezer for quite sometime. Highly recommended for cakes lovers to try them out (while stock last I guess).

Oh and I would also like to add that they do have boat noodles within their menu at the affordable price of RM1.90 per bowl & the ingredients ranges from chicken to prawns and of course the payau

** Current status – Has been closed (as of April 2021) 










  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

CC Cafe

After participating in a very satisfying Mother's Day celebration dinner hosted by this eatery last year, me and my partner decided to try out their regular café just to see whether the food standard is consistent. Plus, we just wanted an excuse to be able to explore the Calvary Crown building and well… take a few selfies along the way (guilty as charge!). Located on the ground floor of said building (they’re a part of the Calvary Church administration) within Taman Setia at Jalan Chong Thien Vun, the fully air-conditioned cafe is more spacious than I initially thought it would be.

Their menu consists of mainly Western dishes but with ample Asian choices as well. We had their Aglio Olio with Grilled Chicken Slices and Bruschetta Chicken Chop as our mains and both were delicious. I also cannot possibly pass up the chance to sample their Chocolate Brownies (which tasted nice but nothing to shout about). Prices were also surprisingly affordable although still in the above average range. And I would also like to add that even though I’ve read somewhere beforehand about their slow service, I was fortunate enough not to encounter such problem during my visit. In fact, the waiter that attended to us was very polite and fast on his feet.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of Feb 2020) 










  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

llaollao

After a slew of bubble tea franchises decided to invade the Kubota Sentral Commercial Centre area in these past few months (with yet another one opening really soon), it is quite refreshing to see something other than that being open as well; say a frozen yogurt franchise perhaps. This popular Spanish born franchise is steadily dominating the froyo scene and we are quite fortunate to have one here in Tawau, right in the middle of the aforementioned commercial area (they’re on the same row as Magic Station). Since me and my partner were sharing a froyo (he’s not exactly a fan of the latter) we decided to try their Sanum variety which consist of 3 choices of fruits (we’d chosen the Mango, Strawberries & Grapes), 2 crunches (the Oreo Crumbs and Crunchballs) and 1 sauce (the Black Chocolate sauce). I would say that the overall taste mostly depends on your choices of fruits since we discovered that we’d made the wrong choices when we’d accidentally pick out all super sour fruits as our mains. So you can probably imagine my face as I take that first bite of an already sour froyo. Simply ‘marvellous’! Also, I’m not too fond of the sauce that we’d picked as well since it was one of those sauces that harden afterwards. Not a good first impression I’m afraid but I’ll probably try different choices of ingredients in the future to see whether I truly like them or not.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of Feb 2020)









*Updated on 20 July 2020 - I have recently came back and decided to take up their normal, large size froyo (with non fruity choices as toppings this time) and it tasted much better and 'bearable' than before
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Sthamin Cafe & Katering

If you’re a local then it’s almost impossible for you not to know (or at least heard about) the Sthamin brand. Named after a Malay businessman with a slew of electrical stores before opening a more successful line of eateries (that includes the McDonalds); the aforementioned cafés also boast a very impressively wide menu. Ranging from various local cuisine to delectable snacks and desserts, the restaurants are go-to places especially for Muslim patrons. They have 2 major restaurants thus far (one is located at Sabindo Square while the other right in front of Hotel Emas in the downtown area) so it was unavoidable for us not to try out both premises.

We’ve tried a bunch of their food (as seen below) and almost all were deliciously tastes. The most memorable one is their Ikan Bakar as it comes with a generous amount of sambal and at a very reasonable pricing to boot. Their dim sum and streamed buns (pau) were also pretty good and conveniently available throughout the day. I was also quite surprise to find the Buginese’s buras being sold there as well, as the latter is usually spotted during festive seasons only. But I do like to add that even though both places had swift front staff attending to your needs, their kitchen staff were the exact opposite especially if you come during peak hours so do be warn (as I had to wait for more than 40 minutes for my food not once but twice).

** Current status – Still in operation (as of Feb 2020) 

*FYI below are the pictures from their Sabindo Square branch...







 ... and also from their downtown area branch (right in front of Hotel Emas)












  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS