Hello Stranger Cafe (KK FoodieVenture #161)

There was no specific reason why I choose to dine in this particular eatery during my most recent KK trip. I remembered just walking along the quiet The Walk Riverson area and their name got my attention ("why Hello to you to stranger😅") as I've entered the mall (they're located on the ground floor, not that far off from the main entrance & also accessible from the open-aired area within said mall). It was almost noon and since I woke up late that day, I was open to having a somewhat heavier brunch. Plus, my partner was not around yet at that time so I was hoping to find a cosy, quiet place to eat so the eatery most definitely fit the relaxing vibe that I was going for.

I've gone through their menu and was already expecting a mostly fusion dishes list (which they did) so I've chosen their Thai Tomyam Fried Rice as my meal. It came out very simple and with a scrumptious taste but nothing too special I'm afraid. And my initial request for Chamomile Tea had to be shot down due to the drink being out of stock (I think I was there a day after the New Year's so it was understandable) so I had their Earl Grey tea instead, which was nice to have in a mellow environment such as their's (I'm just loving the bookshelf decor by the way).

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Indo-Taste (KK FoodieVenture #160)

On several occasions (usually during 'strategic' timings of the day - if you know what I mean 😉) I would think back at the Indo-Taste food that I've once had before they decided to move to KK and found myself missing them. I mean, it's hard to find delicious and somewhat authentic Indonesian cuisine these days so because of that, I'd managed to locate their current eatery (which was within the T1 Bundusan commercial area in Penampang - don't worry, you'll spot them in no time since they're located on the ground floor and the area is not that big) and practically dragged my partner there for lunch, with the help of Mr. Waze.

What I do notice right off the bat when I entered their KK establishment was the pretty decor. It was nice to see that they're willing to fork out some dough for the decor due to stiffer competition in KK (because their previous Tawau restaurants were fairly simple looking). Plus, their food tasted exactly like I've remembered them, which was great. I've ordered their Nasi Racik Sate Ayam while my partner had their Nasi Ikan Bolu Bakar Bumbu Rica and both were delicious, although my partner said that his fish's sambal was spicier than he'd previously anticipated . What was more surprising was that their staff actually remembered me! Apparently the owner had uprooted not just the eatery to KK but their main staff as well so it was no surprise to see such familiar, friendly faces there. And honestly I'm touched that they do remember their former customers.

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My Native Sabah (KK FoodieVenture #159)

From the East Asian palate, we now move on to some local flavours. And by that I mean a real local flavour experience. I had a couple of Kadazan-Dusun friends who'd recommended me several eateries that provided authentic Kadazan dishes and only this time around that I was able to go to one. It was when my partner had arrived from Tawau a day before and we decided to be adventurous and try out this eatery, located at the ever lively Plaza 333 commercial area in Penampang. Although I was well aware that the place was on the 1st floor, me and my partner still took at least 15 minutes driving around the area and being hilariously confused as to where it was. As it turns out, we'd missed a lane and yes, that lane also happens to be where they are (if you're just coming into the area from the main road entrance, they are on the right side; on the second row from the front) 

We pretty much went into the place blind so we chose dishes that looks good on the menu and had gone for the Linopot Miagal Di Gulu Ikan Masin set and the Sambal Fried Ikan Tenggiri dishes respectively. My partner is someone who doesn't easily adapt to a new palate so he'd played it safe and chose what he thought was familiar to him (which was the latter). He does like the fish but as predicted, he found the Red Bario rice and condiments to be weird tasting. Me on the other hand is his exact opposite when it comes to food and ended up loving the food that I had. It's been a long time since I've had a salted fish and the dish just brings out the 'hunger' in you. Heck, I was so into my food that I even cleared out the condiments that my partner had left out. Although I do admit that the Tuhau, Bambangan and Hinava took some time getting use to (with the tastes) but I ended up liking them and it does compliment the main dish really well. Overall, a positive first time experience for me so I'm happy.

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Seoul Food Express (KK FoodieVenture #158)

So since we're still within the East Asian region themed here, here's a Korean eatery that I've been to while I was walking around by myself in the Centre Point shopping mall. It was lunchtime and I was reminiscing about how I used to frequent the basement floor food court of the aforementioned mall when I spotted this new Korean stall. Well, at least it was new to me since it wasn't there when I went to KK the last time (not that I've noticed at least). 

I was very impressed with their somewhat extensive Korean food choices and affordable pricing. As my stomach wasn't ready for something heavy just yet (because I was snacking throughout the morning - a bad habit, I know) I decided to try their Vegetable Gimbap and Kimchi Pancake. The latter had been on my wish list ever since I'm into all things Kpop lately (ahem) and I'm happy to say that I absolutely loved the said dish. It might be a tad oily but the taste was just nice. The gimbap however was just so-so and I do need to highlight that portioning for both food were also 'just nice' for a non-famished person. Well, you get what you paid I guess.

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Ichizo Ramen (KK FoodieVenture #157)

Since my first taste of some real ramen turns out to be quite positive, I've decided to give another ramen specialty store a go. This time around it was the Ichizo Ramen on the 1st floor of Suria Sabah (right by the entrance to the Food Hall) and personally, I had an even better experience here than before. 

For one, the staff were much more welcoming & patient than previously mentioned eatery so that was definitely a plus. And not only did they had more choices when it comes to said dish, the ramen of my choice (which was the Chicken Ramen) was also superbly taste. The ramen there is definitely more flavourful and might suit the local palate better than its competitor. I was also eager to try out their Chicken Gyoza for the first time (it was supposed to be my second time had the previous place did not look down on me) and even though it came out slightly peculiar looking to me (later on I found out that it was because of the dried frying oil, for which I eventually came to love) it was definitely delicious. It was tasty and juicy without being too greasy which was just fantastic. Oh and I forgot to mentioned; since the last time that I've ordered a ramen came out without nori (seaweed sheets), this is around I made sure that I've ordered some as my add on. It turns out that it wasn't actually necessary as this dish actually included nori within their bowl of ramen. Oh well.. More for me then (and I'm not complaining)..

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Aori Ramen (KK FoodieVenture #156)

So let me begin my mini KK adventure this time around (since I was literally going solo for a few days before my partner can finally join me) with this ramen specialty store. Guys... I'm somewhat bashful to admit that I have been swept by the Hallyu wave as of late (and yes, I'm embarrassingly eating my previous 'kpop is not my thing' own words now). I blame it all on the long and boring days at home during the previous CMCO and my younger sister (a longtime self-proclaimed k-popper) that I suddenly became a 'noona' kpop fan. Hence when I heard that Aori Ramen (the ramen chained store formerly owned by disgraced Bigbang's Seungri) had opened a branch in KK (specifically on the 1st floor of Jesselton Mall) my kpop heart was beyond curious.

Since I can't exactly take red meat (due to health reasons) the only choice for me in terms of ramen was their Miso Ramen. They do have other non-ramen dishes but come on now... it is a ramen shop first and foremost right? And as it was also my very first real ramen experience (no joke) I do not know what to expect or how the order works. I did looked through several online pictures that had nori (seaweed sheets) sticking out of the bowl but mine was sans that. It appears that I need to request for them (a first timer's mistake no doubt). Also, I did read some online reviews starting that their ramen broth lacked any flavours. Although I do agree that the soup might be bland for the local tongue, I personally liked mine and I think it was still  (mildly) flavourful. The ramen was also springy and had a nice taste to them. 

Oh but I do have something else to share while dining there. Now since I did watched some Aori Ramen Youtube videos beforehand (from other branches), I was well aware of their solo booth seating area coming into the eatery. And because I was alone at that time, I thought that it would be best if I tried sitting there & experience it myself. Needless to say, the waitress that attended to me gave me an odd look and actually tried to get me to sit at their usual table and chair area, for which I politely declined. Is it that weird for a customer of one to sit at a single seating area? Other than that, the same waitress was rushing for my order (when there are barely people there at that time) & probably thought that I couldn't afford much (FYI... my bowl of ramen alone was around RM30 if I'm not mistaken) since she really didn't expect me to ordered anything beyond the ramen as I was looking through their side dishes menu. Seeing that made me loose interest in ordering anything else (and probably had unintentionally proven her assumptions to be correct). I pretty much just let it go as I didn't want it to ruined my mood.  Aren't the order sheet was supposed to be fill up by the customers or did I get the concept wrong? But anyway, I was mainly there for the experience so I'm still glad that I did it and had tasted their ramen (and I'm not the only one since I did noticed one or two customers were also taking various pictures of said place - possibly due to being first time patrons as well). 

 

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Outward Vacay: Kota Kinabalu Marriott Hotel

Yes... I'm a little embarrassed to say that I was one of those people that practically packed my bags the moment they announced that they allowed crossed district traveling during CMCO. It was the end of the year and despite the ongoing Covid problem, I still feel like I needed some 'me' time. And since my partner can only join me a few days into my trip, I literally got my wish (wink wink)

I was actually in KK for a little over a week and the latter part of it I spent at this internationally renowned hotel (before that I stayed at my personal fave the Hotel 7 Suria). I was obviously curious about this hotel chain but it was mostly because of their very enticing promotional price that got me really hooked. I was pretty excited during check in but was taken aback when the reception area (and by that I mean a really huge, gorgeous area) was empty when I first arrived. Like seriously, no one was manning the counter (nor were there anyone else within the lobby - exactly like out of a mystery movie). My partner had just arrived from Tawau as well at that time so both of us were left confused but a few moments later the sole receptionist popped out of the back and everything went smoothly after that. It seems that the hotel might be cutting back on their staff and it's understandable since the CMCO (and the current reimplemented MCO) pretty much wrecked every business there is. 

Since there aren't that many people staying at the hotel at said time, almost everyone that did were checked into the Lobby B floors (they actually had 2 blocks of guestrooms or 'lobbies', on the opposite sides of each other). The good news was that it was on the same block as their swimming pool, a rooftop restaurant, gym, sauna and their 4th floor parking (more on that later). The (slightly) bad news however was that it can be a bit noisy since everyone was lumped into the same area (like we did as our neighbour had very 'active' children so..). In general, we were quite pleased with the room that we'd gotten as it was spacious, modernly designed and has a good view of the city. They also had one of those open concept bathroom slash vanity area which my partner was impressed with (and don't worry, you can just pull the movable walls for some privacy). I like their big shower area but do take note though that they had that built in bidet within the toilet bowl type of bathroom so no separate bidet spray for washing I'm afraid. Another thing, they do have a very good and hassle free wifi connection but their tv channels mostly focused on sports so sports fans might be happy with this news.

Initially, the hotel is located within a very strategic place at the Oceanus Mall (they occupied the left side of the mall) and within a walking distance to places such as Warisan Square, Centre Point Mall as well as the Waterfront. But the Oceanus Mall itself is pretty dead now, even more so during the current situation. So I think because of that as well, their free parking area within the mall was err.. like something out of a horror movie scene (yup, it's a mystery/horror movie that we were in). The parking area was supposed to be at the far end of the 4th floor but it was actually the 6th floor (since you'll see the 1A & 3A floors right after the actual 1st & 3rd floors - I know, we were 'dizzy' as well). But most importantly, it was darkly lit and with only 1 small lift going down to their lobby (and with a 'park at your own risk' signage which means no security). Despite that, we did parked there a few times until almost to the last day of our stay, where we discovered that you could actually parked your vehicles in front of the main entrance of the hotel instead (sigh)... And we'd actually asked their valet beforehand about the parking location and he did not mention anything about it right then (insert annoyed plus face-palm emoji here).. 

But anyways... 

Type - Deluxe Room (King) 

Room - 4/5 (spacious & modern - we just loved their comfy sofa but not their soft bed & pillows though since both of us prefer the harder versions) 

Price - 5/5 (I got a pretty good deal booking from Agoda so I'm happy with that) 

Service - 5/5 (despite the little reception area episode, their staff were actually very polite and friendly) 

Decor - 5/5 (I really like their main lobby area though, especially the pretty ceiling lights)

Facilities - 4/5 (they had well maintained facilities throughout the hotel except for the attached parking area - which I think they can improve on just by making the place brighter) 

Location - 5/5 (still a very strategic place if you asked me - I mean, they ARE located by the popular KK city's waterfront)

*And here'a a collection of pictures of their (in this exact order) hotel area, main lobby, our room & swimming (and sorry folks, no pictures of the aforementioned parking area since we did not want to hang out for longer than we should there)...

Our room & its view... 

And the 8th floor swimming pool with its views (sorry for the somewhat gloomy pictures though as we went there just after the rain stops)...

 

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