Godiva Imago (KK FoodieVenture #172)

After our previous short post inter-district travel ban trip to Semporna, my partner and I did go to KK a few days later, flying to and fro on the same day due to an urgent matter. Although we were happy to be able to go to KK again after what seems to be ‘ages’ ago, we were left with this ‘unsatisfied’ feeling since we were there for a very short time.

We literally arrive in the morning and went back on the last flight out (which was quite early, at around 3pm or so from kk – it seems that they currently do not have any flights flying at night) so by the time we were finished with our errands, we’d only managed to squeeze in some time to ‘jalan-jalan’ around Imago shopping mall only. And since we were there, I have been dying to try out this posh looking place for a long time, especially their soft serves. There were cones but we decided to order their cup version of Dark Chocolate soft serve (worth RM30 for a small serving mind you) as we decided to share one. You can definitely taste the rich Belgian chocolate and its decadent err… condiments (?) so I’m satisfied with it.

Oh, and I would like to give a shoutout to the sole staff manning the booth for his professionalism. Even though me and my partner did not look like one of those big spenders (and more like window-shopping patrons when I come to think of it) he still treated us nicely and answer all of my inquiries politely. And I think it was also because of that that I ended up bringing a box of 16 Carres chocolates home. Yup, I’m a pushover when it comes to good customer service even though my partner was giving me the side eyes as I made my purchase.

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Summer Breeze Cafe (Semporna FoodieVenture #10)

It was quite unfortunate that when me and my partner made our way to Semporna for some weekend getaway, everyone else in Tawau seems to follow suit. Well, that is what it looks like to me anyway, what with the large crowd in Semporna and all. So, for lunch we decided to avoid these overcrowded places and ate elsewhere that were err... less crowded. 

I have asked Mr. Google for some ideas on the supposed eateries so after going through the listing, we decided to give this café a try. They’re located on the narrow streets of Bandar Utama at Jalan Bubul, right beside the Summer Holiday Hotel (and yes, I do think that they’re related, what with the similar name and all). Parking was abundant during the weekend but what was unfortunate (again) for us was that the area had a total blackout at said time. And since my partner was too famished to go anywhere else, we decided to just rough it up and have our lunch there (so I apologized beforehand for the somewhat dimmed pictures below). They did have quite an extensive Western and fusion menu but the availability varies from time to time. Like when we were there, some of the things that were available were their Panko Shrimps with Fried Rice and Nasi Ayam Goreng Sambal Belacan. Both dishes were commendable but not that outstanding. Nevertheless, customers seems to be flocking to the café (yes, even sans electricity) so they must be doing something right, right?

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Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart Seafest Square (Semporna FoodieVenture #9)

Not gonna lie though, the main reason why I went to Semporna recently was for these babies. I have tried getting my hands on them before but because they were made available only once a week (on Sundays to be precise), I was left disappointed. But thankfully after the whole no-inter-district-travel phase was over; the tarts are now available for purchase daily (and that's a yay for me!). If you guys are wondering where they are, they are located within the Secret Recipe outlet at Seafest Square mall.

The only tarts that were available when we were there were the Durian and Chocolate flavored tarts. And since I’m not too fond of durian (I know... my lost), I’d opted instead for the latter. Needless to say, it was just like how I’ve remembered them to be like. I have tried out their KK branches before and the rich and creamy filling is still what gets me every time. Plus, I just love the gooey center oozing out from the first bite. Definitely worth driving one and a half hours just to get my fix of said tarts (and half-listening to my partner’s nagging along the way).

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Outward Vacay: Green World Hotel

So apparently, I was also caught up with the whole ‘travel frenzy’ when the government decided to allow inter-district travel recently and at that time thought that it would be a good idea to start small and went to Semporna over the weekend. Needless to say, me and my partner somewhat regretted it since the place was so congested with people and vehicles that it took us 30 minutes just to find a parking space in the main town area (more on that in my next post).

But since we’d already booked this hotel for the night, we decided to just enjoy a more relaxing evening indoors (plus some Foodpanda deliveries for dinner mind you). I’ve always noticed this particular hotel as we made our way to town. And despite looking rather large at first glance, the insides of the hotel have limited spaces than previously imagined. The lobby area was rather small, as it shared the same space as a dining area (but I’ve been told that they do have a rooftop café as well that was closed during our stay). The room that we were assigned to was pretty comfy and spacious enough, with a ceiling fan which was nice to see (as we rarely see those in new hotels nowadays). I have no problems with their bathroom & showers as they were working well. But they do have very limited, fuzzy tv channels and the view that we got from our window was that of a construction area right beside the hotel.

Type - Standard King

Room – 4/5 (comfortable enough for a short stay)

Price – 4/5 (I do notice a slight hike of price after the reopening of the local tourism sector)

Service – 4/5 (so-so at best – the receptionists were not a friendly bunch I supposed)

Décor – 4/5 (pleasing to the eyes – what with the mostly white interior and green vines on the outsides)

Facilities – 4/5 (really wish we could take a look at their rooftop café though)

Location – 5/5 (just by the roadside along the way to Pekan Semporna, right in front of McDonalds and a popular ‘ikan bakar’ stall)

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