Goreng Kuih Lobak (KK FoodieVenture #178)

Let me just start off by saying that I've been dying to try out this particular stall for ages. I mean, if you frequented the single stretch of hawker stalls just below the Segama Street pedestrian bridge, then you know that this uncle is legendary. He's been churning out this single dish for years and I've been told that it was delicious. So finally I've made it there one day to sample the much talked about Fried Radish Cake (a Chinese comfort dish) and I must say that I'm not disappointed at all. It definitely lived up to my expectations as it tasted savoury and appetizing. Will definitely be back for more next time.

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Happy Macaron Day (KK FoodieVenture #177)

So err.. Happy Macaron Day? Yeah I know, that's a lame attempt at an intro but still I just couldn't resist. I mean, how often do you find a place that pretty much declares everyday as a dessert/pastry day huh? And personally, that was what made me step foot inside the cutesy looking sweet shop in the first place anyway. Well, that and I was actually waiting for my laundry nearby (at Lintas Plaza, there're just around the corner at the far end row of the commercial area) and by chance saw them as I was walking nearby.

I admit that I didn't have much experience with macarons so I was just pointing at everything that looks and sounds good to me (namely the Green Tea, Strawberry, Pink Shell, Injeolmi, Chocolate and Oreo variety). I don't know whether it was normal for macarons to have such a thick filling but I kinda like it. My personal faves were the latter two but eating all of them at once might caused you to have a sugary overload so best to avoid such things. My husband was not interested in the macarons at all and instead tried out their Chocolate Muffin which he said was pretty nice. Also the shop was kind enough to give us some free cookies for our purchase. Much appreciated to them as the cookies were lovely as well.

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Container Kebab Suria Sabah (KK FoodieVenture #176)

It still amazes me just how fast the food scene in Kota Kinabalu comes and goes these days. I'd barely posted a review out and it was quickly closed and replaced by some other eatery; which goes to show just how hard businesses are trying to stay afloat during these Covid19 times. One such place is this somewhat new kebab shop located on the lower ground floor of Suria Sabah shopping mall. I can't remember which shop had  occupied its space previously but the bright yellow decor really stand out for me (yup, I'm exactly like a fly attracted to bright lights err.. or in this case food). A majority of its menu obviously centers around the Middle Eastern snack so I wasted no time in trying out their Wholemeal Jumbo Kebab. Not a fan of kebab before as they tend to be messy but this one is to my liking. A tad salty but still pretty yummy.

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The Glass Cafe & Food Court (KK FoodieVenture #175)

So one thing that baffles me during my previous trip to Suria Sabah shopping mall was my inability to find their main food court. I mean, I pride myself for never getting lost (thus far) so it was during my third time circling the 3rd floor of said mall that I finally realised that the food court has quite literally gone 'missing'. They might be closing temporarily for renovations (I hoped) so for lunch that day, me and my husband decided to give another supposed 'food court' within the mall a go.

Well, it wasn't exactly a food court per se. We were recommended by the Hotel 7 Suria staff to try out the food court (apparently it was opened by the same management as the hotel) so we went to the 7th floor (err, it's the small floor right above the SSF furniture store and just below the cinema - formerly a grill & bar of sorts by the same name). I would personally classify them as a restaurant with a variety of pre-cooked food and an assortment of baked goods on sale. We were enticed by what we saw and decided to try out their selection of food and it was pretty good. Scrumptious food with very nice tastes to them. What's more, the place has a huge open balcony for patrons to freely take selfies from, with a good view of the surrounding KK area.

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Grill Patio ITCC (KK FoodieVenture #174)

Man.. I just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to my workload. But here I am trying my best to give another (somewhat) short review on my previous KK food outing.

I've probably mentioned this several times on my previous posts that my husband is a big fan of grilled burgers. So it was just as well that he insisted that we dropped by this eatery when we were in ITCC Penampang shopping mall (they're on the ground floor, at the far end of said floor). They do have a few other branches elsewhere but since we were already within the area, we just decided to try out this outlet instead. Foodwise was okay I guess since we came in with high expectations (due to local social media hype). My Grilled Chicken Cheezy Burger was delicious but nothing extraordinary about it. Same goes for my husband's Beef counterpart as he thought that while it was good, he'd tasted better offerings elsewhere. Service was also pretty smooth despite a large crowd although waiters and waitresses could do with some smiles once in a while (and not be looking like it was a pain serving customers).

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Rosea Cafe (KK FoodieVenture #173)

While we're at it, I might as well add another short KK post that's related to the previous one. In our 'honeymoon spirit' we decided to include the breakfast package together with our room during our stay at Grandis Hotels & Resorts. Their main restaurant is called the Rosea Cafe and is located on the 1st floor, together with what looks like a lounge area that was temporarily closed. The all day cafe originally had a good view of the seaside but unfortunately it is somewhat spoilt by some construction work below. But they made up for it with a pretty satisfying breakfast buffet. Variety for each food may not vary that much (probably due to the MCO and all) but they still have enough selections to go about. Definitely worth adding extra money for their breakfast menu, especially during these current neverending Covid times.

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Outward Vacay: Grandis Hotels & Resorts

Sorry for the month long absence due to overwhelming work and guess what else? I finally got hitched to my partner (aka mr husband now). Yay for me! 😅 So I was back to back busy and didn't have time to do anything else for a whole month afterwards, until now.. 

I'm just going to give you guys some short (well, somewhat short) reviews on the places that I've been to during my honeymoon trip to where else but Kota Kinabalu (trust me, I've suggested to him for us to go somewhere else but my husband was adamant on completing his annual end of the year KK trip instead).

I have always eyed the Grandis Hotels & Resort whenever we were at Suria Sabah shopping mall (since they're literally attached to them - near to their Jesselton Mall & Residence facing entrance) and since they had a very good promo price during our stay, we decided to give them a try. Their staff were all pretty accommodating and polite throughout so no issues there. Their room was also pretty spacious, as described by numerous patrons before us. Apparently they do have a small door that led directly to the aforementioned mall on the 1st floor (on the same floor as their cafe but more on that later) but due to Mr. Covid, it was temporarily closed. Oh and their rooftop swimming pool was also worth mentioning, even though it might be on the small and (according to my husband) shallow side of things. Overall I'm quite happy with our stay except for one thing. They do provide a RM10 per entry parking lot for in house guests but it was very limited. It would be a good idea for them to implement a free parking system within the mall like Hotel 7 Suria did since the nearby area only has public parkings (where you need to pay your own DBKK tickets or else be summoned) and that were also few and far between.

Type - Deluxe Sea View Room

Room - 4/5 (very spacious although somewhat dimmed lighted) 

Price - 4/5 (price has gone up right after the school holidays but we were lucky to get a good price during our stay) 

Service - 4/5 (again no problems here) 

Decor - 4/5 (I like their modern decor but was hoping that the lighting would be a bit brighter) 

Facilities - 4/5 (they might not be as big as other stand alone hotels but they do have bars, gym and conference rooms) 

Location - 5/5 (I loved the fact that they're attached to Suria Sabah and just steps away from Jesselton Mall)

*And here are some pics of their rooftop swimming pool, the bar & views...

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