Kenny Rogers Roasters Tawau

Okay so here's the thing; my husband shouldn't have attempted it but he still insisted that we went to a newly opened (and the first) Kenny Rogers Roasters outlet in Tawau (specifically within the still in construction Garden City commercial building, right beside Bataras) just last week, knowing full well that Tawaurians be flocking to the place like ants to sugar. So it was no surprise that we had to wait for almost 30 minutes outside of the eatery for a table. It doesn't help either that the place was probably the smallest KRR outlet that I've been to (thus far), with very limited tables available.

And as you can expect from such crowds, the food choices has also been somewhat reduced due to stock availability. Hence me and my husband just ordered whatever that was available (which were the Satay Ayam Meal for him and the Raya special Ayam Masak Merah Meal for myself). Thankfully despite the hectic crowd, they still managed to retain their primary KRR taste as the food's general tastes doesn't differ much from other KRR branches that I've been to. Another thing that (will probably) draw more attention to the place was the really cute 'robot server' (since it is the first of its kind here in Tawau) diligently moving here and there serving food to customers. One customer was so engrossed in taking selfies with the thing that it finally got 'fed up' and return to the kitchen with the customer's food in tow 😂😂

** Current status - Still in operation (as of May 2022)

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W&Z Cafe 3

I lived in close proximity to the Ria Heights housing area and am glad to see 2 new eateries emerging from said place. In particular, my parents were especially happy with this 'turn of events' since it meant that they will be able to dine out as much as want without driving long distance.

One of the aforementioned eateries within the single row of shops is a branch of Taman Semarak's locally popular W&Z Cafe (appropriately named W&Z Cafe 3). Menu wise the food are similar to the ones in their main branch but the taste might be a hit or miss. Sometimes their dishes were pretty good but other times it can be a bit off. So it depends on your luck I guess? But despite that, the place is still pretty popular amongst nearby residents especially during the evenings so do expect a slower service during such times. Also, it's good to note that they do rent out their 1st floor for private functions and cater for small parties.

** Current status - Has been closed (as of April 2024) 

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ZEA Cafe

I remember visiting this (then) newly opened eatery sometime end of last year (hence the non-updated pics below - sorry about that) and they were barely a month old back then. So I'm not too sure of their current status since they didn't seem to have any new updates past the recent fasting month (via their official FB page). And just in case you guys are wondering, they're located within the Sabindo main town area, on the same row as the popular Leton shop. 

But nevertheless I think it is a shame if they decided to close shop now since the food that we had then we pretty delicious. Again, I'm not too sure whether they still offer the lunchtime buffet, but me and my husband personally like it a lot. Not many food outlets nowadays (especially in Tawau) offer such concept anymore post MCO, and even though the variety of food might not be as big (probably to avoid food wastage) the dishes that were available were still pretty satisfying and scrumptious. They also have a pretty interesting Western fusion made-to-order menu list so hopefully they will still be open for us to sample some of those menu items in the future.

**Current status - Has been closed (as of August 2022)

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Reinbo Sushi

It's always a delight to see new Japanese eateries (and non franchise) popping up around Tawau, especially within the Fajar Complex area. One such places is this non-Chinese owned little shop (because lets faced it - almost all of such shops were owned by Chinese business savvy people) on the same row as the Bank Islam branch and Watson store.

I have walk past the shop many times and I do noticed that the place seems to be lacking customers. Turns out, most of their customers came from food delivery services which I'd noticed (by the amount of Foodpanda & Morefun riders coming and going) as I made my solo visit. I've ordered their Chicken Teriyaki set and some Gyoza. It took awhile but the food that finally came were not bad at all. The gyoza were a bit oily but still acceptably eatable and tasty. Wouldn't mind trying out their other menu items later.

** Current status - Has been closed (as of July 2023)

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Haji Zakarian Rahmat stall

And while I still have a bit of a time (and diligence left to finish this) here's an extra review on a gerai that I've been to way before fasting month even began. Tucked within the Kampung Jawa area (and not far from Taman Tulip) only people in the know will know (see what I did there?) that there's actually a small stall that mainly sells local soupy dishes that is surrounded by kampung houses. My husband was the one that had accidentally discovered the place and so when we both tried their food, we can see why people kept coming back to the stall. The food were your typical soupy dishes (the one that I had was their Sup Ayam while hubby dearest tried their Sup Tulang) and both were delicious (albeit a tiny bit salty). They also have Nasi Lalap and Nasi Ikan Baulu but that's about it. So if you aren't into those kind of dishes than I recommend you guys to go somewhere else. And no, they don't exactly have any official name for the stall, just a simple (and rather small and hidden) signage that says Haji Zakarian Rahmat at their front gates (most probably the resident's name I guess?).

**Current status - Still in operation (as of May 2022)

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Cowie Bay Restaurant

Yeah I know, my laziness has gotten the best of me yet again the whole last month so here I am trying my best to make up for it (again).

So once upon a time, when me and my family still lived within the Taman Tawau Lama housing area, deep within Mile 2 1/2 Jalan Apas, there was a restaurant-by-the-sea that was pretty popular amongst locals, not far from where we stayed (they're located right by the Taman Rich Park signage to be exact). Unfortunately due to numerous problems, it had to be closed down and has stayed closed for quite a few years before it was finally revived last year. Now that we have long moved from the said area and was feeling rather 'nostalgic', me and my parents decided to give them a try sometime before the fasting month started.

We did noticed improvements in their Chinese style cooking dishes, as the food that we had ordered were pretty yummy and in large portions. The sea breeze and view were also the main attractions for locals to gather and have a party of sorts within their premises. But what disappointed us a bit was that the place looks exactly like it was before it closed down; meaning no new renovations has been made to improve the somewhat rundown and gloomy looking restaurant. And service can be very slow especially during the weekends and holidays so do make sure that you are not in the rush if you guys decided to give them a go.

**Current status - Still in operation (as of May 2022)

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