Renz Hazel 2.0

It is always good to see an originally small food business evolved into a bigger one in a span of a few years. And it is even more impressive when said business had survived the 'MCO crisis' and is still open for business till this day. 

So I was glad to see that this eatery has been thriving ever since they moved from their previously small, secluded place to a more central area within the Fajar Complex (they located on the same row as Pizza Hut). Their menu items has since grown as well and their overall portioning has improved tremendously. Some of the food that me and husband had tried a few times that we were there might need some minor tuning in terms of taste (as they can be a bit salty) but nevertheless they were still pretty tasty. The other fried munchies were just your typical, average tasting bites but I do like that they did their own coleslaw, which tasted nice despite the mayonnaise overload. Definitely a good choice if you are in the mood for some locally prepared western food.

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

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Restoran Fajar Nyum Nyum

Although I admit that I was always intrigued by the 'yum yum' food concept (where one can take their pick at an assortment of fried or boiled munchies such as sausages, fish cakes, stuffed vegetables etc) I never actually try them out for myself before. I mean, I always consider myself a (reasonably) big eater so the notion of eating such 'side dishes' doesn't interest me that much. That is, until I was literally dragged to one by my husband.

The eatery that we went to is located within the Fajar Complex area, nearest to the Secret Recipe branch and one of the more popular yum yum eateries that seems to be popping up all over Tawau as of late. I pretty much rely on hubby dearest to order and after taking a bite at their very simple looking Fried Mee Hoon, I was actually impressed by the taste. It was surprisingly well seasoned but portioning was definitely going to be an issue for someone who is in hunger mode (but then again, it matches well with its cheap pricing so...). Their actual yum yum were just your typical fried finger food but they do have other non-yum yum dishes available such as the Chicken Tom Yum Soup that we had; pretty yummy too I might add.

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

 

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Halo Mango

Now here's a funny story. My best friend went to this eatery before me (granted, she's an even bigger foodie than I am) and complained afterwards that the food were way too salty & the drinks were lacking of taste. So when it was my time to go there, I got the exact opposite experience; the food that me and my husband ordered has little to no taste while the drinks were probably the most 'diabetic inducing' drinks that I ever had (thus far). 

The eatery (which is located on the 1st floor of Kubota Square commercial building, directly on top of Chiffonade) has been hyping themselves with the so-called 'viral sizzling hot plates' dishes and a variety of their namesake based drinks so obviously I need to give them a taste. We ordered their Wet Buttermilk Hot Plate as well as their Blackpepper Hot Plate respectively and even though the waitress manages to impressed us with a little show (where they pour the main ingredients into the hot plate right at your table) the overall tastes unfortunately did not. And I can't seem to remember the name of the drink that I had (all I remember that it has mango puree, oreo bits and boba in them) but it was definitely overly sweet. So all I'm saying is that it depends on your preference and palate... I guess?

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

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Wish Cafe

I admit that I was quite intrigued when I found out that there's this vegan cafe being opened because lets face it, not everyone is into the vegan lifestyle especially in a little town like Tawau (yes, unfortunately that includes moi). And although finding the place was not a non-issue for me and my husband, we were however a bit puzzled as to why they did not target a more popular area to open shop, rather than the Megah Jaya 10 area (as the area is more industrial than commercial). By the way, they're located at the far end of the area, facing the Jalan Tiku main road and not that far from the Indonesian Consulate main office.

The menu items were pretty decent (you can even check them out HERE) while the place exudes a relaxing cafe feel to them. So after going through the menu, we decided to give their Mix Vege Pasta and Hawaiian Pizza a go. Both dishes were commendable in terms of taste although the portion size might need to be improved a bit. Also, their Ice Hazelnut Chocolate and Mocha drinks were pretty tasty. 

Oh and you guys should check out the action figures collections that they displayed inside the cafe. A pretty neat collection especially if you're a fan of the Marvel Universe.

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

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