Healthy Dessert

I'm just baffled that this quiet cafe has been around for awhile now and yet is not as viral as other similar places in Tawau; which was odd since they have a comfortable & cozy vibe going on at their cafe at the Kubota Square commercial area (on the same row as Oldtown White Coffee cafe and the Chiffonade restaurant), something that Tawaurians seemed to love nowadays. Plus I do appreciate the fact that their variety of perfectly displayed cakes, cookies and sweets were pretty extensive everytime I went into said eatery (and from what I can see, mostly were even made in-house). I've 'tapau-ed' their Chocolate Brownies and Magnum Choc Mousse Cake and both were neither too sweet nor dense and the portioning were quite generous. 

But if you want to eat something heavier then fear not since they also have other all-day breakfast sets, pastas, burgers and poke bowls for you to choose from. I've tried their Lovely Breakfast and some Plain Waffles with Choco & Peanut Butter fillings and both were pretty tasty and err.. filling to be sure. Their staff were also very courteous and polite when dealing with every customers so that's definitely another plus point in my books. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of July 2023)

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Hot Panci

Me and hubby dearest were hovering around the Leeka Light Industrial estate when we spotted this eatery. Mind you, the once heavily industrial area has slowly turning more commercial these days, what with several eateries and a supermarket occupying the area. This particular eatery is located on the row of shops facing the side traffic lights (and also facing the large Swan Cake House), right next to a Sports Toto 4D branch.

We admit that what initially drew us to the place was its name. I mean, you can't exactly tell what they menu is going to be judging by it. So we decided to try them out for dinner and we discovered that they are actually a Malay food establishment, with the usual local Malay menu items. We'd ordered their Nasi Goreng Kampung and Nasi Goreng Tomato, together with some Spicy Soy Sauce Fish slices as well as Stir Fried Choy Sum. Needless to say, the dishes were good but nothing noteworthy I'm afraid. But do take note that their portioning of food are on the smaller side so when you order something in the small size, it will really be in a 'barely-enough-for-one-person' size. One the other hand, their chocolate based drinks seems to be quite popular since I've spotted a few food delivery service riders came and went with only drinks in tow. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of July 2023)

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4Fingers Crispy Chicken Tawau

Since me and my husband were within the T2 @ Apas commercial area (to try out the newly opened Starbucks) we'd also decided to go just across the street to the other side of the same area and dropped by another franchise that has been gaining momentum in Sabah. I mean, I've noticed their branches when I was in KK but never actually went into one till now. 

This fast food joint actually reminded me of a now closed eatery that has the same concept and has previously opened in Fajar Complex (or maybe they were 'inspired' by them?). Their fried chickens (and even the camping mess tin) were of similar concept but tasted slightly different. I've ordered their 6 pieces of chicken set (with soy garlic sauce) and they were much crispier and tastier in terms of tastes. I've also ordered some sides like the Fried Kimchi Mushrooms and Large Fries in seaweed and both were quite tasty. My hubby was hungrier than I was so he'd ordered their Spicy Chicc Crunch Burger with fries and Wings Rice Box and he said that the former was just okay. Oh and I also can't resist trying out their Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich and it was yummy but a tad oily. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of July 2023)

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Starbucks Coffee Tawau

Among all the franchises that has graced our 'little town' of Tawau, this one was by far the most anticipated one. I mean, there's even a fake rumor about them opening a branch here way back in 2017 but nothing came out of it until the end of last year. And arguably their presence at the main entrance to the T2 @ Apas area (directly facing the Pertama Commercial Complex aka Takada) has brought more patrons to the otherwise very quiet and brand spanking new commercial area. 

Since they'd taken root at not one but 4 shop lots (just recently found out that the front and back sides of the same shop were actually seperate lots), you can expect a huge seating area for the local customers. Me and hubby dearest only dared to stepped into the place when we were sure that the 'new-store-hype' has died down a bit. We obviously ordered our faves the Dark Mocha and Chocolate Cream Chip frappuccinos. And both of us agreed that something seemed to be 'off' about our drinks. They seemed a bit diluted tasting than the usuals but we chalked it up to the 'setahun jagung' baristas. But we did enjoyed their Chocolate Lava Muffin (yup, never missed a chance to have one) and Hazelnut Chocolate Cake (plus the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake that I've taken away - also currently in the running to be my all-time favorite). I will give them sometime before I revisit the shop again, just to see whether time can improve the quality of their drinks. After all, that's what the brand is mainly famous for right? 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of July 2023)

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