Outward Vacay: Semporna Garden Hotel

Another Semporna hotel that I would like to review before I started with my continuous KK posts (again) is this place that me and hubby dearest went to just last week. It was around Valentine's Day so both of us were feeling a bit giddy and decided to drive to Semporna and stay for the night. 

We'd noticed this green coloured hotel (and its yellowish twin just beside it) at the back of the newly finished Kapalai Township way before it had opened (they're right at the back of Petronas gas station). It was fully booked everywhere else during said time and we'd also barely managed to get a twin room at the hotel as we'd decided to be 'adventurous' and just do walk in (and trust me when I say that as an ISFJ it drove me a bit crazy). All I can say is that since it is a relatively new hotel, it would be obvious that the room will also be clean even if it is a tad small-sized. Wall sockets were also abundant and the water pressure was also among the best that I've experienced in this town. 

Now comes a few somewhat negative things that I think I need to addressed as well. For one, the receptionists blatantly favors foreign tourists rather than local ones. We were told to wait until 3.00pm for our check in (which we had no problem with even though we had to wait over an hour for said time). So when the time came, the female receptionist personally hand a couple of foreign tourists their room key right in front of us (mind you, said tourists came later than us) and literally just either ignored or totally forgot about us sitting there while continued to arranged rooms for another group of foreign tourists. Sad that things like this still happened nowadays. And it was telling that the hotel was probably in a rush to opened that they didn't even hooked up the tv channels yet (yup, not even a blurred channel was available). Plus, while the hotel has a lot of free parkings nearby, location wise it is actually a bit far from the main town area and jetty. 

Type - Deluxe Twin Room

Room - 4/5 (relatively new and clean, with acceptable view) 

Price - 4/5 (above average even with no tv channels) 

Service - 2/5 (I'm sorry but I have to be fair based on my personal experience) 

Decor - 3/5 (nothing too outstanding but is better than other smaller hotels that I've been to) 

Facilities - 4/5 (parkings were abundant and there's even a shower area for patrons should they needed them right at the back) 

Location - 4/5 (they're at a quiet area at the back of Kapalai Township & quite hidden from immediate views) 

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Foodee Hut

Another eatery that had opened around the time Pate Grill House did (and had somewhat got overshadowed by the latter) was this eatery, located at Perdana Square Commercial Centre, Batu 4 Jalan Apas (they're next to Tawau Community College). I only got to know about this place when I was actually making my way to the nearby McDonald's and saw them as I was driving by. 

The Western food eatery had a cozy setting and has plenty of parkings nearby. I wasn't that hungry during our stop over so I decided to order their Spicy Herb Fries as well as Chocolate Lava with Ice Cream and both were quite nice. My hubby on the other hand, decided to go for their Chicken Nasi Arab and he commented that it was good too. We'd also shared their Chicken Bruschetta and I must say that that was my fave among the food that we've tried out. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of Feb 2024) 

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Pate Grill House

New, chic looking restaurants & cafes has been on a rise here in Tawau, what with the blooming post MCO economy. I kid you not when I say that at one time (and that one time is barely a month or so ago) there are 4 different eateries simultaneously opened within the same week. And among them all, this is currently the front runner. 

Me not being able to pronounce their name correctly up until now does not hindered my ever enthusiastic hubby (both of us are the exact opposite when it comes to visiting a new place - I like dropping by after things have quieted down but he loves charging in during crowded opening week) to tried them out. Their fusion menu were quite impressive (but not as impressive as the large crowd actually sitting outside of the premise waiting to be seated) and we tried their Ayam Bakar Madu rice set and Pate Fish & Chips and both were commendable especially for a 'trial period' menu. We didn't try out any of their snacks due to the overwhelming crowd when we were there but food waiting time was surprising very reasonable. We will definitely be coming back to try out other items after things have settled down a bit. Oh and before I forget, they are located in the heart Fajar Complex, Jalan Haji Karim (adjoining to another new eatery that I will review later called Chicken Raizu) and near to the original Dozo Noodle Lab. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of Feb 2024) 

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Dekori Premium Cafe

My hubby kept complaining that this place is 'mahal gila' (he's way of saying very expensive) but was also the one that gave suggestions to go to sameplace whenever we felt like having something cold especially during this scorching hot weather season (there are located at the Garden City Commercial Centre, right next to Bask Bear). As much as he likes to say otherwise, this is one of the places that we think has that relaxing vibe that we liked while enjoying our food. And yes, this franchise also provides some hearty food such as spaghettis, sandwiches and waffles to go with their signature kakigori (aka Japanese bingsu). We'd recently tried out their Authentic Coco Kakigori, Ferrero Rocher Waffle and Chicken Ham Sandwiches and all were tasty and lovely. The kakigori especially were softer than bingsu in terms of texture and was not overly sweet. But do take note that their take away version of the kakigori were in a prepacked pint so the shaved ice content is lesser than if you dined in. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of Feb 2024) 

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Teratak Kak Long

Since I had quite a few colleagues that came from the Peninsular Malaysia, I was recommended to try out this place by them since it mainly sells 'pantai timur' dishes. Just like T-Lot Galeri, this eatery also opened within Taman Guan Soon at Jalan Tanjung Batu (enter through their main entryway and turn right - you'll be able to spot them right away, what with the multiple cars parked in front of the house). 

Now unlike the more popular Nasi Kerabu (the one that my hubby had when we were there), I was glad to find that they also had Nasi Dagang readily available daily and wasted no time in trying them out. You can request any mains for your dish and the ones that we had we delicious and just nice in terms of flavours, a sign that we will definitely be coming back in the future. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of Feb 2024) 

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Soto

I was planning on yet another continuous posts on my recent trip to KK but after some thought, I decided to posts out more local food places before that. I mean, this is primarily a Tawau food blog after all right? 

Right off the bat, I want to talk to you guys about this eatery that has taken over the previous Kenny Rogers spot at Garden City Commercial Centre (the new building next to Bataras Hypermarket). Usually I'm not that picky when it comes to food but I must say that the food that me and my husband had at the place were very bland and border line tasteless even. We had their Sup Tulang Rawon, Roasted Chicken Rice and Begedil Jagung and I was a bit taken aback by the food. If I had to choose the better one among the aforementioned than I would say the chicken rice but even their chicken was a bit hard to chew. But what they lack in terms of savoury dishes, they made up with the sweet table just outside of their premise. I completely forgot to take pics but I did sampled a couple of said treats (mainly their mini brownies, cheese tarts and jelly cakes) and they were nice - rich and sweet. 

** Current status - Still in operation (as of Feb 2024) 

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