Umami Garden

Me and hubby dearest frequented this place (located at Jalan Sungai Tanjong, right in front of a badminton & futsal court) but it only occurred to me just recently that I have not reviewed them yet. Yup, sometimes you can be that absent-minded.. And it was a shame as well since there were some pretty good stalls that had already closed down. 

Going back a few years ago, the eatery was originally a steamboat restaurant before it converted into a regular Chinese restaurant and now a food court with a regular  restaurant and several outsourced stalls. And it does help that they'd also fully renovated the place into the modern, lovely hangout place that it is now. Most recently there's an authentic Indonesian food stall that had opened which we had tried out and was delicious. But we'd also previously tried a bunch of other food such as fried rice, satays, grilled chickens, grilled beef skewers, ramens and so on. And if none of the stalls piqued your interest then you can also order regular restaurant food via the sole drinking station (since the owner of the eatery also owns both the drinks and main restaurant). A great hangout place for large groups of people too since the restaurant is huge. 

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

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Thai Spoon Kitchen & Cafe

Another one for the road eh? Well to be honest, I'm always intrigued by Thai cuisine (even though my stomach begs to differ as of late) so when I heard about this new place opening at the far end of Kuhara Industrial area, Jalan Air Panas, we decided to give them a visit. We were there for an early lunch so we'd ordered their Nasi Goreng Kari Thai Ayam, Ketam Tumis Lada Hitam and Sundae Nutella Ferrero Toast and all were pretty good. It would have been better if the crab was fresh but the dishes were still acceptable but not that outstanding. And I would advice you guys to avoid ordering the Ais Asam Ais as it tasted weird and visually err.. 'disturbing' to say the least.

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

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Hj Ismail Mee Tauhu

It has been awhile since I last had my fill of mee tauhu. The last time I had the staple Tawau breakfast was sometime last year (no joke) so me and husband dearest decided that it was finally time that we satisfied our cravings. Located right in front of Tawau's Fire & Rescue Station at Jalan Kelapa (the last row of shops near to Hotel Emas), we arrived in the afternoon (it was during the weekend so we both had woken up late) so the place was almost empty. But thankfully they were still open and their Mee Tauhu Extra was also still available at said time. We had a set each and although the portion was huge, it was so oily that I had my doubts of even eating it. But I was famished so I eventually gave it a go and it was alright in terms of taste. Not too sure why my sister in law was raving about it but it was still an  acceptable overall. 

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

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RHA Sweetcake

Me and my hubby were waiting for our car to be washed nearby (on the last row of shops, at the backside of Fajar Complex) when the heat brought us to this mainly dessert shop nearby. I'm familiar with this shop (when we went to the Super Digital Zone phone accessories shop right in front of it) but never actually had a chance to try them out until recently. A selection of sliced cakes & pastries were available for immediate consumption so we ordered their Chocolate Fudge Cake, Chocolate Nutella Cupcake and Kuih Bakar Burnt Cheesecake. The others were okay but the more outstanding one has got to be the latter. I just loved a kuih bakar pandan version of a cheesecake plus the slight burnt crust at the sides and bottom of the cake. Simply yummy 😋 You can also ordered full rounded cakes at above average prices (ala Secret Recipe) as well as an obviously KFC inspired meal (you know, the fried chickens + butter rice + coleslaw combo) should you prefer something heavier to eat. There are also snacks such as burgers, fries and waffles available for your choosing. 

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

 

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