Shuyi Grass Jelly Imago (KK FoodieVenture #230)

Let me be honest here and say that the only reason why I stopped by to try out this relatively new opening on the lower ground floor of Imago Shopping Mall (formerly the place of Hailam Kopitiam) is because of the crowd. I've noticed that people seems to be flocking towards the tea-based beverages shop whenever we were passing by so I figured why not see what the hype is about myself. So we were there during a special buy-one-free-one promotional period and we chose their Oriental Grass Jelly Herbal Tea (since I'm all about pure tea as of late) plus their Orange Crush Tea and both were pretty good and not too sweet. The drinks reminded me a lot of Chagee and I'm all for it. 

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Ikan Bakar Sabah (KK FoodieVenture #229)

My sister-in-law is not one to recommend something that often so when she mentioned this restaurant out of the blue, I was definitely intrigued. And both me and my husband were literally kicking ourselves for not discovering this place sooner. I mean, we ignorantly see them whenever we were passing through the road heading towards Aeropod (they're located on an empty lot next to said commercial area). 

Unless you're a big fan of grilled fish (it is after all their namesake dish), it is recommended that you visit them during lunch hour instead of at night, since they provide one of the biggest selection of pre-cooked dishes for their Nasi Campur in KK. And taste wise, the food were yummy too so it is totally worth it to check them out. I also like the fact that they have 'take-away-ready' drinks (which is so convenient) as well as desserts, coffees and other food stalls selling bakso and fried chicken within the same premise. 

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Richiamo Coffee JQ Central (KK FoodieVenture #228)

Since my husband loves the Richiamo Aeropod branch so much (it's our must stop eatery whenever we were in KK), we thought that their Jesselton Quay (JQ) Central branch might have the same magic as the aforementioned. But we discovered that it was not to be. Although this branch takes the cake when it comes to their decor & dining area distribution, their food & drinks unfortunately were not up to par. Other than most of their food items not being available, the Nasi Kari Ayam and Nasi Rendang Maman Ayam that we had lacked that tastes and spices that made their dishes delicious in the first place. Plus, the general 'we-dont-want-to-be-here' vibes that we were getting from the staff that day didn't help either. 

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Uncle Joe Burger Sinsuran (KK FoodieVenture #227)

And here's another quick review of yet another stop at a fast food joint in Kota Kinabalu, specifically in the middle of Sinsuran Complex (that commercial area next to Centre Point shopping mall), since my hubby is so fond of "burger bakar'. Initially I was interested in their rice section (particularly their Nasi Corned Beef Telur) but since they're open sometime during the evenings (and we had a late lunch), I opted for their Ayam Krispy Burger instead. My hubby ate their Uncle Joe Classic Burger and both were commendable, especially the perfect combination of their sauces. 

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TOSITOS 1Borneo (KK FoodieVenture #226)

Lately I'm not that into fast food as much as I've used to but since my hubby is still an avid fan, he was the one responsible for me visiting this joint with him, located at the far end ground floor of 1Borneo Hypermall. Their food centers around infused roasted chicken but since I was in no mood for it during our stop, I've ordered their Roasted Garlic Rice instead and it was actually not bad at all. My hubby was also more interested in trying out their Spicy Chicken Rice and despite the initial look (and what lacked of it judging by their promo pics), it was spicier than he thought it would be but still pretty tasty (he said). But the Classic Trio Chicken Wrap was just so-so as it arrived somewhat soggy and 'confusing' (as we initally thought that it meant 3 types of chickens instead of 3 types of sauces). But still overall, not a bad stop at all. 

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Outward Vacay: The Jesselton Hotel

If you think that that is my only hotel review for this month, well think again. Just a week after my previous hotel adventure, me and hubby dearest has to travel back to KK for some errands. But obviously a back-to-back Tawau-KK travel does hurt our wallets (a lot) so this time we'd tried this historical boutique hotel right in the middle of Gaya Street (specifically just across an Old Town White Coffee cafe branch) that I've actually been eyeing for awhile. 

I was a bit apprehensive at first since I've heard that they were still within their renovation period but luckily most of the major renovations were already completed by the time we checked in, as we were greeted with an immaculate looking lobby, complete with a dining area and a piano. And from my little pre-stay researched (aka googled) I've wisely chosen a room on the newer wing hence the pretty, modern colonial style spacious room that we had. History buffs however need not fret since they still retained most of their original, older English rooms on floors adjoining to the newer ones (which dated back to the 1950s). And since everything is still fairly new, the bathroom and showers were some of the best that I've experienced in terms of strong water flow and the quickness of the hot water. But some minor hiccups that I've noticed includes the somewhat noisy water system whenever we used them and the non-existing tv channels. Then again, since you're bound to explode the surrounding Gaya Street anyway, that might not be such a problem (well, unless you brought a vehicle as they do not have any designated parking for patrons). 

Type - Boutique King Room

Room - 5/5 (who doesn't like a newly renovated, spacious room right?) 

Price - 4/5 (fair especially if you book their newer rooms) 

Service - 4/5 (very good despite the painfully obvious still-in-training receptionists manning the front desk) 

Decor - 5/5 (I dig the whole old meets new colonial English vibes going on within the hotel) 

Facilities - 4/5 (I haven't tried their older rooms yet but everything is good for now) 

Location - 5/5 (the popular Api-Api Night market & Sunday market are just outside of their main door) 

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