Salero Padang

Since me and my hubby were big fans of nasi padang, we were quite excited when we heard that such eatery is opening at the Perdana Jaya commercial area at Jalan Chong Thien Vun (formerly where Mini Bean is and next to Han's Bakery). 

But then we discovered that the eatery might have a different concept than what we were used to when you say 'padang dishes'. Instead of multiple pre-cooked West Sumatra dishes prepared beforehand for the customers to pick out, they had a menu with fixed set items such as the Set Ayam and Set Udang that we had. It screams more like a 'penyet' dish rather than nasi padang. Both food were quite ok tasting but we did feel a bit disappointed as it wasn't what we'd expected. I also ordered their Ayam Pop ala carte since I was curious. Unfortunately I discovered that it wasn't my cup of tea (a bit weird tasting for me).

** Current status - Still in business (as of July 2026)

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Pecok Tawau

I've seen similar looking dishes while visiting several food festivals and must admit that their variety of sambal does attract my attention. The only thing that hinders me from actually trying them out before was my current health (that prevents me from eating spicy dishes often). But since my hubby assures me that there are less spicy sambal available, we finally decided to try out this eatery located at Jalan Belian, right in front of the former Empire building & yellow DIY building.

So basically a 'pecok' dish is when you pick out your main ingredient (such as chicken, fish or squid) with its accompanied sambal (which includes sambal ijo, sambal tomato, sambal merah, sambal mangga & sambal madu 3). I decided to play safe and ordered their Pecok Bakar while my hubby tried their Pecok Penyet Ijo. Thankfully mine wasn't that spicy and it was succulent but not that noteworthy. My hubby also commented the same thing with his dish plus a slight oversalting taste. Drink choices were also limited & mostly pre-prepared so if you wanted to try other dishes then you might want to go somewhere else. But if you're a fan of the ayam penyet or ayam geprek (which seems to be everywhere nowadays) types of dishes then you should try them out. 

** Current status - Still in business (as of July 2026)

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Outward Vacay: Cottonhouz by Ayuhouz

I admit that the main reason why I eventually stayed at this relatively new boutique hotel was because of their eye-catching reception booth (yup, an actual booth rather than a lobby) in the middle of KK Times Square, Kota Kinabalu. The booth itself is located at the back of Dojo Nanyang Kopi House and adjoining to the Fishmarket Restaurant. But to access their rooms, you need to walk towards the staircase right next to said restaurant, where you will also find a lift. Although you can only access the room area with a valid keycard, safely might still be an issue going in and out of the place. Plus they shared the same floors as the Vibrant Hostel. Room wise, everything is still brand new & clean which was nice. Although predictably the sizing might be on the smaller side but there's still space for you to put your things. There's also a TV equipped within the room but with no available channels (unless you have your own Netflix/Prime Video account). And do be careful when using their shower/bathroom as the tiles were those slippery types. Also the hotel does not provide any free parkings (but paid public parkings are available) & they do required a deposit of RM100 per room upon check in. 

Type - Standard Queen 

Room - 5/5 (small but clean & still in its 'new' stage)

Price - 4/5 (affordable for its prime location)

Service - 4/5 (I appreciated the staff's efforts to store guest luggages within their very small reception booth)

Decor - 5/5 (again,key word here is 'new' so still very pretty la)

Facilities - 4/5 (at least they did provide a lounge area on every floor for guests to enjoy)

Location - 5/5 (walkable to and fro Imago Shopping Mall & just pin Dojo KK Times Square should you wish to use Grab)

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