La Chica Mexican Grill Kitchen + Bar (KK FoodieVenture #258)

Okay I stand corrected.. THIS is actually my last entry to my Imago Shopping Mall foodie adventure (for now) as I just realized that I forgot one as I was scrolling through my pics. Me and husband dearest were somewhat doubtful of entering this eatery slash bar as it kinda looked a bit.. you know.. 'atas' for us mere mortals (located on the 1st floor of the outer shoplots of said mall). But their menu looked good & I always wanted to try out Mexican inspired food so gave them a try. We had their Pollo y Champinones (aka Chicken & Mushroom Quesadillas) and Hamburguesa de Pescado (aka Crispy Fish Burger) and you know what, we actually enjoyed their dishes. Both dishes were big in portioning & delicious. The ambience was also very nice & chill (what with the continuous Spanish music videos playing in the background) but as expected the staff indifference to us 'non-foreigner tourists' is not that surprising at all. 

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Yolo Bistro (Semporna FoodieVenture #12)

When we were still staying at the Semporna Seaview Hotel, me and my husband thought that it would be great if both of us just walked to the nearby Seafest area to burn some calories that we both seems to be accumulating rapidly these days (yup, say bye bye waistline). We arrived at the Seafest Square some 10 minutes later and after walking around a bit decided to try this quiet cafe (at the far end of the ground floor of said mall, right in front of an Orange convenient store). 

Mind you, this is during the state level 'catuan bekalan elektrik' (due to the excessive heat) so right after we made our orders, the lights went off the entire area. We did considered having our dinner elsewhere but since the waitress and owner (I presume) were asking us nicely if we could wait a bit, we decided to do so. Funnily enough, me and my hubby ended up having an enjoyable conversation (by that time, we decided to move to the al fresco tables as the nearby street lights were still lit) that the food eventually came. And yes, we pretty much ate in semi darkest but overall the food were pretty tasty. We ordered typical local dishes the Nasi Goreng Pattaya Chicken and Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng since those were among the only choices that were available at that time (especially with their cook cooking in dark mode throughout). The place is more of a bistro (which serves alcohol) rather than a cafe, but with kid friendly menu available for order as well. Not sure how that's going to work out but I'm all for variety I guess. 

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Ocean 36 (KK FoodieVenture #183)

Ok I never thought that I would say this (nor did I thought that it would be possible) but me and my husband had gotten lost trying to find this locally viral restaurant. And we even use Waze and all! So do take note my fellow foodies that if you are using Waze to go there, they did not actually pinned the right spot of said restaurant. Rather, you'll end up at another commercial area next to it, which itself is nowhere near the exact location. We had to ask the locals (yes, emphasising on the S) to finally be able to figure out the place which was at WK Commercial Centre, Penampang. Granted, we were driving on a rainy night so that is also another visual disadvantage on our part.

But little old me was quite impressed with the internal decor of the restaurant, when we finally arrived of course. True to all of those viral posts that I've seen, the place were decked out with blue lighted under the sea themed aquariums, which me and my husband found very interesting (especially the eel like fishes). Servers were also very friendly and welcoming which was nice. Their menu were mostly fusion Western so we'd ordered their Sambal Fried Rice, Grilled Salmon Steak with your choice of sides and some Garlic Breads. Needless to say, the night turned out well as the food were pretty tasty. I loved my salmon as it was fresh and nicely seasoned. The  expensive price that I've paid for it was definitely worth it. Oh and I do apologise beforehand for the blueish pictures below since I've taken them using my not-so-smartphone outdated camera. 

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Olive Bistro

I felt somewhat lucky the moment I’ve entered this particular bistro one weekend with my partner and had actually managed to snag a seat inside the vicinity. This place is notorious for being fully booked on most weekends that some people came prepared for waiting and even willing to wait inside their vehicles for any available spot. Heck, some people even brought their own chairs just to wait outside of the eatery (no joke, you guys can checked the internet for further proof). We decided to just tried our luck one Sunday (as it was raining a bit and was hoping that other patrons would be discouraged to go out – which was proven somewhat correct) and drove to their place at the single shop lot of Taman Tawau (right in front of the newly opened Sin Onn branch of the Tawau Hospital).

I have heard of them since they were still in their previous spot at Fajar Complex but the crowd almost always hinders me from actually stopping by. And since people have given them fairly rave reviews, my expectation was somewhat high for them. But like any other place with that kind of expectation, something bound to make you unsatisfied. In this case, the food falls flat in my humble opinion. We’d ordered their Mayonnaise Fish Rice (which is exactly what they said it is; sliced fish with mayonnaise – and the taste was mediocre) and their Malaysian Delight Pizza (I had high hopes for this one but again, it is just average for me. It’s borderline tasteless without any sauce being added to said dish). But I’ll give credit to where credit is due, since their Brownies was superbly moist, especially when paired with a scope of yummy vanilla ice-cream.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of November 2016)  

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Thymes Bar & Bistro

This place has eluded me for quite sometime mainly due to its location. It’s actually located along Jalan Sim Hua Seng (right in front of the locally popular Restoran Haji Tamrin) but what sets this eatery apart from the rest was the fact that it was once a bungalow that has been nicely renovated to its current state. I admit that it looks fancy and intimidating from the outside but after a nudge from my partner one day, we'd decided to just forgo any first impression and just go for it. And as we stepped into the place, we were thoroughly surprised to find out that the restaurant was actually more laid back then what we'd initially thought. It has a lovely 2 storey seating area and an al fresco area in front. If you’re planning to go during the weekends, it is advisable to call them beforehand to make a reservation, as they are usually packed with patrons (it was lucky for us that there's a single table for two available when we walked into the place without prior booking).

I was a bit surprised when I was given the menu as it was pretty extensive. The food ranges from your usual Western dishes to some local choices but with fine dining appearances. My partner’s personal choice for example, is your typical Crab Fried Rice but it comes with the actual crab shell and meat (with my partner seemed to be very enthusiastic in using their nutcracker to pry open said meat from its pinchers). And the verdict? My partner reckon that he will probably come back just for the dish, which says a lot about the taste. I took on their Grilled Chicken Chop (which was juicy with a medium sized portion) and we’d also shared an order of Buffalo Chicken Pizza (which I’m giving two thumbs up for its thin & crispy crust as well as the delicious chicken chunks on top).

** Current status – Has reopened and now known as a branch of Sage Cafe & Restaurant (as of June 2023)  

Updated on 25/05/2017 - Was very disappointed (and not to mention angry) with our second visit recently. All I can say is that avoid going there during peak days (such as after paydays, during public holidays etc) & do not EVER sit at their al fresco seating area as you will be totally invisible to them. We started ordering at 8.30pm and an hour later we still didn't get our food or drinks (mind you, I'd ordered ICE WATER - thank you very much!). When we check with them, the waitress thought that we'd just arrived and serve us the menu again! As it turns out, our original order was passed around & was 'accidentally' thrown out in the end. As if that wasn't enough, when we complain, they just looked at us as if we're overreacting & try to place the blame on us for supposedly moving tables (which I can assure you does not happen at all). Really, this terrible experience might be an isolated incident (but I highly doubt it since service doesn't seem to be their strongest point even before our unfortunate experience) but I'm just sharing my experience so hopefully you guys will get a better experience than I did. 

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