LFT: Zinger Waffle Burger

It took me quite sometime to try out this new offering from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) as I was a bit apprehensive about the marriage between the waffles and chicken fillet. And I was right to think so since it was definitely not a match made in heaven. I mean, the chicken strip is your typical Zinger spicy fillet so it was definitely tasty. But I have a problem with the waffles though, since it tasted stale, tasteless and overall just not suitable to be eaten with the latter. Also, I did not taste the supposed maple syrup on my burger so that was another minus point for me. It was something that I probably wouldn’t be eating again in the future but it might be different for other people. Who knows you might end up liking it so do try them out for yourselves. Oh and we also had their ‘promo item of the month’ which was the 15 chicken nuggets (for RM15) and it was okay at best, especially with the accompanied mustard sauce.    

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LFT: Mooncakes

To be honest, this is not exactly a Local Food Trend (LFT) but it’s the Mid Autumn Festival season again and since I’m a huge fan of said pastry, I thought... why not right? The festival this year falls on the 24^th September so I’ve scoured for those babies all over town but unfortunately the availability of the so-called cake seems to have dwindled down this year. I’ve spotted some of them in hypermarkets such as Giant (where I eventually bought mine) and Servay Parkwell; as well as smaller, Chinese owned supermarkets like Insmark and Tai Yang. I’ve bought 2 mooncakes for myself (man... those pastries had become pricier year after year you know) namely the Single Yolk Green Bean and Special Chocolate. Both were very tasty, thick and not intensely sweet but I do prefer the latter since it has this gooey chocolate filling on its center (similar to that of the lava cake). Both were produce by this Lahad Datu based bakery called Kee Fui Bakery and I do recommend their mooncakes for you guys to try. About a week after that, I was given another mooncake by my next door neighbour and this one was from Chung Fatt Bakery (so kind of you Auntie!). Although she’d coincidentally given me my favourite flavour which was the Chocolate Lotus Paste, I must say that it can’t compare to the ones from Kee Fui Bakery. The filling was a bit bland and very average tasting. But hey, who doesn’t like free stuff right? Hehehe..     

* The nicely decorated mooncake booth from Giant Hypermarket

*This is the Special Chocolate mooncake...

... and this one is the Single Yolk Green Bean mooncake

*Also, this is the Chocolate Lotus Paste mooncake that my kind neighbour had given me

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LFT: McDonald's Nasi Lemak Burger

Just a quick rundown (yup, a back-to-back LFT) on arguably the most talked about fast food in Malaysia right now. I’m not going into a lengthy introduction since it has already been promoted like hell everywhere, so I’ll just jump right into the star of the show. The fast food rendition of one of our beloved national food was priced at RM14.95 (ala carte) or RM16.95 (for a set meal) and comes with fluffy (and seasoned?) buns, cucumber slices, crispy coconut induced chicken thigh (hehehe… sorry, I just can’t resist), a sunny side up egg and the all important sambal. And I concur with other foodie bloggers comments on the sambal being more on the sweeter side rather than salty and spicy. This was actually a plus in my book since I can’t take overly spicy food anyway. Portioning was pretty big as well and very satisfying. So, will I be dropping by again for a second bite? Definitely (if my wallet permits it of course)! Oh and for those that do not know, Tawau's McD is visible from the Apas main road, leading up to Taman Megah Jaya at Mile 4.

(Updated on 17/05/2018 - Just to include the proper version of the nasi lemak called Nasi McD that had recently follow suit)

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LFT: Ais Kepal

It’s been a while since I did one of this Local Food Trends (LFT) because lets face it, there aren’t that many foods that dominate the local social media scene as of late. That is of course until the sudden emergence of the ais kepal!

A shaved ice dessert in the same category as the more popular Ais Batu Campur and Cendol, this dome shape chocolate goodness is a simpler version & somewhat a local take on the Korean bingsu. Made viral by some creative vendors back in the Peninsular Malaysia, Tawau was a bit slow in catching the hype (as always) but we got there eventually. I have the privileged to taste two such version of the dessert recently. Even though both were equally priced (at RM5 per bowl) and can be found in smaller stalls (both within the Hill Top area), the quantity and quality of the dessert however cannot be more different. The first one that I’ve tried (from a stall near to the locally popular Warung Nina) was disappointingly diluted, with only a minimal amount of chocolate sauce spread on top of the dessert. This is sad because the chocolate sauce is the main ingredient that made the dessert famous in the first place. But that experience did not discourage me from hunting down another stall (located beside the Warung Senario within the Hill Top old commercial area) and this time around I was blown away. The portion was definitely bigger, with a very generous helping of said sauce. Granted, their toppings might not be as many as the latter but what is more important is the chocolate coated ais kepal itself, as it has a strong chocolate flavour, sweet and all around refreshing.  

*This is the one near to the proximity of Warung Nina (they're the green stall next to the car wash as well)...

... and the one near to Warung Senario (and next to the vegetables stalls)

(Updated on 07/05/2018 - I recently discovered that Restoran Sri Titingan & another eatery called Kopi Shake has also join in the 'ais kepal' bandwagon. Their rendition of said dessert was priced at RM5.90 and was covered in Milo topping (for the former) while the latter was cheaper at RM4.00 and had (quite literally) a milkier based) 

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LFT: Ice Coffee

I kid you not when I say that almost everywhere I went to in Tawau these days, I literary cannot escape from seeing coffee stalls. Initially I wasn’t a fan of such beverages but after trying out a sip (or two) from my partner’s drink, I suddenly became an ice coffee addict. I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve tried out almost every coffee available here in Tawau but I have narrowed it down to my top two choices from the lot. Mind you, this two does not include those from cafes and such since I’m focusing on specialty stalls only.


Coincidentally (or maybe not so much on their part) my top choices actually resides right across one another, at the Hill Top area (beside the JPJ main office area). And unlike other locally produced coffee, these two are actually from popular franchises. So to sum things up and to see which one is better, I’m breaking them down to these facts… 

Anis Coffee

Brief description – Founded by a now millionaire entrepreneur who had also founded the once popular Anis Choc Moist Cake

The good – They definitely stick to what they know best and produce only 5 choices of coffee flavourings (so far) but each with very refreshing and compact tastes. Also they’re very mobile since they’re available at other places around different times of the day

The bad – I’m not too fond of their plastic packaging (although it’s unique, it made it hard for me to put it down while I’m driving). And the quantity might not be as much as it’s rival due to the packaging + ice content. 

My favourites – Chocolate & Mocha

Kopi Kocak

Brief description – Owned by QOMA Global Resource (thank you Anonymous reader for this info)

The good – They have better variety when it comes to their coffee, more in terms of coffee content and their stall was just cute to look at (a plus in attracting customers)

The bad – I’m sure that other people will disagree with me but I personally do not like their Fruity and Soda line of drinks though.

My favourites – Double Chocolate & Milo Dinosaur Special

My personal ratings (for both) are as follows…

Food – 4/5 (depending on your taste buds)  

Price – 3/5 (understandably a little pricey than your average coffee)

Service – 4/5 (unless you’re ordering more than 10, then it won’t take them long to prepare your fix)

Decor – 3/5 (fairly simple looking stalls)

Location – 4/5 (near to the Hill Top shops area, they’re visible by the roadside)  

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LFT: Ais Krim Pasu Bunga

I rarely review a food (as oppose to an eatery) but I do occasionally do so whenever I found that a particular food has caught my eyes (hence the reason why I created the 'Local Food Trends' aka LFT category). So behold people… the Ais Krim Pasu Bunga (yes, drama as always)! Directly translated as ‘the Flower Pot Ice-Cream’, it is exactly what you think it is. I know this dessert might not be an original idea since I did saw a couple of similar looking dishes in several places inside and outside of Tawau. If you’re interested in trying some, make sure you get yourselves to the Hilltop area. It’s surprisingly in an area right in front of the Hilltop rows of shops, where a cluster of ‘warungs’ are situated. It’s available at a place called Warung Hjh Senang, right next door to arguably one of the most well-known warungs locally, the Warung Nina.

Although I think that the creativity behind said dish was impressive, I do however am less impressed with the taste. Overall, the ice-cream lacked taste (it’s almost to the point of tasteless, which was surprising since it’s an ice-cream for crying out loud) but the condiments that completed the ‘flowery look’ on top of the pot were flavourable. Hey at least it contributed a bit to the taste right? And if you’re wondering whether you can take the ice-cream to go, well I’m sorry to disappoint you guys but it’s strictly dine-in only. But if you’re not really into the ice-cream, have no fear since the warung also caters other types of food such as typical heavy duty food (like the Mee Goreng Mamak I had – which was very good) and favourite tea time munchies such as keropok lekor and pisang cheese.  

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LFT: Burger Bakar

In this newly introduced segment of Local Food Trends (LFT) I'll be focusing on a particular food item (that is 'trending' among Tawaurians) instead of a place. With that said, I recently noticed that the 'burger bakar' business has seen an increase of popularity as of late. Among those is this particular stall called Burger Bakar HS that has been operating for almost 2 years now (pretty recent in my standards). Before this, they don't really have a permanent sit-down place so they sold their burgers by the roadside near Taman Ria 6, Jalan Utara. But thankfully they finally manage to find a place in town, so it'll be easier for us to find them. They're currently stationed at Lover Kopitiam cafe (see previous post), right in front of LA Hotel Tawau.

Now the grilled burgers (yes, their burgers are grilled) might be quite limited in terms of choices, but the taste is definitely superior than other burgers in town. In fact, they're probably the only grilled burgers stall that is left standing (after a few not so successful attempts by other sellers). Choices currently in their roster are Chicken Grilled Burger and Beef Grilled Burger. But you can have it as a single patty burger (which will cost you RM5.00), double patties (RM9.00 if I'm not mistaken) and if you dare, triple patties (RM12.00). The prices might be consider by some as a bit expensive (by Tawaurian's standards) but I can assure you that you'll get your money's worth, as the size of the burger are pretty big and the tastes are lovely. Oh and it's good to note that if you're a patron of Burger Bakar HS in Bukit Bendera (aka Signal Hill), Kota Kinabalu than you'll find the similarities in their burgers since the owners are related (brothers to be exact).

(Updated on 25/05/2016 - The stall has been reopened at a new location, by the roadside of Taman Ria 5, Jalan Utara (near proximity to Kompleks Sukan Tawau)

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