Suria Sabah Food Court (KK FoodieVenture #5)

Once you're in KK, it's a compulsory thing to do at least one round of mall-hopping. And today I'm doing a review on Suria Sabah shopping mall food court. Said to be rivaling the hugeness that is 1Borneo (or may have even exceeded it already, I'm not too sure about this), the mall sits pretty right next to KK's main jetty, Jesselton Point. It's situated on the 4th floor, at the far side of the floor so don't worry about not finding it. And there's usually tones of people wherever food's around so it's easier to spot.

I'm pretty impressed with the variety of food in the place. From the moment you stepped into the place, you'll be greeted by food. There's mainly Chinese food stalls on your right and Malay food stalls on your left. There's also smaller desserts stalls at the entrance, a bakery inside the premises and a drink island in the middle. Me and my partner decided to have some Chocolate Moist Cake (yummy), Nasi Lemak Ayam (double yummy) and a Nasi Campur dish (a bit spicy but still awesome). It was the school holidays when we were there so the place is jammed packed. It's fortunate for us to spot an empty table at their outdoor balcony. The view is great but it can get pretty dirty around the seating area since the cleaning staff only consist of 1 person versus a tone of customers coming and going so it's not all their fault. 

Despite pretty glowing reviews of the place and food, I have a bone to pick when it comes to service. True story people, but fortunately not to me. I was standing in line to order our drinks and this girl in front of me had ordered and paid for her drink and was waiting patiently for it when the waitress in charge accidentally dropped the drink and spilled it onto the customer. And guess what happens after that? Instead of an apology (which any normal, sane people will do) the waitress goes in denial mode and said that it was the customer's fault for not holding the drink that was allegedly handed to her (not true!) and she actually had the nerve to say "it's not my fault". And even worse? She didn't give any new drink to the girl. I mean, really? We (yes, by that I mean the original customer and several of us lining up at the back) were so baffled that it left us a bit speechless (don't worry, that lasted like a minute before 'bombs' were thrown). That's just rude man! And I know it's only one person but it doesn't give a good impression on the place though. 

  

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Outward Vacay: Tang Dynasty Hotel

So after a very short stop at Kundasang (see previous post) we went ahead and check yourselves into Tang Dynasty Hotel, a pretty well-known hotel in KK. Mind you, I have heard not-so-good-things about the place but due to the fact that the price is darn cheaper than other hotels within the area, I take a chance with the hotel. And you know what, I have to say that it's not that bad at all.

The Tang Dynasty Hotel that we went to is the one downtown (the main hotel you could say) as oppose to their other branches in Sepanggar and Jalan Belia. So location wise it is attached to a less-popular-but-still-convenient shopping mall called Wawasan Plaza. There's limited shops within the premises but hey, it's better than nothing right? Check in is pretty smooth but I do agree with several people that previously stayed at the hotel (comments via Tripadvisor) that they do need to add more front desk staff though as there are more patrons than the staff supposed to accommodate them.

Now let's get something flushed out first before we go to the positives. From said website as well, I've discovered a recurring problem in almost everybody's comments. We were assigned a Superior Room with a pretty good view. But most importantly, I can safely verify that yes, the hotel is somewhat a baby cockroaches heaven. A very bad problem for such a huge hotel. I mean, those critters are practically everywhere in our room. But I feel comfortable knowing that I've done my 'research' first and take with me a special 'friend' to solved the problem. People.. meet Shieldtox! Other than that, I sincerely think that the hotel can bring back its glory days with just a little face-lift since the decor looks really worn out. And not to be a downer, but we do have a little 'situation' with the bathroom on the first 2 days but it's been dealt with.

That being said, I still think that the place is not all bad. I honestly like staying in our room despite those problems. On a positive note, the housekeeping staff are friendly and they do have a pool if you're thinking of using it (but do beware since it looks as if it's been awhile since they'd last cleaned them). They also provide free parking for patrons (park anywhere within the Wawasan Plaza basement parking lots and just bring the ticket to be stamped at the front desk) 

So for ratings..

Type - Superior King Room
Room - 2/5 (if only those little babies were not around...)
Price - 4/5 (you can get a cheaper price if you booked online)
Service - 4/5 (I know other people have commented on their poor performance, but I think we're one of those few 'lucky' ones)
Decor - 3/5 (seriously, a little renovation will go a long way)
Facilities -  4/5 (there's a lot of weddings and government seminars being held there so...)
Location - 4/5 (not to be confuse with another branch of the hotel called TD Hotel at the same building as Wawasan Plaza)

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Fook Yuen Coffee Shop Karamunsing Capital (KK FoodieVenture #4)

Okay, so according to my Kota Kinabalu friends and relatives, if you ever visit KK and did not stop by Fook Yuen Coffee Shop, then it's your lost. And to quote my dear Auntie Linda, it a HUGE lost. Obviously that got me curious as to how good the place is. So me and my partner decided to drop by this in-famous place the first chance we get.

Known as the place to be for breakfast (but you can come by anytime since the menu is consistently fresh throughout the day) the place is actually a successful franchise on its own. They currently have 4 different branches throughout KK and we went to their Karamunsing Capital branch (the one near Karamunsing shopping mall). It's fortunate that we went around brunch time so not many patrons are around. The food are mostly pre-made and you can just scoop anything you fancy from their food counters. They have every breakfast meals that you could think of, from Nasi Lemak to Mee Tauhu to Dim Sum. I absolutely love their very simple Nasi Lemak with its tasty sambal. Between me and my partner, we manage to grab a couple of things per person, which unfortunately we later realise that it's got more to do with greed rather than hunger.

But if you wish for something freshly cooked, have no fear because they do have a slew of cook-to-order dishes. And what I like most about the place is its somewhat unique approach in delivering your drinks. See, they give you a number upon payment on the counter and you have to picked up your own drinks when your number is called out from a bank-like number caller (can't you tell that I'm having a 'great' time explaining the thing to you?). Kinda like Starbucks minus them calling out your name for all to hear. 

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Sushi King Centre Point (KK FoodieVenture #3)

On to the next 'wishlist franchises' (which coincidentally happens to be our dinner for the day) and we decided to go into the famous Sushi King Restaurant.This place is a must for me whenever we we're in Kota Kinabalu mainly because I looveee sushi and for the fact that my partner cannot say no (let me just say that I can get pretty stubborn when it comes to food).

Mind you, it was pretty packed when we actually got there. The franchise is located on the 4th floor (aka Palm Square) of Centre Point shopping mall and it's quite hidden from view. The restaurant is nearest to a couple of lifts (yes, elevators) and is on the far right to a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (yup another franchise - the floor is practically food franchise heaven). Initially we were aiming for another eatery right beside the restaurant but right after we 'discover' it, there's nothing else I wanted. Hehehehe...

Food wise, I do not have any problems since it is the place when it comes to sushi and other Japanese cuisines. I obviously will go for their selection of sushi-on-the-conveyer-belt while my partner is all about their bento-like meals. I was so caught up with the sushi that I completely forgot to take some pictures of my partner's meal (sorry folks!) but everything is lovely in terms of taste. If there's something that I want to complaint however, is their service. Although I completely understand their hectic situation, but it takes us quite a while for them to get our orders for meals and drinks. 

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Starbucks Coffee Company (KK FoodieVenture #2)

Now, do have pity on us Tawaurian (I'm not sure whether that's accurate but anyways...) though because one of the things that we wished we had back in Tawau is none other than a Starbucks joint (amongst other famous franchises on our wish list). So do forgive me for including some popular franchises this time around. Think of it as more of a tribute to my fellow Tawaurian out there... Huhuhu...

So after our previous lunch, we originally decided to checked into our hotel but alas, the room's not ready. So we decided to head to the in-famous Centre Point shopping mall right at the center of KK and found ourselves making a beeline towards their Starbucks joint at the forth floor. There isn't that many people around so we made ourselves comfortable in their already very comfortable setting, and ordered ourselves some Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin (which was more on the sweet side but still pretty yummy), Signature Hot Chocolate (for me since it's my ultimate high when it comes to Starbucks) and Chocolate Cream Chip Frappuccino Blended drink. This is one of many other visits to come during our vacation time in KK because we can't seem to get that damn good chocolate drinks out of our system. Yup, we're proud to be labeled Starbucks-holics...

*(Side note - We'd also visited their Warisan Square branch on our recent trip to KK in 2014 so more pics below of the place)

The Centre Point Branch

The Warisan Square branch

 

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