Harbour Bistro Cafe (Sandakan FoodieVenture #4)

Now we proceed to our next destination in the areas of Sandakan Harbour, that is the Harbour Bistro Cafe. Located at the far side of the Sandakan Harbour Mall (but the nearest to the local marine port nearby), this joint was by far the best restaurant/cafe that we'd been throughout our brief stay at Sandakan. Mind you, this cafe also seems to be the numero uno place for foreign tourists to chill and hang out, as they do served alcohol in the premises (and from what I've been told, at a reasonable price as well). Obviously me and my partner did not dropped by for their booze selection. We're there mainly because we're curious about the food (what else right?). Both of us had a pretty low expectation of the place since our previous 'foodieventure' at several restaurants nearby were so-so at best. But lo and behold, apparently it is indeed the case of 'save the best for last' with this place.

Their food was just superb and delicious. We'd ordered their Indon Sambal Fish with Rice (my partner's menu - he's raving about it up until now) and their Indonesian Fried Rice (the chicken was pretty awesome). The venue also includes separate stalls that sell keropok lekor (which we'd ordered twice the same night - which said a lot about their flavours) and satay, which are the preferred light snacks for those boozing away.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Harbour Garden Cafe (Sandakan FoodieVenture #3)

Yup I'm on a roll tonight folks! And before I go MIA again, I might as well post as many things as I can right? Trust me, it doesn't help that we're currently in the Ramadhan fasting month. Too many temptations of course ;-)

On my second day in Sandakan (and right after a somewhat gruelling 6 hours of uninterrupted and headache induced course) I really do need a break since my stomach has been acting up. So I rang up my partner to meet me downstairs and we continued our foodie adventure at the Sandakan harbour. And we both agreed that we wish that we had a harbour just like the ones in Sandakan, as it's definitely the place for people to hang out during the evenings and weekends (yes I'm looking at you Traulsen Highway).

Our next stop was the Harbour Garden Cafe, which was situated right next to the restaurant we'd previously posted. And if you'd notice, a majority of the restaurants here had 'harbour' somewhere in their names, somewhat like a theme going on there. Now this cafe has a more laid back feel, as oppose to the previous ones (which was more 'open restaurant' feel) as a lot of young people preferred to stop here and have a drink or two while chatting away. We decided on their Mee Goreng Mamak (for my partner - I only heard murmured as he was eating so I assume that that's a good sign) and their Honey Chicken Set plus Rice (which was nothing to shout about but not disappointing either). It was a pretty hot day while we were there so that probably clouded my personal judgement. Yes, I'm thinking of clever ways to disguise by bad comments here. Huhuhuhu...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

My Harbour Restaurant (Sandakan FoodieVenture #2)

So on to the next restaurant that I've been to while I was in Sandakan (yes, I'll try to go at it chronologically). And this time I promise I'll try harder to make my post as simple as possible (I blame it on my unnecessary rants)...

Since there isn't that many places to eat within the mall, me and my partner decided to venture out during our free time and since the hotel/mall was within the main town area, there's no shortage of restaurants, particularly the ones near the ocean. So our first pick was the My Harbour Restaurant and as you can see from the name, it's situated at the harbour side of Sandakan. We actually went there twice, once on the second night of our trip and on the last day. It's mainly because that it was the nearest one to the hotel/mall (that has got nothing to do with high end looking western cafe - no offense to the cafe nearby) and we're just that lazy to walk any further to find food. And it's also good to note here that their restaurant was the largest one within the harbour area.

On our first day, we'd ordered their Chicken Chop (a different take of the dish - and it actually works cuz it's surprisingly really good) and their Nasi Sambal Daging (my partner says that it's okay at best). We also ordered their Mee Hoon Goreng (Fried Vermicelli) and Fried Chicken Rice before we went back to Tawau and both dishes were again so-so in taste. There isn't much to comment about their food but I do need to highlight about their hygiene though, since their side of the floor was not properly cleaned especially at night (probably because patrons had been coming and going all day).

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Top 2 Corner (Sandakan FoodieVenture #1)

Like I've said before, I've stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel when I was in Sandakan for a few days and several of my posts after this will be dedicated to my so-called foodie adventure there. And yes, I'll try my hardest to keep it as simple as I can (or not).

I remember that it was already quite late when I finally arrived at the hotel from Tawau so I just decided to get something to bite nearby. And because I'm staying at a hotel that's attached to a mall, so I figure why not try something there right? There's bound to be food in a mall. Imagine my surprise when that's not to be! Apart from a McDonald's, there's nothing else around that resembles a place to eat. But I was pretty determined. I mean, surely there must be a food court somewhere that I do not know of? So I went to the info counter and after vaguely pointing me upwards, I decided to just ride the escalators to the top, to see whether I'll get lucky. And on the 4th floor, I did get lucky. Well, sort of anyway.

There's definitely a food court on the 4th floor at the Sandakan Harbour Mall, only that it was so deserted that I was speechless when I first discovered it. From what I've found out, the place has been opened since 2013 so I was surprised to see only one food stall available (not including the main drinks counter & sweets and cookies counter nearby). Geez, the rent must be ridiculously high for it to be that deserted huh? But anyways, I did try out the solo stall since there's no other options and I'm just ready to go to bed after I got a bite at something. So there I was ordering from the stall called Top 2 Corner, not thinking about anything else up until when I take a seat right in front of the stall to wait for my order and had a good look at the stall. There's a picture of a guy in a Masterchef Malaysia apron smiling on top of the stall and I was like 'heyyy... that guy looks suspiciously familiar...' and after a few minutes (yes, a few minutes) it suddenly occurred to me the meaning behind the stall's name. Top 2 Corner really means Top 2 in Masterchef Malaysia Season 1 so the stall is actually owned by Wahidan (the 1st runner up from Kinabatangan). I was a fan but before I got all excited, I was told by the cashier that he was not around for the day. Oh well, better luck next time...

The menu was actually pretty interesting as well. True to his preferred style of cooking, the menu are mainly Malay and Thai food, with a selection of Western menu and local kuihs also for sale. I decided to try out their Nasi Goreng Aroma while my dear partner (whom I've managed to dragged along with me) ordered the Nasi Pes Special. Yes, very unique names and the tastes was pretty good as well. Although I was made to understand that Wahidan's somewhat 'disciples' are the ones doing the cooking while he was away, it was still pretty delicious and with just the right amount of spices inside the dishes.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•