Kafe Hati Ke Hati

I was somewhat anticipating this eatery’s opening earlier this year due to the fact that the brand Hati Ke Hati is a well-known all-in-one bridal store & catering business. Boasting a steady service all around Tawau (as well as its neighbouring districts & even some parts of Peninsular Malaysia), I was very intrigued when I found out that they’re opening a café within the Gaya Commercial Centre single row shops (right next to Taman Gaya B, occupying the shop formerly rented by Goat Heaven Cafe). 

One thing that stands out about this café is its overall décor. As expected, the eatery was fully decorated with flowers and ornaments usually found in a typical wedding ceremony (or specifically the Malay ‘pelamin’) with several ‘hot spots’ suitable for private dinners or celebrations. Me and my partner got curious and seated ourselves at one such area within the café (hence the somewhat dark and ‘romantic’ pictures below – sorry folks!) and ordered their Nasi Goreng Hati Ke Hati and Nasi Ayam Penyet. Both were pretty good meals although nothing too distinctive in terms of taste. I’d also grabbed their Kek Batik (from their display cases) and found that it was to my liking, with a good balance of sweetness from the butter (I presume) and chocolate. Unfortunately the same thing cannot be said of their Chrysanthemum Tea as it was very fragrant and refreshing but with the sweetness level that will probably knock somebody out.

** Current status – Has been closed (as of Oct 2018) 

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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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Jalan Utara Baru Food Stalls

As I was making my daily commute to and fro my home and workplace, I did notice this unnamed food centre as I was passing by Jalan Utara Baru. Even though they’re located at the bottom of a small hill, their very bright lights and not to mention the huge LCD projector obviously caught my attention but it did took me sometime to finally dropped by (no particular reason though – just plain old laziness I guess). The place was originally a car wash but has now been converted into an area that sells fresh produce (on the left) and the aforementioned on its right side. 

Among the food stalls that are currently available (at the time of my post) includes the main food stall called Na& Man Café (which also provided the venue’s drinks) as well as stalls that sell bakso, fried fritters (particularly the banana variety), burgers, grilled fish, laksa and the ever popular yong tau foo. Since me and my partner were pretty famished by the time we reached said place, we ordered Nasi Goreng Daging and Nasi Goreng Lalap straight from their main stall. Unfortunately, both dishes somehow OD in saltiness so we were practically drowning in water soon after that, due to our ‘heavy drinking’ (never thought that I would say that while drinking plain old ice water). The wait for our food (or every other customer’s food for that matter) were also longer than usual so if you decided to stop by, then may I suggest going for the other smaller stalls instead because the snail pacing of its cook will definitely test your patience.      

** Current status – Has been closed (as of Sept 2018) 

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