Food Central Taman Megah Jaya

Since we (that being me and my mum) just had had enough of Hari Raya food (for now), we decided to try something different. Newly opened Food Central has been on my radar for sometime now. There's no way to avoid it since it's situated right in front of Tawau's one and only McDonalds. Owned by the same brilliant people behind the popular Taste Two restaurant in Perdana Square commercial area, the place has a food court concept which was actually quite rare in Tawau.

It's quite hilarious to see me and my mum going all confused when we got there. Are we suppose to order our food at the stalls? Or do we just go straight to the counter? And why are people carrying that order sheet around?? So after observing 'quietly' for a while, we finally figured things out. At least we think we did. Apparently, you do need to order (or in some cases, you can straight away take your food of choice) from the stalls first before paying for them at the counter. And that order sheet? It's for specially ordered food, so you can pay beforehand and take your seat before the waitresses send it to your table once it's cooked.

For our premier visit, I've ordered their Gon Lou Mee with Roasted Chicken (which tasted pretty good, but I think their Taste Two version was better) while mum just took their Nasi Campur (readily cooked dishes from the counter) which she'd given a thumbs up plus some fried noodles, spring rolls and fish ball. Yeah, she got greedy with so many of her favourites there. We also tried their dim sum & bun and both are pretty satisfying in taste. The food are mainly Chinese food (with a Teppanyaki station as well) so we're planning to come back to try on other selections such as their lovely looking chicken rice, noodle dishes, dim sum and buns.

** Current status - Has been closed (as of April 2017)

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Popular Hari Raya Food in Tawau

In the spirit of the Hari Raya month and since I was born and raised in Tawau, Sabah, I've decided to do a feature (that has got nothing to do with my lack of foodie materials of course - wink wink) on Hari Raya food that you'll normally would find in this part of the world. And as any locals would tell you, a vast majority of Tawaurians consist of Bugis (Buginese) people including a lot of my family members and friends. So don't be surprise to see quite a number of items on my list with their influences. So if you're ready, here we go...

** It is important to note that all of the pictures below were 'borrowed' from different blogs & sites listed in Google (aaah.. the wonders of Google) so please credit them if you wanted to use any of the materials...

MAIN COURSES 

Buras & Tumbuk 

I'm not kidding here when I said that this food was so popular in Tawau that a non-local Chinese friend of mine even ask me 'sooo... do you have any burasak?' when she went to my house recently, complete with the local slang of said food. These two are by far the most famous Hari Raya food locally, both made from rice and coconut milk and took quite a while for it to cooked.

(Pictures are from tips1df.blogspot.com & lunalanun.blogspot.com)

Ayam Masak Lengkuas

Now with the great buras/tumbuk comes this magnificent dish. To be eaten together with the latter, this chicken and galangal dish is a staple in any Tawau based Buginese people. There are two versions of this dish, one being the dry version (see below) and another a wetter version. 

(Picture taken from nasamulia.blogspot.com)

Ayam Masak Merah

This is one of the top dishes that'll go perfectly with the buras/tumbuk. Although it might not be a local specialty (as it is also available throughout Malaysia), you'll definitely see vast versions of this dish within Tawau during the Hari Raya season. I'm not kidding when I said that I've proudly O.D on this dish the very first day of Syawal.

(Picture taken from resipiibundo.blogspot.com) 

 Ayam Masak Kari

Another must have dish during this festive season is the Ayam Masak Kari (Chicken Curry). Again, we've seen this everywhere in Malaysia but here in Tawau, it's also one of the most popular dishes to prepare for Hari Raya.

(Picture taken from fariziliofernando.blogspot.com)

Sup Tulang

This soupy dish is also another side dish that can normally be seen within a Buginese household. I'm not really a fan of the cow bone but the soup was undeniably delicious, with the right ingredients of course.

(Picture taken from www.travelmatekamu.com)

Berobok

The one dish that I really, really love regardless of the season was the Berobok. It's a type of congee mixed with corn and other delicious ingredients that I don't even know but tasted heavenly when consumed.

(Picture taken from manfromasmalltown.blogspot.com)

Soto Ayam 

This dish has gain momentum throughout the recent years as one of the favourites for Hari Raya, mainly because it's not as time consuming in preparation as the other dishes above. The most popular version seen in Tawau is the Soto Banjar version.

(Picture taken from www.yukpegi.com)

DESSERT

Tapai 

Not to be confused with the Kadazan version of tapai, these tapai (one of the ingredient includes glutinous rice and comes in two variants) is rather sweet in taste. My dad is one such fan of the dish.

(Picture taken from lunalanun.blogspot.com)

SNACKS

Kuih Batang Buruk

My partner just live for this snack. The kuih (or more or less a hybrid of kuih+keropok aka cookies+snacks) is popular due to the sweet and crunchy taste. But it can be a bit messy while consumption so do be prepare for it.

(Picture taken from www.yanmieonline.com)

Kuih Bangkit

I've just found out (yes, an unfortunate thing for a so-called, self proclaimed foodie) that this kuih is available throughout Malaysia and comes in different versions as well. But the kuih bangkit that are mostly available in Tawau are thin in texture and sweet in taste.

(Picture taken from mytreasuredmoment.blogspot.com)

Keropok Amplang

If there's one thing that Tawaurians can proudly claimed as theirs, this snack is it. I have no idea where this originated from but it's sure as hell delicious. But I do know that this simple looking snack is made from either fish or prawns and it can get very addictive as well, as I've have cleaned out a huge container of this delicious goodies in a single seating.

(Picture taken from amiraarbain.blogspot.com)

Keropok Belinju

Made from a plant/seed called belinjau/melinjau, this snack is also called the 'old people's snack' as most older adults love to munch to this during tea time. The main reason for it was because of the (very) bitter taste (which sadly I'm not a real fan off but a constant hit with my parents)

(Picture taken from dahlanabdrahman.blogspot.com)

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Buffet Ramadhan 2014 Round Up (Part 2)

And without further ado, here are three more of my Buffet Ramadhan Tawau Edition 2014 Round-ups...

DE CHOICE HOTEL TAWAU

Pros: They have a unique menu of satays, sausages, nuggets etc (fried-and-on-a-stick food). Their hot drinks were also superb in taste. The pricing was also the lowest (in the hotel category) and their staff was really friendly as well. 
Cons: Minor-to-non-existing refills (with not the same quality of food as their first selection). I'm sorry to say but some of the food were suspiciously bought from outside sources (particularly their dessert table). The seats were also not that many so be sure to book early. 
Price: RM28 nett
Where: On the ground floor of the De Choice Hotel, Fajar Complex. 
Recommendation: I would recommend it due to the pricing alone but probably not for food originality. 

SHERVINTON HOTEL TAWAU

Pros: My fave thing with this place was the fact that they provide individual kurmas (dates) for all patrons. It is also worth mentioning that they also had a veggie dal (a dish most commonly found in Indian food). Their desserts and local kuihs were also to die for. 
Cons: Apart from their limited spaces, some of their dishes were somewhat overly salty (but I think it's because the chef was fasting as well). My other pet peeve with this place was the ++ pricing.  
Price: RM38++ (but it'll be around RM45 ish after all those ++ thingies were added up) 
Where: On the 10th floor (and then you do need to go up a floor using the stairs) of Shervinton Hotel, Fajar Complex.
Recommendation: Food were not bad actually but I still can't get over their pricing.

RESTORAN HAFIZAH JALAN UTARA TAWAU

Pros: A friend brought me here and I was really surprise with the wide selection of food. They had this 'themed rice' for the day (for example, Nasi Lemak on Mondays and Nasi Briyani on Wednesdays) system which I found interesting. They also provide different types of local kuihs such as banana fritters, cempedak goreng, ubi goreng etc) 
Cons: Since there's no refills to their food, you do need to be fast when taking the food on the first round. Also, there might be some flies flying around (mainly because of the open air, beside the main road location) but do not worry cause the owners are taking enough precaution when preparing & handling their food. 
Price: RM16 nett (2nd cheapest in the non-hotel category) 
Where: The Restoran Hafizah (Jalan Utara branch), very near to Taman Ria 6
Recommendation: A high recommendation if you're into that whole open air feel 


** Well that's all for this year folks! I'll try and do a round-up of all things buffet again next year (unless my pocket says otherwise - sob sob!). So we'll continue with our regular programming after this okay..

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Buffet Ramadhan 2014 Round Up (Part 1)

Yeah yeah I know, it's already the 1st of Syawal today (by the way, HAPPY HARI RAYA people!) but since I'm ridiculously busy all throughout the Ramadhan fasting month, this is the only time for me to post my so-called 'findings'. Last year, I did a total round-up of almost all of the Ramadhan Buffet hang outs available in Tawau but since this year my pocket aren't as loaded with money as I did before (sob sob!) I've only managed to dragged myself to 5 such buffets.

So in no particular order, I present to you my Buffet Ramadhan Tawau Edition 2014 round-up...

PROMENADE HOTEL TAWAU

Pros: Out of the bat, they provide the widest selection of food. Note worthy dishes includes lemang, roti canai/murtabak, nasi briyani (but this may differ according to the day) laksa as well as assorted local kuihs, desserts and unique blend of drinks. They also were quick to refill any emptied trays and has a vast place to sit.
Cons: It's by far the most expensive one in Tawau (but considering the vast menu, I'm willing to let it go) 
Price: RM68 nett 
Where: On the 7th floor of the Promenade Hotel Tawau. Eastern Plaza. 
Recommendation: Highly recommended for those that had bellies like an elephant.

MARCO POLO HOTEL TAWAU

Pros: The bubur lambuk was pretty tasty. Other than that, they also got some delicious lamb dishes and their 2nd week price reduction did help a lot in filling up the place. 
Cons: Okay so here's the thing. I'm a regular when it comes to their daily lunch buffet (on other months) and I was quite dissappointed to discover that their 'buka puasa menu' was almost similar to the lunch buffet (which was only at RM20 nett). They're also a bit late in preparing the food, as patrons were already waiting around for them at the buffet counters. 
Price: RM45 nett (but reduce their pricing to RM40 nett a week after that)
Where: On the ground floor of the Marco Polo Hotel Tawau
Recommendation: I would recommend their daily lunch buffet but maybe not their Ramadhan version though. 


**Want to see more? Then continue on to the next post please....

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