My Ramadhan Food Quest 2016 - Rice Edition

Yeah I know I’m late in posting this but better late than never right? And besides, we’re still within the Syawal month so it’s all good. For this year's Ramadhan, me and my family (my partner included) has decided to buy most of our food for breaking fast from the numerous Ramadhan bazaars that has been sprouting out like mushrooms after a rain all around Tawau. And for some reason, I have this personal ‘quest’ to find (and eat) as many rice based dishes (since they seems to be a wide variety of them this year and also the fact that I absolutely loved them) as I can possibly find throughout the fasting month. And I’m (somewhat) proud to say I have accomplished my ‘mission’ successfully. So without further ado, I present to you My 10 Most Wanted Rice Dishes in Tawau list…

Nasi Kukus

~ Price range is around RM5.50 – RM6.00 and is mostly available in the Sabindo Bazaar & Fujimart Bazaar.

~ The one that I’ve bought was from the infamous Nasi Kukus Hj Taki – which was still pretty good but lacking in terms of portion size 

Nasi Lalap

~ Price range is around RM4.00 – RM6.00 and is available in almost all of the bazaars in town.

~ It has 2 main dishes – it’s either fried chicken or fish with some side vegetables (usually boiled) and a sambal.

Nasi Kerabu

~ Price range is around RM5.00 – RM8.00 and is mostly available in the Sabindo Bazaar & Fujimart Bazaar (and this year I’ve seen A LOT of these around).

~ The price usually depends on the other sides dishes that you want with your rice set (the usuals being Stuffed Chillies and Salted Fish, just to name a few)

Nasi Dagang

~ Price range is around RM6.00 – RM8.00 and is mostly available in the Sabindo Bazaar & Fujimart Bazaar.

~ Not really a huge fan because the main dish is fish (Ikan Tongkol) but I do love the texture of the rice and the gravy.

Nasi Kandar

~ Price range is around RM6.00 and is only available in the Fujimart Bazaar.

~ This got me confused a bit since the Nasi Kandar that I’ve eaten before does not looked like this one (it’s more similar to Nasi Kukus but with side curry gravy) 

Nasi Ayam

~ Price range is around RM4.50 – RM5.00 and is mostly available in the Sabindo Bazaar, Fujimart Bazaar & MARA Bazaar.

~ I picked out this Nasi Ayam Hainan to highlight the differences between what I consider the real chicken rice with the usual types of chicken (like this one) as oppose to the ones with Ayam Goreng Berempah.

Nasi Kuning

~ Price range is around RM4.00 – RM7.00 and is available in almost all of the bazaars in town.

~ This dish can be considered as one of the staple foods in Tawau (with a variety of ingredients) and one of the most popular one is by Restoran Hj Tamrin (unfortunately this one is from a different vendor – sorry folks!)

Nasi Lemak

~ Price range is around RM1.00 – RM5.00 and is available in almost all of the bazaars in town.

~ My personal favourite version actually came from a lone stall that has been selling the stuff for years by the roadside of Kampung Muhibbah & in front of Taman Univilla (a popular vendor even during non-fasting month)

Nasi Tomato

~ Price range is around RM7.00 and is only available in the Sabindo Bazaar

~ The Nasi Tomato came from a popular hang out place in town called De Leepaq Café. I loved the dish but personally think that it’s on the expensive side for a dish similar (in terms of sides) to that of a Nasi Briyani.

Nasi Briyani

~ Price range is around RM5.00 – RM7.00 and is mostly available in the Sabindo Bazaar & Fujimart Bazaar.

~ The Nasi Briyani that I’ve bought was probably one of a handful that does not originated from a well-established Indian restaurant in Tawau. Although lacking in terms of side dishes, the gravy was really delicious (as the vendor was this sweet old lady from India)

So until we meet again next year (I hoped)? Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri everyone

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Corner No.5 Cafe

We actually discovered this next place by accident while looking for a place to give one of my dear colleagues a somewhat farewell lunch. The colleague will be moving back to Peninsular Malaysia after years in Tawau so even though there are 5 of us, we still can’t seem to decide on a place to eat. We eventually ended up at the lower ground floor of Tawau’s beloved mall, the Eastern Plaza when we spotted this new cafe. It’s sandwiched between two other eateries (one being the Cafe 3 Puteri) and is right in front of the Estrella's Homemade Cafe.

Looking back, I think one of the reasons that made us choose the eatery was probably the décor heavy café feel that’s practically oozing from the place. So many places in Tawau nowadays had gone for the modern café look and this place was no exception. The menu can be described as 70% western food with 30% local dishes, which I guess coincides with the theme of the café. We ordered some local cuisines like Nasi Lemak Ayam (that was mine – I think it’s okay but not a fan of the chicken), Nasi Lalap Ayam (the sambal was pretty good) and Keropok Lekor (you can clearly taste the fish within the keropok – which was awesome) while another two of my friends ordered western food such as Chicken Fillet with Fries (same old, same old according to my friend), Chicken Fillet Spaghetti (my colleague seemed to love it) and some Baby John Chicken Fillet (again, I think it’s okay at best but some of my friends actually gave it their thumbs ups). Oh and just so you guys know, some of the pictures below were actually taken from my friends ‘personal snapshots’ since my not-so-smart phone ran out off battery midway through lunch.

** Current status – Has been closed (as of June 2019) 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Yassin Curry House

Trust me when I say that Yassin Curry House is practically an institution in Tawau (they are at the front row of business centred Sabindo Square by the way, right next to the main Lover's Bakery). But I’m the first to admit that I usually avoid going to this place. The reason? Well, let’s just say that I did not agree with their ‘seating concept’ (I’ll explain below). But since my dad is a fan of their food, I relented and went there one evening, together with my mom in tow. The foods are obviously Indian in origin so you’ll get the typical Indian menu here. My dad recommended their Roti Arab, Ayam Masala and Sardin Tumis for our somewhat tea time meals. To be fair, I think the Roti Arab and Sardin Tumis were pretty good, what with the roti being very tasty and not oily at all (which was nice for a change) while their simple looking sardine dish was surprisingly sweet and savoury at the same time. But the Ayam Masala was salty as hell. And this is coming from the queen of all things salty!

So let us get back to why I actually avoided this place in the first place. Like you’ve probably guessed, this is not the first time I went to the eatery and it seems that they had expanded their originally single shop restaurant to three now. And their 3 shops (all adjourning to other another) had this concept where the price of your food was determined by where exactly you’re sitting. Yes, your seats definitely matters to them since they have the ‘low budgeted’ seating (which looked like any typical ‘kedai kopi mamak’), the ‘above average’ seating (same concept as the latter but with AC) and last but not least the so-called ‘high class/VIP’ seating (with fancier décor, private bathroom & drink station). You might think that I’m just being fussy about such things and it’s a matter of your personal preferences (to which I agree). But what peeved me the most about this was not about the place, but the fact that the food quality remains the same anywhere you choose to sit. Yes, if you’re sitting and ordering from the VIP section, you’ll get the exact same food as those from the lower sections. And I’m sorry, but that does not sit well with me.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of June 2016) 

Updated on 20/07/2016 - We went back a few more times (at the insistence of my dad of course) and tried out their Nasi Briyani Ayam, Roti Canai & Roti Cobra (which my parents said were just so-so but the curry gravy was nice) as well as Sizzling Ginger Chicken Rice & Fried Mee Hoon which faired better in terms of tastes

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Nasi Lemak Guru Besar

Yes, you’d read correctly. I imagine that you guys are conjuring your own former primary school’s headmaster in your head when you first heard the name of the place (because I certainly did). And you have to admit that the name alone really made you want to try them out right? It’s one of those things that made your head turn and your curiosity burns. So if you’re also interested, the place is situated at Jalan Dominic, by the roadside near to SJK Sin Hwa and right next to the Mitsubishi Motors Service Centre. You can’t possibly miss them since their place is the only place with a bamboo fence around that area.

The obviously Nasi Lemak oriented eatery has only been opened for a month or so (around two weeks before the fasting month to be exact) so do expect their menu to be on the limited side for now. They only provide 2 choices for their main dish, which we’d coincidentally ordered. I took on their Nasi Lemak Ayam (which was actually delicious overall, the sambal was thick while the chicken was crispy – but probably not the best in town) while my partner tried out their Nasi Lemak Ori (the same Nasi Lemak I had only without the chicken) and he commented on their rice, which was really fragrant and you can really taste the ‘santan’ (coconut milk) on them. Other than their Nasi Lemak, they also offered assorted ‘lauks’ for their Nasi Campur but since we came in the mornings, I can’t show you guys any picture on them. Why don’t you guys try your luck in the afternoon and onwards, since the place opened daily up until 10pm.

** Current status – Still in operation (as of June 2016) 

Updated on 01/10/2016 - They have recently added a few variety into their existing menu which includes Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam, Nasi Lemak Sotong Sambal & Mee Kari Udang. Also, try out their Pandan Cendol which tasted pretty good 

Updated again on 13/04/2017 - I'm just adding a couple of their latest offerings here. We recently had their Roti Jala & Popiah Goreng and both were pretty yummy...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Chiffonade

Footie fans all over Tawau will probably love this place, particularly if your team of choice is none other than the Red Devils (aka Manchester United). As a fan myself, I was pretty happy to find a place that shares your interest, located right on the front row of Kubota Square. Even my dear partner (who’s a Liverpool FC die hard fan mind you) loved the place simply because of the atmosphere. The decors were fully dedicated to that of Manchester United’s jerseys, personal pictures and memorabilia (some of them are even personally autographed by MU players) that even non fans might enjoy browsing through their stuff.

Now food wise however might be a different matter. Although the café is pretty popular among Tawaurians (footie fans or not) I find that the food was just average at best. My personal favourite probably be their Sambal Fried Rice which was pretty tasty and has a slight spicy taste to it but the other food that we’d ordered were just so-so. For example, my partner’s Chicken Marmite Rice sauce was pretty good but the rice was a bit hard to chew. The Chicken Burger was your typical deep fried patty with some mayonnaise and chilli sauce so nothing to shout about. But the worse one for me has got to be their Chicken Floss Toasts. I mean, I did not expect it to be overbearingly sweet. It might be other patrons cup of tea but it’s definitely not mine. But I’m definitely giving praise to their Nasi Kerabu Ayam (yes, they also provide those) since it’s delicious and in a satisfying portion (but be warned of the pricing though – it’s on the expensive side of things).

** Current status – Still in operation (as of June 2016) 

• 
• 
• 
• 
•