Singgah Mata Asia City Food Stalls (KK FoodieVenture #100)

Since we were only in KK for 2 nights, we didn’t really have the time to do a lot of new food hunting. Plus my partner is a creature of habit hence the repeated visits to his favourite places (that I’ve reviewed in the past) and nothing else. Well, almost nothing anyways since we decided to have our dinner within the Asia City area by the time we check into our hotel. We have been here before but I’ve neglected to take any pictures so I try to make up for it this time around.

The long strip of vacant spaces in between buildings at Asia City (dubbed as the Singgah Mata passing) has been known to host some food stalls especially during the night. A cleaner place than say… the Filipino market, the most popular dish that is somewhat synonymous to the place is the Nasi Katok (a cousin of the Nasi Lalap). The Brunei originated rice dish is available on almost every stall within the area but unfortunately I do not have a picture of the latter as my partner and I were in the mood to eat something else that night (sorry folks!). We eventually ate Nasi Goreng Special from this one stall while ordering some grilled munchies and coconut water from other stalls nearby. We’ve also spotted some pretty good looking mangoes being sold but decided against buying them due to the above average pricing. But still, do come and explore the area by yourselves especially during the upcoming fasting month (where the area literary turns into a food mecca).  

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Outward Vacay: Hotel Deleeton

My partner had to go to Kota Kinabalu for a couple days for business purposes and had asked me whether I was interested in tagging along, to which I happily obliged (despite my ‘mountainous’ workload). Since it was a last minute planning (plus we’ll only be there for a short period of time) we decided to rough it up and choose a smaller boutique hotel instead. And I admit that I was the one responsible for recommending this place to my partner, since I remembered that my last visit was a pleasant one. But then again, that was 12 years ago (no joke) so I don’t really know what I was thinking.

I also don’t know whether I should be happy or not but the hotel looks exactly like it was all those years ago. I used to think that the place was pretty classy but now it just looks dated and err… ‘nostalgic’ I suppose. But my non-fussy partner was still pleased to see that our room was comfortable and has a view facing the Centre Point mall (where this hotel is located by the way, within the Asia City area). I did notice however that they’d at least change the bulky TV to a more modern one and had also replaced the aging wooden bathroom door. Location wise, it is at the centre of everything but parking can be quite a challenge since they do not have any designated parking (only public parkings with DBKK ‘must-have’ prepaid coupons – available at the Orange convenient store just around the corner). Also, do request for a room that does not have an air-conditioner blowing directly to your face or you’ll end up sneezing and getting a cold like we did.    

Overall…

Type – Superior Queen Room

Room – 4/5 (would be better if they can refurbished their rooms a bit more)

Price – 4/5 (very reasonable especially if you’re on a tight budget)

Service – 4/5 (it’s always a good thing to have an accommodating & polite staff)

Décor – 3/5 (again, very old-fashion looking)

Facilities – 3/5 (at least they do have a lift; albeit an old one)

Location – 5/5 (they’re literary right across the street to the main entrance of the Centre Point mall & next to this Toyota showroom) 

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BossQu Cafe

Previously going by a different name (but I don’t really know why they’d change it though since the owners are still the same people), the café that is located at the far end of Gaya Commercial Centre has one thing that remains annoyingly consistent… the late arrival of their food. I mean, me and my partner have been there a couple of times (since they were still known as Kafe Hati ke Hati mind you) and their slow service seems to be a major problem even back then. This is a shame though since their food was actually pretty good. We had their Nasi Goreng Arab (which happens to resembles Nasi Goreng Daging by the way), Nasi Goreng Special (or something similarly named) and Nasi Goreng Ayam Masak Kunyit and all three happen to be very flavourful and scrumptious. Now if only they would improve on their service (both the front and kitchen staff)…

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

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Kedai Kopi Lok Haw Fook

Initially a second option because their more popular neighbour had ran out of seats for their customers (which happens a lot), me and my mom came to like this laid-back kedai kopi after a few visits. Located at the commercial area of Taman Megah Jaya, the eatery is visible from the main road so there won’t be much of a problem for you to find them.

Some of the things that we have ordered include our personal favourite the Chicken Rice (which was out-sourced to other vendors) and Tom Yam Seafood Mee Hoon (also from another vendor – but unfortunately not included in the pics below as I’ve totally forgotten to take a picture of said dish). We have also tried their in house food such as the Fried Noodles and Fried Kuey Teow and both were satisfactory but not too outstanding I’m afraid.   

** Current status – Still in operation (as of March 2019) 

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Cakes & Co (Version 2.0)

I usually just update whatever new info that I have on the places that I’ve been to before on the original posts but this is one of those times where I think merited a new post altogether (by the way, you guys can click HERE for said previous post). The charming blue-ish looking café has actually moved to a different location but not too far off from their previous one. They’re now on the 2^nd floor of the Kubota Sentral area and yes, it’s definitely a challenge for those who may have leg/foot/knee (or just stamina, like moi) problems. But it was worth it seeing that they have added some new things onto their existing menu and not to mention the growing selections of cakes and cookies. Me and my partner had dined in twice and have tried out their Nasi Goreng Cina (with Ayam Pandan) and Nasi Ayam Masak Thai and both were commendable. But I do admit that I was mainly there for their desserts and were very satisfied with their Chocolate Walnut Pie and savoury Blackpepper Chicken Pie. I was however rather disappointed with their Nutella Chocolate cake as I can hardly taste the ‘nutella’ part. It tasted more like a cream cake (but a yummy cream cakes no less). And I initially thought that I have read the Browkies Cheesecake name wrongly the first time I’d order it but it turns out that it was a creative combination of the ‘brownies+cookies+cheesecake’. Since I’m not exactly a cheesecake fan (as my partner had originally ordered it for himself) I would say that it was okay, but with the cheesecake part being slightly overpowering than the other two sections. 

Oh and on a side note, they do provide a playroom of sorts for customers with small children so the parents can also enjoy their meal while the children are kept busy nearby.

** Current status – Has been closed (as of March 2024) 

*FYI, this is the Nutella Chocolate Cake..

... the Nasi Goreng Cina...

... the Chocolate Walnut Pie...

... the Browkies Cheesecake...

... the Blackpepper Chicken Pie...

... and lastly, the Nasi Ayam Masak Thai

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