After our one day tour around Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring, we waited for Vkeong and SL who were on the way back from their white water rafting session at Lavender Lodge. Well, we have learnt our lesson the expensive way from a cut throat dinner at Ocean Seafood the night before. Thou shall always ask the locals for their recommendations when it comes to food. Thus, Lavender Lodge’s owner recommended us to this seafood restaurant at Luyang town which is about 20 minutes away from KK city.

And so we hopped onto a cab (RM 12) and pleaded our heart out that the taxi driver could get us there as soon as possible because we were zapped of all energy and famished from all that hiking and rafting.

We were amazed at how crowded the restaurants were, thinking that it must be a good sign only to find out that most clams and prawns were sold out. Crowd is not always good I guess?

The first of our dishes to arrive was the spicy and sour crabs (RM 28 per kg) which we spotted in almost every other table. This is supposed to be one of their signature dishes but it wasn’t outstanding. The gravy was too starchy and acidic and it was such a chore to devour those crabs. The flesh was so tough and stuck to the shell leaving only a plausible thought in our minds – leftover crabs.

The braised garoupa fish head fares better – chunky meat with flavorful gravy. Not wanting to have rice that will take up much stomach space, spicy sour noodles and hokkien mee were ordered. The spicy sour noodles were a big hit among us! Slightly spicy with a twist of sublime sour taste makes this dish truly appetizing and refreshing.

We were glad that the dinner was reasonably priced at RM 77. Left feeling not satisfied, we headed to another round of seafood dinner at Kampung Air Sri Selera, formerly known as Sedco Square open air food court which houses about 5 seafood restaurants under one roof.

Rows of aquarium line the restaurant, where we took a glimpse of our favourite seafood. Old Village Restaurant was chosen because there was a lobster promotion going on at RM 10 per 100g.

tung fong lo

our victim in it’s full glory – weighed at 600 g and costs us RM 60 only!

Please pardon our jakun-ness. How often do we get to order lobster actually?

The tung fung lo (RM 15) was bring to a rolling boil to enjoy the maximum taste and freshness of it. At the same time, the dressing of soy sauce with dashes of pepper never overpowers the fresh taste of the seafood, but rather brings out all of its natural flavour. However, vkeong was turned off by its fishy smell and to make thing worst, he got an uncooked one! The elephant trunk clam (RM 20)  steamed with garlic and Chinese rice wine, though does not resemble geoduck closely in terms of taste and texture, was sweet and chewy.

Our cheese baked lobster was utterly rich and delicious! Caught fresh from the tank, the lobster was exquisitely succulent and delectable.

It’s such a fun indulgence, with our travel companions who loves food as much as we do.

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Continuing from Day 1…

We were pretty knackered and needed some grub after some brisk walk along Tanjung Aru and Sutera Harbour (thanks Sandra!). So we went back to the hostel to have a good night’s sleep. If you are looking for an affordable accommodation around KK, try looking into Hotels Combined which is something like an online accommodation booking aggregator. Hotels Combined even allows you to sort the hotels by its pricing, distance from the city, popularity etc. We did our booking for our upcoming trips from there too!

The great people from Lavender Lodge helped us to contact a few inbound tour agents and got us a One Day Tour to Kinabalu Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre & Poring Hot Spring for only RM 185 per person. Vkeong and SL who desires to do white water rafting at Padas River went on separate way (read about their little adventure here).

The journey to Kinabalu Park starts early in the morning. We were greeted by our tour guide – a sweet Dusun Kadazan girl at 7.30 am.  Along the way, our tour van picked up another family and two Singaporean girls from their respective hotel.

The ride along the sealed road was pretty winding so we get some shut eye. After 45 minutes, we stopped by the Pekan Nabalu, Tamparuli to do some shopping for crafts and local products while enjoying the most scenic view of Mount Kinabalu.

A majestic view of Mount Kinabalu

cam-whoring

We continued our journey to KK Park which lies at an elevation of 1,563 meters (5,128 feet) above sea level. The foot hill was the Mount Kinabalu Park headquarters where the hikers register for their climb but we proceeded to the botanical garden. This flora and fauna paradise covers an area of 754 square kilometers. Due to a diverse range of temperatures and climate, KK Park is a home to various exotic plants, birds and insects with new species found every year.

As our tour guide was explaining and pointing out the vast array of plants, we were busy snapping around. I felt the lovely cool wind blow on my face, such breezy weather! Though we didn’t make the trek up the mountain due to time constraints, but we truly enjoyed the park.

Mother Nature’s creation which leave us in awe

Wild Berries. Even if some of the cherries are slightly sour, they are still edible and I’ve tried it! Haha

The Naked Tree – tree that changes its “skin”

We stopped at a little restaurant near Poring Hot Spring for lunch and an energy boost because we need to do a little bit of climbing later. Do you know that one is required to climb 550m in order to reach the 157.8 m long canopy walkway with an average height of 41m? The hike up to the canopy walk is pretty strenuous to us as it is an uphill hike all the way.

I was sweating like cow by the time I reached the treetop canopy walkway…

The walkways are  planks hardly a foot wide placed on aluminium ladders supported by the ropes. At 40m above the  ground, it’s really bad for people with acrophobia like me! Walking through the first suspension bridge is tough, but as I feel much better as I go along. The view from the suspension bridge is simply awesome! It sort of distracted my attention away from the height issue.

KampungBoy & his “kick”

Rujuta from Singapore  smiling for our camera…

We are like little ants when compared to nature…

Meet Sue and her little girl from UK…

To rejuvenate our body by enjoying a refreshing dip in some sulphurous water (good for skin apparently!), we walked towards the hot spring tubs. There are limited private tubs and several tubs scattered around the communal area. Those available tubs appeared quite unsightly so we opted for a “foot spa” instead of a full body dip.

Our one day tour ended after this, where we took a ride back to civilization. With hundreds of pictures captured, we just can’t wait to share it with you guys!

Next Up: TWO rounds of seafood dinner in Kota Kinabalu town!

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Right after our third round of lunch at Fook Yuen, we took a walk to the famous (5) Warisan Square and (6) Water Front. Surrounded by many finely ornamented restaurants, bars and retail stores, you will never run out of things to do and see at Warisan Square.

cool number plate

From Warisan Square, we crossed over to Water Front, a long boardwalk along the shore of KK.  Waterfront which houses a myriad of restaurants, bars and pubs, is a popular hangout for both locals and tourists alike.

the grass is greener,  the sky is bluer and the sea is clearer over here

kids having fun jumping off the deck into the blue blue sea

We took a leisurely evening stroll along the luminous pavement at Water Front and got to the (7) Filipino market. Here, you can observe the many venders, or chow down on some tasty snacks.

oysters, sea grapes aka green caviar, seaweeds, barbecued jumbo prawns

made to order?

salted fish stalls

I took a sniff at these salted fish and the pungent, strong aroma assailed my nostrils which gave me a big shock. Haha.

barbecued chicken wing

A monument of swordfish overlooking the city and the beautiful rainbow that created a full arc across the sky

We made good progress along this easily walked coastal path and reached (8) KK esplanade. Surrounded by Hyatt Regency and Wisma Merdeka shopping centre, it is an alluringly beautiful place. One can always stand against the wooden platform, overlooking the islands  opposite.

good time to hone my photography skills

deep in thought : what’s for dinner?

ray of light

By dinner time we were all really hungry and blood sugar crashes. The mission is to pick the best place to cure our hungry pangs and all of us nodded nonchalantly when someone mentioned “(9) Ocean Seafood“.

cockles, sha bai, slipper lobster and some eerie looking fish

lobsters, slipper lobster & mantis prawn, assorted clams, stone or fish?

jumbo sized lobster which makes a great table centerpiece. imagine!

With a wide array of fabulous seafood choices displayed in exotic aquarium tanks, Ocean Seafood is known as one of the most wonderful places to enjoy a leisurely dinner in the city . We were told to pick a table, and place our order while choosing the victims from the bountiful selection of fresh seafood.

three times the size of pantai seafood restaurant

posh interior

The clams (RM 20 per kg) were too salty and a little overdone, which spoiled  the delicate flavor and texture of ‘sha bak’.

Our order of tiger prawns (jumbo size, RM 30 per piece) with its delicately firm texture, was very juicy and succulent. The butter sauce was sinfully delicious too!

Another variant being the soy sauce tiger prawns (jumbo size, RM 30 per piece) , which is quite delicious as well.

The kam heong crabs were a little too salty aside but that aside, the richness and depth of the very fresh mud crabs was astounding.

When in Sabah, do as the Sabah-an does. We had the Sabah Vege (sayur manis) stir fried with belacan but…our peninsular taste buds are not used to it.

let’s feast!

The highlight of our dinner has to be the dessert – coconut pudding (RM10). Silky smooth, rich, creamy with a distinctive coconut flavor, the pudding is to die for! I can just eat this every single day!

KampungBoy with his (ahemmmm) coconuts.

The staff are attentive and the service is quite good but overall, Ocean Seafood is a very touristy place. We spent about RM250++ for the above mentioned food, which is quite expensive by KK’s standard. If you don’t have a car and is traveling around the city, guess the choices are restricted to Sedco Seafood Complex (which we’ll be featuring soon) and Ocean Seafood Village.

(9) Ocean Seafood Village. No. 4, Lorong Api-Api 3, Api-Api Centre Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 88300 (6 088) 269701, 258727 (6 088) 265701

Follow our trails:

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Our holiday at Kota Kinabalu was a short one but we had lotsa fun with great companion like VKeong and SL. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, kampungboy and I almost missed our flight. Thanks to the convenient check in options and with Vkeong’s help of course, we managed to catch the flight on time. Although this is only my fourth time (in my life!) flying with MAS, my previous flying experience with MAS has all been great. I can still remember my flight to Seoul even though it was over 2 years ago. The moment our plane touched down on the runway, the Koreans around us were clapping and cheering, in thanks to a safe and smooth landing.

Our flight to KK was glassy smooth and peaceful with most people sleeping. The seat pitch was comfortable with reasonable leg space. KampungBoy dozed off in a jiffy.

In serious dozing mode

Scrumptious Nasi Lemak

We were offered our on-board meals and they all do look familiar! Remember our visit to the airline caterer’s kitchen? With yoghurt drink, fererro rocher chocolates, cut fruits, bun, nasi lemak/ omelet, it was a simple but fulfilling breakfast.

Omelette with Hash Brown, Sausage and Mushroom

Our flight arrived at the newly renovated and extended KKIA, the second busiest airport in Malaysia, after KLIA. We then took a cab to Lavender Lodge at Kampung Air, which is 10 minutes away from the airport. Do note that taxis in KK do not run on meter, they are charging a fixed amount to places within a certain radius instead. A 15 minutes ride as such will usually cost RM20.

Since we were travelling on a shoestring, we opted to stay in Lavender Lodge in which a double room costs only RM 65 nett per night .It is a simple and no frills hostel with well-kept room and most importantly, clean shared toilet and shower. Lavender Lodge is centrally located too, it is within walking distance from Gaya Street, Warisan Square, Water Front, etc. However, please be cautious if you are travelling on your own as Kampung Air has the dubious distinction of being KK’s most notorious red light area. Comes midnight, it’s quite a scene.

(1) Lavender Lodge 1st-3rd Floor, No.6, Jalan Laiman Diki, Kampung Air, Kota Kinabalu. Tel: (6088) 217119

Our first stop was Wiya Chicken Rice ???? at Segama. It is known as the oldest chicken rice shop in KK town too! Sitted at a two storey lot, one can always proceed upstairs for air conditioning but do you know that they are charging 50 cents per pax for it? Sorry to tell that we compromised for such ridiculous charges, because the weather is unbearably hot out there.

Cool air comes with a price. Simply outrageous!

Teh C Peng (RM 2) – a perfect thirst quencher. Even though it’s more like a Kuching thing, but most Teh C Peng that we had around KK are really nice!

The pyramid shaped rice was absolutely amazing, flavorful, oily and fluffy but the chicken is just like any other normal steamed chicken, nothing to shout about. Furthermore, RM5.50 for such a small portion is a tad too expensive in my humble opinion.

2) Wiya Nasi Ayam & Kedai Kopi No.4, Block F, Segama Complex, Kota Kinabalu. Tel: (6088) 214378

After that, we spent a bit of time walking around Gaya Street. Every Sunday morning, Gaya Street is closed to traffic for the Gaya Street Fair. That’s another post on another day. Being one of the oldest street in KK, gaya street exudes an aura of idyllic charm.

Toilet Sign

Fountain on Roundabout

Old School Barber Shop

Reflection

We stopped by Yee Fung at Gaya Street for another round of late lunch. It is an eatery specializing in a variant of KK’s most famous dish such as ngiu zap and Sarawak laksa. But we thought that the food was pretty much mediocre.

Ngiu Zap

Sarawak Laksa

3) Yee Fung Kopitiam No. 127, Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu. Tel: (6088)  312042

We were told that there is this shop called Fook Yuen Coffee Shop which is famous for its ‘roti kahwin’ so we showed up at Fook Yuen’s branch in Asia City. The ambiance, menu and food resembles Old Town Kopitiam very much. Kaya with thick slabs of butter sandwiched between slices of soft, fluffy white bread, it is very different from what we usually have. The bread was pillowy soft with a hint of sweetness.

Roti Kahwin

From left: Susu Kahwin (evaporated milk+condensed milk), Kopi Kahwin (coffee + tea), Teh Madras (with layers of evaporated milk, black tea and foam). I was amazed that I had never seen, much less tasted, Teh Madras before. Sweet and flavourful, with a hint of bitterness from the tea, it was so refreshing.

SL’s vietnamese drip coffee. At only RM2, it was a steal.

(4) Kedai Kopi Fook Yuen Damai Plaza PH 4, Jalan Damai, Luyang, KK.

Gr Floor, Asia City Complex,  Jalan Asia City, 88000 KK.

To be continued…

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

click to enlarge. map from Borneo-Online, modified by kampungboycitygal.

Follow our trails (numbered from 1 to 13) in KK City. Hope you guys will find this online travel guide useful in planning your vacation.

Day 1 – 1. Lavender Lodge, 2. Wiya Chicken Rice, 3. Kedai Kopi Yee Fung , 4. Kedai Kopi Fook Yuen, 5. Warisan Square , 6. Water Front, 7. Filipino Market , 8. KK Explanade, 9. Ocean Seafood

Day 2 - Pekan Nabalu, Kota Kinabalu Park, Poring Hot Spring, Luyang Seafood Restaurant, 10. Sedco Seafood Complex/Sri Selera Kampung Air

Day 3 – 11. Kedai Kopi Seng Hing, 12. Jesselton Jetty, TAE Marine Park, 13. Restaurant Sri Malacca

We are back from a 3 day 2 night trip in Kota Kinabalu! I’ve always wanted to go to Sabah, the land beneath the wind for some fresh experiences. We went there with VK and SL, so we are pretty sure that it will be a gastronomic trip as well!

Kota Kinabalu is magnificent, with paradise islands and virgin coral reefs (TAR marine park) and the mighty Mount Kinabalu which gave the city its name, is only 90 minutes away. I will cover that on my subsequent write-up.

Guess how much are being spent on the trip? After some auditing and cross-checking, we spent less than RM 500 (per person) which includes our stay in hostel, a day tour to Kinabalu Park, island hopping, three meals a day and taxi ride around the city. If you wish to travel in comfort but with a budget, MAS is offering direct flight to KK at only RM 124 (all inclusive) too, do check out the promotion at MAS website. It’s for real because there’s plenty of MHlow tickets available selling at RM 124 when I logged in just now. Alternatively, join MAS FB group to win free tickets!

Here are some pictures of the beautiful city.

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG