Restaurants in Malaysian Borneo – Sabah
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A
Kohinoor
There are several excellent restaurants along the Waterfront Esplanade, including this Indian place offering comfortable indoor seating and a breezy outdoor patio. Take advantage of their authentic tandoori oven and don’t forget to grab a side of pillowy garlic naan.
reviewed
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B
Restoran Sempelang
Eating outside is a Kota Kinabalu tradition and Restoran Sempelang is a great place to do it - right smack in the middle of the colourful Kompleks Sinsuran. There's a lot to like about this bustling Malay eatery: giant fresh fruit juices, English menu, good seafood barbeque (from 18:00 nightly), a canopy to keep off the rain, and friendly staff. As with other restaurants in the complex, your meal will be accompanied by the ubiquitous pro-wrestling videos.
reviewed
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Grace Point
Take bus 15 out near Tanjung Aru for some local grub at this Kota Kinabalu (KK) mainstay. The development is actually quite chic compared to the smoke-swathed food courts in the city centre – KKers joke that the public bathrooms here are Borneo’s nicest (and it’s true!). Go for the Sabahan food stall (located in the far right corner when facing the row of counters) and try hinava.
reviewed
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C
Little Italy
Dear homesick holidaymaker; this is your place. Create your own carbo-lode with a variety of saucey tributes to the Bootland. All things considered, it’s a rather pricey endeavour, but it’s definitely worth stopping by if you’re in desperate need of a rice respite.
reviewed
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D
Centre Point Basement Food Court
Your ringgit will go a long way at this popular and varied basement food-court in the Centre Point mall. There are Malay, Chinese and Indian options, as well as drink and dessert specialists.
reviewed
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E
Wisma Merdeka Food Court
Not as large as the one in Centre Point mall, this simple food court is still a good option for a cheap meal up at the northern end of town.
reviewed
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Balsam Cafe
Headquarters is set in gardens with a magnificent view of the mountain, and there are two restaurants to choose from. Both restaurants are open 06:30 to 23:00 daily. The cheaper and more popular of the two is this canteen-style spot directly below the park office. The cafe can little disorganised and chaotic, particularly when busy; they can't quite seem to decide if it's a buffet-style restaurant or a proper sit-down place. It offers basic but decent Malaysian, Chinese and Western dishes at reasonable prices. There is also a small but well-stocked shop in Balsam selling tinned and dried foods, chocolate, beer, spirits, cigarettes, T-shirts, bread, eggs and margarine.
reviewed
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F
Port View Restaurant
An outpost of the successful Chinese seafood franchise in Kota Kinabalu, this waterfront restaurant has air-con indoor seating and outdoor seating that affords a nice view over Labuan’s busy harbour. It’s one of the few proper sit-down restaurants in town (that is, something nicer than a kedai kopi). We liked the baby kailan (Chinese vegetable) with crab sauce and butter prawns, which had the unusual addition of sesame to the sauce. Beware of a secret hidden charge in the form of ‘special napkin’ (tell them at the outset that you don’t need it). Service can be a little slow and erratic.
reviewed
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Sim Sim Seafood Restaurant
During a visit to Sandakan, you’ll see scores of tour groups passing through, but we guarantee that none of them will stop at this rickety spot hidden amongst a chaotic tangle of driftwood. Located in the heart of a stilt village, Sim Sim Seafood Restaurant is a dockside fishery, where the daily catch is unloaded and sorted. A cluster of red plastic patio furniture huddles in the corner – just grab a seat and point to your prey! Sim Sim is located outside the city centre – ask a cab to drop you off at ‘Sim Sim Bridge 8’.
reviewed
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G
Nishiki
Operated by a Japanese expat, this authentic Japanese restaurant takes full advantage of the city's excellent fish markets. When we were there, the master served up some thick slices of tender yellowjack tuna that were as good as any we've had in Japan. The atmosphere is pleasantly traditional, right down to the sushi counter. There are good-value set meals, sushi sets, and plenty of à la carte choices. You won't find authentic Japanese food for this price anywhere else outside of Japan.
reviewed
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D Junction
Located just beyond the city centre, this small complex has a clutch of high-end franchised eating options including Royal Chino restaurant (serving delicious dim sum on weekends), Indian Spice Garden (specialising in North Indian favourites) and Umai (a Japanese affair overflowing with spicy sushi rolls and saucy karaoke). There’s a sociable bar on the ground level with plenty of Tiger on tap, and a surprisingly excellent shrimp wonton soup.
reviewed
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H
English Tea House & Restaurant
Soak up the recherché colonial atmosphere and elegant food at this exquisitely restored restaurant on the grounds of the historic Agnes Keith House. The manicured gardens are a particular joy, with wicker furniture and a small croquet lawn overlooking the bay, perfect for afternoon tea (RM17.25), a round of sunset Pimms, or perhaps some snobbish guffawing.
reviewed
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Kah Hiong Ngui Chap
Head to Kah Hiong if you’re craving the ultimate local experience. Tucked away in Kota Kinabalu’s suburban sprawl, this bustling restaurant specialises in ngui chap (beef soup) served with a special chilli sauce. Everyone knows about this spot – it’s a local institution and has been featured on the local TV channel as one of the spots in town for a bite.
reviewed
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Empress Jungle Town
A rather bizarre new enterprise attempting to recapture the rainforest experience inside a restaurant, right down to the semi-convincing fake trees, piped birdsong, cascading water and, um, mirror ball. Unlike most jungles, though, this plastic paradise has a snack bar, a karaoke lounge and a cafeteria-style menu of Chinese and Western dishes.
reviewed
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I
New Market
Although atmosphere is a bit lacking, New Market is a great place for cheap breakfast or lunch. Raw food at ground level includes the only unadulterated ground coffee in town. Upstairs find strictly halal food stalls, with a mix of Chinese and Malay up another level. Try the on-site Imperial Seafood Restaurant (halal).
reviewed
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Restoran Kinabalu Balsam
This canteen-style spot is directly below the park office. It offers basic but decent Malaysian, Chinese and Western dishes at reasonable prices. There is also a small but well-stocked shop in Balsam selling tinned and dried foods, chocolate, beer, spirits, cigarettes, T-shirts, bread, eggs and margarine.
reviewed
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J
Jesselton Point Hawker Centre
This is a great spot to eat and drink while enjoying one of KK's famous sunsets. There's a variety of Chinese and Malay stalls here with shared outdoor seating and a couple of proper sit-down air-con restaurants, including Benito's which does a great lunch set including a good Aussie steak on weekdays.
reviewed
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K
Port View Seafood Village
This cavernous Chinese seafood specialist feels like an aquarium where you can eat the displays – we’ve never seen such an extravagant array of live fish. Even if you don’t eat here, it’s worth walking into the foyer to check out the veritable cascade of turquoise tanks.
reviewed
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Restoran Prosperous
Roughly opposite the KFC, Restoran Prosperous is a Chinese place that attracts a good group of locals both wealthy and otherwise. You can get a nice char siu pau (steamed bun filled with barbecue pork) and a cup of tea here in the morning for around RM3.
reviewed
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L
Kedai Kopi Fatt Kee
The woks are always sizzlin’ at this popular Chinese place next to Ang’s Hotel. Long lines are guaranteed, but it’s always worth the wait. Their sayur manis cooked in belacan (shrimp paste) is a classic, and the salt-and-pepper prawns are great.
reviewed
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Tanjung Aru Seafood Restaurant
It’s more about the sunset than the seafood here, but diners never complain (until they see the bill!). While locals prefer scruffy seafood markets around Sinsuran, this spot is a perennial expat fave. There’s a cultural show on the weekends starting at 7pm.
reviewed
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M
Hawaii Restaurant
There's nothing Hawaiian about this simple City View Hotel lobby restaurant except its enduring popularity. It packs in Western tourists for its value menu featuring huge Malay and Chinese dishes, while Asians gravitate towards its pricey steaks and chops.
reviewed
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N
Shikai
Fancy lanterns dangle above jet-black furniture and swishing Lazy Susans. Lunch specials start at RM9 per dish, although weekend dim sum is the biggest draw. Vegetarians will find plenty of excellent tofu options scattered throughout the pan-Asian menu.
reviewed
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O
Kedai Kopi Fook Yuen
Cheap and quick, a snack of sweet kaya is the perfect energy booster after a morning of sightseeing. And this isn’t your standard Singaporean coconut-egg-jam, Sabahans have developed their own version of this tasty confection. Wi-fi available.
reviewed
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P
Fat Cat V
Forget I to IV, for once the sequel is just as good as the originals. The corpulent kitty proclaims itself a ‘Restaurant for Everyone’, and the broad menu of Malay, Chinese and fast food, plus juices, shakes and floats, helps justify its popularity.
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