On a recent trip back home to Kota Kinabalu, my parents took me to one of their favourite coffeeshops for brunch. Located in a shop lot in Damai, H&H Kopitiam serves really good Yong Tau Foo or stuffed tofu and vegetables. One of my favourite Malaysian-Chinese dishes, Yong Tau Foo is usually served for breakfast or lunch together with noodles or can be eaten on their own.

Armed with my giant Nikon, the shopkeeper thought I was from the local council checking up on her establishment when I started taking photos around her shop! She relaxed abit when I told her I was just genuinely there for the food… To be honest, even if I was from the council, I wouldn’t be worrying too much as the level of hygiene at H&H Kopitiam is pretty good.

The menu at H&H is very straightforward – you can either have dry or soup noodles ranging from vermicelli, egg and flat rice noodles together with their selection of stuffed tofu and vegetables. They have two kinds of soup; a clear fish broth and a spicy curry. You can opt to have a combination soup with all the toppings, or you can pick your own selection from their glass display.

They have quite a wide variety of veges and tofu that are stuffed with finely minced fish meat. The stuffed veges on display are eggplant, bittergourd, chilli and okra. The quality of the food at H&H is pretty decent – all the veges and tofu are cut in generous sizes and taste fresh.

Besides stuffed veges, they also have fishcakes, fishballs and deep fried crispy tofu. You can actually pick the number of items to go in your soup and they will charge you by item. If you’re just after a light snack, you can just order the stuffed veges and tofu without any soup or noodles.

Their most popular dish is the special curry as was recommended to me by a few people. Being a fan of all things spicy, I ordered one of these with a combination of stuffed eggplant, bitter melon, chilli, tofu and fishcakes with a serving of flat rice noodles. However, when the bowl arrived I noticed that the portion was quite small compared to alot of other noodle soup restaurants around town.

The special curry soup was very tasty but I found it too oily, as you can see in the photos. There literally was a thick layer of oil on the top and to get to everything else in the bottom of the bowl one had no choice but to drink the oil too! The oil is from the coconut milk they use in the curry soup base. As it gets cooked, coconut milk slowly unleashes all its fatty goodness upon its bowl-mates!

This is probably the first time I have eaten a curry soup like this in Kota Kinabalu. The other curry soups I have tried were either Laksa or Tom Yum whereas the H&H Curry Soup had a very stong curry leaf flavour to it and wasn’t sour like Tom Yum. Despite being too oily, it was still delicious and I would definitely be going back to H&H to try the other dishes on offer. Meals here are very cheap and range from RM4-7.

Established in 1994, Krishna’s Curry House is undoubtedly the top banana leaf restaurant in Sabah. I have been dining at Krishna’s since 1995, and I can tell you now the only things that have changed is Krishna’s hairstyle, his ever-growing popularity and expanding franchise. The top quality of the food remains unscathed, and flavours haven’t changed.

Located in the Grand Millenium Plaza along Jalan Lintas, Krishna specialises in South Indian style Fish Head Curry and the famous Banana Leaf set meals with a Malaysian touch. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night craving food from Krishna’s. It’s harder now that I no longer live in Sabah – A meal at Krishna’s is now an annual event when I return to visit the folks.

Recently when I was back in Kota Kinabalu, my folks took me through the old ritual of lunching at Krishna’s. Once again, the experience was as memorable as the last. So what is the deal with Krishna’s Curry House? The answer is simply unrivalled dizzying-deliciousness. Putting this down on paper is impossible, one must experience the food in person at Krishna’s to fully understand where I am coming from.

Typically, a meal at Krishna’s for me involves the Fish Head Curry and Banana Leaf Set Lunch which consists of a platter of fish head curry and all-you-can-eat vegetables and rice. There are different fish head sizes available to suit – ranging from small to monstrous! The fish head curry is priced depending on the size of the fish head. A medium-sized one would cost around RM28. On Fridays and Saturdays, Biryani Rice is also available from the menu.

The types of vegetables and curries on the menu change on a daily basis which makes for great variety. The food at Krishna’s is never too salty or greasy and has the perfect balance of spices. Whenever you order the banana leaf set meals, the waiters will bring you a selection of veges in these tin pots. There can be up to 6 different types of vegetable dishes in one meal setting (lunch or dinner) and one is always spoilt for choice!

The star of the show is of course the Fish Head Curry – I’m never too sure what kind of fish they use – from memory I remember Krishna mentioning something about Ikan Putih. The reason why I rate the fish head curry here so much once again comes down to taste and also freshness. I still can’t get over how fish head is SO underrated outside Malaysia! It’s probably the best part of the fish, especially the eyes and cheeks!

The fish here is sourced daily from suppliers and I have never once tasted a less-than-inspiring piece of fish head from Krishna’s. The curry sauce has just the right consistency and isn’t too thick or watery. They use lots of tomatoes in the sauce to give it a tangy, sour bite which compliments the fish very well. There is also a generous serving of Okra in the fish head curry.

Most of the time, you’ll get to see Krishna and his wife at the restaurant. Sometimes his boys also help them out. He is a really friendly and jolly fellow who loves to interact with his customers – just how a restaurant host and owner should be. Getting back to the earlier comment I made about Krishna’s hairstyle, he used to sport a ponytail way back in the 90’s…

The Delicatessen Bake Shop at the Hyatt Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, has been around as long as the hotel itself (In other words, decades). My mum used to buy me treats here when I was really young and as far as I can remember, I was never disappointed with the goodies that came out of this bake shop.

Only recently a friend of mine told me about their famous Asam Pedas or Hot and Sour Oxtail Puff. To combine french puff pastry with a local delicacy, how could I possibly NOT sample this? I made a quick dash to the Hyatt to investigate this for myself. Upon entering the shop, I asked the lady and she directed me to a glass display cabinet and lo-behold! There they were… At RM7.90 a pop, they had to be good!

I purchased one Oxtail puff and took it home for some serious analysing… And yes I measured it with a ruler, and it was a good 20cm in length! Don’t mind the lack of presentation, but the oxtail puff was bulging with a delicious meaty content waiting to be consumed!

I proceeded to slice the Oxtail puff in half and thanks to a good macro lens, I was able to capture a steaming close-up of the hot and sour Oxtail goodness inside the puff pastry.

The verdict? Everything I expected and more. The puff pastry was flaky on the outside yet was soft and buttery when bitten into. The pastry contrasted well with the sour and spicy flavours the Oxtail was cooked in. As for the Oxtail, it was cooked to perfection. Extremely tender but with a bit of bite, the meat itself wasn’t too chopped-up and minced. There were generous large chunks of delicious Oxtail in the puff.

I’m definitely going back for more. I reckon the Oxtail Puff would be great for tea-parties – you can pre-order in advance from The Delicatessen and they can bake them fresh for any function. Totally scrumptious!

On a short stopover in Sandakan on our way back to Kota Kinabalu after a week in the jungle, we demanded to be taken to a local restaurant. Our guide dropped us off at an establishment called Sandakan Curry House, located on the outskirts of town. Sandakan is a port town on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and is famous for its seafood. This restaurant is apparently a big hit with the locals, so we happily went along with it. We got some stares as we walked in, the locals a bit bemused at the sight of a Mat Salleh -  or foreigner.

Sandakan Curry house specialises in South Indian food with a Malaysian touch. Compared to North Indian food, the Southerners don’t actually use much cream at all in their cooking. Chilli also plays a vital role in South Indian cooking and can be very spicy compared to its creamy counterpart. Their specialty dish, I’m assuming, would be the Fish Head Curry that we ordered.

There isn’t much Indian food in East Malaysia as the majority of the Indian population resides in West Malaysia. The most common type of Indian food available in Sabah are the banana leaf and fish head curry set meals. There are also other curries that are available such as mutton and goat which is very popular amongst the locals, as well as rotis and naans.

We ordered the Fish Head Curry Set Lunch for two. Contrary to what many people say about fish head, depending on the size of the fish (duh!) the head is actually very fleshy and has some of the softest and best parts of flesh from the fish, The cheeks and eyes are one of my favourite parts! With this set lunch menu, you also get a choice of plain rice or Biryani, a selection of vegetables and other curries from their glass display cabinet and some papadams (deep fried crispy crackers with cumin seeds).

We went for the Biryani rice (rice cooked with cumin, cardamom, raisins and star anise) which also came with large chunks of chicken. The selection of veges we picked were cabbage with mustard seeds, garlic spinach and bitter gourd curry. Indian set lunches also come with some Dhal (lentil stew) and a spicy vegetable soup, which we also got. Instead of plates, the entire meal is served on a banana leaf which adds to the flavour, hence the name ‘Banana Leaf Set Lunch’ – An economical way to avoid excessive dishwashing later!

The verdict? Very tasty. The pot of fish head curry actually contained about 5 medium-sized fish heads, which is quite unusual. I’ve always seen them served as one whole big head! The curry sauce to this was very tangy as they had cooked it with lots of tomatoes and added okra as well. The Biryani was well seasoned with spices and wasn’t too salty or greasy. The veges tasted great too except they were slightly cold. We definitely got a lot of variety on our banana leaves that day! The entire meal set us back around RM55 with beverages included, which is approximately $20. Not bad! If you’re ever in Sandakan, drop by Sandakan Curry House to taste-test this meal for yourself.

Nasi Warung – meaning ’stall rice’, is a very popular lunch dish in Malaysia and consists of a huge variety of curries, meat, fish and vegetables. It’s like a buffet, but isn’t an ‘all-you-can-eat’ setting. You get a plate of hot rice, and your choice of side dishes. Each side dish is priced differently depending on how much you pile onto your plate! Nasi Warung can be found in street corners, coffee shops and even in shopping malls.

The term ’stall rice’ means food that is usually sold from a street food vendor at their food stall. In the above picture I can pick out beef liver curry, deep fried fish heads, tuna curry, prawn sambal, eggplant sambal and stir-fried water spinach in garlic.

The Centrepoint Shopping Mall in Kota Kinabalu has a food basement level with a few Nasi Warung eateries. All dishes are prepared in the morning and kept hot throughout lunchtime. It’s one of my favourite meals to have because of the variety and flavours you can get just on one plate. Sometimes when dining with friends or family, it becomes a competition on who can pile the most food on their plate (and finish it).

More choices at a neighbouring stall – Pumpkin curry, spicy fish cakes and crispy skin prawns are amongst the food on display here.

There are literally HUNDREDS of different dishes to choose from, and one can never get tired of eating Nasi Warung on a daily basis. It will probably take many years to actually try ALL the Nasi Warung dishes in Malaysia. Many of these dishes are traditionally Malay, but there are also alot of Indonesian-inspired cooking styles as well. Chillies and curry spices make up the majority of flavours in most dishes as well as an abundant use of coconut milk in the curries.

Stir-fried beansprouts, fried cucumbers, grilled fish and vegetable curries cooked in aromatic spices and coconut milk.

Nasi Warung is a smorgasbord of bizarre and rare ingredients – Animal parts and strange plants aren’t spared either, everything from chicken hearts, chicken feet, beef liver, giblets, squid ink, fish roe, banana heart, ferns and pumpkin shoots are used to create an array of sensational dishes. One is always spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting food that will only fit on one plate! Sometimes I linger too long around the food deciding what to eat, much to the annoyance of other patrons in line.

Help! Where does one even begin? Check out the large dish of steamed Okra and Angle Beans.

There are around 5-6 different Nasi Warung restaurants in the basement of Centrepoint Shopping Mall. Picking one to eat in is a task in itself, let alone deciding what food to have. If you want to experience good Malay cuisine, paying one of these eateries a visit is a must. You’ll be blown away by the array of food and cooking styles – Also, you’ll get to savour many types of dishes providing you bring a few people along so you can share your meals.

A closer inspection at my lunch above: Clockwise from left: Beef Rendang, stir-fried cakur manis with garlic, spicy green beans, a piece of grilled stingray, ferns in sambal and spicy bamboo shoot cooked in coconut milk. The greyish-looking plant matter in the picture below is banana heart.

My plate of Nasi Warung which had 6 different servings of food cost a measly RM6, which comes up to around $2. For that amount of food for so little money, it’s definitely a bang for your buck especially if you’re travelling on a shoe-string budget. This really is a satisfying meal plus you get your daily intake of meat, carbs and vegetables all at once!

Kedai Kopi is a Malay word that translates to Coffee Shop. In Malaysia, these Kedai Kopi do not necessarily specialise in the sale of coffee – most of them actually serve full meals, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. The name Chuan Hin belongs to the Chinese owners of the establishment – so it basically means Chuan Hin’s Coffee Shop. Kedai Kopi is a loose term and can be anything from cafe to restaurant.

When you arrive at this restaurant, you have to go out the back to pick out your own slice(s) of stingray! The stingray here is always fresh and is caught locally around the shores of coastal Sabah.

Kedai Kopi Chuan Hin is situated at a shop lot on the corner of Jalan Lintas and Luyang, in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (a mouthful, no pun intended) and is a popular dining destination amongst the locals. My parents and I have been dining at this restaurant for nearly two decades, and their food never dissapoints. Chuan Hin usually only serves food during dinner time and they rarely open during the day.

The stingray is priced by weight – These two chunks cost around RM25 (approximately $12)

Chuan Hin has two main specialties: grilled stringray in banana leaf, and dumplings. These are two dishes that we always order when we eat there. They also serve a wide range of vegetable stir fries, noodles and grilled beef. The stingray is wrapped in a banana leaf and topped with a mild sambal, then grilled on an open fire to crispy perfection. To top it off, the stingray is drizzled with kasturi lime juice to maximise the flavour.

Grilled to perfection – stingray is one of my favourite fishes because of its soft, tender flesh and crispy skin when grilled. The texture is quite similar to a very tender piece of chicken and doesn’t have an overly strong fishy taste.

A meal for three to four people at Chuan Hin would cost around RM50-60 ($30) and is quite reasonable given the great quality of the food. The ambience at Chuan Hin is not something to write home about but the food certainly makes up for it. Chuan Hin probably does the best stingray in Kota Kinabalu and I highly recommend it!

Kasturi lime goes well with this fish as it brings out the flavour and also adds a tangy hit to enhance the sambal flavours.

Chuan Hin’s other specialty dish – Dumplings. Pictured are the fried garlic-chive dumplings. They also serve a minced pork version. You can choose from steamed or fried dumplings. I personally like the fried ones because they’re crispy on the outside!

A meal at Chuan Hin is not complete with their famous fried vermicelli dish. It’s a combination of vermicelli, fish cake, prawns, chicken, egg, bok choy and bean sprouts. We never order rice when we dine here – it seems that the vermicelli has replaced it!

Last but not least, some greens – A plate of stir fried Cakur Manis (Sauropus Androgynus) with Garlic. Cakur Manis is a rich and sweet leafy vegetable with a crunchy stalk that tastes a bit like spinach.

*BURP*

During a stroll through the 1-Borneo shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, we chanced upon a Chinese tea shop selling herbal tea eggs at the front entrance. The fragrant scent of the herbal concontion wafted through the mall which tempted us to impulsively purchase one of these delicacies on the spot.

The broth consists of a blend of tea, traditional Chinese herbs, star anise, soy sauce, cinnamon and sugar. The eggs are cooked in their cracked shells so that the flavours seep through. The smell of the broth is actually quite overpowering, but the eggs themselves taste sweet and you can taste more of the star anise and cinnamon rather than the herb blend, which is what gives out the strong aroma.

At RM2 per egg, herbal tea eggs are a cheap and healthy snack alternative – you get your protein intake and at the same time you benefit from minerals the tea and herbs provide while keeping you fuller for longer! Move over, Tokyo Bananas!

The Malaysian holiday experience is not complete with a trip down to the local pasar or produce markets to acquire some traditional narcotics. The thought of a quick and cheap high made Otto jump at the chance to try some Betel Nuts. We were at a small town in Sabah called Sipitang where my father grew up and still lives in. So one fine morning after a hefty breakfast at the local coffee-shop, we took to the pasar for Otto’s first (and last) Betel Nut experience.

The Betel Nut is from the Areca Palm, and is actually called an Areca Nut. I believe the leaves are called the ‘Betel’. But for some reason the name ‘Betel Nut’ just stuck with me while growing up. I remember the old village ladies always had a supply in their waist-pouches. They were terrifying creatures with yellow teeth – something which the Betel Nut does to you. As you chew, it excretes a bright-orange sap which, well, makes you look like the old village womenfolk – while giving you a head rush as though you’ve smoked 15 cigarettes in one sitting.

The Betel Nut ‘Kits’ are widely available at the local produce markets all over Sabah and this kit usually consists of the Betel leaves, a few grams of ground limestone chalk, tobacco and that other weird brown thing in the pictures which I cannot describe. These ingredients are then folded with the Betel leaf into a small parcel, placed under your gums and chewed slowly. Before you get excited, I can tell you now that the combination of ingredients does not taste great – a symphony of bitter musk and cat sweat will assault your senses in more ways than one.

The one thing that we all forgot to mention to Otto was that he actually needed to spit out the fluid remnants from the first chew – the result was a heavy head-rush, a sharp grip on my shoulder followed by left-footed stumbling on Otto’s part. The effect for first time users is quite similar to having lots of cigarettes in one hit – that ever-familiar head-rush a morning smoke gives you but tenfold. Needless to say, the oral contents were abruptly spat out in utter disgust followed by some incomprehensible muttering of sorts and cheers from the market crowd.

The funniest thing for me about this experience was that all the locals in the market dropped what they were doing and just stood and watched while Otto had a go at the Betel Nuts. Because Sipitang is quite a remote village, not many tourists actually venture out there. It must have been a field day for the locals to witness a Mat-Salleh trying Betel Nut at their local market. There was alot of giggling, wide-eyed staring and pure astonishment that day. Unfortunately for Otto, he suffered a bad headache after his experience and had to be carted home for a long nap in an air-conditioned room.