1MB Travels: Sabah, Malaysia Adventures

Now that I've covered the priority reports on good eats during our family vacation, wanted to share some other cool things we did while at Sabah.

Day 1: With our tour package, we get a 2.5 hour massage / spa treatment in Kota Kinabalu. Most people save this for the end of the trip when they are tired from water activities, sightseeing etc. and need the after sun treatment. We went up front, as we were exhausted from work! After the awesome massage, we headed with the group to Borneo Wildlife Preserve in Beaufort (about a 1.5-2 hour drive outside Kota Kinabalu).

After we were served snacks - mainly fried fruit like bananas that seem like they have been sitting out too long - we set out on a small boat in search of the famed Proboscis Monkeys that are unique to Borneo, and on the endangered list.

Not sure why we were expecting to be able to see the monkeys close-up, I think in our minds there was going to be a portion of the tour that would be walking through the preserve and being potentially in close range to the animals - but in reality of course as they are endangered, we stayed in the boat the whole time, and though we did see several monkeys - they were swinging from the treetops so we could barely see their silhouettes.

The below was about as close as we got to seeing their faces:

Photo taken at gift shop at hotel

 
It was still fun though, and entertaining to see the kids on the tour go bananas whenever they spotted a monkey (and were able to identify the butt color of each one via zoom lens or binoculars). 

Thanks to the tour guide's sharp vision, we were also able to see a lizard up close - they pulled the boat right into the brush so we were just maybe 15 feet away from it!   At first our fellow passengers joked it's probably a plastic prop placed there for dramatic effect, but then as if on cue, the lizard stuck its head up and posed for photos.

At around dusk, we docked back at the 'lodge' (which feels a little like the Blue Bayou at Disneyland with the lights up) for dinner before heading out to see the fireflies.

Dinner was served buffet style with picnic style tables in the 'lodge', and included local veggies, coconut rice, and small crabs.  It was billed as 'private dining' but was of the quality you would expect at a place whose primary function is not food service, but wildlife preservation.  Though the beef short rib soup was a standout - very clean broth that's rich in flavor and made fragrant with lemongrass.  But if we were to go on this tour again I would definitely try to eat beforehand.

The fireflies tour was great - we basically went down the river in the dark, and periodically the tour guide would shine a huge spotlight on a tree that he suspects houses many fireflies, and for a brief moment we would question whether they are there - then seconds later, pinpoints of light burst into life all over the tree, so that it looks like lights on a Christmas tree - except the lights move around to create a magical, shimmery effect.  Again it was too bad we couldn't see them up close, and no photo opps with this one either - but kind of a fun thing to do in conjunction with other activities at the preserve (we decided we wouldn't have wanted to drive all the way just for the fireflies).


Day 2:  We also checked out the waterfront markets in Kota Kinabalu's city center. From produce stands to sellers of everything you can make out of coconut, to dried seafood and no-label secret recipe hot sauce at Central Market to handmade bags and accessories and anything you can bead, crochet or build out of shells at the Craft Market - this is ideal for anyone looking for local foods / goods and interactions.

While some vendors are more open and will happily pose for photos, others do not welcome photography at their booths - we just played it by ear and erred on the side of asking for permission before snapping pics (or captured photos quickly and discreetly).

Where we ended up buying the most souvenirs was at the Wawasan Plaza shopping mall near Api-Api center.  There were stalls selling everything a tourist would want to bring home as gifts - hand-dyed sarongs, Kota Kinabalu tees, monkey-themed gifts, all kinds of keychains and charms, crocheted seashell 'windchimes' and much more.  At one store, I scored 5 sarongs for RM100 or about $32 US!

Day 3: Our tour package offered an add-on for a snorkeling excursion, but it required meeting up at 7am for a 2 hour ride out to the ferry before another hour or so ride to the island, and we just weren't up for it, especially as I was the only one who would be snorkeling. 

The good news is, we discovered when wandering around Sutera Harbour Resort that they have a professional water activities agency on-site called Sea Quest, and among other offerings they run boats out to three islands at nearby Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park throughout the day, and will rent you the appropriate equipment from beach mats to snorkel / diving gear.  The most awesome thing?  There were boats leaving as late as 11:30am, 12:30pm and into the afternoon - they leave straight from the Marina Club in the resort, it's a 15 minute ride, and they take walk-ins.  The total cost for one person to go to Mamutik Island with boat fare and full snorkel gear rentals was RM80 or about $26 US (inclusive of entry fee into the park).  As a hotel guest at the Sutera you can also get a 'loaner' towel from the booth steps away from the Sea Quest counter.  So convenient!  Granted, the variety of marine life and quality of the snorkeling/diving experience at the Tunku Abdul Tahman Marine Park will not compare to that of Semporna, one of the Top 10 dive sites in the world - but it also doesn't take an hour plane ride and boat ride either - and is ideal for families looking for short half day excursions with minimal travel time.

The beach on Mamutik island was beautiful - though the picnic areas further back are a bit too densely populated, the beach itself was great.  Sea Quest provided transportation and gear, but leaves you alone to enjoy the water as you like (there isn't a guided tour for snorkeling), which is perfect for us. 

We were already excited, at the pier to be able to see huge schools of fish swimming below (hard to see in this picture with my point and shoot...but you can roughly see their numbers and visibility up near the top right corner).

With Sea Quest, you book a spot on the return trip as well before you depart, but can change it if you like - just head to the pier to let their staff know 20 minutes prior to the originally scheduled departure time.  Love the flexibility!

(You can also use the 'island hopper' deal to check out two of the three islands in one day - the boat stops by each island anyways like a shuttle.  Next time we would like to try Manukan, which seems a little more resort like than Mamutik.)

After exhausting work by or in the water (i.e. snorkeling or swinging in the hammock, beach-side) all day, and feasting on the freshest creatures from the sea - it was great to cool down with a Super Ice-Cream Potong. There were tropical fruit flavors, of course, plus some flavors unusual for ice cream, like avocado, yam and sweet corn.  Before tasting these frozen treats, I expected to like sweet corn the least - it didn't sound like something that would make a delicious ice cream flavor - but with that set-up, I'm sure you've guessed by now - yes, sweet corn turned out to be my favorite flavor of the bunch.

And those were some of the highlights of our trip!

All in all, loved Sabah for all that it had to offer - and there's so much more that we didn't see - hope that we will have a chance to go back again!

1MB Travels: Sabah, Malaysia: Ocean Seafood Village - "No Menu" Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Live Seafood Dining Experience at Fab Prices!

Just returned to a very, very cold L.A. (what happened to warming back up while I was gone...!)  A few hours in and our vacation in sunny Borneo and warmer-than-LA HK seems a distant memory from a different world.

At least I have my memories of the amazing culinary adventures from both places that I can relive as I post about them!

So here goes with the first one...

While on vacation with the fam in Sabah, Malaysia, we managed to venture off the compound of the resort to check out local flavors.  We started off with a self-guided excursion through the city center of Kota Kinabalu - through all the ocean front produce and craft markets (details in separate Sabah adventures post), to a local shopping center - then rewarded ourselves with what we had truly ventured out to the city center for lunch at a place highly recommended by the travel agency guide as well as foodie bloggers: Ocean Seafood Village.

At first, our cab driver got confused and took us to an open market food court style place - so the first tip would be - let your driver know you want to go to the location next to the Jalan Hotel, close to Api Api Center.  When we arrived at the second stop, we knew we were at the right place when we saw a relatively upscale restaurant, where we were greeted by two giant lobster sculptures.

The first thing we saw when we stepped inside, was row upon row of tanks containing all manner of live sea creatures as far as the eye could see.  Nothing excites my family (ok, at least my mom and I) like live seafood that are still swimming before we eat.

But apparently we were not supposed to enter through this entrance first, and were immediately led to the main dining room to be seated.

The dining room was moderate size, with round tables set up banquet style (the larger ones set up with lazy susans, the better for efficient dining in big groups).

As with my policy with movies, with food I just like to get the general gist of reviews (good/so-so/bad) without reading details, so that I could get my thoughts together first without any bias / noise.  So, I was quite surprised when our server informed us that the restaurant did not have a menu!

At Ocean Seafood Village (and other similar seafood restaurants in KK and HK), you make your dining experience the way you want it - choose your own adventure. 

Basically, this means you pick the seafood you want from the tanks (literally pointing to the exact lobster

etc. or simply instruct your server on the type and weight you want and let them make the selection for you), tell them how you want it cooked, and then the dishes of incredibly fresh seafood magically appear at your table.
So the designated seafood selectors from our table (my mom and I) were led back to the tanks to 'shop' for our meal.  We had an amazing time just peering into all the tanks, checking out some creatures we'd never seen before, like this giant King Lobster with tarantula-like legs - so huge it looked like it could go head-to-head with us if we tried to grab it from the tank (luckily, we would have experts there to handle that), Mantis Prawn (equivalent of Chinese Lai Liu Har, but we've still never seen the live creature before) as well as various local types of fish.
 

I know the burning question would be - how do you know how much your meal's going to cost, if there's no menu?  There are prices by the pound posted in front of each tank, and if you like you can ask for exact weight and costs before going back to your table.  There's also a negligible fee for tea and hand towels, as well as the small plates of pre-meal snacks which consisted of shrimp chips, seasoned peanuts and pickled papaya.

Looking to get the full local experience, for beverages we ordered a round of Pandan Coconuts in the shell.  Like all the other fruit juices we've had in Sabah, it could be served a little colder, but it still tasted great - untouched by human hands except for the cracking of the shell to reach the liquids inside.  Perhaps it's just challenging to fit all those huge shells in the fridge (and they did run out when we tried to order seconds).

On to the seafood!  We started with Sabah specialties: Tiger Prawns in Butter Sauce, and Sabah Vege.  My mom was at first concerned that the butter sauce would be too rich, but had reluctantly agreed to try it since it was only to be found in Sabah.  The dish turned out to be amazing and one of our favorites for the meal - the prawns were incredibly fresh, juicy, sweet and the sauce was creamy and as light as a sauce made of butter and cream could be.

Sabah Vege is another Sabah specialty - as there are a lot of Chinese immigrants in Malaysia, a lot of the people speak Chinese, so my parents were delighted to find that our server could explain the dish in Chinese to us.  The veggie is basically "Shue Jai Choy" or potato vegetable - they simply harvest the green stems that grow with spuds, above ground.  It can be cooked a number of ways, but Sabah Vege proper is with a sauce reminiscent of Cantonese "XO sauce" made with dried shrimp and chilis.  I don't usually like veggies, but loved this flavorful dish and wish I could find a place that serves it back home!

Next up was the Lobster - we asked for it to be halved, boiled and served in "top broth" - this format made it easier to get at the meat in a larger chunk, gave access to the tasty tomalley and any caviar inside / around the head area, while the clear soup gave the lobster just the right amount of flavor while still letting the natural sweetness of the lobster meat shine through.

We wanted to try the Coconut Crab (so named because its claws are so strong it could crack a coconut shell with its bare...claws).  But unfortunately they were not in season - the only crab available during our visit was Flower Crab.  We also asked for this to be cooked in top broth.  Our only note about this dish was that we wished we had ordered larger crabs - even my parents who normally don't order crab because it's too much 'work' to get at the flesh, loved the taste - so sweet, structured but super tender - and wished we could have had more. 

Our bill with all that seafood?  In Ringit Malaysian currency: 280 TOTAL, which translates to just a little over $700 Hong Kong or about $92 US!!!!!  For three people!

At that point we only had one day left in our stay in Sabah - and decided we needed to come back to Ocean Seafood Village one more time before leaving.  There were some other recommended local spots that we wanted to check out for a greater sampling in the area, but Ocean Seafood Village was so amazing that we decided to go back for our last meal, literally before our ride to the airport.

On the second visit, we had Lime Juice with Salted Plums (the preserved fruit seems to be as popular here for beverages - as it is to Singaporeans for food).  With the sourness of the lime juice, adding 5-6 salted plums ended up being overkill - this drink would have been nice with maybe 1 salted plum to add just a touch of salty and tart.

As for seafood, we wanted to try a local fish - and went with our server's recommendation of Steamed Marbled Gobby Fish with Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil.  Chinese people like to eat the flesh in the 'cheeks' of fish because it's the smoothest and tenderest (and bone-free) - well the entire Marbled Gobby Fish had the texture of fish cheekbone meat.  There were a bunch of thin bones to work around / eject - which turned my dad off (he usually avoids fish for this reason) - but the taste and texture overall was worth the work.  Like the crab, we just wished we ordered a bigger fish so that the meat to bones (shell) ratio would be to our favor.

Next we tried the Mantis Prawn, which looked like small lobsters with longer tails and shorter heads, and black and beige/grey striped shells when we saw them in the tank - and are supposedly named for their resemblance to praying mantis.

But when they arrived cooked, they looked more like a hybrid of lobster (spiny and hard shell) and shrimp (long and skinny).  We had this one steamed with egg whites, so that all the juices would flow into the egg, which could then be worked into a bowl of rice for extra flavor.

This dish was good, but again took a lot of work to get at the 'meat' - there is supposed to be a specific way to snap the flesh off the spine, but we weren't sure how at the time.  In terms of taste, the Mantis Prawns were sweeter than the lobsters, but this dish definitely did not have as big a payoff (not much meat for all that work, and not as big of a bargain). Worth trying as a local item, but if you have limited numbers of people and can only stick to a few dishes, would recommend getting the butter tiger prawn or a lobster dish instead.

Speaking of lobsters, we couldn't bear to leave without having this again, especially since it was so cheap!  So we ordered lobsters boiled in "top broth" again, bigger ones this time, but chopped up versus split sideways.  We decided we liked split sideways better - the meat came off in clean, versus us trying to scrape small pieces out of the chopped up segments.  It was just felt more rewarding when we were able to spear and rip the entire tail out of the shell in one fell forkful - it also has a better 'mouth feel' (popular Cantonese term) in each bite, and allows bigger pieces for the natural flavors of the lobster to come through along with the flavors in the broth.

Last dish we repeated of course was Sabah Vege.  The tally for this second meal?  A grand total of RM400 or $130 US.  (*And oh, I forgot to mention:  after our first meal, we were given a coupon for 20% off our next meal - but unfortunately we completely forgot to use it, even though we brought it with us to our second meal - d'oh!!!!!! So it could have been even cheaper than that!!!)

Forget Shangri-La - after those two meals, paradise for me would be to live in Sabah...or specifically, next to Ocean Seafood Village.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6.5 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

___________________________________________________________

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Ocean Seafood Village Restaurant
No.4, Lorong Api-api Center 3, Api-api Center,
88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Ph: 088-264701,  088-269701
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1MB Travels: Sabah, Malaysia: Ferdinand's at The Magellan Sutera Harbour - Resort Dining

While waiting for the countdown to 2011...thought I'd get one last post in before the official end of the year.  Should probably cover our Christmas dinner at Ferdinand's in Sabah, while on family vacation, before too much time has passed!

Ferdinand's is a world class restaurant  (listed as one of the best restaurants in Malaysia by the local Tatler magazine) serving up Italian fare in the only fine dining venue in The Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort, and the care they took with their holiday dinner really showed.  The tables were gorgeous, with a sparkling gold mesh over their linens, celebratory items at each seat including an elaborate, sparkling gold mask and beautifully packaged noisemakers and 'champagne bottle confetti'  (ok so these are more appropriate to New Year's Eve, but they were gorgeous nonetheless) and gold pillar candle casting a soft glow over the whole setup.  The windows overlook the South China Sea, and the pool, lit up to a beautiful blue at night, as well as the lovely candle-lit tables on the patio of Al Fresco.  In other words, fantastic ambience inside and out.

We were immediately greeted with a basket of warm rolls and breadsticks once we were seated, along with a plate consisting of a trio of butters (loved the tomato butter, along with the herb and unsalted), eggplant tapenade topped with shredded cheese, and olives.

In a celebratory mood - my dad wanted to order champagne, but all were offered by the bottle - and since none of us were big drinkers (nor interested in getting sloshed with family!) we ended up with some prosecco, the only sparkly we could order by the glass.

As for food, it was a four-course prix fixe menu with two options for entrees - all courses were amazing and completely exceeded expectations. 

Our starter 'Antipasti Nataliza' was Wild Mushroom Terrine flavoured with Truffle, and a Tomato Mousse and Buffalo Mozzarella.  We appreciated that the plating, like the table settings, exhibited skill and care in presentation - though the mozzarella was a little too watery and my 'tower' toppled over on its own before I could get to it.  I did enjoy the terrine with its fragrant truffle flavors.

Next up was a 'Zuppa della Vigilia' - Chestnut soup with Pumpkin Ravioli and Cappuccino Foam.  I thought this was a great, inspired way to incorporate a holiday staple - chestnuts - into the menu.  The soup was creamy and especially soothing on that rainy night.





Before our entrees, Sorbetto - Lime Sherbet - arrived for us to cleanse our palates, served in an adorable little ceraminc dish.

As seafood lovers, for our entree both my mom and I ordered the 'Pesce del Nord' - Mediterrenean crusted Cod on creamy Zucchini Saffron Risotto, Pumpkin Puree and White Wine Beurre Blanc.  The fish was incredibly fresh (as a matter of course, we were in Sabah!) and well balanced with the creamy risotto and crunchy veggies on the plate.

My dad had the 'Taccino di Natale' - Stuffed Turkey Leg and Breast on Barley Pearl, Fondue Potatoes and Baby Vegetable.  We thought this was a creative way to serve up another holiday staple, at least visually - and my dad enjoyed the dish, noting that the turkey was perfectly juicy and well-flavored.

As for dessert - we had 'Strudel di Mele' - Warm Apple and Fig Strudel served with Vanilla Sauce and Coulis, which arrived at just the right temperature to release the well-balanced sweet/tart fruit flavors, with the pastry shell at perfect thickness and flakiness.

After the great meal, the staff lined up at the door on our way out to give us a personal thank you (way to make us feel like VIPs - thanks Ferdinand's!) and to give us a little parting / holiday gift - we each got a small box filled with chocolate / prune themed treats (not sure what the connection was of prunes with Sabah, but the treats looked tasty)!  There was a chocolate macaron (made the Parisian way, with a crispy shell and light, airy but tender interior - no coconut) filled with a prune flavored cream, a sugared prune 'sandwich' with prune filling, and a seashell-shaped chocolate cookie and prune filling and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios on top as if to represent sand on the shell.  A sweet reminder of the great experience we had at the restaurant!

Overall, loved Ferdinand's and would definitely return next time we stay at the Sutera Harbour.  It was an insane deal for fine dining at Christmas, at a total of RM556 for three people including 3 glasses of Prosecco! (Translates to approximately $1300 HKD or under $170 USD TOTAL!!!) Though in Sabah, you would ideally want to taste local flavors and specialty dishes (see my post on Ocean Seafood Village and other local eats / adventures) Ferdinand's is a great choice for those who want to stay within the resort hotel, or just want a fine dining option with western offerings on special occasions like Christmas (as my parents did that particular night).

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

________________________________________________________________

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Ferdinand's
The Magellan Sutera Harbour Hotel
Level 2, 1 Sutera Harbour Boulevard, Kota Kinabalu, 88100 Sabah, Malaysia
Ph: (6088) 318 888
Website: suteraharbour.com

________________________________________________________________

1MB Travels: Sabah, Malaysia: Sutera Harbour Resort Dining

This holiday, my parents decided they wanted to vacation in Sabah, Borneo, and were nice enough to ask me to come with them as a 'stop' on the way to visit in Hong Kong for Christmas!

After a 14 hour flight and layover, we flew out together to Sabah to stay at the Sutera Harbour Resort, conveniently located just 10-15 minutes from the airport and a short ride from Kota Kinabalu's city center.



The giant complex, comprised of two resort hotels, a golf course, marina and country club, still managed to give off the vibe of a remote island retreat with gorgeous views of the South China sea and tropical islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, airy accommodations with architecture inspired by aboriginal culture (e.g. longhouses), a huge boardwalk lined with sunchairs and hammocks sandwiched between the ocean and free form pools with a swim-up bar - all the better to enjoy the beautiful 85-90 degree weather Sabah provided in the depths of December.
 
We had an amazing time and I would have been in heaven just to lay on the hammock, enjoying the sounds of the waves, and sun tempered by cool ocean breezes.  But I of course had to venture out to enjoy the island - and there is lots to report, but I wanted to start with dining at the resort, as it had been my parents' idea to stay in and relax, as Sutera provided all creature comforts in one complex.  (We did manage some island excursions on this trip - see separate posts on tourist activities and off-site dining - but on for now to resort dining!)


TARIK LOBBY LOUNGE (The Magellan Sutera Harbour)

While waiting for check-in, we were offered a 'welcome drink' at Tarik's Lobby Lounge off the far side of the registration area.  I loved this space, which very skillfully mixed Borneo heritage with western sensibilities - with lofty longhouse inspired ceilings with exposed wooden beams, and colonial style ceiling fans - while taking full advantage of the fresh ocean breezes and fresh air with wide open sides (no windows!) not only all around the building, but with the far side of the lounge dropping off into unobstructed views of the pool and ocean below.


The 'welcome drink' was a simple beverage, but a great twist on iced tea - it was basically iced peach tea with a lime wedge and salted plum added. For me, it was love at first sip - a perfect balance of sweet / bitter / tart/ salty - but I was unfortunately too jetlagged to capture any photos that first night. I did shoot the space later on, and of the drink when I was thick-skinned enough to order it at a later meal - see pic under 'Al Fresco'.  One thing I regret not doing was ordering "Teh Tarik" - Malaysia's pulled tea - supposedly a main attraction here - though I never saw anyone else order it during my stay...


AL FRESCO (The Magellan Sutera Harbour)

This casual dining space can be found pool-side on the lower-level of the lodge, to the left of the spa if you're facing the ocean (I love saying the latter half of that sentence!).

Every seat in the house here basically affords amazing ocean views, and you can choose to go 100% al fresco on the patio poolside, or catch some shade under the still wide open space where you can enjoy ocean sounds, smells and breezes.  (Or simply swim up to the bar attached to the pool!)


Al Fresco serves up food and drinks all day, and we were a fan of popping down for quick bites between meals. 

My parents started out with two Power Punch smoothies (which according to the server, consists of strawberry, orange and banana - but as we found throughout our stay, accuracy of information provided to guests is not necessarily a priority - perhaps part of the very laid back culture that allows us to enjoy our vacation in a very slow-paced, stress-free environment,
but with occasional, though not critical, drawbacks).


I asked if I could have the 'welcome drink' (aka crack) - which they readily provided. 

Pictured in the background is the pizza counter, where wood-fired pizzas are made from scratch in the small open kitchen.  Enticing as the smell of fresh pizza dough was, I could not bear to fill up on carbs when I was at one of the top locations for some of the freshest seafood in the world.

My mom agrees (we have pretty much the same taste, which makes eating out together easy and fun!  I think I inherited my love of / sense of adventure when it comes to food from her)  - and ordered the shrimp skewers with Romesco sauce. 
The shrimp was plump, juicy and sweet -and perfectly grilled to a crisp outside, and tender inside.  Also key: it was hot off the grill.  We hadn't tasted shrimp this fresh since...maybe Tsukiji!  Loved this dish.

My dad is usually a steak and eggs / potatoes kind of guy, but can 'tolerate' seafood of particular kinds in small doses (!!!!)  So he ordered the Linguini Aragosta. 

He was happy to report that the lobster was also juicy, sweet and fresh.

I decided on the Seafood Combination - a small sampler platter of the fruits of the sea:  squid, shrimp, mussels, and salmon fillet accompanied by veggies, all lightly grilled.

In one word:  amazing.  Everything tasted so fresh, and like the shrimp, was perfectly grilled. 

The only unfortunate thing is that some small gnats / flies seemed to agree, and flocked to our table en masse as the
seafood arrived (they bizarrely left us alone when we had the sweet fruity drinks on the table). 

So my only complaints about dining at Al Fresco, is the pests you have to compete with and race against to eat your food - which of course is a hazard for any meal done...well...al fresco.  It was just a little less idyllic and became stressful to have to use one hand to swat the gnats away while trying to eat with the other.   But it was starting to rain/drizzle during that meal, so my dad thought that brought the pests towards our table 'indoors'.  Also, service while very friendly is at 'leisure' speed - it took 25 minutes between arrival of our drinks and food.  That said, we were at a resort and knew we were supposed to move at a slower pace - so we tried to keep our three Type A personalities at bay from rearing their unwelcome heads while on holiday.

Otherwise, the setting was beautiful and convenient, the food was great and prices reasonable - so I would recommend this as a dining option within the resort or for guests staying elsewhere in the immediate area...ideally while it's sunny out.

(Note:  We did go back on another - sunny - day for Sicilian Ricotta Cheesecake and guava juice, and did not experience any gnats/ flies.  The cheesecake lacked structure and was a bit bland - but I would still recommend dining here and  focusing on seafood options instead.)


On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 5.5 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 90%



FIVE SAILS (The Magellan Sutera Harbour)

As part of the package deal my family purchased, breakfast each day was included at the resort - we only needed to show up at Five Sails with our meal vouchers to be admitted to the buffet, which runs  6:30am-11:00am each day.

Five Sails is in the lower level of the main lodge at The Magellan hotel, and offers both indoor and outdoor seating.  Outdoor seats give a great view of the pool, and where blue sky meets blue ocean beyond. Indoor seats are in a glass enclosed area that makes it feel like any other restaurant, and is not recommended for that reason.

The food offerings at the breakfast buffet are extensive, and reflective of the diverse cultures that thrive in Malaysia - Malaysian of course (lots of interesting local dishes from mee hong noodles to curries and meat stews), Chinese (congee, dim sum, bao etc.), Indian (naan, curries), and of course western (scrambled eggs, made to order eggs and omelettes, pastries, cereal).

Pork was notably missing, as Malaysia is a Muslim country - and the resort has come up with creative alternatives for breakfast staples like beef bacon and chicken sausage.  My dad got creative with his breakfast items (pictured at left).










My favorites - that also turned out to be my go-to items every day (and I don't usually like routine when it comes to food) were the soft scrambled eggs, naan with fish/beef curry and vegetable dhal curry, and fresh-baked croissants. 

The fluffy / fresh off the grill naan was made at an outdoor grilling station - with a chef on one side making eggs and omelettes to order, and a second chef on the other making naan to order.  It's not clay-oven made, but hey, it's a 'free' (ok, pre-paid - free for me via the fam) AYCE breakfast with ocean views - everything in context!








There was also a huge spread of fruit, and I helped myself to way too much (if there is such a thing) - usually a 'best of the tropics' selection consisting of papaya (perfecty ripe, just the right firmness and sweetness), pineapple, longan (orbs in middle of plate pictured at left, sort of like lycees - like Asian cherries but semi-transparent and sweet), and lycees (orbs in foreground, right of plate pictured). The lycees unfortunately tasted like they were from a can (my mom thought they needed to them to represent a key local produce, but as it is out of season in December, they must have just decided to serve it out of a can rather than omit it from the buffet).


Another item that became a favorite was something that I tried without having any idea what it was besides being some kind of beef dish (see the enormously informative label pictured at left - I love discovering local dishes, but "Daging Deng Deng" was not exactly helpful for tourists, which formed the majority if not all of the diners at Five Sails)! 

I Googled it and learned that it's a beef sambal, or spicy chili stir-fried beef. Loved this rich, flavorful dish over coconut rice!

Overall, breakfast at Five Sails is not bad as a cheap part of a package deal with the hotel.  However, if you are a morning person, and inclined to venture out from the resort early - I'm sure there are lots of local discoveries to be had at venues in KK city center.  For us, we happened to want to save those for meals later in the day and went to Five Sails as a matter of convenience. 

Apparently Five Sails also serves a dinner buffet - we got to experience this on our last night (one dinner buffet is included free with the package).  Dinner involves - in addition to the spread of fruits we got at breakfast - roast beef (dry), more seafood (shrimp sambal is only thing of note, and not fresh tasting), soups (beef short rib soup - not done the local way, tomato-based more like a minestrone, and winter melon soup) and desserts (mango pudding so hard you almost had to use a knife, chocolate souffle with consistency of a brownie, various bland cakes - the only highlights were pandan coconut creme caramel pudding which was very tasty, and the ice cream bar with local flavors like yam and sweet corn).  There is also live entertainment in the form of a 3-piece band with an island sound, who will come to each table for your song request. 

Our verdict: we would never want to pay for this dinner buffet - the quality and selection was incredibly poor for a 5-star resort;  we speculated that probably everyone else there were also eating for 'free' with their package.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 5 bites
Presentation - 5 bites
Originality - 4 bites
Ambience - 5 stars (outdoors)
Service - 4 stars
Overall experience - 4.5 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 90% (breakfast only if free / cheap part of package)


FERDINAND'S (The Magellan Sutera Harbour)

According to the resort, Ferdinand's is listed as one of Malaysia's best restaurants by a local society magazine.  It is the only fine dining spot in the resort, serving Italian cuisine.
We had a fantastic Christmas dinner at Ferdinand's, which merits its own post - check it out here!

CAFE BOLEH (Pacific Sutera Resort)

After an all day excursion to Kota Kinabalu for spa treatments (I know, life is rough), and boat tour of Garama Wetland to see Proboscis Monkeys and Fireflies - we were exhausted and ended up at Cafe Boleh (open 24 hours) in the Pacific Sutera wing of the resort for a quick dinner.

Earlier in the day at the wetlands, we were served a variety of local dishes in a picnic style area - one of the items was a beef short rib soup that was so aromatic I wanted more of it that same night when I got back.  Luckily, Cafe Boleh had this on the menu.  It was not exactly the same, but still had that great lemongrass flavor that reminds me of pho, but is a little more hearty with big chunks of short rib and vegetables.  The portion size was big enough to serve three people!  It did get a little too oily near the end so I couldn't finish, but it was delicious.

Spotting Nasi Lemak, a Malaysian specialty, on the menu - I had to give that a try, knowing that it probably won't be super authentic and flavorful in a hotel cafe.  It turned out to be fairly decent - and interesting platter of fried fish, hard-boiled egg, shrimp sembal, dried anchovies, cucumber and peanuts.  I think the idea is to mix everything together with the coconut rice - bibimbap-style (again the servers aren't very informative overall, and mixed up my dad's order).  But, I can't quite get used to having big crunchy pieces of peanut and cucumber mixed in with my rice.  And unfortunately the shrimp sambal was single note in taste - salty.  I would give Nasi Lemak another try the next time I go back, definitely at a local joint in town, but did not have a great experience with it at the hotel cafe.

As the Cafe was completely enclosed and did not take advantage of the location and setting like its counterparts at The Magellan, and the decor reminded me of an old school Vegas casino buffet, I would most likely not be returning to this location.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 4 bites
Presentation - 4.5 bites
Originality - 4 bites
Ambience - 4 stars
Service - 4 stars
Overall experience - 4 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 10%

Overall, it was an amazing vacation in an incredible city at a great resort - Ferdinand's was the best of the dining options at the resort, with Al Fresco not far behind on a sunny, pest-free day.  Hope this will be helpful to anyone looking for a place to stay / dine in Sabah!
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Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia 
The Magellan Sutera Harbour Hotel
1 Sutera Harbour Boulevard, Kota Kinabalu, 88100 Sabah, Malaysia
Ph: (6088) 318 888
Website: suteraharbour.com
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