Top 20 fun things to enjoy in Kota Kinabalu! (3. Sample local cuisine)

For our third instalment we couldn’t resist visiting some local restaurants and cafes to sample and enjoy local food.

Over the last twenty years or so, western knowledge and understanding of the quality and joys of south-east Asian food has grown considerably and one of the many pleasures of travelling to Sabah is the opportunity to sample some wonderful local food.

Introduction to Sabahan Food

Sabahan cuisine is based on staples such as rice, which is produced locally in Sabah along with locally grown vegetables but comes with a wide variety of eclectic ingredients and different methods of food preparation that are representative of the multi-ethnic population.

Kedai Kopi Restaurants - an introduction

There are of course many places to eat from five star hotels through to air-conditioned restaurants but if you’re in the older part of Kota Kinaablu around Gaya Street or indeed in towns outside of Kota Kinabalu you’re more than likely to come across Kedai Kopi restaurants which translates from Malay as 'Coffee Shop'. Open-fronted and usually fitted with fans these are places frequented by both locals and visitors alike. Some are run by Malay and some by Malaysian-Chinese and if you’d like an authentic local experience than this is the place for you. Nearly all have character, and you’re never far from the action in the kitchen. Chances are you’ll be served quickly and that it will be good as there’s loads of options of ‘Where to eat’ and this competition helps to keep standards high.

TWELVE DISHES YOU MUST TRY IN KOTA KINABALU!

NASI LEMAK

There’s no other place to start then with Malaysia’s national dish Nasi Lemak which is Malay fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and the leaf of a tropical plant known as Pandan. It’s normally accompanied by a boiled egg, anchovies and chilli paste and is a popular breakfast dish. Many local restaurants serve this classic local dish and if you’ve flown in to Kota Kinabalu on Malaysia Airlines there’s a chance that you’ve already sampled Nasi Lemak at 33,000 feet!

SEAFOOD

Very popular with both locals and visitors, unsurprisingly the seafood is excellent in Sabah, and of course fresh as it’s caught locally in Kota Kinabalu and the small fishing town of Kudat some 170km north of KK. Lobster, crab, tiger prawns, shellfish and locally caught fish (delicious when steamed) are all recommended, and some restaurants have steamboats where customers can prepare their own dish!

SATAY

Delicious skewered strips of chicken and beef cooked on an open charcoal fuelled barbeque. Due to the open fire and accompanying smoke satay is always cooked on the edge or outside of the Kedai Kopi which is a piece of theatre all in itself. The sauce contains crushed peanut paste, coconut milk, soy sauce and red chilli to give it a little bit of a ‘kick’ but often the precise recipe is a closely guarded secret handed down generation to generation. Order with a little bit of bread and Ketupat (congealed) rice accompaniment to dip in the sauce, delicious with either.

LAKSA

Spicy noodle soup often accompanied by seafood such as prawns. There are a number of theories regarding the origin of laksa and it may well have originated in Chinese coastal settlements hundreds of years ago with local merchants then introducing the dish to different parts of South-East Asia as they traded. Whatever the origin, this dish with a curry soup base, coconut milk and rice vermicelli is highly recommended, and locals talk reverentially about restaurants that serve good laksa. (Refer to our blog on Yee Fung Laksa).

BAK KUH TEH

Translates from Chinese (Hokkien) as “Meat Bone Tea” and consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth-like soup containing many herbs and spices including cinnamon, cloves and star anise. The dish doesn’t actually contain any tea and some say that Bak Kuh Teh is something of an acquired taste. Certainly, if you enjoy this dish, you’re well on your way to being considered a local!

ROTI KAHWIN

Literally translated as ‘Marriage Bread’, this is a very popular mid-morning snack to enjoy with a cup of coffee. It is real comfort food made up of a thick layer of butter, coconut jam, sugar and starch in a sandwich of untoasted bread.

TUHAU

Tuhau is Malay for wild ginger and it’s cultivated inland in the countryside near the towns of Tambunan and Ranau which are higher and accordingly cooler than Kota Kinabalu. It’s a favourite with the local indigenous Kadazan people and is often served as an accompaniment to main dishes. The aroma is powerful and the taste sour! It can be served alongside another Kadazan (and Bruneian) favourite Ambuyat that’s a dish derived from the sago palm that’s similar to tapioca.

BAO

Bāo or 包子in Mandarin translates to ‘bun’ in English. This makes for a delicious traditional hand-made mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. Served hot, options for fillings include chicken, pork, kacang (peanut), coconut, Mui Choi (sweet vegetable) and red bean and one great option is to visit Keng Wan Hing on Gaya Street. Established in 1984, this family run business is very popular with both locals and visitors.

GORENG PISANG

Fried Bananas – Needless to say it’s important that the key ingredient is fresh and at the appropriate ripeness. First battered using flour, water, sugar and salt the bananas are then deep fried in palm oil. Don’t me surprised if there’s a queue of locals and tourists waiting for the latest batch to be served.

ROTI TISU

‘Tissue Bread’ is a sweet flatbread made from flour, water, sugar, vegetable oil and seasoned with salt. Of Indian origin, the hot bread is served in a cone shape and these seemingly humble ingredients complement each other to provide a moreish and delicious end result improved further by curry dips and sauces including dhal.

HAINAN CHICKEN RICE

Name is derived from the Chinese island province where it originated, it’s a dish of poached chicken and served with rice accompanied with chili sauce and cucumber garnish. It’s a culinary staple in Malaysia including Sabah and a dish that many Malaysian-Chinese restaurants serve as a signature dish. Chickens are normally raised in a free-range Ayam Kampung (Village Chicken) environment in Sabah and many say this adds to the taste of the chicken.

LOCAL FRUIT

…and for dessert…we strongly recommend local fruit. There are in excess of 25 different fruits that are grown locally that make the most of tropical Sabah’s climate. Fruit is hugely popular here, and for the locals nearly always acts as the dessert at the end of the meal to aid digestion. Accordingly, you’ll see many ‘Fruit & Veg’ stalls at every tamu (Open Market). The fruit isn’t always as uniform and pretty as that which you’d see in a western supermarket however the freshness and taste is fantastic. Our suggestion is that you try fruits that you’d only find in specialist shops in the west, if at all. Rambutan, Jackfruit and the ‘Queen of Fruits’ the Mangosteen all come highly recommended.

WHAT IF LOCAL FOOD ISN’T FOR YOU?

I hope this has provided a ‘taste’ of some of the cuisine opportunities in Sabah but if you or your travelling companions are a little more conservative don’t fret. The major hotels all have very good international breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, there are of course restaurants and bars in Kota Kinabalu where you can eat pizza or ‘Pub Grub’ to your hearts content and there are also baker’s shops selling buns, cakes etc. Oh and of course all the global fast-food brands are here.

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS

For vegetarians, there’s an increasing level of understanding and consciousness coupled with a growing number of vegetarian restaurants and you can still eat 'local' but vegetarian, for example tofu (bean-curd) is a very popular food to base dishes on for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Whatever your taste, we’re confident that you’ll enjoy food in Sabah!

Top Tip:

Restaurants have varied opening times in a 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. window - some concentrate on breakfast / lunch whilst others such as Bak Kuh Teh restaurants are dinner only.

Look for restaurants that are busy, and with lots of locals - there’s a good reason why they are busy!

Remember ‘cash is king’ in the smaller restaurants in Sabah so have some Ringgit Malaysia ready in order to settle your bill.

About Martin

Martin is a British expat living in Kota Kinabalu who arranges tailored tours within Sabah primarily for British and Western tourists on behalf of Blue Kinabalu Travel Agency.