Cloud 9 Cafe @ Bandar Utama (IJM), Sandakan

SERVE NO PORK | CAKES, ICE CREAM & COFFEE | 12PM - 12AM

Sandakan probably is the first town in Sabah where the cafe culture started, and the numbers are still increasing, over years.

Cloud 9 Cafe at Bandar Utama, Sandakan is one of the newly opened cafe in Sandakan. Bandar Utama also known as "IJM" among the locals because this satellite township of Sandakan at Miles 5 is developed by IJM Land. Bandar Utama was also chosen as the site of the first McDonald's outlet in Sandakan.

Cloud 9 Cafe offers a varieties of cakes, pastries, ice cream, yogurt and coffee. Opens from 12 noon until midnight, everyday except on Monday.

Cakes

Coffee French Mille Crepe Cake (RM9.50)Is this the first cafe offers Mille Crepe in Sandakan?
I like the not-overly sweet fresh cream and overall texture of this mille crepe.
They do sell whole cake too as long as booking is made a day earlier =)

Cappuccino
Very sweet, this Cappuccino was added with lots of syrup / sugar, not my kind of coffee really

Cloud 9 Cafe

FOODIOT'S POINT: 70% (Maybe their non-coffee beverage is good, will try it again next time)

BUSINESS HOUR: 12PM - 12AM

PHONE: 089-660869

ADDRESS:
Lot 52, Ground Floor, Lorong Avenue 2,
Bandar Utama, 90000 Sandakan

MAP:

Lindung Sepilok @ Sandakan, Sabah

SERVE NO PORK | CAFE | 11AM - 10PM | SEPILOK, SANDAKAN

Lindung, means protection in Bahasa Malaysia.

I was shocked when BigFish told me about this cafe opened at Sepilok, 25KM (or nearly 1 hour drive) from Sandakan. If you are unsure where Sepilok is -- it house the well-known Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. No major town around here but Sandakan, so I wonder who are this cafe + art gallery's target customers.

Tourists, and young people from Sandakan, may be the answer. Still, I was quite impressed with the interior of Lindung Cafe and Gallery. Let's see piece by piece what's been offered here:

Location: Next to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehab Centre
Parking: Street Side
Environment: Purposely-built round-shape building surrounded by rain forest and river

The cafe has both indoor (air-conditioned) and al fresco dining area
It certainly looks fine and contemporary, the color merge perfectly with the surrounding rainforests, still is it not that kind of boring-looking wooden everywhere. Two stories tall glass panes allow natural lighting while exposing the nature's wonder around the cafe   

Lindung Sepilok
My favourite angle of Lindung Sepilok! WOW!!!

Lindung Sepilok
There is one espresso machine there but nobody order coffee that time, so no coffee smell...

Menu

The spiral staircase in the cafe

Art work display

Caramel Milk Tea

Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Pizza

At the pond

Lindung Sepilok

Panoramic view from the cafe

I only visited once and haven't got chance to re-visit again. Anyhow like many other visitors said, the food is always out of stock and service is terribly slow. We was briefed by the waitress that certain food on the menu such as Cendol is only offered to tourists bring in by bus (I didn't bother to clarify with the manager though it sound extremely ridiculous). At the end, we get a good pizza but terrible drinks. The cafe was certainly under-staffed and not-supervised. Lindung is managed by the team behind BaLin Rooftop Restaurant of Nak Hotel Sandakan, I do expect an above par F&B the cafe can offers.

FOODIOT'S POINT: 65%

BUSINESS HOUR: 11AM  -10PM

PHONE: +6089-533979

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/Lindung.sepilok

ADDRESS:
Jalan Sepilok, Mile 14,
90000 Sandakan, Sabah,
Malaysia

70 Years Cincau / Leong Fun @ Kedai Yap Syn Kee, Sandakan

SERVE NO PORK | CINCAU ICE | JALAN SANDAKAN

Simple and nice, this 50 years wooden sundry shop called Kedai Yap Syn Kee at the roadside of Jalan Sibuga/Jalan Cecily has something special in every Sandakan people's memory --  Yap Gui Leong Fun / Cincau / Grass Jelly (叶贵凉粉）, which is existed in Sandakan since 70 years ago!

50 years? 70 years? Let me get the stories right:

70 years ago, the grass jelly making business was started by the late Yap Gui at his sundry shop (Yap Gui Sundry Shop 叶贵杂货店) which has been abolished many years ago, and replaced by the then 50 years old Kedai Yap Syn Kee (literally translated as "The new Yap's Shop". The "new" sundry shop is currently operated by the 3rd and 4th generation of Yap Family, as well as the grass jelly-making. There is no "soya cincau" here but only two options: Grass jelly with syrup & shaved ice, and grass jelly with evaporated milk & shaved ice. Grass jelly was cut into 1cm cubes

Yap Gui Leong Fun at Kedai Yap Syn Kee 

Grass Jelly with Evaporated Milk - Small (RM1.50) 

Grass Jelly With Syrup - Large (RM2)

Happy BigFish got her best remedy during the hot day =)

The late Yap Gui started this grass jelly-making business since 50 years ago and now, it is with the hands of the 3rd and 4th generations of Yap Family 

Kedai Yap Syn Kee maybe not the original Yap Gui Sundry Shop, but the stories of Yap Family and their grass jelly still continue... 

FOODIOT'S POINT: 85%

BUSINESS HOUR: 11AM ONWARDS

LOCATION: 
Jalan Sibuga / Jalan Cecily, Sandakan
(Near "Pan Gu" Temple 盤古廟 )

MAP:

Nok Thai Restaurant @ Damai Plaza, Kota Kinabalu

SERVE NO PORK | THAI FOOD | LUNCH & DINNER | 088-538055

When Nok Thai Restaurant is labelled as one of the oldest in Kota Kinabalu, I wonder how long has the restaurant exist. Not too long maybe, some told me 15+ years (since the existence of Damai Point) and the following news article dated back 11 years ago showed some proof.

Found this old news article dated 31/5/2004 framed on the wall 

Well, we ordered not-to-be-missed Chicken Red Tom Yam, the ever popular Chicken Feet Cold Salad and a new Thai Dish - Prawn Stirred Fried in Shrimp Paste. It turned up the tom yum was, piquant as expected in every tom yum but not a big shout; but the new dishes, was very very appetizing! The prawn was coated in spicy shrimp paste - just like sambal! The plate eventually ended up clean and shiny because we both loved every bit of it.

Nok Thai

A basket of Sweet Potato Chips was served on the table together with iced water

Chicken Red Tom Yum (RM19) with moderate spiciness

Like most of the chicken tom yum, chicken breast which is tasteless was being used :(

Prawn Stirred Fried with Shrimp Paste (RM39)
Highly recommended! Price was reasonable to me due to the size of the prawn and freshness

Yam Leb Muo Nang - Sweet and Sour Boneless Chicken Feet (RM18)

Free Dessert - Thai Chendol
A little bit different than the Malaysian's sibling

Nok means bird in Thai, if you are curious.

FOODIOT'S POINT: 75% (People always said that Nok Thai is expensive)

CONTACT: 088-538055

ADDRESS:
Lot.45-0, Block D, Damai Plaza
Phase 4, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

MAP:

Cantonese Dim Sum @Tasty Wok, Venition Club Kota KinabaluS

SERVE NO PORK | ALL-DAY DINING | 8AM-12AM | 088-728188

Dim Sum at Tasty Wok Venition Club is among the new dim sum place in KK. The best of all? Tasty Wok is a Serve No Pork restaurant! So you can enjoy Chicken Sao Mai, Steamed Beef Ball with Orange Skin, Lao Sar Pao and Prawn Dumpling at this air conditioned restaurant. What else? Tasty Wok engaged two dim sum chef from the "Home of Dim Sum" -- Canton, China, to ensure the original taste and recipe being offered to KK people!

Coconut & Peanut Bun (RM5.99)

Coconut & Peanut Bun

Black Pepper Lamb (not in Dim Sum Menu)
Best!

Satay Ox Tripe (RM5.99)
The beef stomach absorbed all the flavours and very tender

Beancurd Rolls in Oyster Sauce (RM5.99)

Prawn Dumpling (RM7.99)

Fish Porridge (RM5.99)

Steamed Beef Ball (RM5.99)
Very unique flavour as orange skin was added to the meat

Lau Sar Bun / Golden Lava Bun (RM6.99)
Make sure you don't spend too much time taking photo - eat while its steaming hot to make sure the lava not cool down and solidified

Red Dates Pudding (RM5.99)
Served steaming hot

Sweet Potato Ball (RM5.99)
Served hot

FOODIOT'S POINT: 85%

BUSINESS HOUR: 8AM - 12 MIDNIGHT (ALL DAY DIM SUM)

CONTACT: 088-728188

ADDRESS：
Tasty Wok,
Ground Floor, Venition Club House,
Jalan Lintas,
88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

MAP: