Life and Dots of Daniel

Kota Kinabalu – Local Food

I have shown you the streets of Kota Kinabalu, having stirred your hormones with the picturesque of the city itself now I am going to let you drop your mouth and arouse your taste buds.

If you think you might be offended by pork, please skip this post. If you like pork, by all means let your taste buds do the reading. Thank you.

Authentic Tuaran Noodle, Tuaran
(Opposite Shell Tuaran)

Tuaran, a small and tranquil town north of Kota Kinabalu (40 minutes drive) has one of the finest noodles I’ve ever tried. Bearing the big signboard “Tuaran Mee” the shop is located at the newer part of the town and it stands out among the historical shoplots.

Tuaran mee as it is known is a well-known hawker dish of Sabah. Fried to golden crust with batter of egg yolk and flour, it gives the aroma of egg when consumed hot. Slices of Chinese sweetened roast pork (charseow) and fried egg rolls are use as garnishes to add delight to the eating sensation.

Tuaran Noodle @ Tamparuli
(Mui Hong Restoran, Jalan Berjaya, Tamparuli)

Besides Tuaran, Tamparuli which is located 15 minutes southeast of Tuaran is another popular stopover town. This is the first Tuaran noodle I had during one of the stopovers while embarking on a journey to Kundasang.

Being a happy chap, I grew in love with this noodle not until I found the authentic Tuaran mee which I mentioned above. Take my advice, always go for the most original and authentic noodle even if it means travelling extra mile. In any case, if you are heading to Kundasang then just pullover at Tamparuli, if you are heading to Kudat then Tuaran will be in your way.

Pork Noodles @ Kota Kinabalu
(Kedai Kopi Melanian, Lorong Pintas Plaza 1, KK)

Let’s not venture very far and come back to Kota Kinabalu. I am quite surprised that they are countless shops serving pork noodles. Elsewhere across Malaysia, it is understood that noodle cook in soup is know as 水面 (Shui Mian). In Sabah, it is a different story, if you want to have noodle in soup you have to tell them you want 煮面 (Zhu Mian).

I personally don’t quite like the noodle which has a thick smell and taste of soya sauce; in fact I dislike soya sauce because it is black. The meatball/pork/wanton soup, however, is nice and is very much to my liking. I ordered a piece of yong tau fu (stuffed tofu); to my revelation it is a piece of square tofu stuffed with minced meat which is very different from the “conventional” ones.

Puding Kelapa & Lokan @ Kota Kinabalu
(Jalan Sulaman, KK)

Fronting the sea, Kota Kinabalu can be very hot during the day. Nothing beats a refreshing puding kelapa (coconut pudding) to keep the body temperate a few decimals degree cooler. If I am not mistaken, this roadside stall is all the way up of Politeknik Kota Kinabalu. Ask the locals, they will be more than willing to tell you how to get there.

Concealed in this coconut is no ordinary coconut water but something revitalizing cool. Eat the pudding (jelly) together with the coconut water, they blend well together and is velvety smooth to the throat.

If you are up for some hot drink, try the kelapa bakar (baked coconut) instead. The whole coconut is baked in the fires of charcoal before being peeled for serving. This is not something I would recommend for a hot weather; you can get steaming hot and sweaty.

Lokan panggang (baked lokan) is a side dish served in this road side. At its simplest, this baked mussel is a good choice for an evening snack.

Sin Kee Bah Kut Teh @ Kota Kinabalu
(Kedai Kopi Kwang Tung Chai Kolombong, Jalan Pantai, KK)

A bowl of bak kut teh adds delight to my stay in Kota Kinabalu. For direction Sin Kee Bah Kut Teh is located beside Ang’s Hotel and facing the OCBC bank. Driving passed this place several times, almost all of the tables are always taken up.

The name bak kut teh plainly translates ‘pork bone tea’. This bowl of complex broth of herbs and spices contains meaty pork ribs and offal.

That’s all for the food my family and I had. We were treated a seafood dinner by my friend’s parents, but being a polite guest I chose not to take out my camera to do the usual snapping. My perception is that table manners should always come first; I found it really discourteous to let the host waits while one spend his own sweet time snapping pictures.

The next time you visit Kota Kinabalu, do try out the local food that I’ve talked about.