An Average Day in KK

The night we arrived in Kota Kinabalu, many restaurants were closed because of Hari Raya Puasa, the end of Ramadan.  Our query for some good eats was met with a disappointing suggestion:  the KFC across the street.  So we found a restaurant on our own & managed to order some interesting Malay cuisine.  Nasi Lemak is traditional  fare, consisting of rice, chicken rendang (chicken stewed in coconut milk and spices), and side condiments of sambal (chili paste), peanuts, sliced cucumbers, a hard boiled egg and ikan bilis (whole deep fried anchovies).  These salty, crunchy bites of fish turned out to be a surprising match for a cold beer!

After a good night's sleep, we awakened, and for the first time, noticed the small green arrow painted onto the ceiling.  It's labelled "kiblat" and points to Mecca.  Contrast that with the Philippines, where we found crucifixes & bibles in every hotel room.  Heading out for breakfast, we noticed many establishments post a sign that says "Serve No Pork", indicating the restaurant is Halal.  There are Chinese women wearing tank-tops & above the knee skirts, but the Malays ladies wear hijabs, or at the very least, a head scarf fastened tightly under the chin with modest clothing covering arms & legs completely.

French Toast & Kopi Manis

Kedai Kopi (coffee shops) are on every street corner in the approachable, pedestrian-friendly city of Kota Kinabalu.  Old Town White Coffee is a small restaurant chain, with it's founding store in Ipoh, on peninsular Malaysia.  They've been serving what the Chinese call white coffee since 1958.  White refers to the quality, and method of roasting the beans, not the color of the drink.  Kopi manis is the standard order of the day and it's cloyingly sweet, best as an iced drink.  Turns out sweetened condensed milk is used instead of susu (milk).  The only other option would be to drink kopi kosong (black coffee).  For actual nourishment, you could choose from mee (noodles), nasi (rice) with an egg or curry soups.  Or you could just get French Toast, which is made into a peanut butter sandwich served with a pat of butter & warm honey puddled on top.

We've been finding that we don't like to rush right into things when we get to a place, preferring to give ourselves a day or so to become familiar with the city.  Otherwise, as has happened before, we unwittingly fall right into the tourist traps: eating mediocre food, paying too much for cheesy packaged tours that we later regret.  So we took to the streets instead, a good way to get our bearings & continue to explore our surroundings.

Eventually, we found ourselves at "Suria", KK's newest eight storey glass mall, where we decided to take in a matinee to escape the searing afternoon heat.  At the concession stand, there is a bewildering choice of snacks:  "Mayonnaise corn" (with or without raisins!) or mashed potatoes & gravy in a cup. Interesting.  We chickened out, settling on popcorn.  Malaysians seem to love their sweets, so the popcorn is caramel-flavored, not movie-theatre buttered.  A 3-D movie cost the equivalent of $5 and when you buy the ticket you choose where you want to sit, which is a brilliant system.

By the time the movie was over, it was more bearable outside, though plenty of people still carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.  After a few hours spent reading, our stomachs were growling.  We found ourselves standing in front of "Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice & BBQ Pork".  The eatery was the type of place we'd normally hurry past - stark fluorescent lighting, flimsy chairs & plastic serving dishes. No  ambiance.  But the barbecued chickens hanging under the heat lamp looked good and the fellow wielding the meat cleaver seemed...experienced.  We were on the fence but before we knew what was happening, the owner had whisked us in, and we were seated at the only available table.  Amidst the kitchen clamour and happy sounds of people eating & talking, we fell in love with "Hainanese chicken rice".  A simple meal of rice cooked in chicken stock, served with steamed or roast chicken.  The roast chicken is highly recommended!