All posts tagged: dining out

Burgers at Matakana House

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Opensouls, one of my favourite bands in the whole world, played their final show last Sunday. It was at Leigh Sawmill Cafe which is about an hour drive north. So we made an afternoon of it and packed the van with some friends. Clinging on to the last threads of summer, we visited the beach by Goat Island for a swim and a snorkel. It was a beautiful day in Auckland but as we drove north, the skies turned grey and by the time we’d finished swimming and snorkeling, it was pelting down. Swimming and snorkeling are a surefire way to work up an appetite and with Leigh Sawmill closed until 4pm for set up and every single shop in Leigh closed on a Sunday afternoon, we were forced to drive to Matakana for a munch. Matakana is pretty gourmet as far as small towns go and I realised I’d never been there before. They have a highly rated farmers market which I do hope to visit another time. As we drove down the main …

Eating Borneo #4 – Sandakan

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Both Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan are in Sabah which is in the north of Borneo. Tourists often fly to Sandakan Airport before heading to the Orangutan Sanctuary in Sepilok,  The Kinabatangan River in the Sukau area and Turtle Island near Sandakan. This area of Borneo is on your bucket-list if you want to love wildlife. Asian Delight – Sandakan Airport We ate fair bit at Asian Delight because it is the only restaurant at Sandakan Airport. We also give it thumbs up for having air conditioning. Here are a few dishes we ate there around the Christmas period. The Koala’s Western style breakfast with a basket of fries. My noodle soup. A’s rice filled omelette. I had to try a Nasi Lemak at least once. While I like dried fish this was a bit much for me. But the chicken wing was really good. So good that I just ordered chicken wings and rice the next time we came to this restaurant. As with most places, western style food is available is usually more expensive and …

Eating Borneo #3 – Chicken Rice

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In Malaysia, Chicken Rice is super popular and can be found in many little eateries including fast food places. I had Chicken Rice in Brunei, Chicken Rice at a KK cafe and when I saw that KFC in KK had a version of Chicken Rice, I couldn’t resist. I never said I was a gourmet. I’m a foodie if you consider a foodie to be food obsessed. I crave KFC every now and then and The Koala never denies my cravings. When I’m eating fast food chain in a foreign country, I always order the most exotic local choices. This really was just a piece of chicken and a portion of chicken flavoured rice. No broth or dipping sauces in sight. Rice was ok. Nothing to wave a tambourine at. The Koala’s more complete meal in the background with a scoop each of coleslaw and mash potatoes. Quite a different recipes to the versions we are used to in NZ.

Eating Borneo #2 – Seafood Feasts, Kota Kinabalu

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No visit to Kota Kinabalu is complete without visiting it’s famous seafood foodcourt Seri Selera Kampung Air. The touts working outside are fierce and getting your business is their number one priority. Maybe you want to have a look around first. Maybe you are happy with eating at whoever grabs you first. Here in the north of Borneo, sea creatures of many shapes and sizes wait in glass tanks. Maybe they cross their fins and claws as you walk past, hoping to get picked last. Most creatures have a price on their tank. The ones you should be wary of are the creatures without price tags. Most places advertise by the 100gm. 20RM might sound cheap, but a small 500gm lobster is going to set you back 100RM / $45NZ / $33US. Our mantis prawns. One orange/black and the other white/black. Tiger and zebra! The mantis prawn are kept separate in plastic bottles so they cannot fight each other. The tiger and the zebra came to about 1 kg. Slipper lobster or Moreton Bay Bug. …