I was not much of a food adventurer, I must admit. You would find me most of the time ordering the usual dishes at the office cafeteria, the tortang talong at the nearby Jollijeep, and on rare occasions delighting in KFC, McDonald's, and Jollibee. During my travels, though, I tried to become more driven to sample cuisines that were popular in the places I visited. Sometimes I did get to try, but more than a few times, due to budget constraints, I let the opportunity pass me by. Not so during my recent trip to Kota Kinabalu. I figured the chances of coming back would be more expensive, considering travel taxes and the lack of airfare promos alike. I was already there, so I might as well try to let my taste buds say hello to the dishes that were widely served around the city.
A Food Trip in Kota Kinabalu | Malaysia
The Welcoming Streets of Downtown KK
We arrived in downtown Kota Kinabalu at around 8:00 PM. Starving a bit from the trip, we decided to walk first and try to locate an affordable backpacker's inn. We stopped by an eatery hoping to ask the waitress for some directions. After talking briefly with her, the wife of the restaurant owner, who had the beautiful appearance of someone of Indian descent, talked to us and asked if we were Filipinos. We said yes, and even mistook her for a Filipina as my friend Josh excitedly asked her aloud, "Oh, Filipina rin pala kayo?" even though it was obvious that she projected a Sushmita Sen appearance. She then started speaking in Tagalog and gave us clear directions toward the street where some of the hostels were located.
The Indian woman, like many of the residents of Kota Kinabalu, had learned to speak Tagalog because of the large presence of Filipinos there. Some were married to Filipinas, some employed Filipinos, and many of our countrymen had already become citizens of Malaysia due to its thriving economic and employment opportunities that provided livelihoods for those coming from Mindanao, mainly from Jolo, Sulu.
Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng, and Soto Special
Since our stomachs were already clamoring for some solid food and were in a near Che Guevara-like revolutionary mode, we decided to have our dinner right there. For a start, I ordered Nasi Goreng—which literally means 'fried rice' in Indonesia. That dish originated from Chinese fried rice and reached its way to Indonesia, where a few alterations as to how it was prepared and some of its ingredients, like sweet soy sauce and a spicier taste, were added, making it a distinct Indonesian dish. My friend Josh, using a reliable technique called 'random selection', opted for a type of Mie Goreng, which was a bit similar to our own pancit canton.
Mie Goreng was a popular noodle dish in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. It consisted of yellow-colored noodles fried with onions and garlic, and could have an assortment of chicken, meatballs, shallots, beef, egg, and vegetables as toppings. It was mostly served with a red spicy sauce that one should not wrongly assume to be ketchup. Which I did, and my tongue paid a dear price.
The other one was called "Soto"; we ordered the Soto Special, which was sometimes considered to be Indonesia's national dish. Now, do not get confused; Kota Kinabalu was in Malaysia, and we were having all these Indonesia-inspired dishes. It was like a typical Chinese noodle dish with chicken and a variety of toppings. Its unique broth, which was sometimes served colored yellow or brown depending on the cooking version, was what set it apart.
Watan Ho and the Waterfront Boardwalk
Our meal for the next day consisted of Watan Ho, a dish that was hard to describe for a clueless food aficionado wannabe like me, but I'll take a bat at it. It looked like our own Royco Noodle Soup served with egg that made the soup a bit thick, along with other toppings like vegetables, chicken, squid, and shrimp. It was hot and heavy on the belly and brought a nice aftertaste that left you almost licking the bowl empty.
That night we also dropped by the Old Village Seafood Restaurant, where many kinds of fresh sea creatures awaited execution by frying pan or melting pot. After walking around following the directions pointed out to us by the accommodating woman at the restaurant, we ended up at a hostel called Sensi Backpacker's Hostel. Hammered a little from all the walking and getting puzzled by the direction of the cars, which came from the opposite side (thanks to the British-inspired right-lane traffic) that had us almost getting run over a few times while crossing the street, we settled briefly in our dorm room.
Kota Kinabalu was a small city; one could easily explore it by walking, which we did. We walked and walked until we passed by the same stoplight, the same shop, the same corner. We ended up by the boulevard, which was a bit grander version of our own Baywalk. It had rows of restaurants and bars with tables atop a wooden-built open space that afforded diners and beer drinkers a stunning feel of a seafront atmosphere.
A Home Away From Home
I got my first taste of Tiger Beer there, which, I must say, tasted fine but not enough to dislodge San Miguel Beer as probably the best beer in the world. A little further walk from the rows of bars could be found another stretch of a food market with different variants of fried and grilled foods like chicken BBQ, grilled fish, crabs, dim sum, and many more.
The next afternoon, after checking out some sights such as the scenic City Mosque in Likas Bay, we went back to the boardwalk, and by that time, there was a much larger crowd compared to the previous night. We passed by the Filipino Market near the waterfront, ate some BBQ, and, of course, stared at some beautiful women, practicing our pickup lines which, unfortunately, we weren't able to use—for lack of courage, I think.
Unable to meet a European backpacker girl or a mestiza and chinita-looking girl, we just drank our frustrations with yet another round of Tiger Beer, served cold by a group of Filipino waiters who took a brief timeout from their work to exchange stories with us. How each of them ended up in Kota Kinabalu, how long they had been there. Meeting them and running across Filipinos in Kota Kinabalu, coupled with the friendliness of the locals there, one might not actually feel like they were in a foreign land. It felt like being home away from home.
The jousting of cultures among countries, from their unique practices to the kinds of food served on each table, could provide an aura of uniqueness on its own. It was what made self-discovery and regional awareness much better, and what better way than to eat yourself through that barrier? From then on, I promised myself to become more adventurous, letting my taste buds delight in the many types of foods being served in every corner of the world. Until my next food trip destinations: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
