Food, Food and more food (but not so much)

As a genuine Penangite, I found Tawau has few to offer (or maybe I haven’t seen or tasted much just yet).  Everybody knows that Penang, has so much delicious food, accessible and most importantly cheap. Tawau signature dish is “nasi lalap” and bakso. These were the two things I ordered upon coming over to this place. Apart from having the so called ‘cheap’ seafood (it’s not cheap, it reaches hundreds of RM). They love banana fritters and their pieces is bigger than what we can find in Penang (that is the only generous thoughts of the seller). Nasi lalap is rice that comes with a flour coated fried chicken and a bowl of soup (just the liquid). Alternatively we can order Nasi Goreng Lalap, an upgrade version of nasi lalap. The rice is fried with some flavor. They are also famous for their nasi kuning. The Yellow rice that is served with sambal (gravy that is a sauté of tamarind juice, onions and chillies). It could be Prawn sambal, beef sambal, chicken sambal, squid sambal, endless list. If nasi lemak is the morning staples for the peninsular, having nasi kuning will be their breakfast ritual. I did not found a single pack of nasi lemak during my stay in Tawau which is quite surprising.

I did found a few Tom Yam outlet, but the best Tom Yam Outlet that offers something similar to the east is located near a Mosque nearby the Kukusan Camp (from the Back Road). Owned by a Kelantanese who is married to a local and he imported his cooks right from Patani. Apart from that there is a good “ikan bakar” (Grilled fish) outlet nearby “highway” (the stretch of road along the esplanade).  According to hubby and all his friends Uncle Burn’s Grilled Fish should be a ‘must have’ list for fish lovers. Even the mat saleh we brought over there loved it. Apart from fish, there were also other types of seafood to choose from for the grill. Eating at uncle burn was never a burden to the wallet. Drinks for 7, 2 plates of fried rice and a big grilled fish only cost RM46.00. Cheap isn’t it?

On the last night before we depart for Penang, we went to dine in Restaurant Balikpapan Seafood. Their specialty is the grilled chicken. We order a set each that comes with plain white rice and a bowl of soup (their usual empty soup). I added fried tempe and stir fried broccoli and cauliflower. The dish is special but the taste is nothing to be excited about. And the price is was acceptable but I still think it’s high. If it’s not because of the nice waitress, I would have doubt for a second visit. J