Omega Pork Noodles

I believe in the power of social media because I got to know about this "modernised" pork noodle establishment from Instagram advertisements. I was attracted by the professionally put-together photos and captions, and how mouth-watering each bowl looked.

The claimed true story behind how this shop came about was heartwarming, and they had a set of accompanying videos that reenacted it. I wondered how much they paid for all these advertising, with professional actors etc. I suppose, it is worth all the marketing because of how much attention they managed to grab.

In total, they have six outlets spread across the Klang Valley - Kota Damansara, Sri Petaling, Kepong, Pandan Indah, Pavilion Bukit Jalil and Puchong. My first try was at their outlet in Sri Petaling. My second time was at their outlet at Pavilion Bukit Jalil because that is nearer than Sri Petaling. Both times, I visited with the bff and both times, we were really lucky to find parking spots that were nearby.

We visited Pavilion Bukit Jalil just slightly past 6pm. There was already a queue and we had to wait a bit for a table to become available. I thought that was rather impressive because despite having to pay almost RM20 for a bowl of noodles, the place was packed.

We could choose the type of noodles we wanted, whether to have the noodles dry or in soup, and with or without innards. Being the Hakka girl that I am, I chose to have innards and I chose to have my flat noodles dry (personal preference).

I could barely finish it off - it was a huge serving and it was their normal size! In addition to the usual intestines, liver and other parts of the pig, they also give a big piece of pork mince. The sauce proportion in the noodles is just right for my liking and the soup bursts with flavours.

Although they serve pretty good pork noodles, I probably would not keep visiting, as there are other shops nearer to home. However, I think that they most definitely are worth at least a try.

Note: Bottomless drinks available when dining-in.

Omega Pork Noodles

Daily 8:00am to 10:00pm

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Mess Kantin

 A stone's throw away from Tawau Airport is Mess Kantin, an unassuming cafe tucked away in the middle of what I recall as either an oil palm plantation or a forest reserve. As we were nearing the building, I noticed that it was a white church, as there was a cross on the outside. Ah, so it is attached to a church. However, when I searched on Google for information, there is no mention of a church. Instead, the cafe is attached to a bed and breakfast place called Tiku White House.

To enter the cafe, we used a side entrance. I thought the black and white gave it character. I noticed that the building is perched on a hillside and is surrounded by greenery. 

White seems to be their main colour. Even their coffee machine is white. One other thing that stood out was how cold their air-conditioning was.

The team were all youngsters, probably college or university students. One notable person was the barista, a young girl who continuously made coffee, which made me look forward to my cuppa. I then recalled seeing this cafe on Jason Loo's IG a few years back, who was here for the first Borneo Barista Retreat.

Ah, so yes, coffee here is not bad at all. The latte art, too. Look at the cute squirrel.

Dad had their Streaky Beef Sourdough (RM19.90), which essentially is sourdough served with scrambled eggs, streaky beef, mushrooms and salad.

We also tried their burgers - Salted Egg Burger (RM25.90) and Messy Eggcited Burger (RM23.90). I wondered why they use charcoal burger buns and whether they baked them on-site.

The full panels of glass allowed us full view of the outdoors, which added to the ambience especially when it was raining while we were eating. It did not help that it made it even colder, though.

If I ever have another chance of patronising again, I would give their dessert menu a try. And more of their coffee. Also, hopefully it would not be raining the next time I visit, so that I could walk about in their outdoor compound.

So, do not go thinking that Tawau is a small place with no hipster cafes.

Mess Kantin

Tiku White House, 2112 Jalan Sin On Tiku, Kampung Sin On Tiku, 91000 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia

M: +6013-216 5259; E: messkantin@gmail.com

Daily 10:00am to 6:00pm

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Teppan Sakaba

Le bff and I discovered this izakaya thanks to a heavy downpour. We initially wanted to have dinner somewhere else but due to the rain, we decided to change to somewhere with covered parking. And as we were in Taman Desa, the best choice was Faber Tower.

Both of us are not familiar with the eateries in Faber, so we just chose the closest one to the the lift. We scanned the menu and thought, okay, why not.

 

We rather liked the interior, as we found it rather authentic. Perhaps we were rather early and also because it was raining, there were not many people there. Therefore, the waitstaff were pretty responsive.

I personally liked how they even have signs on the floor. Although it is something rather simple, it added to the vibe.

We did not quite understand why there were dinosaurs on the tables, though. I thought they were Ultraman-inspired, but that was just my hunch.

Onward to food. We wanted some green, so we had edamame.

We enjoyed the pan-fried gyoza lots - crispy on the outside, soft and flavourful on the inside accompanied by pickled ginger. Totally could see why this is one of the most popular dishes.

Pork never seems to not be on our order list. Instead of somethin grilled, we ordered salted belly miso. This was new to our palates and we enjoyed it.

We also tried clam soup, which befitted the cold and wet weather.

For me, the best was the unagi because, well, I love unagi.

Affordable pricing, cosy ambience and attentive service. Not bad for a random coincidental find.

Teppan Sakaba

Lot G13 Faber Tower, Jalan Desa Bahagia, Taman Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T: +60 3 7971 7678

Daily 4:30pm to 11:30pm

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