My little angel has been to more food places than I have, eaten from more restaurants too. Seems like she is always being taken to places like 1 Borneo hyper mall, playgrounds and leisure parks. Many times she would surprise us with her knowledge of places, and she has only just turned three.
Recently, I managed to get a day off during the Kaamatan Festival and guess where we ended up again? 1 Borneo. It’s a good thing we live nearby, and traffic isn’t too bad in Kota Kinabalu. Still, it’s a holiday and I love going places with her. She’s great fun to be with!
Finally, a bookstore in 1 Borneo
The Harris bookstore is finally opened in 1 Borneo. Don’t know where it’s from and don’t remember having heard of it. I am a sci-fi and fantasy fan, so every time I’m at a book store, I look for Toll the Hounds: Book Eight of The Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Manhattan Fish Market
After we are done entertaining my angel, we head to the lower ground floor to get something to eat. Since we have passed by The Manhattan Fish Market so many times before, we decided to have our lunch there. The fish at this restaurant always looked fresh, and my family had done a few take-aways. Besides, they had fish and chips which my angel liked.
We sat at the banquettes, looked at the menu which was basically fish and chips, and seafood. So we ordered, and after repeating my order 3 times, I got exasperated and asked the waiter what was wrong with him. He said he was new and in fairness, did get our order right. I always say that service in Sabah is friendly, but not necessary professional.
I had the Pacific Dory in Garlic Sauce, which is a fish and chips. My wife had the Grilled Catch which is grilled fish with rice, and my angel had the fishing net, a mini fish and chips. We also ordered the Fried Calamari and Fried Prawns, both of which was fresh and crispy. Not much on taste though. Good thing there was salt and pepper, mayo and chili sauce on the table.
Taste-wise, we found the food oily. Very oily which was a disappointment. Presentation and potion size was fine, but they sure screwed up the seafood that day. Later on, the manager or supervisor came over and asked us about the food. It’s a good sign that he was disappointed that we found the food to be too oily. It turned out that the batter they used had to be cold, otherwise it absolves the cooking oil which was why it turned out so oily. He offered to send us another order but we have had enough oily fish for the whole month.
Price-wise, it works out to be about RM1 per bite. I think that is how most restaurants charge these days. The Manhattan Fish Market is quite popular in Kota Kinabalu, with 1 outlet in 1 Borneo and 1 in Warisan Square. But they have to work on their quality control. All in all, the tab came up to RM80 for the food and drinks, plus 5% govt tax and 10% service charge.
In Sabah, you are not expected to tip. Unless you found the service to be exceptional.
I don’t think anybody give a damn about bookworms in Sabah. I have been getting my books from KL for as long as I remember. By the look of it, Harris might not be a well stock bookstore.If I’m not mistaken Harris book store is under Popular Books Chain, so it might explain the lack of books there. The only bookstore I shop in is Kinokuniya. Good online service. Or you could ask if Harris can do reservation.
PS: I haven’t visit Harris yet.
@ncneo I buy my books from Borders and MPH myself. Ordering online from Amazon is alright but it takes quite a while before the books arrive. If Harris is operated by Popular Books, then it’s no wonder they don’t have much fiction books.
Even Times Bookstore has a very limited selection here. I guess we’ll just keep flying off to KL then. Interestingly, the books are cheaper here then compared with UK.
hmmm, Manhattan Fish Market, imagine…we live so near to the market and the sea, our fish is so much fresher and cheaper. I know, it’s the ambience, in MFM restaurant. I went to Langkawi and was busy buying loads of Gamat oil(sea cucumber) when a friend told me, sea cucumber is abundant in sabah so why buy a lot….I decidec x to buy any. Sometimes, we do unnecessary things when we can get it at a cheaper price. I’m happy to be living in Sabah.