I spent yesterday afternoon at 1 Borneo Lifestyle Mall with my angel girl, then returned to 1 Borneo in the evening again for dinner. It was my day off from work, and it so happened that my brother in law was in town. And my angel just had to go to 1 Borneo for the kiddie rides. Anyway, it was about time I brought her out, work had been keeping me away from her the last few weeks.
We had dinner in Restoran Rasamas. Rasamas restaurant is part of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) group in Malaysia. I think, or at least it seems that way. Anyway, Rasamas is located on the Lower Ground in 1 Borneo.
What’s Nice About It
The decor is modern, minimalistic and sleek, like a lot of restaurants these days. Warm colors such as orange and red, with a splash of cool green. I think they were aiming for fun and colorful.
The restaurant is clean, the service is efficient and the food is fast. It’s actually a fast food joint with table service. They serve roasted chicken, whole, half and quarters. In a variety of styles, Golden which is a chicken marinated in sweet soy sauce. Pepper which is black pepper sauce, and Percik which is a local recipe, consisting of coconut milk, tumeric, and other herbs and spices.
- The menu
The Food They Serve
Their menu consists of Appetizers, Main, Side Orders, Sets, Local Dishes and Western dishes. All of which are built around their roaster chickens, except for local and western dishes.
The roaster chickens are moist and tender, and a little on the bland side. It would work much better if they had sauces to go with that. They also have something called Prime Roast Chicken, which is boneless chicken meat roasted in honey. This tastes like char siau, which is chinese bbq pork, except it is chicken. It comes with mushroom sauce, which confusingly has black pepper in it. Why do they even ask you if you wanted mushroom sauce or black pepper sauce?
The food came very quickly, it is after all a fast food restaurant. Service is efficient, just a little quirky. For instance, they forgot to give us knifes to cut our meat. And the menu said crinkle-cut fries, and they sent us shoe-string fries.
They have starters like Garlic Bread, Mushroom Soup, and Salads, ranging from RM2.50 to RM5.90. Side orders of Rice, Tofu, Coleslaw, Fries and Chicken Drummets, priced from RM2.50 to RM7.50. Their set dinners range from RM9.90 to RM10.90, adequate portions for us, but if you’re a big eater, you might need to order side dishes.
Local menu includes Nasi Lemak and Curry Laksa. I have not tried these, but it looks alright. You can add a 1/4 chicken to the nasi lemak for an additional RM6.00. Prices from RM2.50 to RM6.90.
The western menu includes Fish & Chips, Chicken Chop, Spaghetti and Chicken in Pita Bread. I can’t help but feel that this is not the place to order Fish & Chips. Most of the menu is chicken, and that is what their customers order.
Impressions Of The Place
The food is low-priced, service is fast, the chicken is alright. I’m just not that big a fan of the Prime Roast. This is place tries too hard to be hip and modern, and ends up with no identity. Most of the people who has eaten remember nothing of the experience. The food is unexciting, and bland. What is it about anyway? Is it fast food? What’s with the table service?
Still you can’t fault a restaurant for trying. Building a brand isn’t easy, nor is building a unique identity.
So why eat there? The price is low compared to other places in 1 Borneo, and I consider it better value than Kenny Rogers Roasters. Just don’t expect anything special.
Looking for a hotel to stay during your vacation? Try these hotels located in 1 Borneo.
