[Restaurant] Authentic Traditional Sinokadazan Cuisine @ D'Place Kinabalu

Hello everyone! :)

Let's kick of the first food blog with an authentic traditional Sinokadazan cuisine!

Whether you are a Sabahan, or you planning to visit Sabah,
do read on to find out what does D'Place Kinabalu offers for this upcoming Chinese New Year!

Address : 2.01&2.02, 2nd Floor, Plaza Shell,, Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Operating Hours : 10AM - 9PM

Contact : 016-833 2381 (Sandra) / 010-228 2381 (Lisa)

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/dplacekinabalu/

Serve no pork.

A quick introduction.
The Kadazans are the largest ethnic group of Sabah.
As the result of the good affinity with local Chinese, the term "Sino-Kadazan" was created,
which refers to half-Kadazan and half-Chinese offspring of these unions.


Once you entered the restaurant, you cannot missed the detailed interior decoration.
It's like you're entering to another world.

















The dining area is especially spacious.
Definitely suitable to hold big events and gathering.

Chinese New Year is around the corner!
We were invited to try out their special traditional Sinokadazan course set lunch menu.

Our thoughtful host, Sandra, specially selected for us Package A,
because it is a good mixture of Chinese and Kadazan taste,
a good start for those who is new to traditional Kadazan cuisine (yeap that's me :p).

The dinner was kicked started with colourful yeesang (also known as Prosperity Toss).
Usually this dish is served with raw fish, but here in D'Place Kinabalu,
they did a twist by mixing mandarin orange,
alongside with various shredded vegetables and sauces.

It's been a while to see bloggers at work! :D

And TOSS for prosperity and a good year ahead!!!!!
The higher the better!!








My first yeesang of 2019 and it was refreshing!
The crunchiness of fresh vegetables and appetizing orangy sauce.
To be honest, I miss the raw fish element here :')


Although this yeesang is not stated on the menu,
BUT you will get it for FREE once you ordered the lunch set menu.
(yassssss!!)


Moving on to the appetizer.
We have the Traditional Sinokadazan Platter serving with 5 types of dishes,
- Bambangan (Pickled Wild Mango);
- Tuhau (Pickled Wild Ginger);
- Tinutuk Mangga (Unripe Mango Salad with Anchovies);
- Hinava Tongii (Marinated Slice Fresh Mackerel Fish);
- Deep Fried Four Colour Roll with Thousand Island Sauce.

I must confess, I didn't eat much of this platter, because the food almost all gone after one round.

The taste of Tuhau is very pungent. It's either you like it, or you don't.
The unripe mango salad was soooo sour. :')
I know, for some, this is super appetizing.



As for the soup, they are serving Chinese Wintermelon with Chicken and Red Dates.
Classic Cantonese dish, I would say.
Yes, definitely reminds me of my mum. :3





The natural sweetness from wintermelon diffused nicely into the soup base.
What a hearty dish, especially it is served hot.



Here they are serving Hinopot (Red Bario Rice), one of the finest and best rice produced in the highlands of Sarawak. The rice has a soft texture with fine and elongated grains.
Some say it is also sweeter compared to other rice varieties.





Hinopot is nicely wrapped in Lotus leaf and steamed before serving.



Coming to the mains, they are serving 4 variety of main course,
a good variety of meat choices and flavours.


- Deep Fried Boneless Chicken with Butter Sauce -







Deep fried chicken breast meat with creamy buttery sauce... perfect match!!
No I'm serious. How can you resist?



- Sea Fish with Bambagan Curry Paste -







Pickled wild mango in curry? Who would thought of that! :D
Such a refreshing sauce, I would say.
Yes, the curry was aromatic.
Sea fish usually comes in big size, so the fish bones are rather easy to spot and remove.
Well you can rest assured while enjoy more fish meat (yay).



- Tuhau Oxtail Assam Pedas -







The beef is cooked perfectly where the meat just fall off swiftly from the bones.
It has this savoury taste which just makes you wanna add more rice! :9
This is a very clever dish, using Tuhau to remove the raw taste, without overpowering.
Is it super spicy? Not for me, I like it this way. :)



- Braised Mix Vegetable with Wild Rubber Tree Mushroom -







Classic braised mix vegetable with a twist in the choice of mushroom.
Here they are using Rubber Tree Mushroom "Kodop", which I never tried before.
Very tangy and I love it! :9



I heard somebody shouted "dessert"?? :)


For dessert, we have Sweet Mung Bean (green bean) with Sago.







The mung beans are cooked thoroughly. Soft and aromatic.
The dessert is completed with a pinch of salt and some Coconut Milk "Santan".
YUMMMM



And yes, how can you miss out the borneo fruit platter?




A combination of freshly cut watermelon, papaya and pineapple.



That's what we had for the lunch course set menu.
It's RM65 nett per person, with a minimum order for 10 pax.
Do make reservation at least one day in advance.
Promotion valid from 4/2/2019 to 10/2/2019.



Meanwhile, we are surprised by our host, Sandra, for letting us to try out their new dessert menu,
Manisan Ambuyat.





This is VERY NEW to me, so I did some research.

Ambuyat is a dish made from the interior trunk of the sago palm.
It is a starchy bland substance, similar to tapioca starch.
It is especially popular in Brunei, to an extend it is known as the national dish.

Since it is starchy, many would choose to replace rice with Ambuyat to go with the meal.
I was told by Myra that Ambuyat usually goes with savoury dishes.

So for Myra, it is rather mind-blowing to see Ambuyat being served in sweet dessert.
Since Ambuyat itself doesn't have prominent taste, so basically it can goes with everything.





What you can expect from Manisan Ambuyat?
An ABC shaved ice base with Ambuyat as one of the toppings.
Well if they could add one more spoon of Gula Melaka to my Manisan Ambuyat,
I would be happier! :3



OKAY, besides food, what can you expect here at D'Place Kinabalu?


There will be cultural dance performance every night here.
Drop by during dinner time and be part of the dance! :D









Also, come and experience how to use a blow gun!
To shoot balloon. :)









Interested to know more about traditional Sinokadazan food?
There is a Knowledge Corner being set up for educational purpose.





















Guess that's all for tonight? :D

Special thanks to Sandra (@zsandra1) for tonight!
Insightful chat with her after the dinner as she shares with us her journey.
We were impressed to learned that she got this business vision at her early 20s!
Such a lovely, approachable and genuine person.
Sincerely, we wish you and your business partner all the best!






Last but certainly not least, thousand thanks to my dear friend,
Myra (@thegreylinesbetween) for extending the invitation!
Get well soon!!!