Kota Kinabalu: Oh, The Seafood!

The Kota Kinabalu Where to Eat Guide is part of The Year of the Monkey Trip Report which covers the following places:

• New York, New York 
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 
• Guangzhou, China 
• Hong Kong 
• Shenzhen, China
• Sanya, China

I like beach. I like drink. I like eat. In KK, you can do all of that. This post covers the last on the list.

If you are a lover of seafood, you have come to the right place. KK has all sorts of foods to fulfill your under the sea desires.

The Night Market 

The locals told me that I needed a tough stomach to eat seafood at the night market. I didn’t have enough time on my trip to challenge this statement but I did get to walk around and take pictures of the vast assortment of sea critters for sale.

The night market is located right across the street from the Hyatt Regency KK.

Tom Yum, Biryani, & Chicken Rice 

If it’s late night after the bar or during an island downpour, the place for food is a local spot called Maimunah. Apart from the Tom Yum on my train to Chiang Rai, this restaurant has the best Tom Yum in the world. The biryani was pretty good but does not compare to Yangon’s. The cost is very low.

The Chinese Seafood Market

Located across the street from the 999 club, the Chinese Seafood Market reminds me of the hawker stalls in Singapore’s Newton Circus. It was a bit pricey (not sure if I was supposed to bargain) for the chili crab (which reminded me of Colombo, Sri Lanka) and tiger prawns but I justified the cost because it was damn delicious.

Overall 

Don’t make the lazy mistake of eating at the hotel lounge even if the food there is top-notch. There are so many other places to eat in KK.