Tasty Food Court, 1Borneo 2nd take

1Borneo or One Borneo (I still prefer the later) is suppose to have a soft openning on the 8th of June. Today I popped in to have a look at the progress. The construction is going very rapidly at the moment, cleanup and major shop renovations are on the way. Since the shops are not ready for business, might as well have lunch there.

So walked over to Tasty Food Village and was surprised a small crowd over there. The patrons I assume are mainly workers, contracters and curious onlookers like me that decided to venture into this unopened mall. Being a public holiday today, I saw a lot of families with kids roaming around the mall and eventually dining in the only food outlet that is open in the mall.


Well I can say that the signs remind me of Singapore food courts. Guess most of the investors are probably from Singapore anyway. The furniture is fantastic. Nothing like i've ever seen before in food courts. When compared with Wisma Merdeka or Karamunsing.. well.. there is no comparison. Its a little classier here and I guess we'll be paying for it an extra premium for our food because of that. Well I can say seats and tables are very comfortable to dine on and I absolutely love the design.

Upon first stepping into the food court, you will need to approach the coupon counter and buy coupons in bundles of RM5. Yes, RM5 is the minimum you must purchase in order to buy anything.. even if it means RM1 kuih. Don't worry but you're able to get a refund if you return the coupon on the same day. Its a bit troublesome when you want to make small purchases.

Anyway, the front part of the food court consists of a few snack stores. You're able to buy kuih, Curry puffs, Chinese doughs, pizza's and crepes.
The only store that was open was Yummy Bites. I tried some of this on my previous visit and found the kuih to be of average taste. My favourite is the green one with rice on top (I forgot the name) has a nice balance pandan sweetness n ricey saltiness.


Well enough bout the atmosphere.. after all looks can be deceiving. So, how's the food?First up on the list was the mini steamboat. The presentation is quite nice and fiery. Notice the flame firing up on top. I was worried it was going to melt the plastic. Impressive. Unfortunately I didn't have a taste, but the portion looks like it would fit well for two people. Just add two bowls of rice and share. I think this cost around RM13. Have to give it a go next time.

Flaming steamboat

Next to this there is a Roasted BBQ store. Since they don't serve pork in the food court, meaning no charsiu is available. So the next best thing is the duck. For RM9 your able to get roast duck with noodle. The presentation is nice and the portion is decent. Taste wise its a little on the salty side, but i'd give it a good 4/5 stars. Having said that, I wouldn't eat this very often as it would burn a deep hole in my wallet.

yumm.. mouth waterring

Another stall we tried was the beef noodle store. I've been hearing great things about this new store, unfortunately it was a bit hyped up. The presentation is boring and very unappealing. Tastewise is ok.. but its nothing when compared with our local ngau cap stores. It has a very mild beefy flavor. This might appeal to some but not to me, after all this is Tasty food village and i'd expect some pretty tasty food. I'd give it a 2.5/5 stars since it cost RM6.50 and looked like it was prepared by a real mainland chinese. I guess things just aren't as tasty over there.
Having a few coupons left, we tried "The Toast" shop. A slice of bread will set you back RM2. We tried one peanut butter and one kaya. The verdict, disappointed. The bread was stale and lack any fluffiness that it should have had. Once the bread is bad, nothing more can be said. 1/5 stars for having the nerve to serve stale bread to people. I gave 1 star because it was edible. Definately wouldn't be going back to this store.

The "Stale" Toast

There is also a Dimsum shop selling chicken pau's. They taste just like char siu pau's but with chicken and I must say they were very nice. Just RM2 for a small pau is a bit pricey for me. It was gobbled up before i could take any pictures. 3.5/5 stars.

If your thirsty be prepared to pay around RM1.50 - RM2.00 for a drink. Its a reasonable price for an airconditioned food court.

The cheapest lunch you probably can get is at the mixed rice store where you're able to get 2Veg + Rice for RM4 or 1Veg + 1Meat + 1Rice for RM4.50. They have 28 different varieties of dishes to choose from and the aroma really got my mouth watering.

I have to comment that the place is very clean. Yes.. I know this is new and it hasn't really been tested with a big crowd. They have quite a number of staff standby to pick up your plates though. Since they weren't many people around, my plates were scooped up the moment I finished. They were polite though, asking me first before picking it up, just like in a restaurant.

Eyes scanning for empty plates

Looks like Tasty Food Village is in a league of its on when compared to any food court in Sabah, let alone Malaysia itself. Modern furnishing, efficient staff and a wide variety of food will surely make this a popular spot for hungry shoppers.