MAS: Liwagu Restaurant

Cheap seafood fried noodle that packed quite a punch!

Located inside Kinabalu Park, Liwagu Restaurant is a cosy place to be at while enjoying the cooling breeze at the mountainous region. Whether you're going to have a big meal or simply drink a cup of hot beverage, do give this restaurant a try and you won't be disappointed.

Today's review is based on two lunch visits, showcasing two rice dishes, two noodle dishes and a dessert item.

Nasi Goreng Kampung RM 16.00 (~S$5.10)

Taste: 7.5/10

I'm not sure which kampung (lit. village) it's referring to, but basically the restaurant serves pineapple fried rice with fried chicken, chicken satay, fried egg, acar (lit. pickles) and crackers, which turned out to be not crunchy. While the rice was fluffy and pretty tasty, the side dishes could be moister. 

Nasi Lemak RM 19.00 (~S$6.05)

Taste: 7/10

Priced slightly higher than the above, the nasi lemak (Malay rice dish cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves) topped with fried shallots could be more fragrant. The curry chicken was pretty rich, but the fried fish was a tad dry. The chili with anchovies was enjoyably sweet, but not spicy enough.

Kundasang Fried Noodle (Seafood) RM 12.00 (~S$3.80)

Taste: 8.5/10

The least expensive main course turned out to be the best. Named after a town situated approximately 6 km from Kinabalu Park, the fried noodle served that day had a nice smoky aroma and was full of flavours. It came with just a few seafood items, such as shrimps, fish cakes and sliced fish. Pika's advice: You can opt for chicken instead of seafood. Also, if you're not a fan of yellow noodle, you may want to request for vermicelli or flat noodle.

Curry Laksa RM 18.00 (~S$5.70)

Taste: 7/10

The curry noodle topped wasn't particularly piping hot to begin with, which was a pity. Thankfully, it was still warm. The soup was adequately rich, thanks to the amount of coconut milk used, but I'd prefer it to be thicker. Swimming along with the yellow noodle were chicken meat, kangkung (lit. water spinach) and an egg.

Bubur Pulut Hitam RM 12.00 (~S$3.80)

Taste: 7.5/10

The dessert of black glutinous rice porridge topped with ice cream, a slice of preserved pear and a mint leaf was decent. It'd be much better if it were to be thicker in terms of consistency. A scoop of vanilla ice cream was used in place of coconut milk, which was fine by me.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 7.5/10

Pikachu and Melon wished they could climb up to the summit of Mount Kinabalu.

Liwagu Restaurant

Jalan Kinabalu

Kinabalu Park

Ranau

Malaysia

(Sun-Wed: 7.00am - 10.00pm)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)