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By Mihar Dias September 2025
Tawau is not exactly Paris, Tokyo, or even Penang. It’s the kind of town most tourists land in before immediately bolting for Semporna or Sipadan.
But if you stay long enough, you’ll discover Tawau’s secret superpower: seafood. It's not just any seafood—two legendary restaurants, each a character in its own soap opera.
First up: Good View Seafood. Established four decades ago in Tawau’s old town, it has seen more fish than the South China Sea. Don’t be fooled by the name—there’s no “good view” unless you enjoy staring at traffic or peeling walls.
The waitresses here aren’t in uniforms; they wear whatever they feel like that day, which is oddly comforting.
The food, however, is spectacular: prawns, shellfish, crabs, you name it. Flavours so bold they make you forget you’re sitting on rickety chairs under fluorescent lights that belong in a hardware shop.
The owner’s son personally hands you the bill, apologising for the shabby state of the place and promising they’ll move to a nicer building “soon.” Translation: don’t hold your breath.
Also, please, whatever you do, avoid the toilet. It’s basically a squat hole with a door so wobbly it could star in a horror movie. Perfect for beer-filled uncles, but definitely not designed for society ladies with designer handbags.
Now contrast that with Kam Ling Seafood in Kubota township—an area mysteriously named after a Japanese tractor brand. (Because nothing says “seafood and leisure” like heavy machinery.)
Kam Ling is all about modern vibes: air-conditioning, white tablecloths, waitresses in neat uniforms who smile as if their pay depends on it.
Here you start with pickled papaya and green guava slices, soaked so long in vinegar and sugar that no one remembers their original form.
But strangely enough, they’re addictive. Forget the peanuts—we ordered double portions of the pickles.
The main courses were solid too: garoupa, flower crabs, Sabah greens, clams swimming in garlic sauce potent enough to fumigate your whole neighbourhood, and even deer meat in soy. (Reportedly, the meat is from a deer that's rescued in time from an accident caused by staring into the car headlights).
Dessert was dragon fruit and mango juice so thick you could almost stand a spoon in it. Bonus: enough fibre to guarantee a smooth “exit strategy” the next morning.
So which one wins? Kam Ling is the glamorous cousin who shows up in pressed clothes and rehearsed smiles. Good View is the older relative who cooks better but asks you to pee behind the shed. Both are part of Tawau’s charm.
Tourists may ignore Tawau and head straight for Sipadan’s corals, but trust me: the real catch of the day is already on the table.
Kam Ling. Jalan Kubota,
Kubota Square, 91000 Tawau
Good View
Jalan Chen Fook, Taman Sabindo, 91000 Tawau, Sabah
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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