Lahad Datu/Sandakan (III) - Day 5/Day 1 (Lahad Datu Town - Sandakan Town)

We had an early flight from Lahad Datu to Sandakan, so we checked out of the De Leon Hotel at 6.40am. Breakfast was served from 6.30am to 10am, but we only had about 45 minutes to eat before catching a Grab to the airport. The fried potatoes were crispy and tasty, while the pumpkin soup was mildly sweet but not really to my taste. My partner enjoyed the ikan masak sambal. It was flavourful, though quite spicy. The noodles were just average, and the nasi kuning was decent, with pleasantly chewy rice.

On the downside, the cake was dry, the watermelon lacked sweetness, and the cordial drink was a little too sweet for me. Overall, breakfast was fairly average. A few items, such as the fried potatoes, ikan masak sambal, and nasi kuning, stood out, but most of the selections were unremarkable and not particularly memorable.

De Leon Cafe

De Leon Cafe

Fried noodles and nasi kuning

Acar (pickled vegetables)

Fried potato and ikan masak sambal

Fruits and dessert

Coffee or tea

Bananas and cordial drink

Hard boiled eggs

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup

My breakfast

Fruits and dessert

Cordial drink

View in front of De Leon Hotel

Jalan Pantai

Food truck in front of De Leon Hotel

We left the hotel at 7.25am, but my partner couldn't get a Grab. Apparently, it's quite difficult to get a ride in Lahad Datu. I tried as well and finally managed to book one for RM 8. Lahad Datu Airport is just a short 5-minute drive (1.4km) from De Leon Hotel, so we reached there by 7.45am. The check-in counters close 30 minutes before departure. Only MASwings operates flights to Sandakan, and my partner had booked our one-way ticket for RM 151 per person. The plane was a small propeller aircraft with two seats on each side, perfect for a quick hop.

The airport itself was small, and the check-in process was quick and smooth. Passengers must go through a security check before reaching the departure gate. Interestingly, the toilets are located outside the security area, and there's no re-check when you return. Only 15 of us boarded the flight, which departed at 9am after a boarding process of less than 10 minutes. During the short flight, we were served a slice of chocolate cake, a packet of peanuts, a small bottle of drinking water, and a choice of apple or orange juice. About 25 minutes later, we landed at Sandakan Airport.

Once we landed at Sandakan Airport, we took a Grab to Livingston Hotel for RM 23 and arrived around 10am. We had stayed at Livingstone previously, and the current room rate was RM 260 per night excluding breakfast. Early check-in was available from 11am for an additional RM 25, but we chose to leave our luggage at the hotel's storage and head out instead. Meanwhile, Jlo and his wife took a Grab straight to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Since we had been there before, we decided not to join them.

Lahad Datu Airport

Lahad Datu Airport

Lahad Datu Airport

Lahad Datu Airport (departure gate)

ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft

Complimentary cake, peanut and drinking water

Sandakan Airport

ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft

Sandakan baggage claim area

Sandakan Airport

Sandakan Airport

Since we couldn't check in yet, we took a Grab to Yat Kan Dessert Cafe, which cost RM 5. We arrived around 10.35am, and the place was empty. I ordered the baked chicken wings with HK Nissin noodles, along with glutinous rice balls (mixed fillings of peanut, sesame, and red bean) served with soya milk. My partner ordered HK Nissin noodles with luncheon, egg, and ham, as well as Yat Kan's signature milk tea.

The milk tea was creamy and lightly sweetened, with the perfect amount of sugar and a pleasant flavour. My soy milk, on the other hand, was light and tasted bland. The glutinous rice ball's skin was slightly thick but soft and chewy. The peanut filling was mildly sweet and paired well with the soy milk, but the red bean glutinous rice balls didn't taste as good. In total, there were two red bean, two sesame, and one peanut glutinous rice balls.

My partner's noodle tasted ordinary, but the fried egg was tasty. It was crispy on the outside and lightly browned, with a slight crunch when you bite into it. My noodles were just so-so, though they were cooked perfectly, neither too hard nor too soft. Overall, the meal was acceptable, but nothing really stood out as superb.

(Total bill - RM 51.40)

Yat Kan Dessert Cafe

Cafe ambience

Yat Kan Signature milk tea - RM 8.90

Glutinous rice ball (mix - peanut, sesame and red bean) with soya milk - RM 10

HK Nissin noodles with luncheon, egg and ham - RM 13.90

Baked chicken wings with HK Nissin Noodle - RM13.90

Address:

Yat Kan Dessert Cafe

Lot 15, Ground Floor,

Utama Zone 3 Commercial,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

We spotted a shop named Avocado opposite Yat Kan Dessert Cafe and decided to give it a try. The place was packed, and we were lucky to get a small table. We ordered the avocado shaved ice, but unfortunately, it was too sweet for our liking. The ice wasn't smooth and came with small, coarse ice particles, which really spoiled the texture. The sugarcane syrup drizzled over the ice made it overly sweet, while the ice itself was rather tasteless. The only plus point was the avocado, which was creamy and fresh.

Avocado

Avocado shaved ice - RM 17

Address:

Avocado

Lot 22, Ground Floor,

Utama Zone 3 Commercial,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

Halfway through our dessert, Jlo and his wife decided to join us for lunch, as they were unable to make it to the morning orangutan viewing session. They only managed to visit the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. We agreed to meet at J1 Bah Kut Teh and took a Grab there for RM 5, but unfortunately, the shop was closed. We ended up walking a few shop lots down to Syn Lok Bak Kut Teh II instead.

I was already quite full, so I had the meal without rice. We ordered fish slice, whole fish (laimang or rabbitfish), prawns, and pork bah kut teh. Apart from that, we added tofu puffs, yau char kwai, and vegetables. The soups all tasted very similar, peppery and quite spicy. The prawns and fish were fresh, but the tofu was bland. The fish slices were fresh as well, but I personally found them tasteless. I preferred the laimang fish, but the soup was slightly fishy. The rice was soft and fluffy, though it lacked the fragrance typically associated with good bak kut teh rice.

(Total bill - RM 79)

Syn Lok Bak Kut Teh II

Chinese tea

Yau char kwai

Vegetables

Fish slice bah kut teh

Prawns bah kut teh

Tofu puff

Pork bah kut teh

Fish (laimang or rabbitfish) bah kut teh

Rice

Address:

Syn Lok Bak Kut Teh II

Jalan Bandar Indah 2,

Bandar Indah,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

After our heavy lunch, the four of us decided to visit Agnes Keith House. We took a Grab there for RM 13 and arrived at 2.15pm. The entrance fee was RM 2, and we spent about 30 minutes exploring the house, which has only two floors. The house was the former residence of Agnes Keith, an American author who lived in Sandakan in the mid-20th century. The site had previously been occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Today, it has been preserved as a museum showcasing colonial-era architecture and memorabilia from her life and times.

While we were there, I had a chance to chat with one of the guards. He used to be a marine officer and now works here. He mentioned that when he first started working at Agnes Keith House, he was unwell for a while. He also shared that many people believe the house is haunted, dating back to the time it was occupied by the Japanese during the war. Surprisingly, he added that it's even possible, in some cases, to stay overnight in the house, primarily for those wanting to experience its paranormal side.

Counter ticket for Agnes Keith House

Admission ticket

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith House

Agnes Keith Maid House

Address:

Agnes Keith House

296, Jalan Utara,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm daily

We decided to have a tea break at Kedai Roti Gold Crown. I remembered that I used to enjoy their egg tarts, so we took a Grab there (Grab fare - RM 5). Unfortunately, the egg tarts had already sold out when we arrived. Instead we tried their UFO tart, Swiss roll with peanut fillings, and coconut tart.

The UFO tart was a bit sour, with a soft, almost spongy base that didn't give the crisp contrast I had hoped for. The Swiss roll with peanut fillings was decent, though a little on the sweet side. Overall, I preferred the coconut tart, which was well-balanced and not too sweet. We left the shop at 3.50pm, but we couldn't get a Grab. So we took a Maxim ride back to Livingston Hotel for RM 8.60.

Kedai Roti Gold Crown

Swiss roll with peanut - RM 2

Coconut tart - RM 2

UFO tart - RM 2

Address:

Kedai Roti Gold Crown

Jalan Leila,

Bandar Nam Tung,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

After checking in, we freshened up before heading out for dinner at 5.15pm. We took a Grab to Ocean Seafood Restaurant, which cost RM 6, but it was fully booked. So we walked to Empire Seafood Restaurant instead. I looked back at my previous blog post and recalled that we had enjoyed their steamed fish and fried squid before. This time, we repeated the same order we had five years ago, which was the steamed fish, fried squid, and prawn yee mee. Jlo loves noodles, so we decided to let him try the prawn yee mee. In addition, my partner ordered a lobster priced at RM 350/kg, Sabah veggies with egg, and coconut pudding for dessert.

However, this time the fried squid was chewy, and although the steamed fish was fresh, the taste was mediocre and not as good as during our previous visit. The lobster was fresh, but the sauce was only average. As usual, the noodles texture wasn't to my liking, though the prawns were fresh. Overall, the meal was just average.

After dinner, Jlo and his wife took a Grab to the airport for RM 7 and coincidentally had the same driver who had earlier sent us to Agnes Keith House! We said our goodbyes, and instead of heading back to our hotel, we decided to walk around briefly. 

(Total bill - RM 334.43)

Empire Seafood Restaurant

Iced water - RM 0.50

Lobster (550g) - RM 192.50 (RM 350/kg)

Prawn yee mee - RM 37.50

Fried squid - RM 16

Steamed fish - RM 36

Sabah veggies with egg - RM 18

Coconut pudding - RM 12

Address:

Empire Seafood Restaurant

Lot 174 & 175, Block CC & DD,

Lorong Avenue 5, Bandar Utama,

Batu 6, Jalan Utara,

Sandakan

Earlier, when we took the Grab ride, we asked the driver where the best pasar malam was, and he recommended Kim Fung Pasar Malam, which was only a short walk from our hotel. Since we were heading back to the hotel, we decided to stop by and take a look. The pasar malam only operates on Saturday night from 5pm to 10pm.

We booked a Grab from Empire Seafood Restaurant to Kim Fung Pasar Malam. However, the waiting time for Grab in Sandakan can be quite long. The driver took almost 15 minutes to arrive, and some drivers even cancelled our booking (Grab fare - RM 11).

We reached the pasar malam at 7.50pm. The market was fairly small but lively, with narrow lanes lined with stalls selling a mix of local food, drinks, snacks, household items, and even clothing. We could find grilled seafood, fried snacks, fresh fruits, and drinks like coconut water or local sweet beverages. There was even a live band playing, which added to the bustling and festive atmosphere. We wandered through the market for less than an hour before heading back to the hotel.

Kim Fung Pasar Malam

Kim Fung Pasar Malam

Kim Fung Pasar Malam

Kim Fung Pasar Malam

Address:
Kim Fung Pasar Malam

Lorong Bandar Kim Fung 6,

Batu 4, Bandar Kim Fung,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

Opening hours: 5pm to 10pm on Saturday