Kwong Sup Ikan Serves Best Fresh Seafood With Special Aquarium Theme In The Restaurant
Sabah is one of those few places in the world where fresh seafood literally means sourcing it direct from the sea, via the fishing boats and fish mongers, and onto the tables of seafood restaurants the likes of “Kwong Sup Ikan”, located along Lorong Tropikana, prior to reaching the Donggongon township in the Penampang district and overlooks the green expanse of the paddyfields which turns golden when ripe and ready for harvest.
Now, a group of us reporters were invited to taste what’s on offer at the Kwong Sup Ikan seafood restaurant. It is always a treat to attend such an event despite having gone to so many in the past, and I gather (if fate allows), many more in the future to come. It is a treat because I have come to conclude that cooks, like writers, have their own unique style of coming up with a feast that would either make one want to come back for a second bite or swear to never return. Kwong Sup Ikan is one of those places I would like to have a second, a third and so on, and so forth. And let me tell you why…
The seafood ingredient used is so fresh, you can feel it with every bite – that sweet taste of sea still lingering in the meat. I had a huge bowl of “prawn tom yam soup”, a reddish coloured soup which taste both spicy hot and sour at the same time. Inside my bowl were several large bright red prawns, a sign that guarantees its freshness, and then I also noticed the firm texture of its meat at first bite, which is another sign that the prawns have indeed been freshly harvested from the sea and have not been refrigerated for days before usage.
The (modified) Thai version of Tom Yam has clear soup, but Malaysians like it red, said the owners of the restaurant.
As mentioned earlier that their chief cook goes shopping for supplies every morning to ensure freshness of the ingredients they use for their kitchen.
We were also told that the fresh seafood is never pre-cooked to maintain its freshness, and that the process of cooking starts only when the order arrives.
This means that our customers would have to wait a bit, but the result is worth the wait and delicious.
Despite that, as owners they knew that full customer satisfaction is not easily attainable, hence they welcome comments that will allow them further rooms for improvements.
After all, our adage is that the satisfied customer is the best source of advertisement.
During the course of the food tasting event, we were also served with their signature dishes, the “Fish head in tomato soup”, “Fish head Tom Yam”, “Fresh fish in bittergourd soup”, fish cakes made from the restaurant’s kitchen and fish dumplings. These offerings, we were informed, were some of the popular dishes ordered by customers coming to the restaurant.
While we enjoyed the succulent dishes, our hosts continued to tell us about the restaurant’s humble beginning.
We started our operation at Taman Rainfield in 2017, renting a kitchen from the owner, before shifting to our present location nearly a year ago.
She added that among the perks of having the restaurant located at its present premise is the ample space for parking available.
There is enough parking space for cars and even tour buses.
Aside from that, the owners recently renovated the restaurant, adding an airconditioned section with walls that have been artistically painted with murals depicting life under the sea. The artist is 26 years old Oliver Kah, who was also present during the food taste event.
The owners wanted to create a “mini aquarium concept” in the special section while at the same time support the local artists in Sabah while making dining at the restaurant a memorable experience.
All the local customers and tourists are welcome to ‘check in’ to our “mini Aquarium”.
The owners also renovated and extended their shopfront for the benefit of their customers.
The restaurant is open from 7am to 11pm. For Reservation Please Call :016-8810634 (Kelvin) / 011-51683378 (Kavenn)
Meanwhile, the restaurant will conduct its official launch on Nov 14 (Thursday). There will be a lion dance performance and complimentary refreshment at 10am.
She said that patrons spending RM68 and above on that day will be eligible to join a lucky draw cash vouchers and RM188 where they can win a smartphone.
All drinks will be free on the house on that day. Free Vietnam Rolls for each table. Please feel free to follow our IG and FB: IG: Kwongsupikan | Fb: Kwong sup ikan