Today, as we enter the new decade, Kota Kinabalu has cinema screens galore. There’s the Cathay Cineplex in the town centre, Growball in Centrepoint and the newest of them all, the GSC in 1Borneo. Another GSC is taking shape in the freshly completed Suria KK Shopping Centre near Jessleton Point and will be coming online in a month or so.

With all this competition the old city GSC just couldn’t attract enough of a crowd with it’s run-down facilities to sustain it, and were closed down.

The fact that a cinema was closed down at all should really make operators of other cinema’s sit up and take notice. If there were no competition, that old GSC would have been able to do business in perpetuity.

Where’s the Movie Magic?

Growball’s no.8 theatre is arguably the best in Kota Kinabalu. Huge auditorium, big screen, every seat a winner and state-of-the-art sound.

However, the other Growball theatres are old and creaky with equipment that is starting to fail. Their only attraction seems to be the sheer volume of titles to chose from on any given night.

But more and more regularly a reminder to the projectionist (who switches on the film and goes outside) is required to either fine tune the focus, the aspect ratio or the sound.

Last night, during a showing of Tooth Fairy in Growballs theatre 3 it was obvious that a particular sound channel had something wrong with it. The actors’ voices were distant, shallow and tinny. A complaint to the projectionist uncovered an apology, but at the same time was added that it couldn’t be fix as a hardware part was being awaited from Singapore.

After a visit to the supervisor’s office a refund was offered, but some members of the author’s contingent didn’t mind the imperfect sound and so we all suffered the poor quality movie experience together.

It’s strange that, in light of the growing competition, Growball doesn’t mind running poor quality shows. The part responsible for the sound failure was on order and obviously it wasn’t just this one show that suffered as the problem was known and yet they ignored it.

To add insult to injury, the hammering outside on tiles being replaced could be felt though the whole show and heard during the quieter parts. Thumbs down for Growball on this occasion.

5 Senses

The reason people visit cinemas, as opposed to watching DVDs (pirated or otherwise) at home, is to experience a movie rather than just watch it. You smell the popcorn, you feel the vibrations of the sound in your feat, you see the larger-than-life actors on the big screen, and you taste the anticipation of a good thriller on your tongue.

If any of these senses are compromised, punters will first consider alternative cinemas and then wonder why they should pay RM7 per person to watch a movie instead of buying that pirate DVD with 4 movies for RM10.

Can you really afford for your theatres to smell like urine, Cathay, for your visuals and audio to be less than perfect Growball, or to freeze your customers in their seats, GSC?

Isn’t its time that customers get what they pay for and speak with their feet if businesses don’t deliver?

Join the discussion and share a bit about your highs and lows in the cinemas of Kota Kinabalu…

Specifically designed as a prime sundowner location, Sunset Bar is open to the public everyday only from 17:00 to 20:00, provided Sabah’s weather cooperates. Coincidentally, it’s also Happy Hour at Sunset Bar during the same time.

Different styles of seating surrounds Sunset Bar – there are 2-seater padded benches facing the sunset, tables and chairs and garden beds suitable for 2 or 4,encouraging some seriously lounging around.

As Borneo’s sunset approaches, from about 17:40 – 18:30 depending on the time of the year, the Sabah skies above Sunset Bar undergoes changes that spans the entire colour spectrum.

Depending on the amount of cloud cover in Kota Kinabalu at that time, you will see spectacular violets, reds, yellows, orange, deep blues, and uncountable combinations of them all, flowing into each other and changing over the course of an hour.

To celebrate the fantastic display by Mother Nature in Borneo, you can choose from spirits, beers or cocktails, 2 for the price of one. Snacks, like the incredibly tasty chicken wings, are also on hand to make that sunset buzz last just a little longer.

Once you’re primed for a night out, you can depart Shangri La’s Sunset Bar full of (Dutch) courage and take on the rest of Kota Kinabalu’s nightlife.

Happy Hour

Tanjung Aru’s Sunset Bar’s Happy Hour

Tanjung Aru’s Sunset Bar is only open for Happy Hour!

Opening Time / Happy Hour: 17:00 – 20:00

Happy Hour Specials

Spirits: RM24
Stelle Artois Beer: RM23
Glass of Wine: RM29

Above prices are buy-1-get-1-free during Happy Hour!

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Map

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First Beach Café’s menu includes an even balance of western foods such as pizzas, burgers and various meat dishes, as well as Borneo favourites the likes of curries, noodles and a well-decent Sabah Sushi, Hinava.

The drinks menu from the conjoined First Beach Bar offers the gamut of reasonably priced alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to either compliment your meal or substitute it entirely.

But First Beach Café’s biggest drawing card is it’s location. Perched right on Tanjung Aru beach, you view is of the sea spilling over the horizon in the far distance, interrupted only by the nearby islands.

Around 6pm on virtually any given night Borneo’s fantastic, fiery sunsets are to amaze you from either the al fresco seating under the pine trees, or the covered seating closer to the bar.

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Map

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Cube Restaurant’s menu consist of Chinese Canton dishes, but with the emphasis on a chic, elegant and trendy setting, Cube Restaurant is certainly not your average Borneo Chinese eatery.

The Chef’s recommendations at Cube Restaurant include the ever popular Braised Pork Belly, Beijing Pork Ribs, Fish fillet with Butter Curry Sauce and Steamed Kampung (Village) Chicken.

On one of Borneo’s rainy days when locals feel it’s a bit cold outside, the hot CUBE Melon Soup hits the spot.

Open from 11am to 11pm every day, except Tuesdays, you can have a set lunch, afternoon snack, or enjoy a Chinese dinner or supper here in Sabah, with scrumptious food and a good bottle of wine at Cube Restaurant & Wine Lounge.

Menu Highlights

Cube Restaurant & Wine Lounge’s Chef’s Recommendations

• Braised Pork Belly;
• Fish Fillet with Butter Curry Sauce;
• Steamed Kampung Chicken;
• CUBE Melon Soup;
• Sweetie Sesame Ball;

Cube Restaurant & Wine Lounge Set Lunch

Price: Only RM 14.99 per person;

Main

• Steamed Pork with Salty Fish Rich; or
• Cube’s Curry Noodles; or
• Baked Cheese Fish with Rice;

Dessert

• Seasonal Dessert;

Drinks

• Vietnamese Coffee; or
• Tea;

Special Promo

Shisha @ Cube

Calling all Shisha lovers in Kota Kinabalu. If you enjoy a flavourful Shisha after a meal with a good glass of wine, then don’t miss Cube Restaurant & Wine Lounge Shisha nights. Enjoy Borneo’s best Shishas.

Every Saturday & Sunday

• Only RM20 per bottle;
• Refills at just RM15;
• Several flavours to choose from;

Weekday Shisha’s are available upon request

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Map

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Happy Hour is Beer Hour

Three hungry and thirsty people sat down at about 7pm, in the thick of Happy Hour, and decided to take advantage of Firefly’s generous beer specials. A tower of Becks, which equates to 4.3 litres of beer (3 jugs), costs RM73 during Happy Hour; it’s very hard to say no to such a great deal.

For Starters at Firefly Bar & Grill

For something to nibble on that would complement the beer while we waited for our mains, and keeping in tune with our Pork Mission, we chose the Crispy Pork Belly from the Starter section of the menu. Marinated pork belly, lightly floured and then deep fried to perfection, served with spicy lemon grass vinaigrette is the very accurate description.

Between the 3 of us we agreed it was flavourful, very tasty and overall quite delicious, although 1 thought it was perhaps just a little too crispy and 1 thought it wasn’t fatty enough (although admittedly she likes it very fatty). But otherwise we were well impressed.

In the meantime, our tower of beer was looming large over the table and the beer was flowing steadily. There’s something magical about being able to pour your own beer right at your table.

Firefly Bar & Grill – The Mains Menu

Shortly after, our mains arrived. We had the Honey Brined Pork Chop (pan seared pork chop topped with apple ginger chutney), the Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich (chicken fillet with Swiss cheese) and the Firefly Burger (homemade patty with mushrooms, sauted onions and Swiss and Cheddar cheese).

Having had a couple of hit and misses with burgers around Kota Kinabalu recently, the Firefly Burger was a pleasant surprise.

The homemade patty was aromatic, tasty herbs and spices complimenting the flavour of the thick and juicy meat. The bread bun, although large, didn’t overpower the patty. In this way the meat was the star of the burger, with the buns awesome as backup, making for a great burger show.

The chicken club sandwich was equally delicious, with two large chicken fillets smothered in cheese, overflowing on the burger bun. The buns are not quite as large as they look in the accompanying picture, but they were large enough for our taster to not be able to finish his.

Our critical Foodie gave the Honey Brined Pork Chop a big thumbs up, even though she was quite disappointed no to get the ribs she craved for.

We finished off the substantial amount of beer left in the tower, we called for the bill, which came down to only RM50 per person.

By then the bar part of Firefly Bar & Grill was heaving, the band hard at work getting the packed house moving. As we couldn’t find a table inside, we decided to try the bar part of Firefly on another occasion, perhaps when they have those Burboun Glazed Back Ribs in stock again…

Some of the highlights on the FireFly Bar & Grill menu are pork dishes, most notably the Crispy Pork Belly, the Honey Brined Pork Chop and, if you can get it, the Bourbon Glazed Back Ribs – a true delight in Kota Kinabalu.

This Borneo grill has both a non-smoking air-conditioned area and an al fresco dining area on the sidewalk fronting the bar & grill for some fresh Sabah air.

And of course, to accompany whatever dishes you choose from the menu, access to Firefly Bar & Grill’s bar section will put you in reach of FireFly’s line-up of some of the finest beers in Borneo, the likes of Beck’s, Hoegaarden and Leffe. Happy Hour is before 9pm, so eat early.

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Map

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Each year the KK City Tourism Treasure Hunt attracts numerous teams from around Kota Kinabalu and Sabah, and well-seasoned teams travelling to Borneo from west Malaysia.

This type of Borneo treasure hunting involves a route-map accompanied by questions related to the theme of the treasure hunt, in this case, Kota Kinabalu city tourism. The questions are not straight forward, but rather riddles with anagrams, hyperboles, translations, innuendos and other types of word puzzles, which need to be cracked before the treasure can be located.

The majority of the treasures are signboards, a building or street name, a plaque or something along those lines, which are then recorded on the answer sheet. Treasure hunts this big also would have physical objects that needs collecting following the unraveling of yet more cryptic clues and could be something like a local herb, a specific packet of biscuits, a type of canned drink, etc.

These physical treasures, which often have high point values, are then submitted at the end point together with the answer sheets.

Whether you’re new or one of the teams already addicted to treasure hunting, the KK City Tourism Treasure hunt promises a day filled with fun, competitive treasure hunting and, if you’re good enough, lots and lots of prizes.

That’s right, purveyors of independent bands and rock music, will get the opportunity to satisfied their Indie band cravings on 23 January 2010 when Rock Out! Chapter II takes place at D’Junction Fun Pub & Bistro.

The line-up includes 5 Borneo bands from right here in Sabah and another Indie band imported from Kuala Lumpur, just to mix things up a bit. The result, some home grown Borneo Indie rock with just a hint of West Malaysia to bring you another awesome night out in Kota Kinabalu.

The bands billed for the event includes the headlining band Seven Collar T-shirt who will be entertaining with their modern rock, alternative and rock numbers. Donatello brings us ska, 4AG is on with hard rock, we can look forward to Wake Up Call’s alternative tunes and modern rock, Pan-O-Rama will also rock the house and Goyang72 to will mix it up a bit with some retro rock.

In between the bands doing their thing, DJ Nukie D will be keep the house thumping and rhythms pumping as he works the decks from the DJ box reminding you what nightlife in Borneo is all about.

Tickets are reasonably priced at RM35 per person which also gets you 1 bottle of Heineken. If you’re heading over with your friends, why not consider one of the group packages, which includes the tipple of your choice (beer, vodka of whisky) and will get your entrance for 4 to 7 people, depending on which one you choose.

A group package also books you a table, which guarantees you a seat, which means you’ll be able to sit down when you’re not moshing to the band on stage.

All in all Rock Out! Chapter II brings another interesting event to Kota Kinabalu and give us that much more to choose from our entertainment in Borneo.

To that effect Bandwidth has lined up five noted Indie rock bands from right here in Sabah, and another Indie rock band all the way from Kuala Lumpur’s Indie rock scene.

Rock Out! takes place on Saturday, 23 January at D’Junction Fun Pub & Bistro and the line-up includes Indie bands Donatello, 4AG, Wake Up Call, Pan-O-Rama, Goyang72. Indie band SevenCollar T-Shirt with their modern / alternative / rock style will headline Borneo’s Rock Out!

Check out the tabs below for further info and book the dates for Rock Out! Chapter II, Borneo’s Indie rock band gathering at DJ Junction this January.

Band Line-up

Date: Saturday 23rd January 2010
Venue: D’Junction Fun Pub & Bistro
Dress: Casual
Age Restriction: 18+ only, photo ID upon request
Doors Open: 7:30pm and close 2:00am

Rock Out! Indie rock band festival will feature

• Headlining: Seven Collar T-Shirt (modern / alternative / rock)
• Donatello (Ska)
• 4AG (hard rock)
• Wake Up Call (alternative / modern rock)
• Pan-o-rama (rock)
• Goyang72 (retro rock)

• DJ Nukie D will be spinning his magic during sets to keep the rhythms flowing

Rock Out!, Borneo’s Indie band festival is brought to you by Bandwidth Street Press
Official Venue: D’Junction Fun Pub & Bistro;
Visit the Facebook Event Page;

Tickets

Tickets
RM 35 – inclusive of 1 bottle of Heineken Beer

Group Ticket Promo
Bronze: 1 Beer Tower for 4 pax = RM125 nett
Silver: 1 Bottle of Absolut Vodka with mixer for 5 pax = RM240 nett
Gold: 1 Bottle of Chivas or Johnnie Walker Black with mixer for 7 pax = RM340 nett

Note: Any purchase of any Group Package includes a booked table on the night. Hurry before they get sold out.

You can purchase tickets from:

• D’Junction Fun Pub & Bistro @ 088 – 703 131 (Anne Voo or Zawawi)
• Carlo @ 014 654 5484
• Art @ 016 830 1522
• Waves Jamming Studio, Asia City Complex
• Soundblazer Jamming Studio, Donggongon

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Map

Taxi Directions: From town take Jalan Penampang; when you reach the junction at Merdeka Super Market at Jalan Lintas, turn right onto Jalan Lintas, and almost immediately turn left. You’ll see the big building that is D’Junction.

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Located just around the corner from 1Borneo and as it closes relative early, Atmosphere Bar is ideal for watching the sunset and getting a couple of quality cocktails down before moving on to the rest of Kota Kinabalu’s party scene.

You can choose from the most wicked cocktails in Borneo, likable shooters, or just stick to what you know in the form of spirits or beer. Whatever your choice, you will be catered for at Atmosphere Bar.

Atmosphere Restaurant and Bar is open from 11 in the morning, if you fancy a tipple that early, until 11 at night, and Happy Hour is from 9pm to 11pm.