Top Eats: Warung Saji

Hey there!

Okay, I want to share with everyone my favourite local restaurant here in Kota Kinabalu. Or, more specifically, Putatan.

Warung Saji is absolutely a great place to go and eat-out with your family, friends and even by yourself. The first time you step foot into the open-area restaurant, which is actually part of a house, the first thing you'll notice is that the restaurant is not noisy at all. Unlike most local restaurants whose environment is noisy, (mostly contributed by their talking, laughing and gossiping waiter/waitresses), Warung Saji's employees are trained by their employer to not mingle with one another in front of their customers. So, even if a few of their waiters have finished serving tables and are waiting for their next orders, they would quietly stand at a corner and stay alert to any raised hands from the customers. For as long as I have been eating there with my family, I have never heard them engaging in loud and brash casual conversations. Furthermore, their service is excellent. The waiters are quick, efficient and sociable enough for an easy ordering experience. Oh, and they wear uniforms too, instead of the usual casual tee and jeans plus slippers outfit we see most of our local restaurants employees wear.

Here comes the most important part of eating at a restaurant; the food.
I have been told that the head chef of Warung Saji was trained at a MARA training centre for cooks (whatever that's called). That's why the food tastes wonderful and is presented equally that way too. You can order single meal orders such as a plate of rice with a serving of delicious lauk like lemon chicken, salad-cream fish, masak merah beef and an assortment of others. You can also order fried foods such as mee goreng, nasi goreng, kuey teow goreng, etc. If you're eating out with a party, you can order plates of rice and have multiple servings of lauk and vegetables too. My personal and my family's favourites (we usually order the group servings) are the lemon chicken, salad cream fish, assam laksa fish, flour-coated fried prawn and cuttlefish as well as mixed veggies. There are also other delish lauk like garlic chicken, and sweet and sour fish.

Talking about pricing. the price is about mid-range. A small serving of one lauk costs around RM6-8. My family consists of five people, and I'd say we usually spend around RM40-50 at each visit. Some people might think that it costs too much, but for me, to pay that price to dine in a relaxed, hygienic and hospitable environment, with courteous and efficient waiters, plus with delicious and mouth-watering dishes, Warung Saji is an absolute must for foodies to indulge in.

Environment: 8/10
Cleanliness: 8/10
Service:9/10
Food: 10/10
Price: 9/10

Overall: 8.8/10

Peace.