Liew with Felix Flichtner
BERLIN: With the waters of Sabah teeming with fish and other marine life, Sabah is indisputably an alluring seafood paradise, says Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew.
She emphasised this aspect in an exclusive interview with Felix Fichtner, a German journalist with Mr. Food and Travel Magazine at the ongoing ITB Berlin, Germany 2024 on Wednesday.
Saying Sabah offers a culinary journey like no other, Liew said: “Seafood is a major tourist attraction in Sabah, with fresh catches from the surrounding seas.
“Succulent seafood is featured prominently in Sabahan cuisine.
“As a seaside city, most restaurants in Kota Kinabalu serve wonderful fresh seafood prepared in various styles.”
Tourists’ visit to Sabah will not be complete without sampling sumptuous seafood feasts, she said.
Visitors from Poland with STB official Diana Gaban (right) displaying the multilingual Sabah Brochure at the STB exhibition booth in Berlin.
Asked on Sabah’s ethnic foods of the indigenous people, Liew said one such traditional dish is the Hinava.
“This Kadazandusun delicacy is made from thinly-sliced fresh fish marinated with lime juice, chili, ginger, and shallots.”
To another question, Liew said some ‘must-see’ locations for food travellers are the Api-Api Night Food Market (initiated by the Minister in 2018), Gaya Street Sunday Market and Lido Square Food Court.
“The Api-Api Night Food Market is a ‘must-visit’ for an authentic taste of Sabah,” she added.
On Sabah hotels that offer great food, Liew said these include Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort, Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort, Magellan Sutera Hotel, Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu and Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu.
“We also have standalone restaurants around Kota Kinabalu that cater to the international market, such as Little Italy, Shoney’s Dining & Bar, Chilli Vanilla and El Centro. We even have our own local fast food restaurant, Borenos Fried Chicken,” she said.
Prior to the interview, Liew gave an overview of Sabah when Fichtner told her that he had never heard of this Malaysian state.
“In a nutshell, Kota Kinabalu (State capital) is the gateway to Sabah. Sandakan is the gateway to Sabah’s iconic wildlife, while Tawau is the gateway to Sabah’s world-class diving sites off Semporna,” she said.
Sabah Tea, Tenom Coffee and Tambunan Ginger, placed in a bamboo gift box (handwoven by Dusun women of Kota Belud), are being given away to visitors at the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) exhibition booth.
