by When I saw snow the first time, instead of making a snowman, I thought of scooping the ice to a big bowl, topped it with some red beans and syrup to make “ABC”. ABC (acronym for Air Batu Campur) or Ais Kacang is a popular Malaysian dessert made of shaved ice mixed with sweet stuffs such as peanut, sweet corn, grass jelly, red beans, cendol and attap seeds (nipah palm seeds) and drizzled with evaporated / condensed milk and rose syrup (or palm sugar (gula melaka)).
Pic: You know the shop sells ABC if they have this ice machine, which shaves big block of ice cube for making ABC.
“Deluxe” version of ABC (usually known as ABC Special) consists of ice-cream and fruit cubes of different tropical fruits like banana, papaya, mango, watermelon, starfruit, etc., making this icy sweet dessert not only tastes good but also pleasing to the eyes. You can find ABC in many coffee shops and food courts of Sabah. However, ABC melts very fast in hot weather of Malaysia, so you have to eat it fast before it turns into a bowl of liquid.
WHO says men don’t have sweet tooth? I always like ABC, not because of some “hormonal fluctuations” in certain time of every month. :-p The following are a few places in Kota Kinabalu City (KK) that serve great ABC. Please, please let me know if you know other good shops, I’ll really appreciate that.
1. Tanjung Aru First Beach (Now moved to Tanjung Lipat Beach)
Probably it’s a favorite dating location of our locals, so everything tastes sweet to them there. After taking a sunset stroll on the beach, you can treat your honey a bowl of ABC to melt her heart.
ABC seems to be sold very well in Anjung Perdana food court (see Location Map) of Tanjung Aru Beach because they have many stalls selling it.
The food court is big and there are quite a number of stalls serve ABC (with similar prices). Just shop around and pick one. This food court opens every day, from afternoon to late night (about 11pm).
Pic: one of the stalls that sell ABC.
Pic: ABC Special with fruits and ice-cream, with of mix of cheerful colors.
Pic: ABC has some varieties. The best way to find out which tastes the best is to eat them all! LOL
2. Tun Fuad Stephens Park
Another location is the makeshift hawker stall (see Location Map) in parking lot outside Tun Fuad Stephens Park (more commonly known as Bukit Padang by locals). The ABC here is also recommended by SabahGuide.com.
The stalls here open from 11am to 6pm daily.
Tun Fuad Stephens Park is the most famous jogging area in KK. After runners burn some fat, they can reward themselves with more sugar (ABC).
It’s easy to spot the colorful signboard of Ah Yap ABC (阿叶). I only sat there for a short while and there were already more than 10 customers ordered ABC from this stall.
I ordered ABC with attap seeds. It’s not a fancy version of ABC but it is nice too. I love the translucent attap seed and its dense texture which goes well with ABC. Compared to ABC sold in other places, the ABC there is not too sweet.
3. Kak Nong Restaurant (Closed)
Kak Nong Restaurant is the winner of Best Kopi Tiam (coffee shop) in Sabah Tourism Awards 2011. It serves many quality local food, and its ABC Special is also generous in quantity.
The address of this restaurant is B26 & 27, Level 1, Block B, Harbour City, Sembulan, Jalan Pantai Baru, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (see Location Map). They open from 8am to 11pm daily and their phone number is +60 88-487411.
Look at the big serving of ABC Special. It looks like a mountain! I wasn’t surprised because I had seen its photo many times in Facebook and Instagram, and that’s the reason I ordered it for RM7 (≈US$2). There are many goodies such as fruit cubes and sweet food buried under the tall ice.
Though I already had my dinner, I still could finish it because it’s so good.
Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
