HEARTH — Restaurant in Borneo

I’ve been meaning to try this place for a while. The location is pretty obscure if you’re walking from the Kopi Ping side because of the escalators blocking the restaurant. It’s easier to find the restaurant if you come from the Guan Kopitiam side. However, once entered, you’re greeted with a warm, relaxing yet elegant dining ambiance. Nice music filling the atmosphere, enough to keep you from taking your AirPods out of your pocket. Jeff waited my table that night. He calmly explained that the local beef from Tawau, which was supposed to be one of the signature for the restaurant was not available. Jeff also explained that the menu is different for lunch and dinner, and the chef refreshes the menu twice a year. I ordered ribeye, medium rare. The steak board was available to make your choice of meat easier. The restaurant was not busy, so my dinner came fast. The steak was served with smashed grilled potatoes, compound butter and salt flakes. It was delicious and beautifully done. Jeff asked whether I wanted dessert, and I ordered Olive & Orange as it caught my eye. The dessert was olive ice cream served with warm orange cake and cookie crumble. An unusual combination but it worked. The olive oil ice cream which was made in-house, was surprisingly refreshing. Jeff was very accommodating and reassured me to take my time to enjoy the meal. Hearth is the kind of place where you go to treat yourself for a job well done. The price point is just right for you to splurge on a very nice meal. I plan to visit it again to try the flat iron Tawau beef...

Went there for a private celebration, sure it was a full house but after reading the reviews didnt expect to be served only after 40 minutes with a small bowl of carrots that were my sides followed by rice without my small plates or skirt steak while we watched the neighbouring table who ordered later served theirs well before us. After enquiry they came with the rice then we had to ask again “to eat with what?” The waiter said “our wait depends on our orders” so a medium well skirt steak takes longer to prepare than the cook meals next to ours? Meat all came under temp/slightly warm (they forgot to salt the steak) which was a shame as they had much potential and boasted a rousing char pit. They almost forgot our eggplant order and had to be reminded which surprisingly also came under temp as we tot it wd need the longest time to grill. 🤷🏻‍♀️Wish i could say that even though service sucked the food was good. Yes the manager, waiter and lead waitress came over to apologise and another time while we paid for bad service, cool unseasoned food. Dont blame the waiter, if the manager didnt handle the situation well n the inexperienced chefs in an overstaffed kitchen could have done better with a full house. Been to bigger, busier, less staffed western restaurants that didnt hv that problem. Btw my skirt steak was so tough, i had to spit bits of it out besides being tasteless. Photo shows the silver skin unremoved or treated in a “medium well” cooked steak. Training perhaps could solve the problem? Hope it isnt because we didnt order...

Our family of 4 had an exceptional dinner at Hearth in Kota Kinabalu. Every dish was outstanding — my husband’s ribeye was perfectly prepared, my burger was one of the best I’ve had, and when our daughter asked for a chicken burger, the kitchen went above and beyond to create a special version for her that was absolutely spectacular. The quality of the meat and its preparation were superb. We enjoyed the selection of sauces to add to the steak as well.

The cocktails were creative and well-balanced, and I especially loved the touch of fermented pineapple, which paired beautifully when added to San Pellegrino. We ordered a bottle of wine, and found the sommelier’s suggestion paired perfectly with both the 334g (!!) Aussie ribeye and my burger.

What truly made the evening memorable, however, was Jeff, the manager. His kindness, warmth, and genuine hospitality set the tone for our entire experience. He offered top-tier recommendations, was sincerely attentive, and showed such patience and encouragement with our children as they practiced ordering for themselves. His ability to be both professional and heartfelt is rare, and it truly transformed our dinner from excellent to unforgettable.

As Californians from wine country, we are accustomed to world-class dining experiences — and yet our evening at Hearth exceeded all of our expectations, even compared to meals in Napa or San Francisco. That said, Hearth would not be Hearth without Jeff, and we sincerely hope the owner knows what an asset he is to the Hearth’s dining experience...