Welcome Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Borneo

Our host took us to this outlet in Penampang, as it's nowhere as crowded as the main branch in touristy Kota Kinabalu. We were under the impression that by going out of the city, seafood prices would be more reasonable.

Unfortunately our recent dinner outing at the Welcome seafood restaurant was a mix of indulgence and eyebrow-raising expense.

With a bill tipping over RM400 for just five main dishes, plain rice, and hot Chinese tea, for 4 persons, expectations were understandably high. Boiled sea snails with ginger was on the menu and it was not exactly a gastronomical delight. You need to literally pick the innards with a sharp pick.

The standout dishes included stir-fried mantis prawns with steamed grouper with soy and ginger, stir fried local vegetables and a kind of shellfish that that was tricky to extract their flesh. Each item was fresh and well-executed, showcasing refined cooking techniques and balanced flavors. The mantis prawns were succulent, the grouper delicately flaky, and the mussels and bold—though none pushed boundaries in terms of creativity. No, we did not order lobster dishes but a plate of local fresh vegetables complemented our table.

That said, the pricing did not quite justify the portions. While the seafood was undeniably premium, the servings leaned modest, leaving us slightly short of satisfied.

Even the complimentary side of plain rice, which should’ve been complimentary was served in small portions. Service was efficient but lacked warmth or personalization.

The Chinese tea was aromatic and comforting, though it felt like filler in a meal that aspired to impress but didn’t quite hit the high notes. Overall, this was a dining experience that delivered decent taste but left us questioning the value.

Would I return? Possibly—if someone else is...

Welcome Seafood Restaurant is consider 1 of the big chain restaurant here in KK. One of their branch here in Bundusan, have a very spacious eating area. It consists of 3 space eating area. There is an air-conditioning room eating area, a standard ceiling fans eating area as well as an open air tents seating area. Usually crowded in the evening/dinner hours. They specialise in serving Chinese style seafood. Be it Kam Heong style, Dry Butter style, Creamy Buttery Style, Asam Curry, Deep Fried, Ginger Scallions, Salted Eggs style & many more. Beside seafood, they also have choices of seasonal vegetables depending on the availability, tofu, fried rice & noodles too. Seafood are fresh, price is average, however it's advised to check the price with their staff before confirming with your orders. Food are cooked & serve fresh upon orders. The steam prawns are very fresh, Veg are quiet tougher (suppose it's an old Veg/sayur tua), the Asam Curry Squid have a very mild spicy with a very little veg in it. The Asam Curry gravy instead of smooth creamy sour & spicy, it's taste thick & powdery. Creamy Butter Crab, the sauce is too thick instead of creamy, the Crab are full of Crab Roe but however the size are rather small & less flesh. Staff very responsive towards customers requests. Service consider fast, but tends to be slow during peak hours. The washrooms cleanliness need...

We were recommended by a hotel staff that this outlet is usually patronized by the locals whereas the other outlet in Kota Kinabalu City Centre is meant for tourists. This is a busy place even we came here on Wednesday. Therefore, suggest to come here early. Do note that they don’t go to your table to take order. Order taking with the boss (where you could see that he is usually surrounded by a queue in front of the “live seafood”. Then, return to the your own table to wait for the food. Average waiting time was about 30 mins. Hence, it’s considered okay for a “full-housed” restaurant. The dried butter prawns and the white clam soup are must try! Especially the white clam soup - it was the best that we have ever had! The soup was so sweet and tasty with the flavor of fresh clams. On the other hand, the Asam Squid was just average. Overall, we are very satisfied with the seafood here with very reasonable price and selective good seafood. Highly recommended for anyone visiting to...