Pisang Cheese in Tawau at Indo Cafe

Well, Malaysia is pretty well known for its Goreng Pisang or Banana Fritters throughout the country, but here in Sabah, a different type of Goreng Pisang is served as a common snack.

Pisang Cheese is actually Fried Banana Fritters that are sprinkled with shredded cheese and brown sugar on the top and then served fresh.

Hearing the description put me off but when the Pisang Cheese came, it was and amazing out-of-this-world experience in my mouth.

 I kid you not, the combination of sweet and cheesy worked out well for this dish. Never had I tried Goreng Pisang in this form and soon, another plate was ordered. 

And according to many locals, the best pisang cheese is said to be found in Tawau city, which is on the east coast of Sabah. And so my mission began. 

He, on the other hand, recommended me to a place called Tawau Kopitiam. So, we went there and placed the crucial order. 

Wow, such an amazing taste I mumbled while eating the Pisang Cheese. Then after the first one, I could have sworn that the one I had in Semporna was a little better than this.

So I asked Pat, “Are you sure this is the best in Tawau?” He calmly replied that he did not know if it was, but this was his regular joint he had it every time he visited Tawau.

I asked many locals, and they just gave simple landmarks like “it’s over the, behind that hotel” or “go straight, turn left, then right, then straight and you will see it”.

For some reason, all the directions given were wrong which left us on a wild goose chase. 

There were about 6 small tables crammed into the shop lot. Looking at the menu, I knew I hit the jackpot as there were multiple types of Pisang Goreng available here.

So this was the so-called famous mother-of-all Pisang Cheese in Sabah, and I had a feeling that was going to be real good.

Now, one of the things I have heard about was other variations of Pisang Goreng and that one of them was a very special dish called Pisang Peppek, which is actually a flattened Goreng Pisang served with a spicy sambal sauce.

Ok, the sound of it just got weirder and weirder but to my surprise, Indo Cafe was serving it, and I did not waste any time and just ordered it. 

So it’s all good in the translation department here and for Malaysians, don’t let your mind run like mine did. Not only did it run far, but we all also had a good laugh about it. 

After the hype, searching and testing, I would say that Indo Cafe does have the best Pisang Goreng Cheese in Tawau, according to my taste buds.

You can even have them add extra cheese on your dish for a fee too. However, in my own personal opinion, I think the one at Semporna tastes much better than here in Indo Cafe.

Why? Because of the flour batter that they use to fry the bananas. The one is Semporna seems to be fluffier and crispy.

And the bananas that they use are the half-ripe ones compared to Indo Cafe who used a different type. 

The Pisang Coklat was actually quite nice, and the best of all three dishes we tried. The sweetness of the chocolate combined with the nuts was excellent.

Following through with the sweetness of the banana, it complimented the whole dish. In fact, everyone in the group loved this versus the other types of pisang. 

I’ve really never tried this anywhere before but this one really got to me. The pisang is hammered and fried and not much taste in it but the special sauce makes up for everything else.

It is a kind of Belachan and Sambal mixture, or a shrimp paste and spicy sambal combination. To me, the special sauce was absolutely outstanding! I ended up buying two bottles of sauce from them. 

For those heading to Tawau in Sabah, you can find Indo Cafe in the main town area. However, if you are planning to walk there, it may be a little tricky.

Best to ask locals and ask a few to be sure. There are two branches where this one reviewed is the original one and the other is located in another area of Tawau.

I would recommend that you use Waze or Google Maps to locate Indo Cafe, and if you are taking a taxi or Grab, most likely they would know where it is located at.

However, if they do not know, tell them that it is the Indo Cafe at Jalan Bantu, somewhere near Maxim’s Seafood Restaurant.

Original Indo Cafe Map in Tawau

For those who want to explore other food here, the cafe also serves many other local dishes including rice, noodles and even juices.

There is no pork served here so Muslims are welcome to dine here. The cafe is also operated by Indonesian Chinese who have been living here for many years.

For anyone travelling to this part of Sabah for business or leisure, you can also check my other article on things to do in Tawau, and when you are free, just head over here to try the famous Pisang Cheese at Indo Cafe.