The grilled stingray at Lido Square in Lintas, Kota Kinabalu will leave you smiling while the cockles are huge and succulent.

Lido Square in Lintas is a huge food court situated about 15 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu city centre.

Like most food courts, there are dozens of different stalls here offering a wide variety of dishes, many of which are pork-free. Some aren’t so if you’re only interested in halal food, choose carefully.

Lido Square is a massive area with loads of hawker stalls selling almost everything under the sun.

The highlight for any hardcore seafood lover would be the huge cockles they sell here. At RM10 for half a kilo if you have them boiled, or RM15 if fried, it’s worth every ringgit.

These cockles are several times larger than those typically found in the Klang Valley in Peninsula Malaysia but because of its size, one kilogram will get you only about nine cockles.

But it’s worth every buck and the cockles are cooked just right and absolutely delicious.

The ikan pari (stingray at RM25) was expertly grilled and rather tasty as well. The fish was fresh, and prepared just right, as the texture allows you to chew down 90% of the cartilage.

If you’re into chicken wings, then make a beeline to Melvic’s hawker stall. But be prepared to wait, as the stall owner is almost always busy with orders.