Patrons enjoying their dinner at Swensen’s Sengkurong

Filterworks experiencing Sungkai at Swensen’s

It’s been a week of Puasa already. That means I’ve been to 7 different places for my Sungkai. My latest visit was at Swensen’s at Sengkurong (oh, they have another branch at The Mall, Gadong).

The place was was very welcoming – the fairy lights above the dinner buffet, the friendly staff, the warm interior makes up an excellent first impression. This was the only place I’ve visited that had lesser number of people but that didn’t let the mood down for everyone in there.

A bit of highlight on the main course, the varieties were just enough to get a complete taste of each item. The tomato rice and salmon pasta took the cake among the savouries. A separate station for salad as well as Kueh Teow soup was situated on one side for those looking for ‘lighter’ meals.

The star of the buffet, however, was the desserts. Apart from the delicious assorted puddings and pastries, they also served waffles. A member of the staff was patiently waiting until you finish piling those items on your plate and ask for a scoop of ice-cream. Not just that, you could top your waffles with anything from chocolate sprinkles to cookies to chocolate syrups. It just took me back to my childhood when I could eat all the sweet things in the world without any care.

Speaking of sweet things, another attraction of Swensen’s were the drinks. The good news is they have 50% off on selected drinks (such as Milo Float) if you dine in with the Sungkai buffet! Also, their bestselling item on the menu is Cendol milkshake float (not part of the discount). That is definitely something worth trying.

For a reasonable $16.80 for adults and $12 for children, you can enjoy a scrumptuous meal that will satisfy your taste buds. So if you’re near Sengkurong or don’t mind the drive there, you should go and try the buffet. You won’t be disappointed.

Swensen’s Sungkai Buffet

$16.80 Adult $12 Child

20% off take away order

Tel: 245 1864 Gadong | 266 2264 Sengkurong

The buffet line

Tomato rice

Vegetable rattatouile

Seafood Combo

I like this – Salmon Pasta

Chicken Ala King

This roast beef is good 😀

Happy while sungkai-ing

Dont waste food 😀

The star of the buffet – desserts galore

Waffles, waffles, waffles..

Don’t forget your ice-cream

Some syrup for your waffles

Yes, all these shakes are 50% if you dine in with the Sungkai. Great deals..

One of the best seller – cendol milkshake float

Hipster Milo Dirt Pot Sundae.. mmmmmm

Don’t forget to visit Swensen’s Sengkurong 😀

Swensen’s Sungkai Buffet

$16.80 Adult $12 Child

20% off take away order

Tel: 245 1864 Gadong | 266 2264 Sengkurong

 

Her Royal Highness Princess Amal Rakiah with Vivy Yusof, co-founder of FashionValet recently at the FV pop-up store at The Empire Hotel & Country Club

Another photo opp with the Malaysian designers

I’m such a noob when it comes to fashion stuff. After being aware of Zalora and KLIHF, I only knew of FashionValet’s existence and never realised how big Fashion Valet is until recently. They are humungous to begin with.

You can tell how success a fashion portal is when it crashes from time to time (whenever they have new releases of their scarfs).

Apparently FV is quite popular here in Brunei and according to Vivy Yusof, co-founder of FashionValet, the market share for Brunei spenders are 15% and increasing. Hence, it’s such a timely manner for FV to make their presence felt physically in Brunei. Vivy wanted Bruneians to have a real feel rather than relying on virtual imagery on the few hundred collections under FashionValet.

Vivy was very overwhelmed with the responses from the public as hundreds flocked in to make purchases from the 30 designers where Vivy selected to bring to Brunei. The weekly event has been more than a success and Vivy vows to learn from their first showcase in Brunei held at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. This is because more than 60% of their inventory was bought in the first two days and thanks to the special discounts given to Standard Chartered Bank customers last weekend and also to the top FV spenders from Brunei.

I had the privilege to be invited by the team from FV for a Sungkai dinner last weekend and also interviewing the co-founder herself Vivy Yusof. Just one word to describe her – humble 😀 and I could see how dedicated she is in taking care of her fans as she continuously accepted photo requests from the incoming guests. I salute you Vivy for your constant high energy and being so accommodating at the same time.

Brands available for purchase at the event included Alia B, Syomirizwa Gupta, nh by Nurita Harity, emel by Melinda Looi, Poplook Premium and Mimpikita.

This is the biggest Raya campaign FV has worked on thus far. It is also one of the most exciting and rewarding times for FV and its customers as the Raya festivities inches closer.

The FV pop-up store will be at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Hotel & Country Club until June 17, open from 10am to 10pm. I believe by now there won’t be much choices due to the great responses from the public. Sometimes I wonder if the economic downturn has no effect on FV loyal customers.

Team FashionValet posing for the camera. Vivy and her husband are truly thankful to the team for helping them out in this journey

Familiar faces that are big fans of FashionValet

 

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin bin Abdullah, BIBD Chairman and Minister of Development handing out donation accompanied by Yang Mulia Mr. Mubashar Khokhar, BIBD Managing Director

BIBD today continued its commitment towards elevating the welfare of under privileged families in Brunei with donations towards more than five thousands recipients from all four districts.

BIBD also handed out special prizes to eleven orphaned students in recognition for their dedication to excelling in their education through the “Skim Hadiah Galakkan Pelajar-Pelajar Yatim Cermelang 2015”.

This was presented by Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin bin Abdullah, BIBD Chairman and Minister of Development, who was accompanied by BIBD Managing Director Yang Mulia Mr. Mubashar Khokhar.

The donations were handed out together at a ceremony held at the International Convention Centre in partnership with the Community Development Department (JAPEM), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, BIBD’s core values is always within supporting our society,” said Mr. Mubashar Khokhar, BIBD Managing Director. “BIBD is dedicated to support the Brunei Government and the country’s initiative in helping communities to develop and move forward towards achieving Wawasan Brunei 2035.”

In keeping up with the spirit of Ramadhan, the cooperation with JAPEM is part of BIBD’s multi-platform efforts in providing support to the Brunei community, which includes BIBD’s annual Sirah Amal programme and the on-going development of its BIBD Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future (ALAF) programme.

 

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You can check out the mock condo at Jalan Aman. Contact 717 5612 for appointment

I’ve heard of the condos along Jalan Aman and only yesterday I had the privilege to wonder around the mock condo of Aman Hills Residence which is slated to be completed in 2017. This could be the first where the developers are building both a condominium and a shopping mall under one umbrella.

As mentioned by Feeona Abdullah, sales representative of Proland REalty, some of the 60 units of the condominium have been taken and of course, there are still units available if any of you are interested. I kinda love the concept of the condo at Aman Hills Residence and anyone who stays here will appreciate the facilities it provides and also the convenience of shopping outlets in the coming years.

The mock condo has a four bedroom (one master bedroom), a jointed living room and dining area with a dry and wet kitchen area. The mock condo doesn’t included the furniture and other electrical appliances such as refrigerator and air condition. However, upon request, these items can be included with a different price range for a fully furnished condo.

The long spacious area with a size of 2,152 sq ft

The TV area. As mentioned, the mock condo just showcasing how it looks like with furniture. The prices stated are all unfurnished.

The master bedroom at the very end with a bathroom attached

As I mentioned earlier, there will be shop houses (two storeys), ice skating rink, bowling alley and Do-It-Yourself Hardware Store and not forgetting the influx of franchise brand in the food & beverage industry.

If you refer to the prices, the Aman Hills Residence offers different price range as low as BND 288K to BND 428K (unfurnished). Another gimmick offered by the developers are that once you buy the property, you can also earn rental with a 5% guaranteed rental returns per year for five years as it will be fully managed by Proland Realty. So you can say it’s a hassle-free investment with good returns.

For viewing of The Aman Hills Residence, you can contact 717 5612 for appointment and she will be more than happy to assist you.

The wet kitchen

One of the smaller rooms in the 4 bedroom condo

The pantry/dry kitchen area

The bathroom/toilet

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Click image to enlarge