Great discounts and privileges using BIBD Cards for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

 

Ceri Cafe is located in Kiulap, same row with Mothercare and Bebeland. It’s a cosy, cheerfully decorated cafe with a red theme. Mind you they have another branch at Delima. I highly recommend that you book ahead if you wish to have your sungkai at either branch.

Now what to do they serve? Definitely Asian cuisine and the variety are just nice for those who won’t settled for a bigger buffet. The choices are just nice for my kind and it’s a good deal as well for a buffet under $12. The menu keeps changing but you can call them at 223 4997.

If you are going for ala carte, I kinda like the beef burger there. So thinking of a soothing and relaxing way to open your sungkai, try out Ceri Cafe Kiulap.

The buffet line with the staff of Ceri Cafe

Ayam Rendang

Mee Hoon

Quite a crowd at Ceri Cafe

 

A friend of mine dined at this new cafe called New Star Box Cafe and it’s located at the Kiulap, not far from CA Mohd. During the fasting month, they are having a special promotion especially on set meals and the prices are quite reasonable if you ask me. My friend, Fazizul, was high praises for the cafe and highly recommended others to give this a shot.

They even have kids value meal for the month of Ramadhan, going at $5 which is a good steal. The dishes do change for the set meals on a daily basis as well. If you are planning to do a buffet gathering for 30 pax, the management can also cater to your needs.

I will pay this cafe on the 3rd week of Ramadhan and try out their dishes for Sungkai. You can follow them on instagram @newstarboxcafengrill

Some of the dishes for you to try out at New Star Box Cafe

Interesting cornbeef fries

Ok, the chicken curry is from the menu set

The Grill Chicken Bowl.. Yummy Yum

Grilled Salmon with caramelized onions

The lamb

A great thirst quencher – citrus drinks and the for the big bottle, it’s more of a healthy drink

Thick Toast

Fresh fruit cocktail

 

Formerly known as Hana Bakery, this home-made cakes have been household name for the past few years or so. Why do I say that? Because the orders just automatically comes in during Ramadhan. And due to the overwhelming response since I posted on my IG this afternoon, I’m happy to say that Izz Zara Bakery has extended the deadline for orders from 26th June to Sunday 28th June.

The online bakery is seasonal and only active during Ramadhan to cater for Hari Raya orders. The reason for the early deadline is to ensure that all the cakes and orders are delivered on time especially during the festive season.

My favourite is still the original Tapak Kuda (nutella) and now they have introduced a few new flavours such as milo and maltesers. Yum yum 😀 The Cake Lapis Durian and Nutella will be a big hit as always. One of the interesting cake is the Crackers Cheese cake.

Do download the order form, you can click here or for more info, you can whatsapp at 8776 898 or 7102 138. Do follow their instagram at @izz_zara_bakery for updates too.

Vivo Cake

Cheese Cake

Cake Lapis White Durian

Cake Lapis Nutella

American Chocolate Cake

Tapak Kuda Twix and Tapak Kuda M&Ms

Tapak Kuda Maltesers

Just look at the different colours of Tapak Kuda

The milo based Tapak Kuda

Many choices to choose from

The Crackers Cheese Cake

Follow their IG

Click image to download form

 

Ah yes. The usual visit is back to OGH. OGH as you know is a household name for hotel and cuisine. Orchid Garden Hotel was one of the pioneers to kick start the Sungkai Buffet and it became the trend setter for many other local restaurants in Brunei ever since. What’s great about OGH is the wide variety and choices it has. The price now has been lowered compared to last year and it’s now only $24.80 which is a superb deal.

It was the first time also that I tried the soup station and man, I regretted for not trying it out for the past few years. The soup itself is the bomb and I mixed it with chicken strips and Hati Buyah.. and a hint of sambal penyet for the extra spicy kick. I love that combo 😀 So please, don’t ignore the soup station and I’m already craving for it as I’m typing this out.

The main courses are aplenty as well and not forgetting the murtabak, luk-luk, rojak and laksa station and of course, the soup station. The set up is slightly different as they located the dessert area near the entrance to allow better movement of the crowd.

There will be 20% discount for HSBC Credit + Debit cardholders on all Sungkai Dine-in promotion @ Goldiana Cafe and Lounge and this also applies for the Vanda Chinese Restaurant. The discounts are applicable if you spend a maximum amount of BND 300 on a single receipt. There’s also a weekly lucky draw prize to be won.

And last of all, they are also having a “Creative Photo Shot Contest” where the winner can win a Samsung S6 Edge. Simply dine in at their restaurant and tag @ogh_brunei with the hashtag #OGHSUNGKAISAHURRAMADHAN2015 on your IG. Simple 😀

Datin (left) and a staff of OGH

The kueh malaya section

some of the dishes I had. I like the Bingka Pandan kueh (green colour) and also the Tiga Rasa Fish 😀

The luk-luk section

The buffet line

Plenty of dishes to choose from

Laksa 😀

Abang is happy with two dosage of durian bubur kacang

The Murtabak section

The soup station I was talking about

Ah yes.. the bomb.. Soup plus chicken and Hati Buyah

Sambal pen yet.. must try

Quite a crowd last night

Ak Fairol taking shots of the dessert area

The Ice kacang area

IG Contest for OGH patrons

 

Enjoy 30% today at Momo Restaurant using your BIBD Credit Cards. For reservation call, 261 1618 and 861 3329

 

PHOP introduced a new Ramadhan promo called the PHOP Gourmet Buffet

These are some of the dishes you can choose from as part of the main course for the PHOP Gourmet Buffet

What do you know? Paddington House of Pancakes are doing their special deals for the Sungkai promotion. Last year, they had one in the Berakas outlet and this year there will be two outlets, the other one being at Gadong. However, both outlets have different promotion in a way. Only the Berakas outlet has Ramadhan Buffet from 6pm to 9pm and the promotion is almost the same as previous years.

Now the only difference is that PHOP has added a new set menu called the PHOP Gourmet Buffet. This is ideal for those who wants a simple combination of starters, main course, dessert and a drink for a price of $25.

What’s interesting about PHOP is the types of dishes they serve. It has a western feel and it uses pancakes instead of the usual rice to serve the main courses. You will be surprised that it is pretty tasty as well.

Make sure you try the Porto Pannekek (Salmon, egg) and the Chipotle dishes. My favourite so far. And of course, to end it off with the treasure box for dessert. For reservations, you can call 233 1668 (Berakas) or 243 0086 (Gadong). You can also follow on their IG handle @paddingtonpancakesbn

They also have special discounts (10% to 20%) for pancake lovers especially for take aways

The Olden Galette

Garlic brussels waffles with grilled lamb and kurma reduction sauce

PHOP pineapple pancakes with spiced marinated grilled chicken and peanut sauce

Spaghetti with prawn katsu and shitake mushroom in creamy chipotle sauce

PHOP special nachos

My guests for that night – Nee and Wen

This one is pretty good I must say. Salmon with egg inside

The signature dessert – Treasure Box

These are some of the dishes you can try

This is pretty good too. The chipotle rice roll

Taco rice

The usual Sungkai promo but only available at Berakas outlet

The usual Sungkai promo but only available at Berakas outlet

 

Owner of Sugar and Spice Nash Salleh (L) and Chef Md Radwan (C) hand a free chicken shawarma to a customer. Image courtesy of Norliha Din of The Brunei Times.

Loyal customers of Sugar and Spice Arabic Food in Kiulap recently flocked to the restaurant to receive complimentary chicken shawarmas as part of the eatery’s way of welcoming the blessed month of Ramadhan.

The giveaway, which was from 3.30pm to 5.30pm, had patrons queuing up for the delectable Middle Eastern traditional grub.

In an interview with The Brunei Times, the owner of Sugar and Spice, Nash Salleh said the giveway was a regular activity during Ramadhan and Maulidur Rasul.
“I invited regular customers through a group chat and the words spread from there,” Nash said.

Meanwhile Chef Md Radwan Esbinati said more than 250 neatly packed shawarmas were freshly prepared for customers.

The Arabic cuisine is made of finely sliced grilled spiced chicken that is added with the chef’s special garlic sauce and wrapped in a warm pita bread.

Each customer can request as many shawarmas as they like, however, the numbers usually given away range from five to 10 shawarmas. “We hope to get the berkat (blessing) from the month of Ramadhan as they say the more you give, the more rezeki (sustenance) you will receive,” said Nash. Text courtesy of Norliha Din of The Brunei Times.

Chef Md Radwan, the man behind the great food at Sugar & Spice

Preparing the shawarmas for the walk-in patrons

 

For Sungkai lovers, CheezBox is back again with their Ramadhan promotion. I would highly to recommend you to do advance booking for CheezBox especially during Ramadhan because it’s just pretty popular. With a price tag of almost BND 30, you will know how much of a worth it is. It has one of the widest range of dishes available and they even cater for the 2nd batch comers (around 8pm if I’m not mistaken). I had the privilege to dine in last night with my buddies at CheezBoz Cafe. This year, they will have an interesting gimmick – for two adults and two kids, you will get a free Hello Kitty merchandise. Awesome!!

The dishes are recycled everyday and you will enjoy a different experience on your next visit. They have also the pizza station, popular among children, where you can make your own pizza. There’s also the pastry section for bread lovers.

CheezBox Cafe has been around since 2008 and it’s one of the best cafes in town. It has such a strategic location as well, smack down in the middle of Gadong. So you won’t definitely miss this spot whenever you are in Gadong. Again, I would recommend you to do advance booking as it was a packed house last night.

A great spread of appetizers

Some of the main dishes – mixed vegetables, mee hoon, garlic mussels and butter prawn

This is pretty tasty too. The salmon

Spare ribs as part of the main course buffet

Nyonya Laksa fillings

My first dish of the night – the nyonya laksa *yumm*

More dishes on the lower floor

Woohoo.. The best dish of the night. Available every night

Japanese cuisine

Jenny, my friend from Vietnam, who missed her flight join us for Sungkai and made her own pizza

Jenny’s pizza creation

The pastry section

The sauces for the spaghetti

The ultimate plate

The fruit and dessert section

The pudding

Now this is a good gimmick. For bookings with 2 adults and 2 kids, you will get a free Hello Kitty merchandise from CheezBox Cafe

Seng Yee (center) with her couch surfer buddies, Jenny from Vietnam and Lyn from the US.

The hardworking staff from CheezBox, ready to serve you 😀

 

For the first time, Tandoor.com Restaurant has finally introduced a buffet line to the delight of their patrons. Did you know that I frequent this restaurant a lot of times? Why? I love the food and I love my favourite sitting spot where I have the view of the mosque and the Kiulap roundabout.

To my surprise, a friend of mine bought over Tandoor and introduced new menu. For now, I’m just gonna focused with the Sungkai promotion. The selections are just enough to satisfy your craves and perhaps, the steal of the day was the Lamb Mandhi. That totally took me by surprise because it was so tasty and the lamb was pretty tender with nice flavour to it. The chef must have marinated it and cooked it to the right temperature. Oh yea, you will need to eat it with all the sauces given – green mint sauce, garlic sauce and their spicy chill sauce. The best combo so far if you ask me.

Tandoor also provide some Italian dishes such as the pasta and the pizza. The pizza is quite unique as well with a great texture. Awesome stuff!!

I’m definitely coming back in the 3rd week or so after I finished all my rounds of Sungkai-ing in other places. Great food and lovely ambience as well. Thank you, Nizam, for hosting.

Italian cuisine also available

Chicken Masala

Lamb Samosa

Representatives from Kristal FM

The man behind the lamb mandhi

This is one delicious dish I must say. The best I tried so far. I’m hooked.

Make sure that you get all the sauces to go with the lamb. What a combo!!!

The thin crisp pizza

Celebrating Ashraff’s belated birthday

 

Al Alwani Dates at Arcade area of The Empire Hotel

Are you fans of dates? I grew up eating it every time when I flew to Jeddah during my childhood days. It’s like eating prune but with a different solid texture and sweeter. Back in the old days, dates will have seeds inside just like a rambutan. Trend kept changing and now they offer dates with almond nuts inside so you can simply eat the whole dates and plus almonds are quite popular among dates lovers.

I’m not aware of the brands of dates until I paid a visit to Al Alwani Dates store at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. Run by young Bruneian bloods, they were able to survey what was lacking in terms of consumer goods available in Brunei. Yes, so many years there is a premium chocolate brand that have been existing in Brunei. Another premium brand chocolate also made its mark a few years ago. Today Al Alwani entered the same category to offer Bruneian customers a different variety of choice.

PAN Foods Sdn Bhd is a local premium distributor for halal products and they are also the official distributors of Al Alwani Dates in Brunei Darussalam. The prices do range and they are nicely packed in boxes, ranging from BND 8 to BND 80. I love the packaging for a start and this is ideal for giveaways especially during our festive season. Of course, dates are also very common during Ramadhan for consumption.

Apart from the dates, they have small selection of premium Ajwa chocolates too. What I can’t wait are the new flavour dates that are coming pretty soon. By next week hopefully, you will choices of flavour such as coconut, lemon-mint, hazelnut, orange and others. Awesome!!!

For those who wants to buy hampers, Al Alwani Dates have many to offer and they come in different packaging and prices too. In the near future, the company hopes to locate resellers so the premium dates will be available at local department stores (hopefully Hua Ho).

For more information, you can call 261 0623 and also follow their IG at @alwanidates. As for the Al Alwani Dates store, it is located at the Arcade area of The Empire Hotel & Country Club. You will have to walk past Zest and Crimson Square.

The media having a browse

The selection of premium dates

I love the packaging for this

The Ajwa dates which are quite popular

They come in smaller and bigger boxes

They have different types of hampers as well.

 

Happening tonight at YMRM Galleria Batu Satu Branch

A hot seller – the laces

Even Galleria YMRM has their own label, produced overseas

More discounts on Songkok tonight

Senjang for the men selling quite cheap during the crazy sale

Happening tonight at Galleria YMRM Batu Satu

 

I don’t know why but this is the fourth year running that I broke my fast at Excapade Sushi at Regent Square. The number one local sushi franchise has never fail to disappoint in the variety of dishes it served. This is also one of the restaurants that will need advanced bookings especially for Sungkai. It was full house on the first night as usual and it’s no surprise.

I’m a big fan of sashimi and I am impressed how the quality is still consistent. Excapade Sushi, being the largest Japanese restaurant outlet in Brunei, meant that they will have to stock up many food items to cate to the demand among the patrons. I’ve paid a visit to their supply store and wow, I didn’t realize how big their storage for food was. They have dedicated chillers for certain products and I’m pretty sure this is where most of the raw stuff especially the sashimi are being chilled. The management highly put quality as their priority to maintain the customers and gaining new ones. So if you are big fan of sashimi, you won’t be heading to the wrong place indeed. Even my friends from Miri and Sarawak frequent Excapade Sushi and ranked it higher than the Japanese restaurants at their home town. So thumbs up to Excapade Sushi for that.

There are simply tons of dishes to choose from.. Apart from the sashimi, there are also different choices of sushis and tempura. Even from crab lovers, they serve Hokkaido Snow Crabs (the claw and the leg part). Another impressive dish is the mussels. Yummy!! For me, my personal favourites are the Unagi sushi and Salmon sashimi. Every year, buffet doesn’t do me justice because I’m a light eater. I even missed out on the Edamame because there were simply too many choices at stake.

This year’s presentation has improved and they was even coverage by RTB which is the first of its kind for a sungkai outing. I was being interviewed too but I’m not sure when it will be aired.

So to my readers, I give this restaurant two thumbs up for maintaining the standard and the variety. For the price of $31 for adult, that’s a great steal indeed. Of course, more advantage if you happened to be a privilege member of Excapade Sushi $27.90. Check out the poster for mored details.

What I picked here is the Unagi 😀

You will be spoilt for choices at the sashimi section

Awesome stuff this. I had a few of this alone too.

More sushi :O

Sometimes being served in small portion helps

The buffet line and they have a few dishes served too

Gindara 😀

The dessert section. I had the blueberry one 😀

The thirst quencher

Don’t forget the sushi train

Ah, I’m posting another angle of the unagi. Me loves.

A packed crowd on the first night

Yummmm.. Winnie had two servings of this Green Tea ice cream with red beans

Lots of photographers on that night too.

The social media gang

Being interviewed by RTB

Fhey holding two certificates of Excapade Sushi Regent Square. It’s never easy to get a Grade A for a restaurant. Keep up the great work 😀

This photo was taken last year during the Sungkai promotion and both Hui Chiet and I thought the beautiful Fhey looked like the star of Yasmine *lol*

 

Yesterday was quite interesting… Why? Because I learnt about cooking authentic Thai food 😀 Apparently many restaurants especially the ones outside Thailand that serves Thai dishes in Thai restaurants do not follow the actual procedure of cooking Thai dishes. This was shared by the head chef of Naj Thai Cooking School.

I noticed how important certain ingredients are to make a good Tom Yum Goong. Oh, for your info, Goong means prawn or shrimp. So when you order Tom Yum Goong, you are ordering Tom Yum with Prawn 😀 Apart from the ingredients and spices, it is also important to apply the right technique for a better tasting experience.

So the dishes we prepared and cooked were Pad Thai, Thai Beef Salad, Spring Roll and Tom Yum Goong. I have to say among the lot, I was impressed with my Tom Yum Goong and a few of my friends already requested me to cook for them to test my culinary skills. Perhaps the taste won’t be the same to begin with because of the local Thai spices that will be hard to get in Brunei. Then again, I will just use what’s available in Brunei and make the best out of it.

So if you happen to be in Bangkok and have time to spare, I highly recommend you to try out the Naj Thai Cooking School. The going rate is 2,500 Baht per person which is roughly BND 100 and it is a four hour program and they offer it twice a day. The venue is located near BTS Station (Sala Daeng). For more info, you can view their website. A hundred dollars is definitely worth it to invest your time learning make Thai cuisine 😀

The head chef of Naj Thai Cooking School, Watpusit Ayasanond

The ingredients and spices for our cooking materials

Preparation for the media

There’s also a technique for the pounding bit

Observing the head chef on the techniques

Making Pad Thai

Pui showing off his culinary skills

I’m impressed with my Tom Yum Goong 😀

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has a bigger obligation to reach and that is to revive the tourism industry in Thailand. Following year 2013’s lifting of the nationwide curfew, TAT is confident that the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 will boost its tourism industry and the campaign will end by 15th August 2015.

Even before the launch, most of the shopping outlets are already offering major discounts at popular malls. This is a good sign for Bruneians who love to shop, shop and shop. You will also be surprised that the prices are cheaper than Malaysia and Singapore if you know how to hunt. Just imagine that more than 15,000 of shopping places that offer discounts and you will have a hard time, compromising your excess luggage by the time you fly back home.

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 launch was held at Gaysorn Mall yesterday. It was launched by Mrs. Vilaiwan Twichasri, TAT’s Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business and Mr. Somboon Krobteeranon, Country Manager, Visa Thailand.

This year campaign will return with “Travel 365 Days in Thailand” grand prize, whereby The winners are entitled to bring a friend to visit Thailand for up to 10 days in each month of the entire year, with round-trip air tickets and hotel accommodation provided. Awesome!! This is applicable for those paying by Visa and you will entitled for a draw for every 500 baht you spend.

They have added some twist to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015. If you wear traditional Thai dress to shop at selected participating stores, you will have the privilege to get major discounts up to 80%. This includes places like Siam Paragon, Siam Center, CentralWorld, Gaysorn, Amarin, Terminal 21, Emporium, Mega Bangna, Central Chidlom, Central Embassy, ZEN, EmQuartier, Platinum Fashion Mall, MBK Center, River City Mall, Krung Thong Plaza, and Intra Square in Bangkok.

So peeps from Brunei, what are you waiting for? Fly to Bangkok and shop, shop, shop. I’m coming back again in July for another shopping experience. Who’s coming with me? 😀

Group photo after the launch of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 at Gaysorn Mall. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Group photo with Mr.Wiboon Nimitrwanich. Director Department of Tourism Invest, Tourism Authority of Thailand (4th from left) with the media from Brunei and Malaysia. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Guests registering for the event

The most comment picture on my IG post yesterday. He’s a celebrity in Thailand and one of the models for the Grand Sale launch.

Some of the models of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 launch and they are local celebrities

The media from 11 different countries to spread awareness of the campaign

The short press conference before the launch

The fashion show to showcase the products and services from Thailand

Swinging in action. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Posing for the crowd. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Some of the participating outlets of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015

 

Yesterday it was more of a pampering session. The morning session we paid a visit to Dermaster. It’s Thailand’s premier beauty and anti-aging service and it sounds like a niche market but when you compare with the services in Singapore, the prices are pretty reasonable and competitive against the regional countries.

What impressed me first is the service and the facilities Dermaster provides. It’s huge, three storey high and it even has a royal suite and specifically rooms for exclusive members. This show that they really take care of their customers.

They have 10 certified professionals ranging from different specialists (skin, hair, aesthetic, hair) and they will provide you a thorough consultation to tailor to your needs.

What caught my interest is the aesthetic and body center. I have heard of Thermage but never much of it until yesterday. It does wonder to your skin and the procedure is non-invasive, using radio frequency cosmetic procedure. Normally this will costs a bomb in Singapore but at Dermaster, it’s almost half the price.

Another that caught my eye is the “cool sculpting”, a revolutionary non-surgical body contouring treatment that eliminates stubborn fat (like mine) *lol* Yes, I do have a lot of side handles but of course, I have myself to blame for the poor control of food consumption on a daily basis. When I saw the presentation of “coolsculpting”, I was like… yes… finally..

However, an international officer consultant advised me that cool sculpting will be more effective after you tried all possible ways of losing weight such as exercising and dieting. If all natural methods seem to fail, then “cool sculpting” would do the trick. Oh well, but I’m quite impressed that Dermaster’s consultants don’t simply take in customers for the sake of earning but they will give their best advice possible and that’s how you win the trust of the customer. Thumbs up to Dermaster on that.

There is so much I can talk about Dermaster but I will leave it to you to do your homework. You can visit their website here for more details. By the way, there are also some Bruneians who used Dermaster’s services. Interesting!!

We went through a presentation on what Dermaster is all about

Something that I need to look at *lol*

One of the treatment rooms and they have plenty

The members area

The room for the exclusive members of Dermaster

This is quite a big place. It’s like all in one beauty center.

Wing getting her face scanned

Impressive technology to get a 3D picture of her face. And it’s quite detailed

They even have a small cafe to cater for their clients. They even have menu written in arabic. This is because they have high volume of Middle East customers.

Group photo with the lady in charge and the media. Thank you for hosting and showing us around.

Now this is the best experience massage I had in a long time. Maybe it was the first time I was given a body scrub as well as aromatherapy. The experience lasted at least two hours and it was so good that I fell asleep when Pui told me that he heard me snoring like a baby *lol*

After a heavy lunch, we were rewarded with a spa treatment. The service was pretty good. We were served with a soothing tea and a wet towel. They will of course take down details and preference so we will get the best experience within that two hours. The rooms were impressive with sufficient amenities to make you feel comfortable and like home.

I highly recommend you to give Divana Virtue Spa a go and mind you, you will have to do advance booking because of the popularity of the spa. It even bagged many awards internationally so you can tell how high of quality it offers. You can check out their website for more details and it even has a high rating on Tripadvisor with over 100 reviews. You can’t go wrong with Divana Virtue Spa. I feel whole after the treatment. So can you.

A nice cooling entrance at Divana Virtue Spa. It’s good to relate with nature.

Drinks were being served before treatment

The Divana staff taking down our profiles and also asking for oil preference

The rooms I had with Mr. Pui

I feel so blessed and pampered yesterday. A wonderful 2 hour experience.

We were served mango sticky rice after the session

With the owners of Divana Virtue Spa. Thank you for the experience.

 

Click image to enter website

 

Download SnapFeed app on your smartphones and check out the latest deals in Brunei and also get rewarded from respective merchants such as BurgerKing, KFC and Sushi Tei to name a few and also check out the new movie listings as well.

 

Happy Birthday Nisaa @ Bonita Suresh and sorry, I couldn’t make it to your advanced celebration. Hope you like the lame video greetings 😀 Thanks for being part of my life and I truly treasure the friendship since Day 1 (e-circles) haha..

The Surprise celebration. I wonder if the gang pulled it off :p

My current trip to Bangkok is to help expose and share with you guys of places to shop around Bangkok. Have you heard of Emporium and Emquatier? There are both new shopping malls under one roof, The District EM and shared among three buildings. The shopping experience is crazy there because there are more the 400 iconic brands at District EM. I was even confused with my bearings as I easily lost track of my directions. You might need an in-house map to get to wonder around.

Of course, if you happen to be in Bangkok, now it’s a good time to give these places because of the mid year sales. If you are familiar with Siam Paragon and Terminal 21, I would highly recommend you to try out the EM District. It’s even located at a BTS station (train) so you won’t have to walk from the station to District EM.

Even though the said malls have been operating for a few months, they have spent a hefty sum on promotion and marketing, a whooping USD 500,000 alone. You can see how serious the shareholders of District EM are. Give it a few more months and exposure, Emporium and Emquartier will be the top attraction for the shopping crowd especially from overseas.

Check out the pictures I posted below and I couldn’t include all because they were simply too many 😀

During the grand opening a few months ago

At the Emporium

The SL Coupé was launched a few days ago at the Mercedes-Benz Cafe at Emporium. The first of its kind concept in Thailand and this is to give more hospitality to their clients. Awesome stuff!!

The Mercedes-Benz Cafe

They even have prayer rooms at District EM

I have to try this premium cinema at Emporium on my next trip

If you own a super car like these, you can park with them

The garden upstairs

The imported area of the supermarket

I almost bought some grapes :p

The scarlett room, only applicable to members only and you need to spend at least BND 80,000 within a year

The logo for Emporium. The British flag pin indicates that the person can speak in English if you need any assistance. Cool!

Different range of clothes

The guys who brought us around. Thank you 😀

Group photo

 

Deputy Minister of Finance, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah presenting the championship trophy to ITB’s captain. Image courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

A well deserved victory for ITB. Two years ago, they lost the inaugural tournament in the hands of UBD. This year, they almost lost it when they were down 2-0 against IGS College in the finals last Saturday of the BIBD At-tamwil University Cup 2015.

All was not lost. Md Farrizz Saralfari and Ak Md Naqib scored two goals to put IGS College in the lead only for ITB to reply with confidence through Md Hafiy and Norfaez before half time kicked in to make a competitive score line of 2-2 by half time.

I actually felt pity for IGS College as they had the upper hand. A 2 goal lead with a poor field conditions due to the rainy weather, IGS could have held the game for their first title. However, ITB had other plans. They know that they have been in the finals before and experience did matter in this situation.

Right after the break, ITB quickly took the lead in the 47th minute from Ak Md Haikal which proved to be the winner. The match ended in a 3-2 victory for ITB and they have what it takes to be a champion. Hats off to IGS College for the great fight and let it be a good experience for them and also for the rest of the teams that were involved in the tournament.

The matches have always brought high energy towards the stands where fans will be supporting their own team. Even the crowd attendance can put other local leagues to shame. Great effort from BIBD At-tamwil for taking the lead and teaming up with ITB as co-organiser.

This year also see inclusion of local colleges and an invitational team representing Curtin University. A big thanks for Fazizul Haqimie for taking all the pictures since Day 1 and he was even soaked in the rain that night. Great photos and keep it up!

The VIPs watching the finals of the University Cup 2015

ITB vs IGS College

ITB vs IGS College

ITB vs IGS College

ITB vs IGS College

Celebration from the ITB bench

Consolation for the head coach of IGS College

A sad moment for the IGS player

ITB team celebrating their success

ITB the new champions of the BIBD At-tamwil University Cup 2015

Team IGS have their heads high and it has been a great journey

The rain didn’t hamper their mood on the field

 

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Zul And Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer during the unveiling of the Acer Revo at Consumer Fair last weekend. You can have a closer look at their Concepts Computer showroom

Acer is playing it’s Ace with the release of the new Acer Revo RL85-2957W8 mini PC at the ASEAN Consumer fair 2015. Launched by Concepts Computer, the compact computing solution, is a perfect powerhouse of features despite its small size.

The micro personal computer is an excellent addition to the household, with two terabytes of onboard storage, which can be extended with additional hard disks.

The unit also comes with HDMI making it easy to plug into a projector and speakers or a television as a media player, streaming high resolution visuals smoothly and great sound quality.

The Revo also comes with a pre-loaded Acer BYOC (Build Your Own cloud apps to make it the centre of your personal cloud. It automatically backs up all files stored in phones or tablets, making it accessible through all connected devices. Another nifty feature is that users can navigate the mini PC with their smartphones, provided their phones come with the remote control application.

The Acer Revo RL85-2957W8 is available at Concepts Computer at the price of $458.

For more information on the latest mini PC by Acer, visit the fair or head to Concepts’ nearest branch. You can also call 2233551, 2233552 or 2233553.

Check out the small size of the Acer Revo

Quite portable as well

Check out the plug-ins from the Acer Revo. Image courtesy of Pocket-lint.

Image courtesy of Pocket-lint

 

Listen to my latest podcast on Jurassic World with special guest Jessie Tey

 

I’m back here again in Bangkok. So far this is my second visit this year, the previous was back in April 2015 where I spent more time in Hua Hin (love that place). Now my trip will be focusing more on Bangkok where I will exploring new places for Bruneians to shop, shop and shop 😀 I came with two other media from Brunei – Pui from United Daily and Syazwani from Borneo Bulletin. We were joined with the media from Malaysia – Lauren Christie, Jasnitha Nair and Ng Wing Yik Yin. A big thanks to Richard Lim from Tourism Authority of Thailand (Malaysia) for this opportunity to be back in Thailand.

Currently we are being hosted by Dusit Thani Bangkok and it’s such an amazing hotel. I have the privileged to be placed at their club room level. The room is pretty huge and it’s like a mini-suite. Maybe too big for me but then again, I love the rooms here. I shall sharing my experience with Dusit Thani further later in my postings. I also met Sommai Yocapajorn (Director of Marketing Communications) and Stanley Lo (Resident Manager) and thank you for showing us around.

Our visit itinerary was to go on the Wonderful Pearl Cruise @ Rivercity. Now this is one thing that we Bruneians should be doing – taking dine-in cruises during the evening to enjoy the entertainment, the music and the atmosphere. This is such a brilliant idea to have such cruise and it’s quite popular in Bangkok. Apparently there are many cruises that offer this package and the ones we experienced was the latest one in Bangkok, the Wonder Pearl Cruise. For only 2,500 baht, you can enjoy the 2 hour experience. I don’t mind doing this again on my next trip with my friends if I happen to be in Bangkok.

That’s it for my post today and have a great week ahead. This is RA, reporting from Dusit Thani Bangkok 😀

Thank you Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) for taking us to Bangkok

Loving the speed for AIS network. I would recommend you this line.

A warm welcome from Dusit Thani Bangkok. Love the Jasmine flower scent.

With the media gang from Brunei and Malaysia with Richard Lim and Sommai. Image courtesy of Richard

Nice scenic view with the hotel of Dusit Thani

The Wonderful Pearl Cruise. Highly recommended if you are in Bangkok.

Dinner is also served at the Wonderful Pearl Cruise

 

In conjunction with the upcoming month of Ramadhan and Hari Raya celebration, Jati Transport will be having exclusive offers on their Mercedes-Benz C180 and E200 as part of their two-day Mercedes-Benz Star Weekend Promotion and today (Sunday) is the final day.

Alongside the Weekend promotion, the CLS 400 AMG Line and the B200 AMG Line were announced the new additions into the Mercedes-Benz showroom. The CLS-Class embodies a compelling, sporty design with the added space convenience of a four-door sedan.

Meanwhile, the B-Class makes the perfect family car for those looking for the best practicality, comfort and safety whilst also having a sporty edge to design and driving dynamics.

The CLS-Class features MULTIBEAM Led headlamps for the first time. Its high-resolution precision LED modules, each with 24 individually controlled high-performance LEDs, automatically illuminate the road with a hitherto unsurpassed, precision-controlled distribution of exceptionally bright light – without dazzling other road users.

There are also having promotion for their Mercedes-Benz merchandise items. So today’s the final day (Sunday) for you to grab this opportunity. Do drop by Jati Transport showroom in Beribi.

The new facelift CLS 400 AMG Line

The new B200 AMG Line

Mercedes-Benz merchandise on promotion

Mercedes-Benz merchandise on promotion

Mercedes-Benz merchandise on promotion

Mercedes-Benz merchandise on promotion

The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources at the Takaful booth during the opening of the ASEAN Consumer Fair

The popular short term investment is back!! Takaful Brunei Keluarga (TBK) previously held this special promotion two years ago back in 2013 and it was a big hit. This time round, the stakes are way better. For those who are not aware of Nur Savings from TBK, it’s basically a short term investment (maximum two years) where you will be insured and also gain interest from the savings at a profit of 2% per annum for two years.

The single minimum payment os BND 2,000 and there is no cap for the payment. Previously it was capped at BND 50,000 but now interested parties can inject any amount they feel comfortable with. The 2% interest is a pretty high return as compared to the banks in Brunei. Hence not only you save and get protected, you also earn the extra 2% from your savings. So imagine yourself investing BND 500,000 or even BND 1 million. That would be a great returns in a space of two years only. Awesome returns!!!

This promotion is open to all residents of Brunei Darussalam which means as long as you have an IC (green, purple or yellow), you will be eligible. For those interested parties, you can call TBK’s Certified Financial Planners at 223 1100 during office hours.

For now, you can also sign register at their booth at the ASEAN Consumer Fair at ICC and today’s the final day. There will have certified Islamic financial planners to assist you. Take advantage of the Nur Savings from TBK.

Check out the awesome deals from Takaful at ASEAN Consumer Fair. Today is the final day.

Check out the Tivoli

TCY Motors the sole distributor of SsangYong Motor in Brunei officially launched the “Tivoli”, which is expected to be a game changer in the compact SUV market with innovative style and remarkable product competitiveness. The launching ceremony was held at the Kiarong showroom.

Since an increasing number of global consumers are favoring compact SUVs with high performance, great fuel economy, practicality and price competitiveness, SsangYong plans to tap into its new model to meet such demands while solidifying its position as a leading SUV maker.

Tivoli, applied with sensuous design, outstanding spatial utility of SUVs, first-of-its-kind safety and convenience features offers an attractive experience as “My 1st SUV” to customers who want both style and practicality in their cars.

When it comes to styling, SsangYong’s new model blends the beauty of youth, energy and robustness in its overall design, aspiring to be “My 1st SUV” of young people in the world. Furthermore, as a starter of “Nature-born 3Motion”, SsangYong’s design philosophy, it expresses modern and urban images through “Urban Dynamic Style” based on a motive of “Rhythmical Motion”.

Rhythmical elements such as harmony of tension and composure, the whole and details are fully expressed on the front of Tivoli. And the reversed-trapezoid bumper, which underscores the air intake contrasts with crisp hood lines, maximizing tension.

Stable and balanced rear completes the design language of SsangYong Tivoli. While the rear, which resembles muscular shoulders symbolize confident youth itself, it also emphasizes rhythmical features through style lines. In the mean time, the cheerful clear-type rear combination lamps unleash liveliness.

The interior design of the new model pursues “Compact Deluxe Style” which creates smart and practical space where passengers can feel modern, yet roomy luxury lounges. Most notably, a future-oriented image is emphasized with a theme of “Moving IT Space” through bar-type switches and expanded use of touch screen controllers which are the result of analysis of user behaviors.

The Tivoli in red, being featured during the official launch last Friday

The Tivoli in white

The rear view of the Tivoli

The interior view

Tivoli’s optimized spatial design provides excellent passenger convenience and storage. Based on overall width of 1,795mm (widest in the class), its roomy two-row cabin maximizes riding comfort, and 423ℓ (largest in the class) of storage makes it the only car among its segment that can carry up to three golf bags.

Moreover, the full-flat folding second-row seats, not seen in compact sedans, provide enough storage for multiple-use, maximizing the original features of SUVs.

A D-cut steering wheel, mostly used in sports cars, together with a cylinder-type six-color cluster.

A D-cut steering wheel, mostly used in sports cars, together with a cylinder-type six-color cluster (Optional) not only satisfies drivers’ emotional needs but also boost their pride. Clusters with 3.5 inch display that shows various information offers great intuition.

2015 Tivoli’s interior comes in three colors: black, beige, and red. Red interior, in particular, is expected to be much favored by customers who want unique and sporty look, as it blends beautifully with the D-cut steering wheel, a standard feature.

Award-winning semi-bucket seats, which are ergonomically formed with fine materials provide superb comfort and postural stability during driving and cornering, and the quilting stitch design applied to the seats makes them exclusive and luxurious.

Tivoli’s P/T (powertrain), which SsangYong unveils for the first time is remarkably efficient and reliable. And the e-XGi 160, a newly born engine after three years of development period, delivers 126ps maximum power and a maximum torque of 16.0kg•m. Combined fuel economy is 12.0km/ℓ for A/T and 12.3 km/ℓ for M/T (based on the Korean standard).

AISIN’s 2nd-generation A/T, which is widely used by global auto makers is placed on Tivoli. Recognized for its quality and performance of power transmission, the transmission delivers dynamic driving performance with shifting response that is as fast as DCT.

Every trim of the new SUV includes Smart Steer, which controls steering effort in three modes (normal, comfort, sport.) depending on driver’s taste. Also, NVH performance is much improved by applying dual-structure dash panels to the engine room, resulting in minimized engine noise, and effectively blocking noise from intruding inside cabin.

For a highly rigid body, SsangYong Tivoli uses high-strength steel (HSS) for 71.4% of its body, and Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) for 40%, which makes it unique in the segment.

To improve the safety of passengers, 10 major areas use ultrahigh-strength materials, manufactured by hot press forming process. The materials are two times stronger (1500Mpa) than the usual UHSS (600Mpa), thus minimize deformation of car body in a crash.

In the mean time, big-sized disc brakes are applied to the front and rear wheels for quicker brake performance, and multiple safety features are used such as multi-functional ESP (Electronic Stability Program), TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), and LED daytime running lamps. Tivoli’s excellent safety is proven by its near-perfect ratings in AE-MDB (Advanced European Mobile Deformable Barrier).

The core of Tivoli’s infotainment system lies in maximized usage of smart devices. The HDMI connection allows passengers to enjoy clear images and sounds from smart devices on the seven-inch display which is connected to the rear camera. Furthermore, the six-speaker sound system provides excellent sound.

The new compact SUV is the only car in the segment which uses fully-automatic dual air-conditioning system. The AC system not only maintains the optimal temperature of the cabin, but also offers memory function which remembers preferred air volume, air direction, and temperature in three modes, guaranteeing pleasant driving all year round.

Moreover, It is more convenient and safer when parking, thanks to the obstacle detection system with camera and four sensors on the rear. Include at the back is a luggage screen, automatic washer switch, and automatic hazard lights make the car unique in the class, offering great convenience.

SsangYong provides dual-tone body and roof option in Tivoli for the first time to maximize expression of driver’s personal taste. By applying colors that are different from body to the roof, wing mirrors, and rear spoiler, it reveals urban and dynamic look.

So, ladies and gentlemen, after all the comprehensive write-up, you can check out the new Tivoli at their Kiarong Showroom and it’s gonna be a big hit indeed because of its affordability and what the Tivoli can offer. You can check out at their website or their Facebook Page for more details.

Another interior view angle

Annison, Sales Manager of SsangYong (T.C.Y. Motors) and he’s such a nice lad

The low spec of the Tivoli

The most sought version of the Tivoli. Two-tone colour

Recently SsangYong Brunei ran a competition and now Ang Kok Khiong is the winner of the Samsung Galaxy S6