It’s good time to order now as it’s perfect timing of the festive season 😀 Do contact the bruneihalal sales team at 238 4533

 

Click image to enter website

I knew Dallas Lim during his years in Yellow Pages (Brunei) as a sales person. He then ventured into his own business by opening up a property portal for the convenience of real estate and the home seekers. Then five years later (which is the present), Dallas finally launched his new baby – Bruneibusiness.com – which acts as a business portal online directory. Well, haven’t we all seen this before? However, Dallas’ website has a different approach.

Do you know when there are times when you struggle to know of a location? or what is available at that particular location? This is ideal especially for those staying at different districts. For instance, if I happen to drive down to KB, I won’t be familiar with a lot of commercial buildings. This is where the portal comes in handy for me. It will give me an indication of commercial buildings around KB and what is available at that particular building. It’s sort of a reverse process and it somehow works.

I’ve checked out the website and it’s quite comprehensive and update to date in terms of the commercial buildings in Brunei Darussalam. In other words, this portal focuses nationwide.

Will this portal be successful? Well, it is accessible on your portable phones or smart phones, then it surely will. The public are now gaining information online than on print media. This is definitely a substitute for print directories as online access is the way to go in this era.

Well done, Dallas, on your extended family business venture. I’m pretty sure that it will be a hit and hopefully be the local “google” version for commercial places in Brunei Darussalam.

 

Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer. Juicing has never been easier and natural.

I’ve always wonder how does the Kuvings work. I’ve seen it around in events, being used to serve to guests. I’m amazed that what this machine can actually do. Let me quickly give you a background about Kuvings. It’s actually a slow-juicer brand made from Korea. One mentality that I would like to share that this machine is not a blender because it doesn’t use any sharp blades. Instead of blending, it mash the fruits and vegetable together to give a smooth, soothing mixture.

The difference between a blender and a Kuvings slow-juicer is the final product. Sometimes when you order apple juice, after a few minutes, you will see two layers within the apple juice. The top part of the apple juice will be denser than the lower part and you will only able to taste the richness on the first few sips. Now, if you use a slow juicer, the texture of the apple juice will be consistent throughout. You will not get difference in layers even if you leave it for quite some time. Interesting, right?

This product has been endorsed by Sara Ding, an enthusiast health advocate, who have been using the slow juicer for her healthy consumption. She even has her own recipe book where she shared a hundred combination of juice you can make using Kuvings. The biggest reason for her for using Kuvings is because of convenience and the quality it produces. Imagine this. You don’t have time to cut or peel off the skin of an apple for instance or do the chop-chop on your vegetables. Let Kuvings do the job for you and all you have to do is wait. Easy peasy.

There are so many things that I can talk about the Kuvings but if you want an honest and thorough opinion, check out Sarah Ding’s review on it. You will be more convinced. Furthermore, the Kuvings create a healthy juice since the ingredients are raw vegetables and fruits. Hence you get the most of the nutrients from the combination of fruits and vegetable.

Now you can actually get hold of Kuvings in Brunei. Seng Hoe Huat is the sole distributor and they have been introducing to the local market since March 2015. They have managed to sell around 200 units of the Kuvings slow juicer and that will give you an indication that this machine gives you the best quality drink/juice.

Though the Kuvings slow juicer has a one warranty for its juicer, the main component which is the juicing screw (or Auger) and the motor have a 10 year warranty. That’s pretty cool too.

Popular restaurants such as Momo Restaurant and The Energy Kitchen have been serving the juices using Kuvings slow juicer. You may find the Kuvings quite pricey but this is a premium product that delivers. You won’t have to worry about any juice blenders or replacing one for a very, very, very long time. I kid you not.

For a special offer from the distributor, you can take advantage of their Hari Raya $50 discount and if you also purchase the Kuvings slow juicer, you will also be entitled to choose 1 serving tray and tea cup from Katie Alice, 2 mason jars, 1 Sara Ding recipe book and the juicer comes with a smoothie maker and a sorbet strainer.

You can follow them on their IG @kuvings_brunei or you can contact them at 8637575 or 8807353 if you are interested in one.

Check out Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer on Youtube

Comes with a smoothie maker and a sorbet strainer.

The juice screwer or auger has a 10 year warranty

For the Hari Raya promotion, for every purchase of the Kuvings, you will get two Mason jars

You will also get a 100 healthy recipe from Sara Ding

You will get to choose any of the Katie Alice cup and tray

You will get to choose any of the Katie Alice cup and tray

You will get to choose any of the Katie Alice cup and tray

You will get to choose any of the Katie Alice cup and tray

You will get to choose any of the Katie Alice cup and tray

You will get to choose any of the Katie Alice cup and tray

A highly recommended juice maker and it will give you a different experience. That I can guarantee

Kuvings Brunei Authorised Dealers

The Energy Kitchen

Address: Ground Floor, Fitness Zone, Kiulap

Contact Number: +673 223 3323

E-mail: theenergykitchen@gmail.com

Kitaro Japanese Restaurant

Address: Unit 5-7, Ground Floor, The Centerpoint Hotel, Gadong

Contact Number: +673 245 7373

E-mail: kitaro.restaurant@gmail.com

Kafe Toompee

Address: No. 15, Ground Floor, The Airport Mall,

    Simpang 13, Jalan Komersial Jaya Setia,

    Berakas, Bandar Seri Begawan,

    Brunei Darussalam.

Contact Number: +673 234 0568

E-mail: toompee@gmail.com

Juicefests

E-mail: juicefests@gmail.com

Website: http://www.juicefests.com

Fitwellnesscom

Contact Number (Whatsapp): +673 729 8833

 

It’s never easy making a movie itself. Money and budget will always be a factor and it’s never to get the most out of the resources especially in Brunei Darussalam. The local shows that I have caught in the local cinemas were Apa Ada Dengan Rina (2013) and Yasmine (2014), both winning accolades regionally and internationally respectively. Another thing is that both movies scored 7.6 on IMDB. Interesting fact!!

So this is the third local movie I will be catching in our local cinemas – Awang Semaun: Rise of the Warrior. There has been a lot of buzz on their social media accounts so I believe this is enough to garner interested from the public to support the locally made movie. I’m not sure how much was spent on the movie.

The movie was directed by Azmi Matassan of Supasta Production and it’s amazing that the entire cast and the crew were volunteers. Sometimes this can be a good thing but can be unfavorable as well but just as long as their intentions are the same, there won’t be much challenges. I applaud the leadership of the producer to make this movie into a reality with the available limited resources.

The intention of the movie is simple – to remind the public that Brunei had its own legendary warriors in the past. Remember the first Sultan of Brunei? Awang Alak Betatar. In history, Awang Semaun himself was the younger brother of Awang Alak Betatar and he became the protector for the Sultan and his people from pirates and colonizers.

According to Azmi in the interview with The Brunei Times, the historically inspired movie is an experimental movie since it’s supported through volunteerism.

I shall be catching this movie tonight and I congratulate the team behind Awang Semaun: Rise of the Warrior. By the way, the movie is spoken in Malay language without any subtitles.

Azmi Matassan of Supasta Production (fourth from the right) during the press screening of Awang Semaun a few weeks’ ago. Image courtesy of Abdul Azim Kassim of The Brunei Times.

The official trailer for Awang Semaun: The Rise of the Warrior.

Still have time to buy tickets for the 24th July show

So any Brunei fans of BIGBANG? Guess what? BIGBANG returns to Malaysia as part of their new headlining world tour. BIGBANG 2015 World Tour [MADE] in Malaysia is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 25 (sold out show) at 6pm with an additional show on Friday, July 24 at 8.30pm, both happening at Bukit Jalil Putra Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

The organiser, IME Productions said that the additional show was due to the fans’ overwhelming request as tickets for the show on July 25 was sold out in less than a week. This marks BIGBANG first time performing a total of 2 shows in Malaysia.

The world tour coincides with their upcoming album, MADE, which is their first album in 3 years. Supported by Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, the popularity of the idol group is expected to draw a huge number of fans.

Formed in 2006, BIGBANG consists of members G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri. The five-member group is known for their chart-topping hits worldwide and has arguably the most international recognition and accolades to their name. They previously seized the “Best Asia and Pacific Act” and even beat Britney Spears to the “Best Worldwide Act” at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. They were the only K-pop boy group to receive the “2015 YouTube Music Awards”.

Fans who wish to catch the most anticipated K-pop concert in Malaysia better act quickly before tickets run out! Tickets are available online via authorised ticket agent TicketCharge at www.ticketcharge.com.my or contact TicketCharge Hotline +603 92228811or IME Productions +603 21666166 to purchase the tickets.

Ticket prices for BIGBANG 2015 WORLD TOUR [MADE] IN MALAYSIA as below:

  Rock Zone A – RM798 (Free standing)

  Rock Zone B – RM698 (Free standing)

  VIP Cat 1 – RM698 (Numbered seat)

  Cat 2 – RM598 (Numbered seat)

  Cat 3 – RM498 (Numbered seat)

  Cat 4 – RM288 (Numbered seat)

** Ticket prices are inclusive of 6% Goods & Services Tax (GST) but exclusive of RM4 ticket processing fee.

Fans who purchased tickets for Rock Zone A, Rock Zone B or VIP Cat 1 are entitled to a lucky draw for the Sound Check Party.

For more concert information, please visit IME Productions official Facebook www.facebook.com/imepmy or BIGBANG official Facebook.

The seating arrangement

My favourite song of BIGBANG. Well, this song was 3 years old.

 

Alice Chan of Concepts Computer, Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, Richard Soo, Acer Miri Branch Manager and Zul Abd Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer

Acer has launched two models of portable projectors yesterday to meet their needs: Acer C205 and Acer C120 and now it’s available at Concepts Computer. Imagine if you want to do a presentation and this will come in handy rather than carry a normal size projector. Especially in a small meeting room.

The prices are quite reasonable – the Acer C205 and Acer C120 with introductory prices of $438 and $338 respectively. Quite affordable, right?

“Concepts Computer have always tried hard to be at the forefront of the IT industry in Brunei and with the help of Acer, we would like to introduce the latest portable projector technologies to the Bruneian IT consumers at an affordable price, with a reliable build, without sacrificing quality,” said the General Manager of Concepts Computer, Vincent Pao.

Customers are reminded that they are able to enjoy the store’s Ramadhan and Syawal promotion whereby every purchase of an Acer projector, laptop, PC or mobile phone will entitle them to a Kingston voucher, which can be used to redeem a carton of Pepsi, 7Up or Mirinda Orange.

Also present during the launch was Richard Soo, Acer Miri Branch Manager. For more information on the new products, call Concepts Computer at 2233551, 2233552 or 2233553.

The Acer C205 (has built in speakers and HDMI) and the Acer C120, the smaller of the two.

The new show area for Acer at Concepts Computer

 

Baiduri Capital located at Block A, Kiarong Complex

Baiduri Captial opened its doors to the public on last week, and allowing Bruneians  to trade stocks personally online in three major stocks exchanges. Located at Unit 9, Block A, Kiarong Complex, the company was set up with the objective to provide customers a wide range of investment products as well as securities trading services.

Baiduri Capital offers its customers opportunities to invest in international stock markets via its innovative online portal, the first in the Brunei Market to offer online securities trading at www.baiduri.com.bn/baiduricapital

Opening a trading is made simple with the online registration form, and prior to trading customers need to do a Risk Profile Assessment to ensure that their risk profile is suitable for securities trading. Customers will also need to have a current account in Baiduri Bank or in Baiduri Finance for ease of funding their trades.

The three stock exchanges available to customers are Singapore Exchange (SGX), the Hong Kong Exchange (HKeX) and Bursa Malaysia, with other markets to be added in the future, including the US Stock Market.

At the Baiduri Capital premises, trading booths are available and equipped with tablets for customers to trade. An in-house financial planner,and qualified and registered dealers will be onsite to provide investment guidance and assist with trades if required.

 

John Wright, Regus CEO for Asia-Pacific,YB Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources and Vijayakumar Tangarasan, country manager for Regus Malaysia cutting the ribbon to officiate the launch of Regus’ first centre in Brunei

Last week, Regus Plc – a global workplace provider, launched its first centre in Brunei at the Brunei Malay Teachers Association (PGGMB) building in the capital. Present to officiate the launch of the centre was YB Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, who was accompanied by John Wright, Regus CEO Asia Pacific.

In his speech, Wright said that “We believe that there’s serious untapped potential here and that’s why we chose Bandar Seri Begawan as our inaugural business centre in Brunei.”

” As the 106th country that Regus has established a presence, we see Brunei as a critical market for our customers and partners, especially in the developing regional oil and gas sector. Brunei enjoys a symbiotic relationship with Labuan and Kota Kinabalu, where the specialist talent supporting the oil and gas exploration sector are based. Companies and enterprises in this area are looking for flexible workplace solutions to meet their project based engagements,” explained Vijayakumar Tangarasan, Country Manager of Regus Malaysia.

Situated conveniently among other offices at the PGGMB Centre, small and medium sized enterprises are able to connect with other companies, increasing their networking and business opportunities. The new Regus centre is also able to assist multinational companies in setting up offices in Bandar Seri Begawan easily, veering away from the traditional practice of leasing.

Regus was founded in 1989 and currently operates about 2,300 business centres across 106 countries.

Group photo with the Minister

John Wright, Regus CEO for Asia-Pacific

The tour around Regus Brunei

Vijayakumar Tangarasan, country manager for Regus Malaysia, being interviewed by the media

Ideal for start ups and SMEs

Conference room

An office space

 

If there was a series related to Sungkai buffet in a Game of Thrones format, the Freshco Sungkai Mega Buffet rules the roast. My oh my… I actually never tried their Sungkai Mega Buffet before and wow, I was more than impressed. Ok, I would even say that the choices are more than Carousel and Straits Kitchen in Singapore. So it’s more than safe to say that it’s the biggest variety of dishes for a Sungkai buffet in Brunei. It’s like you can dine there the whole night if they allow :p But as usual, I’m very selective to my food choices unlike my friends who tried quite a lot of dishes.

My favourite dish is the Beef Rendang from Waerong Penyet and that’s enough to satisfy my crave for dinner. Do try the savoury crab especially the sauce (definitely a winner). The food choices are just aplenty that I have to find a way to edit the photos to make sure I don’t flood this post with food, food and more food. Well, you can check the whole archives of photos from Thanis Lim’s blog post and it’s pretty comprehensive.

This year’s set up is much better than last year’s and it’s for the better flow of traffic and logistics for the patrons throughout Ramadhan. Did you know that it can fit at least 400 pax? Last night’s count was in the mid 200s which is quite a number, considering it’s not even pay day. That says a lot about how great the Freshco Sungkai Mega Buffet is.

Another reason for their attraction is that they have a combo of restaurants involved under one roof – All Seasons Restaurant, Sushi Tei, Pastamania, Waroeng Penyet, Auntie Anne’s, I Love Yoo and Killeney’s. Now that’s just amazing and pretty smart to have all in one especially having different international franchise brands.

So which means the buffet this year is bigger than last year and this shows that the management have learnt a thing or two from previous Sungkai experience. Even the staff are aplenty to make sure the buffet dishes are refilled for the satisfaction of the patrons. Service is definitely there. I wonder how they can up their game for next year’s Sungkai. Ok, let’s focus on the present and be awe on how Freshco has grabbed the attention of buffet lovers. Anyway, tomorrow 25th June, Thursday, if you pay with your BIBD Credit Card, you will get 30%.

Guess what? They also have Mega Sungkai Buffet at KB Sentral and it’s called the KB Sentral Grand Buffet. You can read more of the details from Cyril’s entry. I shall be covering that perhaps next week or so. You can also check out Freshco Facebook Page for updates.

The entrance of Freshco Putra Banquet Hall

Maurina enjoying her sungkai last night

Fried stuff from I Love Yoo stall

Pretzel’s from Auntie Anne’s

Good idea to distribute spoons and forks

Gado-Gado, anyone?

Simply tons of dishes to choose from

My favourite dish among the lot. Yes, I’m a rendang lover.

Simply tons of dishes to choose from

I’m liking the set up so far

Century eggs, honey chicken, skew mai and had how

A packed crowd last night

They have two displays on the left and right.. Simply humungous

Great sauce this.. Highly recommended

My guests for last night

Yummmmy.. from Waroeng Penyet

The dessert area

You want to win prizes? Then pose at their backdrop and post it up on IG with the hashtag #freshcomegabuffet #freshcobrunei. Image courtesy of Thanislim.com

 

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*