**Updated 2nd May 2017
We've uncovered a large number of wonderful cafés and restaurants during our stay in Brunei. My initial thoughts on Brunei were, well, boring. But the beauty of this country is: if you take your time to get to know it, gradually peeling off the outer layers, you'll be rewarded with a wealth of exciting activities and eats!
Before we move on, there are some presumptions that need clearing up. Yes, you CAN get pork in Brunei! And contrary to popular belief, the non-halal eateries are not shrouded in secrecy and nor are they rare. These restaurants will usually have a notice on their premises - Food not suitable for Muslim people.
We've uncovered a large number of wonderful cafés and restaurants during our stay in Brunei. My initial thoughts on Brunei were, well, boring. But the beauty of this country is: if you take your time to get to know it, gradually peeling off the outer layers, you'll be rewarded with a wealth of exciting activities and eats!
Before we move on, there are some presumptions that need clearing up. Yes, you CAN get pork in Brunei! And contrary to popular belief, the non-halal eateries are not shrouded in secrecy and nor are they rare. These restaurants will usually have a notice on their premises - Food not suitable for Muslim people.
***This list is not comprehensive, we are still subjecting ourselves to various experimentats... anything to ensure hypotheses and results are consistent before we present them here :)
1) Danes Cafe
Whenever we make a trip out of Brunei, one of the first things we crave for when we return is kolo mee. So far, the best version (in Brunei) can be found here.
Coffee is decent - cakes are a hit or miss. Sometimes we get very dry cakes (which may have been left in the chiller for a while), and sometimes, deliciously moist cakes.
Our usual orders are the Charsiew Kolo Mee (for him) and Danes Kolo mee (for me). The Danes kolo mee is an exercise of self control. Springy noodles with pork balls, pork crackling, minced pork, pork lard and topped with a slice of bacon and sunny side up egg! Best eaten with pickled chillis. Bliss!!
Other choices available at Danes are ribs, pork burgers and other cafe food. I'm predictable and I ALWAYS order the Danes kolo mee, hehe.
Danes Cafe
Unit 102, Bangunan Batu Bersurat
7:00am - 10:00pmMust have: Danes Kolo Mee
2) Brew Cafe & Brewery
Brew Cafe & Brewery (wish they'd change to a less generic name... try looking for THAT on Waze!) is under the Mr Baker umbrella branch.
We arrived at 11:30am, and completely missed out on the breakfast options. Breakfast is only available till 11am, with the usual breakfast fare of scrambled eggs, sausages, toast - that sort of options.
The herbed bagel with roast chicken, cheese, tomatoes and salad leaves combination goes really well together! Bagels are also chewy, without being overly dense.
Half boiled eggs and flat white. Hands down, Mr Baker has the best coffee in town! The espresso brewed here has a medium acidity and a slight bitterness. My only gripe is they put too much milk in their coffee beverages.... good for diners who like a large cup of coffee, I suppose.
Our second visit, we managed to get there in time for their breakfast menu. This is the Croissanwich - with chicken, cheese, tomato and a side salad.
Croissants are well-made, with defined lamination. Although, I wish the staff had used a better knife to slice my croissant - because it turned up looking squashed, heh.
The cafe also has an in-house bakery. They sell a variety of bread options like sourdough, baguette, croissants, tarts and much more. We weren't wild about the desserts here though. Pandan sponge cake was incredibly dry, and the egg tart shell was a disappointment (hard, not crumbly).
Brew Cafe & Bakery
Unit 47, Block C, Gadong Central
Brunei
7:00am - 10:30pm
Must have: Coffee, breads, croissants, bagels.
3) Alter Ego
We passed by this cafe, and I was immediately attracted to its exterior but we were already leaving. As soon as I got back, I searched it up online. Strangely, there wasn't much information other than some commenting on its decor.
I was pleased to see that they offer French pastries (digressing, we drove 15 minutes to a patisserie called Le Doux Patisserie only to be massively disappointed by their pastries) such as Petite Antoines, and fusion choux pastries.
Espresso machine looks promising.... but the coffee was mediocre. All I could taste was milk :(
Steak and Unagi rice bowl -
That poached egg is perfect - all jiggly and indecently squirmy and glistening. I really liked the unagi, whereas V prefers the steak. Served on rice with Japanese seaweed, this was really yummy.
Karaage chicken with a spicy sauce-
Crispy, crunchy and tender chicken strips. Great for snacks.
Matcha Religeuse-
I was a little disappointed with the choux pastry, to be honest. It is obviously an "old", stale choux. The choux shell should have a bite to them (not crunchy, but at least with a bit of texture). The choux pastry I got was soft, stale and lacking body. Its saving grace was the matcha cream, though. It was fluffy and light.
We also tried the Petite Antoine... and it was forgetful. This used to be one of my favourite desserts in pastry school but I don't quite know what went wrong here! The chocolate ganache didn't have that intense chocolaty flavour... it was really meh.
That pink pastry in the background is a Bandung St Honoré.
Bandung is an Indonesian beverage, pink in colour and usually sickly sweet. Alter Ego's interpretation of the St Honore tasted like cough syrup. On the upside, this choux wasn't as stale as the Matcha Religeuse (I had the Matcha Religeuse on a different occasion - at brunch - so it may have been an overnight product. Whereas the St Honoré was purchased at night and probably freshly made).
Alter Ego
Unit No 2 & 3, Block E, Ground Floor
Lot 5788, Kampung Kuilap
Brunei
10:00am - 10:00pm
Must Have: The Grains and snacks
Must Have: The Grains and snacks
p/p/s After our second visit here, we have exhausted our options for desserts because the menu is limited. Although, it did state on the menu that it is still in a soft launching mode. Let's see.
4) Rack & Brew
As a special mention, Rack & Brew also has one of the nicer coffee in town! Hot meals are average. We suspect their cake is sourced from the same baker as Danes Cafe (because, they carry the same cakes). So it is a hit or miss with the dessert too. The yam cake is delicious!
There is also a boutique on the upper level of R&B. Personally, I think the style is cute and gorgeous, but the quality is on the lower side, and the price tag on them does not justify the purchase.
**Edit - Since taking a barista course, I have become a coffee snob (as my fiancé is quick to accuse me of). The coffee at Rack & Brew is good, but not great. Definitely one of the better ones in town.
Rack & Brew
Opposite The Mall Gadong, next to McDonald's & upstairs International House of Pancakes
Brunei
9:00am - 11:00pm
Must Have: Coffee & Cakes!
5) Roasted Sip
Yaay! A specialty coffee maker, or third wave coffee brewers have entered the Brunei market! Plus point - they are really close to where we stay, so I could grab the car in the early hours and have a satisfying cuppa before the fiancé goes to work.
I was there on two occasions - both times, I ordered a Piccolo latte. I know, I should have ordered an espresso to really appreciate the coffee, but I REALLY, REALLY enjoy my coffee with milk!
Anyway, the first try, I really liked the strong espresso - but I also find it lacking in acidity. The barista is very friendly, though. He chatted with me about the coffee beans, and how they roast the beans in house.
Piccolo latte, and a salted egg mini croissant.
The roasting is done once a week, so if you're lucky, you can even witness it while getting your caffeine fix!
My second trip there, the coffee was much better. It was well balanced: the acidity and bitterness.
They also serve a small selection of pastries. I tried their salted egg croissant - which was quite good. Their chicken puff was alright, puff pastry wasn't as flaky as their croissant. Which is absolutely fine, because the coffee here takes the centre stage.
Roasted Sip
Complex BG3122
Jerudong, Brunei
7:00am - 7:00pm
(Opposite GK Restaurant)
As a special mention, Rack & Brew also has one of the nicer coffee in town! Hot meals are average. We suspect their cake is sourced from the same baker as Danes Cafe (because, they carry the same cakes). So it is a hit or miss with the dessert too. The yam cake is delicious!
There is also a boutique on the upper level of R&B. Personally, I think the style is cute and gorgeous, but the quality is on the lower side, and the price tag on them does not justify the purchase.
**Edit - Since taking a barista course, I have become a coffee snob (as my fiancé is quick to accuse me of). The coffee at Rack & Brew is good, but not great. Definitely one of the better ones in town.
There is also a boutique on the upper level of R&B. Personally, I think the style is cute and gorgeous, but the quality is on the lower side, and the price tag on them does not justify the purchase.
**Edit - Since taking a barista course, I have become a coffee snob (as my fiancé is quick to accuse me of). The coffee at Rack & Brew is good, but not great. Definitely one of the better ones in town.
Rack & Brew
Opposite The Mall Gadong, next to McDonald's & upstairs International House of Pancakes
Brunei
9:00am - 11:00pm
Must Have: Coffee & Cakes!
5) Roasted Sip
Yaay! A specialty coffee maker, or third wave coffee brewers have entered the Brunei market! Plus point - they are really close to where we stay, so I could grab the car in the early hours and have a satisfying cuppa before the fiancé goes to work.
I was there on two occasions - both times, I ordered a Piccolo latte. I know, I should have ordered an espresso to really appreciate the coffee, but I REALLY, REALLY enjoy my coffee with milk!
Anyway, the first try, I really liked the strong espresso - but I also find it lacking in acidity. The barista is very friendly, though. He chatted with me about the coffee beans, and how they roast the beans in house.
Piccolo latte, and a salted egg mini croissant.
The roasting is done once a week, so if you're lucky, you can even witness it while getting your caffeine fix!
My second trip there, the coffee was much better. It was well balanced: the acidity and bitterness.
They also serve a small selection of pastries. I tried their salted egg croissant - which was quite good. Their chicken puff was alright, puff pastry wasn't as flaky as their croissant. Which is absolutely fine, because the coffee here takes the centre stage.
Roasted Sip
Complex BG3122
Jerudong, Brunei
7:00am - 7:00pm
(Opposite GK Restaurant)
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