Lunch Review: Empire Atrium

Welcome to the Lunch Review! Each week we'll choose one restaurant for lunch and write a review on our lunching experience. Note that the review will reflect our own opinion and experience. This is not a paid review and reviews are done discretely without the knowledge of the restaurant owners. Anyone else who is interested to join the review group please message me in Facebook :)

This week, we had our lunch at Empire's Atrium, one of the most exquisite place in Brunei. Surrounded by luxurious decors and ambiance, we came with high expectations as well, considering the prices we're paying for our '5 star' lunches.

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The drinks were good but if you don't have a sweet tooth, their shakes and smoothies might be too sweet for your liking. Ask for ice to balance the sweetness to your taste. If you want water, you have to buy their Empire Sehat water for $5 each.

Empire

Their menus are big and bulky. Why bother with such a big unfoldable newspaper size menu when you have such a limited yet small selection? Oozing class? Posh? I don't think so.

The complimentary buns are quite good - it's actually enjoyable spreading butter and munching on them while waiting for your food.

We ordered three different type of sandwiches. Presentation wise, they look very appetizing, however, sad to say.. I did not like any of their sandwiches. It has truly disappointed. One of the sandwich was actually so salty and overly sour that I put it down after a bite or two. The silver lining is that their fries were acceptable.

French Onion Soup @ Empire

The French Onion soup isn't too bad but still a tad salty. Needs a lot of improvement.

Parpadalle @ Empire

Their Parpadalle costs $22 and I expect to be welcomed to perfectly cooked pasta tossed in whatever tasty sauce they conjured up. Sad to say, I was extremely disappointed in this dish. I would rather eat a plate of $2 seria kway teow than to have this overpriced undercooked undersauced '5-star' pasta. Thumbs down!

Overall, we came with high expectations and left the restaurant disappointed. It makes us wonder what kind of image this is giving to tourists who dine in the restaurant when they stayed over at the Empire. Is this the sort of food that Brunei offers? I cringe at the remarks they will make. The food is simply unacceptable for an internationally recognized hotel. Would I go there again? Most probably not.

The Lunch Review: CoffeeZone Qlap

Welcome to the Lunch Review! Each week we'll choose one restaurant for lunch and write a review on our lunching experience. Note that the review will reflect our own opinion and experience. This is not a paid review and reviews are done discretely without the knowledge of the restaurant owners. Anyone else who is interested to join the review group please message me in Facebook :)

This week we decided to have our Lunch at Coffee Zone Kiulap. We ordered two dishes, their Nestum Chicken $5.90 and their Sweet and Sour Fish. $5.90.

At first glance, you will feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the Nestum chicken but as you dig in, you will find that there's too much Nestum and not as much chicken as you would had liked. This dish could go either way depending on how much you love that Nestum topping. Personally I felt that they've went over the top with too much Nestum. The Nestum is quite oily and too filling for me. I did not enjoy this dish. Simply my personal opinion. I'm sure someone else will absolutely adore this dish if they love the Nestum bits~

I like this dish. Unlike some restaurant's fish dishes, where they minced the fish an add in a lot of flour and msg to deep fry into fish slices, Coffee Zone uses fish fillets, dipped in flour and fried. Therefore, the fish tastes fresher and the texture more appealing. It's a bit oily though for me though -- the fish. The sauce is just right and passed my taste test. This is what I would order again.

For both dishes, the rice is a bit overcooked and too soft for my taste. Their clear soup which I asked for both me and my friend has too much pepper in it.

The service this time is a bit slow but generally the staff is friendly.

Verdict: In my opinion, if food is your main priority, I would not come here for these two dishes, not during lunch time especially when I have one hour to eat. I'll come here to chill with friends and show my ideas using my laptop, but not for lunch.

The Lunch Review: Pondok Sari Wangi's Ayam Penyet

This is a new section we call the lunch review. Each week we'll choose one restaurant for lunch and write a review on our lunching experience. Note that the review will reflect our own opinion and experience. This is not a paid review and reviews are done discretely without the knowledge of the restaurant owners. Anyone else who is interested to join the review group please message me in Facebook :)

This week we decided to review Pondok Sari Wangi at Serusop under high recommendation from a friend that they have this really good Indonesian cuisine called Ayam Kalasan.

The dish is only $4 and comes with rice, cucumbers, beans and herbs as accompaniments. For sambal lovers, their chili sambal is out of this world and to those who can't take spicy, be ready with some dairy drinks to put out the flames.

The chicken is well marinated and salted just right for me. I like the flavours of the spices from the well grilled chicken and the juiciness of the meat. It goes really well with the sambal. What you should try is to eat bits of the chicken(with the skin) with the leafy herbs(on it's own, it's bitter and bleh!) and sambal. It's really an enjoyable lunch.

Note that this place can be quite crowded during lunchtimes and you might have to wait for a seat! Service wise, they're not as responsive and as fast as they could be but hey~ for chicken this good, I wouldn't complain too much.

Kimchi Restaurant All You Can Eat BBQ

Korean food has not caught up in popularity yet in Brunei but in Australia, it's a big hit! People have yet to actually understand and appreciate Korean food. Recently, I decided to try out Kimchi's All You Can Eat BBQ, their Ramadhan Promotion.

Kimchi restaurant is located at Regency Qlap. If you don't know where that is, it's the same area as Deseo, National Insurance Branch and also the new Excapade Sushi Branch in Qlap.

Kimchi uses nontick hotplates so your food's not likely to stick to the plate while you're cooking.



They also got exhaust on top of all bbq tables to absorb all the smoke and smell from the bbq so you won't walk out of the restaurant smelling like smoked beef.



For appetizers, they have assorted kimchis for you to savour and also two soups



Seaweed Soup



Kimchi Soup



Korean Style Seafood Pancake which goes very well rolled with cabbage kimchi, sliced bbq meats or on it's own. One of my fav things about Korean cuisine!



Place your choice of kimchi or meat on top of pancake



Grab one end with chopsticks



Roll roll~~



Simply sensational! You can be creative and throw in bbq squid or sliced sweet potatoes topped with Korean hot bean paste~ be creative! Create your own pancake roll.



Now on to the stuff to BBQ. They come in 3 different sets. The meat, seafood and vegetables sets. It's all you can eat so you can ask for refill everytime you finish each set.



The first set is the assorted meat set which includes marinated lamb, beef and chicken (in two flavours - spicy and non spicy)



The seafood set consists of marinated squid, prawns, scallops and mussels topped with a cube of butter and lime slices. Hmm...



The vegetables set consists of sliced pumpkins and sweet potatoes, sweet corn and enoki mushrooms.

I like to grill my seafood shell side down

You can eat the BBQ meats on their own but koreans like to wrap their meats with fresh lettuce leaves, sliced onions, shallots or garlic and a little bit (or a lot) of Korean hot bean paste.



Assemble your wrap healthy delicious wrap~



Roll and eat~~ it's really enjoyable. And same with rolling pancakes, you can create your own lettuce wraps! This makes it an enjoyable dinner with family and friends.



They also have an array of desserts for this buffet.



Fresh rockmelon, honeydew and watermelon slices



Patbingsu, which is Korean's version of ABC. Give this a try!



I especially like their smooth Soy Bean Pudding which makes a refreshing ending to all the spicy and tasty Korean BBQ.



If you like Shabu shabu at Ice Bar, you will absolutely love the Korean BBQ experience. The cooking and wrapping of bbq meats with lettuce leaves and seafood pancake is simply enjoyable and fun!

Korean BBQ is $19.80 for adults and $11.80 for children under the age of 12.

For reservations please call:
2222233/7122283

Banana Muffins with Buttery Sugar Crumble~

Was in a mood for banana muffins and decided to make one with a nice crisp top. This recipe is super easy to make! Your kids will love this, especially the crisp sugary top!

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 bananas, mashed
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/3 cup butter, melted (I used canola oil for health)
* 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (add more if ya want)

For the crumbly sugar crust
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
* 1 tablespoon butter


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder cinnamon and vanilla and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon + vanilla . Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

The Banana Muffin Batter



Scoop onto muffin pans or muffin cups~



The Buttery Crumbly Topping



Spread on top of your muffin batter, it's easier to use your hands to pat it evenly








Hmm.. Fresh Banana Muffins

Tarindak Restaurant @ Kota Batu

As a Bruneian, I am very proud of Tarindak restaurant. It is a restaurant that I can proudly recommend to fellow Bruneians and visiting tourists.

Located at the Brunei Handicrafts centre at Kota Batu, this restaurant offers both traditional Malay and International Cuisine but also to showcase local handicrafts and traditional costumes, followed by the great view of Kampung Ayer.

As you can see, the restaurant is spacious and classy. A good place for fine dining or family special occasions. I'll showcase only some of their food, which is a wide variety.

They have an open kitchen which showcases their grilled meats

Their lamb satay is really good. Tender and juicy. Grilled to perfection.

Ah! Gotta be proud of our Ambuyat!

There are also various traditional Malaysian Salads~

Gotta be proud of our local malay kuehs! And you can also see various traditional handicrafts on display too! If only they have Tapak Kuda!

Good food, good ambience and not to mention the great view. After dinner, you can even take a romantic walk with your loved ones at the riverside. My friends who went there said the view's even better during the day where you can see speedboats and the view of the Water Village. Breakfast $8, Lunch $15 and Dinner $22. Ala Carte Menu also available for those on diet.

For more pictures, please visit my facebook album of Tarindak Restaurant
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99669&id=581271416&l=ffeea6f22f

Molten Chocolate & Kahlua dessert

I love food magazines. I enjoy reading them all the time. Once in a while, you'll discover a recipe that's simple enough yet looks visually delicious. I was reading the valentine's section and discovered this gem of a recipe. The original recipe calls for Baileys but I decided to use Kahlua instead. I also don't have ground almonds so I just add in some corn flour for thickening. The initial recipe is enough for only 2 servings but I tweaked it to make 4 servings. Seriously sinful dessert. As you dig into the cake, you can see the rich lava like chocolate flowing out. YUM!

Molten Chocolate & Kahlua dessert

225g dark chocolate, the higher quality the better and cut into small chunks for easy melting
100g butter
1 tablespoon corn flour
2 medium egg yolks
2 whole eggs
4 tablespoons caster sugar
7 tablespoons Kahlua (chocolate liquer)
icing sugar to dust the top

1) Heat oven to 230 degree celcius/210 degree celcius fan.

2) Rub butter on four large ramekins or heat proof coffee cups

3) On a microwave bowl, melt butter and chocolate together in a microwave. Mix well. (You can do this the double boiler method if you wish.

4) Whisk the eggs and sugar until light and pale. Fold the chocolate mixture into this and then mix the Kahlua and corn flour in.

5) Pour into the four buttered ramekins. You can bake them straight away or keep them in the fridge.

6) Bake for 10 minutes/ 12-13 minutes if taken out from fridge.

7) Dust with icing sugar before serve.

The Batter~ Hmm.... must resist urge to dip finger in~



Rise my precious! RISE I SAY!





Ice Cream is a must with this rich dessert~~hmm....



Purposely popped one for you to see the liquid centre~

Chocolate Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Imagine this~ two tasty desserts combined into one. Chocolate Brownies and Cheesecake. Simply heavenly - sinfully delicious~~ I made chocolate cheesecake muffins before which is chocolate muffins with a cheesecake topping but this dessert is up the next level. Imagine the rich chocolaty brownie swirled with delicate cream cheese. Hmm....... I'll leave that to your imagination!

Chocolate Brownie
85g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
115g dark chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature if possible)
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (Dutch Processed ones if possible, unsweetened only!)
1/8 teaspoon salt (or a pinch)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Can't really find in Brunei anymore, so I used Galliano, vanilla liqueur)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or dark chocolate cut into very small chunks)

CreamCheese Filling
200g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) caster sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract (Galliano)

Steps

1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

2) Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave, stirring until smooth.

3) Beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.

4) Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

5) In a separate bowl, prepare the cream cheese fillin. Beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

6) Distribute the cream cheese filling mixture on the brownie mixture, and use a blunt knife to swirl, combining them - like a marbling effect.

7) Bake for 35 minutes or until centre of the cake is set.

I love these silicon bakeware! Great investment I tell ya! Wipe some butter though for easier release.

Melting the softened butter with the chocolate.

Adding chocolate chunks to the brownie batter

Pour batter into silicon moulds~



Prepare the cream cheese filling




Technically, supposed to drop the creamcheese fillings in 5-6 big spoonfuls spreaded around evenly but I was lazy so I just dump the whole thing at the centre. Use a butter knife or spoon to swirl the mixture.



Tadaa! The wonders of silicon bakeware! Easy Release!

Kota Kinabalu Review: Grazie and Little Italy

When asked about where to eat in Kota Kinabalu, friends always recommend Little Italy. A place that is just opposite Wisma Merdeka. A good place to eat Italian pasta and pizzas.

Little Italy's Menu




Walls and paintings gives this cafe a feel of Italy.



I ordered the set lunch which gives you free garlic bread and soup of the day for every pasta you ordered (except for the raviolis)









Hmm... Thin Crispy Pizza. In my opinion, better than Fratinis.

I ordered Squid Ink Seafood Pasta. This dish has a very strong seafood taste and is not for everyone. Most people would not even touch it but hey - give it a shot if you're a seafood lover.



Overall, I would come back to try other pasta and pizza dishes again here, especially their Raviolis which I did not get to try because I was already stuffed! Must remember to try their desserts next time as well! Table service was prompt and friendly.



Another Cafe that comes highly recommended is Grazie. My KK friends highly recommend this place and insist I must try it. It is located a few blocks away from Marina Court Apartments, and is opposite or next to the Celcom building.



Prices are quite affordable, if you consider the exchange rates nowadays.



The place is a nice open air style cafe so during lunch time, it gets a little warm here. Dress casually, like tourists; comfy Tshirts and short pants.




Smile Mona Lisa~ Smile~~



Pastas and Pizzas are made fresh here. I think it's a slow afternoon, so they made our pastas on the spot~ hmm...



Our appetizer is Tuna Carpaccio, which is sashimi grade sliced tuna, drizzles with extra virgin olive oil and pesto. Seriously good stuff! Tastes great with crispy bread or on it's own.



I ordered Canneloni, pasta sheets wrapping mince beef (popiah or spring roll style), and baked in a cheesy sauce.



Simply Ooomph!




Roasted Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic Sauce. Soft, succulent and juicy with the hint of rosemary.



Beef Tenderloin with herbs and mushroom sauce. As you can see, it's cooked to just the way I like it, medium where you can still see the slight pink in the middle so that it retains some of it's juices. Mama Mia~ Bon Appetit !



Simply delightful Tiramisu. A must try in this cafe as well.



Grazie's ambience and decor really won me over despite it being an open air cafe. Their service was really prompt and the food arrived almost all at more or less the same time. Note that we did have to wait 20-30 minutes for the main course to arrive but the appetizers kept us busy. The food is really good and I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Kota Kinabalu. I would definitely come back here to sample their other dishes again!

Brunei Hotel: Mawar Restaurant May Promotion!

Brunei hotel's Mawar Restaurant is introducing their new menu promotions starting 1st of May 2009. Their menu boasts fusion cuisines that will wet your taste buds.

Uttar Pradesh Spicy Chicken
It's tastes like lemon chicken with a touch of spiciness to it. Indian dishes are usually quite rich but this one is light and tastes great.



Cashew Kung Po Chicken
Chicken chopped into cubes and stir fried with chilies, cashews and spring onions.

Milk Sweet Corn Chicken

Crispy Chicken Patties served with a creamy corn sauce.



Black Pepper Buttermilk Chicken
Has the rich buttery taste of buttermilk chicken but with the added ooomph of black pepper! A must try dish.



Sautéed Fish Fillet
Fish slices sauteed with shrimp paste and assam. Spicy and sour dish.



Shanghai Chicken
Crispy chicken coated with a plum sauce



Clay Pot Lamb Curry
Lamb Curry. Needs no explanation really. Soft succulent lamb slow cooked with spices. Hmm..



Chicken Patties with Avocados
Chicken shaped into patties and served with slices of healthy avocados.




Their dishes cost only $6.50 per dish and includes one soft drink of your choice. A really good price for a hotel restaurant. Be sure to visit Mawar@Brunei Hotel restaurant this May.