Hey, sorry for the late update. Have been busy lately. So here are some of the Ramadan exploits in the past few days:
Nyonya RevisitedWent there several times, 3 more if I am not wrong. As expected, the best halal dim sum ever tried. Went to the Serusop branch and a detailed review would put it in a bad light. Several incidents happened: 1) a waiter broke a plate while clearing the table 2) I saw a used diaper left at a corner 3) tea cup with a dried grain of rice stuck to the inside of it 4) Flies, flies and more flies 5) a waiter told us to settle the bill ourselves downstairs.
Verdict: Change or you'll be in trouble!
Lil'Hub
Was gonna watch a movie in Q-lap mall but nothing good is on. But stumble upon a small sign promoting Sungkai Buffet for $5. The Lil'Hub is what I assume to be the smoking-area. It is nestled right in between of the ticketing counter and the snack counter. It is a pretty good deal for a $5 meal because they actually have BBQ and the view on the 3rd floor is great and the sunset just makes it better. The waitress is very attentive and the place's outdoorsy feel reminds me of a garden party especially with the decorative lights on. The only downside is that the otak-otak is one of those mass-produced cold storage kind.
Verdict: Good place for a simple Sungkai.
Unknown
This place in between the Serusop commercial area and Maktab Sains right beside a car workshop. The place is one of the cheapest place for Sungkai Buffet. They only charge $3.50! That's very, very cheap considering the types of food they have and food there is pretty nice. Of course, we can't expect much of the ambiance. The fried noodle is actualy very good and kind of special since they add sesame oil which makes the the smell rating go up, up and beyond.
Verdict: Great place for the adventurous ones or the cheapskate.
Mutiah
Located in one of the isolated buildings between the new Palm Garden Hotel and Taib bank. This place is one of the most well known place for buffet in Brunei since they charge $5 at all seasons... maybe except for Ramadan where the price goes up to $8. That's a 60% price increase! They try to make up for the increase in price by offering more food... but to tell you the truth it's not really worth it. Food quality is as usual. Good thing I went there for a "high school reunion" or else I would be disappointed.
Verdict: Not worth it, go only in non-ramadan month.
Zaika
Mmmm... love Indian food, how they play with the different spice. Zaika's buffet is around $16.80 range. The food is very good but there is not much choice and there is only one desert! One of the "Big Eaters' Gang" member actually don't eat much since she is allergic to half of the food I think (ie. fish and chicken). The atmosphere is excellent, the place looks really great and the much beloved Lassi is served and no extra charge for refill! I really like the daal they serve and the fish of the fish curry comes in the form of fish ball... that's very interesting and the best thing is that it is not one of those manufactured fishball, but this one is more like those homemade meatball with the very good texture and meaty feel. The tandoori chicken is very good also.
Verdict: Good food but limited choice, not recommended unless you love Indian food.
La Mee
Didn't go for their buffet but they do have 15% discount on regular food items. La Mee is actually one of the very good place for halal food since they are one of those selling non-Indian or Malay food, which I dare say is 90% of halal food outlets. La Mee's signature dish is of course the "La Mien" hand pulled noodle. If you go before 2pm and after 6pm, you will most probably see a Chinese chef pulling the noodle with a straight face. It would be nice if the chef has a bit of showmanship, smile a little would be nice... but don't grin because it would look like he is enjoying torturing the noodle! Their soup for their la mien, is very good and they also serve very good dumplings (KK's is the best I've tried though). Another food they excel in is their butter nestum chicken rice, which comes in huge portion.
Verdict: Yummy!
Red Chilli
This place is in Kiulap on the same block as the Apple Store. It serves $9.90 BBQ and Steamboat buffet. I believe that is the normal rate but this time they have extras like dessert. Can't really comment about the food, because most steamboat taste the same unless you are having the yin-yang steamboat or the tom yam steamboat. As usual, nothing can go wrong with BBQ except if the ingredient is not fresh like the thai-style pandan chicken they have. I saw a disturbing thing though. There are several flies hovering around and I actually saw some flies layng their eggs in the fishcake. I immediately alerted the waiter standing there and he promptly took it away. I am relieved that they didn't wash it and bring it out again. I'm curious as to why they don't use the fly-zapper that they have hanging there...
Verdict: Nice but watch out for flies' eggs
The Millenium
Saving the best for the last, The Millenium is in the same building as Supa Save's Beribi branch. It is $16.80, which of course is kind of expensive for Ramadan but I assure you that it is worth it! The choice is amazing and it is a meat lover's paradise! I love mutton and beef, which of course is the main ingredient in Middle eastern food. The roast lamb is heavenly, and they have a lot of my favourite Middle eastern food like hummus, shish kebab and skewered meat. They even have falafel (which is like "cookie" made of meat and spices). For your information, I think Saffron's cooking is much better. But I still love Millenium's Middle Eastern buffet. In fact, it is so nice that i filled myself up with just the appetizer and main course... I have to skip dessert. What echoes in my mind all that night is "Meat! Meat! Meat!". It truly is a meat lover's paradise.
Verdict: I crave for the buffet every single moment ever since...
(Ramadan almost ends, hurry try the different buffet in town!)
But I'll cover my most pleasant discovery. It's Shish Kebab! It is compacted minced meat with lot's of spice and grilled over charcoal fire! Like I said, nothing can go wrong with BBQ. By the way, the drumstick on the right is Tandoori Chicken if I am not wrong. Not that red though, not sure since I'm more interested in Beef lol. The giant tub is Briyani. Maybe since today is the last day, I'll go buy all three! Verdict: It won't be a meaningful Ramadan if you don't visit any Gerai Ramadan. Must go!
