Thanis Lim

Brunei Restaurants: Alter Ego Fusion

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Alter Ego Fusion soft opened last year to try out a menu that is very different from their other successful cafe High Frequency. After months of research and feedback from customers, Alter Ego finally launched a completely new menu with confidence that it will satisfy the Bruneian foodie scene. It was a pleasure to check out their completely new menu and I’m pleased that they are moving in the right direction – a diverse range of delicious choices at more affordable prices compared to their soft opening!

Alter Ego has always given me the impression of cafes you see when you travel overseas. When you walk in – you will see different sections of the cafe sporting different style furniture and feel to suit your needs and of course take some #OOTD Instagram photos. I’ll have to say when Alter Ego is one of the best looking cafes in Brunei ~~~

Appreciate the ambience of the cafe and take some gorgeous shots ~~

You might even think that she’s outside a building!

The lovely painted wall is one of the best places for photo opportunities ~~

This groovy looking 3D art is aesthetically pleasing ~~ nice place to chillax ~~~

Ahhh ~~~ play me some jazz baby ~~

Let’s begin with their coffee setup ~~ if you are familiar with coffee machines ~ you will know that this is the Gravimetric Black Eagle that cost more than an entry level car – one of the top of the line Espresso Machines and their coffee grinders are top of the range Mythos grinders too.

For every coffee enthusiast ~~ their copper equipment will spark your interest ~~ ooo wish I have one of those at home ~~

Did you see the Copper Hario Pot? *swooons*

You get a choice of two beans for pour overs or siphon coffee ~~ whichever suits your taste ~~ I personally like the Guatamela but its a personal preference thing ~~

They also have their own Cold Brew which is a pleasant takeaway to enjoy ~~

They recently also stocked some pretty interesting tea range from ETTE – combining heritage with tea ~~

You will see very interesting flavours like Nasi Lemak ~~ Tiger Lily Mint ~~ Pandan Chiffon ~~ much much more tea flavours to choose from ~~

Ahhh pour some of that pleasant Pandan Chiffon please ~~

I haven’t tried this one yet ~~ but this is the song title of Teresa Teng’s most popular song ~ mmm ~~~

Maybe when you drink this tea ~~ you will feel romantic or think of someone special ~~ hahaha ~~

Now to check out their new food menu ~~ if you want – they can show you an Ipad for you to scroll through their food to get a better idea ~~

Mmmm ~~~ caught watching FOOD PORN!

This is their French Onion Soup with a lovely flaky pastry crust on top ~~

mmm ~~ I personally enjoy French Onion soups and the flaky crust is a good combination ~~

Or would you like heart warming pumpkin soup?

Mmmm I quite like their Three Mushroom Soup too ~~ texture and flavourwise spot on ~~ my favourite out of the three ~~

For their all day breakfast menu – they have two type of grain bowls – basically quinoa with a lovely serving of mixed grilled vegetables – this is the roasted chicken grain bowl ~~

and this is their grilled steak grain bowl ~~~ mmmm ~~ your doctor’s gonna be happy this adds to your five servings of veggies a day ~~

Meatball Ratatouille – home made beef balls served with mixed grilled vegetables

Going for something light and easy? Look no further than their Nordic A La Crepe – cured Norwegian salmon served with Mexican tarragon cream cheese, rough guacamole + quail eggs.

For some straight forward breakfast – grab the Ego Brekkie – egg’s cooked anyway you like it ~~ with their in house artisanal bread, chicken sausage and lovely sauteed potatoes with onions ~~ yummers!

The Tuscan Lamb Harissa with baked eggs is going to be a crowd pleaser! Slow Roasted Tender lamb chunks with soft boiled eggs ~~ and enjoyed with toasted brioche.

Simply gorgeous and can be considered one of the most yummy breakfast in Brunei in my opinion. A must try breakfast at Alter Ego Fusion ~~

This one is bound to make you gasp as you see a mountain of mushroom bechamel oozing down these perfectly scrambled eggs on their in house artisanal bread and sprinkled with parmesan ~~ *DROOLS*

Another hearty breakfast – the Stir fry chili beef con carne ~~ stir fried chili beef oyster blade, baked beans, 63 degree egg ~~~ just lovely!

Salmon Gravlax Donut – O – M – G! Salmon – Scrambled Eggs – Avocados – Ikura – donut bun ~~ ticks all the boxes of a hipster breakfast and most important of all ~~ delicious!

Mmmm ~~ how can you say no to this?

Let’s look at some of their appetizers – this is their Gobi Pakora Quinoa Salad – An Indian influenced salad – with curried cauliflower, quinoa, toasted almonds, chick peas and romaine lettuce.

The Mango Ricotta Bruschetta is one of my fav appetizers – fresh ricotta cheese – with mangoes – berries compote and honey ~~ give this a shot!

The bite sized Tangy Thai Salmon is another interesting creation – Norwegian Salmon, with tom yam infused ceral – baked in the oven and topped with ikura (salmon roe)!

You can’t go wrong with a classic favourite – Shrimp Paste marinated and fried chicken wings ~~

Chicken Karage are bite size pieces of fried crispy spiced chicken ~~ but the reason I like this is not only the chicken ~~

It is their in house specially made smoked tomato sauce that has a good smoky bbq flavour to it ~~ goes exceptionally well with the chicken karage!

Alter Ego Fusion has some pasta dishes in their lineup ~~ we shall start with the Blue Prawns Pesto from their mains section – simple down to earth pesto with Bruneian Blue Prawns ~~ an ode to one of our proud local produce.

This is their mushroom carbonara – shimeji mushrooms ~~ béchamel sauce, topped with egg yolk and sprinkled with lots of freshly grated parmesan!

Their breakfast pasta lineup: Japanese Influenced Sakura Ebi Pasta – crispy sakura ebi, finely chopped kombu and chili oil ~~

For something with a more Oriental influence – their Siam Chili Pasta is quite spicy – dried fish which reminds me of tahai, sweet basil and fresh chilies ~~

Down to earth ~ Old English Corned Beed Pasta ~~ mm ~~

This will be topped with an egg yolk and you mix them up nicely ~~ mix them when its hot!

Their Sandwiches and Burgers selection all comes with their artisanal breads ~~ this is The Crustacean – blue shrimps and lobster burger with fries ~~~

Now that’s what I call a premium burger ~~ mmm ~~

Seriously the mother of all steak sandwiches – Santropol Steak – australian beef sirloin – caramelized onions – beef relish, mustard cream on grilled rustic loaf ~~~ I love mine medium rare of course!

This is called The Classic for a reason – simple Australian Beef Patty, caramelized onions, tomatoes and cheese ~~ served with shoestring fries ~~

Black Sheep – grilled lamb satay – garlic aioli – served with fries ~~

New York Coney – chicken sausage topped with chili con carne – onions on a brioche bun ~~~ mmm ~~

Last but not least – The Islander Slider – a combination of 3 lovable ingredients – prawns, ikura and mentaiko ~~ torched slightly ~ mmm soo goood! This is bound to win my fav sandwich award as I love the 3 ingredients ~~

Now on to the mains! This is their Mediterranean Falafel – fried breaded chicken, in house made falafel, curried cauliflower, yoghurt aioli and pomegranate ~

Leg of Poulet Confit ~~ lovely confit chicken leg – served on cauliflower puree, with grilled greens, roasted garlic, apple chutney and cherry tomatoes~~

If you fancy seafood – this seabass meuniere is a gorgeous dish I recommend ~~ sophisticated light main course ~~ mmm ~~

Quite a unique salmon dish – salmon confit, with kombu, apple and fennel tossed in a lemon vinaigrette with alfalfa sprouts ~

Mandarin Short Ribs ~~ braised short ribs enjoyed with pumpkin puree, roasted garlic and green beans ~~ yum!

Liberty Sirloin Steak ~~~ roasted pumpkin, cherry tomatoes and salad ~~ topped with gorgeous herbed butter ~~

mmmm watch the herbed butter melt gently on top of the sirloin steak ~~~

Their Blackened Chicken is a tried and tested family recipe that uses quite of lot of spices ~~ served with béchamel sauce, grilled cauliflower and roasted garlic ~~

Wash that down with an iced cold Tiger Mint Tea ~~ mmm ~~

Oh ~~ be sure to leave room for dessert ~~ oh what am I saying!? There’s ALWAYS room for dessert! Alter Ego takes pride in their desserts and I can see why – desserts are beautifully presented and they have quite a huge range to choose from!

Frasier – strawberries, sponge cake, white chocolate mousse and meringue ~~

Mango Raspberry Mousse ~~ very colourful funky looking mousse!

Carrot Lemon Cake – compressed carrot cake topped with lemon cream and chocolate ~~~

Strawberry Passionfruit Choux ~~ passion fruit mousse, strawberry compete in Choux pastry ~~

Surprisingly decadent dessert ~~ Matcha and Blackberry Mousse ~~ good combination of matcha mousse, blackberry coulis, black sesame ~~~

Classic French Opera Cake – coffee soaked almond sponge, coffee cream and chocolate ganache ~~

I didn’t realize this was a grapes upside down cake until I took a bite! Pretty good to enjoy for tea!

We quite enjoyed their Blueberry Tart especially the crust!

Now Alter Ego Plated Desserts are something that is unique ~~ perhaps the first cafes to serve plated desserts like those served in fine dining restaurants. Note that certain plated desserts are available during weekdays and some on weekends. This Deconstructed Cendol is very interesting and served by pouring creamy coconut cream on top of it ~ highly recommended and it’s one of our favourites!

Another reconstructed dessert of a classic Thai Mango Sticky Rice ~ mango mousse cake served with sticky rice balls, fresh mangoes and coconut chips!

The Carrot Cake Platter is pretty interesting as well ~~ beautifully presented ~~

Mousse Au Chocolat ~~ for chocolate lovers ~~ artistically plated ~~

Cardamom-Rosewater Panna Cotta is so beautiful and is indeed a flavour punch from the Cardamon ~ reminds me of Indian desserts!

Their Ultimate Chocolate Praline is my favourite as I love Hazelnut and Pralines ~ lol ~~

Spiced Citrus Cake topped with ginger Chantilly cream, mandarin oranges, spiced citrus syrup ~ and best enjoyed with a lovely cup of tea ~~ mm ~~

Be sure to check out their High Tea Sets aas well as their different types of value of money lunch/dinner sets ~~ double check with the waiters on what’s available!

There are two different sets specially crafted for 2 ~~ it’s $20 for classic or $26 for more premium pastries and cakes ~~ with 2 choice of coffee or tea (depending on which set)

They have Savour or Lavish sets but I’ll probably go for their Lavish sets as it includes appetizers, mains and plated desserts for only $26. More value for money don’t you agree?

Overall – I did see an overall reduction of prices compared to their previous menu and frankly felt the quality of food has also improved. If they can maintain the consistency – then they will be one of the cafes to beat.