Brunei Restaurant Review: Sukanya Kopitiam

The local community would be familiar with a restaurant in Kilanas Spg 66 area – an old canteen which serves good Chinese Malaysian dishes. The road is pretty rough and bumpy while parking is pretty limited but it hasn’t stop a flock of people having breakfast there on Fridays and Sunday mornings. I have fond memories of their braised pork leg and chicken rice ~~~ it was pretty sad to hear the restaurant has since closed down.

 

Fortunately – I heard news about the restaurant actually is still around – in this very restaurant. I first heard about Sukanya restaurant when I posted about Thiam Hock’s Curry Fish Head – and my readers pointed me to this restaurant in Bunut Spg 618 – claiming to have Curry Fish Head that’s not only as good – but even better than Thiam Hock.

 

The best part about the sign is to hear about my favourite Ah Lai Ocean Quarry Kolomee is served here. Another best part is to see Uncle Ah Lai himself in the restaurant during the tea time there. Nostalgic memories of the kolomee satisfied right on the spot!

 

Fans of Cao Chai Mee Fen will be glad to hear they serve this pickled vegetable soup with thick rice bee hoon here. Since they also serve a variety of YU CHAP (fish parts) – I ordered mine with Yu Chap.

 

Oooooo look at that! Slurp slurp!

 

When I was in Kuching, I had fond memories of Tomato Kway Teow. I had tried quite a few in Brunei but left with disappointment – but when I tried Sukanya’s version – with Yu Chap of course – I was very happy! The Kway Teow had the wok hei while the sauce was to my liking! Hurray for good Kio Chap Kway Teow!

 

Fish Head or Fish Slices Bee Hoon is another one of their specialties. My dad whose a fan of these enjoyed it as well!

 

My readers will know that my favourite Curry Mee is at Soon Lai restaurant in Menglait but this curry mee was preferred and recommended by some of my readers. Personally – it is a very good curry mee but not as rich as the one in Soon Lai – so my vote still goes to Soon Lai – but taste is pretty subjective and you might like this version better! The tau hu pok loaded with curry sauce .. ooooh yes yes yes!!!

 

I caught a glimpse of Singapore Hokkien Mee on their menu and decided to have that as well – an interesting combination of two types of noodles – stir fried in a special gravy – very different to the typical Hokkien Mee we are used to – which tends to be darker in colour and using thicker starchy noodles. A pretty good dish to try too – though I must ask my Singaporean friends to verify it’s authenticity ~~ *update – my sg foodie claims it doesn’t taste like Singapore’s version but it’s still ok – better than most she had in Brunei*

 

Last but not least – is this Kuching Fried Noodles – Oh my ! Using one of my fav veggies Mani Chai (cangkuk manis) to stir fried with kolomee noodles – this has definitely won me over. The thinly sliced charsiew adds a good texture contrast with the noodles. I’m missing this as I’m typing! Thank god this place is near where I live!

I had yet to check out their other dishes – but so far this has been a regular place for me to visit! Check them out at

 

Restaurant Sukanya

Spg 618, Madewa Bunut Area

Brunei Restaurant Review: Badi’ah Hotel Restaurant Weekend Buffet

Badi’ah Hotel recently opened at Jalan Batu Satu, just behind First Emporium supermarket. If you’re unfamiliar with Batu Satu – popular landmarks here are Freshco Supermarket, Lucky Restaurant and Charcoal restaurant. To get to Badi’ah Hotel, the entrance is just right after the entrance to Pertama supermarket.

 

Look out for this sign – turn left and you can either park in front of the hotel or park in their basement parking – plenty of parking space.

 

The grand entrance ~ lobby of Badi’ah Hotel.

 

Delifrance is actually on the ground floor of the hotel if you’re in a mood for their pastries and breads.

 

Some friends were confused on where the restaurant is – It’s not on the hotel lobby where Delifrance is. It’s on the ground floor. You can take the lift or use the escalator from the ground floor.

 

The restaurant is pretty spacious and there’s two sections for seating – one section I think is the family seating – featuring big round tables and placed next to the kid’s section.

 

One of the main features of Badi’ah Hotel Restaurant is their kid’s corner – which is just next to the family table settings to cater to family with kids. Parents can enjoy the buffet while the kids can play with other kids.

 

Oh to be a kid again – I was tempted to jump on this but I don’t think it can support this fatty food blogger ~~ sigh ~~

 

Don’t have children or have a smaller group? No worries as they have another section with seating catered to smaller groups. This area is seated quite a distance from the kid’s corner so you’ll have some peace and quiet.

 

On to the highlight – the buffet spread ~~ The Weekend International Buffet features a mix of Japanese and Chinese cuisine, paired with Western pastries and desserts.

 

Yummy stuffed croissants – Tuna Mayo or Eggs croissant? Take your pick!

 

Mini appetizer tarts ~~

 

Dinner rolls with butter or soup anyone?

 

Hmm ~ yes ~~ a comforting Chinese corn soup to start ~~

 

If you’re a lover of Japanese food like me , you can begin your dinner with Japanese Sushi ~~ ooooh yess ~~ Attack the Salmon sushi!

 

Rows and rows of delicate Japanese Sushi ~~ grabs wasabi and soy sauce ~~ Itadakimasu!

 

Sushi sushi makes me happy ~~ nom nom nom ~~ *swoooons* I love sushi ~~

 

Aburi sushi – lightly seared (blow torched) salmon, Inari and some others ~~~ loving their Japanese section!

 

Some who don’t fancy sushi (yes – not everyone loves sushi!) can start with Chinese style appetizers too – fancy some steamed Dim Sum like Crystal Shrimp Dumplings or Siew Mai? Or how about those crispy deep fried prawn wontons ~~ Hmm ~~~

 

If you’re a fan of Chinese Roasted meats – they have a good selection here – Chicken Char Siew, Roasted Duck (ohhh yessss!), Roasted Chicken and last but not least – Char Siew Lamb!

 

My fellow blogger friends Marul, Reedah and Alin really enjoyed their Char Siew Lamb! Have you ever tried Chinese Style Char Siew lamb? Try it and you’ll be hooked!

 

My first plate from the buffet line – noticed I took quite a lot of sushi and some roasted duck ~~ hmm ~~ my appetizers~ ahahahah~ pass me some wasabi and soy sauce please!

 

I had some yummy dum sum and chow mian afterwards ~~ still on appetizer mode! HAHAHAH!

 

Now we move on to their Chinese Main Dishes! Fancy Mussels served in sweet spicy sauce anyone?

 

Stir fried Broccoli Florets Chinese Style ~~  gotta eat your vegetables!

 

Really rare to see Chinese style steamed fish with ginger and soy for a buffet but I’m not complaining! It’s actually pretty good! Thumbs up!

 

If you love to add some crisp texture to your fish – they serve Deep fried whole fish too!

 

I am loving the idea of more whole fish as part of the buffet spread! Hot and Spicy Fried Fish!

 

Crispy battered Squid for those who love fried stuff!

 

Crispy Salt and Pepper prawns anyone?

 

Noticed they served quite a lot of seafood! Check out their Spicy curry sliced fish ~~ These are refilled midway during the buffet – offering new dishes

 

Another new dish during the buffet spread. Lovely crispy fish fillets with spicy acar.

 

The buffet line refills quite promptly during my meals – at around 8 – they started to serve child friendly snacks like these stuffed crab claws ~~ yum!

 

Kids love chicken wings – but so do adults like me ~~ Hmmm ~~

Note: The buffet spread for the Main Courses changes from time to time – and they refill with different dishes throughout the night. The pics shown here are just some of the dishes I had for the night.

 

Their beverage section ~~

 

Coffee and Tea – to match the desserts ~~

 

For desserts,  they have assorted fruit tarts ~~

 

Plus fruits skewers to dip with the chocolate fondue fountain.  A great treat for the kids ~~ and making them eat more fruit ~ by dipping them in chocolate ~ win win situation ~~

 

Cakes are of course – part of their International buffet ~~ mostly Western style cakes at the moment though I hope they’ll add some Japanese or Chinese desserts in future.

 

The Cookies and Cream Cheese Cake ~~ A crowd pleaser dessert ~~

 

Blueberry Cheesecake caught my eye ~~ *smacks lips*

 

They have a freezer with a variety of Ice Cream to choose from, and you get to choose your toppings. Who can say no to ice cream? Hmm ~~~ One tip: Take their croissants and use it to spoon up your ice cream ~~ indulgence!

 

Now the big question is ~~ how much do I need to pay for the buffet? ~~ It’s currently $28.80 but the management is giving a 20 percent discount for the month of March, so it’ll only be $23.04. Quite a good price if you consider they serve expensive items like Sushi and Dim Sum in their buffet spread. For children aged 6-11, the buffet will be 14.40 and children below 6 dines in for free.

Considering that Sushi and Chinese Dim Sum on average costs $2-$5 a plate, and you tend to spend about $8-$12 for a small portion of Chinese food in a typical Chinese restaurant, the discounted price of $23.04 for a buffet spread like this is quite a good value for money! It’s too bad they only have them on weekends!

 

The Weekend buffet will be available starting at 7pm every Friday till Sunday.

Note: There is also a special lunch time set promotion valued at $9.90 throughout the week except Fridays. For the month of March, customers who dine in the restaurant will stand a chance to win gadgets like tablets, LED TV, Laptop and mobile phones.

 

Badi'ah Hotel Restaurant,

1st Floor, Badi'ah Complex, Mile 1,

Jalan Tutong, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei-Muara,

BA1712, Brunei Darussalam

Call: 2220073 or 7292221 to make reservations