Brunei Cafes: Rack & Brew

Rack & Brew Boutique Café is the first of its kind in Brunei to combine a fashion boutique and café. A nice place for great food, coffee and shop at the same time.

 

Dilys Chai and her family have been thinking about the idea of combining a boutique and café for some time, since her family runs restaurants and have a boutique. Why not combine two of life’s greatest pleasures? Shopping and Eating ~~

 

It was indeed a pleasure for Brunei Foodies gang to be invited to a sneak preview of Rack & Brew. Having a glamour shot with sisters Denise and Dilys Chai.

 

A dear friend and talented photographer Jane was there at the event as well ~~ be sure to check out her work! https://www.facebook.com/janechingphotography?pnref=lhc

 

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When you enter the café, you will notice the range of furniture and settings in the restaurant, with hidden interesting trinkets to be discovered.

 

A shot of the ambience ~~

 

I like the tall benches in the café ~~~ and the chairs are at the perfect height to make seating comfortable.

 

Marul and Benjamin ~~ food photogs obviously chose this yellow table next to the window for good lighting to shoot the food ~~~ #naturallighting

 

Want some alone time to do your work and enjoy your coffee? No problem ~ they got small tables like these ~~

 

Ahhh ~~ enjoying the coffee ~~

 

Two foodies ~~ Ricky and Billy ~~

 

Shaun, Deon and Rachel enjoying some dessert ~~

 

Go up the stairs to the 2nd floor and you will see their available line of clothes and accessories for sale ~~

 

A very quirky feel to the boutique ~~ hee hee

 

Now as Maria always say ~ WTF!? Where’s the food?! Wait wait ~~ it’s coming up ~~ now what can you expect from Rack & Brew?

 

First of all ~~ they make good quality coffee and hot chocolate ~~ the fundamentals of any good café – serve a bad cup of coffee and you won’t last very long in today’s competitive café culture. I always enjoy a cup of flat white but it’s good to have a nice cup of hot chocolate from time to time.

 

 

Something cold on a hot day? Lot’s of choices as well such as this ~~ oooohhh making me thirsty already ~~

 

A big big thumbs is their delicious Kuching Style Chicken Kolomee ~~ with added crispy fried chicken skin to give their kolomee an extra ommmpphh!!!

 

Seriously ~~ who says no to crispy fried chicken skin? *drools*

 

They also have a red sauce version which I prefer as it has a slight sweeter taste ~~ the chicken charsiew sauce kolomee ~~ ahhhh sooo good ~~ love the texture of the curly noodles and of course the crispy chicken skin!!

 

Ooooh be sure to enjoy their crispy curry puffs and chicken puffs ~~ delicious! You can spot them near the counter ~~

 

Nachos are da bomb!! Crowd favourite and well ~~ always happy to share with friends!

 

Another one of their signatures is their Soft Shell Crab Eggs Florentine – which is kinda like an eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce but this is served with added spinach ~~ so it becomes an egg florentine. Ooooh myyyy gawddd~~ soft shell crab + poached eggs + spinach + hollandaise sauce? I’m not good at maths but you do the calculations and you know that equates to GOOOOOD EATSS!!! #foodmathematics #softshellcrab #eggporn

 

Add a cup of coffee to make the formula even better ~~ #ohyesss~~

 

Burgers wise – they have this special nasi lemak burger ~~ which is a reinterpretation of the local favourite ~~ sambal – eggs – fried chicken – cucumbers ~~ oooooh myyy ~~

 

Sambal and perfectly pan fried sunny side up egg ~~ with crispy fried boneless chicken ~~ #SOLD #shutupandtakemymoney

 

Another exciting burger is the beef ribs burger ~~ ooooh my ~~ I know some friends who love biting the meat off the bone ~ and isn’t that an instagram worthy dish?! #foodporn

 

Their pressed sandwiches are yummy too ~~ this is their sundried tomato chicken sandwich ~~ the melted cheese does look good!

 

A bit of fusion here as well ~~ their seafood curry pasta is a spicy journey for your taste buds!

 

They have a few types of crepe lasagnas ~~ but I enjoy their pesto sauce ones ~~packs a lot of herby goodness!

 

If you like fried stuff ~~ their chicken katsu ~~ breaded chicken with yummy onion rings ~~ served with their in house signature orange sauce should entice you!

 

Or try their chicken veloute stuffed with cheese and gherkins ~~ mannnn ~~ that certainly looks good!

 

The Rack & Brew snack platter for those who want a bit of everything ~~ or to share with friends ~~ three different types of potatoes ~~ fries, wedges, waffle fries ~ served with three different type of yummy dips ~~ two mini beef sliders and chicken wings ~~ sounds like a GOOD TIMES platter! hahaaha ~~~

 

Fancy a bit of excitement with your friends? There’s this Roulette wings ~~ much like Russian Roulette but in the form of yummy chicken wings – there will be two that will be extra spicy and hot! Will you be the lucky one?

 

One simply does leave Rack & Brew without trying out their lovely cakes! They have quite a big selection and rotate daily ~~ let’s have a look at some of their cakes!

 

How can we forget about dessert?! Check out their Victorian Sponge Cake that’s beautiful and light!

 

Simple Lemon Poppyseed Slice ~~

 

Chocolate Fudge cake ~~

 

Red Velvet ~~~~~~ *swoons*

 

Green Tea Cheesecake anyone??

 

I have tried carrot cake before but have you ever tried a purple carrot cake? Gorgeous!

 

Nom nom nom nom nom ~~~

 

That Popcorn Chocolate Cake just looks tooooo gooood to be eaten!

 

Red Yellow Green ~~~ those drinks certainly will wash down the table of Rack & Brew goodies!

It was quite packed on a Friday night at Rack & Brew

 

Smile for Thanislim.com!

 

Bumped into Gary and Jessie with their group of friends ~~

 

Jaymee, Andy, Linsii (what a pose!), Woon, Shan Wee and Sii Ya having a great time ~~

 

Rack & Brew is located right on top of Paddington House of Pancakes Gadong branch (just next to Mcdonalds Gadong)

 

Opening hours :

Monday to Wednesday 11am to 10pm

Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 11am to 11pm

Friday 2pm to 11pm

Call: 2457886 for more enquiries, reservations and special events

Tasek Brasserie: Pops and Skewers Buffet

Radisson Hotel’s Tasek Brasserie recently launched their Pops and Skewers Barbecue Buffet for every Friday and Saturday, 6:30pm till 10pm. It promises a good selection of skewered barbecue meats and seafood and create your own pop drinks! An interesting concept and I finally got the chance to check out the buffet last Saturday.

 

Let’s look at their wonderfully laid out appetizers first ~~ mmm ~~ make your own salads, sushi, spring rolls, cheese block ~~

 

Buffets have a reputation for mediocre salads but not Tasek Brasserie. I’m quite a fan of their well thought out range of salads from their appetizers section but if you want to make your own ~~ there’s plenty of dressings and ingredients for you to custom make your own salads.

 

I prefer to have a go at their chef prepared special salads ~~ such as this pasta with mushroom salad ~~ mmmm

 

Creamy prawn salad that is well balanced with the briny flavour of the capers ~~

 

Coleslaw with golden raisins ~~

 

Refreshing Waldorf salad for those who love a good textural crunch and citrus bite to start their meal

 

This is my favourite salad of the bunch ~~ the spicy creamy egg salad ~~ with a burst of kick from the red peppercorns ~~ one bite and you’ll take another portion of these!

 

Flame grilled vegetables are always a welcoming sight to see ~~ caramelized veggies from the flames ~~ *drools*

 

Some sautéed root vegetables for you perhaps if you love broccoli and cauliflower ~~ sautéed with garlic ~~

 

Cold cuts ~ Chicken and Beef slices to enjoy with the salads ~~

 

They also have assorted sushi and makis, as well as spring rolls for appetizers.

 

Tuna or Salmon Sushi? Mmmm ~~ how can I resist? *pops some onto plate*

 

One of the makis (sushi rolls) at the appetizers corner.

 

A cheese platter is always a delight for me at any buffet spread – some have them at the beginning of their meals but I love to have cheese for dessert – enjoying them with fruits. That soft brie just begs to be eaten with the green grapes or melons ~~ mmmm ~~

 

Now it’s time to look at some of their mains ~~~ they serve either fried black pepper kway teow or noodles

 

Duck and chicken is also part of their mains menu and subjected to change. Tonight we have Hainanese chicken with their signature chili sauce ~~~ ahh my weakness~~

 

Here’s the duck ~~ served in a yummy orange sauce ~~ Duck Ala Orange anyone?

 

Fried mackerel served with their in house spicy sambal ~~ oooo I like their sambals ~~ kudos to the Indonesian chef! He really knows his sambal!

 

Buttered corn on cob ~~ oooo that would go sooo sooo well with the skewers later ~~~

 

Crispy crunchy crackers ~~ mmm ~~ pretty addictive too ~

 

Creamy tomato sauce penne pasta for today’s menu ~~ yay ~~~

 

I tend to tell myself not to eat so much carbs but focus on the meats ~~ but who can resist? Carblicious ~~

 

Comforting baked potatoes ~~ mmm ~~~

 

Oooo wow! I could smell the lovely flavours as soon as I opened the lid for this Seafood Al Plancha ~~ gorgeous grilled seafood with spices and herbs ~~ needless to say ~~ I made many trips to have more of this!

 

For the soups – they usually will have a Western influenced soup and Asian style soup ~ for tonight ~ they serve Seafood Tom Yum

 

and a simple cream of vegetables soup ~~

 

I always enjoy the poolside view at Tasek Brasserie.Now venture out to see the main attraction of the buffet! The Pops and Skewers! If you chose to sit outside ~~ you get to see the live action of their chefs grilling the yummy skewers as well!

 

One thing about skewers in typical buffets is that they are pre-cooked then they are kept in the trays for the customers to take. These tend to be dry and cold which is not tasty – The skewers here are cooked only when you pick them ~~ to ensure you get your skewers hot and juicy!

 

Quite a good selection of marinated meats, seafood and sausages ~ mmm ~~~

 

Naturally I took one of each ~~ they got quite a few choices – ranging from teriyaki or honey bbq chicken, peppercorn steak skewers, beef bacon wrapped fish skewers, cane sugar prawns or herb and spices squid. You pick the skewers you like on a plate and pass it to them – and they will cook it for you.

 

Ahh ~~~ prawn skewers are simply delicious!

 

Ahhh ~~~ this is what we call ~ #grillporn ~~ *drool*

 

They have various sauces to enjoy with the skewers so be sure to take some to try~~~

 

My plate of goodies ~~ mmmm ~~ where should I start?!

 

Ahhh seriously ~~ how can you say no to these?! I could go on and on and on ~~ more please!

 

My friend who accompany me for the night enjoyed the skewers very much ~~ especially the prawns ~~ while I particularly enjoyed the chicken liver skewers ~~ mmmm ~~~ lovely lovely!

 

Now here’s the POPs section ~~ where you can custom make your drinks ~~

 

You basically choose your favourite ingredients – then your shaved iced – then drizzle with milk and sugar ~~ then add purple yam or ice cream to top it off~~

 

You can do it yourself or ask the friendly staff to help you ~~

 

Adding some milk to my pop ice drinks ~~

 

Ahhh yes ~~~ feels like Halo Halo or Ice Kacang ~~~~ this would be a refreshing dessert!

 

Speaking of dessert ~~ don’t stuff yourself too much with the yummy skewers ~~~ ALWAYS leave room for dessert ~ look at their big dessert spread!

 

You gotta love Cake Lollipops! Cake lollies ~~ coated with dark or white chocolate ~ smothered with nuts or chocolate chips!

 

Don’t be shy ~~ selfie with the cake pops ~~~ Thanks Poh Chuan for posing ~ hahaha

 

They have flaky apple strudel ~~ oooo yes ~~

 

Fruits Pavlova ~~~

 

Always a crowd pleaser – the crème caramel ~~~ custardy goodness!

 

Mango Pudding ~~

 

Tropical Fruit Charlotte ~~ a sponge cake that is filled with custard or cream, then topped with fruits ~~ a beautiful dessert!

 

Oh my Oreo Cheesecake!

 

Some cute mini cakes that’s easy to grab ~~

 

Swan? That’s a cream puff ~~ shaped like a swan ~~ yummy swan ~~

 

Green Tea Opera Cake ~~

 

Hazelnut, white chocolate and coffee torte ~~ mmm

 

Gorgeous Almond and Pear Tart ~~ oooh yessss!!

 

I have to say their bubur cha cha is good! Kudos to the chef!

 

Yes ~~ fresh fruits ~~ these melons will go well with the cheese platter!

 

Last but not least is their signature almond bread pudding ~~ which is great with ~~

 

ICE CREAMMMM!!! Hee hee hee ~~

 

You know it ~ girls just can’t resist dessert ~~ after all the food ~~ she still has lots of space for dessert and coffee ~~

 

The Pops and Skewers buffet is $38 per adult and $20 per child – available only on Friday and Saturday from 6:30pm till 10pm. Reservation is highly recommended as they tend to be fully booked for their special promotional buffets! Gotta love them skewered meats ~~ freshly cooked and served to you!