October ALC Coffee Morning...

Salaam,

After a long hiatus, Alhamdulillah we were finally able to get together again for our Asean Ladies Circle's (ALC) Coffee Morning hosted and held at the Brunei residence this morning. Our last gathering was held in early June this year at Wisma Indonesia.

It was our first gathering under the new ALC president, Mrs Angkana Sirivat of Thailand. It was also an occasion to welcome and introduce new patrons from Malaysia and Vietnam and several new ALC members from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The morning's program began with a speech from the president, outlining previous and forthcoming ALC events and agenda. After a welcoming remark from the host Brunei, it was followed by the usual birthday gifts presentation for the month, lucky draws and a 'butter prawn' cooking demonstration by our one talented Bruneian lady (fotos not available). After the morning meal of rendang, flavoured rice , butter prawn among others, and varieties of traditional 'kuih Brunei', the guests were also entertained to a medley of songs from a number of ALC's hidden talents.

Another momentous and well-attended occasion to remember particularly for the new ALC patrons and members. Many thanks and appreciation to all concerned who had contributed to make this morning's function another tremendous success.

Wassalam.

ALC President's speech...

followed by the host's welcome remark...

a traditional token of appreciation to the host...

conveying a word of thanks from the ALC members..

a welcome bouquet to our new Malaysian patron...

and the new Vietnamese patron...

October's birthday bird...

one of the lucky winners...

our traditional 'kuih' Brunei

the highlight of the morning...

Vietnamese singing sensation...

Asean smiles and solidarity...

another hidden talent from our new Thai member...

a line-up of ALC committee members...

and the new line-up of Asean trailing spouses...

thank you to all ALC colleagues and members...

Lunch @ Secret Recipe...

Salaam,

Had lunch with the family at Secret Recipe, now one of our favorite and ever popular cafe franchise at its Seri Delima branch off Jalan Muara during one of our recent Raya holidays.

It was only my second visit to this very popular fusion cafe and very popular to most Bruneian who love to eat out. Having hundreds of outlets in several countries around the region, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and even China and Pakistan, I was informed that this cafe is not only popular for its mouth-watering menu, it is also well known for its award winning gourmet cakes, cheesecakes, tiramisu and the likes. The cheesecakes at its Brunei outlets are mostly imported directly from its factory in Malaysia.

A great dining experience indeed and wider selection of international and contemporary fusion menu and Asian and classic dishes.

Wassalam.

specialty drink...

anxious n very hungry...

grilled chicken with sauce...

fried chicken n chips...

crispy fish n chips...

excellent taste...

seafood laksa...mouth-watering

lamb stew...tenderly

bon apetite...

until next time, InsyaAllah...

Pasar Gadong...

Salaam,

Welcome to one of Brunei's popular wet market in Gadong municipality area, better known locally as Pasar Gadong. This is one of those places for every discerning housewives, husbands (especially pensioners) and indeed all lovers of fresh seafood, fresh meat, poultry, fruits and veggies, should not miss every morning. It is kind of a one-stop centre for restaurateurs and the like to look for everything fresh for their daily needs.

And indeed this is also one particular place that we never missed to visit everytime we're on our home vacation. After missing out on all those nostalgic local fish varieties and home-cooking for so long, we always made it a priority visit to Pasar Gadong on the next morning after our arrival. In fact even in the midst of Raya celebration and open houses last month, we even managed to wonder around the market to look for our 'ketaisan liur' (what we've been craving for) especially those exotic Brunei fishes that we couldn't find elsewhere. The ground floor is where the fishmongers are, while the first floor are the stalls for fresh fruits, vegetable and groceries.

The market also have one separate complex specializing in meat and poultry. But for us these items were not really in our 'priority eating list' after years of being served with beef, chicken and lamb for lunch and dinner. It has always been a great feeling to re-visit this place time and again and admiring the exciting assortment of our exotic local fishes and produce on display....the scenes that we surely can't find and see elsewhere.

Wassalam.

less crowd...still in the festive mood, perhaps...

local fish...'kitang'

most sought after local variety...'rumahan bini'

tenggiri or mackerel...

still fresh n fleshy...

fresh 'udang' (prawns)...a favorite

...makes a great tomyam, tempura or shrimp fritters...

white fish...

'fish n prawns from off the Muara waters'...

'kawasi'...another local favorite...

tiger prawns or udang nenggalah...

mussel (kupang or remis)...

squids...

tamban fish (and aur aur)...from where the popular 'tahai' is made from

stingray...

and even sharks...

local tuna...known locally as tungkul or bakulan

kembura, when it is smaller...

and 'belanak' when they are much bigger...

'umpak' or lauk putih, another version of white fish...

locally bred seabass or selungsung...

blue crabs...our children's favorite...

and clams...

to the first floor's stalls and groceries...

processed squids... condiment for 'rojak' menu

sweet yams

and long beans...

assortment of local salads...

Brunei papaya...

and the popular belacan (shrimp paste)...

the country's very own local rice....Laila

raw ambulung...to make popular local dish...ambuyat

'binjai' pickle...great ingredient to make the best dip for ambuyat...

dried shrimp...

cencalu n budu...another great side dishes and condiments for ambuyat

and even recharge/prepaid cards for yr mobile phone...