Brunei - Day 1 (Brunei Town)

I have never experienced snow and never built a snowman before. Since Korea's winter lasts from December to February, we decided to visit Korea in February. We prefer to take morning or afternoon flight because both of us find it hard to sleep on a plane at night. Instead of flying from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Incheon International Airport (ICN) which only has late night departure, we make a pit stop at Brunei. So my partner bought a return ticket via Royal Brunei Airlines from KKIA to Brunei International Airport - RM 404 per person and a return ticket from Brunei International Airport to ICN - RM 2,507. Basically our total flight ticket from Kota Kinabalu - Brunei - Seoul - Brunei - Kota Kinabalu is RM 2,911 per person.

It's a Friday morning and we took a Grab car (Grab fare - RM 11) to KKIA at 6.45am to catch the 8.40am flight to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Check in process was smooth and in less than 10 minutes we are all done. However, we only found out at the airport that travelling to/from Brunei you need to fill in an E-arrival card effective from 9th February 2023. All foreign nationals arriving and departing to Brunei (excluding those who are transiting at Brunei International Airport) are required to complete the E-arrival card before the date of arrival into Brunei. You can visit https://www.imm.gov.bn/ to register your E-arrival card. I took quite some time to register my E-arrival card online because the page keeps on auto expired. Glad that I finally managed to complete it before boarding our flight.

Since we still have another 40 minutes before boarding time, my partner dashed into McD to grab a quick bite. Me on the other hand not feeling very hungry, decided to skip breakfast. We departed from KKIA around 8.40am and 40 minutes later we have reached Brunei International Airport. We went through a 30 minutes immigration process and by 10am we're at P2 parking waiting for our Dart car. My partner downloaded the Dart car app, Brunei's No. 1 transportation booking service and we took a Dart car from Brunei International Airport to The Brunei Hotel (Dart fare - $ 10.80). The hotel is just 15 minutes drive (10km) from Brunei International Airport.

Brunei International Airport

Arrival hall

Brunei International Airport Mosque

P2 parking at Brunei International Airport

Hotel staff are very friendly and helpful. We left our luggage at their luggage storage area since it's only 10.30am and we took a Dart car to Chop Jing Chew Restaurant, just 7 minutes drive (3.8km) from The Brunei Hotel (Dart fare - $ 5).

This restaurant is a popular coffee shop in Bandar Seri Begawan. We ordered their famous roti kacang kahwin, sesame kueh teow and mee goreng ayam. Sesame kueh teow comes with fried fish but tastes unappealingly bland. Fried fish has a soft texture and strong peppery taste. Ended up we couldn't finish it. Mee goreng ayam on the other hand tastes slightly salty and their famous roti kacang kahwin, it's not worth the hype. My partner had their teh tarik India which I find it too milky for my liking. I still prefer my fresh soya bean that has a distinct beany flavour. Majority of the restaurant workers are from India and we do have a bit of communication barriers with them when ordering our food.

All eatery shop and malls are close on Friday from 12pm to 2pm for prayers. After our brunch we took a Dart car back to our hotel (Dart fare - $ 5.90) and glad that the hotel staff allow us for early check in at 12pm instead of 2pm. They even allow us for late check out at 2pm the next day.

Total bill - $ 12.40

Chop Jing Chew Restaurant

Restaurant ambience

Fresh soya bean and teh tarik India - $ 1.50 each

Roti kacang kahwin - $ 1.40

Sesame kueh teow - $ 4

Mee goreng ayam - $ 4

Address:

Chop Jing Chew Restaurant

Simpang 5, No. 10, Jalan Gadong,

1/2km, Bandar Seri Begawan,

BE4119 Brunei

Business hours:

Monday to Saturday - 6.30am to 5.30pm (close from 12pm to 2pm on Friday for prayers)

Sunday - 6.30am to 12pm

We decided to have our tea break at Roasted Sip, just 4 minutes (300m) walking distance from The Brunei Hotel. Along the way we passed by Teng Yun Temple, the oldest Chinese temple in Brunei. I ordered Roasted Sip's signature drink cold Jellate, butterfly citrus tea, mango cheesecake and chicken puff. I like their butterfly citrus tea. It's very refreshing especially on a hot summer day. Their Jellate comes with soft coffee jelly, a bittersweet delicacy and each bite of the soft coffee jelly gives off a rich coffee taste. I love their mango cheesecake. It has a creamy texture, filled with chunks of sweet mango and most importantly it's not too sweet. Chicken puff is good too as it's filled with a generous amount of chunky chicken.

Total bill - $ 21.80

Teng Yun Temple

Address:

Teng Yun Temple

Jalan Sungai Kianggeh,

Bandar Seri Begawan,

BS8811, Brunei

Restaurant ambience

Jellate (cold) - $ 6.50 and Butterfly citrus tea - $ 5

Mango cheesecake - $ 5.90 and chicken puff - $ 4.40

Address:

Roasted Sip

Pavo Point Branch

No. 15, 1st Floor, Spg 37,

Jalan Kianggeh, Bandar Seri Begawan,

BS8111, Brunei

After tea break, we explore the town of Brunei. We walked past Sungai Kianggeh, Water village settlement (Kampong Ayer), Bandar Seri Begawan Waterfront, Teck Guan Plaza, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (SHHB) Shopping Complex, Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and Padang Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien. There's a street food next to the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. The mosque is open for public from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Friday. It's our 2nd time entering a mosque and there's robes / sarong available for visitors.

Sungai Kianggeh

Public bus

Sungai Kianggeh

Kianggeh road

Water village settlement (Kampong Ayer)

Bandar Seri Begawan Waterfront

Teck Guan Plaza

Address:

Teck Guan Plaza

56-60, Jalan Omar Ali Saifuddien,

Bandar Seri Begawan,

BS8811, Brunei

Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (SHHB) Shopping Complex

Food Street Yayasan SHHB

Address:

Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (SHHB)

Jalan Pretty, Bandar Seri Begawan,

BS8711 Brunei

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

Address:

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

Jalan McArthur,

Bandar Seri Begawan

BE8711 Brunei

Padang Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien

We had our dinner at Riwaz, an Indian restaurant located inside Radisson Hotel, just 9 minutes walking distance (700m) from The Brunei Hotel. The waiter gave us a warm welcome and before showing us our table, he requested my partner's contact number. When my partner asked why, he couldn't give us an answer. Then, his facial expression changed from being friendly to cool. Glad that the waiter who served us later is very friendly and nice. However, when we paid our bills by giving him a $ 100 note, he said let me check if I have any change for that. His attitude changed drastically after he came back with $ 22. I guess he was expecting us to say keep the change when my partner gave him a $ 100 note.

Anyway, all the food are delicious, beautifully cooked and presented. We ordered:

a) Kerala chili garlic prawns - smoked roast Kerala style tiger prawns with garlic and chili

b) Tandoori chicken - roasted chicken marinated in yogurt, chili and Indian spices cooked in tandoor, served with lentil salad, mint chutney and carrot pickles

c) Kache Gosht Ki Biryani - succulent pieces of lamb, cooked along with fragrant basmati rice in a sealed pot, served traditionally along with Mirchi Ka Salan and raita

d) Mango lassi - sweetened yogurt with Indian spices, mango puree, kewra and rose water

Kerala chili garlic prawns is delicious. Slightly spicy and taste just like tandoori style. The dish comes with a thick creamy sauce and frozen berries. It pairs perfectly well with the prawns. Tandoori chicken on the other hand is full of flavours and lamb biryani has a strong gamey taste. Mango lassi is sweet, creamy and has a strong yogurt taste. Our meal comes with a complimentary appetizer which has a unique taste just like muruku spices, served with 4 types of sauce - sweet, spicy. minty and pickled cucumber. After dinner we head back to our hotel. The town is very quiet at night so we decided to call it a day...

Total bill - $ 78

Note: $ 1 = RM 3.235