PONDOK SARI WANGI
Pondok Sari Wangi has been in business in Brunei for almost 20 years – pioneering Indonesian cuisine and specially the Ayam Penyet, which has been the iconic dish in Brunei for many years. To be honest, my first encounter with Pondok Sari Wangi has been with their Ayam Kalasan, which is technically their Ayam Penyet ages ago and I wrote a raving review about how well seasoned their chicken was and how delicious their sambal was. However, for the past few years, despite being a great fan of their Ayam Penyet, I never realized they actually have Sungkai Buffets! I was quite excited to give their Ramadhan SungKai Buffet a try – and the good catch is – it’s only $12 ($6 for the little guys) for an all you can eat Indonesian cuisine buffet! *Smacks lips* Get ready to be tantalized by the delicious gravy chocked full of flavorsome spices and herbs.
Pondok Sari Wangi serves Sungkai Buffets at two of their branches – the Gadongand the Sengkurong branch. They have different dishes daily so be sure to check them out often!
Got this photo of from Anak Brunei. Guests at the Sengkurong Branch just right before Sungkai.
An endless supply of iced cold bandung awaits you for this buffet! Are you feeling HAUS? ONE GO! W00! Satu Lagi Please and keep them coming!
I noticed people like to start their meals with something sweet first – dates are part of the sweet stuff!
You will see different types of kueh muih (local style cakes) – different cakes daily
Kuih Kelapa Koci – A local style coconut dessert
I like that it’s not overly sweet and the fragrant of the shredded coconut filling is YUMMY!
What better way to break your fast to satisfy your sweet tooth? A sweet porridge with glutinous rice cakes (a bit like mochi) with the fragrant Gula Melaka! Oooh Yes! Itu Dia!
Before we move on to the main course – we at LFHW would like to emphasize that you should take what you can manage as to avoid wasting food! Love Food Hate Waste people!
For tonight’s menu we have the Kimlo Soup – a soup that is refreshingly light to accompany the other strong flavored Indonesian dishes.
My first impression of this tempeh goreng wasn’t so good – but don’t be fooled by it’s appearance! After I tried one – I actually went back for a few more! It’s simply so crispy and satisfying – I was using this to wipe the delicious sambal and other spicy sauces from other dishes!
The Ayam Assam Pedas! Spicy with a hint of sour and sweetness! This is a dish to tingle your tastebuds!
The sambal pakis! One of my favourite local vegetable dish is served tonight! Score! My friends who just came back from UK were very happy to gobble these down! Missing this!
Mapo Tofu – this is the Pondok Sari Wangi version of this Szechuan style Tofu Dish!
Sotong Masak Kicap – sliced squid stir fried in an Indonesian Style Soy Sauce
The Daging Tongseng – sliced Indonesian style marinated beef with cabbage – hmmmm~~
This is the Ayam Goreng Rica Rica – which is marinated chicken fried till crispy and then simmered together in a spicy chili sauce! This dish is only available during the Sungkai Buffet! Oh my! I’m lovin this!
For so much flavorsome sauces and spices – you really needs lots of rice to eat it with. They have a choice of fried rice and rice – but I still love wiping the sauces off the plate with the crispy cucur tempehs!
I end my meal with a choice of sliced fruits – to put out the fire caused by those spicy delicious dishes!
What’s good about the buffet here is that they will keep refilling till you’re satisfied and they’re pretty fast and prompt with their refilling – so if you still want – you can let them know which dish that you want more of and they will be pleased to cook them fresh from the kitchen to refill!
Note: During Pondok Sari Wangi’s Sungkai – you can also order Ala Carte menu items from the kitchen and of course their delicious Cendol or iconic Ayam Penyet if you wish.
