Seri Mas Restaurant

In Review: Seri Mas Restaurant



Located in Jalan Ban 4, Mulaut, this Indonesian style restaurant gets my vote as one of the best restaurants in the country.



Want to know why? Read on..


It's located several metres just after the bridge leading to Ban 4, in Jalan Mulaut, to the right side of the road. It will be crowded especially in the night, so parking your car might be a little difficult at times.


The interior was cozy enough. It's not I Lotus, but comfortable enough for most restaurants in Brunei anyways. There are seats outside of the restaurant if you prefer some fresh air, and an LCD projector which almost always shows Indonesian Drama..



So what's so special about this joint anyways?



THE PRICE




All of the menus costs $4 and below. From Mee Goreng to Lamb Chop(Or "Linchop Rice" as they stated in their menu) Some of the dishes are: Nasi Pece Lele, Sotos, Soups, Fried Rice among others. Most of them costs $2.50. You can also order Satay but is only available in the night.

I have only tried 3 of their food so far, and all of them was nothing short of magnificence! Ayam Penyet, which is an indonesian style Nasi Lemak($3.00). Tongseng Kambing, or Black Pepper Lamb($3) and the best of the best: "Linchop Rice" ($4.00!)

Ayam Penyet $3.00

Ordered this during my first time dining here. The chicken was huge! The sambal was too hot for my taste though. With cucumbers, kubis, n kacang panjang, all in all, a perfect dish.



Linchop Rice $4.00

This is probably the main highlight dish which I will most probably order from time to time again. The "linchop" only costs $4, with rice! I dare you to find a cheaper lamb chop than this. The lamb was soft enough to chew, and definitely huge enough for the price. It's a definite bargain!

You should definitely try dining in, especially for the Lamb Chop. I will definitely come back here to try out the other dishes in the near future (tomorrow, maybe? :) )

Devoured by my very own teeth.. :)

Seri Mas Restaurant, an Indonesian Style restaurant = 5 out of 5 stars

Tarantula FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions)

Tarantulas : In A Glance

The Salmon Pink Birdeater is one of the fastest growing tarantulas in the world, reaching 6" in just a year!

They're big, they're furry, they're nasty. But for some, they're charming, cute and beautiful.

These are the common questions and misconceptions about Tarantulas:



1)OMG won't they bite??!

-Yes, all tarantulas bite. How can they eat if they don't? XD But some species of tarantula are more docile than others, and of course some are very aggressive.

Beautiful, but aggressive. The Cobalt Blue tarantula should only be kept by advanced keepers.

Elmo, is from the most docile species of tarantula(Grammostola rosea / Chilean Rose Hair) so it's a good choice if you want to reduce the risk of getting bitten(who doesn't?)



2)How do you tame a tarantula???!!

- The same as taming ants , mosquitoes or the likes. Possible with upmost dedication and possibly 100 years commitment. In other words, not possible.

Possibly, the closest you can get to a 'tame' tarantula. Regarded as the most docile species of tarantula. The Rose Hair is a good starter pet for avid keepers.

3)Aren't they poisonous???


- All of them are. But it's not more venomous than a bee sting. So, unless you're unlucky enough to be allergic to the venom, all you'd get would probably be itches, swells and of course, local pain :)



4)What do they eat??

- Ambuyat..wawawa. They can eat crickets , mealworms and other small insects. You can feed them mice when they're big enough but is discouraged due to the risk of being bitten back and their cuteness :'( .



5)Are they hard to maintain?

-They're possibly the easiest pet to maintain. All you need to do to take care of an adult Tarantula is:

i) A small aquarium filled with potsoil. Doesn't have to be big as they don't move that much.

ii) Feed mealworms once a week,

iii) A small bowl of water.

iv)Change the soil every 6 months.

With magnificent bright red/orange legs. The Red Knee is one of the most common tarantulas used in movies.

6)I want one!!

-I only know one guy who sells them in Brunei. Visit EdPets @ http://edpets.blogspot.com/

11/7/2009 - Mengabab

Went to London Kebab @ Sengkurong with the guys (Arif, Juan, Rafi, Mijan, Yousri, Astiman, Naz) @ 10 pm , selepas dari Doa Arwah @ Cikgu Zuffry's.



The food price ranges from $4 to $6 and had a variety choice of menu of rice, pita bread and noodles Kebab. Beverages ranges from $1.00 to $2.00.




Ordered Pita Bread Lamb Shish Kebab($5.30) and Kopi C ($1.00)

It was excellent! The lamb was juicy and was surprisingly easy to chew. It tastes more or less the same as Theo's Kebab @ Gold Coast, although Theo's had more dressings (lettuce, cheese , tomatoes) than London's. Theo's Kebab was also bigger and had several choices of sauces(BBQ, sweet chilli, chilli, mayo).

Theo's however costs more(AUD$7.50) , so I have to settle with London's Kebab for the reasonable price and excellent lamb(Theo's was a bit hard)

It's a perfect substitute for us who were craving for some Aussie Kebab since going back from Aussie and will surely come back here some other time. Arif couldn't resist the temptation and ordered twice ! 9/10

London's Kebab, located in three branches(Berakas, Sengkurong and KB) captures my heart/stomach for having the best Kebab in town.

7/7/09 - Busy Day

Woke up early because Cam called me up, he was down with a fever so minta dangankan ke hosp. Picked up Safwan and Azlan as well.

Cam yang damam tapi masih flexing

Fortunately, it was only an ordinary fever, but Cam was told to quarantine himself @ home for 5 days to check for any worsening symptoms.

We went to a famous Kolo Mee Restaurant in Ban 3. It's located near a noodles factory, I'm assuming they're from the same company.

Kolo Mee Restaurant(not sure of the exact name)

The joint itself is very small and crowded, so if you're looking for comfort, you won't find some here. Ordered Kolomee Wantan($2.50) with Samboi Kasturi Ping($1.20) . Food was delivered less than 5 minutes later !




It was ok. The Kolo Mee was quite tawar, but a few drop of the provided soy sauce and some chilli sauce solved that problem. The portion was more than I had expected for a $2.00 Kolo Mee(50c was for the Wantans) . The Wantans were ok, no complain at all. The drink was so-so.

For the price, the Kolo Mee was reasonably good, just remember to add some soy sauce and chilli sauce(or tomato) to add some taste. 8/10





At 8 PM, went to Bu Leha's Cafe(aka Azrin's Gerai) @ Lambak Kiri. Picked up Rafi and Juan and had a good time, liat-liat gambar dari Aussie, lepak-ing etc2

Ada yang senyum, ada yang ketawa, ada yang main janggut etc2

Went home at about 11PM, unfortunately it was flooded at Rafi's home, I didn't want to risk going in, so brought both Juan and Rafi to my home. While waiting for the flood to subside..

Yay!

It's feeding time for Elmo ! Aku takut cacing so si Rafi jadi tukang putung cacing for Elmo. He will come once for every week to feed Elmo.

Tarantula Feeder at work..




"Putung kepala dulu!" says the Tarantula Feeder

One eviscerated mealworm, one happy spider !

Sent both Juan and Rafi home at 1am++ . But it was still flooding @ Rafi's crib, but dengan beraninya ia sanggup jalan kaki ke rumahnya.



Oryte, that's all the update for today. Thanks for reading =)

6th July 2009

Went to Hua Ho Qlap today and bought something for Elmo..

It's a 180mm Aquarium. Costs me $2.80 . It's big enough for his current size I think.

Next, I have to fill it with potsoil before it's ready. And maybe put in some decorations(leaves? barks?) if I have the time.

Elmo isn't doing anything interesting this time. Didn't even eat his noodles :p . I'm not worried though, it's probably an indication of molting (tukar kulit) or maybe he's just not feeling hungry. I'm keeping a close observation for the moment.

This is Elmo, 6 hours earlier

This is Elmo, 6 hours later

Now, about noodles..

They're doing ok.....in fact, they're doing great! I'm quite surprised . I didn't do anything to these guys since I bought it. I'd put them inside my drawer and assured myself that I'm not keeping dozens of disgusting worms inside my room.

They looked even more active than the day I bought them (crawling around, jumping happily etc , that's quite active in worm world :p) and I can see some cacoons forming up ! Yay !

Good for the worms, bad for Elmo ! I'm not sure if Elmo likes beetles, and I'm not keen on cutting their guts off their shell either.




Ok, enough with the disgusting stuff, here are some pics to clean your mind a bit.

Watcha lookin at??

Took some random pics of our cats. The one on the left is Eira, next to her is Castello (If I'm not mistaken). They're mixed Persians and are only months old and their mother, Isabella, remains to be found :( .

This is their sister/brother (not sure of it's gender XD) Furball. She's also my cat(from now on she's female, just too tired to type both he and she). She's a bit on the lazy side, just like Elmo !


Right, that's all I can write about at the moment. This blog is turning into a zoo O_o

Chillax~

Went to Gadong with Cam, Safwan and Bih and treated them for dinner @ La Mee . As usual, ordered Buttermilk La Mee w/ Fish Fillet and Tea C Ping Godzilla. Wasn't able to finish my Mee though. I'm losing my touch ! Thankfully, someone was there to 'vacuum' the leftovers.

My favourite




A closer look: Tea + Milk + Gula Melaka + Ice Cream + Whipped Cream + Serbuk Milo =
Tea C Ping Special Godzilla ($3.50)


A closer look: Special La Mee noodles savoured with delicate mix of buttermilk topped with crispy fish fillets = Buttermilk La Mee w/ Fish fillet($6.50)



Unfortunately, I couldn't finish my food. As the picture shows, I didn't manage to finish even half of the plate. Refund $3.25 plz?

Located in Gadong, further along the shops in front of Jaya Hypermart, La Mee Restaurant probably serves one of the best noodles in town. You should try dining in if you haven't !



Now, talking about noodles...(do not proceed if you are squemish)

Ta-da!

No, it's not one of the menus in La Mee (La Mee Bread Crumbs? :p) They're mealworms. Good food for lizards, fishes and Athropods. Good food for Elmo. About $2.50 for one container, these things contain 40-50% of protein and fat (as if anyone cares :p).

They can bite and crawl with their little feet near their heads. They're a disgusting bunch and I wished they sell these things dead.

These things are so disgusting, I didn't even dare to open the lid. Last thing I want is an outbreak of mealworms in my room

The seller told me to cut these things in 3 pieces before feeding them to Elmo. Probably because Elmo is too small to wrestle these things alive and they can bite back too. Now tell me, how the hell am I going to cut these things without opening the lid and touching them -_-" .

What I am more concerned about is, in time mealworms will evolve into beetles when matured. I'm afraid I have to pre-cut these things before that happens. Argh~!

Mealworms: Finger lickin' good ?

Introducing..my new pet (not for the faint-hearted)

Went to the pet show @ Qlap Mall and something caught my eye. It was something I've wished for since I was little. Tarantulas !

There were three species on sale, Mexican Red Knee($30), Rose Hair($30) and the Salmon Pink($15). I eventually settled for the Rose Hair because it was, according to the posters I've read, easiest to maintain. Great for lazy owners, like me!

It wasn't an easy decision for me though. It was certainly overpriced for a spiderling(aka baby spiders :p) In the west, a spiderling would cost around US$6 and an adult Tarantula are around US$40 depending on the species.

But since this is the only time and place where I can buy my dream pet(yeazza) , I decided to go for it. The price would account for the rarity of exotic pets in Brunei and the cost to bring such animals here (just utk menyamankan hati, wawa) .

They were put in very small containers filled with soil. The seller gave one free mealworm for my baby Tarantula upon buying it.

You can see how small the 'cage' is by comparing them with different kinds of coins.

Juan, Rafi and Anam came to my house at 8pm. They kept singing the One Banana song from Sesame Street. It was then I decided to call my little spidey Elmo.

Alas, from now on, you are Elmo! It's cute,little, hairy and Red just like Elmo(subjective opinion).

Elmo didn't do anything interesting until nighttime. Well, Tarantulas are nocturnal anyways, so it is expected(kind of). He/She started to lift the dead mealworms one by one using his/her little claws and started devouring them slowly. Cute ! :p

He/She likes to climb around the edges of the 'cage' a lot and sometimes stop by for a quick snack of mealworms.

It's quite fascinating to see such a little thing has so many life in it. Can't wait for him/her to be a bit bigger!

This is Elmo, years later(hopefully)

Educational Trip To Brisbane

We've just returned from our educational trip to Brisbane and Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. It was a one week vacation, er i mean, trip :p from 24th June to 1st July

Pre-sunrise taken from my seat. It was a 6 hours flight from Brunei to Brisbane.

.

This is the hotel where we stay in Gold Coast, Courtyard Marriott. We conquered the upper floors (31 - 34) at that time.

Relaxing near the beach in Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast



The things where all my money went to

Savoring the delightful taste of Aussie's AUD$7.50 Kebab at our room's balcony

Taken outside Pacific Fair, Gold Coast


A kangaroo in Paradise Country. They were tame as cats, to my surprise.
Just after watching the Dolphin Show in Sea World.


Taken outside Warner Bros Movie World. I managed to bring home an Australian Chewing Gum on my shoe


Finally, the beautiful sunrise taken from our balcony. Hope I can come back here someday~.

The Beginning

Today. on the 3rd of July 2009, I've decided to create my own blog. I'm new in blogging, though I have read people's blog for years. I like writing in english, so most of the time, this blog will be in English with some occasional use of Malay here and there. Well, I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing them :).