Ambuyat Set
Dinner @ "Rumah Makan Adresto".
"Traditional Bruneian cuisine. Starchy substance made from Sago, served with 2 Cacah (fermented dipping sauce), and side dishes such as Daging Kunyit, Ikan Goreng, Sambal Tahai and Sayur"
The National dish of Brunei and one I never encountered in neighbouring Malaysia or Indonesia.
Sago as a plant is indigenous to Brunei but I had not expected to see a staple made with it. The starch is derived from the interior trunk of the sago palm. Ambuyat is eaten with a bamboo chopstick called chandas, by rolling the starch around the prongs and then dipping it into a sauce, of which there are many varieties. In this restaurant, the chef disclosed his own recipe contains mango juice and durian paste. The dip thus took on a sweet and tangy taste with a durian pungency lurking in the background.
Playing with the starch took some skills but I also preferred to dunk it into my curry beef as it was more savoury and thus more to my personal liking. I am not much into fish so the pair of fried fishes were pretty much wasted but on the other hand, I really enjoyed the Sambal Tahai. Tahai is smoked fish found in Limbang and the sambal version has crispy flesh and pretty tasty. The kangkong soup was pretty good too and I enjoyed having the crunchy vegetable (sayur).
Will I try again? Perhaps not. Happy that I tried though!
Ambuyat Set
Dinner @ "Rumah Makan Adresto".
"Traditional Bruneian cuisine. Starchy substance made from Sago, served with 2 Cacah (fermented dipping sauce), and side dishes such as Daging Kunyit, Ikan Goreng, Sambal Tahai and Sayur"
The National dish of Brunei and one I never encountered in neighbouring Malaysia or Indonesia.
Sago as a plant is indigenous to Brunei but I had not expected to see a staple made with it. The starch is derived from the interior trunk of the sago palm. Ambuyat is eaten with a bamboo chopstick called chandas, by rolling the starch around the prongs and then dipping it into a sauce, of which there are many varieties. In this restaurant, the chef disclosed his own recipe contains mango juice and durian paste. The dip thus took on a sweet and tangy taste with a durian pungency lurking in the background.
Playing with the starch took some skills but I also preferred to dunk it into my curry beef as it was more savoury and thus more to my personal liking. I am not much into fish so the pair of fried fishes were pretty much wasted but on the other hand, I really enjoyed the Sambal Tahai. Tahai is smoked fish found in Limbang and the sambal version has crispy flesh and pretty tasty. The kangkong soup was pretty good too and I enjoyed having the crunchy vegetable (sayur).
Will I try again? Perhaps not. Happy that I tried though!