A personal journey and my foodie adventure started a few weekends ago. The idea was to find the best Nasi Lemak dishes in Brunei.
Yesterday I went to CountryPatch at Kiulap. Easiest way to get there, use the road heading to Express at Kiulap. Its right behind it. If you still can't figure it out, look for Twelv Cafe, it's on the same building. If that fails and you own an iPhone and so happen to have the 'OhMyFood!' App, you can look it up there, just type 'Countrypatch'.
My wife and I used to go there often for the carrot cake or to settle a scone craving. To my surprise it has expanded, well kind of. The once open space is now closed with beautiful white panels and a sliding door and from the look of it can still be converted to an open space if the weather permits.
I remember @yasminpatera asked me about the NL there and to my recollection, CP only offers Chicken NL.
So come lunch time, my wife and I went there without making a reservation and was lucky enough to get a table for two. Place was packed so that is a great indication that business was going well.
The vintage walls and pictures have always impressed me about the place. A nice, small, cozy cafe with great food.
First thing that stuck me was the menu. They had revamped the menu and I saw some very interesting sandwiches and pasta dishes. However my mission was to try their NL.
My wife settled for one of the sandwiches, unfortunately for me I had forgotten to note the name down. But it was a chicken sandwich with a balsamic vinegarette spread with grilled marinated chicken and fresh lettuce and a small helping of fries.
I remember trying out the NL before or I might have seen someone else order it.
At first glance the presentation had a striking resemblance to Sapphira's. But this one was on a smaller plate and it was very neat and well placed.
A pandan infused rice and topped with a sunny side up on one corner. The fried chicken thigh next to it and opposite the two were the sambal and the fried anchovies and peanuts. Looking at it, all I wanted to do was dig right it.
Verdict: You might be lucky. I was not very happy with my dish. It was rather unfortunate that the anchovies and peanuts were over fried and was very difficult to chew. The chicken too was over cooked, it was too dry and had a funny after taste. I did not lodge a complain to the waitress and perhaps I should have. I would like to point out here that my humble opinion should not discourage you from trying this dish. On the plus side, the sambal was very nice, but if you like it spicy this might not give you that extra 'kick'. The absence of any greens also disappointed me because I am after all paying $4.50 for this dish. A few slices of cucumber wouldn't hurt. Again, I would like to stress that you might have a better experience than me when you dine there. Also remember that this is of my own personal experience and am not trying to bad mouth the business. This is only an account of someone who wants to look for the best Nasi Lemak's in our beloved Brunei.
If it so happens that the owners of CountryPatch were to read this, I hope you do not take offense. I do love your establishment and I believe you serve one of the best Carrot Cakes in Brunei.
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