Rustique by Absolute — Restaurant in Borneo

Hari Jadi Sultan Golden Chai at Rustique cafe Yuujin ga dekita

(Last line, Japanese: Made a friend 😇)

This is a haiku I made inspired by real events that happened to me, the first time I visited this cafe, during His Majesty’s 77th Birthday…

It was after the morning parade was over. Me & a colleague was on our way back from Taman SOAS to our cars, when we noticed a quaint little cafe by the street.

Curious, we went inside.

True to its name, the cafe had a lovely rustic aesthetic. Charmed, we looked at the menu & ordered some food & drinks.

My colleague ordered for takeaway & left afterwards, while I stayed on to dine in, enjoying a large cup of Golden Chai & pasta, at the window seat.

That was when the person at the table behind me called to me to ask about the national events of the day.

Before he spoke, I had thought he was a local Chinese - turns out he was a Japanese tourist.

I revealed to him that I had studied in Japan a few years ago, & spoke a bit of Japanese to him. After that, we talked for hours - about Brunei, about Japan, about a lot of things.

He was very fluent in English, very open & quite talkative, which in my experience is a very rare combination for a Japanese.

We bonded surprisingly quickly.

The friendly cafe staff, upon learning that he was a Japanese tourist, delightfully treated him with a warm & cozy welcome.

Feeling peckish for dessert, I ordered two slices of Mata Kucing cake - one for me & one for my newfound friend. We were quite impressed by the taste, while at the same time he learned about our local fruits.

Afterwards, by the cafe staff’s recommendation, I gave him a ride to Aminah Arif at Batu Bersurat, to try the number one dish every tourist must try in Brunei: Ambuyat.

Confession: I had actually never eaten ambuyat despite 30+ years being a Bruneian 🤭 however this rare moment was a great opportunity to do just that.

The Japanese tourist & I were both impressed.

We conversed some more, after which I gave him a ride to his hotel.

A truly unexpected & memorable moment that happened the first time I went into this cafe.

Needless to say, I recommend this place. Who knows - perhaps you too will experience a magical moment at...

I love the café's aesthetics. Nice place to hang out with friends or if you're on a solo lunch break. Definitely a chilled place. My go to was always the Rustique Jellato however I've been a matcha lover as of late! Now, their Hojicha is super rich and have that umami taste! I love it and for the price it's so worth it! You know a good quality matcha when U taste it! I LOVE the bitterness of matcha and will always ask the servers for less sweet or sometimes 0 sugar level!

Tried their Strawberry Matcha before and the sweetness depends on how you like your drinks to be sweet. It's super nyummy but since I'm watching my sugar intake I opt for the Hojicha instead😆. Price wise I find that it's WORTH IT for a GOOD QUALITY matcha drink! You all should definitely give it a try and imma try the other matcha drinks next week hehe.. my purse is already 😭.

Today I've just tried their new menu i.e. their food bowl super delish and fresh and I think I it's a signal for me to watch my diet henceforth I should get my lunch here then (ehem more reason to get my matcha fix🫠). Chose pulled beef today and seriously it was so good and the servings are not a disappointment. Can't wait to see what my palate craves for next week😂.

Now moving on to dessert, the Lao Pan Niang was so nice to offer me her home baked kunaffa cheesecake & knowing that I'm trying to cut down sugar (cakes elsewhere tends to be super sweet nak mampos gitu) but these I swear was not crazy sweet at all perfect for someone whose trying to watch their sugar but at the same time wanna treat themselves to a dessert once in awhile. GO TRY IT!

Overall my experience with their food and drinks has been satisfying. Of course as a consumer you gotta play your part and ask the servers if you'd prefer your drinks sweet, less sweet no sweet etc even with the desserts ask 1st before ordering one on what your preferences are. I'm very picky with mine and take ages to order or take forever to decide which place to go to for f&b.. so when I find a place I like I'm loyal! TRY THEM OUT IF YOU'RE...

A small cafe located in the bustling city centre. Seating about 10 people per time. Staffs were very friendly and service was quick. They have quite a variety of food and drinks in the menu.

Heres what we ordered: CROISSANT MUSHROOM SANDWICH. The croissant was the bread kind not the pastry type (they informed us beforehand which was very honest of them). The sandwich consisted of mushrooms, fried omelette and lettuce. The mushroom was sauteed in something like a curry or cumin mix. However, it would be better if fresh mushrooms were used rather than the canned ones and the inside of the croissant toasted. Also, creamy scrambled eggs would be a better choice (plus a slice of cheese). The fries were thin cut and crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside. Overall, a decent sandwich.

UNICORN LEMONADE. A fizzy, butterfly pea, strawberry syrup drink. It was very pretty! They gave a very generous amount of strawberry syrup, however, was a little bit too sweet than it is refreshing. Would also like if it was a bit more fizzier and sour.

CARROT CAKE. Very moist, soft and bouncy carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. A pretty good carrot cake. Only complaint is it needs more carrots but overall, texture and flavour is on point.

Seems like the cafe is still renovating behind. Would like to come back and try other food and drinks in the menu. Keep up the wonderful service and...