BRN: The Empire Hotel and Country Club [In-Room Dining]

Enjoying baked lemon cheesecake at the comfort of the room~

On the last day of our stay in Brunei, my BFF and I made use of the in-room dining service at the lavish hotel as all the restaurants weren't opened during the daytime of Ramadan. As such, we were given a 3-hour extension for our stay, being allowed to hold the key till 2.00pm instead of the official check-out time at 11.00am.

Frankly speaking, that was only my second time having an in-room dining service in a hotel all these while. The very first time was at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Bread

The bread rolls crusted with black sesame seeds were a bit hard on the outside, but it was acceptably soft inside. The other two bread rolls were fluffier.

Empire Classic B$23.00 (=S$23.00)

Taste: 6.5/10

The Malay style fried rice came with a sunny-side up egg, fried turmeric chicken, cucumber slices and garlic crackers, which turned out to be not so crispy anymore. The chicken was flavourful, but it wasn't a tad dry. I enjoyed the acar kuning (lit. yellow pickles) that were refreshingly sour.

Classic Beef Burger B$28.00 (=S$28.00)

Taste: 7.5/10

The beef burger was one level more palatable, thanks to the juicy patty. The sunny-side up had a beautifully runny yolk, but the bacon was way overcooked. While the vegetables used for the salad were pretty fresh, the coleslaw was lacking the crunch and sweetness I was looking for.

Classic Baked Lemon Cheesecake B$15.00 (=S$15.00)

Taste: 8.5/10

The baked lemon cheesecake, which looked pretty impressive with the various fresh fruits, candied lemon slice, meringue and raspberry sauce, had a lovely sweet and sour balance. The kiwi slices were especially fresh. The bottom layer of biscuit crumbs could be denser though. 

Traditional Cakes FOC

Taste: 8/10

We didn't know that the hotel would be providing two slices of traditional cakes gratis for each of us. The chocolate and mint kek batik, a type of Malay non-baked cake dessert traditionally served on special occasions like Eid al-Fitr and Christmas, was something I'd never get bored of, for it was rich, but not too sweet. I'm not sure about the name of the brown-coloured cake, but it was pretty chewy and airy - somewhat similar to bika ambon (Indonesian honeycomb cake), but not as delicate.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

Pika's advice: Do note that there are vegetarian options. For one, the Indian Sampler, priced at B$22.00 (=S$22.00), is changed daily. Don't miss the opportunity to swim at the enormous Lagoon Pool!

The Empire Hotel and Country Club

The Empire Hotel and Country Club

Jerudong

Brunei

(Twenty Four / Seven)

http://www.theempirehotel.com/categories/dining

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)