Dining With Jewelle

When Mr Aunty J came to town last weekend, we took him out for dinner and gave him a choice of Japanese (with hubby crossing his fingers), Western and Thai.

Thankfully he chose Thai and off to Buccaneer Thai we went for our second time. The first time we went here was when my sister and her then-boyfriend-now-fiance came to visit.

I’m not sure if it’s the norm for Sunday night, but when we came in, the place was empty. Between hubby and myself, we ordered these dishes :

I had wanted to get their Green Curry but decided to try another curry and was fully satisfied. The Pandan chicken was good and the beef was spicy (but so good - if only I didn’t have allergy). As for the soup, although it was very delicious, I think I still prefer their red tom yam soup.

But the best and biggest dish of the evening was the Mango Fish :

The waiter told us that for this dish, it’s best to use sea bass instead of garoupa (which is best steamed).

I am not fond of seafood and most mango fish that I’ve tried (because hubby likes it) are usually too dry or crispy. But this particular Mango fish was cooked to perfection. The skin was crispy but the flesh was succulent - for such a huge fish.

Mr Aunty J enlightened us that the proper way of eating a huge fish is to start from the sides so by the time you reach the centre, which is the thickest part, it would be just cooked. Of course, if you’re not in the company of particular fine dining folks, the best way to eat a fish is - pick whichever part is nearest to you and fast!

I do feel sorry for Mr Aunty J’s other friend who for some reason didn’t join us for dinner. I’m sure whatever he had in Seria is nowhere as good as these.

Also I was pleasantly surprised that we were very well treated by our waiter - he checked on us a few times, making sure all was well. I wonder if it was really him being a great staff or was it the threat of the camera (!).

Anyway, if you have never tried the Buccaneer Thai’s Mango Fish, let me indulge you with another shot of this $35 worth of dish. Hubby was only regretful that he couldn’t polish off the head as well :

Was it worth it? Every cent.

We finally got to try the new Buccaneer Thai Restaurant for lunch today (barely 2 hours after our chicken rice brunch!). Buccaneer Thai is a branch of the Buccaneer Western Restaurant which is just around the corner of the same building.

The menu even had a chili guide of how spicy you want your food to be. Since it was our first time and didn’t want to push our luck, we settled for 1 chili, which was described as “Mildly spicy and will leave a warm glow in the mouth”.

As you know, I didn’t have to think too much about what I wanted to eat. Thai food to me is just this :

Hubby ordered Sea Food Tom Yam and I thought it was one of the best tom yam soup I’ve ever had. Just the right kind of spiciness that tingles your tongue but didn’t make you want to bloat yourself with water. So I guess the 1 Chili level is right for us!

Sis Jacq is not a Chili eater but the tom yam was so good that she rather tortured her tongue that give up. That good, I’m telling you.

The place was elegant and nicely accented with some Thai decorative items. Besides the open floor, they also offer 2 private areas with a round table.

It was in these rooms that we found 2 very interesting pieces of wall decoration.

I noticed that Thais are very loyal to the King. You can guarantee that his picture will adorn the wall of any Thai establishments here in Brunei. At the Buccaneer Thai, they have a lovely picture of our Sultan and the Thailand King during his 60th Anniversary in Bangkok last year.

There was also a lovely picture of all the Royalty from around the world from the same function and I was probably there scrutinizing the photo for around 5 mins!

Food was great and the decorations made the place even more special. It was reasonable too. Our food cost us less than B$50.