Raves for authentic Nasi Katok in Sydney - BB publication

 Yeeee.... What a  fantabulous report Nadine :) ! Once again thanks to all Bass-ians for making this become a reality...

 The night kicked off pretty quickly last Thursday, 12^th May 2011 at the ‘Pasar Malam’ event. It was held by the Malaysian society at the roundhouse at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. The chatter of excitement, the sizzle of food on freshly hot pans, the flicker of assorted neon lights; if it wasn’t for the cold autumn breeze, the atmosphere was similar to the sights and sounds of a regular night at Pasar Malam, Gadong. And instead of the usual role of being served, the 2^nd year Bruneians students who are taking petroleum and chemical engineering turned into pseudo-savvy stall owners named ‘Garai Tekidum’, selling food exclusively close to home.

BB Weekend publication  dated 21 May 11

We had our hands full; some were tending to the continuous queues of customers, some were cooking behind the scenes while others entertained those who came to the stalls with fun facts about Brunei. Trying to stay true to the local favourites, the menu consisted of the humble Nasi Katok, Nasi Sambal Pusu, chicken dumplings, Kuih Bingka, Kuih Apam and the increasingly popular fried banana popia rolls. The food was sold off fairly quickly especially the Nasi Katok and Kuih Bingka which were gone within an hour’s time.  As the night progressed, the crowds maintained and it felt good to know that the food we offered were attractive enough to keep them coming back for more. A few commented on the relatively inexpensive prices that we had compared to other stalls. This was because we knew the main objective of setting up the stall was to introduce a bit of Brunei through the food and language.

The current BASS (Bruneians around Sydney society) Ketua Kampong, Abu Zahrin, commented

“ Alhamdulilah, the service was marvelous and the authentic foods such as Nasi Katok and Nasi Pusu were very welcoming which even myself couldn’t get one. I am really thankful and glad that we have made it. Finally it was one of the big achievements for BASS to promote Brunei in a foreign country”

One of the customers, Henri Baz said:

“I was there too late for the Nasi Katok and heard they sold like hot cakes. But one of the Bruneian sisters recommended me the Nasi Pusu, which I have to say was really good. Now I regret buying only one portion instead of five. The banana rolls were really good too! “

It was a great milestone for BASS to participate in such an event for the first time and to succeed in our mission. All the profit acquired was put into organizing future Bruneian gatherings and activities. Through this event, we hope we made a positive impact in introducing our Brunei, our culture to the world and we look forward to represent our country at other events hopefully in the near future.

By Nadiah Yaani

Photo courtesy of Chris Wu & Bella

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