Review: Boat Noodle, Brunei

Finally got to try Boat Noodle this evening after work. Business has been good as they are on full house almost everyday especially during lunch and dinner hours. I tried calling to make reservation but San Diann later found out that their business line is currently down and they do not take reservation at the moment.

As usual, business is good and there was already a queue at the time when I arrived. San Diann was nice enough to go earlier to queue for us since reservation was not allowed. A couple was just leaving at the time when I arrived so we got our table shortly after I arrived. And thankfully, it was a table good for four so our food would not look so cram on the table.

San Diann and Clara tried out Boat Noodle previously and they mentioned that they ended up going for second round at another cafe after dinner at Boat Noodle. So, I decided that we should go for their signature noodle as well as their rice dishes.

Without further ado, let me show you what the three of us had at Boat Noodle …

Drink of the Day (Pandan) | B$2.50

Cha Yen | B$3.50

Clara and I went for the safest option, which is their signature Thai Milk Tea. Cha Yen is known to be extremely sweet for our taste bud so I requested less sweet for our Cha Yen. They were indeed served less sweeter than usual. It had a smooth texture and tasted milky. However, I find that the taste of tea was not as distinctive as the Cha Yen from ChaTraMue.

Pathumtani Chicken | B$0.90

dark soy sauce broth with an appetizingly sour-ish and delicate spicy flavor

Clara and San Diann strongly recommended their Pathumtani broth over Ayutthaya broth as the latter has a nutty flavor (as per San Diann). Portion was small and it only took about two or three slurps (three for me) to finish the noodles. The broth was indeed appetizing but tad bit salty though.

Order takeaway for their noodles is not advisable unless you bring your own food container as they do not have any for it. I ordered three bowls of Pathumtani to bring home and the Cashier apologetically informed me that they do not do noodle takeaway. And lucky for me, I have a food container in my car.

Flame Grilled Ayam Legend | B$5.90

This is a de-boned chicken whole leg, marinated and grilled to perfection. I liked that the meat was juicy and tender at the same time. The dipping sauce complimented the chicken well. It had a sweet but spicy taste.

Kra-Pow Chicken Rice | B$5.90

This is basically a soy sauce minced chicken, served with a sunny side up. I thought it was Basil Chicken but there was no taste of basil at all. So, I guess not? The three of us agreed that the minced chicken was tad bit salty for our liking but it went very well with the white rice. It was stated on the menu that this is a spicy dish but it did not taste any spicy to me.

Bangkok Omelette | B$5.90

To be honest, this was pretty much average to me. It is an omelette filled with spring onion and some julienne red chili or red capsicum. The omelette texture was thick though and Clara wondered how many eggs had been cracked to make this one omelette? The dipping sauce was a no no for us. It tasted like creamy Tom Yam with coconut milk to me.

Sangkayaa | B$4.90

This was served along with our main courses and we ended up eating this before our rice dishes. We agreed that this was satisfyingly good. The steamed bread was soft and fluffy, went extremely well with the Pandan Kaya dip. San Diann and I later joked that we should have at least stirred the Kaya mixture for a photographic effect.

Verdict: Boat Noodle is not allowing table reservation at the moment. If you are going during peak hours, do expect a queue and it is advisable to eat something light if you are hungry prior to going. For your information, Boat Noodle will be taking table reservation for Sungkai during Ramadan period.

Food was served promptly after ordering and customer service was pretty good in my opinion. However, I think the air ventilation in the restaurant is not really effective as they are operating in an open kitchen concept. It felt rather stuffy and hot inside after some time and I left the restaurant with a red face from the heat.

Boat Noodle
Unit 12, Ground Floor,
Block B, Little Soho,
Batu Besurat,
Kampung Pengkalang Gadong, BE3519,
Negara Brunei Darussalam
Tel: +673-2420677

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