Fusion Restaurant

Tried Fusion at The Mall (located at Kura). Here’s my review…

Place : Décor and ambience reminds me of an indon restaurant kind of thing. Serving staff all in uniforms – waistcoats and kebayas. Not immediately attractive.

Service : Plates and glasses were sort of thumped on the table. Busboys were attentive though. Orders did get mixed up. We were a party of 10.

Menu : Wide range of choices under category of noodles & pasta, seafood & choice cuts. No vegetarian. All dishes accompanied with an explanation of what’s in it and a picture. Pictures were pretty flash so it gets you very excited about ordering. Beverage choices not so fantastic but then I’m the type who just opts for water cos I don’t like fizzy drinks, coffee or mocktails. I wouldn’t exactly say it was very “fusion”. Prices were tempting cos everything seemed reasonably priced.

Food : Nice presentation with nice chinaware. Seafood not fresh. I am very fussy about fishy smells and this was definitely fishy. Thank goodness I didn’t order the fish on its own. I had the seafood mix (fish slices, prawn, calamari & mussels) with rice. Rice was a bit mushy. Seafood was strangely marinated with a herb. I think it was thyme or fennel. Didn’t go very well but provided some flavour. Since the seafood was not at all fresh, I had to ask for chilli padi and soy sauce for cover up. There was not enough seafood portion to accompany the rice so I did not get to finish my rice. So I ended up still a bit hungry and not at all satiated. Generally, portions were small. Not very filling – but then I’m a big eater.

Dessert : No choices on the menu. You will have to check out the cake counter which had pretty looking tiramisu, oreo cheesecake, cherry cheesecake, cappuccino cheesecake and blueberry cheesecake. I tried a bite of each. Not worth the calories. I definitely make better tiramisu than what they were serving. Skip altogether - unless you don't know how real tiramisu should vaguely taste like and you can't be bothered.

Conclusion : Not going back no matter what. Not worth looking for parking and taking a gamble on which dish might turn out right.

This post is written by a friend of mine who went to the restaurant last month with her friends. If the owners are reading this, I hope you will accept this as constructive feedback and really look seriously into the source/storage of your ingredients. I can't think of anything worse than dubious ingredients - especially seafood - not only off-putting but downright dangerous. People do notice immediately and most will not tell you but just go away, tell their friends and never come back again.

And I have noticed in some restaurants, when you comment negatively on their food (even in the nicest possible way) to their service staff, they will look bewildered, bothered and give you that 'why are you telling me, I didn't cook it' look. It's really sad. So restaurant owners, if you're reading this, train your staff well, they are not there just to present the menu, take orders and serve. They are actually your restaurant ambassadors who play a very important part in a diner's experience in your establishment.

There are a few places I would not return to after just one awful experience with their food and service, and with the choice of restaurants we have in Brunei nowadays, you cannot afford to have anybody leaving your restaurant unhappy, dissatisfied and upset with their encounter.

Posted by Eleanor