With all the mixed reviews from friends that dined in at the newly opened Le’ Stadium, Jean-T and I decided to try it out. We parked our cars and admired the unique structure of the building. All in positive minds, hoping we would be up for a great treat, due to the extensive coverage on Ranoadidas. Le’ Stadium, what we had in mind were sports illustrated themes but when we got in, it was just like any other ordinary restaurant except their tables had sporty pictures in them.
They could have done more with the interior really, I think naturally when we hear the word "stadium" we would think of sports. Having a locker room or an indoor arena feel would've been nice. Badminton/Squash/Tennis rackets on the wall or jerseys/posters of local sports celebrities would've really made the place more sport-ish and compliments the exterior nicely.
Our orders:
Me: Lamb with mushroom sauce and buttered vegetables + banana delight
Jean-T: Lasagne + lce lemon tea
Here goes my critic: The food I should say is, ok, it’s not good nor is it any bad. Good presentation but with the allocated price on the non-sporty-menu, I expected more. Maybe in terms of quality. The lamb was well done, it was tender but the sauce was just really not working for me. To me, sauce is the most important element in the dish. It either works or it doesn’t. In this case, it just didn’t work for me.
Jean-T wasn’t pleased with her Lasagne either. They have inserted Macaroni into the Lasagne, I guess that they wanted it to be special. It would have been better if they stuck to the classic Lasagne. Lets not talk about the ice lemon tea…I give up. Heehee…On a positive note, service was quick and sweet, that’s what we like. The waiters and waitresses were at their best behavior and they really cleaned up well. Even the billing was quick. No hassle but seriously, I do hope they will upgrade their quality of food and more funky decos that are more welcoming and relaxing.
Review by C
17 comments:
Hmmmm...strange. I've been there twice in a group of at least 5 people and both times they blew my socks off!! I was really really impressed with the quality of all the dishes and the ice lemon tea had a real generous lemony kick to it ( I guess this is what you were implying to, so maybe not everyone likes their ice tea like that :) )
Too bad you weren't too impressed. Give it another go and order the aglio oglio w/prawns or lamb shank. Hopefully it'll change your mind.
I do agree with you on the decor front though - they do need to jazz it up a lot more especially with sports memorabilia.
I concur with Bulimic on this one. I wasn't quite impressed as with the place as well. The food quality didn't quite live up to our expectations and certainly, the allocated price on the menu. It was so-so. We were certainly expecting more than the portions given. The Iced lemon tea tasted rather bland. Barely a tinge of lemony taste to it at all. It's just basically tea and ice.
As for the service, I disagree on the 'sweet and quick' part because our orders came 30 minutes later. And there were only two groups of customers there! They could have at least served the drinks first. But it was a wise move to serve us garlic bread as appetizers whilst waiting though. Our patience were seriously wearing thin by that time.
Decor-wise. Upon hearing the word 'Le Stadium', I envisaged a cafe adorned with sporty hangings on the wall and TVs with different sports channel and such. But somehow from what I've seen, it reminds me strongly of tacky diners. The 'sporty' aura isn't quite there yet. So yes, they could do a little fix-me-up on that particular area. :)
I applaud the owner for employing locals. But just in case... try get your quota for foreingers. I can't see you coping with the wages structure. supervisor? manager? head chef? lots of free times, shifts, seriously.. spend more time by just sitting there and monitor. Mr Owner, Pls dont trust so much to your employeees, you got be team player. Somehow I know most the key workers comes from a run down "bankrupt" restaurants. They can't commit and thier C.V just tells you. So as i said prepare to get foreigners. I would be worried if i were you. They didn't last long at thier previous workplace, so same bad recipes if repeated will always be the same.
one thing i want to comment is that there is still that typical "bruneian attitude" example: like writng on the menu with a permanant pen. That menu uve got is not cheap. so there.. nevermind the decor. It's the food, the taste that will leave memories.
Also, dont be tempted to have a wifi. You want your customers to buy food n eat seriously there.
I know you are young and ambitious but it's always nice to get some advise to some establish restaurant owner. You are paying decent wages, so simple equation, if theres no turnover or no income, how r u going to pay them and cover your operation cost.
Good luck and dont stop supporting locals just keep an eye on them.
Obeserver.
I totally have to agree with ur comments...supporting locals...but Do keep them foreigners...especially at the more technical levels...u need them....
nice and tacky ambience...and i like ur bit.....it's the food, the taste that will leave memories.....
very very nicely...done...
I've been there and I hated it and will never go there again. Food took more than 30 mins to arrive. I couldn't drink my drink through the straw. My food literally had blood in it, instead of mushroom gravy we were given mushroom soup, food just oozed oil. Ugh.
Once is enough.
well.....im not pleased at all with the services nor the quality.........
as a student who is taking hospitality field.....im so fussy about food as i know how everything is done.....whether about the services or the foods!!!
the last time i went there was with my 2 ffriends.....we didnt order the nutsssssss...but they charged for it!!what the.....???
even the waitress was....argggg...
ok....to conclude....i just unhappy with all......
I cannot say anything as yet as I have NOT been or tried the food. I heard the cook is GOOD and very much looking forward to it! As of now, my comment would be WELL DONE Le'Stadium for the BALD and DARING move in opening up a Bruneian wholly-owned Western Style restaurant (unlike some in our country which are already established in others) esp as mentioned u are "young" and "ambitious". As a Bruneian myself, I would applaud this fellow Bruneian and together we should support them as I am positive they will succeed with our continuous support and understanding with some bit of their "kick-start-errors".. Looking at the negative comments, most of them are fixable! :) Well Done! and Best of Luck!
-Future Generation-
In my opinion, I loved it. So far, I have been there 5 times in two months. They are obviously going for a diner theme interior but didn't go through with it fully. I would say quality is good. You may say portion is small but look at how thick they are. only 1 out of 5 times I went, the food wasn't as good. But that day, there were more than the usual number of customers (I brought 5 new people with me). I would think the chef is not yet used to cooking many dishes at one go. Therefore, mine was a little burnt. But on other days, food was perfect <3
I am a fan of Le Stadium as long as the chef cooks good food and not rush as much ^^
oh and I want to add that their service is the best. What other restaurant goes out with an umbrella to bring their customers in on a rainy day!
i dont like it, plain and simple.
along that stadium stretch, i think i would opt for orchid and the cafe in the pink building next to orchid.
orchid sometimes would seem a little pricey whereas the cafe... ok la, quite affordable.
go anywhere... juz not le stadium
Some like it hot, some like it cold. Different people give different opinions. These are actually good. Why not write a complaint letter straight to the owner? Don't you think it's good rather than criticising it on the web, unless you're a food critic like bulimic. : ) If you complaint about slowness, try to be nice and say you want the food ASAP instead when you order it? If you complaint about the price? Do you think the raw material is cheap? I personally think it was average.
I was one of the UNSATISFIED customer once (for the Lasagna but, I dared myself to try it again just to confirmed. On the second and third try, YES, THIRD, I'm rather impressed.
They have their own speciality, so do not try to compare it with other diner/restaurant.
I personally recommend eager people out there to order their Mushroom Capuccino (you can't get there in other place in Brunei) for starters, Lamb Shank/Chicken Steak/Gordon Bleu for main course and their ever-so-yummy Creme Brule. If you ever have any problem about the food/drinks, why not tell them what lacks in there? They were happy to make me a new one when I told them I want something to replace the bitterness of the tea. : )
Oh by the way, I learned that their Chef is Indonesian, sounds foreign. Only the waiter/waitresses are locals.
To the Owner/Manager:
Please do something to the decor & menu? You're lacking something.
Thank you for the all the comments so far. I hope the owners/managers of Le'Stadium will get to read them and take it all in good faith and hopefully help them to improve their services, food quality and establishment.
I would like to state also that I'm no professional food critic. I call what I see, or rather taste. Also I know it's been awhile we haven't posted a new review, busy times really and plus I haven't been going to new places.
Hopefully I'll have time soon to explore the many new restaurants that has been popping-up lately. And as usual, we do welcome reviews by our readers too. Thank you again for your kind support :)
i dun think they ever serve nuts as i am a fren of the owner and ive been there lots of time..and no..they never serve nuts..maybe u are talking about other restaurant? hmm...
hey guys...give the le'stadium people a break..they are still new..the food..i have no complain in fact i love it..they actually gave me free bday cake for my bday.. :) nice aint they....but when i asked them about the deco..they said they are working on it..as they are actually waitin for their posters and deco from some suppliers... :) hope we will like it..Good Luck Owner.. :)
Walaupun ada kurang... atu perkara biasa.. yang sempurna itu hanya lah di atas.. jadi..cermin-cermin lah diri...kalau sama2 melayu, jgn tah di ikut anu lama2 atu.. yang kan menghancur kan melayu atu... bukan nya kan menulung.. kan memusnahkan tia plng.. mun paham bisai...nda paham miscall...
Again, I say its a setback.
A new restaurant has opened "Sempurna enak". If my memory serves me right, they have a well established branch just opposite FOOD ZONE. thier style is kopitiam food. I was impressed with its exterior on thier new outlet just OPPOSITE le'stadium. So i guess they are coming in full swing. Im sure le'stadium is aware. There's no need to panic but the owner has to see things in reality and do thier homework.
i belived they own the building. Food wise doesn't reflect the interior and the workers (sorry).
We are not here to teach but rather to give our humble opinion. Brunei market speaks for volume. ok, fair enough they advertise on radio and internet. Personally if i were the boss, i wouldn't be too agrressive on doing media advertising. To me, It will put in a lot of pressure. I still belive, advertising thru "word of mouth".
You need that turnover. I know they have appointed managers, kitchen managers so and so which is unncessary and will effect their wages structure. No point in having to many supervisors. One is enof... only if they have set thier budget for a period of time.. oklah. but I still won't throw money down the drain like that. I will change.
so owner, there's what 4 -5 restarants around you? hasinah, sempurna enak, the one next to mini mart, khaz corner, and ilotus. your price match ilotus but not the service and ambience. the rest are all cheap kopitiam local favoursite.
le stadium, i wud say will be seasonal restaurant. do you have the money to pay for your operating cost when they is no turnover or income? thats all, simple equation. give what bruneian want, not what you them to try like "mushroom capuccino". (this dish is classic french soup invented by a a mentor chef in paris. then GORDON RAMSAY followed up with this dish on his opening 100% own fine dining rstaurant = gordon ramsay) so yea... n besides they used Truffle. :)
so owner, i think you should call bulimic for menu tasting, dont charge him. im sure he will write more about you.
so thats the review for today. May Allah gives you murah rezeki and open your heart. all the best.
Restaurant co-owner :)
Thank you again for all the comments.
I think everyone should not take this post and the comments that came with it as a negative one. We hope that the public and especially the owners will see as a feedback on things they can improve on. It's not about 'kan menutup rezeki urang' or 'inda support melayu' as what Jahat implied above.
We are not here to destroy any business or neither are we trying to take advantage of the situation with the hope free meals. Sincerely, we hope this will be a wake-up call for all restaurant owners to improve on their quality of food and services.
Thank you again for all the comments. We hope to see more reviews and positive criticism soon again.
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