The Lau Difang aka Old Place Experience

There seems to be a trend these days to hark back to the “good old days” with retro being the new metro. In terms of restaurants, old time kopitiams are coming back to fashion with a vengeance. In Singapore and Malaysia, we have Kiliney, Ipoh Kopitiam, Yakun, Toastbox etc. In Brunei, we are not deprived of the old time kopitiam experience with quite a few establishments opening up over the last year or so.

The latest to open is Lau Difang located at Gadong Central, a new shophouse development near that new roundabout on the way to Jingchew. The place is done up with old-fashioned theme with a keen eye on the details like the fixtures and fittings. The old photographs which adorn the walls are a nice touch too and gives customers a nostalgic view of Brunei in the old days.

The menu is quite simple, as an old kopitiam menu should be. So far I’ve tried the Kwayteow Penyet (think nasi penyet, only with kwayteow instead of rice), Fried rice noodles, Watan Hor, Prawn Mee, and Kolomee all of which get a nod of approval. The one thing which stands out is the special roti kawin (no pic here but will insert one when I remember to snap one next time!) which they serve. Its really good and definitely gives Jingchew a run for its money!