Brunei: sink your teeth into this

Wafts of smoke carrying the aroma of barbequed meat started to swirl around the air just as the sun began to set on the ornate domes of the Jame’asr Hassanal Bolkiah mosque. Given that this royal mosque is in the suburb of Kampong Kiarong, some three kilometres from downtown Bandar Seri Begawan, the scent had travelled quite a distance.

Once I arrived at the Gadong night market, some 20 minutes after battling Bandar’s only peak hour bottleneck, it was easy to see how the aroma could have spread so far. The sky was thick with great grey plumes of fragrant charcoal smoke. Stepping out of the air conditioned car, I was enveloped by the sweet barbeque fumes, which carried the scent of exotic spices and the promise of beautifully tender meat.

Australians may claim to know a thing or two about outdoor cooking, but the Gadong night market is barbeque alchemy. For a small country, it seems like most of Brunei turns up to wander the aisles of fiery pyres. There was plenty on offer: whole fish, sausages, beef ribs, chicken wings and lamb rissoles all jostled for space on the grills. But pride of place in any Bruneian barbeque is the satay, thanks to the country’s Malay heritage.

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