Local delights at Gadong night market

OVER the years, the Gadong night market has grown to become Bandar Seri Begawan's favourite haunt for Bruneians to search for a wide range of affordable yet tasty local food. Located near the busy Gadong commercial area, the night market is frequented by people from all walks of life.

The market occupies an area that is about as big as a football field and is divided into two sections: one area hosts vendors who sell fruit and vegetables, while the other area is occupied by food vendors.

Vendors normally start preparing their stalls as early as 4pm as normal peak hours are around 5pm onwards. The market closes closes late at around 10.30pm or 11pm.

The Gadong night market is also a favourite meeting place among Bruneians and expatriates alike. On any given day, one might bump into a family member, or a colleague or even an old schoolmate that you've never met for years.

"At the market, it's great to see familiar faces — some smiling and nodding to each other as they walked around searching for their favourite food," said Hazman Hashim who is currently doing his studies at Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB). "And let's not forget the affordable price of the various food here," he further added.

Traffic is the most busiest on weekends and one has to have the patience and the skill to drive and manoeuvre to find a parking spot.

The key attraction of the Gadong night market is definitely the food vendor section. As one walks into this particular area, one can see rows upon rows of stalls selling a wide range of local delicacies. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the night market, you will be greeted with chicken wings and fish being grilled or cooked on banana leaves.

There are vendors who will entice you with their offerings of lamb chops, beef steaks marinated in special sauces, and even chicken thighs mixed in spice mixtures.

There are various choices of local delicacies to choose from such as traditional Malay kueh, kelupis filled with either prawn or beef, selurut and even tapai manis as well as the ever-favourite chicken rice, fried noodles. Let's not even forget the BBQ-grilled chicken, lamb and fish.

Safwan Abdullah, a student from Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) said that with $5 one could have a hearty dish such as fried noodles or chicken rice as well as drinks. He said that his favourite is the barbecued chicken tail locally known as "tongkeng".

As for me, after settling down choosing my favourite food, I simply had my dinner in the car and savour the beautiful nightlife under the gazing moon light overlooking the busy Gadong area.

The Brunei Times