Pizza Hut Primo

NOTE: Currently outstation in Brunei so this & upcoming posts are not local. Hopefully you can check them out if you travel here. Cheers!

Pizza Hut is available in most of the towns in Brunei – mostlly catering to take aways and deliveries.  However, in Gadong (a sattelite town near to country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan), we found a slightly enhanced version of Pizza Hut outlet. Behold! The Pizza Hut Primo outlet - located in Gadong's latest shopping attraction The Mall.

Pizza Hut Primo presents a fine-dining concept and experience.  Unlike its normal non-Primo outlets (or those in Malaysia), they offer a wide variety of dishes (ranging from the usual pizza's, pasta's and appetizers to specialty restaurant dishes and beverages. A full-serve environment.

The ambience is full of elegance.  At the entrance, you have the take-away counter as well as a display of pizza choices for the day.  There are 3 what I'd call Kitchen Order Terminals – where the waiters/waitresses enter the orders to be sent to the back kitchen – strategically located in the dining area.  As for the furnishings, you have long chairs as well as single seaters to cater various customer sizes.

  From the floor marble, to decorated walls, lighting effects and plants – I must say it is very neat, spotless and well kept! I truly feels like dining in a western restaurant.  The staff are polite and efficient. FYI, their uniform is like the traditional server attire (white sleeved shirt, black pants & shoes, black bowties and black aprons. No fast food element here – except for their prompt and good customer service.

 And now on to what we sampled here. We didn't want to order the usual items like Pizza, seeing that there are more specialty items on the menu:

Cream of Mushroom Soup – with real mushrooms added in as well! Delivered to your table. [B$2.90].

Iced Green Tea – with added lime. Refreshing. [B$2.90]

 

 Californian Pasta – a spaghetti, served with mixed vegetables and chicken pieces. With bread on the side. [B$7.90] Excellente!

Chicken Cashiew Stir-Fry – Plain rice served in a bowl-shaped pizza crust. Topped with green taugeh, vege, chicken pieces and cashew nuts. One of the specialty dishes. Interesting… [B$5.00]

 So after finishing the rice & dishes, I'm left with the empty bowl!

 I knew the crust was edible, man was it hard to break! Tearing it with the knife and fork didn't work either. Seeing my vain efforts – when the server was taking away the used and empty plates on our table – she asked, "would you like us to reheat and chop it up for you?". How nice. And so I surrendered.

Shortly later, it arrived – warm and sliced up like pizza. Looks like crackers. Of course it taste like pizza crust. I sprinked cheese powder on top for extra flavor. 

Well it was good experience for us. Hopefully someday we would have a Pizza Hut Primo in Malaysia. I just hope we are ready (mentally and attitude-wise) to adapt to the fine-dining concept.  And it comes at a price, too. If in Malaysia we get 10% service charge (exc the 5% govt tax), here it's a whooping 8% service charge. But worth the experience.