With this year’s Ramadhan guaranteeing at least four Saturdays, Big BWN is back with the most extended edition yet of their late-night pop-up Sahur Saturday at the multi-story car park next to Kontena Park in Anggerek Desa.
The ever-popular event serving fresh food and beverages is being hosted on March 25 and April 1, 8 and 15 from 10pm to 2am, featuring approximately 20 local vendors each week.
When it was launched in 2015, Sahur Saturday was one of the first Ramadhan pop-up events held in Brunei in the late evening, complementing the more established Gerai Ramadhans which operate in the afternoon for residents to takeaway food closer to the breaking of fast at sundown.
Typically participated by home businesses and other newer enterprises looking for an alternate setting to meet new customers, Sahur Saturday costs businesses $40 to set up each week, with many selling out before closing time. The majority of vendors this year will be returning every week, while the remaining few will feature only on select weeks.
“For sahur (meal before dawn) in Brunei previously you only had the regular shops that open late, and a select few restaurants that offer sahur buffets; there wasn’t a gerai (market) where you could sample different businesses late at night,” said Noorhafizah, whose organisation has earned local and international awards for their community work.
“In the past we’ve done one to three (Saturdays) each Ramadhan, but there’s a big demand so we’re upping it to four (Saturdays). It’s inspiring to see that many years later, and even after the pandemic, the drive from the younger generation to do business and entrepreneurship is still very much alive.”
For this year’s edition, we feature three vendors who will be returning weekly; who began as pop-up businesses and have now graduated to their own storefronts.
Build your own pasta bowls with Bunga Kilanas
A staple of the pop-up event scene at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Bunga Kilanas by Grandmama is most known for their custom pasta bowls where customers can choose their own pasta type, accompanying sauce and toppings.
Occupying the niche for offering an affordable ‘build your own’ pasta bowl concept, Bunga Kilanas finally opened full-time at a commercial location last year in Tanjong Bunut, having spent more than 10 years as a home and pop-up only business.
“Bunga Kilanas by Grandmama pays homage to our grandmother, who inspired us to cook,” said founder Farah Momin.
“Our customers always ask us, why don’t we open a shop, so we finally took the leap and the response has been great. Our tradition during Ramadhan, is to make sure we sign up for Sahur Saturday. So even if we have a shop now, we make sure to join, the crowds mean that we get to expose our business further.”
Majestic extends brand with grills menu
One of the businesses to successfully expand from the Entrepreneurship Centre (food court) of the Lifelong Learning Centre – formerly known as the Centre for Capacity Building (PPK) – is Majestic Wings, who recently launched another brand called Majestic Grill.
Founder Md Azrul Abas, who started the business in 2016 with his wife and brother-in-law from home, have grown gradually through small outlets over the past seven years.
Following their two-year stint at PPK, during which they saved their profits, they opened at the Jerudong Park (JP) Food Court, followed by another two to three-year stints at BIBD Connects in Lambak and Yayasan Food Street.
Today, they’ve maintained their JP branch, and have added another location inside Rimba Point. For Ramadhan, they’re also operating two additional gerai locations outside Rimba Point and in the vacant lot opposite First Emporium in Batu Satu.
“Now we are operating four locations; two are Majestic Wings, which focus more on a fast-food style menu with either deep-fried or air-fried chicken wings. The other two (at gerais) are Majestic Grill; which we have lots of different grilled meats, chicken and seafood on skewers,” explained Md Azrul.
Moistjito grows with DARe programmes
Initially a part-time business while its founders were still students in UBD, Moistjito today is a full-time profitable enterprise with an outlet at new lifestyle mall The One in Batu Satu.
Founders Sheikh Md Aiman Hj Sheikh Md and Md Nasrun Nizar Saifulbahri have created a menu of Mexican-themed food focusing on burritos and tacos alongside signature mocktails. Joining Sahur Saturday is particularly meaningful, being the first major pop-up event they joined back in 2017.
“We built our business through pop-ups and Sahur Saturday was one of the main ways we got to get our name out there in the beginning,” said Aiman. “From joining the event, we got to see the facilities nearby at Kontena Park (KP), which led to us applying for it after graduation.”
As an F&B incubation space under DARe, KP offers year-long tenancy at an affordable rate of $350 monthly, with dedicated training and support. Despite not making the initial cut into KP after applying, Moistjito was granted a spot after another applicant pulled out, and ended their tenure as one of the most profitable enterprises in the establishment’s history.
Buoyed by their KP experience, Moisjito joined DARe’s Elevate, a five-year consultancy programme to help local businesses move beyond the early stages of growth.
“Together with the consultancy and training by Elevate, and the DARe (co-matching) grant for $10,000 to purchase equipment for our new outlet, we are doing well at The One,” added Aiman.
