| Wani Roslan |
TARINDAK Ungkayah Graduan Restaurant at Brunei International Airport (BIA), which is operated by 16 graduates, was officially launched and opened to the public yesterday.
The ceremony was attended by Cabinet Ministers, members of the Legislative Council, deputy ministers, dignitaries, permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries and persons with special seatings.
The event commenced with the reading of verses from Al-Quran by graduate of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) and one of the graduates involved in running the restaurant Fatin Nor Afifah binti Haji Abdul Ghani.
In her welcoming remarks, another UNISSA graduate and a representative of the restaurant Nur Sahkinah binti Rosli conveyed her appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for granting them an outlet in the form of Tarindak Restaurant to earn a living.
The new restaurant, she added, satisfies His Majesty’s wish to see the country’s youth to be agents of change and successful entrepreneurs who are not solely dependent on the government.
“We hope the opening of this restaurant can act as an inspiring model for other graduates to try new things and show their skills and talents that can be used throughout life,” she said.
She shared that all the graduates had undergone seven months of intensive training in handling food and beverages, during which they learnt various aspects of food and kitchen hygiene, methods in preparing food and beverages for banquets, and other culinary fundamentals, as well as a month of practical training at Tarindak D’Polo Restaurant.
The graduates also conveyed their love and respect to His Majesty and prayed to Allah the Almighty to always protect and bless His Majesty and Her Majesty Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha binti Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam as well as members of the royal family with continued good health and happiness.
The ceremony concluded with a recitation of Doa Allah Peliharakan Sultan by Muhammad Yasin bin Yusof and Doa Selamat by one of the graduates running the restaurant Muhammad Helmi bin Haji Tamam.
Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) graduate Nurul Azyani binti Rudy Sahardey with a Sociology-Anthropology background said she hopes the restaurant will draw good reviews from the public and become popular among the youth.
“I hope the people of Brunei can support what we are currently doing because it is something that is outside of our comfort zone, and we hope that the youth out there can learn from what we are doing right now,” she said.
Meanwhile, UBD graduate Amaliani binti Ahmad who took Historical Studies at the university said she and her fellow students want to be good examples to the community by doing new things outside their comfort zone and through the courses they took at university.
“It is a new experience as we want to explore other areas that are not related to our majors, to find other opportunities, and we can’t be choosy about finding jobs,” said Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) graduate Nur Amalina Farhana binti Mohd Hamri with a Technology Management background. She switched to the culinary and hospitality management field.
Tarindak Ungkayah Graduan Restaurant is open from 7am to 12 midnight except for Friday, when opening hours are from 7am to noon and 2pm to 12 midnight.
The general public is encouraged to patronise the restaurant as a show of support for it and to give the graduates encouragement in their future endeavours.
The opening of the restaurant is hoped to inspire other graduates to get out of their comfort zones and follow in the footsteps of the 16 in exploring entrepreneurship opportunities, to fulfil their envisaged role as the country’s most valued assets.