Tucked away in the hillside nook of Kota Batu overlooking the spectacular view of the Brunei River, Nadiyah Masri and her father, Masri Daud opened their home-based café, fulfilling their lifelong dream.
Founded in 2023, The Reverie was born out of the father-daughter duo’s genuine love for the historical Kota Batu location and the desire to bring people from all walks of life together in one cosy place.
“I believe my dad is a romantic. He always knew my mom’s dream was to have a house overlooking the Brunei River along Kota Batu on the hillside, since she was in her teens,” Nadiyah shared.
In 2022, the family had the opportunity to acquire what was once an abandoned house with a location that was perfect for what they were looking for; a beautiful natural setting and in the heart of the city.
“When this place was on the market, my Dad took the opportunity to view it with her. It was a retro house with an old-school garage right in front. The moment she stood at the door entrance and saw the view, she was amazed, and knew she found her dream site,” she added.
“We started renovations around January 2022, the house we bought was built in the 80s. When we began, it was not intended as a cafe. It was just our weekend home. As we continue to redesign, we saw its potential,” she explained.
In just a few months, the family further transformed the once-abandoned hillside house into a cosy weekend family home that housed their little coffee shop.
“Our house by the river gives me a sense of calmness and I want to share that feeling with others. I love seeing people happy and it’s great to see many customers who come with their friends and family, talking and playing together. For me, it’s a place to put aside your worries and enjoy the life around you. And that’s how The Reverie was born,” she said.
On the weekends, business founder Nadiyah can be seen working with her cousins, Husaini and Ayu along with her friend, Zara behind the counter greeting customers with a smile, making latte art, brewing coffee and prepping the baked goods.
Seeing and talking to customers are the youthpreneur’s favourite part of the day.
“This cafe is my full-time commitment, although I am only working on-site during the weekends, Thursday till Sunday. I do the planning, preparation and other behind-the-scenes jobs on the weekdays, including re-stocking. And of course, rest,” she explained.
When they opened Reverie on the first of June 2023, the 19-year-old had no experience in running a café. The idea of brewing up a business only started after her family decided to turn their weekend getaway house into a business.
“Before opening The Reverie, I had finished my IGCSE. Although my academic results were good, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something I could be passionate about and something that could make me happy,” she shared.
“I had several business ideas – amongst them are selling pre-loved clothes and accessories, selling bakes from home and selling crochet items I made. I tried them all, but there was something amiss. Perhaps, I wanted to serve people and see them smile and enjoy, which I couldn’t with the ventures I did before,” she added.
Nadiyah always had a passion for people. To her, there is so much joy to be had in sharing the things you love and enjoy, so she took a big step in turning the home-based cafe into a full-time career.
At a young age, she is not only the founder but also the barista and operations manager behind the scenes.
According to the youthpreneur, ‘Reverie’ comes from the French word meaning “Daydream” which perfectly fits the cafe’s aesthetics. She also explained that the family chose the name because reverie also sounds like a river.
The Reverie, as the family envisioned, would be a homely little place where people could enjoy a warm cup of coffee, delicious cakes and good company while enjoying the serene view of the Brunei River.
Now, after months of planning and many setbacks, their dream is finally coming to life.
Boasting a beautiful juxtaposition between old and new, the home-based café retains some of the characters preserved from the nostalgic yesteryears.
The café also takes its inspiration from its picturesque surroundings, while also making use of beautiful natural settings.
“Our home is quite small and could only accommodate around 15-20 people. We plan on extending the space, and using the outside back garden with the jungle view, and also in front of the cafe so people can enjoy the view of the river,” she shared.
“We also have a natural stonewall by our hill called Batu Anis, it is gorgeous – that is another story we can share in the future,” she added.
Inside, from the cosy lounge chair to a bookshelf in the corner of the space filled with a personal collection of trinkets, the father-daughter duo wanted to create a welcoming atmosphere as they want people to feel at home when they come through the doors.
The café serves a variety of coffee and non-coffee drinks as well as an ever-changing menu of hand-made baked goods.
The local business introduced a variety of crowd-pleasing drinks including their signature and popular Hazelnut Latte, Spanish Latte, Salted Caramel Latte, Peach Tea Latte, Strawberry and Peach Matcha Latte and more.
Of course Nadiyah has her own personal favourite menu item that she could have over and over again
“My favourite item on the menu is the peach tea latte because peach has always been my favourite fruit and the recipe I made for the latte is the perfect mixture for me,” Nadiyah shared.
Since its opening, the coffee business has been getting positive responses and amazing support.
“Ever since opening the cafe, we got a lot of overwhelming support and lots of people shared their love with us. We get around 20-40 cups of order per day,” she said.
In the days since the opening, Nadiyah has embraced the challenges and the rewards of owning a small business.
Throughout the months behind the café, the 19-year-old has seen both the highs and lows – but she never let them get her down.
With no background in business, Nadiyah admitted she had a lot to learn in managing their first physical store.
“We just started 6 weeks ago, so our challenges are very minimal. We are still learning the ropes of the trade. Under two months, so far we have a fair share of the market for a micro business,” she said.
“I think going forward is about retaining a customer base and gaining more. For this, we will continue to listen to customers’ feedback. Most important is their happiness and satisfaction,” she added.
The youthprenuer attributes the family business’ success to hard work, a dedicated team, and the overwhelming support of the local community.
“As a home-based business in a small village, we are very thankful to our very supportive neighbours. They were amongst our first customers. We truly appreciate their support, and therefore, when we have a good footing would very much like to give back to our small local community, in ways we can Inshaa Allah,” she shared.
According to the 19-year-old, social media has also played a big part in Reverie’s business journey.
“Social media has helped our business very much. We mostly use Instagram and TikTok. TikTok has promoted our cafe greatly as our skits and videos are liked by many. We like to make funny skits to make people’s day and are still in the making of a few more,” she elaborated.
When asked about future plans for the cafe, Nadiyah said that they want to focus on growing the business, and adding more items to their menu to give customers more options.
“As we just started, there isn’t a next big step for us yet. It’s baby steps for now,” she said
“We do hope that our community flourishes and becomes bigger. We will continue to do our best to give the community better drinks, bakes and better spaces to chill, heal and study. We do have bigger aspirations, but let’s Reverie for the time being,” she concluded.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
