Copykate: [ADV] DeBudget.com @ Puchong IOI Boulevard

Ever since I started my permanent job, I have come to realize that every cent is hard-earned money and that I should always seek for new money saving tips! I want to eat great food and enjoy a couple of drinks every now and then, but most places that I visit are beyond budget! After a few visits I turn broke and resorted to eating chap fan instead FML.

That’s why DeBudget.com comes in!

DeBudget.com is Malaysia’s first online pre-purchase café bear which offers customers a concept somewhat similar to budget airlines – the earlier you buy, the more you save! Now that’s something great I discovered indeed!

How exactly does it work? Say I want to meet up with my friends at the DeBudget.com outlet in IOI Boulevard (there are more outlets opening around Klang Valley and beyond soon!) for some drinks and dinner next week. I just head over to http://debudget.com/ and check our the deals and offer, place my order, pay as I would any online site, receive the QR code on my smartphone, then on the day of my visit just show it to the staff at the outlet, redeem my drink and enjoy with my friends! Easy peasy and done in less than 5 minutes.

If I didn’t like the prices at the IOI Boulevard outlet on that certain day, I could simply select another outlet or another date to see if the price is lower. Just like booking a flight - the price increases as more seats are booked or in this case, the price increases as more drink packages are booked on that day. I have a more detailed run through at the bottom of this post.

Well enough talking, the girls from Malaysia’s Hottest Bloggers (MHB) and I attended the special friends and media preview of the very first DeBudget.com outlet at the IOI Boulevard in Puchong and here’s what we discovered!

The interior is chilled out bistro cum café environment with pipped in music that’s not overwhelmingly loud. You don’t need to shout to have conversation while the tables are spaced out nicely to ensure you wont hear your neighbouring table’s conversation.

There are many comfy sofas to lounge around in or for those of you who prefer playing some darts, there are 2 electronic dart machines.

Drinks wise, there is a large selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for you to choose from. As DeBudget,com is a GAB outlet, expect the usual draught options – Tiger, Guinness and Heineken. If you’re there during the daytime, you can also try their selection of coffee (latte, cappuccino, espresso etc), teas, smoothies, fruit juices, soft drinks and mocktails or if you prefer something with a little more kick you could try their cocktails as well as the wines, liquors and champagne.

There is also a selection of food ranging from breakfast (opening until 2.00pm), sandwiches (opening until 5.00pm), appetizers, main courses, snacks and desserts for those who feel rather puckish or are dining there during lunch time.

Pictured above is the Bacon Wraps – RM18.00++ which is pretty much bacon wrapped sausages aka Pigs in Blankets and this dish goes very well with beer!

Salty Pork – RM23.00++

Essentially fried siew yoke which is slightly on the salty side (hence the name) and this is another dish that goes tremendously well with beer.

Not many people would expect to see fresh oysters available in a bistro but of course DeBudget aims to break the mould. The oysters are available seasonally and are extremely fresh and huge!

Original Recipe Chicken Drumstick – RM16.00++

This is a must try dish at DeBudget. Crispy and flavourful chicken drumsticks that are great as a snack or even as a main depending on how hungry you are. But trust me, order one plate for yourself otherwise you might find yourself fighting over chicken drumsticks with your friends! XD

Carbonara Pizza – RM23.00++

Spaghetti Aglio Olio – RM20.00++ (seafood variant)

Beef Lasagna – RM18.00++

Spaghetti Marinara – RM20.00++ (seafood variant)

Chicken Chop – RM18.00++

Assorted desserts

The food is mainly Western favourites coupled with pizzas and pastas. Their spicy chicken wings are also worth a try!

Satisfied faces after dinner. Now time for more drinks!

There’s even a live band in the evenings to entertain you with some tunes allowing you to relax and unwind after work.

XPack offers always the lowest prices for you to have fantastic outings with your favourite people. With Xpack, plan your night out and be the early bird to enjoy great savings on your huge range of drinks! Psst, prices start from RM10 onwards daily limited to 3 packs per person.

Choose from 1 Tower of Tiger draught (2.5 litres) OR 4x Pints of Guinness Draught OR 4 Pints of Heineken. The earlier you buy the cheaper it will be (this is similar to the budget airline concept which is so popular and successful these past few years).

Do note that XPack is strictly for consumption at DeBudget.com outlets and cannot be taken away (I’d really like to see how you’re going to tadao home some draught beer lol).

If beer is not your drink of choice, fret not as there are special promotions for liquor, wines and even champagne which you can purchase online as well.

There are many bottles including crowd favourites Johnnie Walker Black Label and Gold Label Reserve, Hennessy VSOP, Belvedere Vodka, Moet & Chandon, as well as single malt whiskies, tequila, bourbon, Bacardi, gin and wines.

Buying online is really fast and simple:

1. Select your desired outlet and date of visit

2. Choose the items you want

3. Complete your online purchase by making the payment. Payment can be made by either using your credit card or debit card (which uses PayPal secure payment gateway), or by using your PayPal account. After the payment is successful, you will be emailed a QR code from DeBudget.com which you simply need to show on your smartphone at the outlet on your chosen date. No need to print out any vouchers. Really simple and convenient if you ask me!

4. Go to the outlet on the selected date and enjoy your drinks!

Remarks: If you want a lower price and its not available that day at that outlet, just select another outlet or another date and see if it’s cheaper. It will come very naturally to you as you’ve probably booked airline tickets many times before online. Same concept, just a different product.

Look out for the 2^nd DeBudget outlet which will be opening in Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara in June 2014 and they will be having some really awesome opening promotions (such as RM10 for a tower of beer on the launch days!).

So near from my place! It will no doubt be my new regular hang out spot. Who would resist beer at such low prices?? What’s more the restaurant has really great ambience to chill out after a long day of work! ^^