Okay, if you follow me on Twitter you'll notice how often i brag about my new favorite sushi joint called Umaku. They have just opened new branch in Alam Sutera BSD, which is quite near from home. And during their soft opening last month they gave us 55% discount! Even without the big cut-offs, in my opinion their prices are very reasonable, with good quality of food being served and fresh ingredients. So in a nut shell, yes, IT'S VERY RECOMMENDED.

I can give you a list of menu to order if you have time to visit Umaku:

• Sake Aburi (25k) - TOP NOTCH! The best seared salmon sushi ever. I dare to say if you don't like this menu, you can sue me for giving fake recommendation ;) (unless you're alergic to salmon, of course)
• Salmon Salad (31k), Salmon Sashimi (39k), Salmon Yakimesi (33k) - their salmon is super fresh so everything with salmon in it would not let you down, especially the raw ones.
• Scallop Grill Tobiko (31k) - if you love scallop & mayonaisse you will regret your visit to Umaku if you don't order this menu. Very generous amount of scallop, and it literally just melts in your mouth.
• Karai Ramen (35k) - spicy ramen lovers, this is for you. It gives a kick right through your taste buds with perfect level of spiciness, and the noodle is very well-cooked, not too mushy.  

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The rest, you have to find out yourself here at one of the 4 Umaku branches in Jakarta:

Umaku Cibubur
Citi Walk Blok CW 1 No.26
Citra Grand Cibubur
Phone: +62 21 84303732, +62 21 84303733
Twitter: you can contact the Captain @gatotpurwoko himself :)

Umaku Tebet
Jl. Tebet Raya no.141, Jakarta Selatan
(150m sebelum Stasiun Tebet)
Telp 021 83709132
Twitter: http://twitter.com/umaku_tebet

Umaku Duren Tiga
Jl. Duren Tiga Raya no.32, Jakarta Selatan
Telp 021 79170337
Twitter: http://twitter.com/umaku_duren3

Umaku Alam Sutera
Ruko ASTC (Alam Sutera Town Center) Blok 10E No 9
(seberang Living World/Flavor Bliss)
Alam Sutera BSD, Tangerang
Twitter: http://twitter.com/umaku_alsut

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 12PM - 3PM and 5PM - 10PM. Monday closed. But sometimes at selected branch they open continuously from 12PM-10PM. Just call them for details :)

We love you, http://umakuresto.com/!

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You all should know by now that I'm a big sucker for daily-deal sites such as Groupon Disdus and LivingSocial (previously Deal Keren). And when they have 50% promo for Korean restaurant that fits the area that I'm familiar with (read this as South Jakarta), give me one good reason not to buy it :)

So with only 200k voucher worth around 400k rupiahs, we had all of these:

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In short, it's everything I have seen in K-Drama serials, LOL! Except for Jja Jang Myun. It's so hard to find a decent Korean restaurant that offers Jja Jjang Myun, BTW. If you happen to know one, please post a comment below, pleassseeeee..

Anyway, we ordered Tteokbokki 떡볶이 (sweet & spicy stir-fried rice cake commonly sell as street snacks in Korea), Dolsot Bibimbap 돌솥 비빔밥 (the famous hot stone pot rice mixed with meat, vegetables and egg), Bulgogi 불고기 (we all know what this is), Naengmyeon 물냉면 (korean cold noodles) and Japchae 잡채 (korean stir-fried glass noodles with beef and vegetables).

The winning dish is Dolsot Bibimbap & Tteokbokki! And their banchan side-dishes, it tasted great :) Very pleasing. As for their Naengmyeon, it was so-so. I think the best cold noodle i've ever eaten was in Singapore near 313 Somerset *can't remember the name but it was so good!* Their Bulgogi was somehow a bit too sweet for my tastebuds, maybe i should've picked the savory meat dish in the beginning.

Well, I haven't been to many Korean places in Jakarta, so I don't really have comparison other than Abgujong in Gandaria City, and Gang Gang Sullai Express inside Kemchik Pacific Place. But I believe that SamWon offers an ultimate korean dining experience with its tasty cuisine and great restaurant concept & interior. Love the ambience!

Ah, mashita! Cheers...

SamWon House - Woltermonginsidi Branch

Jl. Wolter Monginsidi No.49
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110
Tel: 62-21-7279-6299
Fax: 62-21-7279-6299
Email: info.samwon@gmail.com | Twitter | Facebook

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Found out about this newly opened Italian restaurant called Signora Pasta from fellow foodies. So we decided to try it out for lunch on Christmas Day (late post, i know, sorry about that..). By the way, just a warning, this restaurant is located in Cirendeu, not sure that you guys ever heard of this area before, but yes, it's not exactly the area people usually looking for when they're craving some authentic Italian cuisine.

I hate to be the one who came late for about half an hour, that's why i missed several food pics and all I get to photo is just some leftovers, haha. My friends had Bruschetta (11.5k) and Insalata Mista (17.5k) which is mixed vegetable salad, also Frittura di Verdure (fried mixed vegetables) for appetizers.

For pizzas selection, we chose Signora Pizza (65.5k) and the Quattro Formaggi (59.5k). The pizza crust is perfectly thin, and the toppings are quite generous, love it! Prefer the quattro formaggi because I have always been a sucker for multilayered cheese :p

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And as for pastas, we ordered Spaghetti Aglio e olio (27k), Spaghetti al Pesto (27.5k), Ravioli (35.5k), Spaghetti Carbonara (31.5k), Gnocchi Al Pomodoro (27.5k). Since i don't get to sample their aglio e olio (too bad, my friends said it's super tasty!), for me the winning dish is.... Gnocchi :) In fact, i think that was the best gnocchi in town! Gnocchi is a type of pasta that is also known as potato dumpling. Their gnocchi is cooked perfectly, not too mushy, and it's mixed well with the traditional pomodoro sauce. Love it, next time i will try the gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese sauce.

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As for other pasta, Ravioli tasted very good too, Pesto..hmm I think I've had better, but their Carbonara is truly authentic italian. Typically Carbonara here in Indonesia is widely known for using heavy cream, but the authentic Roman carbonara does not use cream at all. Instead it's very simple, it only uses egg, parmigiano cheese and slices of beef. But I actually prefer it this way though, tasted light on the calories too.

Aside from pizzas & pastas, we also have another highlighted dish of the day: Scallopine Al’acetto Balsamico (37.5k) or simply fillet of beef served with mushroom and balsamic vinegar. Seriously, it tasted so heavenly that we feel the urge of ordering it twice! It's a must-order menu if you come to visit Signora.

Finally we ended our Italian journey that day with a classic Italian dessert, Tiramisu (21.5k). For that price, we thought it'd only be a small slice (that's why we ordered 3 portions). But look what we've got!  Turns out it's HUGE :) :)

And super yummy too. A very great value!

Overall: this is my new favorite Italian joint :) The place itself is not too big, but it's quite cozy and they made it look spacious. The owner is Italian too, that justifies the hype that has been buzzing around food lovers here in Jakarta. Looking forward to come back, Signora. 

Signora Pasta
(at the Plaza Cirendeu complex)
Jl Cirendeu Raya No. 20
South Tangerang
ph. +62 21 912 64389
signora.pasta@gmail.com | Twitter | Facebook

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Happy super duper belated new year 2012!
These past few weeks since mid December 2011 have been really hectic & filled with long nights of coding and work-related. I feel like i owe this blog tons of late-posts. Now that we finally have a long weekend I should really begin to start posting again.

So here we are, first post of 2012 goes to a very late food review from Pandan Village Food Tasting held way back in December 2011. Pandan Village is located in Plaza Indonesia, specializes in local Indonesian cuisine but i think it's targeting more to high-end customers since its price is quite high for local food.

Here's what we have the entire night:

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It started off with Risoles (24k) & Tahu Kipas Udang Laguna (32k) as snacks - both were good and satisfying. Appetizers then came with Salad Borneo (38k) and Tahu Telor Pandan Village (28k) - both were just 'okay'. Both presentation looked good, but not what i expected. The portion of Tahu Telor is just imbalance, lots of crackers surrounding the plate but there's nothing much to dig inside. Salad Borneo, on the other hand, was a bit weird combination: cucumber slices, shredded chicken, plain potato chips, drenched in some yellow dressing (i have no idea but it tasted quite ordinary).

Main course:

• Sop Kikil Pandan Village (45k) - uses coconut milk broth and the 'kikil' itself is super smooth, not chewy at all. Pleasing dish.
• Asem-asem Iga Sari Kuring (55k) - the sour and spiciness just kicks-in once you taste the soup. Refreshing :)
• Gurame Bakar Nusa Penida (65k) - our table had the fish cooked perfectly & fresh, but the other table next to us had this muddy fish flavor overpowering the grill seasoning. I just hope that they'd maintain the same quality control, but it was a great tasty dish though.
• Ayam Bumbu Rujak (35k) - the chicken is quite overcooked, but the spices really blend in and it has this tangy fresh flavor although for me it needs to be more spicy :)
• Sambal Goreng Tongkol Manalagi (45k) - i must say that this was my favorite dish of the night!
• Sate Ayam Pandan Wangi (38k) - tasted just OK.

Overall it was a quite pleasing experience, but next time if they ever held a food tasting event again, I hope that the PR guy would be more talkative in explaining more about the history/background of the restaurant, plus introducing the dishes to us instead of leaving us blank & guessing one by one based on the menu sheet.

But anyway, thanks for the member card though :)

Cheers!

Pandan Village
Plaza Indonesia 3rd floor 118B/T118B Jakarta
Facebook | Twitter
ph. +62 (21) 29923603

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It's only been eleven days since December started and I already have 5 blogposts & 2 upcoming food-tasting schedule. I guess 2011 is the year of prosperity? YES, and it's also a sign of the universe telling me that I should sign up to the nearest gym :)

On December 1, I was invited to a food-tasting panel held by the newly opened outlet of Mr. Curry in Pondok Indah Mall 2. The first outlet, as we all know already, is located in Grand Indonesia West Mall 3A Floor. This new outlet sits in 3rd floor Restaurant Row, replacing the previous Red Tomato pizza joint. Perfect location as everybody should realize that Restaurant Row in PIM2 is where people would go for a decent dining experience. Now let the feast begin!

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The night started with two excellent appetizer: Salmon Carpaccio, the newly added menu & Korokoro Tofu, the signature crispy munch! Both the salmon & salad are so fresh & served with the right amount of dressing. It tasted so light that it didn't overpowered the salmon's freshness, i really like the dish.

Main courses are: (see the latest image at the bottom for full description of each)

1. Assorted Mushroom Omurice - uses 2 different sauce, Demiglaze & Creamy sauce. I personally like their Demiglaze best.
2. Minced Beef Curry Spaghetti - the additional perfectly-poached egg on top made this dish a top notch! Can't stop slurping :)
3. Chicken Katsu Curry Rice - both the rice & curry sauce actually tasted better than the first time i ate at Mr. Curry few months back. Now it's getting close to perfection.
4. Oyakodon - a little bit too sweet in my opinion. But a good value for money i suppose.
5. Hokkai Curry Ramen - a little bit too thick on the soup base, but the flavor & spiciness is great.
6. Salmon Rice Pilaf - fragrant fried rice with aromatic curry spice + salmon chunks, who can resist?

Almost had no room for the desserts. We had Macha Karamba & A Dash of Fruits Splash. Their new dessert menu is a combination of Hanito (japanese honey toast) + Dorayaki, formed in a tower shape & surrounded by ice cream, fruits, and cream cheese. For IDR 40k, it's perfect for sharing up to 3 people. 

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What i like about being foodtasting panelist, they gave us this some sort of "Evaluation" sheet, complete with list of courses given from Appetizer to Dessert, plus five criterias: Taste, Portioning, Presentation, Service and Value for Money. We can then evaluate each dish and give personal feedback about what we like/dislike from the presented dish. To me, being honest with food is the most important. So compared to the first foodtasting panel in Mr.Curry Grand Indonesia around April 2011, I can say it proud & loud now: Mr. Curry really improves over time! The curry sauce is getting better, they eliminate bad dish from menus, they even had a better taste rice. In short means, you should try if haven't already :) 

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Mr. Curry has 4 types of curry sauce: Red, White, Black and Original curry sauce. Each type of sauce also comes with 4 different level of spiciness which you can specify before you place your order: non-spicy, spicy, very spicy, and screaming spicy. In the red sauce you get a hint of sourness from the tomato, while white sauce feels a bit thicker because of the additional cream. Black sauce might be perfect for pasta because it uses squid inks, but if you're not that adventurous you can always order the original one. But beware of the very spicy & screaming spicy as I would never order them (since the amount of bird-eye chilli is just ruining the authentic taste of the curry!)

Last but not least, a huge thanks to Grace Widjaya, Mr.Curry PR & Marcomm Manager from Ismaya Group. See you at Katy Perry's concert, LOL. 

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MR. CURRY - Facebook | Twitter | Website

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Usually me and my foodie friends only mingle if there's a foodtasting/foodblogger gathering somewhere. But last week we did much further, it's our first foodie night ever! (with no sponsor :p) And it's a Spanish Food night! Couldn't get any better than that.

So we went to Tapas Movida, a Spanish restaurant in Cipete. Too bad i came late so I didn't get a pic of the some of the initial food (especially Paellas), but thanks to my friends at "Ingredients of Life" for lending me some :p

Now let's dig in. For the main course, we ordered "Paella Mixta" (200k) which is suitable for 4-6 people. Paella is a rice dish from Spain that is oftenly characterized with the usage of 'Saffron' as its key ingredients, one of the most expensive spice that also turns the rice a wonderful golden color. Paella can be mixed with almost anything, chicken, seafood, rabbit, vegetables, etc. This is perfect for sharing!

Another highlight of the night, we ordered so many pintxos/pinchos/tapas alongside with the infamous Paella dish. Each pinchos regularly cost only about 15k-40k. Me and my friends agree that the most recommended pinchos of the menu is their Albundigos (spanish meatballs). It tastes so good & the soft meatballs just melt in your mouth. Second best, is the Guacamole Bruschetta with Garlic Shrimps!

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Trivia: Here's a difference between pintxos, pinchos, and tapas. Basically they're all pretty much the same: snacks. But pintxos/pinchos are 'finger food', much more than tapas are. Invariably they will be served on a slice of bread and are usually cold, which makes them much like canapes.

Now time for desserts. First one is Strawberry Millefeuille with Vanilla Sabayon & Chocolate Sauce (40k), and 2nd, Reinette (35k). Both were orgasmic! Reinette is consisted of layers of nougatine, apple tatin cake, homemade vanilla ice-cream, and topped with vanilla, chocolate sauce and chantilly.

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And finally.. the night won't be perfect without completing meal with the companion of Sangria (210k a jug), a traditional Spanish wine-punch which is a mix of red wine, a bit of lemon juice and assorted chopped fruits.

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Just like the previous post about Tokyo Dog, this time I'm using Disdus voucher (again) to try out Kamikaze Karaage. Cheapskate, I know! Haha. I guess I just can't help it, being a daily deal hunter. If it means you get to broaden your culinary experience by paying half the price, then why not? :)

So.. for IDR 99K (that's equal to $11!) you get all of these: 15 Tebasaki (Chicken Wings) + 3 Entree of your choice (Burgers/ Temaki/ Donburi) + 3 Large Sides + 3 Ocha (Refill). Thank God for daily deals sites.

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The highlight of the day is obviously the "tebasaki" or chicken wings. I don't know how they did it, but the coating deep-fried skin is super crunchy & the sauce was fingerlicking-ly good! Kamikaze Karaage has 5 type of sauce: Teriyaki (sweet), Kaffir Lime Shoyu (sweet & sour), Kuro Kosho (blackpepper), Banzai (sweet & spicy), and Kamikaze (spicy) sauce. As for me i'd recommend the Kamikaze sauce, for tebasaki, donburi, or burgers, or everything. If your endurance of spiciness is super super low, I'd recommend the Teriyaki or Kaffir Lime Shoyu instead.

I also love their Temaki & Tori Donburi. Bomb Burger, for me.. was so-so. Chiizu Korokke, Gyoza, and their Kani Corn Salad was a perfect side dishes too. The only thing that still feels weird (until now) is their Ocha. Seriously, how do you explain ocha with this kind of green color? :|

Kamikaze Karaage
Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
Fashion District Level 3A
Ph: 021-2358 1878 

Facebook | Twitter 

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Tried out this new Japanese Hotdog booth in Plaza Senayan using Groupon Disdus voucher, right one week before it expired. The place is a bit tricky to find, and as it was written on the address: "B1 Fl Unit A 2 F, Plaza Senayan Jakarta" - which turns out that it's located on Sogo's Basement. It only occupies this small space inside the FoodHall! *sigh*. Well anyway, wanted to try out Kimchi-Dog at first, but they said they're running out of Kimchi. So yeah.. only got to taste the infamous Nori-Dog & Curry-Dog, plus 12 takoyakis (Japanese octopus cake).

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Other than Nori-Dog & Curry-Dog, they also have menu variants like Original-Dog, Maguro-Dog, Bonito-Dog, Tempura-Dog, Beef&Bacon-Dog, Kimchi-Dog, and Baby Octopus on-a-stick. I've read somewhere that they also have additional menu like Japanese Ramen & Katsudon, but i don't see them on the menu that time. Not sure if it's prepared already or not.

By the way, i'll be glad to come back to try another dog! :) Ah...mashita!

Tokyo Dog - Facebook | Twitter

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Last week i was invited to another coffee-tasting, this time came from SendokGarpu.com and Kaffein. Kaffein has just opened their 3rd outlet in fX Lifestyle X'nter Sudirman, with other outlets located in Taman Anggrek Mall & Panorama Building.

Celebrating christmas & holiday season, Kaffein has two new signature drinks: Blackforest Frosty (cold) and Blackforest Moccacino (hot). Both drinks are pretty much alike, except that the Frosty is ice-blended, and the Moccacino uses 1 shot of Espresso as base. Both have cocoa, rum syrup, milk, cream, and topped with pink-colored whipped cream & blackforest sauce drizzle. And by the way, Kaffein uses 100% Arabica coffee beans for all of their coffee beverages.

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Honestly, i never really make big fuss of what my coffee should taste like. I don't know much about coffee, can't really differentiate much of the taste either, since i am more of a mineral-water person :p (seriously my water intake is above average!). But even for dummies like me, i can feel that the coffee they serve here at Kaffein has a smooth, soothing taste, rather than bold & earthy flavor. Not so strong, but more suitable for youngsters (people at their 20s), which i believe is intentional.

They also has this Oreo Cheesecake Frosty, which claimed to be the 1st beverages with real chese in it. For me, it's like eating 'liquid' cheese cake, you get a slight hint of saltiness from the cheese, but the Oreo is strong too. A fun beverages, i must say.

Overall the coffee-tasting went pretty well. Too bad we all got left hungry after that. Should've served main course too :p

Cheers!

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Everytime i skipped an invitation from Starbucks my heart aches. Looking at other foodie-friends' reviews at their blogs on how generous they were in each foodtasting, i just hoped they'll give me another chance. And it's a dream came true! Thanks to Corry Tjong, PR & Communication Starbucks Indonesia, who's kind enough to re-invite us bloggers who missed the initial gathering held on November 9th, 2011 (hey, blame Jason Mraz :p)

Good thing about being on a 2nd batch gathering: LESS PEOPLE, MORE FOOD. Hahaha, i mean it! We all got so much leftover that Corry let us pack some for takeaway.. Now let the feast begin:

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Starting from November 4th, 2011, Starbucks Indonesia marks the upcoming holiday season with its iconic red cups with 3 new flavors:

1. Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha - Starbucks signature expresso combined with milk & white chocolate, topped with whipped cream, cranberry drizzle, and cranberry sugar sprinkle.
2. Toffee Nut Latte - rich buttery toffee and toasted nuts, espresso & milk blended together and finally topped with whipped cream & toffee-flavored sprinkle.
3. Peppermint Mocha - Espresso, steamed milk, bittersweet chocolate, peppermint flavor, and topped with whipped cream & chocolate drizzle.

Along with new beverages promo, they also launch new food selection ranging from sweet & savory snacks.

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1. Cranberry Scones - a classic scottish quick bread that is combined with chunks of cranberries and walnut, topped with white chocolate coating. This act as a perfect companion to bitter unsweetened espresso!
2. Beef and Egg Holiday Bagel - onion bagel stuffed with smoked beef, scrambled egg, mayo, melted cheese, lettuce and caramelized onion. Since i am more of a fan of savory snacks rather than sweets, I LOVE IT! And the chicken smoked mini-croissants earlier was also superb.
3. Raspberry Tempation - sponge cake vanilla layered with raspberry jelly, cheese butter cream, and topped with raspberry jam plus white chocolate drizzle. Not as sweet as i thought it would be, which is good in my opinion. But i think this one is much better for sharing :)
4. Strawberry & Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake - sweet butter cake with cream cheese mousse and strawberry/blueberry fillings, and topped with swirl. Not exactly my favorite, and although it looks like cupcake, the texture isn't as spongy & soft like the usual cupcake.

Another interesting part of the gathering, we also got introduced to Miss Ajeng, the Coffee Ambassador of Starbucks Indonesia (i know!! way too cool,right?! :). She definitely has the BROADEST knowledge of coffee and such. It took so many years before ones could claim her/himself as a coffee ambassador, and at young age, she did it.

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Finally.. the goodiebag. Each of us get a jar of Cranberry Oatmel Cookie, which is the BEST tasting Starbucks cookie I've ever tasted (really!), a bag of scones, tall drink vouchers, CD, and the leftovers :p

Thank you Starbucks. You just made my day whole week.

PS: If you haven't tried any of the holiday signature drinks/dishes, please do so! It only last until 1st week of January 2012. 

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On Wed - Thu (9-10/11) me and my friend went on 2 days weekday-getaway trip to Bali, purposedly only to watch Jason Mraz 2011 Acoustic Private Evening in Taman Bhagawan, Nusa Dua. I won't talk much about the aMrazing concert now, if you're interested you can see my whole Mraz album! :)

During our short Bali trip, this is one of the most memorable dining experience: Nasi Campur Ayam Kampung Made Weti (Mixed Chicken Rice ala Made Weti) in Sanur. In one-liner I'd say that this is Balinese version of Bibimbap! Haha, just because there are so many component in one plate, and you need to mix everything before you eat it. It's messy, i know, but the fact that i ate 2 bowl just brings me back memories....yummm. It's frickin delicious, if you happen to have vacation in Bali i really suggest you to try this!

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Now the components in the mixed chicken rice itself are way too much too remember. But looking at the pics above, there are: steamed rice, chicken this, chicken that, balinese urap & sambal matah, spicy boiled egg, ground nuts, special chicken gravy and crispy fried left-over chicken skin. Yeah, i'm not quite sure what was on the plate either :p

Another highlight of the trip was of course: Pie Susu a.k.a milk pie. This is a very famous snack in Bali, i even packed home 40 of them! And for me, the best is always the original. So we actually went to see the whole production processed in a small home-factory in Jl. Nangka, Denpasar. I could live all day breathing the air full of freshly baked milk-pie getting right out from the oven :p

Ohh my cutie little baby...

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So long, Bali! See you next time... :)

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Just how many of you lived in Jakarta since 1996 & haven't heard of Ta Wan? Unless you don't go to the malls that often in 15 years (which can't be possible :p), or you're simply alergic to chinese food.

Well anyway, thanks to Daniel who recommended me & Ruby, the restaurant itself invited us for a dinner in Ta Wan Pacific Place last month. Lucky enough that it was practically located in front of my office, and the fact that i go there very often for daily lunch-time somehow made me feel 'too comfortable' with the menu already :)

I've known this restaurant since they opened their 2nd outlet in Mall Taman Anggrek in 2001 (if i'm not mistaken). And until now, i admire their persistency in retaining the same unique flavor over the years. Most of the menu items i've known back then, are still there! For me it's truly a comfort-food selection, so i won't go much into details on how each of the dishes tasted like, because believe me, Ta Wan's authentic taste never gets old. 

A sneak-peek of what we had: 

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Yeap, Three Flavored Porridge, Kungpao Chicken, Crispy Fried Enoki Mushrooms, Spicy & Salty Squid, Blackpepper Beef, and Rojak Flavored Shrimp. I don't know what else to say, except that they all made the perfect fulfilling dinner :) But if there's one thing i could change, i wish they'd pick cashew nut for the Kungpao Chicken, haha.

Now hey, I have my own favorite dish in Ta Wan too. For me the winner has always been their Chicken with Almond Sauce and the new menu, Salted Duck-Egg Dori. If you haven't tried this menu, i really really recommend them both! It just melts in your tongue =9 And if you're going here alone and you simply don't know what to order for personal size, i'd recommend their Longevity Noodle (Bakmi Ulang Tahun) or their Fried Rice selection.

Conclusion: For me, Ta Wan is the most suitable definition of chinese comfort food that you can get with relatively lower price here in Jakarta. It's best for lunch time with colleagues!

Cheers! :)

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If you haven't know already, I love Twitter so much that i often found so many new & interesting places just by looking at other people's timeline. And one of those interesting culinary places is this spot, Bintaro Ramen @ Bintaro 9 Walk, Sektor 9. I was totally psyched to try this one out, not only because it's only a 10-minutes drive from my house, but also because I've been craving for a nice Ramen spot in my neighbourhood! :)

Let's dig in!

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For Ramen, they only serve 3 types of ramen:

1. Shoyu Ramen [20k] - noodle, naruto (Japanese fish cake - see the pink/red swirl in the middle on pic above?), nori (seaweed), horenso (japanese spinach), menma (dried bamboo shoots), negi (spring onions), 1 slice of chicken chashu
2. Tori Ramen [25k] - noodle, naruto, nori, 3 slices of chicken chashu
3. Gyu Ramen [30k] - noodle, beef, naruto, horenso, menma, negi

I also tried their fushion sushi selection, Crispy Salmon Roll for only 17k - it was quite good but i still prefer their ramen better.

Surprisingly for a small outlet &, Bintaro Ramen serves a wide variety of Japanese food, from appetizer, salad and tempura, fusion sushi roll, sashimi, donburi, also udon. And they're all ranging from 8k-40k rupiah only! I will make sure to try one of each, next time..Hehe.

Love the new spot, really.. Now i know where to go when i'm craving a quick, delicious, and cheap ramen!

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Last Friday, 19th Aug 2011 i was invited to a foodblogger gathering "Buka Bareng Blogger" organized by Grand Indonesia Shopping Town (GIST), with several acknowledged sponsors such as Multiply ID, Fimela.com and participating restaurants: Tairyo, Katsusei, and Jun Njan. I couldn't make it to the Tairyo event, so i attended Katsusei one week later.

In brief, the whole experience was SUPERB :) Although there was a bit delay (i don't know if it's on their agenda for having food being served at almost 7.30PM - hey for break-fasting that is way too late & the hunger became unbearable :p), in the end it was all worth it. None got mixed reviews since i really really like what they had served us, from appetizers to desserts, plus that yummy bonus: Assorted Grilled "Grade 9" Wagyu Cuts!

The event started out with some chitchat & knowledge sharing from sponsors, in this case Mbak Nuniek, community manager of Fimela.com (and.... supposed to be from Multiply ID but i guess he's late). Right after, there was an interesting session by Chef Irwan from Toranomon - still under one management group of PT. Ilham Putra Wicaksana. If Katsusei is intended to be a Katsu specialist, then Toranomon is where you go for the exclusive Grill & Yakiniku specialist. Chef Irwan gave us brief explanations about wagyu & beef cuts, and I think all i did was drooling over those raw cuts! Haha. Even when they're raw it looked appetizing already :)

And finally..... after such 'torture', the food was coming out & served hot. Love it. Now let the pictures do the talking :

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Appetizers: Edamame, Chawan Mushi, Agedashi Tofu. All three above average! Clean taste, nice & fulfilling as appetizers.

Main Course: Original Udon (which tasted good at first, but I wonder if it's a bit too salty?) and Katsu Platter consisting of beef, chicken, scallop, and shrimp. The highlight of this dish was the scallop - that one is cooked to perfection, it really really melts in your mouth (oh i almost drool over it now). They originally didn't served these mixed platter, but they made a sample of each - just for us. Thank you, Katsusei :)

Desserts: Mango Pudding & Macha (Green Tea) Ice Cream. This may sound exaggerating, but that was probably the best mango pudding i have eaten my entire life. Macha ice cream, average but enjoyable. 

Other thing that made my day was the souvenirs. From factsheet about the restaurant itself + factsheet about Beef Cuts (good thing they didn't leave us "lost" after the session with Chef Irwan earlier :p). Next, I get a LOT of restaurant vouchers in Grand Indonesia: Kamikaze, Katsusei, The Soup Spoon, Smooch Yoghurt, and Blackcurrant boutique. also a Loyalty Dining Card registered under my name for Katsusei. Plus they also gave us this nice wooden chopstick, haha exactly what i need. And finally, our photos printed in a mini tumbler + 3 other narcisstic photos we took while waiting for the event to start.

Overall: very pleasant experience, I would definitely share the next journey on Jun Njan Seafood Restaurant! Thanks guys for inviting me in.

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So yesterday i was just browsing recipes using salmon as its main ingredient (you see, i have this 1 tiny slice of salmon been sitting in the fridge for about 3 days - time to utilize!), and i was drooling over when i saw this super good-looking recipe :)

The recipe calls for 4 servings - since i only have 1 salmon fillet & 1 potato (literally :p), i need to measure everything based on... instinct. And i also skipped the horseradish cream & the balsamic vinegar, so instead of making brown sauce i made white sauce. No it's not from white-wine, it's from cheese & cream plus the excess oil and fat from grilling the salmon fillet, haha.

So here it is, my Salmon on Mash Peppery Mountain :

Tasted very very good, actually. My 9 y.o brother loves it! And the grinded pepercorns on top just balances the overall dish. Next time i will experiment with the balsamic & mirin sauce.

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Yesterday me & my friend went to our first ever cooking-class experience held by DetikFood. The cooking class itself was guided by Chef Made Kona, an Executive Pastry Chef from The Ritz Carlton Hotel Jakarta. In this event, Detikcom is also launching their new apps called 'Masak Apa', which is basically a cooking reference app to give you ideas on what to cook, and it is now widely available for download on Blackberry, iPhone, iPad & Android platforms.

We started off a little bit late around 2.30pm and finished all 3 recipes by 5pm (two and a half hours! Well prepared :p). Afterwards, the cooking session continued with savory dish 'Wonton Soup' & 'Bola Ubi Goreng' snacks by Chef Winnie Giwangkara from PT Tupperware Indonesia. At that time i could see most of the audience were drooling because it was getting closer to break-fasting time at around 6pm, haha. Sweet torture!

The 3 main recipes from Chef Made Kona are:

1. Walnut & Dates Napoleon Cake
   Layered cake with thin sponge cake, buttercream, walnut & dates meringue, coffee cream and chocolate ganache on top. The best part was the walnut & dates meringue, the texture was just perfect! And their chocolate ganache was finger-licking good!
2. Macarons with Raspberry, Matcha (Green Tea), and Vanilla Filling
   Macarons are the most photogenic snacks. I mean, think of all possible colors, and challenge your creativity on its colors & fillings - imagination's beyond the limit. I personally like the Raspberry Macarons best. Yes it's very very sweet, that's why i can't eat more than 1 at a time :)
3. Double Chocolate Mousse
   This recipe uses Valrhona Manjari (64% cacao) chocolate bars. Valrhona is said to be the best French chocolate in the world, with its exceptional taste that utilizes the natural aromas of the various cocoa growing regions - that's why there are so many different products for each region, for example Alpaco, Guanaja, Caraibe, Abinao, Jivara, Tanariva, Tainori, etc. Valrhona Manjari itself has a fresh & tangy characteristic. But for me, the chocolate mousse has this tiny bit of sourness (not really sure where it came from?).

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After 6pm we had a nice buffet dinner provided by Asia Restaurant in Ritz Carlton, and i really liked their 'Nasi Campur Tiga Warna' (Three-Colored Savory Rice) dish, it was superb! And as we've been told before, this event is fully loaded with prizes. From dining voucher, tupperware, handphones, to tablet PC - but gee.... i wonder why i had such bad luck this time.... *sigh* :p But we all got a loaded goodiebag (Premium Bateel Dates, Macarons pack, DetikFood aprons & cooking notes, etc.)

Now i that i know how these type of cooking-class works, next time i think i'd like to join a private cooking class - where each attendee is given their own cooking bench, so we get to practice as well. Let's see :)

Anyway, thanks Detikcom! 

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Yes. If you're a loyal audience to K-Drama series then there's NO possible way you never heard of Jja Jang Myeon or Korean Black Bean Noodles. Just remembered that I did share a quick recipe on how to cook a modified version using instant Jja Jang Myeon in Goorme, but this time thought I'd share a 'real', non-instant recipe i learned from Maangchi.com, the most famous famous Korean-cooking resource you can find on the web!

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What you'll need: Special Jja Jang Myun noodles** (forget it, if you can't find it on local store, use Spaghetti :D), Black-bean paste (i use haechandeul brand), ground-beef, diced potato-onion-carrots-zucchini, sliced cucumber, maizena/cornstarch powder, water, sugar, olive oil/vegetable oil, & a small amount of sesame oil.

**Because i couldn't find this type of special noodles for Jja Jang Myeon, i use spaghetti (angel hair, preferable). The rest recipe would be the same, except since i don't eat pork i substitute it with chunks of beef. You can learn the full recipe here.

Basically Jja Jang Myun is a messy dish containing chunks of beef & vegetables. At the beginning it looks very appetizing, but once you eat it you will find yourself covered in the jjajang (black-bean) sauce, haha. That's why i'll always love eating it! Sluurrrpppp, aaahhh.. mashita :) :)

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This is not my first time creating a homemade pesto. I usually like to combine it with spaghetti, gnocchi, over a baguette, pan-fried chicken, and even as a pizza base. But this time i used it with macaroni & made it as a casserole dish :)  

Quick How-To:

• Chicken breast + onion, diced. Sautee onion over a heated pan coated with butter, then add diced chicken breast, cook until the chicken is tender enough for about 2mins.
• Add fresh homemade basil pesto mixture (see recipe below), add some milk to thin the sauce, and cook for about 2 more minutes.
• Finally add your boiled macaronies, salt, blackpepper, & stir well until it's all coated. 
• Put in casserole dish & add grated cheese on top. Bake in 180C degrees for about 10 minutes, enough for the cheese to melt.

There you go! Classic pasta dish perfect for dinner. Although the pic above is not how the final result looks like, it's a pic before i added the grated cheese & bake it (can't believe i forgot to take a pic before it's ruined by our hands! :p)

The homemade pesto itself, i'd rather call it a low-budget pesto because i substitute a lot of ingredients just because it's not easy to find them here in Jakarta, at our local nearest supermarket! LOL. I know it tastes different than the original pesto (the ones you can find bottled in a TINY jar in supermarket for 70K rupiahs), but yeah.. why not :p 

Low-Budget Pesto (Indonesian Style :D)

• 2 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup Kraft Quickmelt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup mixed nuts - in this case since i was desperate looking for pine-nuts, i substitute them with Kacang Mayasi Koro-koro + Garlic Mr.P Peanuts, hahaha.
• Salt, sugar, & blackpepper for seasoning

To make pesto you need a food processor (or blender/hand blender, but food processor is much preferable). First, combine basil & cilantro leaves, garlic, and mixed nuts, then pulse a few times in processor. Add garlic, salt, a hint of sugar, then pulse again until it forms a thick mixture. Then slowly add olive oil while the food processor is still on, make sure it's in a constant stream. Final step, add grated Quickmelt cheese & some fresh blackpepper to taste.

Some tips, you can put the pesto under tight-wrapped container into the fridge for about quite a long time, as long as you decided to put the cheese later. It's always good to have freshly grated cheese!

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I love chicken wings. All type of style - buffalo wings, BBQ, spicy honey mustard, simple garlic & chili, Korean style wings, from baked to grilled or even deep-fried, you name it! And yesterday i did a cooking experiment to make an Asian-style wings.

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Asian Style Marinated Chicken Wings

What you need: 12pcs of chicken wings, 4tbsp soy sauce (i use Lee Kum Kee's), 1tbsp sesame oil, 2tbsp teriyaki sauce, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 1/4 cup of chopped corriander leafs,  4tbsp honey, a little bit squeeze of lime, a hint of garlic & chili powder.

How:

• Put your wings on a tray & seasoned first with garlic powder & chili powder (just not too much).
• Make a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, chopped coriander, honey, lime, teriyaki & oyster sauce and then use them to marinate your wings for about 8hrs/overnight in fridge.
• Once refrigerated, take out & then put the marinated chicken wings in a baking tray and bake in a preheated 180C degrees oven for 30 minutes.
• I like my wings to be crispy & have that grill-marks, so after 30mins of baking i put them on a home-grill & basting them off with honey frequently :)

There you go, perfect for movie night!

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I told you that we had 2 foodtasting in a row last week, well this is the 2nd one. Urban Kitchen Food Court in Plaza Indonesia lv.5, by Urban Concept Indonesia. I recalled that before, this place was occupied by "Food Kulture - by Urban Kitchen", so at first i thought it was just a naming convention that has changed. And of course it's not.

The new Urban Kitchen Food Court has a brand new concept, where people no longer needed a special card given at entrance for every transaction. But instead, to simplify the whole process & as a result of a survey towards many people coming to this place at business lunch hours, they decided to accept payment by cash directly to each tenant. Other additional thing to this brand new concept is that they are the 1st Urban Kitchen ever, that displays street-vendor snacks such as Kue Rangi, Kue Leker, Kue Cubit, etc. And the fact that they also have Anomali Coffee inside, so imagine going to a food court but you don't feel like eating big meals, then you can always just chill & hang out!

I've never attended foodtasting panel being hosted in a foodcourt, i wondered how are we going to order since there are approximately 25 tenants to choose from. Turned out they prepared this long table with so many food samples from everywhere! What we have:

• Bebek Goreng Yogi
• Iga Penyet Shinta
• Gado-gado Java
• Ramen 38 Sanpachi
• Duta Bakwan Malang
• Raffels
• Koi Teppan
• Taiwanese Beef Noodle
• Gudeg by Inggih Mas Rendi 

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To me the highlight was Bebek Sambal Ijo (Crispy Fried Duck with Sambal) - it was huge, appetizing, very crispy on the outside, tender meat, and served with sambal made of green chilli + fragrant oil + fresh squeeze of lime essence. I also tried the Rib-eye Fried Rice, huge portion of fried rice plus (too) generous amount of crackers & meaty rib-eye. Seriously, don't count the calories :p

Had a great time that night. Big thanks to Natasha & Troy from Urban Kitchen family, and Paulia from Goorme :)

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