Selby's Food Corner

True Thai Flavours at Cinnamon, Mandarin Oriental Jakarta, 13 - 18 May 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:05:00 +0000

There is always a place about Thai in my heart since I was a little girl. I almost love everything about Thai :) So, you can imagine how happy I was when I received an invitation from Mandarin Oriental Jakarta to experience the True Thai Flavours event at Cinnamon (Asian-inspired) Restaurant last night. This event is held from 13 - 18 May 2013.

Chef Sumet Sumpachanyanont,

Thai celebrity chef and Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's Executive Thai Sous Chef and Consultant is bringing the delicious and diverse Thai dishes.

The salad station

Laab Plamueg

Spicy calamari salad with dried chili flake, ground roasted rice and mint

Yaam Nuea Yang A-Ngoon

Spicy grilled beef salad with grape and mint.
I like it although it's a bit spicy for me.

Som Tam Thai

Shredded unripe papaya, cherry tomato, long beans, lime, chili, fish sauce, palm sugar. crushed peanuts then pounded in a mortar.

Khow Hom Mali

Steamed Hom Mali rice.

Gaeng Khiew Waan Gai

Green chicken curry with eggplant and Thai sweet basil.

Nuea Phad Prig Thai Dum
This fried beef tenderloin with black pepper sauce becomes my favorite one.

Poo Nim Phad Prig Gluea
Stir fried soft shell crab with salt, chili, crispy garlic and shallot.

Goong Phad Med Mamuang

Stir fried prawn with cashew nut and spring onion.

Pla Raad Prig

Deep fried fish with chili sauce with sweet salty and tamarind flavor.

Tom Yaam Goong
Spicy prawn soup with lemongrass and straw mushroom.

Phad Thai Goong

Stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, chives, bean sprouts, shrimp.

The fried food station

Prathad Lom

Golden crispy prawn rolls

Peek Gai Thod Khamin Naam Pla

Deep fried chicken wing marinated with yellow turmeric and fish sauce

Puu Ja

Deep fried herbed crab meat and minced chicken with cucumber relish

The Thai desserts station:

Gluay Buad Chee

Stewed banana in warm coconut milk

Khow Niew Mamuang

Coconut sticky rice with mango. So yummy!

Khanom Fug Thong
Steamed pumpkin cake topped with shredded coconut meat.

Tub Tim Grob

Water chestnut rubies and jack fruit in chilled coconut syrup with crushed ice.

The Thai drinks

Lemongrass ginger ale and Thai iced tea.

Current currency: 1 USD = Rp. 9.750

The buffet is available for lunch and dinner and priced at IDR 264,000 net.

Location:
Cinnamon
Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta
Jalan MH Thamrin,
Central Jakarta 10310
Telephone: 2993 8888

Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:28:00 +0000

Last weekend, I stayed for two nights at Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran. It's a very nice tranquil and peaceful hotel where I could hide from the hectic life. I really had a wonderful time and totally enjoyed my stay at this hotel. Not only the comfortable Lagoon Access room with direct private lagoon pool that made me happy but also the very friendly, attentive and helpful hotel staff.

The lobby

Reception desk.

There are beautiful pictures of liquid art made by Markus Reugels on the above reception desks' wall and also within each room.

To get to the lobby which is located on the 3rd floor, guests need to ride a resort car.

Welcome drink

made with turmeric, tamarind, pandan and honey. Refreshing!

The view from the lobby.

The hotel has 118 guests rooms, suites, penthouses and villas. The decor of all the rooms are designed with contemporary style infused with Balinese culture.

The Lagoon Access room

I really had a good sleep on this comfortable king size bed with fluffy hypoallergenic pillows and enjoyed to snuggle under the warm duvet.

I like the oceanic batik signature art which is hang from behind the bed to the ceiling and also the two lights with blue fishing nets beside the bed, give me a calm and relaxing feeling.

Welcome cupcakes with a welcome note from the GM on the desk.

So glad to find the free wi-fi/ high speed internet and also a 42 inch Flat screen SMART 3D LED TV inside the room.

Comfy sofa.

The view from the room to the balcony and also the private lagoon pool.

It's so cool to have a direct access to the private lagoon pool from the room's balcony. I just had to jump to the pool without worrying of anything :)

It's a salt water lagoon pool with no chlorine. Great, isn't it?

The depth of the pool is 1.2 meters.

The size of the pool is 1,300 square meter.

Pool bar.

Spacious spa-inspired bathroom.

The size is almost as big as the bedroom.

I really like the large wide mirrors and also marble walls.

Deep soaker bathtub.

Rainforest Shower Stall and Toilet are separated by glass wall.

Basic amenities.

Cozy chair.

Pool chairs.

Sunset tapas at Smoqee Bar & Sky Lounge on the rooftop.

I had my breakfast, lunch and dinner at Bamboo Chic.

Illy coffee and gelato at WaLa.

I experienced the signature Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran massage named "Meridian Stress Release" at one of the resort room because the Serinity Spa was not ready yet.

An hour thumb rolling pressures with organic massage butter was soothing.

The Balle Banjar ballroom is on the top of the lobby. It can accommodate up to 120 guests.

Across from the Balle Banjar ballroom is the Celebration Pavilion where couples can say their wedding vows.

Celebration Pavilion is built by elegance glass that gives a clearness view to Jimbaran Ocean. It surrounded by shallow pond.

White fine sands covering the floor in the Celebration Pavilion.

Beautiful sunset view from Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran.

For more information about this hotel, you can check out the official website: http://www.lemeridienbalijimbaran.com/

Location:
Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran
Jalan Bukit Permai
Jimbaran, Bali 80361
Phone: (62)(361) 8466888

The Flavours of The Philippines at Satoo, Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta (15 - 25 April 2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 04:49:00 +0000

Lechon de leche

Suckling Pig

Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta together with Cebu Pacific Air, San Miguel Beer and the embassy of Philippines are bringing "The Flavours of The Philippines" which is a promotion of Philippines dishes and also the country's culture through dance and music performances from 15 to 25 April 2013 at Satoo, Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta.

I've missed and craved for Filipino food all this time. It's been almost a year since I was in the Philippines. So, I definitely couldn't be more than happy and excited when I received an invitation to savor the Philippines dishes again. Last night, I really had a great time at Satoo and for sure, I enjoyed all the Philippines dishes. Masarap! :)

Appetizer

Silken Tofu with Prawns, Fiddle Head Fern Salad, and Pomelo and Turnip Salad with Dried Anchovy and Sprouts.

Seafood Sinigang, made with guava.
Very tangy and salty but love the fragrant.

Tinolang Manok
My favorite Filipino soup :)

Not so sure what's the name of this crabs cake.

Kilawing Lapu Lapu

Lumpianag Ubod

Traditional Filipino spring rolls, it's similar to Indonesian Lumpia.

The filling inside the crepes are bamboo sprout and prawn.

The Pork Station

Chicken Pork Adobo, Pork Knuckles Humba, Chicken Pork Embutido

Main Course

Adobong Pusit
Squid

Beef Kaldareta
Delicious! It tasted similar to goulash.

Beef Kare Kare
Beef with peanut sauce.

Lechon Manok

Grilled chicken.

Squash and Long Beans in coconut milk.

Sinaing Mackarel
Braised Mackarel fish with tamarind.

Filipino Dessert Station
I saw Pandan cream puff, Mahablanka but didn't try it.
Too bad, there's no Halo Halo.

(Left to Right)

Pastry with yam, Peanut cake, Pandan Gelatin in Sweet Milk

Ensaymada
Brioche with butter sugar and grated cheese.

Ube (Yam) ice cream and Orange sorbet.

Fruit Station

The traditional Phillipines fishing boat replica filled with tropical fruits.

They even have a cute Jeepney replica.

The Ambassador of the Philippines also attended the buffet dinner.

Chef Sonny Jorges Almandres from Edsa, Shangri-La Hotel Manila, one of the chefs who prepared the Philippines dishes.

The dance and music performances by Bayanihan - The National Fok Dance Company of the Philippines.

The first program starts at 7.40 pm.

1. Intramuros of Memory: En La Luneta, Bravo Caviteno, Habanera de Dilao and Cani - the dances are influenced by Spanish style, mixed with Filipino style.

2. Muslim Mosaic from island of Mindanao, the Southern Philippines.

- Asik: A solo slave dance.

- Singkil: one of the oldest of truly Filipino dances - the epic legend of the "Darangan" of Maranao people of Mindanao.

The second program starts at 8.40 pm

1. Traditions Renewed

- Bagobo: The Bagobos are known for their ornate traditions in weaponry and other metal arts.

- T'Boli: T'Bole is one of the indigenous tribes in the southern part of the province of Cotabato in the area of Lake Sebu. They have a variety of musical instruments including a drum, the agong, the kulintang bamboo zither flute, the hegalong and spindle-shapred two stringed guitar.

2. People Under The Sun

- Pandanggo Oasiwas: a dance originate in Lingayen, Pangasinan, in the north of the Philippines. Dancing, swinging and circling with lighted lamps on the hands of the dancers.

- Magialatiki: the dance is performed with coconut shell halves secured onto the dancers hands and on the vests. The dancers perform the dance by hitting the coconut shell halves on their hands and bodies and on the other dancers.

- Subli: the dance portion of a devotion to an icon discovered of Spanish rule in town of Alitagtag in Batangas. The dancers dance and sing to the rhythm beaten by a stick on the tugtugan, a goblet-shaped, footed drum.

- Tinikling: a dance originated in Leyte in the Visayang region in the Central Philippines. It imitates the movement of the tikling birds.

Current currency:

1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Price list during the Flavours of The Philippines:
Monday - Thursday dinner buffet : Rp. 290.000++
Friday - Sunday dinner buffet : Rp. 310.000++

Note:

During this event, guests may also win exciting prizes while enjoying the delectable cuisines, such as a 3- night stay in the Garden Deluxe Room at Edsa Shangri-La, Manila including return tickets from Jakarta to Manila courtesy of Cebu Pacific Air and also a 3-night stay at Traders Hotel, Manila.

Location:
Satoo Restaurant
Shangri-La Hotel,
Jakarta Kota BNI
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Central Jakarta

For reservation:
Tel: 2939 9562 or visit http://www.shangri-la.com/jakarta/shangrila/dining

Masterclass Epicure Indonesia at Tien Chao Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:01:00 +0000

Last Saturday, I was invited to join the Masterclass Epicure Indonesia by Chef Ken Choy Chong Hung at Tien Chao Restaurant, Gran Melia Jakarta. This cooking class was held by Epicure Indonesia, a monthly gourmet lifestyle magazine written in English language.

Chef Ken Choy Chong Hung from Malaysia.

The ingredients.

Here are the recipes:

Appetizer

Love the idea of the crispy grated cashew nut to wrap the tender prawn.

Snow White Dancing Prawn

Serving: 1 portion

Ingredients:

1 (size 26 - 30) Sea prawn

20 gr Potato flour

50 gr Mayonnaise

15 gr Fresh lemon juice

5 gr Sugar

15 gr Cashew walnut

Methods:

Marinate prawns with salt and potato flour

Mixed lemon juice, sugar into mayonnaise

Fried cashew walnut until golden brown

Deep fried prawn until crispy and mix with mayonnaise

Topping with cashew nuts.

Ready to serve

Soup

A hearty and comforting pumpkin soup. Very smooth!

Braised Pumpkin Soup with Lobster
Serving: 1 portion

Ingredients:
200 gr Pumpkin
50 gr Potato
30 gr Tomato paste
30 gr Carrot
20 gr Leek
100 gr Prawn shell
200 gr Chicken bone
10 gr Salt
3 gr Pepper
1 (300 - 400 gr) Lobster

Methods:
Boil all ingredients for 45 minutes with 1 kg of chicken stocks
Un-shelled lobster after steaming for 7 minutes
Pour soup into soup cup and put sliced lobster meat in
Ready to serve

Main Course
I will definitely try to make this simple but delicious dish.

Seared Honey Cod Fish with Dragon Fruit in Wasabi Dressing
Serving: 1 portion

Ingredients:
80 gr Cod fish
20 gr Honey
20 gr Onion
10 gr Coriander
20 gr Soy sauce
1 piece Dragon fruit
5 gr Wasabi
Lime juice

Methods:
Mix wasabi, lime juice with diced dragon fruit
Marinate cod fish with honey, soy sauce, onion and coriander for 30 minutes
Pan seared cod fish until cooked and golden brownish
Place cod fish onto serving plate on top of dragon fruit dressing
Ready to serve

Dessert

Double - Boiled Thai Coconut with Bird Nest
Serving: 1 portion

Ingredients:
1 piece Thai Coconut
150 gr Full cream milk
20 gr Egg white
20 gr Sugar
20 gr Bird nest

Methods:
Soak bird nest and steam for 15 minutes with sugar
Put in cream milk and egg white into coconut water and beat well
Pour into coconut and add in bird nest to steam for 45 minutes
Serve chilled or warm

Serving the double-Boiled Thai coconut with Bird Nest.

It's so good! Sweet, soft and creamy like custard.

I totally had a fun of learning new recipes during this masterclass and also enjoyed to taste all the dishes. Thanks Epicure Indonesia and Gran Melia!

Location:
Tien Chao
Grand Melia Hotel
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. X-0
South Jakarta
Tel: 5268080

Buffet at Satoo, Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:21:00 +0000

I don't think I can count how many times I've eaten at Satoo restaurant. 100 times? Oh.... that's definitely exaggerating, but yes, uncountable, that's for sure. Satoo restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta has been always become my most favorite place for having buffet lunch or dinner. Not only business lunches but also lunch/dinner with friends or birthday celebrations. But then, why I have never written a post of Satoo? Simple reason, Satoo doesn't allow people to take pictures at the food stations except for the food that's already on the guest's plate. Anyway, finally, I had a chance to take pictures of the food stations in Satoo when Shangri-La invited me for a lunch.

Here are some of the food stations:

Seafood station (Cold selection)

Sushi station

Asian Noodle station

Dim Sum

Salad Bar

Indian Station

Pasta station

Western European station

Dessert station

Fresh fruit station.

There's also Jamu (Indonesian traditional herbal drinks) station.

What I ate during my last visit in Satoo.

Say "Cheese!"

My favorite dish, fresh sushi.

Good Indian food.

Green tea ice cream is a must, also tiramisu and cheesecake.

SATOO Fruit Punch (mango, pineapple, orange and guava) - Rp. 60,000

Whenever I'm in Satoo, I always order this drink, so refreshing!

All prices subjected to 21% (tax and service charge)

Price list:
Monday - Saturday lunch buffet : Rp. 250.000++
Sunday lunch buffet : Rp. 310.000++
Monday - Thursday dinner buffet : Rp. 270.000++
Friday - Sunday dinner buffet : Rp. 290.000++
Breakfast : Rp. 198.000++

Location:

Satoo Restaurant
Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta
Kota BNI
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel: 2922 9999

Tea Addict

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:24:00 +0000

If you are a tea lovers, you might know this place or want to try this tea lounge named Tea Addict. It serves not just ordinary brewed tea, there are also unique and flavorful tea blends.

Entering the lobby, you will feel a relaxing atmosphere.

The menu.

Beside the drink menu, there's also food menu.

The Tea Bar.

Ice tea.

There is also a corner for you where you can sit on a cozy sofa to chat with your friends or read books/magazines while enjoying your drink.

Location:
Tea Addict - a tea lounge
Jl. Gunawarman No. 9
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Tel: 725 4371

Disclaimer: The review and opinion expressed here are purely according to my personal taste. There's a possibility that the taste of the food might change later on, which could affect the review and opinion here. I also affirm that no monetary or non-monetary compensation has been received from this restaurant for writing this review.

Street Food Hunting with Steven Goh

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:38:00 +0000

Steven Goh, a Malaysian blogger who writes about Penang's food, travel and lifestyle was in Jakarta for a business trip. I met him and his colleague on their first night in Jakarta.

Steven was quite eagerly to try some the street food. So, I brought them around my neighborhood.

We began with Pisang Goreng Kalimantan (Borneo Fried Banana) from Pontianak.

The frying.

They deep fried the banana twice. To add the crunchiness?

Pisang Kepok is the type of banana.

Sweet, fragrant and soft... Definitely crunchy on the outside :)

Then, we moved to the next stall.

Sate Padang, originally from Padang, West Sumatra.

You can choose the part of beef you want: meat, tongue, intestine, liver.

Grilled.

Rice cake (Ketupat).

The sauce is made from a lot of spices (turmeric, curry powder, coriander, cumin, galangal, garlic, chili, salt, pepper then mixed with rice flour)

Fried shallots on the top.

Spicy potato chips and fried beef rind known as Dorokdok.

If you like you can ask to add the spicy potato chips on the Sate Padang

And of course, they will add more sauce on it.

Yummm.... I could only drool since I can't eat spicy food anymore

After Steven finished eating the Sate Padang with full of sweat all over his face because the spiciness of the Sate Padang sauce, we found a cart of another type of satay.

Sate Ayam & Sate Kambing (Chicken & Mutton Satays) from Madura, an island beside East Java.

The old school's way to grill satay on charcoal, using "hand fan" to keep the flame burning.

After the satays were grilled.

Peanut sauce mixed with sweet soy sauce.

Always... my favorite type of satay.

On the top, fried shallots added the deliciousness of these chicken satays.

Look how Steven and James were capturing a plate of Sate Ayam. I think the Sate Ayam vendor was pretty flattered to see how these two guys got so passionate capturing his food :)

After the meaty food, now it's time for something sweet.

"Sinar Bulan" Martabak Manis Special

Indonesian version of thick pancake. This famous martabak manis is well-known in Bangka, a small island in east Sumatra.

Making the batter and also the martabak.

Big size and medium size.

We ordered for the special Martabak which means pure butter (Wijsman brand) with shredded cheese, chocolate sprinkles, ground peanuts and sesame seeds.

So rich, buttery, sweet, salty... One word to describe it... Delicious!!!

After all the food, we needed something to drink. Coincidentally, on the way back, we saw a new Taiwanese franchised tea store.

Shiny Tea

Thus, we ended up our street food hunting journey with milk teas :)

Boba Milk Tea and White Pearl Milk Tea.

It was a fun night! Nice meeting you in person, Steven and James!

Oh La La Cafe, Plaza Indonesia - Step by step of making cappuccino with latte art

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:27:00 +0000

Long time ago, whenever I visited a mall in Jakarta that has Oh La La Cafe, I usually would stop by, to have a glass of cold tea or a cup of hot coffee with a croissant. Then, I stopped going to that cafe. It's not because I don't like the drinks or the croissant anymore but simply because there are more new cafe shops start to open in the malls and I want to try something new. Then, I just forgot to come back until one of my foodie friend works at this Oh La La cafe.

There are so many variations of pastries and cakes.

Danish pastries

Croissants

Cakes

Red velvet and Rainbow cake

and also Macarons.

Drinks - Equil water and Dilmah's teas

And of course, coffee!

You know what? It's good to have a friend who works at a coffee shop, especially if the position is already a manager. Why? Because my cappuccino was not just prepared by an ordinary barista but by a manager! Hahaha... Btw, his name is Daniel. Just say "hi" to him if you see him at any Oh La La Cafe. Who knows, he might also prepare your cup of coffee ;)

The step by step of making cappuccino with latte art.

1. Prepare the espresso.

Check the espresso machine's portafilter.

Tamp the ground espresso into the portafilter then press it with firm pressure to compact the espresso.

Place the cappuccino cup under the espresso dispenser and start the brewing cycle.

Time the shot.

The shot should pour for 20 to 25 seconds for the best quality.

2. Foam the milk.

Pour milk into the metal pitcher.

Put the steam wand inside the metal pitcher.

The foam should ideally be between 65 and 68 C degrees when the steaming process is complete.

3. Make the cappuccino.

The cappuccino should be about 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 foamed milk.

4. Make the latte art.

Pour the foamed milk over the espresso shot.

Pour the milk about 2 cm - 3 cm away from the bottom. Once the cup is about half filled, gently shake the pitcher back and forth while slowly moving it backwards.

Almost done.

Tada.... It's pretty although I'm not so sure whether it is a flower or leaves pattern? ;)

Hot Cappuccino - Rp. 30.000/ cup

All prices are subjected to 10% tax and 5.5% service charge.

Current currency:

1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Thanks for the lovely cappuccino, Daniel!

Location:
Oh la la Cafe
Plaza Indonesia
2nd Fl Unit i 001
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28 - 30
Central Jakarta

Disclaimer: The review and opinion expressed here are purely according to my personal taste. There's a possibility that the taste of the food might change later on, which could affect the review and opinion here. I also affirm that no monetary or non-monetary compensation has been received from this restaurant for writing this review.

Qufu - Kong Family Cuisine, at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:18:00 +0000

“Food can never be to good and cooking can never be done too carefully.” Confucius said.

In this beginning year of 2013, Shangri-La hotels & resorts will open a hotel in Qufu, China. In order to celebrate this event, Shangri-La is bringing the Qufu culinary expedition across Asia with a team of Lu cuisine chefs and service professionals from Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu.

They are bringing Kong family cuisine to six selected Shangri-La hotels which one of them is at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta from 19 to 25 March 2013.

Here below is the brief explanation of Qufu and I also added the stories of Kong’s Family Cuisine that I read from the booklet:

Qufu is a city located south-west of China’s Shandong Province, is the birthplace of Confucious, the famous Chinese educator and philosopher. It is a city rich in ancient culture, historical monuments and fine cuisine. Besides that, Qufu is also well known for Kong Family Cuisine which is based on the Shandong regional Lu cuisine but has an imperial influence and a touch of Huaiyang cuisine from the south of China. Abundant official banquets, ceremonies and royal commemorations brought the Kong family opportunities for the development of its own style of formal cuisine. With the contribution of top-class chefs over the centuries and experimentation with a great variety of Chinese food, the cuisine of the Kong family today stand out as a unique food style. Kong Family Cuisine features interesting and creative presentations and ingredients skillfully combine to express fully the color, aroma, flavor and texture – the four most important elements in the art of Chinese cooking.

The place-mate.

As Confucius advocated the promotion of the Six Arts (Rites, Music, Archery, Chariot Racing, Calligraphy and Mathematics) and all their encompassing skills, this direction also motivated the leaders of the city of Qufu to establish the Confucius Research Society, including the engagement of the best chefs to study the origins of Kong Family Cuisine and the traditional preparation methods used. The aim was to recreate authentic Kong Family Cultural banquets that feature special dishes to be named after the Six Arts.

The Kong Mansion’s “Six Art” Cold Appetizers

Scallops and Lettuce Salad - Rp. 128.000

Jelly Fish Salad - Rp. 128.000

My favorite cold dish.

Spiced Beef Shanks - Rp. 168.000

Baby Celery with Sesame and Olive oil - Rp. 98.000

Spiced Duck Tongues - Rp. 168.000

It tasted pretty unique. The texture is a mix of chewiness and a bit meatiness plus there is also a crunchiness from the soft bone that still attached to the tongue.

Sea Whelk Jelly Salad - Rp. 288.000

It tasted briny with a texture that reminded me to century egg but a bit more firm.

Kong Mansion's Three Ingredients Soup - Rp. 188.000/person

The Three Ingredients soup is a special and unique dish in the Confucious “Kong” family banquet. Confucius food is best known for its well-seasoned soup, and the Confucius Mansion’s Three Ingredients soup is considered the best of the best, as it uses three main ingredients (chicken, duck and pig trotters) and the cooking and simmering processes used to make the soup have to be repeated three times. The Three Ingredients soup represents mastery of the soup-making skills in Confucius cuisine, and those chefs who were not from the Confucius Culinary School would never know the special techniques required.

Such a heavenly tasting soup, very rich and flavorful.

The Kirin Imperial Book - Rp. 198.000/portion

This dish uses originally freshwater bass as the ingredients, and the fish skin is fried into the shape of the skin of the Kirin, a mythical Chinese creature, described in some legends as a rare unicorn with scales and it appeared with the imminent arrival or the passing of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. Therefore the name for this dish is The Kirin Imperial Book. Chinese legends tell that just before the birth of Confucius, a Kirin made its appearance in the neighborhood of the Kong family.

This fried fish is nice flaky and tasty.

Lu Wall’s Hidden Collection - Rp. 168.000

This dish is designed to have prawns place (or hidden) in a wrapping of thin hand pulled vermicelli, deep-fried to a crispy finish. The prawn was large and succulent, tasted delicious.

In 221 BC, the era of the Emperor Qin Shi Quang, the first emperor of a unified China. It was ordered that books should be burn and scholars buried alive to ensure stability among the common people. Confucius' ninth generation descendent, Kong Fu, was known to have hidden precious book in the wals of the Confucius Family Mansion before disappearing into hiding. In 154BC, when the Emperor Lu Gong expanded the palace, they discovered the sacred book in the walls: The Book of Shang, The Book of Rites, The Analects of Confucius and Xiao - Book of Filial Piety. These ancient Chinese classics were safely preserved.

Wisdom Frees Perplexity - Rp. 208.000

Braised pork ribs stuffed with spring onion stalk

The legend of this dish, it was created during Emperor Qin Shi Huang's era (259-210BC) of the burning of books and the live burial of scholars. Minister Zhang Ge, for the preservation of the Kong Family line, is said to have exchanged his own son for the life of a Kong family male descendent, and in the process created this dish to pass on secret information. The other side of the secret message said, "If you have a heart of love, then you will have a lifetime of wisdom, bravery and strength of will." This incident was praised and remembered by all of the Kong family for many generations.

Farm-Style Pancakes Served with Four Kinds of Condiments - Rp. 98.000/portion

Home-made thin corn pancake served with spring onion, yellow bean paste, salted fish and egg.

Confucius often taught his students, "If you frequently review knowledge learned from before, you can continuously expand on the same Knowledge, have a better understanding and gain even more." This learning method can also teach us more. In the harvest season, the Confucius Family Mansion uses all kinds of crops from the farm's harvest as fresh ingredients or to make into seasonings and condiments to be eaten with pancakes home-made with coarse cereals. Aside from the gesture of giving thanks for a good harvest, the dish also has the meaning of wishing your own students a good "harvest" of good reward and success from their studies.

The wrapping:

"Xing Tan" Apricot Pavilion Chinese date cake - Rp. 58.000

Interestingly, it tasted so similar like the traditional cake called Putu Bambu.

"Gingko" Petry Rites - Rp. 88.000

This is a dessert style dish from the Kong Family Banquet, made from steamed snow pears, ginkgo nuts and dates. Slightly sweet, very palatable and nutritious. It will reduce phlegm and cleanse toxins and germ from the body.

When Confucius taught his son, Kong Li, about poetry and virtue, he said, "If you do not study poetry, you have no words to speak; if you do not learn courtesy and virtue, you cannot make yourself stand out as a man of dignity." A 53rd generation descendant of Confucius, "Yan Sheng Master" Kong Zhi built the "Poetry Hall" as a memorial hall for Confucius. In front of the hall, he planted two gingo trees, from which the name of ginkgo in this dish originated.

I really appreciate this opportunity to experience Kong's cuisine. It was a totally delightful lunch.

All prices subjected to 21% (Tax and Service Charge)

Current currency: 1 USD = Rp. 9.750

Location:
Shang Palace Restaurant
Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta
Kota BNI
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel: 2922 9999

Penne Minced Chicken with Cheese & Raspberry Panna Cotta - Cooking Class at Bakerzin

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:22:00 +0000

This morning, I joined a hands-on cooking class held by Bakerzin and Groupon Indonesia. The venue was at Bakerzin Central Park. The cooking class was quite fun although it was a bit crowded because there were about 25 participants and only 5 stoves provided.

The chef from Bakerzin demonstrated how to cook "Penne Minced Chicken with Cheese". The original recipe is "Penne Minced Beef with Broccoli Cheese" but then, according to the chef, since the price of beef is very expensive these days, thus the minced beef is substituted with minced chicken. As for the broccoli, I have no idea why they couldn't provide it. Maybe broccoli is also very expensive, eh?

The recipe:

After the chef demonstrated it. Each group consisting of 4 to 5 participants had to cook according to the given recipe. It became a competition.

Step by step cooking Penne Minced Chicken with Cheese.

This is the Penne Minced Chicken with Cheese cooked by my group.

And... My group won the competition! :)

The chef also demonstrated how to make Raspberry Panna Cotta. For this recipe, we only tried how it tasted. The taste was good but the texture was exactly like custard. It wasn't firm at all like those panna cottas that I have eaten before.

Location:
Bakerzin
Central Park G Fl Unit 217,
Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28
West Jakarta

Daily Market Express Lunch at Scusa

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:44:00 +0000

There is an innovative lunch time dining concept "Daily Market Express Lunch" at Scusa, the Italian restaurant at InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza. It's from Monday to Friday with a different menu of Italian inspired cuisine every day. The guests can choose one out of two options from appetizers, main courses and desserts.

This is the menu when I was there last Thursday.

The dining area of Scusa.

Before the appetizer came out, each one of the guests were served with the Scusa's signature homemade bread filled with Fontina cheese.

Appetizer

I was so happy when my order, the tuna salad with julienne vegetables, tomato salsa and basil micro green was served in front of me. The taste couldn't be wrong. Light and fresh. Tuna was medium rare seared for 2 minutes, marinated with mustard and mixed herbs and pepper, grated carrot, paprika, zucchini and lemon dressing.

Canellini bean soup

Main Course

A well cooked of Beef Involtini with Tuscan potato style, asparagus and foie grass emulsion. I adore the aroma of the thyme, rosemary and sage. These aromatic herbs were just perfect for the juicy and tender beef.

Asparagus wrapped inside the Beef Involtini, layered with beef bacon.

Seared Salmon medallion with mashed potato, brocolini and tomato chutney.

Dessert

I was tempted to choose this Crisp caramelized apple with vanilla sauce and mixed berries compote which according to the other guests was totally delicious.

Instead, I had this ordinary Peach sorbet for my dessert.

Mocktails

Fantasia - Rp. 55.000

This special drink from Scusa is made with orange, lychee, mango and grenadine syrup.

Illy Coffee Latte - Rp. 45.000

All prices are subjected to 21% of Government tax and Service Charge

Currency: 1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Price:
Two courses - Rp. 145.000++
Three courses - Rp. 170.000++

Notes:
Table reservations are essential especially for large groups.
Every guest is entitled for and instant lucky draw during the Daily Market Express Lunch.

Location:
Scusa Restaurant
InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza Hotel
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 10-11
Jakarta 10220
Tel.: (62-21) 251 4188

Related post:
New a la Carte Menu at Scusa

New Pan Asian Flair Menu at Bacchus Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:57:00 +0000

Last week, I had a chance to try the new promotion "New Pan Asian Flair". It is a promotion of a variety of Asian food at Bacchus Bar, a trendy bar located on the lower ground of the InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza.

This quite relaxing bar is also serving classic brands of beer, premier spirits, shaker cocktails and selected wines.

Steamed mussels in rice wine and lemongrass - Rp. 92.000
Love these mussels.

5 spice BBQ chicken wings - Rp. 92.000

The marinated chicken wings with Hoisin sauce, really gives the nice hint of Chinese taste. Yummy!

Beer battered shrimp, sweet and spicy sauce - Rp. 92.000

Thai beef salad, mango, roasted chili vinaigrette - Rp. 92.000
It's very refreshing! My favorite salad.

Penang beef red curry with steamed rice - Rp. 125.000

It tasted mild and creamy... Good!

3 Burger platter - Rp. 175.000

Mini sesame buns with wagyu beef, chicken, fish and sweet potato fries.

I like the sweet potato fries. It's sprinkled with salt and thyme.

All prices subjected to 11% government tax and 10% service charge.

Location:
Bacchus Bar
InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza
Jl. Jenderal Sudirman Kav.10-11
Jakarta
Tel: 251 0888

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 12:00 pm - 01:00 am
Saturday & Sunday: 04.00 pm - 01:00 am

Starbucks Asian Dolce Latte

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:13:00 +0000

I was quite excited when I received an invitation from Starbucks to try the newest beverage. A new latte beverage will launch on March 5 to April 22, 2013, by Starbucks Coffee Indonesia. The all time favorite classic latte with an Asian twist named Asian Dolce Latte, available only at Starbucks stores in the Asia Pacific region.

Asian Dolce Latte is a double shot of the premium, dark-roasted Starbucks Espresso Roast and layered with steamed milk and dolce sauce. This beverage can be made hot or cold with the additional whipped cream and espresso dusting.

Asian Dolce Latte - cold

whipped cream and espresso dusting

Asian Dolce Latte - hot

Recommended cakes and sandwich to be paired with Asian Dolce Latte:

Sumatra Eclair - Rp. 17.000

Puff pastry filled with chocolate truffle and a hint of Sumatra coffee.

Sumatra Mousse - Rp. 25.000

Mousse cake in layers of chocolate with a hint of Sumatra coffee and cream cheese.

Half Double Decker - Rp. 35.000

Smoked chicken, white cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried egg, seasoning and white toast.

Current currency:

1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Location:
Starbucks 1Park (near Gandaria City) - the 143rd Starbucks store in Indonesia.
1Park Residences, Ground Floor Unit A1 & A2
Jl. KH M Syafi I Hadzami No.1
Kebayoran Baru
South Jakarta

Ten Ten Tempura House

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:26:00 +0000

Last Thursday, I was invited for a food tasting at Ten Ten Tempura House which is a modern concept restaurant specialized in Tempura. The food tasting was held at 2 pm, so for sure, we (three other invites and me) already were famished and ready to try the food being served by Ten Ten Tempura House.

Tempura Nori - Rp. 9.000
(It's a compliment appetizer for menu set order)

This nice crunchy tempura seaweed reminds me to a popular Thai seaweed brand called "Tao Kae Noi". It's so addictive!

Tempura Curry Ramen - Rp. 41.000

At first, I was quite hesitant to try it because it looked so spicy. But then, when I gave it a try, I wish I could eat the one whole bowl of it.

Spicy Beef Kinoko Don - Rp. 45.000

It's a new Donburi menu served with miso soup.
It's tasty. I like it! Too bad I only had 2 spoons of it.

Tendon with Black Pepper sauce - Rp. 36.000

served with miso soup and steamed rice.

Black pepper sauce on Tempura is not to my liking. I prefer the original taste which is only dipped into tentsuyu sauce, made with shoyu, dashi and mirin.

Caramel Banana Tempura - Rp. 20.000

I didn't get the chance to try it because the serving amount was only 2 pieces.

Left: Green Tea Parfait - Rp 20.000

Right: Strawberry Parfait - Rp. 20.000

I tried the Strawberry Parfait. It was a good combination of the strawberry ice cream with whipped cream, corn flakes and strawberry chunks.

Ice Matcha Blended - Rp. 20.000
Nice blended creamy green tea.

All prices are subject to additional 10% government tax and 7.5% service charge.

Current currency:

1 USD = Rp. 9.800

Overall, I think the taste of the food here is quite good but then, I went home still feeling hungry. I do hope the serving could be more during this food tasting since there were total of 4 invites and we had to share each of the above food to four of us.

Location:
Ten Ten Tempura House
Pondok Indah Mall 1
2nd Floor, Unit 222-223
South Jakarta
Tel: 7512369

"Tantalizing Chicken Curry with Prata Bread" Cooking Class at Pullman Jakarta Central Park

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 16:50:00 +0000

Next month, I supposed to go to India for a 5 days training but too bad, I had to cancel it because of a silly dilemma. Of course, I'm a bit upset because India is a country on "my countries list" that I want to visit in my life. So, when I received an Indian cooking class invitation from Pullman Jakarta Central Park Hotel last week, it really cheered me up. Although I can not go to India yet but at least, I can learn how to cook Indian food.

The cooking class.

The purpose of Pullman Jakarta Central Park to make this event is to introduce Mr. Sunardi Song, the new Director of Food and Beverages and also to promote the Indian Food at Collage in March and April 2013.

Chef de Partie, Ranjit Debnath from Kalkota, has been working at Pullman Jakarta Central Park for five months. He taught step by step how to make “Tantalizing Chicken Curry with Prata Bread” to the cooking class participants.

It was a hands on cooking class. I was in a team with Prawnche. We cooked together the Chicken Curry but for the Prata Bread, we made it by ourselves. I had so much fun during this cooking class :)

Here's how to make the Chicken Curry:

The Chicken Curry spices.

Ingredients:

- 800 gram chicken, boneless, cut into 8 pieces

- 100 ml vegetable oil

- 2 bay leaves (tej patta)

- 6 pcs. green cardamom (choti elaichi)

- 6 pcs. cloves (laung)

- 1tbs. onion paste

- 1 tsp. ginger (adrak) paste

- 2 tsp. garlic (lasan) paste

- 1 tsp. coriander (dhaniya) powder

- 75 gr cashew nut (kaju) paste

- 200 gram yoghurt (dahi)

- 1/2 tsp. white pepper (safed mirch) powder

- 1 tbs. red tomato paste

- 2 tsp. oregano leaves

- 150 ml cream

- 2 tbs. ghee

- salt to taste

- some water

Method:

- Heat the oil and ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, add cardamom, cloves and bay leaves, then ginger paste and garlic paste. Saute until the cardamoms change color.

- add the chicken, sprinkle salt and pepper.

- add coriander powder, tomato paste, oregano, yogurt, cashew nut paste, cream and water.

- cook and bring it to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken becomes tender.

- serve hot and accompanied with Indian bread (i.e: Prata bread)

Prata Bread

Ingredients:
- 250 gram whole-wheat flour.
- 4 gram salt
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 125 water
- butter for greasing the pan

Method:

- sift the flour and salt together. Mix in the oil and water, knead to make a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.

- divide the dough equally into 5 balls and dust with flour.

- heat the pan and grease it with butter

- flatten the balls and roll each out to an 8" disc. Place the discs on a greased tray.

- put it into the greased pan.

- fry until it becomes golden.

- serve hot.

My cooking result :)

Location:
COLLAGE
Pullman Jakarta Central Park Hotel
Podomoro City
Jl. Let. Jend S Parman Kav 28
West Jakarta
Tel: (+62 21)29200088

Related posts:
- Collage at Pullman Jakarta Central Park
- Ramadan Delight at Pullman Jakarta Central Park Hotel
- Yee Shang at Pullman Jakarta Central Park Hotel

Brunch at BonChon

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 08:49:00 +0000

Today, some food bloggers and I were invited for a brunch at Bonchon, Citywalk Sudirman.

Here is the Brunch Menu.

ENTREE

Kimchi Soup, Chicken Soup, Fresh Salad and Bites (original or spicy)

For my entree, I had fresh salad. It's kind of interesting to see fried batter as the salad topping instead of ordinary croutons. A different crunchiness which was unique and good.

MAINS

(available starting March 2013)

Classic Myun with Boneless Cutlet

Myun or Myeon means noodles in Korea. I'm not so sure how the Koreans prepare their noodles but this noodle was a bit soggy. As for the sauce, it tasted pretty sweet and also spicy which was difficult for me to enjoy it because I can't eat spicy food. I wish that the spiciness can be eliminated since there is already Spicy Myun in the menu for those people who love eating spicy food. To my surprise and also the other food bloggers', the batter-fried boneless cutlet chicken was totally bland. First, I thought the chef forgot to put salt or other ingredients that can make it tasty. But then, when I had a chance to ask the chef why it was bland, he explained that the way to eat this dish is that we supposed to mix the batter-fried boneless cutlet chicken together with the noodles and the sauce. Therefore, in order not to overwhelmed the taste of this dish, the batter-fried boneless cutlet chicken was prepared tasteless. Interesting, isn't it? If I may put my two cents in, it probably will be better if they inform or prepare a sign to tell how to eat this dish; instead later on, there will be customers who might complain. ;)

Spicy Myun with Boneless Cutlet

DESSERTS

Snowflakes - Blueberry, Strawberry, Mocha flavors

I chose Snowflakes Blueberry for my dessert because I was pretty curious how it tastes. Well, after two spoons of it, I guess it's not really my type of dessert.

I'll stick to these yummy vanilla, strawberry and mocha ice cream Mochi :)

Location:
Bonchon Citywalk
Citywalk Sudirman
Jl. K.h Mas Mansyur 121
Jakarta

Starbucks Gambir Train Station

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:55:00 +0000

At the end of January, Starbucks just opened the 142nd Starbucks store at Gambir Station, Jakarta which it is the first store in a train station in Indonesia. The location of the store is strategically at the departure area where travelers can have their favorite beverage easily before or after their train journey. The brewing time is daily from 5 am to 8 pm.

Starbucks Indonesia introduced their Winter Beverage 2013, available from 8 January 2013 to 4 March 2013. There are three beverages: Hojicha Tea (roasted Japanese green tea) served in hot/iced Latte and Frapuccino, Starbucks Signature Chocolate and Green Tea Latte with an additional espresso shot.

Hojicha Tea Frapuccino

Green Tea Latte with an additional Espresso shot

Tall - Rp. 36.000, Grande - Rp. 42.000, Venti - Rp. 47.000

Love it! Surprisingly that hot green tea latte blended so nicely with espresso :)

The food to be paired with the above beverages:

Smoked Chicken Croissant - Rp. 23.000

A buttery croissant filled with smoked chicken and cheese.

Tuna Cheese Whole Wheat Panini Sandwich - Rp. 35.000

Inside the Tuna Cheese Whole Wheat Panini Sandwich is mayonnaise, tuna mix filling, red green pepper and cheese.

Verona Cake - Rp. 22.000

Layered cake consists almond biscuit, butter cream and Starbucks Coffee Verona biscuit.

Starbucks also introduced its four types of tea: Spearmint Green, English Breakfast, Chai, and Earl Grey.

I like this spearmint green. It tastes mild, soothing and refreshing.

Location:
Starbucks Gambir
Area Keberangkatan Stasiun Gambir
Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur
Central Jakarta 10110

AsliCabeIjo - Cooking Experience with Chef Bara Pattirajawane

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:35:00 +0000

I experienced a fun cooking class with Chef Bara Pattirajawane together with some other bloggers. It was held at Jakarta Culinary Center Senayan, sponsored by Indomie and organized by Ogilvy & Mather.

Not only food bloggers but there were also travel bloggers.

Chef Bara showed us how to prepare and cook the fried snapper with green chili and coconut milk sauce.

Chef Bara's creation.

Then, we had to cook the same recipe within an hour.

Cindy and I were in a team.

On the cooking table:

The ingredients:

While Cindy was taking care of frying the battered snapper,

I took care of making the green chili and coconut milk sauce.

The result:

What do you think? Will you order it if it's on a restaurant menu? ;)

At the end of the cooking class session, chef Bara made Pandan Pannacota with chocolate and jackfruit on the top.

Twitter: @indomielovers #AsliCabeIjo
Facebook: Indomie Instant Noodle

May Star, Central Park Mall

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:11:00 +0000

There are four May Star restaurants in Jakarta and one in Bandung, but so far, I've only eaten in Central Park mall. Most of the time, this restaurant is crowded especially in the weekends. What I usually order is the dim sum but sometimes, I also like to order from the a la carte menu.

Here is the list of dim sum:

Rice noodle roll with pork (chiong fan chasiew) - Rp. 19.800

Phoenix claws (fengzhao) Kaki Ayam Lada Hitam - Rp. 19.800

Shumai (siew mai) - Rp. 20.800

Xiaolongbao - Rp. 20.800

Steamed pork spare ribs (paigu) with fermented bean (tausi) - Rp. 20.800

Sweet salted egg buns (bao telor asin manis) - Rp. 21.800

Inside the bun, the salted egg yolk.

Har gow (shrimp dumplings) Hakaw - Rp. 22.800

Haam Seoi Gaau ( shrimp & chopped veggie dumpling) - Rp. 20.800

Lotus leaf rice (lo mar kai) -Rp. 37.600

Sticky rice with egg yolk, dried scallop, mushroom, water chestnut and pork.

Rice noodle roll with youtiao (chiong fan cakwe) - Rp. 19.800

Fried taro cake (wu tau gou) Lobak goreng - Rp. 18.800

From the a la carte menu:

Corn, asparagus and crab soup - Rp. 36.000

Fried pork ribs with sesame seed - Rp. 108.000

Fried rice with garlic - Rp. 38.000

Pickels - Rp. 20.000

All prices subjected to tax and service charge.

Current currency:

1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Location:
May Star Restaurant
Central Park Mall
Lower Ground
Jl. Letjen S. Parman Kav. 28
West Jakarta
Tel: 569 85422

Disclaimer: The review and opinion expressed here are purely according to my personal taste. There's a possibility that the taste of the food might change later on, which could affect the review and opinion here. I also affirm that no monetary or non-monetary compensation has been received from this restaurant for writing this review.

Dapur Iron Chef

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:42:00 +0000

Have you ever seen a TV program called Iron Chef? It is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. I like watching it; the battle between a Guest Chef against the Iron Chef. The chefs must prepare and present their meal of choice using specific ingredients and theme in an hour. Then, the regular commentators and also guest commentator will comment about the ingredients, history of the chefs and also other information related to what is happening in the kitchen during the battle. Very interesting! Trans TV (Indonesian national television station) is going to air the new Iron Chef starting from February 2013.

There will be a new restaurant named after this "Iron Chef" TV Program - Dapur Iron Chef, in Plaza Senayan, This restaurant is operated as a part of Cool Japan Strategy Promotion Program initiated by METI in order to help Japanese restaurants enter and expand their business in Indonesia. Five restaurants are participating in Dapur Iron Chef during the 9th February until 31st March 2013.

Here are some sample of food in the menus during the food tasting session that will be served at Dapur Iron Chef :

DAI TOKYO SAKABA

Operating Period: 9 February – 25 February 2013

Menu in Dapur Iron Chef:

Fried Chicken Wing (Spicy)

Fried Chicken Wing (Soy Sauce)

Yakitori

Kara-age (Japanese style fried chicken)

Stewed Egg

Menu introduced in food tasting:

Fried Chicken Wings (Tebasaki)

Fried Chicken (Tori Kara Age)

Fried Chicken Kurupuk (Tori Kawa Sembei)

Operating Period: 9 February – 25 February 2013

Menu in Dapur Iron Chef:

Toyama Black Soy Sauce Ramen

Iron Chef Chen’s Spicy Black Ramen

A collaboration menu of Iron Chef Chen and Menya Iroha

Menu introduced in food tasting

Iron Chef Chen’s Spicy Black Ramen

Operating Period: 26 February – 31 February 2013

Menu in Dapur Iron Chef:
Basic Zaru Soba
Curry Duck Soba
Mt. Fuji Beef Soba
Tebasaki (Fried Chicken Wing)
Duck Soup soba
shrimp Oroshi Soba
Tempura Chicken Oroshi soba
Kara-Age (Japanese style fried chicken)
Chawan Mushi
Yuzu Honey Juice

Menu introduced in food tasting:
Curry Duck Soba
Yuzu Honey Lemonada

Operating Period : 26 February – 14 March 2013

Menu in Dapur Iron Chef:

Ahi Poke

Lomi lomi Avocado Salmon

Loco Moco

Buffalo chicken wing

Mochiko chicken

Menu introduced in food tasting:

Loco Moco

Lomi lomi Avocado Salmon

Hawaiian Kona Coffee: One of the most expensive coffees in the world.

Location:
Food Gallery, The Food Hall,
LG Floor, Plaza Senayan
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
Jakarta

Revisit Cafe Batavia

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 09:30:00 +0000

It has been quite awhile since the last time I went to Cafe Batavia. It's so nice to be back again to this classy colonial building restaurant.

The downstairs.

The 2nd level of Cafe Batavia

The non-smoking dining area

The bar

Since I didn't have my breakfast, thus I had breakfast first then continued with lunch. As in the old days, the food in Cafe Batavia has not disappointed me :)

The breakfast:

Eggs Benedict - Rp. 89.000

Two poached eggs, a thick slice of ham and asparagus on English muffins and covered with Hollandaise sauce.

The lunch:

Escargots a la Bourguignon - Rp. 79.000

Snails simmered in red wine and seared with garlic butter sauce and seasoned with crushed black pepper and herbs and served with baguette.

The Ridiculous Reuben Sandwich - Rp. 89.000

Corn beef with melted brie cheese and dressing. Served on rye bread with warm German potato salad, coleslaw and pickle.

Steak & Eggs - Rp. 99.000

Two eggs any style, with 120 gram tenderloin steak, served with baked beans, home fries and choices of toast

Chinese Tea Pu-Erh - Rp. 30.000

All prices subject to 21% of service charge and government tax

Current currency: 1 USD = Rp.9.720

Btw, I managed to see the unique male restroom in this Cafe Batavia ;) Why is it unique? Well... Guess what? There is no wall hung urinals nor dividers! In fact, there's only a really big mirror on the wall where men can directly urinated in front of the big mirror (left picture).

Location:

Cafe Batavia

Jl. Taman Fatahilla

Pintu Besar Utara No. 14

Jakarta Barat

Jakarta - Kota

Tel: 691 5531

Bubble Tea at Fook Yew

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:58:00 +0000

Fook Yew is a Shanghai bistro and Bubble Tea Lab. The interior is old-fashioned Shanghai pop-style canteen. It is unique, isn't it?

I didn't try the food, instead I only tried the bubble tea. Why not try the food? Next time, maybe?

There are non-alcoholic and alcoholic bubble teas. Yup... there's alcoholic bubble tea! Interesting, right?

The Return of the Condor Heroes - Rp. 35.000

It's tea with strawberry syrup, added with strawberry jelly, seaweed, tapioca balls that tasted just "OK". Overly priced? Yeah.. I guess so.

The price subjects to 5% service charge and 10% government tax.

Current currency: 1 USD = Rp. 9.720

Location:
Fook Yew
Gandaria City,
Mainstreet Ground Floor, Unit MG-25.
Jl. Iskandar Muda 5, No. 8,
Jakarta Selatan.
Tel: 29007897

Operation Hours:
Monday - Thursday (11.00am - 11.00 pm)
Friday - Sunday (11 am - LATE NIGHT)

Ikkudo Ichi Ramen, PIK

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:46:00 +0000

Having a bowl ramen at Ikkudo Ichi, was not in our plan at all when we visited Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK). But then, since someone in our group was so hungry thus we decided to go there.

Beside soy sauce, chili sauce, chili powder, they provide also fresh garlic.

All the ramens here are served with chicken or pork chasiu, spring onions, mushrooms, sesame seed, and soft-boiled egg.

Ikkudo's Buta Kara - Rp. 41.800

Pork ramen with Ikkudo's special secret red sauce (spicy)

Buta Signature - Rp. 37.800

My choice was this signature pork ramen. Love the fine and tender pork chasiu with the thick savory garlicky broth. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the entire bowl because I was still full of bubble tea from the Lab.

Buta Curry - Rp. 43.800

Pork ramen with special homemade curry.

All price subjected to 10% government tax and 3% service charge.

Current currency: 1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Location:
Ikkudo Ichi Ramen
Ruko Crown Golf, Blok D No.2 - 3,
Jl. Pantai Indah Kapuk
North Jakarta
Tel: 9666789

Disclaimer: The review and opinion expressed here are purely according to my personal taste. There's a possibility that the taste of the food might change later on, which could affect the review and opinion here. I also affirm that no monetary or non-monetary compensation has been received from this restaurant for writing this review.

Paradise Inn - Puri Indah Mall

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:55:00 +0000

Last month, Paradise Inn just opened a new branch in Puri Indah Mall. The contemporary orient Chinese decor of the restaurant is exactly the same as their restaurant in Plaza Indonesia. And again, as my previous food tasting experienced at their other restaurant, I surely enjoyed the delicious food in this new restaurant.

Jasmine Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum - Rp. 25.000

Benefits: Nourishes heart and spleen, strengthens eyesight and improve immune system.

Left picture

Double-boiled Black Chicken with Spare Ribs and Ginseng. - Rp. 38.000/portion.

Functions: Nourishes 'yang, restores 'qi', stimulates physical vigor and strengthens internal organs.

Right picture

Double-boiled Spare Ribs with Winter Melon and Dried Compoy - Rp. 38.000/portion.

Functions: Helps to lower blood pressure, nourishes 'yin' and improves functionalists of stomach and kidney

Sliced Tea-smoked Duck Teochew Style - Rp. 68.000

Stewed "Dong Po' Pork - Rp. 78.000

Very high cholesterol? That's for sure! But it's so delicious that I couldn't resist to eat it.

Imperial Pork Ribs - Rp. 48.000 (small portion)

Chinese Style Pan-fried Beef Fillet - Rp. 118.000 (small portion)

Crisp-fried Crystal Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk - Rp. 78.000 (small portion)

Stewed 'Ling Zhi' Mushroom with Sauteed Young Cabbage - Rp. 88.000

Double-boiled Hashima with Red Dates and Dried Longan - Rp. 58.000

Do you know that Hashima or also known as Hasma is dried fatty tissue from frog? Chinese people believe it gives health benefits such as replenishing vital essence in the lungs, kidneys, and improving skin complexion.

Prices are subjected to service charge and government tax.

Current currency rate: 1 USD = Rp. 9.700

Location:
Paradise Inn
Puri Indah Mall Lt.1 Unit #102
Jl. Puri Agung Puri Indah
West Jakarta

Related post:
Paradise Inn - Plaza Indonesia

DapuRaya, Pasaraya Blok M

noreply@blogger.com (Selba) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 04:38:00 +0000

Dapuraya is a food court in the basement of Pasaraya Blok M, in South Jakarta. There are more than 50 food vendors serving wide variety of Indonesian food - from Sumatra to Papua.

From 23 January until 31 January 2013, Dapuraya is having a "Makanan Enak-Enak" festival (note: it means "Delicious Food") bringing favorite food from six cities in Indonesia.

Here below are some of the favorite food and drinks:

Loenpia Mataram from Semarang, Central Java.
Indonesian spring rolls.

Burung Dara Goreng SBTB from Malioboro, Yogyakarta.

Fried quail with rice and chili. It's delicious!

Tahu Petis Prasojo from Semarang, Central Java.

Tofu with fermented sweet prawn paste and chili bird.

Laksa Bogor Kampung Cingcaw from Bogor, West Java.

A soup made with tofu, egg, tofu, vermicelli, turmeric, coconut milk, etc.

Es Mangga Aming from Bogor, West Java.

Mangoes ice.

Es Pala Aming from Bogor, West Java

Nutmeg ice. A refreshing drink!

Beside the above, there are more but I don't have the pictures.

- Ronde Jahe Gardujati from Bandung, West Java.

- Kupat Tahu Cibuntu from Bandung, West Java.

- Tengkleng from Solo, Central Java

- Lontong Balap Bioskop Ria from Surabaya, East Java.

- Rujak Cingur Suroboyo H. Hadi from Surabaya, East Java.

Other events in Dapuraya:
1. Food Photo session, Dapuraya tour, Blog and Photo contest, Games and Quiz.
2. Cooking / Demo Class: Minang Culinary (date: 26 Jan 2013, time: 3 pm - 5 pm), Indonesian Molecular Food (28 Jan 2013, 3 pm - 5 pm) Sushi Class (30 Jan 2013, 3 pm - 5 pm).

Location:
DapuRaya
Pasaraya Blok M. Lt. LG
Jl. Iskandarsyah II/2 Blok M
Jakarta
Tel: 7260170

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DapuRaya
Twitter: @dapuraya