eatandtreats - Indonesian Food and Travel Blogger based in Jakarta

FARM GIRL: THE BEST BURGER IN JAKARTA?

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 19:59:00 +0000

Seriously, I miss going out and do reviews, and that's exactly what I did today with my sister who slept over last night, FYI my sister is married and we work together in our business, so everytime we have projects to discuss (and when there are many) she and her kid usually sleepover at my house (btw my nephew is the most adorable kid but I don't share much details about him) and I have to thank my bro-in-law for allowing her to stay at least once every week HAHA, I was craving for some good burger so before I drove her off back to her house we decided to grab a quick lunch.

I don't have a lot of favorite burger places, they're always repeats: when I feel like having filthy, messy, over the top juicy burgers then I'll go to Lawless, but when I'm craving for good sourdough sandwiches and gourmet burgers that's finer and more reserved then I'll head over to Farm Girl, this burger joint is considered new yet been around for a while, I was surprised that not a lot of people knew about this when I posted it on my Instagram story, they're very underrated hence this blog post for more people to appreciate this beauty.

Farm Girl has two outlets in Jakarta: main one in Menteng and the other one in Wijaya, but I usually go to the one in Menteng because it's closer to home, and I love to see this discreet small blue building their outlet it is (their Wijaya branch is more like a booth FYI). Besides serving burgers and sandwiches, you can consider them a bakehouse for they also bake good looking sweet goods such as cinnamon roll, cookies, bagels and bread. I didn't take any photo of the interior as during the pandemic guests are not allowed to dine inside, and to be frank the inside was not the most attractive earlier as it's a bit messy with chairs on tables and packagings, but what I can tell you is that the open kitchen is going to be right before your eyes as soon as you stepped inside, so you can also expect tempting aroma of burgers and sandwiches being cooked too! 4 sets of chairs and tables are located outside if guests want to dine on the spot.

They have quite a range of menus and their main savories are the burgers and sandwiches. I bet if you're a first timer you'll spend a little more time deciding because everything looked so good on the menu, it's like when you're about to go for their TCS, then their American Burger sounds good too, or their pesto sandwiches and this and that but you don't have limitless pit to have everything #firstworldproblems! I always go for two of my favorites here: the TCS and Patty Melt (sourdough sandwich).

TCS - IDR 100k

Up until now, I legit have no idea what TCS stands for, but they also have another menu called TCSB (and this one has pork bacon), but anyway this is one of their staple menus and it's NON HALAL because they use pork patty here (but I think you can request for beef patty). TCS consist of omega 3 eggs, pork patty, cheddar, chipotle mayo, all wrapped with the fluffiest most amazing brioche buns that I've had on any burger in Jakarta and paired with potato chips for a bit of crunch, everything about TCS is pure love but I didn't expect the bun to be that soft and gorgeous! They're very generous with the scrambled eggs and it's also amazing because flavor and texture wise, it's soft and creamy, but so fresh WITHOUT any smell. The pork patty is also freaking amazing, it's juicy & perfectly seasoned, sadly I can't show it to you because it's completely wrapped in the scrambled egg and when I tried to dig it looked kinda disgusting so I choose not to show it here, but you know how a patty looks like right??? As for the chipotle mayo I think it's complimenting, only that it's sheer.

Patty Melt - IDR 120k
Don't ask me to choose because I love both TCS and Patty Melt, and they're completely different! Patty Melt is a very American sandwich for me, it's about indulge, indulge, indulge: seared all beef patty topped with mix of mozarella & red cheddar cheese and caramelized onion all wrapped in toasted sourdough! They're super generous with the cheese, but somehow I didn't feel like it was too much or overpowering and I don't know what kind they're using but you know one of those case where cheese can interfere with the aroma and this one doesn't! The beef patty is also well seasoned and juicy and of course the sourdough is not a disappointment. Nice texture, delightful crisp!

Damn Farm Girl is really not playing with their quality, second time and never disappointed. PS: THE BURGERS AND SANDWICHES MIGHT LOOK SMALL ON THE PIC but they were actually pretty generous, I kinda gave up on the TCS after finishing 3/4 of the whole thing because the scrambled egg was so much and it's fulfilling.

For the drink I opted the Iced Chocolate with Minor Figures oatmilk sub, it was okay good but not out of the world good, but seriously after indulging their urgers

Farm Girl is definitely one of the best bakehouse and burger spots in Jakarta, I'll definitely come back over and over and over again!

Farm Girl

Jalan Riau No. 4

Gondangdia, Menteng

Jakarta Pusat 10350

0813-1685-5076

Opening hours: 8 AM-5 PM (closed at 3:30 PM on Mondays)

Average spending for two: IDR 200k

Dresscode: none

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R&B TEA INDONESIA - THE BEST BUBBLE TEA IN TOWN?

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 19:51:00 +0000

In the midst of chaotic time there's a really happy news, at least for me: R&B TEA is OPENING REAL SOON IN INDONESIA!!! R&B has a special place in my heart because it's currently at the very top of my list for THE BEST BROWN SUGAR MILK DRINK, I remember vividly the very first time I tried R&B in Singapore (their Marina Bay Sands branch) and two years ago they were the first to start the brown sugar with cheese brulee topping and gained quite a recognition! Anyway for those who wonder what "R&B" is actually, it stands for Rex and Bruce, the owners who are Taiwanese who opened up bubble tea shops in China, as this post is being typed there are currently more than 600 R&B branches spread all over China, Singapore, Vietnam and now Indonesia! YAY! It's opening July 4th 2020!

...BUT the question is: is the one in Jakarta as good as the one in Singapore? I was so damn lucky to be invited for an exclusive preview two days ago (thank you R&B team) and I am super excited to share this review because I want eatandtreats readers to be the first to virtually experience R&B opening with me, I don't normally feel this excited about an opening that I want to be so involved, but this is R&B, honestly during the tasting I gave them so much pressure, the state of flavor needs to match the SG standard, even though I have to tell you something before I start this review: the milk they're using here is different than the one they're using in Singapore, they use "Meiji" milk in SG and sadly we don't have any here, but from what I've tried, it's definitely not disappointing and still pretty creamy!

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MY FAVORITE!!! At the moment I think this is THE BEST OF THE BEST! Never thought that it would be so hard to decide my favorite brown sugar milk drink in Singapore! Semua yang aku coba itu enak, tapi kalau disuru milih satu yang jadi favorit, sepertinya R&B TEA! Creamynya pas (susunya mirip LiHo’s), bubblenya amazing (kayak texture Hey Tea), tapi yang paling bikin impressed itu cheese bruleenya, ON POINTTTT!!! Siapa team R&B disini angkat tangan 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 . Anyway ini semua selera ya, seperti yang aku bilang semuanya enakkkk 🥤🥤🥤

A post shared by 👑 HANS DANIALS 👑 (@eatandtreats) on Mar 13, 2019 at 6:31am PDT

I am sure you all wonder about the pricing and I can leak that info for you: it's almost HALF cheaper than the SG price! That's a good start for this review!

Captured two days ago sorry for the lame phone quality, I didn't have my wide lens with me that day, I can say they're 50% done with the construction and moving pretty fast, less than two weeks before the grand opening!

The right top pic is the boba machine, it looks like this Japanese bamboo steamer: PRETTY! - anyway photo taken using my "TOKYO" Instagram story filter *promo ;P*

There were three drinks presented for me, the purpose of me coming is not only for the exclusive preview but they also asked for my honest opinion, and it is the review I wrote in this entry.

Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cheese Brulee - IDR 38,5k

In Chinese this drink is called "A Tiger Taking it's Journey": pearls cooked with brown sugar (and brown sugar glaze for that pretty look), poured with chilled milk, topped with cheese brulee then torched for a layer of caramelized brown sugar crust. So far for "their style", this is the best brown sugar bubble that I've had, the brown sugar flavor is beautifully infused to the bubble (no wonder because they actually spent 3 freaking hours cooking the boba), and texture wise the bubble is soft and chewy! I suggest trying their warm brown sugar boba before mixing everything, I literally had no problem with this, even for not using the same milk, this one tastes 90% like the one I had in SG (can't 100 cuz milk), this drink is creamy with sweet-savory flavor, the cheese brulee is not overly milky and cheesy so when I drank it, it didn't bloat me the f out, I love the flavor contrast of this drink: you get the sweet caramelize fragrant brown sugar, what a balance to the sweet & salty drink and cheese brulee. A solid 9/10!

If you notice I wrote "their style" because I realize there are some brands in the biz with their own approach like Kokumi (and I love Kokumi too and their style is different with modern approach), R&B style is the more classic one: very Chinese & Taiwanese style.

I keep on texting the owner to keep up with the quality of this, especially since this is the signature product and because they can't fuck up the grand opening! Anyway aren't you happy that this is only IDR 38k (honestly I wouldn't mind at all to pay more for this!!!), unfortunately they won't be serving the large size like the one I had in Singapore (the large size is S$6.5 in SG).

That top layer is one of the highlight of this drink: the caramelized brown sugar crust for that aroma and delicate burnt flavor (in a good way).

GRAPE YOGI - price to be confirmed

This is the first time I tried their Grape Yogi drink, heard it's quite successful abroad and I kinda get why: it's this refreshing grape drink with creamy thick yogurt that's not overly sour (maybe I like it just a tad more sour but I'm fine with this state), this drink is not yet final because it's supposed to have grape chunks and the grapes were not available that day, but the jelly topping tho! WOW I LOVE IT, it's this long cylinder shape with this firm but chewy texture, overall it's simple but spot on.

OOLONG NO. 23
Save the best for last? Just when I prepped myself to be most impressed by their Brown Sugar Milk, this one takes the cake, turned out this one left a very special impression from the tasting session that day!

The high grade no. 23 Oolong tea topped with milky tea cream (I mean perfectly milky thick tea cream with stronger oolong tea flavor in ratio), I love how this drink is overall sweet with this dominant tea flavor along with this sheer hint of bitter note at sips, but that's the charm! I would hate it if this drink is "just sweet" with no layers. This is personally my NUMBER ONE pick that I would recommend you guys ordering when R&B opens! Don't forget to follow me on my Instagram (@eatandtreats) for more upcoming updates on R&B, anyway I can't form my final opinion yet, but based on the three drinks that I tried, R&B is definitely one of the strongest newcomers, they're not playing!

There's no rule when it comes to drinking this, I drank it through the hole on the cup cover because I want to appreciate the tasty thick cream first, then followed by the tea. I am really craving for this right now, holy moly.

I am definitely going to update this post with more drink recommendations, anyway on the day of tasting the team proposed a giveaway collaboration that I believe is going to be LIT! Stay tuned for THE BIG giveaway that's coming Sunday, June 28th 2020 on my Instagram! You definitely don't want to miss it!

Until the next update!

Read my Singapore Food Diary post where I talked about R&B for the very first time -> HERE

R&B Tea Indonesia
Mall Emporium 2nd fl.
Jl. Pluit Selatan Raya No. 47
Jakarta Utara 14440
Average spending for two: IDR 100k
Dresscode: none
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FIRE TIGER INDONESIA

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 10:41:00 +0000

Oh hi, anybody here in this dying blog? I haven't blogged in so long and honestly I kinda miss writing long ass reviews, anyway before I start the point of this post (which is the review), if you care let me tell you something about my life the past couple of months and very recently, it's no secret that we are all in this shitty Corona situation and it has been really hard for some people, I am at the point of my life where I stop saying "if one day this is all over", and adapt myself to the "new normal", really I hate saying that but it's happening, whether we like it or not, the first month of quarantine almost got me insane, I had sleep deprivation, I was constantly not in the best of mental state but with the new mindset I am slowly strengthen the grip of my life, I won't let my mind control me and long story short I am now doing better.

My days have been busy again, at first I distracted myself with the regular cooking videos challenge that I made during Ramadhan and it worked to keep myself busy, pre-corona I was busy almost everyday and I barely got in touch with myself or processed my emotion, so when the first weeks of quarantine all you had to do was nothing and you had you for yourself, I realized how my busy schedule was such a distraction, fast forward today I have been busy and working mostly from home.

Anyway can I say I am surprised to find out that the traffic of this blog is WAAAY above what I expected, it's still gaining 4000k daily visitors, well far cry from the daily 30k I was used to, not sure where the traffic is from but for the little ones who revisits this blog, HELLO! It's indeed hard to maintain some platforms altogether, especially since I have no team and does everything by myself, there's always one that's going to stand out more, let's say my Instagram is doing amazing, but the blog is not really doing well, I am not going to lie, sometimes I am just pure tired and lazy, but to my defense, life has been so different years ago compared to now, I am not going to promise you anything, I will update this blog when I have the chance but I will put on the effort.

K, ENUFF WITH THE LIFE UPDATE AND LET'S GET INTO THE REVIEW! 2020 and the brown sugar milk drink trend doesn't seem to slow down, more and more foreign brands are opening and one of the highly anticipated has got to be Fire Tiger, Thailand's number one bubble tea brand as this entry is being typed! I was super impressed the first time I had it last year, it was one of the best yet the most expensive cup to date (it's around 80k/cup converted to Indo currency).

Can't serve you reports from their outlet because I haven't been to GI for three months (and yes Grand Indonesia is the home to their first outlet) but from what I saw on their Instagram, the design of the outlet seemed chic and poppin', along with their signature gold color and roaming tiger head as the pickup point.

I was honestly a bit concern about the pricing, I hope it wouldn't be Thai expensive AND SO GLAD IT DIDN'T! I found out about the pricing from the online delivery app (Gojek/Grab) and even though it's still considered high for Jakarta standard, but it's way below the Thai pricing, the drinks range around IDR 50k price point. Since they're opening during the quarantine days they also have DIY menus that I'm going to talk about as you scroll this entry.

There are around 5 menus that I tried: Fire Tiger Milk, Fire Tiger Milk Tea, The Crown, The Majesty and Snow Tiger. Snow Tiger is their newest menu! In terms of look, since the drinks were ordered through online app, it won't look as pretty as the one freshly made, there was no sugar swirls, but what can we do..

Fire Tiger Milk & Fire Tiger Milk Tea - IDR 52,5k

the milk tea is the more brown looking one

In terms of flavor, I think the one that I had in Bangkok is pretty much the same: their brown sugar style is a tad different that the common brown sugar flavor (I realize most has this style that's similar): it's very fragrant, bold but not overpowering & had this caramel/toffee hint to it, but certain drinks has different adjustments and toppings!

Overall their Fire Tiger milk drink is creamy with generous brown sugar syrup, tasty creme brulee (and boy I freaking love how their creme brulee is not the overly milky kind), brown sugar pearls and fresh milk (and milk tea for the Fire Tiger Milk Tea)

The Crown

I prefer THE CROWN MILK TEA, this one has a lovely earl grey note to the drink, properly creamy with brown sugar pearls, caramel jelly then topped with crispy chocolaty caramel sugar bits for texture (it's bitter but aromatic and meant to be mixed together with the drink). PS: you can easily tell which drink is which from the cup, as you can see above it has THE CROWN printed on the cups.

Snow Tiger

Snow Tiger is Fire Tiger's latest release, it's the combination of their best sellers: Fire Tiger Milk & Milk Tea, the lower layer is the milk tea, then topped with fresh milk with brown sugar sauce drizzle, this drink has this semi frozen/blended consistency, is it my favorite? Not really, I honestly don't find this anything special and taste wise very similar to their Fire Tiger Milk but blended version, the main difference that I found was the topping, it has this crispy caramel sugar bits that's used in The Crown.

As for THE MAJESTY, I didn't try it but my sis did, it's a cereal milk drink kind and I know right away I won't like it because I have never been a fan of cereal milk drink.

DIY DRINKS

Fire Tiger Indonesia is currently launching the DIY drinks for those who feel a bit more adventurous but LIMITED to their Fire Tiger Milk & Fire Tiger Milk Tea only, I honestly prefer the ready to drink version to the DIY for the comparison I experienced myself, somehow the ready to drink version was tastier and as much as I want to believe that everything's equally measured for the DIY version, but it still tasted different, I notice they're also giving ice cubes but unfortunately half of it melted as it reached home (and I used my own for this pic), well at the end of the day, if you're really concern about the best state of flavor, the freshly made one should be the best (and I mean dine in), to go or not to go to the mall is your call.

Overall, I would give Fire Tiger an 8/10, even though I still like the one in Bangkok better, and I believe it's always the issue with foreign franchises that are here: MILK, I have no idea what milk they're using in Bangkok and what they're using here, but I have a good feeling they're different, but overall still an 8 because I enjoyed the drinks, they still have the original flavor character that I vividly remember.

The souvenirs are KYUT! Even though it has the branding on it, it's the kind that I don't mind using.

Fire Tiger

Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall level 3A

Jl. M.H Thamrin No. 1 - Jakpus 10350

Opening hours: 10 AM-8 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 100k

Dresscode: none

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BOOST JUICE INDONESIA - GANDARIA CITY

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:16:00 +0000

One of this week's happiest news: BOOST IS FINALLY BACK TO INDONESIA! I was invited by Nick, the owner of Boost to the soft opening and quick catch up and it was nice seeing the man who decided to bring back Boost to Indonesia, they had their moments here years ago before leaving to reopen! Their first outlet is in Gandaria City and I have been getting lots of tags from you guys for the past week, mainly my favorite: ALL BERRY BANG!

This will be a super short review because you can definitely tell that I am giving a good one since I have been raving about it on my Instagram! Some details that you need to know: it's located precisely at the Mainstreet area of Gandaria City and next to Ramen-Ya! I have compared the pricing to the one in Singapore/KL/Australia and I must proudly say that Jakarta's pricing is the lowest with price tag ranging from IDR 35-ish to IDR 60k, my All Berry Bang is priced at IDR 53k while the one in Singapore can be around IDR 60k+ when converted!

For those who are looking for something with less calories they also have their Calorie Counters (around 150-250 calories/serving), you can opt for their Pure Eden, Red Royale (berries), Wonder Melon, Mini Me Mango! I know I am such a sucker for their All Berry Bang, but some of my other favorites are Soraya's Favorite (mango, green tea mix), Mango Magic (as the name suggests...), and Gym Junkie (strawberries, banana with low fat milk/soy and yogurt).

Short to say, welcome back to Indonesia and this time, I hope more people appreciate you! Wishing you nothing but the best of luck! Long live healthy indulgence <3

Boost Juice

Mainstreet, Gandaria City UG fl.

Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 10

Gandaria, Jakarta Selatan 12240

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 100k

Dresscode: none

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BRUN CHOCO: BEST CHOCOLATE DRINK IN TOWN!

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 17:24:00 +0000

Ever since I posted about BRUN on my Instagram, miraculously until today people have been asking me questions about BRUN and tagged me their BRUN purchases, and I am super thankful about it, simply for trusting what I always recommend you guys! This blog is written to talk about BRUN in details while recommending you my personal favorites!

Some of the most frequently asked questions about BRUN is whether this is a local/international brand, how should I put it, well this is a local brand with international quality, they claim to use the blend of premium Italian and Belgian chocolate for their drinks and I notice first hand with my very own eyes that their hot chocolate is made from chocolate blocks with milk mixture (photos below).

PS: they have a few outlets in Jakarta but I went to the one in Emporium Mall, you can also find their outlets at Central Park Mall, Gandaria City, Supermal Karawaci and Living World!

I noticed they sealed the chocolate blocks with plastic, hygiene checked!

Now the chocolate block is the base for all of their drinks and it needs milk to dilute the intensity and make it more "serving and drink appropriate".

Their chocolate drinks come in variations such as: BRUN Signature Chocolate, BRUN Specialties (Spicy Chocolate, Coconut Surprise, Seasalt), FLAVORED (Banana Chocolate, Hazelnut Chocolate, Orange Chocolate, Peppermint Chocolate, Mojito Chocolate). Price range for their drink is from IDR 28k-35k.

I notice they recently launched this new drink called Power Pack Iced Chocolate with Rum, almost like on the go breakfast meal-drink for that boost of morning energy. I absolutely love this drink, beautifully creamy, the cereal starts off crunchy when freshly poured on top but by time softens when bathed in the chocolate drink, the rum was definitely there but didn't overpower the performance of the chocolate.

Of course you can choose to have the hot/cold drink, I don't normally opt for hot drinks when I'm in Jakarta especially since this city is pretty humid, but I gotta admit their chocolate drink is as good when it's served hot, both are good in their own way!

I tried some of their best sellers and I have to say I LIKE everything, none that I find myself disliking, strictly because I feel each variant is different, unique and tasty in their own way. I thought I would not like their pink salt chocolate (just from thinking about it) and turns out it's one of my favorites, somehow the saltiness from the pink salt blends so well with the sweet creamy chocolate, the peppermint chocolate is also good, it doesn't taste like this shitty artificial drink, it did give you this peppermint spice and aroma that I found enjoyable when I'm in the mood, but if you ask me to name my MOST FAVORITE, it has to be their BRUN Signature Chocolate, BUT the creamier kind, okay let's just put it this way, I am a classic guy, I love classics and their signature chocolate is indeed, in my opinion, without a doubt, for sure (awkay) one of THE BEST in town: it's so creamy, thick but didn't bloat me out, I can tell it's high quality chocolate from its performance and how it didn't left this weird texture on my mouth's ceiling, still had that enjoyable bitter quality, and the perfect amount of milk infused. ABSOLUTELY LOVE BRUN!!!

Just how creamy their chocolate drink is! All nature, didn't have artificial sweetener infused!

Some days, I am easily pleased, some days I am just totally bitchy and demanding, but when it comes to chocolate drink, I am easily pleased when it's done right, vice versa when it's a joke, and BRUN is exactly one that left that sweet taste in my mouth <3

BRUN

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XING FU TANG INDONESIA

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 12:34:00 +0000

Brown sugar milk drink has got to be the most happening drink trend at the moment. Period.

More and more foreign brands are opening in town, and from what I see they have successfully captured the hearts of Jakartans from the long long daily queue! I, myself haven't had the chance to try Tiger Sugar Indonesia (hopefully soon), but recently I was invited to the opening of Xing Fu Tang Indonesia in Lippo Mall Puri and I felt lucky that day because I didn't need to queue and they were very generous in providing us with their drinks, I managed to try most of them and I am going to review them in this blog post!

Xing Fu Tang is a relatively fresh brand, originated and established in Taiwan, in just a short span of existence, they have managed to open branches all over the world, including Jakarta now! I met the owner of the brand on the opening night but forgot to have any picture together, but he was nice, outgoing and friendly! Xing Fu Tang Lippo Mal Puri is located at the LG level of the mall, not too far from Momoiro!

As soon as I reached the store, I noticed one thing that captivated me instantly: THEY MAKE THEIR OWN BOBA, and I do appreciate that because then you'll have fresh bubbles, and if they know how to perfectly cook them they will turn out to be perfect texture wise! I heard people waited 2-3 hours just for the drinks so I did have quite an expectation towards this one!

The main reason why I love brown sugar drinks is probably because this kind of drink is not overly sweet, and here you can experience the overall making process from scratch and all live. The bubble's made from the mixture of prepped dry batter, brown sugar and water, molded and cut into small pieces (PS: their bubble is slightly smaller compared to the common bobas you find on the market right now), followed by the cooking process, chilling and further cooking process together with the brown sugar! After that they will start marking the glass with the brown sugar bubble, mix the milk and cream in, topped with brown sugar brulee (torched) and ready to serve! Check out this video to match the visual you had in mind.

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<N E W> - FINALLY! FROM TAIWAN TO JAKARTA! Due to tons of requests, here is my honest review of the newly opened XING FU TANG! Aku bakal kasih penilaian dari beberapa aspek, kalau dari overall balance, I understand kenapa banyak yang bilang mereka enak: the overall balance is right, creamynya cukup dapet (even though overall aku expect more), gak overly milky and manisnya pas, TAPI harus aduknya yang rata ya (or as they say 18 STIRS), THE BUBBLE? Homemade & ukurannya lebih kecil dari bubble kebanyakan & di outletnya ada live kitchen for live experience, flavor and texture wise: SPOT ON! Chewynya dapet, moistnya dapet, dan karena brown sugar bubblenya itu sweetenernya jadi kalian GAK BISA adjust sweetnessnya ya! Overall memang kalau dari segi balance mereka menang, tapi belum bisa ngalahin R&B yang jadi my all time favorite, the only thing I expected more is the overall consistency to be creamier and the brown sugar brulee to be more generous ❤️! WELCOME TO INDONESIA! . IG: @xingfutang_indonesia

A post shared by 👑 HANS DANIALS 👑 (@eatandtreats) on Jun 12, 2019 at 6:12am PDT

milk + cream

topped with brown sugar, then torched brulee style!

My verdict:
They are very good with the balance of the drink BUT you have to stir everything properly so each ingredient blend well together (they have this 18 stirs rule FYI but a formality because they believe 18 is a lucky number), the overall taste doesn't feel overly milky and sweet, but a tad less creamy that I expected, the brown sugar's properly given and gotta give it to the bubble because the texture, moisture and firmness was just SPOT ON! I tried their Grass Jelly Brown Sugar Milk and apparently I like that better than the Brown Sugar Boba Milk, not sure why but I felt the balance was just better with this combo.

If you ask me whether it's worth the queue, well I don't queue for food (or drinks), I am the "okay next time" type and willing to wait for the moment to fade a bit then jump in, so three hours for a drink feels non-sense, but if you are willing to do so that's 100% your right LOL, and if you ask me to name my favorite, my number one is still R&B Tea in Singapore and Kokumi's different compared to the other ones.

This unicorn sparkling drink was basically Sprite with colored glitter and jelly topping for me, too pleasing for the eye but in terms of flavor, just flavored fresh soda.

Xing Fu Tang

Lippo Mal Puri LG fl.

Jalan Puri Indah Raya Blok U1

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

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TAPAS CLUB JAKARTA: ONE OF THE BEST SPANISH RESTAURANT IN JAKARTA??

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Wed, 22 May 2019 18:17:00 +0000

I don't think there are a lot of Spanish restaurants in Jakarta and to narrow it down even more: good Spanish restaurants in Jakarta! Plan B, Javanegra & Por Que No are some of the good ones that pop in my head if you spontaneously bring the topic, anyway recently I was invited to have lunch at this restaurant that I've been wanting to go but haven't got the chance (and now finally did!) called Tapas Club, this franchise is originated from Singapore (and they also have one in Malaysia) and their Jakarta branch is located at Setiabudi One precisely next to St. Ali!

PS: you know the drill, just because I got invited to the event doesn't mean that I would give positive reviews, review is always going to be based on my personal experience, and honest.

Let's start with the gorgeous interior, I love it! It's classy while still keeping it homey and overall simple, the brick wall gave this warm vibe that I love, not sure whether it's a Spanish restaurant thing or to built the homey vibe, but the red bricks, I mean, just fits the concept so well, and the other details on the leather sofa, the orange seats and all just screams class!

Rack of good Spanish wines!

I feel like I need to explain you guys a little bit about Tapas, let's just put Tapas as the Spanish version of Japanese Izakaya, normally dishes that's served in small portions and meant to be shared, the key is SHARING and normally people enjoy Tapas with some alcohol: cocktails, wines, Sangria, but if you don't drink alcohol you can absolutely drink it with whatever you want, no rules, feel free.

Sangria - IDR 125k/glass, IDR 440k/jug

OMG when it comes to staple Spanish drink, nothing is more Spanish than Sangria, it's basically red wine mixed with juice (normally orange juice) with various chopped fruits (apple, orange, berries), it might sound simple to create but to be honest, out of the ones that I've tried, the amount of wine and juice just has to be right, but Tapas Club's is actually pretty good!

Croquetas De Pollo - IDR 55k

THE MUST ORDER HERE! This one was so good that my table decided to order another portion (well not in a shameless way but after gladly offered by the restaurant's manager)! Their take of chicken croquette is different compared to others, apparently NO POTATO is involved in the cooking process, they use thick cooking cream and chicken, slowly cooked everything together until they turn pretty solid, shaped and deep fried! I don't get how the coating can be crunchy or how the shape is maintained when it's cooked (instead of breaking apart or melt), but anyway this one is MUST ORDER: you got the flavor (properly seasoned for me), the texture and the addiction later!

Creamy but not overly thick for my liking!

Tortilla da Patatas - IDR 55k

Japanese style omelette with generous potato chunks, it was good but not out of the world good.

Gambas Al Ajillo - IDR 110k

TAKE NOTE, another favorite of mine from the lunch! Another Spanish staple: garlic prawns! Oh my goodness this one's SUPER GOOD but really it's all in the prawns, if they're not fresh in the first place then the dish is failing! The prawns were so fresh that it's so crunchy and naturally sweet but cooked with garlic, olive oil and seasoned just beautifully that it's just spot on savory, salty and aromatic, I literally forgot the breads were there (heard supposed to be combined but I didn't need them! LOL)

I suppose, how you should eat it?

Huevo, Patata Y Jamon - IDR 80k

I notice that the lunch that day was pretty heavy on potatoes, which is a good thing ;), anyway this one is delicious, probably another favorite, consist of bed of moist potatoes topped with ham, soft boiled egg and truffle oil dressing! All in the ham baby, so fresh and so good!

#eggporn

Torreznos Con Trinxat - IDR 90k

Wanted to like this more but apparently I am not the biggest fan of sour cabbage, but the grilled pork belly was good tho!

Paella Mixta - event special size, but normally IDR 190k

I will put the review on what should be good in a Spanish restaurant: PAELLA! Paella is one of my favorite Spanish food and if it's done right, my fond level towards a restaurant just raises a few points LOL! The chef showed us the making of the giant paella, a lot enough to feed 50-ish people that were on the event that day! Speaking of Paella, it's a Spanish rice-dish with various toppings (normally seafood), cooked with stock and seasoned with mainly salt and pepper.

Their version of paella is... I think I am going to use the word "original" because it did taste like the one that I had in Spain, very lightly seasoned, maybe not THAT savory as how you would expect, but they cook it perfectly, the rice was nicely done, seafood's fresh and if you ask me, and since I appreciate originality and authenticity, I like it!

My concern is that maybe most of you would expect more seasoning.

Churros Con Chocolate - IDR 40k

Sweet closure to end the lunch that day and talk about Spanish dessert... CHURROS aka Spanish long fried bread! I absolutely love their churros OMG it has this gorgeous thickness and consistency, not oily (which is important to steal my heart), the chocolate dipping might not be as thick as I imagined but that's not a big problem for me, the churros alone was among the best ones in Jakarta. Period.

Pampered with food and friends, thank you for having me, last notes: Tapas Club is a serious restaurant (not like expensively serious), AND oh I was surprised by the pricing, it's just okay for Jakarta's hip restaurant standard, and they serve good authentic Spanish food! Oh fuck I am thinking about their chicken croquette now okay byeee!

Tapas Club

Setiabudi One Building 2 unit 103

Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 62

Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan 12920

021 - 5290 7135

Opening hours:

11 AM-2 PM, 4:30 PM-11 PM

(Fri & Sat closes at 12 AM)

Average spending for two: IDR 300k

Dresscode: none

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TIGER SUGAR JAKARTA - SOON IN MALL KELAPA GADING!

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 19:51:00 +0000

Good news everyone! Tiger Sugar is opening SOON in Mal Kelapa Gading 2, by the time this post is written, it's exactly ONE WEEK AWAY from the scheduled opening!

I think I haven't really given my two cents about Tiger Sugar's Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cream Mousse, aside from the one I did on Instagram, so here you go: firstly, Tiger Sugar doesn't have complicated menus, so it's technically they are mostly milk based drinks (NO MILK TEA HERE), you CAN NOT customize your sugar level, amount of ice or toppings! This particular drink is priced at S$5.3, they have the no-topping version with the same price!

Anyway don't get confused as they also have the Brown Sugar Milk with Pearls and Cream Mousse, if you wonder the difference between Boba and Pearls, the Boba is the larger tapioca pearls, while the Pearls are the smaller ones, and you can choose to have it mixed :)! If you ask me my favorite, to be frank with you, for this kind of drink I would opt for the Boba: I just need something larger with this enjoyable mouthful chewiness to balance the creaminess of this drink!

I recommend taking photo AS SOON AS POSSIBLE because I didn't expect the brown sugar to mix and disappear that fast, as suggested by the staff there, shake the cup 15-20 times to have everything mixed evenly!

I think I didn't mix the drink evenly the first time that my first sip wasn't exactly the most enjoyable, I think I had mainly the cream mousse on that first sip and it felt so milky and too sweet and I almost didn't like this drink, but after I stirred everything with my straw (hoping it's even enough), fortunately it wasn't as sweet as that first sip and after each sip I gradually liking this drink more and more! I believe the milk is thick and more to the heavier side but the brown sugar was certainly the highlight of the drink: aromatic, rich, caramelized but not the kind that would make you go bloated and my bubbles were moist and chewy enough. Safe to say I ended up liking Tiger Sugar!

Can't wait for it to open in Jakarta soon. I hope everything goes well for the opening and I won't have to review them to filth! LOL!

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ONEZO: BEST BROWN SUGAR MILK DRINK IN JAKARTA?

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 19:20:00 +0000

The brown sugar milk drink is by far THE MOST happening F&B trend this year, more and more foreign brands are opening (and I heard more, soon) and to be frank, I am excited HAHA!

One of the many foreign brands that are opening here is One Zo, a bubble tea drink brand that's originated from Taiwan and they emphasize their brown sugar milk tea as the main star here! They open their first outlet in Aeon Mall BSD and located inside the Food Culture area (Aeon's food court on G floor).

Left: Dirty Brown Sugar Milk Tea - IDR 39k (L), Right: Dirty Brown Sugar Milk- IDR 48k (L)

Call me lucky because apparently on the precise time of my visit the bubble master from Taiwan was there and he did this live bubble making process so all the passing guests can experience with their own eyes the behind the scenes of their iconic boba production! Everything's made from scratch, they use only natural ingredients for coloring (from real fruits) and the process below was the MARVEL inspired bubble as by the time this post is written, the Avengers End Game is coming real soon on theatres!

Molding

Wrapped before adapting to the room temperature and chilled for a bit..

The bubble machine!

...if I'm not mistaken I think the overall process took around 20-30 minutes, it's the cooking process that took longer because they want to make sure the bubble had the right moisture and texture! One thing for sure I HIGHLY APPRECIATE the fact that they make their own bubble, I just think it's cool!

Anyway talk about bubbles they have four kinds of bubbles here, yes FOUR kinds and each made from different ingredient: Brown Sugar (IDR 7k), Black Sesame (IDR 7k), Crystal (IDR 5k), and Mango Bubble (IDR 7k)!

Clockwise: Mango Milkshake, Wintermelon-Lemon, Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Brown Sugar Milk

If you ask me to name my favorite, before that let me tell you that I love both of the drinks (milk tea/milk version), I found them to be equally nice and enjoyable, and DELICIOUS! The milk version is of course creamier without being overly milky, but since I am more of a milk tea guy, I like the milk tea better, because I just love when milk and tea meet together, there's this beautiful balance of milk & tea and really they make good couple! I did a bit of experiment and actually ordered one more Dirty Brown Sugar Milk Tea with 50% sugar and here's my take: the normal sugar (100%) has this wonderful balance and gave this "creamier" texture that I find entertaining to my palate, but the 50% has the amount of sugar that I like but not as creamy as the standard serving, so really it's your call! Both are good in my opinion.

The Wintermelon-Lemon drink (IDR 39k - L) is lacking this lemon flavor and I only got the sweet Wintermelon and I found it a bit too sweet so I might pass on that one, however the Mango Milkshake is DELICIOUS, again a tad too sweet (and believe me I have passed what I feel about it to the staffs there and the owner happened to be there asking for my two cents) but spot on creaminess and mango flavor!

They gave me two more drinks for me to try: Italian Cocoa Latte (IDR 44k - L), Taro Milk Tea (IDR 33k - L), I love the chocolate drink! I don't myself hard to be entertained by chocolate drinks, just please avoid cheap tasting chocolate and business owners should be sensitive about that! If you can't differentiate cheap and premium chocolate then I can't do much to help you really, and theirs defo don't taste cheap with smooth aftertaste (not gritty), the Taro Milk Tea is also enjoyable, but tastes just common, like ones you can find elsewhere, it's exactly the same.

Their Dirty Brown Sugar series is definitely one of the best that I've had in town! I had zero complaint about that, I love the sweetness, the creaminess and on top of all, the chewiness of the bubble!!! Other drinks that I recommend would be the Mango Milkshake, the Italian Cocoa Drink and maybe you can explore more as they have quite a few options! Price wise they're above their peers, but if they promise to keep up with the quality, I would be very glad, especially since people have been tagging me NON-STOP, literally and I mean LITERALLY every single day since I first posted about this! That makes me happy and I love you!

Thank you for reading, I am counting the days to Tiger Sugar's opening!

One Zo

Food Culture - Aeon Mall BSD

Jalan BSD Raya Utama

Tangerang 15345

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 80k

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Map for Aeon BSD

GREENFIELDS YOGURT DRINK

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:07:00 +0000

I am a firm believer that most health problems are related to our digestive system, this is stemmed from two years ago when I had the worst case of gastric pain, I literally took all the blood test that a lab could possibly handle, cost me millions, all that to know that my gastric acid was in a pretty terrible state that I need to stop consuming certain food, work out (and work less so that I'm not stressed out), and from that I believe that our digestive system and gastric are almost like the door to what you're feeling about your body, if you don't treat them well they can fight you back, but if you take very good care they will help you get through the day, or even your life.

I am recently introduced by this new product, long story short hooked and now it's me turn to introduce you guys to this new healthy indulgence that's not only practical, contains a lot of health benefits but also very tasty: GREENFIELDS YOGURT DRINK!

Prior the launching of Greenfields Yogurt Drink, I had the privilege to attend the launching of Greenfields Yogurt two years ago (you can read more HERE) and I treasure more behind Greenfields and the AustAsia Group as a whole and the ventures they have in store: from realizing the fact that they have 80.000 cows bred in China alone (and 10.000 in Indonesia - Holstein & Jersey breed) and from that they can produce 930 tons of milk every single day and that milk becomes the base of their products: milk, yogurt, cheese, whipped cream, butter and now... yogurt drink!

One of the things that I am fond of Greenfields Yogurt Drink is that they don't include any antibiotics and made from 100% real milk (along with the bacteria to convert the milk to yogurt), beware of the fake ones with tons of artificial ingredients and sugar! Yogurt is the kind of drink that we consume to help us with our digestive system: most famous for naturally help easen up our digestive system, as well as awesome protein, calcium, & vitamin source, control our blood pressure, weight, and a 'friend' who helps us with our immune system!

Greenfields Yogurt Drink are currently available in 5 flavors: lychee, peach, blueberry, strawberry and mixed fruits! It's affordably priced at IDR 8.500/bottle! Their yogurt drink is not the overly sour kind, for me it's more dominated by sweet taste with a hint of sour, but overall quite balance. I have tried every one and if you ask me to name my favorite, it has to be the blueberry for the delicate yet tasty blueberry drink but my mind is always in the state of knowing "this also has health benefits", that's why in this entry I also want to share, well not a recipe, but how I implement my favorite blueberry drink to my breakfast!

You can definitely play with the other variants, while they're targeted more for "on-the-go" situation, to be a little creative won't hurt anybody right? :)

I found that the yogurt drink can be a good substitute to the milk, not only that it's tastier but also the fact that it's infused with flavor! Greenfields Blueberry Yogurt Drink + your favorite fruit + your favorite cereal and here's a hearty simple breakfast!

Have you guys tried this? Let me know your favorite flavor! As what's being said by Syahbanta Sembiring (Country Head Sales & Marketing PT AustAsia Food), Greenfields Yogurt Drink is made #BukanUntukYangSetengahMati, so if you're one of those people who deal with major everyday mobility, this one's for you! Stay healthy!

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PAN & CO JAPANESE FLUFFY PANCAKES - KELAPA GADING

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 19:14:00 +0000

One of the most happening food trend at the very moment is Japanese pancakes, more and more brands start bringing this menu into their line-up and one of them is Pan & Co, a new cafe specializes in serving Japanese fluffy pancakes and they just recently opened in Mal Kelapa Gading! This happens to be their very first outlet and in case you wonder from the branding and such, this is a local brand, but they do get inspired by Japanese design and implemented that on their concept, branding and food!

If you love the color yellow then you might love this place, it POPS, bright, fun and just in time when the crowd gets packed, the vibe just feels even more enhances. Pan & Co is located at Mal Kelapa Gading 2 next to EZO Cheesecake, you can make the entrance via mall or the connecting path from the parking building.

The queue was pretty long at the time of my visit (around 1 PM) and there were about 5 queues ahead of me, such a usual phenomenon when it comes to new and hip places opening in town! As I told you earlier, Pan & Co emphasizes their Japanese fluffy pancakes as the main star, but they also have various non pancake menus like toasts, light bites, salads and bento, all that with decent line up of curated drinks! I am fully aware that the pancakes will take some time to make, but I notice not everyone are well prepared for that (or care), but yes, it will take at least 15-20 minutes to cook your pancakes because that's just how it goes, it needs more patience and requires more attention to cook this kind of pancake!

Enough yakking, let's just dive into what they have in store!!!

Ginza Galaxy - IDR 35k

This is simply MUST TRY! Not only that it comes in this gorgeous presentation and color, but taste wise, this is also very good and refreshing! Passionfruit base with blue pea tea soda, lemon and strawberries!

French Fries Takoyaki Style - IDR 32k

The light bite that you can munch on while waiting for your pancakes to be done, simple but pleasant: moist shoestring fries (not the super dry and crunchy type) topped with mayonnaise, bonito flakes, nori and served with this tasty takoyaki sauce, the takoyaki sauce has this hint of spicy that I found enjoyable!

Strawberry Miss You - IDR 59k

Two pieces of Japanese fluffy pancakes with homemade honey whipped cream, fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and ice cream on the side! The moment I knew I love their pancakes was when I realized their pancakes were FRESH without this overpowering eggy/fishy smell! Texture wise, indeed super fluffy but still pretty much cake-like texture, the pancakes are also not sweet (if not, perfect sweetness) so that when you have them together with the toppings, everything feels balance! The strawberry jam is made fresh and it's refreshing, I don't know if they imported the strawberries, but they were also fresh, overall almost like this strawberry compote!

Chizu Boba - IDR 59k

When Japanese pancake meets boba! I found the texture of the pancake the same (I understand they come from the same kitchen but keep reading) and this one's actually very simple: pancakes with cream cheese topping and chewy boba (black pearls), and oh, served with vanilla ice cream too, but really I barely touched the ice cream, I even forgot it's there and I can live without it. The cream cheese has got to be the highlight for me as I love the mix of sweet and salty flavor without being overly cheesy in the same time! The bobas are moist and chewy, very enjoyable!

If you ask me, I still prefer the Strawberry Miss You way better!

Teriyaki Chicken and Egg - IDR 65k

The reason why I said the texture of the pancake might be different is because they are! For savory menus, the wheat pancakes are used, hence the drier texture, more cakey, but still pretty much moist! I think the fact that the pancake is drier & more airy is the reason why I love this dish, because when you have it together with the savories, they match better! Anyway it's just my opinion, but since the toppings are already quite fulfilling, I found one pancake should do better for me, but when they give you two instead of one maybe it's just best to be grateful LOL!

Pancake with egg, teriyaki chicken, sauteed mushroom and salad, my problem with this is probably the lack of sauce...and the egg! I expected the fluffy saltier egg but it was plain, the teriyaki chicken is seasoned very well tho, the sauteed mushroom didn't do much, oh, I think sausage would do very well with the pancake!

Texture close up!

At the very moment, Pan & Co's pancakes are legit, the best one in town, it's close to the Japan's very own Happy Pancake (only I found Happy Pancake's more golden in terms of color). I hope they keep up with the quality!

Pan & Co

Mal Kelapa Gading 2

Jalan Mandiri Utara, Kelapa Gading

Jakarta Utara 14240

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 200k

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Map for MKG 2

SUSHI MATSU SENOPATI

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 18:59:00 +0000

Japanese cuisine will always have a special place in my heart, and just for so many reasons, but out of the many, one has got to be how the best things are best enjoyed raw and sometimes they're so raw and fresh they just speak for themselves! Out of the many Japanese restaurants opening in Jakarta, one of my top favorites at the moment has got to be Sushi Matsu, they recently opened their second outlet, following the elder, existing and successful first outlet in Menteng!

Their second outlet is located at Jalan Suryo, precisely next to Okuzono restaurant! The interior is very simple, neat and just proper, overall still with touches of Japanese details here and there.

I was invited to come to the bloggers gathering event some time ago, but I have to be frank and tell you guys that I didn't manage to try everything because there were many bloggers coming that day, so I am just going to highlight some of my personal favorites that I managed to dig in! As the name suggests, SUSHI Matsu definitely focuses in serving sushi creations and fresh sashimi, but they also have a lot of non-sushi & sashimi menus like teppanyaki, donburi, noodles (ramen/udon), gyukatsu and more!

Ika Mentaiyaki - IDR 98k

Grilled squid with mentai sauce, might be a simple appetizer but it's actually packed with flavors, the generous mentai sauce was bold and tasty, enhancing but balancing in the same time.

Aburi Sushi Mori Matsu - IDR 178k

This is the platter of some of their best-selling torched sushi, and in frame there are 8: Salmon, Salmon Mentai, Ika, Shimaaji, Otoro, Tuna, Ebi, Ebi Mentai & Unagi! Tried some of them and they were pretty much BOMBS! Again, the ingredient spoke for themselves, the sashimi was already fresh, they lightly glazed the surface with the homemade sauce, some with additional toppings and carefully torched!

Salmon

Unagi & Otoro

Otoro (Fatty Tuna)

Shimaaji (White Trevally)

Ika (Squid)

Hana Sushi - IDR 148k

Here you can also customize your own sushi stairs and sushi house (and they're famous for that), with minimum purchase of 4 sushis, but this time we got the Hana Sushi with 5 kinds of their beautiful sushi like the followings that you'll be seeing: there's one with aburi salmon and spicy mentai, beef sushi, and one with scallop! These are like burst of flavor and meant to be eaten as a whole!

Seafood Butter - IDR 138k

Another one that I found stood out from the crowd was their Seafood Butter, basically cooked seafood with butter sauce! First, the butter sauce: fragrant, savory, nicely salty just how I imagined it before digging in, secondly, the seafood: the shrimp was fresh, scallop was juicy and naturally sweet, squid was nicely tender and the cod was soft!

Truffle Gyudon with Onsen Egg & Garlic Chips - IDR 98k

This is their non-seafood dish and this is almost like this staple menu that most Japanese restaurants in Jakarta needs to have, however, each restaurant delivers it quite differently, and Sushi Matsu's rendition of gyudon's pretty satisfying: proper seasoning, overall flavorful and aromatic, perfectly cooked beef (medium), mandatory runny egg and crispy garlic chips for texture. Nothing to hate really.

Dry Ramen with extra Salmon Topping - IDR 58k+30k, IDR 88k

I found the texture of the ramen pleasing, but a little more kick of savory and salty to it would make me love this even more, the salmon was fresh and juicy, mandatory to have that with the ramen! They also have other toppings like Scallop (IDR 35k), Gyuniku (beef - IDR 25k), Ebi (IDR 25k), Soft Shell Crab (IDR 30k), Mushrooms (IDR 20k)

Bara Chirasi - IDR 138k

As much as I wanted to love this, I didn't try this at all, just posting it because it looks so pretty! From what I saw the chirasi has toppings like unagi, cubed kani, tamago, raw salmon, tuna, white trevally, shrimp, with additional ebiko and tobiko topping!

Gyukatsu Matsuyaki - IDR 158k

I didn't expect much from this at first, somehow I didn't see any marbling from the beef, but as it's cooked and slowly appear to be super aromatic, it started to show its charm LOL, gotta appreciate the hot stone for distributing the nice amount of heat because I found that's the little detail that's missed by some restaurants, sometimes the pan can overheat that it started to smoke a lot and left this bitter flavor on the meat and my palate! Sushi Matsu's version of gyukatsu is enjoyable!

Shiok Maki (4 pcs - IDR 68k, 8 pcs - IDR 128k)

Indeed, it was a SHIOK moment for me because this was good! Wonderfully simple with unagi, avocado, cucumber, mentai and salmon tobiko mixed sauce! Flavor flavor flavor!!!

Their famous sushi house!

Update: came back here two days ago because I was craving for good Japanese dinner, particularly thought about Chirasi and I remember their Chirasi was so freaking good (intermezzo to the one that I had at their Menteng outlet), initially wanted to have the Chirasi only but ended up with 6 dishes LOL, some are ones that I posted above (so I didn't take any pic), but now showing you some of the menus that I never had before (or shown before) for the dinner!

Sashimi Mori Matsu - IDR 168k

5 kinds of sashimi, each served two so we had 10 on the platter! There were Salmon, Tuna, Hokkigai (Surf Clamp), Ika and Hamachi (Japanese Amberjack), everything was fresh and delightful!

Matsu Chirasi - IDR 178k

EXACTLY what I had imagined for dinner that night: assorted (9 kinds) sashimi on bed of rice! This was SO GOOD and fresh I'm gonna cryyy now typing this and freaking hungryyyyyyy!!! The cuts were even, the otoro was surely the bad ass BOMB, but overall, satisfying! I would actually pay more than IDR 178k to be frank with you.

Sushi Matsu has always been consistent with their performance, went here 4 times already and never left disappointed, easily one of my most favorite casual Japanese restaurants in town, and compared to their peers, one of the best for sure!

Sushi Matsu Senopati
Jalan Suryo No. 2
Senopati, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan 12180
021 - 5203 062
Opening hours:
11 AM-3 PM (lunch)
6 PM-11 PM (dinner)
Average spending for two: IDR 400k
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Map for Sushi Matsu Senopati

NYAH KUNYAH BY WARUNG MJS: ONE OF THE BEST RICE BOWLS IN TOWN?

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 13:31:00 +0000

If you ask me to name one of my favorite Indonesian restaurants in Jakarta, easily Warung MJS is the one I have in mind among others, and unconsciously my mind particularly directed itself to their Ayam Setan, super spicy yet so good! Incase you haven't read my review of Warung MJS, it's HERE.

Warung MJS is mostly packed during lunch and dinner, but the team came to a realization that not everyone has the privilege to actually dine out during their busiest moment of the day (or simply those who are too lazy to dine out), so to cater that particular market, they now launch Nyah Kunyah, a sister brand which caters deliveries, Nyah Kunyah's products are mostly the simplified version of Warung MJS' best selling products with a twist! They happen to send me ALL OF THEIR PRODUCTS and here I am giving my honest two cents since a lot of you guys have been asking for a full review of this, anyway thank you very much who tagged me on your stories, appreciate them always!!!

There are currently 10 menus available and TOTALLY HALAL, they only use chicken & beef for the protein base here, most of the food here are spicy and they leave the non-spicy menus to the Ayam Bakar & Daging Sapi Grundel! Price range for food here is from IDR 39,5k (chicken menus)-IDR 44,5k (beef menus), the serving includes extra "kremesan (savory fried crumb topping)" and iced tea!

Ayam Sambal Setan - IDR 39,5k

I just need to review this first because it's my favorite menu in Warung MJS that they put here, it's SUPER SPICY, totally aware of that but in the same time can't stop digging for more! Compared to the beef version, I prefer the chicken one's better, well both are good but it's the meatier texture of the chicken that I think carry this dish better, and somehow more satisfying!

Sapi Sambal Setan - IDR 44,5k

Ayam Gongso - IDR 39,5k

If you want an option that's mild spicy but still packed with flavor then I think you might like this one! It's overall this good balance of flavor with this subtle hint of sweetness (but like this soft hint), also available in chicken & beef base, yet again if you ask me, I am still #teamchicken, the deep fried chicken has this lovely texture and thickness that I found perfect for the serving, the beef slices are also pretty tender.

Ayam Sambal Wewe - IDR 39,5k

Deep fried chicken tossed in generous green chili, judging from the experience, I initially thought the green chili would be super spicy but turns out it's more like "medium" rather than overly spicy, but always take what I say with a grain of salt because each and every one of us has different take on spicy things, yet again, team chicken on this one!

Sapi Sambal Matah - IDR 44,5k

I expected more from their Sambal Matah creations, I just don't think that the sambal matah flavor is quite there yet, well I mean it's simple and easily enjoyable, and in this case I prefer their beef version as I think it absorbs the seasoning better on this one!

These are the non-spicy options for those of you who fancy one: Daging Sapi Grundel (left) and Ayam Bakar (right), the texture of the beef is very similar to Yoshinoya's beef bowl, only with this sweet and savory Indonesian seasoning that's rich and packed with flavors, as for the Ayam Bakar, the chicken's pretty tender too but maybe in this case, the Daging Sapi Grundel won me over, BIG TIME, as it's juicier and wrapped in gorgeous seasoning!

So is Nyah Kunyah the best rice bowl vendor in town? Well, it might be, can't seem to label them the best of the best because quite frankly A LOT OF RICE BOWL BRANDS that I need to explore, but their rice bowls are bold in terms of seasoning, beef & chicken are tender & juicy, very little miss here and there, and who knows they might come up with fish bowls, I think fish like dory can benefit and perform so much from their top seasoning, ok salivating now thanks for reading!

Nyah Kunyah

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KOPISOE MUARA KARANG

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 12:44:00 +0000

This has got to be one of the MOST happening drinks at the very moment! Ever since I posted this on my Instagram I have been getting at least 40-50 tags every single day *brb making invoice for Kopi Soe* - they need to start cutting me A CHECK, lol just kidding!

Kopi Soe just opened their newest and probably the one with proper seating area in Muara Karang (precisely next to Delapan Gram cafe), the cafe's not the most spacious but inside there are a few tables for you to chill for a bit. My main purpose coming here is to check out & testify their highly raved Roegal for myself. In case you wonder, Roegal is basically fresh milk with rhum syrup and regal biscuits, so simple.

The interior is neat, simple and comfortable, nothing fancy and extraordinary, at the moment Kopi Soe focuses in serving coffee, but those who are for non-coffee drinkers, they also have selections like chocolate & matcha, and soya milk for non-dairy consumers! I opted for these followings on my visit Kopi Soe Goela Merah (18k), Es Coklat Rhum (25k), Roegal (23k), Yuzu SoeSoe(23k).

Kopi Susu Goela Merah (bottom right - IDR 18k), Es Coklat Rhum (bottom left - IDR 25k) if you like kopi susu/milk coffee that's stronger on coffee you might like this one, but if you ask me to name my ultimate favorite, nothing beats Tuku so far, I actually prefer their Kopi Susu Goela Merah with a hint of rhum for extra fragrance and this hint of flavor! If you want the stronger kick to your coffee they also have the 'Double Espresso' version! I have ZERO complaint and negative thing to say about their Es Coklat Rhum, it's absolutely delicious, sweet, doesn't taste like cheap ass chocolate drink, I think it's the best, easy & affordable chocolate drinks in town at the moment, a MUST TRY!

Anyway talk about the rhum, they claim that they use rhum syrup which is free from alcohol, but I can't guarantee that it's HALAL tho.

Roegal - IDR 23k
I honestly didn't expect much from this because if you ask me, I am not the biggest fan of Regal biscuits, well I mean I like it but not crazy about it! BUUUT somehow they manage to measure the right portion of each ingredient, hence this good satisfying drink! The rhum and milk blends so well that it's almost like drinking this pudding sauce (fla). I think a lot of people agree with my "judgement" about this drink and I enjoy watching your story tags, thank you so much!

I ask the staff there and they said 32 grams of Regal biscuits for each serving, I kinda ask for more (with extra charge)

Yuzu Soesoe - IDR 23k

I also enjoy their Yuzu drink because when you mix the Yuzu syrup and the milk, they blend into this beverage with beautiful sweetness, a hint of sour from the Yuzu, fragrant and absolutely fresh, the slightly more unique product that you don't see often at kopi susu vendor stall, but one that's absolutely worth trying!

Trend comes and goes, but somehow I believe this will remain, it's a simple satisfying thrist quenchers for the day, for times when you just want to slurp something when you're so busy with your chores. Wish them luck!

Kopi Soe

Jalan Pluit Karang Barat No. 15

Pluit, Jakarta Utara 14450

Opening hours: 8 AM-7 PM

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MOMO PARADISE - PLAZA INDONESIA

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 19:14:00 +0000

I have been raving about this shabu-shabu restaurant A LOT and I guess it's no longer a secret that you guys know how much I LOVE Momo Paradise! Point of this blog post is to let you guys know that MOMO PARADISE is now expanding to the Central and now in PLAZA INDONESIA YAAAAY finally the closest to where I live.

A little background about Momo Paradise: it's an all you can eat shabu-shabu restaurant originated from Shinjuku, Japan! First opened in Japan back in 1993 then followed by the expansion all over Asia at countries like Thailand, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia! They're also in the USA and at the moment (and by the time this post is published), 70 is the amount of restaurants they have all over the world.

There's no difference from ingredient wise to basically everything, there are still 4 options for the beef here: US Chuck Eyeroll, US Short Plate, Wagyu Brisket and Wagyu Chuck Eyeroll and believe me even the cheapest beef option here is GOOD and when you compare Momo Paradise to ones alike, Momo Paradise is far ahead of them! For the Wagyu, I heard they're using Australian Wagyu hence the awesome marbling, but in the same time less in fat. Price range for the shabu-shabu here starts from IDR 200k++ to 500k++ (in the future price may vary).

You can choose between Shabu-Shabu (original), Mushroom, Kimchi (a hint of spicy), and Sukiyaki (soy-ish flavor, slightly bolder in flavor with beautiful blend of sweet and savory).

Go for their Mushroom soup and Shabu-Shabu, not the biggest fan of their original broth because it's a tad plain (and indeed the soup's meant to be for cooking and dipping), if you're a soup drinker then you have to go for their Kimchi soup!

If you're planning to have their Sukiyaki soup and willing to spend more, I highly recommend you to go for their Wagyu beef selections, and FYI if you order their Sukiyaki soup they will always provide you with additional soup and water incase it's reducing and you need to dilute it.

...also if you order their Sukiyaki soup they'll prepare you egg for some kind of "dipping sauce" for your beef, but it's your call!

My mandatory ala carte order here: RAMEN! Their homemade ramen is so GOOD! Spot on texture!

Anyway I believe you guys know this review is going to be all positive, but indeed they're very consistent with their quality and performance, even the service is very good (waiters have good product knowledge, they let us know the procedure and everything with such grace and patience), so I really have no other option than giving them positive review. MOMO PARADISE is definitely one of the most consistent restaurants in town at the very moment! Enjoy the remaining pictures!

Momo Paradise

Plaza Indonesia 2nd floor

Jakarta Pusat 10350

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 400k

Dresscode: none

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SINGAPORE FOOD DIARY: THE BEST TIGER SUGAR MILK DRINK IN SINGAPORE???

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 19:36:00 +0000

What? The header picture is teasing your appetite? LOL keep reading to know where this is, but if you are a follower of my Instagram I believe you should know where since I've posted this one!

Feeling the spirit this week and I continuously hang on to the commitment I made to myself to share more on this platform so here I am sharing you guys my 4 days 3 nights journey exploring Singapore, and heavily on food! This is my second trip to Singapore this year, I just feel like there are so many things to explore in Singapore, especially food wise and trust me there are still so many to talk about and I will keep on returning, even when Singapore feels very expensive, anyway...

The list is going to be sorted by the time of visit, from the first to the last day! Enough yakking and please enjoy this post!

HEYTEA

Ion Orchard level B4 #29

2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

Opens 10 AM

Heytea was in my priority list since I didn't manage to get one on my last visit (sold out by 4 PM wow), I think it was Friday the day I arrived in Singapore, reached here by 2 PM and the queue was long, but the service was rapid, I barely waited for 15 minutes to get my orders! Tried out their best selling BOBO ICE CREAM (S$4,5) and BOBO BRULEE (brown sugar milk drink, S$4,5) and I seriously fell for their soft serve, OMG perfectly creamy with this wonderful caramel brulee flavor that I absolutely love, the overall consistency was thick, but perfectly sweet with sweet lovely aftertaste, as for the brown sugar milk boba drink, well to be frank I like it, it has this creamy texture that I like but less creamy when you compare this to Tiger Sugar's, drink wise, I prefer Tiger Sugar's maybe for their "cream brulee" that's adding this hint of sweetness and extra creaminess, but altogether on the right amount.

Tried the matcha version of the Bobo Brulee (S$6) but I don't think it fits my palate, I prefer the milk way more than the matcha as I was not fond of how the fact that the matcha kinda overpower the whole drink (and the brown sugar too!), but as for the berry drink on the right, OMG WTF SO FREAKING GOOOOOOOOD!!! Everything was just perfect, you can still feel how creamy the cheese is, how fruity the fruit smoothie is, perfectly sweet and enjoyable!

TIGER SUGAR
Paragon Shopping Mall, B1 #39-40
290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859
Opens 11 AM

Tiger Sugar has an outlet in Paragon Orchard (level B1) so why not made a stop there while I was already around Orchard, and oh I travel with my dear friend Cindy Lulaby, it's been a while since her last visit to Singapore so she's a total brown sugar milk drink virgin and her main mission was to taste and compare the brown sugar milk drink in Singapore! As I mentioned earlier, drink wise, I prefer Tiger Sugar to Heytea for the creamier texture and the overall impression of the drink, and Cindy also chose the same!

As this post is written, Tiger Sugar doesn't have any softserve creation, so I can't compare Heytea's softserve to any brand.

UNCLE CHIENG TRADITIONAL WAFER ICE CREAM!

Orchard Road, Singapore

Initially didn't plan to have this, but we just finished exploring Takashimaya and I stumbled upon this crowded S$1.2 ice cream stall and when I saw "Michelin Guide" I easily got triggered! The stall is called Uncle Chieng Traditional Wafer Ice Cream and truth be told, I think it's indeed the best S$1.2 ice cream I've had so far, simple sweet creamy snack to munch on a humid day, easily enjoyable!

NO SIGNBOARD SEAFOOD

Clarke Quay Central 4th level #63

6 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore 059817

Opens 11 AM

Set my expectation high but left with a bit of disappointment, the crab meat was a bit dense and dry, the chili crab sauce turned out to be lacking that kick of flavor (and after I posted this on my story a lot of you recommended me to go for their white pepper crab, oh how I wish to ask you guys before I ate), but thank goodness for the cereal prawn as it was the champ from the dinner! Dining here was pretty expensive too I think we spent almost S$400, overall, I think I prefer Jumbo's.

AH CHEW DESSERTS

1 Liang Seah Street, 10/11 Liang Seah Place

Singapore 189032

Opens 1:30 PM

Ah Chew is a popular local dessert house that's located around Bugis area and expect the long queue during night service! So glad that we didn't need to wait too long even though there were like 20 people ahead of us. We ordered three desserts to share: Mango Pomelo Sago (S$4.2), Durian Sago (S$6.5) and Watermelon Honeydew Sago (S$3.9). To be frank with you guys, nothing special about the Mango Pomelo Sago, just too sweet and too monotone for my liking, almost no layer of flavor, as for the Durian Sago: BIG YES! It's creamy, thick with bold durian flavor and the durian ice cream just adds in more fun! The Watermelon Honeydew dessert is also a good refreshing choice, very much like my favorite Es Buah Bangkok with sweet fruit and milk soup!

BEO CRESCENT CURRY RICE

40 Beo Crescent, Singapore 160040

Opens 6:30 AM

This was one of the most impressive food that I had among the trip and it's recommended by my dear friend Zippy who knows the best local hidden gems! Getting here might be a bit tricky, but the dining venue (which looked like food court) is located precisely beside the Beo Crescent Food Centre and next to Happy Oven bakery! This was not the "Scissor Cut" kind of curry rice and personally, compared to Scissor Cut, I prefer this one as I think this has more flavor, more kinds of tasty toppings and my goodness the squid-pork curry is EVERYTHING!!! The soy pork belly is so juicy and fatty and as simple as half done fried egg with salty soy sauce is appetizing, and don't forget the crispy pork skin for texture! Totally eatandtreats approved!

They have two serving methods here: if you come solo you can apply the "warteg" style order where you can point what you want and they will pile everything on the plate, but if you come as two (or more), they will apply the "padang" style order where you can tell them what you want but they will serve the toppings on some small plates like pictured above.

BARISTART

65 Tras st, Singapore 079004

Opens 10 AM

Baristart is one of the newest cafes to open in Singapore and originated from Japan! They're famous for their Hokkaido milk base desserts and boy I absolutely love what they offer here! Their coffee is AMAZING and the Hokkaido milk companion just made everything better, my Iced Latte with BIEI Milk (S$8) was creamy but not overly thick, just spot on! Indeed a bit hefty for a glass of coffee. The custard choux (below) had such generous filling, a bit milky for my liking but I believe a lot will like this kind too! I initially thought their kakigori will just be one of those Instagenic desserts that's only cute but not so much delicious, apparently quality wise pretty good too!

4 FINGERS

Ion Orchard level B4

2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

Opens 10 AM

Cindy has been craving for this one and since, again, she's a 4 Fingers virgin, off we went! It has also been a while since the last time I had this and as far as I can remember, I think they're pretty consistent with their chicken, even though the kimchi fries was lacking flavor!

BEAUTY IN A POT
The Centrepoint #05-15/16, Orchard
176 Orchard Road, Singapore 238843
Closes 6 AM, reopens 11:30 AM

Apparently some of my foodie friends were in Singapore last week so we decided to meet up and had dinner at Beauty in A Pot (omg hot pot date is the best!), most of them had Hai Di Lao before and wanted to try out BIAP to see which one is better! Some of my regular orders in BIAP has got to be their uber good Prawn Paste with Ebiko (S$18.80), Fried Beancurd Rolls (S$3 for half portion), Various Meatballs and Wontons! If you're looking for the flying noodle, they don't have it here (you might want to go to Hai Di Lao for that one), as for the soup base, I love the Beauty Collagen broth and Spicy Nourishing Broth (mala-ish soup).

So which one is better? It's hard to say because I think the difference is very thin, nothing super significant. If you're looking for that rich, numbing mala soup then you might like Hai Di Lao better, BIAP's version is also bold, but different kind compared to HDL's, in a way less mala-ish and more enjoyable as you don't have to occasionally pause due to the numbing, and as for the ingredients, I think both are pretty much the same, except BIAP's Ebiko Prawn Paste which for me is really the main reason why I constantly came back!!!

CHYE SENG HUAT HARDWARE

150 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore 207563

Opens 9 AM, closed on Mondays

I love Chye Seng Huat, I think it is one of the best coffee shops in Singapore, especially for those who fancy strong, bold body coffee (and oh that signature Papa Palheta beans), on days when I am looking for something less bold, I go for their White Cold Brew (S$7) which for me is among the best white cold brew drinks that I've had in my life! I often get two of the cold brew: one for dine in and conveniently one for takeaway (glass bottle rules).

I got tons of questions about the chocolate cake below, it's the Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Cake (S$5.5) and yes it's unbelievably good, perfectly sweet, uber moist and tasty!

JIA YUEN EATING HOUSE

13 Crane Road, Singapore 429359

Opens 12 PM

Another recommendation from Zippy who claim that this is THE BEST SALTED EGG CHICKEN for him in Singapore! Okay, honest review: the very first spoon reminds me of Secbowl's, like legit very much alike, but overall I still like Secbowl's better because Jia Yuen's version is very creamy, or maybe overly creamy for my liking and I would like it even more if the chicken's crispier with bigger cuts, BUT do order their salted egg dory because it's SUPER GOOD, the fish was so fresh, soft, smooth and somehow the amount of sauce was perfect on the fish dish, this was Zippy's treat but if I'm not mistaken he said he paid around S$25 for three portions!

BIRDS OF PARADISE

63 East Coast Road, 01-05, Singapore 428776

Opens 12 PM

...because after salty goodness you need something sweet to clean your palate #madeupreasons! My new favorite ice cream shop in Singapore: BIRDS OF PARADISE! The ice cream shop has been around for awhile but I was a total virgin to this one and boy it was such a delightful experience! ermmmm, anyway what you need to order here is their White Chamomile & Raspberry Lychee (two scoops for S$7.8), I found them to be different and unique in the most delicious way, their classic Pastachio is also very well executed, but White Chamomile it is for something different!

ENG'S WONTON NOODLE

287 Tanjong Katong Road

Singapore 437036

Opens 11 AM

I wasn't aware that there are two Eng's Noodle in Tanjong Katong, but according to those who replied to my story, apparently initially there's only one Eng's but the family got into this kind of feud, so long story short there are two Eng's now and located across to one another! Decided to try both to find out which one I like better #fairjudgement, both outlets priced the noodle at the same tag, but the serving was different: first, the color of the plate (the one align with Ponggol Nasi Lemak) uses white plate and the one across uses green plate, second, presentation! Remember vividly ordering the same thing (and spent the same amount) but one Eng's put the wontons on the noodle and the other placed the wontons entirely in the soup! Okay so which one is better? I found the one align to Ponggol Nasi Lemak Centre to be one better and slightly packed with more flavor, the other Eng's is oilier, but truthfully both are enjoyable in my opinion, it's just the matter of preference.

Big Dry Wonton Mee (S$5), they also have the soup version! As for the side dishes, they have boiled wontons, fried wontons and boiled vegetables!

PONGGOL NASI LEMAK CENTRE

Long ass queue, I didn't have this on my last visit but have tried before: I quite like it, but not out of the world good!

R&B TEA
Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956

Brace yourself for this one bitchessss because I'm about to reveal my favorite BROWN SUGAR MILK DRINK IN SINGAPORE!!! Okay not so much because I already revealed this prior this blog post!!! To be fair, I love every single one of brown sugar milk drink that I had in Singapore and each one has its plus and minus, pros and cons, but if you ask me to only name one, I think R&B TAKES THE MUTHAFUCKIN CROWN!!! It's really the cheese brulee that really elevates the whole performance, it's creamy, sweet and given quite generously, I love drinks with layers of flavor in a single serving and this one takes the cake, the milk reminds me of LiHo's kind, and the bubble to be HeyTea's/Tiger Sugar's! My runner up would be Tiger Sugar I guess, but as for the brown sugar milk tea I think R&B's version is pretty enjoyable, but not the best.

Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cheese Brulee (S$6.5 large)

HAI DI LAO
Clarke Quay, 3D River Valley Road, #02-04
Singapore 179023

OMG now that I am writing this I just realized how I ate so much that day, and man Hai Di Lao for supper. I don't know why but hot pots are just A MUST HAVE when I am in Singapore, but I think for some time I will stop sticking to Hai Di Lao & Beauty in A Pot and explore more since I believe Singapore has A LOT, so if you have more legit recommendations please let me know love you!

HABITAT BY HONESTBEE!

34 Boon Leat Street #01-01, Singapore 119866

I will share more about Habitat on a single blog post because this is such an interestic content to write about! Supermarket and dining spot in a single venue, they apply the cashless shopping method almost like AmazonGo kind of concept, if you're a first timer to Honestbee, you might feel a bit unusual at how things run here, and you need to have the app to be able to enter the building and experience what they have in store! Okay will keep the detail for the next blog post so stay tuned, but what I can tell you is that I enjoy my time here!

LIXIN TEOCHEW FISHBALL NOODLE

Food Opera Ion Orchard level B4

2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

Opens 10 AM

This is my mom's favorite food in Singapore and when we travel together, this needs to be her first meal in town, it's located at Food Opera (ION Orchard level B4) and it's called the Lixin Teo Chew Fishball Noodle! The noodle set is priced at S$5.7, you can choose the kind of noodle you want (four options), but I highly suggest either the thinner one or this wider kind and DO HAVE THE SPICY SAUCE because really it's the key! The fishballs are big, bouncy, while mainly flour but it still had this decent amount of fish, and FYI you'll be given 5 in a serving! The flavor's bold, the noodle is perfectly al-dente (firm, if that's the word) and mostly whatever my mom loves, me too!

Last meal in Singapore before leaving for the airport, Zippy brought us this fried chicken which happen to be his favorite!

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AICHI TRIP ITINERARY

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:00:00 +0000

This post is supposed to be the throwback to my wonderful Autumn trip to Japan and that time I explored the Aichi prefecture, which I highly believe will soon be one of Japan's hottest travel destinations. I don't even know how to choose the proper words to explain how beautiful Aichi is, or maybe that's the word... beautiful! Japan is naturally such a gifted country, and nobody can deny that, aside from the four seasons, the versatile charm, travelling to Japan is always addicting because no matter how many times or where I go around Japan, I feel like there are still so many things to unfold, it's almost like you can't even measure how deep you know Japan, but in the same time I don't need to, I just know that Japan is my happy place and I am always happy to be back!!! Just in time that I was there during my favorite season of the year: AUTUMN, the scenery was even more beautiful and the weather was just perfect!

Now, as always, to kickstart my travel blog posts, I am going to start by sharing you guys my full itinerary. I spent 5 days in Aichi (well actually 4 days because the last day is only for the flight back home), and I have one important thing to inform you guys so please pay attention: not that it's completely impossible, but based on my personal experience Aichi is best travelled by road and I highly recommend you to book the local tours because some of the popular destinations are located quite far to one another, if you're making your way individually I believe it's going to take more time and cost you more, so big yes to booking the local tour services! Mine's arranged by my friends who work in Aichi Prefecture and I really had no idea how this trip would turn out without their help, anyway without further ado, enjoy the itinerary and I am going to talk about certain highlights that I want to go into details on the next blog posts! Fingers crossed, soon!

PREVIOUSLY SHARED MY EXPERIENCE TO AICHI AND GIFU PREFECTURE DURING WINTER, CLICK HERE TO READ THE BLOG POST!

DAY ONE

18/11/2018

Flight from Tokyo to Nagoya using Japan Airlines (JAL209)

DAY TWO

19/11/2018

9 AM: TOKONAME POTTERY WALKING PATH & MARUFUKU POTTERY CLASS!

Tokoname is the home of Maneki Neko and it's also a small pottery town, I spent a moment to explore the town, do the famous pottery walking and had the chance to paint my very own Maneki Neko (Japanese welcoming lucky cat) and best of it all: I can bring it home as souvenir!

Various versions of Maneko Neko along the street!

11 AM: HANDA WATERWAY & KURANOMACHI
Strolled the Handa Waterway canal, the weather on the first day was probably the coldest but it was a brief peaceful moment just being at the canal, watching what's in front of me and occasionally 'touched' by the cold breeze (OMG miss being at somewhere cold), the experience then continued by the delicious Japanese lunch set at Uotaro Kuranomachi. Just beside the restaurant is the Mizkan Museum, where you can experience and learn about the history of rice vinegar in Japan.

ITADAKIMASU!!! I gave the lunch a solid 8/10, the seafood was absolutely fresh and delicious, definitely the restaurant that I recommend you guys going!

2 PM: AIYA NISHIO MATCHA GREEN TEA MUSEUM & WAKU-WAKU

I know most of my followers love anything matcha (judging from how excited you are everytime I post about matcha on my Instagram), so if you do, the MUST VISIT place has got to be the Aiya Nishio Matcha Green Tea Museum and the Waku-Waku Dessert House that's located precisely beside! I think you only need to pay as cheap as 500 YEN (IDR 60k) to explore the museum, learn a bit of history and engage on the interactive matcha production where you can manually grind the matcha leaves until they turn into powder and the fun part? YOU CAN DRINK YOUR OWN MATCHA, but first they will teach you how to properly whisk the matcha!

Milk soft serve with matcha powder topping!

Matcha leaves grinding, look at how smooth the matcha powder after, all you need to do is a bit of power and patience!

I guess I did a good job whisking the matcha powder and water! Good sign? the smooth foam!

The session turned out to be a sweet snacking moment, me having Japanese traditional desserts accompanied by one cup of warm bold matcha drink.

3 PM: GAMAGORI ORANGE PARK

Maybe most of you guys have no idea that I love fruit picking so much that I try to have that in my itinerary when I go to destinations that I know are famous with their local produces, and really Japan is the perfect place for that! Visited this famous orange farm in Gamagori to check out what they have in store as well as picking what they have in store (read: oranges) LOL! Most fruit farms in Japan has the same policy, you can pick and eat as many as you can (between the time agreed) but you're not allowed to take them away with you!

4 PM: HEN NA HOTEL & LAGUNA TEN BOSCH

Hen Na Hotel is the hotel that I would love to visit if I have the chance to go to back to Aichi again (fingers crossed), that's because it's a hotel chain that's famous for their robot staffs and to be frank with you guys I have never experienced one, so yup I am quite excited about it, well at least I have been at their hotel lobby and briefly experienced the service LOL!

Located just behind the hotel (and accessible from the hotel) is this gorgeous resort facility called Laguna Ten Bosch, it's composed of theme park, shopping facility & spa facility, unfortunately we arrived quite late that day that most of the theme park attractions are ending the service, but we got to do a little exploring and sight seeing and boy the light illumination was really something! It was surely one of the highlight of my trip that I want to dedicate a whole blog post for Laguna Ten Bosch, meanwhile enjoy some of the pictures that I took there! Stay tuned for the full blog post!

7 PM: DINNER - MACHIYA DINING UMITSUKI TOYOHASHI

9 PM: CHECK-IN HOTEL: ROUTE INN TOYOHASHI EKIMAE

DAY THREE

20/11/2018

9:30 AM: TOYOHASHI CITY FUTAGAWA-SHUKU HONJIN MUSEUM

10:30 AM: YURAKU SEIKA CHOCOLATE TOYOHASHI YUME FACTORY STORE

12 PM - 2 PM: FREE TIME

3:30 PM: OBARA SHIKIZAKURA

Aichi is the home to Japan's most anticipated autumn events: Obara Shikizakura festival! Shikizakura is the rare type of cherry tree that blooms in both spring and fall. To be completely frank with you guys, the moment I stepped my feet here, I prayed in my heart just in disbelief that I am here witnessing this natural beauty and wishing my family was here with me, I know it sounds tacky, but sometimes that's the kind of motivation for me to work even harder so that I can bring them to travel with me! Anyway witnessing this is like experiencing the best of both worlds, the beautiful pink sakura meets the autumn red leaves! BEAUTIFUL is not even the word for this one, it's almost like magic, like rare best friends! This should be one of the main reasons why you should explore Aichi!

It's said that there are more than 10.000 sakura trees in the area!

5 PM: KORANKEI LIGHT-UP

Not too far from the Shikizakura park is another MUST VISIT destination if you want to experience the wonderful Autumn night festival: KORANKEI AUTUMN FESTIVAL! Intentionally coming at night so we got to experience the best yet opposite Autumn vibes in Aichi during the day and night (the day being at the Shikizakura, but please keep in mind that most areas in Japan tend to go dark faster during Autumn), I highly recommend you guys going to this festival because not only that you can stroll and see just how beautiful (okay I have been abusing the word "beautiful" in this post but really an understatement) the autumn forest vibe with all the lighting play and stuff, you can also enjoy various good feast, traditional snacks and shop! There are some legit handmade craft stores that you can find here and if you fancy, take home with you!

G O R G E O U S!

7 PM: DINNER AT MEITETSU TOYOTA HOTEL, KEIRIN RESTAURANT

9 PM: CHECK-IN HOTEL, ROUTE INN ASAHIGAOKA

DAY FOUR

21/11/2018

10 AM: LEGOLAND NAGOYA

If you're an avid theme park enthusiast then do not miss the first Legoland in Japan (which also happens to be the second one in Asia and the eighth one in the world!), trust me maybe it's because of the weather too but after visiting the one in Nagoya, I feel like the experience kinda overshadowed the one I had in Legoland Malaysia LOL (but of course there are attractions that you can only find in Legoland Malaysia), and because I was on tour, I didn't manage to take any rides but the time was enough for me to explore my favorite part of every Legoland: MINILAND! I love how the Miniland in Legoland Nagoya put more emphasize on Japan's culture (famous temple, buildings and more). I have a lot of photos from my visit here so maybe I'll do a single post for this one too, but meanwhile enjoy some of the pictures! For more details -> click here

Tokyo Tower with Chureito Pagoda at the foreground!

G U N D A M!

Lego Christmas tree, this was ginormous in real life and oh how it was close to Christmas that time!!!

Reindeers! CUTEEEEEE!!!

The Legoland Nagoya is also filled with various souvenir shops, coffee shop and dining places, and just the way they designed the whole area makes everything feels so neat and once you entered the shop zone it's almost like you're in a shopping avenue, so it's really a wonderful one stop entertainment center in my opinion!

12 PM: SCMAGLEV AND RAILWAY PARK

As this post is written, the museum is about to reach its 8th anniversary and even though I am not a big museum fan, this was apparently one of the highlights of my trip, well sometimes the key to find out what you like is to experiment with something that you're not used to! I found it really amusing to see the history of shinkansen (Japan's high speed bullet train) from the very first to the upcoming one that's going to be released few years from now and will soon be the fastest Shinkansen in the world!

The interior of the soon-to-be-launched Shinkansen! More airplane like in my opinion with more convenient head space and overhead compartment!

How Shinkansen used to look like back then! Is it possible to make the Shinkansen to look like this again, but with the recent technology and speed? :)

One of the most gorgeous diorama that I've ever seen! The detail is freaking amazing!!! Enjoy the lighting play to experience how the diorama projects the city vibe from day to night!

3 PM: INUYAMA KOMACHI (KIMONO EXPERIENCE) AND INUYAMA CASTLE

Inuyama Castle is a castle that's located in the city of Inuyama and it's one of the 12 authentic original castles in Japan! Quick tip: change to Japanese traditional attire: KIMONO and do not miss the chance to go to the top of the castle and enjoy the wonderful view, it is way more gorgeous in real life for sure, and above you can enjoy the calm and serene view of Kiso River which serves as the border of Aichi and Gifu Prefectures!

OMG Autumn colors!!! Can't wait for Autumn days to arrive soon!!!

6 PM: DINNER AT FURENCHI SOSAKU RYORI NARITA

This restaurant is a French-Chinese fusion restaurant, and to be frank the food is really not bad! The fusion somehow works, but after all it's your call whether you like to stick with the classic Chinese/French or okay with fusion food.

DAY FIVE

22/11/2018

9 AM: NAGOYA CASTLE AND TOYOTA INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM

The itinerary this morning was exploring Nagoya Castle, unfortunately it was on renovation, but be sure to check this post out for my previous experience to Nagoya Castle and Toyota Industrial Technology Museum!

12 PM-3 PM: FREE TIME IN NAGOYA

4 PM: NAGOYA PORT AQUARIUM

This Aquarium is Nagoya's most famous Aquarium, and the kind of place that fits couples and families best (based on what I saw that day too), it was spacious, filled with adorable animals, dedicated shows (dolphin shows), if you're an animal and aquarium person then you might enjoy this!

Just in time for the golden hour and sunset, it was so serene and gorgeous! I love how Nagoya in general is a relatively laid back city for me, and I truly enjoy that!!!

7 PM: DINNER AT GOMITORI (NAGOYA STATION AREA)
Quick tip: if you ask for my recommendations, then go for their yakitori, they're SO GOOD!

DAY SIX

23/11/2018: SAYONARA AICHI!

I hope this blog post helps you in arranging your future trip to Aichi! If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email or DM me on Instagram! I'll try my best to answer. Thank you for reading!

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MAGAL PREMIUM - SENAYAN CITY

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 19:16:00 +0000

I love Korean food, that's just the drill, said it before, saying it now and will probably keep on repeating, and I have few recommendations that I can share to you (currently researching for the best Korean restaurants in Jakarta according to me) but this time in this entry I am going to be talking about this restaurant that has been around for quite a while now, and now come with this new ALL YOU CAN EAT concept that I believe, the idea many of you are fond of! Say hello to MAGAL PREMIUM in Senayan City!

Magal Premium is located at the 5th level of Senayan City mall, precisely next to Putu Made! Don't get too carried by the name "PREMIUM" because quick scan of the menu and the AYCE price is actually very reasonable, they put "PREMIUM" because indeed there's a premium option that you can choose but really the choice is yours! They have the regular set for IDR 199k and the premium set for IDR 299k (with special price for kids at IDR 129k), and good news for my Muslim readers, Magal Premium is COMPLETELY HALAL because they serve no pork and no lard here!!! The main difference is when you order the regular set, they limited the their ala cartes menus and beef options to two: Thinly Sliced Prime Brisket and Marinated Prime Beef Ribs, and when you go for their premium set you'll find WAY MORE additional menus like Marinated Boneless Shortribs, Prime Beef Boneless Shortribs, Prime Beef Ribs, Marinated Prime Shortribs, and Ox Tounge! Not to mention, GAYA GELATO for dessert. YUM! For IDR 100k upgrade I would totally go, freaking worth it maaaaaan!

Whatever you choose, the set comes with choices of meat (beef, chicken, seafood), generous banchan, ala carte menus like ramyun, tteobokki, panjeon, bibimbap, japchae and many more, drinks and egg crust like the one below, Magal is famous for this!

I initially expected that they would serve small portions of the ala carte dishes but they freaking serve the real serving size which got me shook in the most flattering way and makes me appreciate this restaurant hashtag value for money!

Ramyun with Egg
No joke, even though this is totally simple, but their Ramyun was surprisingly one of the most impressive food from the lunch, I know don't judge me but do try this so that you'll understand! Seasoned just spot on, spicy with comforting boiled egg on the side. LOVE!

Spicy Pork Rib Soup

Look at that chunky rib OMG! It's huge but meaty, only expected the soup to be spicier because it was not spicy at all for my liking, so glad that when I voiced what I wanted the staff was so attentive by bringing me more gojuchang sauce from the kitchen! I think it's a sweet little gesture!

Bibimbap
This one looks tempting but somehow the one that we (I and my brother) forgot about because the whole time we were busy with the meat and the soup that this was abandoned SOWRY! However for review purpose I did try this one and this was not bad at all, the serving comes with this gokchujang sauce that you mix together.

Seafood and Kimchi Pajeon
Another champ from the ala-carte section: their PANCAKE! Ordered this seafood and kimchi pancake, hence the red color, but again it was not spicy at all which I don't mind for this kind of food (but soup needs to be properly spicy), this was much bigger in real life, properly cooked, moist, juicy! To be frank I intentionally don't want to waste a lot of my calorie for the ala-carte dishes because I want to dig into the proteins (read: meat)!

The meat comes in little serving portion, which in a way I found to be good hence you can try more and after all you can refill more and more so no need to worry about that. I asked for the whole beef options to be served because I want to try everything and give fair judgement about it!

A plus point to note about: I love how every time we finish with each grill session, the staff would quickly change the grill to the new one and they were attentive about it the whole time, that's why if you scroll down the pictures the grill was relatively clean! Anyway, we were given the freedom to cook the food ourselves but since I wanted to take pics, the kind waitress offered the help!

First batch: chicken, beef, squid and condiments like pineapple, mushroom and green chili! Gotta give it to the chicken because it was served fresh and when you cook it right, it can be pretty damn good, as for the beef, if you want to be chill with your orders, I recommend getting the more premium options like their marinated shortribs for juicy texture and flavor. Not the biggest fan of their ox tounge but that's okay.

Second batch: more chicken, shrimps, boneless chicken feet!

One of the waitresses recommended me to get the boneless chicken feet because apparently it's popular among customers, so I did manage to order that but somehow didn't like it because it just doesn't appear and taste to appealing for me, maybe just not my thing.

heads and shells removed!

This one is off their ala carte menus, the holy moly wagyu beef and from the marbling itself I think you know how amazing this is going to be I don't even have to explain much!!! The serving comes with bell peppers, cucumber slices, mushrooms, and garlic.

Now this one you have to cook with that perfect timing, I think 15-20 seconds on each side should be perfect! This is one fancy meat you can't ruin this!!!

Gracefully plated for service.

One of the perks of upgrading to the premium set is having GAYA GELATO for dessert as I mentioned earlier! Four options to choose: hazelnut chocolate, soursop, passion fruit and caramel, if you fancy something lighter then they also have fruit cuts (watermelon) and iced coffee. Unfortunately I was too full to have any kind of dessert in my tummy so I skipped on dessert that day.

Above decent quality of food, fresh meats and good service, for IDR 300k I think dining here is well worth it. Just make sure you go for what I recommended: marinated shortribs, ramyun and maybe something from the ala-carte if want something really-really good! Of course it's not fair to compare AYCE meat to ala-carte otherwise they probably won't profit lol. Enjoy!

MAGAL Premium
Senayan City 5th floor
Jalan Asia Afrika
Senayan - Jakarta Selatan 10270
021 - 7278 1205
Opening hours: 11 AM-10 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 600k
Dresscode: none

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PLATARAN CANGGU

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 14:28:00 +0000

First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! As I am typing this post, I still can't believe that we are in 2019 and on the second week of the first month. My first trip this year was the sweet escape with my family to one of my favorite places on Earth, you guessed it, BALI! I will share more stories on the upcoming blog posts, but in this entry I am going to be sharing you guys my experience visiting the newly opened Plataran Canggu!

I have always been a huge fan of Plataran since...forever I guess, Plataran Menteng is my go-to restaurant when I bring my foreign friends because it's show off worthy: gorgeous glamorous venue, amazing food and service, what's not to love! Being a regular Bali visitor, I am more than thrilled to know that they finally open here so when I am craving for Indonesian food, I now have more options to explore!

I was totally sold to the vibe of the space, imagine lush, calming, green surrounding altogether decorated with this rich Java-Balinese culture value as seen from the architecture and interior details! Totally comfortable to hang around and spend some quality time with your favorite companion and what they have in store, anyway they have two seating areas: indoor and al-fresco, anyway don't worry about the al-fresco seating despite the Bali humidity, thanks to the lush surrounding, it didn't feel hot (I didn't think I sweat lol).

Interior details, very vibey with mostly wood constructing the space! Just like home.

When I scan the menu, the price range doesn't differ much, just slightly cheaper compared to Plataran Menteng! I had some of their best-sellers and some Balinese feast (well just because, BALI!), let's dive into the review!

Complimentary Crackers

If you're a Plataran virgin, when you dine at their restaurants, they'll give you some Indonesian crackers to accompany you while your food is prepared, the crackers then served together with their homemade chili (Red Chili and Sambal Matah), simple delicacy!

Salad Salmon Pomelo - IDR 99k

Such a refreshing starter for to prepare the palate before diving to more food! Inside you'll find generous salmon cuts, salmon roe, pomelo, lemongrass, mint, coriander and all dressed in spicy coconut sauce! Beautiful combo of fresh ingredients which complement one another naturally both flavor and texture wise, you got this beautiful sweet, savory, and tangy combo on each bite!

Nasi Goreng Ijo - IDR 70k

They're known for their Cardamon Steam Rice (IDR 15k) which is basically plain rice with this cardamom aroma which is giving you this 'illusion' of coconut milk rice, but this one was certainly something more interesting, their Nasi Goreng Ijo is DELICIOUS! I didn't expect to like it as much as I did because I initially thought this is just something to munch and pair my mains with, but turns out I finish so much alone! It's not overly spicy for my liking and the flavor is not overly intense so you can still pair this with most food here (read: what I ordered).

Tumis Pucuk Labu - IDR 49k

Another one that I happen to like A LOT! The garlic seasoning was on point, the chayote leaves were absolutely fresh and crunchy, they give fried anchovy on top for texture and a hint of flavor!

Tahu Telor Asin - IDR 75k

Another winning dish for me, their Tahu Telor Asin is another must order! They use Japanese egg tofu for this one, then battered, perfectly fried them and coated the fried battered tofu with their homemade salted egg sauce! SO GOOD! The crunch and thickness of the batter was perfect and the salted egg sauce was really everything: it was fragrant, creamy, buttery!!!

Ayam Dharmawangsa - IDR 125k

Their Ayam Dharmawangsa is a legacy delicacy that has been around for quite some time! It's this chopped fried chicken fillet with shredded mango salad and sweet sour seasoning, anyway I didn't check but if they have the Bistik Ayam Oma in Plataran Canggu, you should go for it, one of my all time favorite menus from Plataran!

Ayam Kari Deli - IDR 125k
If you ask me to name one favorite from the lunch, their their AYAM KARI DELI is one that stands out for me! This has been my all time favorite menu from Plataran, and one that I always *ahem* brag to my foreign friends, this one's mild spicy (for me), but so thick, rich, so flavorful, but in the same time well-balanced. The serving comes with the fragrant buttery Roti Prata and Pomelo (the pomelo's so good at balancing the palate after all the thicky goodness), the downside? The serving here is half of the Jakarta portion (picture below for comparison), but flavor wise, AS GOOD!

Dendeng Batokok - IDR 129k

When you talk about Plataran's iconic signature dishes, you JUST HAVE TO include this on the topic: their Dendeng Batako has been a staple when it comes to the best dendeng batako in Jakarta, thinly sliced dendeng, dry fry and seasoned with this Balado chili jam that might appear spicy but it really didn't! Their dendeng is so crunchy and just best paired with rice (read: nasi goreng cabe ijo).

Udang Ramayana - IDR 149k

Another one that you have to order when dining here: Udang Ramayana! Battered shrimp with generous garlic topping! I would love this even more if the batter is less thick and less buttery but the generous fried garlic really help balances everything!

Lawar Kacang Panjang - IDR 45k

Now off to some of their Balinese menus: THIS IS SURPISINGLY ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MENU from my lunch! Their Lawar Kacang Panjang is SOOO GOOOD! It consist of long beans, coconut, peanut, all seasoned generously! The ingredient's super fresh, flavor is rich with a hint of spicy (do request for less spicy if you can't handle spicy food)!

Ayam Betutu - IDR 89k

Now another one that stood out from my lunch! If you think of this rich and boldly seasoned ayam betutu then Plataran Canggu's the one that might fit what you're looking for, because of how rich this ayam betutu is, this is a tad salty (but with the sambel ijo fried rice, sorted!)! The chicken was fresh, tender, juicy, no complaint on that one! Anyway, the water spinach on the side might look simple but trust me it's THAT GOOD!

Sate Lilit - IDR 59k

Their Sate Lilit is also worth considering: meaty, well seasoned, you know what I am easy to please, as long as sate lilit is tender, well seasoned and still keeping the Balinese flavor around it, I am sold.

If you're craving and looking for good Indonesian food in Bali, and truth be told not that many options (referring to all around Indonesian food not Balinese food), then Plataran Canggu is one that you should definitely consider! Good food, beautiful venue, lovely service. Nothing to against!

Have fun in Bali!

Plataran Canggu
Jalan Pengubugan, Canggu
Bali 80361
+62 361 411 388
Average spending for two: IDR 500k
Dresscode: none

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POSTCARDS FROM PADANG PADANG BEACH

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 18:26:00 +0000

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COCA RESTAURANT - CITYWALK SUDIRMAN

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 10:39:00 +0000

If you ask me to name my favorite suki restaurants in Jakarta, well I have a few, but one of the strongest on my list has got to be COCA RESTAURANT! Not too long ago they opened their latest branch in Citywalk, finally a closer one to home!

The Thailand originated Suki restaurant has been my favorite for quite some time now and it's mainly because of the quality that speaks for itself. Being an avid fan of Tom Yum (and since I often opt for Tom Yum soup), so far I haven't found Tom Yum soup that's better than Coca and that complements all the ingredient better than Coca's, well again it's all about preference, maybe some of my readers don't like Tom Yum at all and that's completely fine.

So what differentiates this branch to their other branches? For me, this one is the simplified version of their other branches and honestly built to cater those who fancy hassle free lunch (office workers, lunch meetings, etc.), quick scan of their menu and I found that the pricing's also slightly cheaper here with options that are less, but not significant! They even have this shabu package for lunch which is priced fairly at IDR 80k.

The ala cartes are also affordable, ranges from IDR 37k-50k! Expect to find selections of Thai rice dishes, noodle, kwayteow. For those who are feeling a bit extra and wanted to indulge on roasted duck, they also have one here but I didn't get the chance to try it on my visit (but I did try the duck rice maybe it's the same kind). I found the menu online so you can click on the photo below to enlarge and check out!

Crispy Fish Salad - IDR 31k

An appetizer that's affordable and tasty in the same time! The salad was fresh & altogether has this right balance of flavor and that hint of tanginess that I absolutely like!

Tom Yum Soup Base - IDR 80k

To be frank, this is also the simplified version of their famous Tom Yum soup, still pretty decent!

Coca Special Personal Set B - IDR 95k, with additional ala carte options (prices may vary)

Coca Special Personal Set B consists of Beef Fillet, Special Dumpling, Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage, Black Fungus, Pocai, Rolled Fish, Fish Glue, House Shrimp Ball, Tofu, Rice! For more pricing details of the ala carte menus check out the attached menu above.

Mixed Vegetable Platter - IDR 21k

Prosperous Roll - IDR 27k

Fish Glue - IDR 23k

Another personal favorite! Still very "fishy" and meaty the way that I like and not too floury and fake.

OOOOPPPPSSSS...the ala cartes are for the bigger shabu we shared, sorry was hungry don't judge meeeeeeee LOL!

Chicken in Pandan Leaves - IDR 35k

Beautifully fried, well seasoned, fragrant, decent balance of savory and sweet. Simple yet YUM!

Deep Fried Shrimp Cakes - IDR 39k

Another simple savory goodness that's fragrant and nicely seasoned! Recommended appetizer!

BBQ Duck Rice - IDR 50k
I found their food to be really hassle free, simple but nicely executed and this BBQ Duck Rice is definitely one of them, when you look at the presentation and the purpose, you know it's such a simple feast and designed to be that way! Around 5 slices of duck seasoned with hoisin soy sauce, served with vegetables, pickles and chili. Flavor's there man!

Pad Thai - IDR 45k
I have had their Pad Thai before as additionals that I pair with their suki (yes I eat a lot do not judge) and I found them to be pretty good too! Not overly sweet, but fragrant with this hint of smokey aroma and flavor.

Tom Yum Soup Rice Noodle - IDR 46k
I think they use the same tom yum soup base as the one that I had at the Suki Set, this one might be my least favorite, just because the suki set is everything better compared to this hahaha, but if you're looking for hassle free tom yum dish, then this for sure!

Coca Restaurant

Citywalk Sudirman

Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur

Jak Sel 10240

021 - 2970 4024

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 150k

Dresscode: none

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RIVARENO GELATO BALI - ITALY'S BEST GELATO NOW IN BALI!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 18:34:00 +0000

First of all, special thanks to RivaReno Gelato for inviting me to Bali for the grand opening of the so-called Italy's Best Gelato, being an avid fan of gelato (and I guess for a lifetime) I was absolutely super excited, so again, thanks for having me on the grand opening! I remember when I posted about RivaReno Gelato on my story, I have tons of people replying to me saying they've tried this one in Sydney and some even said that RivaReno is better than Messina!

Welcoming RivaReno Gelato to Seminyak neighborhood, RivaReno is located just beside Vin+ at Petitenget! Super nice strategic location!

RivaReno Gelato is originated from Bologna, which is one of Italy's most prominent gastronomic city, and the name RivaReno itself is a tribute to Reno river and Bologna itself (Bologna is located at the shores of Reno river), their very first shop was opened in Milan back in 2005 and since then they have expanded their business to places like Italy, Spain, Malta, down under Australia and I guess we're more than proud to welcome the brand to... BALI! I heard they initially wanted to open in Jakarta but thank goodness they chose Bali, I personally found it's an awesome debut location!

A little trivia: RivaReno is founded by four people: a former gelato maker, a lawyer, former journalist and former Italian car executive, I guess it's true that passion knows no background or you don't need to be from a certain background to have a dream to open a terrific gelato shop! Anyway, let's do a little virtual tour of the shop shall we!

Spirit espresso machine, also known as one of the most expensive espresso machine in the world!

The store was simply designed, clean, neat and, well air-conditioned (first world problems because Bali could be so friggin hot sometimes), and oh, if you see the photo below, they have electrical outlets too in case you urgently need to charge/you wanna spend time working here while having their gelato, so very welcome!

Their gelato's guarded safely in the Pozetti Pan, a little trivia: Pozetti Pan aka Carapina is one of the greatest way to store gelato as it will lock the moisture, texture and humidity of the gelato at their best state!

RivaReno has their own gelato lab inside their stores and we were granted the access to experience the lab and gelato/sorbet production process yay! I can tell you that from what I saw with my very own eyes, their gelato and sorbet are free from artificial colorings & ingredients, preservatives, monogly & diglycerides, just all natural like Alpine milk, cream and FYI they use real grape sugar as sweetener! The whole production steps is giving me this ASMR vibe, just so satisfying and calming in a way LOL!

Let me introduce to Mr. Nicola Greco, the gelato master and one of RivaReno founders too! I witnessed the making of Nicola Greco's signature Raspberry Sorbet and short to say, IMPRESSED!

They use nothing but high quality fruits too, well lucky for them as they're based in Bali and Bali is the home to a lot of great fruits (and exotic ones)! Their sorbets consist of average 70%-90% fruits, water, base-frutta and natural sugar, and not to mention that extra something special touch for that unbelievably smooth gelato. I am a firm believer that one's cold hands may creature results that differ!

Electronic scale for that precise measurement! I swear I just saw and knew about this machine from my visit here, this machine is freakin' REVOLUTIONARY HAHA!

Prepare, scale, mix and freeze!

Cattabriga EFFE 6B artisan gelato machine (right)

Look at that pretty terracotta red color and smooth sorbet texture. Everything!!!

I think it's safe to say that I just had one of the smoothest sorbets I've ever had in my life!

There are four serving options small, medium, large and extra large and with price ranging from IDR 50k (small)-95k (extra large), I know some of you might think that it's a tad more expensive compared to the other gelato houses in Bali, which is true and I can't deny, but the quality is something that RivaReno is taking the cake for: flavor and texture wise, absolute BEST! Anyway if you ask me to name my favorite flavors then it's the classic Pistachio, Cremino Dark with Pistachio (this one is too good), Cioccolato (with African chocolate). Don't be surprised if the gelato easily melts or not in the most photogenic shape, that's because the gelato is THAT smooth and they use no artificial ingredients (and not to mention Bali can be just freaking hot at times)!

Besides gelato they also have various interesting menus like Gelato Sandwich, Gelato Cake, Semifreddo Cake, Milkshakes and more!

Cremino Dark

After experiencing the production process to actually trying their products, I think it's safe to say that RivaReno is indeed one of the best, if not, the best gelato in Bali at the moment. It's seriously that good. That good!

RivaReno Gelato Bali

Jalan Petitenget No. 3

Seminyak, Bali 80361

Opening hours: 12 PM-11 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 150k

Dresscode: NONE!

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MIE SEDAAP - MI GORENG RASA MI AYAM ISTIMEWA

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 10:24:00 +0000

I think it's totally undeniable that instant noodle is an important part of everyone's life, you you and you whoever is reading this right now (including who's typing this right now *ahem*), so the question is: "are you a noodle soup person or are you the fried noodle person?". I am a little bit of both!

Special for this entry, I am going to be talking about fried noodle (mie goreng) and for those who haven't heard of this before, let me introduce (and review) you guys to this new product from Mie Sedaap Instant: Mie Goreng rasa Mi Ayam Istimewa! Lately Mie Sedaap has been pushing new products to the market, and so far my response has been positive, let's just say I am a fan of their Mie Sedaap Tasty (click to read).

So what's inside each pack? Pretty common: instant noodle with various blend of ingredients, soy sauce, chilli, dried spring onion, but one that really stands out is their fried shallot! So crunchy, fragrant and considered generously for a single serving. Always yes for extra flavor and texture play.

If you ask me whether how the noodle texture is compared to its peers, well I believe from what I noticed, their noodle is slightly wider and when you cook it perfectly, it's chewy, moist, hence easier to SLUUURP! Another thing that differs Mie Sedaap Mi Goreng is their soysauce, while most instant noodle tend to include sweet soysauce, theirs is the savory-salty soy sauce! I highly recommend you to cook the noodle at least 3,5-4 minutes for the best state, but really if you like your noodle softet, that's totally up to you!

Aside from that, the amount of other ingredient (seasoning, soy sauce, chilli sauce, veges, fried shallot) is definitely proper, even some people don't eat spicy stuff so they might eliminate the chili, some don't consume fried shallot, so it really depends.

My mom helped me with the shoot and she help cooked the fried noodle for me...AND everything that comes out of her hands I most likely LOVE!!! Even when I didn't ask, she always add in the extra kindness in the form of fried egg! Fried noodle + fried egg = MAJOR YES!

Firm yet chewy, ingredient and soy sauce covers the noodle well! I really can have this at all times, and not to mention the plate licking aftermath when no one sees LOL!

Is this eatandtreats approved? For sure! What's not to love from a delicious, satisfying, tasty, packed-with-flavor instant noodle that you can double or triple if you're really hungry! LOL. Mie Sedaap has been more and more serious with their products recently, maybe something to bring with you when you travel?

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TANPOPO JAPANESE IZAYAKA YATAI - NEW OUTLET IN PLUIT!

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 17:20:00 +0000

I have heard that Tanpopo has improved its performance, because quite frankly, my very first visit wasn't exactly the most memorable, but you know what? Even as soon as I revisited Tanpopo and the moment I arrived after the last time, the vibe itself was quite different in a good way, but not sure why, but anyway, here for the food!

As I am typing this blog post, Tanpopo just recently opened a new outlet in Pluit (across Pluit Village), but I went to their original outlet in Gandaria, which is located not too far from Gandaria City. For those who are not familiar with the brand, Tanpopo focuses in serving Izakaya Japanese cuisine in forms of teppanyaki, yakiniku, suki, shabu-shabu and hamayaki, altogether in this Japanese food stall space where you can access the options easily, and not to mention, the live open kitchen.

GOOD NEWS for my Muslim friends, Tanpopo is 100% halal and besides beef, guests can enjoy selections of chicken and seafood too! For health watchers out there, they don't cook their food with MSG here.

Hamayaki Karubi (IDR 25k), Hamayaki Momo Teriyaki (IDR 15k), Hamayaki Squid (IDR 25k)

Angus Tenderloin in the making...

Grilled Chicken

The chicken was quite tender, properly cooked but it was the white sauce that's really giving more flavor as well as enhancing it.

Angus Tenderloin
Dice-cut Angus beef served with garlic chips, sauteed vegetables and drenched in creamy white sauce!

Teppanyaki USDA Short Ribs - IDR 45k

This one happens to be one of their best sellers and one of my personal favorite too: thinly sliced tender beef with sauteed vegetable on the side, gracefully seasoned, savory goodness with a hint of sweet, overall tasty.

Teppanyaki Beef Chunk - IDR 55k

Okay, here's where things got different compared to my last visit: THEY NOW INSTALL charcoal grill on the table for communal grill, where on their early days they used the personal grill which was super inconvenient due to the amount of smoke it produced and right off the dinner, the smell of grill smoke was all over me, good job on that!

More to that, more new menus, like this large sukiyaki pot to share. I love the sweet tasty soup! The broth was really meaty, savory with the right amount of sweetness infused! The beef was fatty but I found it to be the rightest for this kind of serving (due to the melting fat giving more flavor), and you will also find various veges too.

Some cuts and slices that I had for yakiniku that night: USDA Short Ribs (IDR 35k), Angus Tenderloin (IDR 80k), Basil Chicken. I recommend that thee Angus Tenderloin is sliced before cooked because if you cook it in full, it will take more time to cook and it will firmer in texture! As for the carefully sliced short ribs, no problemo!

The chicken, if you cook it right (and FYI do cook chicken longer because you can't have it half-cooked), it can be properly tender, so when it comes to yakiniku, my answer will and always be depending on how you cook it, but I think the base proteins are fresh enough!

The price tag for the proteins and dishes are affordable, and I think Tanpopo is the kind of place that you go to get your Japanese food craving fulfilled, along with the affordable price tag and friendly vibe, but do note that you go here not to get the best meat/the most premium meat, what you pay is what you get.

Tanpopo Japanese Izakaya Yatai

Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 99E
Arteri Pondok Indah (across Gandaria City)
Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta Selatan
0877 - 7758 - 3858
Opening hours: 6 PM-12 AM
Average spending for two: IDR 250k
Dresscode: casual
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POACH'D KEMANG - ONE OF THE BEST BRUNCH PLACES IN JAKARTA!

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Danials) — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 11:37:00 +0000

I am one of those people who love having brunch, something about the word "brunch" that fascinates me, on certain occasions, I even love dressing up for brunch, even though some days having noodle at street stall is also considered brunch, anyway if you fancy brunch as much as I do, then this entry will be about me sharing you guys my recent finding, which turned out to be one of the most impressive brunch spots in Jakarta, especially in Kemang, I literally didn't set any expectation on this one, and I guess sometimes when you put none you got a lot in return.

If you ask me to name my favorite brunch places in Jakarta then I would have five that's on my list, ones that I really like, and this particular cafe sky rocketed to the top 5. If you are not aware of this place before, then it's my honor to introduce you to Poach'd!

Poach'd is a relatively new brunch place that's located in Kemang, precisely next to Arion Hotel! The cafe is considered spacious with seating capacity for 50-60 people (I guess from quick eye scan lol), the interior is simple and neat with this homey and minimalist vibe to it, just proper without appearing overdone, there are cute murals where guests are more than welcome to take pictures at.

I guess they're pretty serious with their coffee, some wonderful gears they're using here!

Quick scan of their menu and so many delightful options in store! They serve mostly all day breakfast menus inspired from several cultures (Australian, American, European), with some "Indonesian" feels infused mains, such as Iga Bakar Bumbu Bali (IDR 175k) that's you're going to see as you scroll! Some of their best sellers include Texan, Aussie, French! They also have Vegetarian menus here and the menus with pork are labelled with the pig symbol on the menu, so the rest should be halal I guess.

Price range for the food here is from IDR 65-IDR 205k, and as for the drinks, beside coffee they also serve non alcoholic drinks (chocolate, green tea), various tea, juices, mocktails, beers even cocktails.

Sprinkled Coffee, coffee starts from IDR 30k

I found that their coffee is pretty good with smooth aftertaste and for that extra vibe to it, they sprinkled the cup lip with meses and salted caramel almond, and I think that's a cute touch for extra texture and flavor.

Cocktails - range from IDR 85k-IDR 100k

Pomegranate Muesli Bowl - IDR 77k

For those who fancy yogurt and fruit based healthy bowls, go for their Pomegranate Muesli Bowl, the appearance might be simple, but there's something about the amount of ingredients that's just so well thought and spot on, inside the bowl you'll find honey yogurt, pomegranate, chocolate chips, strawberries, banana slices, mango, almond and oats! The yogurt is not the overly milky type and already sweetened with the honey, hence didn't bloat you out easily, the addition of fruits adds in some crunch and naturally balances out everything!

Aussie - IDR 127k

Aussie is their Australian style brunch menu, first of all: wonderful presentation, pop and packed but me likey! So many elements here, but let's start with the incredibly fresh and creamy avocado, which turned out to be imported because quite frankly it's not the easiest to find fresh, soft, gooey, creamy avocado like theirs, then you'll have two sourdough breads topped each with cream cheese, then smoked salmon and smoked snapper, followed with perfectly cooked poached egg, for the extra crunch: pomegranate, almonds, beetroots and then altogether dressed in Hollandaise sauce for that creamy flavor goodness. I absolutely love this menu, really nothing bad to say, oh I'll probably leave the snapper alone or change it with smoked salmon because for kinds of food like this, smoked salmon always!

Texan - IDR 117k

If the Aussie is not calorie wise 'challenging' enough for you and you need a full blown protein kick, then their Texan might be the option for you! Even from looking at it I know I'm going to just freaking full: sliced briskets (pretty huge for a single serving like this) topped on cheddar fried egg and sourdough, with Jalapeno hash brown, bacons on the side and dressed with BBQ sauce! Another very good option, packed with flavors, so fresh, absolutely in love. So far, still has nothing bad to say.

Salmon Bagel - IDR 95k

When it's served to my table: JUST SO TEMPTING! Toasted bagel with generous smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, tomato, ren onion and chives! The toasted bagel is pretty moist but it was really the smoked salmon and cream cheese that really take the cake, something about the cream cheese that's deliciously savory and perfectly creamy, and the smoked salmon. FRESH AF!

Iga Bakar Bumbu Bali - IDR 175k

Don't judge the pricy price tag, the portion was really beyond what I expected: HUGE!!! It's like this one full blown chunky rib stacked on the plate, generously seasoned with spices with meat that's uber tender and juicy, and for the side carb, nasi bakar (grilled turmeric seasoned rice) that's defaulty spicy and so lightly seasoned, to the point where you eat the rice alone you might feel that not much flavor is packed inside but I think you should have it altogether with the generously seasoned rib for the balance.

HELLO! Look at the chilli and tender meat! As I am typing this I feel like going there tomorrow HAHAHA!

My first experience here was nothing but bliss, I absolutely love the food here, the coffee, the warm friendly service, the bitchy side of me wanted to find something negative about this cafe but I don't think I can find one so far, and hopefully not because after my visit I really have this delightful experience! Short to say, one of my favorite brunch spots in town at the moment! Anyway they open quite early so maybe even before office hour you can have something to indulge here (if you work around the neighborhood LOL)! Thanks for reading!

Poach'd

Jalan Kemang Raya No. 11

Kemang, Jakarta Selatan 12730

Opening hours: 7 AM-7 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 350k

Dresscode: none

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