Epicurina blog

Semarak Kuliner Bali di Linked majalah inflight Citilink

2013-05-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

Bepergian dengan Citilink bulan Mei 2013 ini? Jangan lupa buka halaman 50 untuk highlight mengenai jajan kuliner andalan Denpasar terkini, persembahan Epicurina.

Menyesuaikan dengan target tulisan yaitu wisatawan nusantara (wisnus), jadi dipilihkan makanannya yang cocok di lidah dan perut masyarakat Indonesia, sekaligus tidak memberatkan kantong karena rata-rata yang dibahas di sini adalah kuliner kelas streetfood (jajanan pinggir jalan), atau restoran casual:

(byms)

Is it good to eat commercially grown soft shell crabs?

2013-05-14T18:29:00.000+08:00

Image from Adam Kuban's Flickr

Often looks like something out from Aliens movie, soft shell crab dishes could look intimidating when you can still see its complete parts, but it's a nice treat anyway, especially with its texture.

Recently I have this dilemma though, about consuming soft shell crab ("kepiting soka" in Indonesia), due to how it's commercially cultivated: the young crabs' legs are mutilated to stress the crab, thus in turn soften their shells. The process itself takes about 20 days.

During the whole process, they're left with just the last pair of legs; the swimming legs so they can still move around in the cage and feed themselves, while failure in mutilating process could cause the crab's death.

Mutilated soft shell crab - Trobos.com

While the legs will re-grow eventually since that's the crab's nature, but isn't it cruel? I mean we foodies often talk about banning the commercially created Foie Gras for its inhumane treatment to the goose, and banning shark fins for similar reasons, but now we're encountered something similar and think it's alright.

Different with the "forced" soft shell crab though, what happens in the wild is quite different; no cruelty it's all natural so there's no ethical issue:

For a crab to become larger, it must first discard its old shell and form a new one, which it does periodically throughout its life. To do this, it forms a new 'coat' under its old shell, then swells itself up enough to cause the top and bottom halves of the shell to separate, starting at the back. (source)

You are what you eat

On another perspective, is it good for our spirit to eat something that's created through so much stress? In the distance past there are cannibalistic tribes who eats their enemies believing they will absorb its live power, or forbidding eating specific kind of meal for believing it has bad aura.

I once watched an episode on NatGeo about the Maasai warriors traveling to US, and they refused to bought "fainting goats" that freezes upon feeling fear, for fearing that it's contagious and interfere with their hunting skill; though the farmer has stated that researches shows it doesn't.

I guess the warriors still believes that you are what you eat; perhaps you would too if your life depends on hunting top predator like lions.

More about Congenital myotonia (also myotonia congenita) a.k.a. the Fainting Goats syndrome here.

Any thoughts on this? (byms)

Street Food: Duta Budaya Kuliner Indonesia

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000+08:00

Sebagai tujuan utama wisata di Indonesia, Bali memiliki beragam pilihan kuliner yang terbagi menjadi dua jenis: kuliner restoran, dan kuliner pinggir jalan; yang terakhir ini dikenal juga dengan sebutan street food.

Jika untuk jenis makanan restoran, Bali memiliki Mozaic, Metis, dan Sarong yang berulangkali mendapatkan pengakuan internasional. Bagaimana halnya dengan kuliner pinggir jalannya? Adakah juga yang unggul? Ternyata sama juga; tak kurang dari dua chef ngetop yang memiliki acara kuliner di televisi internasional, memuji kelezatan dari hidangan Babi Guling Ibu Oka di Ubud. Mereka adalah: Anthony Bourdain (No Reservation) dan Andrew Zimmern (Bizzare Foods).

Ditambah dengan Bobby Chinn (World Café Asia), maka setidaknya sudah pernah ada tiga acara TV internasional yang membuat episode khusus untuk membahas kekayaan kuliner pinggir jalan yang Bali miliki. Dalam liputannya mengenai Bali pun, Samantha Brown (Samantha Brown's Asia) turut mengulas mengenai Ibu Oka.

Mulai berjualan sejak tahun 70an, kini tak kurang dari 500 pengunjung memadati Babi Guling Ibu Oka setiap harinya, dan 1.000 pada akhir pekan; suatu prestasi yang akan sulit disaingi kebanyakan restoran di Bali, yang bertaraf internasional sekalipun. Mayoritas pengunjung Ibu Oka sendiri adalah wisatawan; baik turis Australia, Jepang, maupun wisatawan domestik.

Di tempat lain, Warung Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku dengan hidangan andalannya Nasi Ayam Bali, menerima sekitar 200 pengunjung setiap harinya; jumlah yang sama juga dilaporkan oleh Warung Mak Beng di Sanur yang berjualan hidangan Sup Kepala Ikan. Di semua tempat tersebut, para pengunjung rela untuk antre, makan berdesakan, tak jarang harus mandi keringat, semata-mata karena tertarik akan keunikan dan kelezatan masakan yang tiga warung ini miliki.

Citarasa lokal

Jika kuliner pinggir jalan seringkali identik dengan ketidaknyamanan, dan masih banyak pilihan makanan sejenis disajikan di restoran-restoran yang lebih berkelas, apakah alasan para wisatawan (khususnya yang dari mancanegara) memenuhi tempat-tempat jajanan pinggir jalan tersebut?

Walaupun penulis sudah bisa mengira-ngira sendiri apa jawabannya, penegasan atas dugaan tersebut muncul ketika mendapatkan email pertanyaan dari para penikmat makan enak, baik lokal maupun dari mancanegara yang akan berkunjung ke Bali. Berhubung yang mereka ketahui mengenai Bali sangatlah terbatas, maka biasanya mereka akan meminta saran lokasi kuliner yang wajib dicoba; dan rata-rata tidak minta ditunjukkan restoran yang mewah, namun kuliner-kuliner khas lokal, yang tentunya rata-rata dijual di tepi jalan.

Ketika ditanyakan mengapa, ternyata alasannya rata-rata terkait pentingnya citarasa lokal: “hidangan fine dining ala Perancis bisa kami dapatkan di tempat asal kami dengan mudah, sedangkan di Indonesia saya ingin merasakan cita rasa asli Indonesia.” Atau jawaban versi lainnya: “Saya dari Amerika, ngapain jauh-jauh ke Bali kalau cuma buat makan makanan Mexico?”

Satu hal yang konsisten teramati dari mereka semua, adalah tingginya ketertarikan dari kalangan wisatawan untuk mengenal citarasa lokal; sesuatu yang akan sangat berbeda dari tempat ke tempat, sekaligus sulit untuk dibuat tiruannya. Hal ini selaras dengan pemahaman penulis sendiri, bahwa makanan bercitarasa lokal paling enak biasanya ditemukan tidak di restoran keren, tapi di pinggir jalan.

Memang ada juga sih, turis mancanegara yang takut panas, takut mules, atau gengsian, hingga memilih untuk hanya menyantap makanan yang sudah biasa mereka makan di negara asalnya; namun jika dilihat dari pesatnya trend backpacker dan ecotourism, pengalaman lokal adalah hal yang sangat dicari oleh para wisatawan jenis baru ini, termasuk makanan setempat sebagai bagian pengalaman tersebut.

Salahsatu bukti keunggulan kuliner pinggir jalan dibanding restoran internasional, muncul dalam cuplikan dialog penulis dengan pasangan penikmat makan enak dari San Fransisco, AS. Dari sekian tempat yang penulis sarankan dan dicoba, rupanya mereka lebih terkesan dengan Nasi Ayam Betutu Warung Liku, dan Sop Buntut di Warung Nikmat Bakungsari, daripada dengan makanan di restoran-restoran Barat yang berderet di sepanjang jalan Seminyak dan Oberoi. Hal yang kadang membuat heran, terlebih bagi mereka yang sudah sangat terbiasa dengan masakan-masakan lokal tersebut.

Namun disinilah pentingnya kita menetralkan diri, dan menyadari bahwa apa yang seseorang anggap biasa, bisa jadi dianggap luar biasa bagi orang lainnya.

Pendapat para rekan dari AS ini sendiri penulis anggap shahih karena mereka berdua datang dari salahsatu kota AS dengan ragam dan kualitas kuliner yang tinggi, sering bepergian keliling dunia, plus sebelum mencapai Bali mereka telah mengunjungi terlebih dahulu negara-negara Asia Tenggara lainnya jadi dasar referensinya pun sudah sangat luas. Ditambah lagi, kedua warung tersebut adalah nama-nama yang juga ngetop di kalangan penikmat makan enak domestik.

Berdasarkan hal inilah, penulis yakin kalaupun ada kuliner tepi jalan legendaris di luar Bali yang tidak/sedikit saja mendapatkan kunjungan turis mancanegara, hal itu lebih disebabkan karena keberadaan mereka yang bukan di lokasi tujuan utama wisatawan internasional; bukan karena masalah kualitas, atau selera yang benar-benar berbeda.

Duta Budaya Kuliner

Di kalangan wisatawan nusantara sendiri, sebagai penegas saking berartinya pengalaman makan dalam perjalanan wisata, maka seringkali muncul klaim dengan format sebagai berikut:

“Belum ke” + [nama daerah] + “kalau belum makan di” + [nama kuliner pinggir jalan]

Misalnya:

“Belum ke Kuta kalau belum makan di Nasi Pedas Ibu Andika”
“Belum ke Yogya kalau belum makan Gudeg Yu Djum”
“Belum ke Solo kalau belum makan Nasi Liwet Wongso Lemu”
“Belum ke Madiun kalau belum makan Pecel Mbok Gembrot”
“Belum ke Garut kalau belum makan Nasi Liwet di Asep Stroberi”

Ketertarikan para wisatawan akan kuliner pinggir jalan ini sebenarnya menunjukkan suatu indikasi penting bahwa kuliner pinggir jalan adalah salahsatu pemain utama dalam memperkenalkan identitas lokal suatu daerah, yang pada gilirannya bisa turut mendongkrak nilai jual suatu daerah tujuan wisata.

Dalam lingkup internasional pun, kuliner pinggir jalan bisa berperan besar dalam membantu pembentukan persepsi dunia mengenai kualitas dan Unique Selling Point (USP) dari suatu daerah tujuan wisata, atau malah menegaskan kualitas budaya kuliner suatu negara secara umum.

Menilik hal tersebut, tidak berlebihan kiranya kalau penulis menganggap bahwa kuliner pinggir jalan (street food) sebenarnya adalah para duta budaya kuliner Indonesia.

Maka dari itu, keikutsertaan Indonesia dalam ajang World Street Food Congress di Singapura awal bulan Juni 2013 ini menjadi suatu hal yang penting, karena ini merupakan kesempatan yang tepat untuk memperkenalkan kekayaan budaya kuliner Indonesia kepada para street-foodies internasional: mereka yang percaya bahwa makanan terenak di dunia seringkali ditemukan di pinggir jalan. (byms)

Writing assignment vs Free writing

2013-04-30T21:05:00.000+08:00

If you find someone believe in your capability and assign you a writing job, congratulations! One thing you should bear in mind though, writing assignments usually comes with strict restrictions. If you want to keep your client happy, then stick to the rules they laid out.

The restrictions applied itself, usually exist due to different nature of your client's need; what is it for? who their target markets are? where it will be published? And those considerations dictates almost directly about what writing style should be applied, and what sort of information and story it should contains.

And what's not less important, is the media's physical and technical limitations, meaning if the article you need to write will occupy an A4 single page (about 400 words), sending a 1,200 words article wouldn't wow your client, but driving their editor crazy instead.

And if you even have the feeling to debate on the need to expand the article into a three pages feature, please understand that most times that's not even your client's decision, and absolutely not yours to make. Stick to the constraints and you'll get a happy client. Fail to understand that, or write something absolutely different from the concept approved, and you can kiss the hope of future assignments goodbye.

In your search of the story though, most of the time you'll get more story than you need. What you'll do with those? Throw them away?

Don't! Put them all together into a form of free writing; a narrative, and often just-flowing, less structured writing that includes all the stories you capture on the assigned subject. This way you'll get a pool of reference that you could use later on, to write on another assignment. After all just like artwork, no writing is completely novel, it's just the different arrangements and components that goes into your writing that will determine its uniqueness and creativity.

Therefore, as a good practice to apply for writing assignments; do the free writing first, then later scoop from it components that required to form the writing assignment. This way you don't throw away precious informations (which could be useful for your next projects), and your client get what they're looking for, along with the high chance for repeat order. Couldn't imagine a happier ending than that. (byms)

Epicurina is attending TEDxUbud 2013

2013-04-24T19:23:00.001+08:00

Ticket has been paid, marking my calendar for TEDxUbud 2013. Still looking for sponsor for WSFCongress 2013. Well, first thing first...

Anyone else is coming? (byms)

Akademi Berbagi #12 "Storytelling" at Kopi Kultur Bali

2013-04-22T17:27:00.000+08:00

Among the places frequently showed up on my radar for the past couple of weeks, is this place called "Kopi Kultur." After some research into the place, more than just a coffee shop it seems to function as a creative hub as well. Each and every postings I read further strengthen this assumption too: Kopi Kultur is a place for creative discussions (and actions).

One of the events Kopi Kultur held regularly is this "Akademi Berbagi" (Akber), which translated as "Sharing Academy," and the next one that will be held tomorrow is the 12th session, with the topic of "Storytelling." Since I've already put the title "UX Designer and Storyteller" on my other bizcard, which make it a must-attend event; the rare moment where two of my passions merged in: UX Design, and Good Food.

Anyone else is coming? I'll be there for sure. (byms)

Preview: Makansutra Guide Indonesia 2013

2013-04-17T21:58:00.000+08:00

Since the project leader, Arie Parikesit from Kelana Rasa Culinary (@kelanarasa) had already announced about the project completion, so let me give you a heads up about something we've been working hard for the past couple of months: Makansutra Guide Indonesia 2013!

Makansutra

What is Makansutra (@makansutra)? To put it simple, it's a longstanding brand (and initiative) that promotes "the real" good food in Singapore: its street food. Quoting from their website:

Makansutra is founded by the affable K.F Seetoh, whose mission is to celebrate the best of Asian Food Culture and Lifestyle. Since its inception in 1997, Makansutra has never solicited advertisements nor meals in return for reviews. We pay for all our reviewed meals and never announce our visits . We welcome all views and constructive criticisms. ~Makansutra.com

Makansutra Guides

True to its ideal in celebrating the best of Asian food culture & lifestyle, one of Makansutra product is the Makansutra Guides; a compilation of good eats complete with its rating. At the moment Makansutra Guide covers many Asian countries, including Indonesia.

However it's been a while since the last Makansutra Guides covers Indonesia; 9 years lapse and it was exclusive to Jakarta. This 2013 edition itself will bring a plethora of 500 eatery entries! 300 from Jakarta, 100 from Bandung, and 100 from Bali; all selected and assessed from the taste and tummy of seasoned Indonesian good food adventurers.

Thanks to Arie, Epicurina got the opportunity to participate in this exciting project, covering some of Bali's notable eateries; mostly street food, along with other Bali based culinary adventurer Debbie Leksono and Arie himself. At the moment it covers mostly Denpasar and its nearby districts including Ubud, Kuta, and Uluwatu.

Book Launching at World Street Food Festival 2013

The book itself is planned to be launched at the World Street Food Festival 2013 (@WSFCongress) in Singapore, and distributed through bookstores in Indonesia at the same time, or shortly after; we don't know yet, stay tuned!

Last, here's the list of researchers for Makansutra Guides Indonesia 2013 covering three cities:

Arie Parikesit (@arieparikesit) - Editor & Project Leader
Jeffry Sie (@JeffrySie) - Bandung
Budi Wahyu (@buwah138) - Bandung
NonaLapar (@nonalapar) - Bandung
Ronaldy Penol Anwari (@Penol86) - Glodok & Mangga Besar, Jakarta
Harry Nazarudin (@itsharnaz) - Kelapa Gading, Jakarta
Marchellinus Hanjaya (@marchellinus) - Serpong & Tangerang
Natalia (@nataliathen) - Gunung sahari & Pangjay, Jakarta
Jenz Kwok (@jenzcorner) - Western Jakarta
Febi Liana (@febiliana) - Southern Jakarta
Ruth Wijaya (@ruthwijaya) - Southern Jakarta
Debbzie Leksono (@twitdebbzie) - Bali - general
Bayu Amus (@epicurina) - Bali - non pork

(byms)

Bebek Yemelia Denpasar Bali

2013-04-15T12:30:00.000+08:00

Ducky, dear ducky

My acquaintanceship with duck dishes came quite late. It's due because different with its Javanese sibling, Sundanese people rarely eat duck. In fact you won't find duck dishes existed in Sundanese restaurants until the late 90s, and until nowadays it's still a dish very seldom found in Sundanese houses too. I don't remember any particular reason why, except that it's something considerably foreign.

My excitement with duck meat therefore, first came through Chinese cuisine with their Bebek Panggang (roasted duck), available at the Pagoda Restaurant, the first high-class Chinese restaurant in Bandung that's halal-certified.

Having considerably darker flavor than chicken, with tougher meat too, when roasted properly duck have this unique taste that's more exciting than any chicken I have ever tasted before. Accompanied by the hoisin dipping sauce, Bebek Panggang offers a good flavor play between savory, sweet, smoky, and a big punch of umami.

Having tried the Chinese duck, I was intrigued to try another cuisine style using this poultry, and among the most available options back then was Javanese style; well it's nothing really fancy though: a duck seasoned with the same old bumbu kuning; turmeric and galangal based seasoning usually used to fried chicken, and most of the time they only managed to taste like oversized tough roster, with overpriced bill.

However when a duck is properly cooked, it hits the spot chicken dishes can never reach, thus I'm always in hunt for great duck cuisines everywhere I lives; including here in Bali.

Balinese duck hunting

Bali is famous for its Bebek Betutu and Bebek Bengil. After 3+ years of living in Bali though, my curiosity over Bebek Betutu slowly faded; I found them delicious but I've never been a wet duck-meat fan, so it wasn't in my favorite list.

A recent dinner at Kitchen Sessions: Bali changed my perception of Bebek Betutu though, however I doubt I can find anything close to that on Denpasar street. At Balinese homes perhaps, or big religious ceremonies.

As with Bebek Bengil, with its 80K+ tag, some so-so comments from my fellow foodie, and location that requires quite an effort to reach, resides low on my visit list too. That's why I found myself returning to Tan's Kitchen in Genteng Biru for their Chinese style roasted duck, every times I have this ducky rush.

Anything good on the street? Well I haven't got any insightful moments; especially since duck in Denpasar's street food tend to be seen only as an alternative to chicken and treat it as such; an overgrown chicken, usually with more bones than meat, and in the end it costs significantly higher for the customers but without the necessary wow factor.

Insight from a recent street food hunting journey

Things changed however, with the recent hunt for great street food spots, which made both me and hypnoticade more alert to the potential hidden gems around Denpasar. Among the spot I'm curious with, is an eatery selling Bebek Goreng at Jl. Wahidin, near the heart of Denpasar; everytime we passed by, the place is always packed with guests; and they specializes on duck so it's quite a potential place to find good duck. The place name is "Bebek Yemelia", and they claimed to sell genuine Surabaya style duck.

It took quite a while though, before we managed to land our feet into this eatery; and it was Hypnoticade's curiosity that drove us, thinking that she would found a very good fried chicken here; as duck are almost always sold along with chicken.

(She was wrong though, as Bebek Yemelia stands truthful to its name sells only duck)

Not long after we managed to secure our seats, a waiter came to our table and ask for our order. I ordered for the breast quarter but they have already sold all the breasts out, so I'd settle for the thigh instead. Preparing ourselves for a long wait, we got really surprised when in just seconds later our order arrived, still hot! Not steamy hot but warm enough to know that it's freshly cooked, tasted good, without having to risk blisters on our eating fingers.

A set of dinner here is consisting of a piece of fried duck, hot sambal, and a plate of white rice garnished with the oil left from frying the duck; greasy goodness.

The duck itself didn't look too exciting, however it show traces of good frying and fat-less skin. It's pretty much still looking like a chicken but with longer bones and coarser feathers.

Washed my hand, tear its crispy skin and have a bite to assess its quality; squeeze the lime into the sambal, pick a strain of meat and dip it into the sambal; scoop the oiled rice from the plate and put them inside my mouth...

It tasted good; nothing too fancy but a classic good fried duck where the seasoning penetrated deep, and while the skin is crumbly but the flesh beneath has good moisture.

My only concern was that it's the kind of dish that fell into "gone too soon" category: with excited mode on, you'll find yourself still longing yet the dish has completely finished. Two might be the better number for empty stomach instead.

Bebek Yemelia opens from 11am to 11pm daily, and the cost of a portion of duck plus an ice tea is 20K; quite cheap for a duck dish, and quite okay trade-off for the eating sensation it offers. I'd expect a bigger portion though, or inclusion of the usual side-dishes like goreng tempe and tahu, or giblets satay to extend the eating pleasure.

At the moment, Bebek Yemelia holds the record for fastest serving from needs-to-be-cooked food category with under ten-seconds time. The closest serving time we know was held by Nasi Goreng Cak Heri in Ciledug, Jakarta, who have their fried rice half-cooked, then seasoned and garnished individually to met customer's order; and they still requires like three minutes. (byms)

TEDxUbud 2013 Application now open

2013-04-08T11:30:00.000+08:00

Amazing ideas. Unique perspectives. Interesting people. TEDxUbud is made possible by partner companies that share the spirit and principles that drive TEDxUbud and its passionate team of volunteers.

TEDxUbud 2013 will be held on June 1st. As a participant, you will be part of an exciting back-to-back schedule of talks and performances. Participation is limited to 300 places and by invitation only. Participants are chosen to ensure a rich and stimulating exchange of ideas among a diverse group of people.

If you would like to be part of TEDxUbud June 1st event, TEDxUbud will be accepting applications until May 3rd. Due to very high demand, it is encouraged for everyone to apply early. Selected attendees will receive an email with ticket purchase instructions by May 6th.

Tickets to TEDxUbud 2013 event are Rp. 400,000 and Rp. 90,000 for Indonesian Citizens.

Click on the image or this link to fill up application.

Source: http://tedxubud.com/

Whisky Business Dinner at Alila Villas Soori

2013-04-05T07:04:00.000+08:00

Set in a secluded piece of land right by the beach, surrounded by the lust green rice field, Alila Villas Soori emits the serene Balinese countryside atmosphere elegantly. It's in this beautiful place Whisky Dinner took place.

The idea of a Whisky Dinner itself came from The Common Room in Melbourne, Australia, which during 2012 held a year-long movie-inspired dinner, all named after famous movies. As its name implies, Whisky Business -- taken from a famous 1983 movie "Risky Business" -- aims to create a dinner that paired dishes, not with the usual liquor: wine, but with the seldom paired Whisky. To cook for this dinner, it's no less than The Common Room head chef itself, Brook Petrie was flown from Australia to work side by side with Soori's own Executive Chef Dwayne Cheer; and just FYI they're both Kiwi chefs!

As for the cuisine itself, Brook Petrie is well known as the prominent supporter of "Quirky" modern British cuisine, meaning classical British cooking with modern touch, including a touch of fusion; not your everyday Balinese selection for sure.

Amuse Bouche

This sashimi-like dish is made out of snapper cuts, scallop floss, hard to see but it's there avocado, in a tangy flavorful dressing sauce. While it looks like your regular appetizer, an Amuse Bouche (French for "mouth amuser") is an important part of a Nouvelle Cuisine dinner. An Amuse Bouche can never be ordered from a menu, because it's picked by the chef and served free to all of the guests on the dinner.

An Amuse Bouche therefore, serves as the chef's statement of his style, thus usually gives a good insight on how the rest of the dinner experience will be.

While the snapper tasted very mild, the combination of creamy avocado, savory floss, and the tangy dressing creates this interestingly fresh flavor mixing. As Sarah, another guest for that night dinner puts it "it's not about the fish, it's the sauce".

Lobster, Black Pudding, and Jamon Dashi

Next came the controversial plate, as black pudding is sort of an acquired taste, and the idea of eating blood is quite challenging for some. It is however, one of a classical British dish, and with his approach of Modern British, was kind of expected from Brook Petrie; after all it's part of the original Whisky Business dinner back at The Common Room.

The Black Pudding itself was paired with plump, savory lobster chunks, and bathed in Jamon Dashi; a stock made of dry-cured Spanish ham; three different nations' cuisine in one plate. As with the taste itself, the dashi was kind of light and only moderately flavors the lobster.

Fish 'n Chips

Imagine having a plate of fish 'n chips from your favorite American restaurant, keep that in mind, steady, and let them fall apart when this dish arrive.

Fish 'n Chips is among the guests' favorite back in The Common Room, and I can see why. First and most important: it looks nothing like a fish 'n chips.

Second, using horse mackerel (skipjack, tongkol) as its centerpiece, the taste is awesomely milky. Since Tuna is my favorite saltwater fishes, surely this dish fits easily to my favorite list.

Third, to top the lovely mackerel experience, the dish also presented pieces of chips, yuzu mayo and seaweed salad; and they're nothing ordinary.

The bonito chips, while tasting very much like potato chips, it has however an intense flavor of seaweed, making it a delicious treat on its own. And the seaweed salad, has this rich, tangy taste making each bites a wonderful journey. Three quite different flavor combo; it will wipe completely your initial perception of what Fish 'n Chips is, and how far it could go. That's the highlight of the dinner for me.

Rolled Boneless Quail

Served with smoked freekeh; roasted cereal made from green wheat, sprinkled with pomegranate bits, the quail tasted rich, flavorful, with chunky meat that gives you good bites. The pomegranate itself provides bursts of sourness that compliment the quail, and put spikes in between the mellow freekeh.

Beef Steak

Since I don't eat pork, the Pork Belly that ends the main dishes for the dinner was substituted with a beef steak for me. "Medium well" I answered the server upon questioned how I wanted my steak to be cooked.

While I eat carpaccio, steak tartar, and can accept blue-rare beef, I found out that the best moments for a steak to have a good balance of beefiness (that meat taste), and the flavorsome (that savory taste), is between rare-medium and medium well; if it's too early it's better to eat sushi, and if it's too late then I'd better have gepuk or empal. So I just do a mental check every time I ordered steaks: am I in the mood for beefiness or flavorsome? And made my order accordingly.

And it was a blast; the steak was very good I'm thinking to order another round. That satisfied my week-long craving for a good meat.

Wild berries dessert

As it's not on the menu we almost think there's a last-minute change. However it wasn't, it's a surprise dessert before the big one came out. Since I also don't know what it's called let's just talk about how it taste: tart, sweet, creamy. While the first two came from the berries and the jam, the last came from the solid white bits which to my best guests are dehydrated coconut milk, because it tasted like that.

Tropic Thunder

Last and certainly not least, a bowl full with tidbits of delicacies, ranging from sweet, sour, creamy, starchy, gingery, together created a delicious taste journey. A nice closure to this dining experience.

After a light chat with our host for that dinner, we then got introduced to the duo chef who created the wonderful dishes of that dinner: Chef Dwayne Cheers from Alila Villas Soori, and Chef Brook Petrie from The Common Room Melbourne, Australia.

While the conversation among the dinner's guest was still going on, it was then already quite late for those not staying at the hotel, considering the 1 hour drive; so we have to bid farewell.

It was one insightful dinner to say the least, where we got a chance to be introduced to how Modern British cuisine looks and taste, and the talented masterminds behind them all. Thank you Alila Villas Soori for the invitation. (byms)

Alila Villas Soori
Banjar Dukuh, Desa Kelating, Kerambitan Tabanan 82161, Indonesia
+62 361 8946388
Click for Google Maps location

http://www.alilahotels.com/soori
For reservation and information, contact soori@alilahotels.com

Kitchen Sessions: Bali

2013-04-03T19:15:00.002+08:00

It's always been fascinating to know where Chef Will Meyrick headed for his next culinary journey. Why? Because he'll soon shares his journey, either in his travel blog, or in a Kitchen Sessions at one of his beautiful premises in Bali; Sarong in Petitenget, and Mama San in Seminyak. And Sarong this year, again receives a worthy notation in Asia's Mielle Guide Top 20 Restaurants 2013.

While he travels mostly around Asian countries, his recent trip is quite in the neighborhood: Bali. Was I ecstatic? For sure, Balinese culinary style has a lot of potentials, and I'm curious on how he will represent those into a fine dining cuisine.

The Visit

Mama San looks gorgeous in the afternoon; with its facade facing west, the setting sun creates this long shadows of everything, and bathed the restaurant's interior in its golden yellow rays.

Raechel was already there, in conversation with another guest for the Kitchen Sessions that night. After being introduced, I excused myself to capture the beautiful moments.

Since Chef Palm Amatawet was already manning his station, so I greeted him and managed to capture this picture of him in action, with his signature wide smile.

While waiting for all the guests to arrive, we were presented with this Balinese finger food which made from the spicy tangy Ayam Pelalah, wrapped in Betel Nut leaf and created this wonderful taste mix. (I eat three or four portions by the way; that good!).

The Dinner

As the food is ready, and all the guests seated, Will Meyrick greeted us, and as usual gave us introduction on the dinner theme for that night. Kitchen Sessions: Bali was born out of his interest in the cuisine of his own neighborhood, his home: Bali. He also explained that everything presented on that dinner are still using original Balinese seasoning; no messing around with the ingredients, and what he's altering is only its composition and balance.

"What you'll be missing though, are plates that wiped with dirty napkins, and food that's prepared with same hands used in handing out changes money to the buyers" said Will Meyrick jokingly.

Will also made a special note that all of the dishes recipe for that evening are came, from Sarong's own "secret weapon", Balinese Chef Budiana. Having been working together for so many years, Will is eager to introduce Budiana. This is important especially with him busy preparing the launching of his latest creation E&O in Mega Kuningan Jakarta, Budiana will be overseeing Will's homebase during he's away.

While Hendra is quite camera-conscious :), I couldn't get a good shot in such low lighting, so please excuse this rather candid shot of Chef Budiana.

As with the dinner menu, for you familiar with Balinese cuisine then you'll find them easily recognizable: common, everyday sold Balinese dishes, right from the streets of Bali. Ready for the journey? Here we go:

Sup Kepala Ikan (Fish Head Soup)

I've read somewhere that serving whole fish to a westerner is a crazy idea, since westerners don't eat a face, hence a fish head soup must be a big no no. Well I had to admit that once, the idea of eating something's face is gross for me too, however after curiosity took over and I got introduced into Balinese Fish Head soup, there's no turning back.

Once you managed to "learn" it (ow yeah baby, it's an acquired taste), consistent with the rules that once a food with an acquired taste is liked, there's no substitute to it; now Fish Head Soup is among my favorite Balinese dishes.

Mama San's fish head soup though, came in a more subtle appearance: sliced snapper meat, in the familiar taste of Balinese fish head soup. What's different though, and I almost moaned out in excitement, is the flavor tuning that introduces heavy amount of sourness; something that's missing from its street food cousins.

The snapper meat itself is succulent and smooth, easily one of the most beautiful dish of that dinner.

For those who prefer the genuine eating experience of a fish head soup though, there's a whole snapper head presented on the table as well. However I hold myself from devouring the dish as eating a whole fish head requires time, patience, and sloppy hands; while the dinner is still early and I didn't want the gigantic head to stall my progress.

I did managed though, to scoop one of its eyes out, and devour the gelatinous fillings inside. A habit that turned out Raditya on the next seat fancy as well.

Udang Bakar Bumbu Plecing (Grilled Prawn in Plecing Sauce)

Coming up next, Will Meyrick's experiment on Plecing sauce. Well known for its super spicy flavor, Plecing applied at the dinner was resided on a more moderate level, meaning you still get the flavorful character of Plecing without having to sweat all over it.

The Udang Bakar Bumbu Plecing itself was accompanied by the Pepes Klengis (snapper with roasted coconut sediment), and Lawar Rumput Laut (Seaweed salad) which closely resembles Pulau Serangan's Jukut Bulung.

The grilled prawn itself tasted a degree too raw for my taste, since it still has this amaebi (sweet shrimp sushi) flesh character, but the dish itself is again, easy to like.

Serapah Sapi With Sup Buntut Ares (Beef Serapah with Banana stem and oxtail soup)

Among the dish I haven't been able to taste during my 3+ years of living in Bali, is Serapah; while it's name immediately reminds me of cursing ("sumpah serapah" means cursing in Indonesian), and on second thought it reminds me of a giraffe (Jerapah in Indonesia), this dish remotely resembles those two. It's a very exotic dish that immediately screams "rustic" and "delicious" at the same time.

The use of beef short ribs is perfect in this dish, since its strong beefy aroma mixes well with this Balinese version of black-pepper sauce. Its unique moderate peppery spiciness is the result of using Balinese Long Pepper.

What I found beautiful as well is the inclusion of chunky slices of kikil into the dish which adds to the texture.

Lawar

Next came the iconic dish of Balinese cuisine: Lawar. Usually presented only in traditional ceremonies, it finds way some while ago into everyday meal.

Still considered challenging by some, Lawar is a wonderful dish that truly represents Balinese taste; you should try this at least once in your visits to Bali.

The pork Lawar as pictured above, praised by many of the Balinese-based guest as really delicious. As for myself on the other hand, considering that was the first time I encountered Lawar too (now I admit it), can't make a comparison but found my beef Lawar really enjoyable. What I recognized immediately though, is the taste and aroma of corned beef, and strong traces of fried shallots.

Bebek Betutu (Balinese Roasted Duck)

What came next is the gigantic leaf parcel with burn marks, that emits a lovely herbal scent: it's the Bebek Betutu; Balinese Roasted Duck.

Preparing it on the other hand, was quite tricky, carving a Bebek Betutu it is not an easy feat, even for the experienced people at Mama San. Well some dishes are best eaten bare hand though, that's for sure.

Taste wise however, it's among the most succulent, creamy, smooth poultry I've ever had. With the smokey aroma sneaks in between the duck's mellow taste, and flavors lent by its herb-rich stuffing, it's another favorite from the dinner that night.

The Jukut Undis soup that accompanied the dish was also a good pairing; flavorful without being overpowering, it's among Balinese dishes that deserves more attention.

The cassava leaves in base genep seasoning is another good treat, but it just couldn't shake off the lingering taste of Bebek Betutu.

Desserts

To close our dinner, there's a variety of Jajan Bali usually found in traditional markets; however they're done with better ingredients so it was a new experience as well.

Some of the guests found them too sweet and they're maybe right, but taste wise they're simply good. A good closure to the taste journey Kitchen Sessions: Bali delivers that night.

The Aftermath

As always, some of the menu tasted in Kitchen Sessions will make it to Mama San's regular menu, while some don't. As winners of that dinner I'd surely recommends Bebek Betutu, Sup Kepala Ikan, and Serapah. The other dishes are wonderful but for me those three each represents the succulent, tangy, and robust character of Balinese cuisine.

And it's nice to see how a common daily Balinese dishes could be transformed into a fine dining experience, while still retaining its original characters. Thank you for the invitation Chef! (byms)

Churros La Fonda, Kuta Beach Walk, Bali

2013-03-28T10:12:00.000+08:00

Finally I got a chance to check out what Churros La Fonda is all about. With virtually all the Balinese celebrating Galungan, including the travel guides so most of tourist activities will be reduced too, we figured yesterday that it would be the best time to visit Kuta, and so we did.

No thanks to the puzzling layout of Kuta's Beach Walk though, it requires some time to find out where everything is. How about some decent floor map Beach Walk?

For you who's curious, Churros La Fonda located on the 3rd floor near the Western escalator shaft, with a view facing Kuta Beach. And no, don't try to look for a stall because Churros La Fonda have an outlet from the back of... a Bajay!

Needless to say the stall itself attracts quite an attention from the people passing by, which ends up in them wanting to try the churros.

Another fun part of the shopping experience is that people are able to watch how their curros comes into form, because it's made fresh from the dough machine, into the electric fryer underneath.

After it's cooked, the curly brown sticks are then bathed in either one of the two kind of sugars; regular cane sugar, or cinnamon infused.

Another option at Churros La Fonda, is to order a cup of melted chocolate and dip your churros into it.

We found our churros more enjoyable with only cinnamon sugar though; as the chocolate tend to be overpowering, and it's unlike a melted chocolate butter, but more like a thick chocolate drink.

Doesn't it looks good? Well it tasted good too; the skin of churros is crumbly crispy with the good biscuit like texture, but inside it's still moist and soft, and warm, lovely. The cinnamon sugar itself gives churros a good vintage taste.

Churros are sold in tens, at Rp. 1,000 a piece. Ten pieces of it (as pictured above) satisfies one, but just enough for two to shares. The chocolate dip are sold in three sized cups starting at Rp. 15,000.

An issue we recognized during our visit yesterday, is the waiting period. As it's freshly fried for every orders, and the churros need a resting time to cool down afterward, waiting time could take a while. This condition has resulted in some customers canceled their request for they're couldn't wait. It happens usually with those looking like tourists from out of town, and they're already in the midway of going somewhere else.

And while the view is breath taking even at the dull mid-day, it's too hot to do anything out there fully clothed far from the waters. Therefore there should be more chairs for those willing to wait, indoor out of the heat.

Issues aside, from what we experienced though, the warm churros are worth the wait. (byms)

Churros La Fonda

Beachwalk Mall 3rd floor, Jalan Pantai Kuta, Bali 80361
P: 0878-6147-4548
http://twitter.com/ChurrosBali
https://www.facebook.com/ChurrosBali

Most Obnoxious Tweeters identified!

2013-03-26T11:31:00.002+08:00

While the #infographic is just for laughs, anyone in your contact fits those? Not me I hope :D

Source: http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/tech-industry-obnoxious-tweeters/

Event: Denpasar Festival 2012

2013-03-16T10:28:00.000+08:00

Among the best culinary event in Bali to go to, is the Denpasar Festival that held annually each December. What makes it a bit troublesome to visit it though, is the heavy rains that frequents December. I wish the city official could move it outside the rainy seasons, or perhaps make it twice a year; for the food festival section at least.

During this event, different food from different parts of Denpasar are showcased. While the theme of each year seems to differs a lot, like there was a Legendary Cuisine section back in Denpasar Festival 2009, in Denpasar Festival 2012 there was none. While lacking what I consider as the most important part for foodies to sample bests of Denpasar street food, there was still a lot of varieties to choose from.

While obviously there were a lot of pork, like the pork satay photographed above; and usual stalls that I've seen and been to before; giving my already 3+ years of living in this beautiful island, there were still surprises awaits. One of the example, is the Sate Lilit Salmon.

Sate Lilit Salmon

Marketing on Salmon's health benefits, Warung RA Salmon offers several set menus that proven to be a success; because early in the afternoon they're already running out of most of the items. What's left though is the rather unique Sate Lilit Salmon, which I found was more interesting to try than Salmon steaks, Salmon nuggets, or whatever western dishes version made with Salmon. This is Bali, and it's good to see that people in the food industries are still willing to innovate and experiments.

Though as experiments might go wrong, I still find the regular Sate Lilit Ikan favorable over this innovation. While I can still taste the salmon very well, its combination with Bali's base genep seasoning, a moderate amount of chilly and sweet glazing requires some time to get used to. I guess salmon's strong taste are best nurtured instead of contested. Perhaps the experiment has a better result in the monochromatic tum, or pepes? I can only imagine they do.

Vegetarian Dishes

Another kind of dishes I'd always curious to try is vegetarian. Not for its health benefits or religious reasons, but to see how this specialty culinary has grown.

Having visited a Vegetarian food expo 10+ years ago in Jakarta, where I got a chance to taste many of it's 300 different dishes, I'm a bit disappointed that here in Bali, I didn't find any mushroom in the vegetarian dishes I have sampled. Even if you want to go purist; resorting on real vegetables instead on those meat-imitation ingredients, mushroom is a great ingredients to flavor your cooking.

There was this beef jerky look alike that was made from green beans, however taste wise they almost have no taste except for the grainy earthy over dehydrated beans sensation.

The Sate Lilit made from tahu was pleasing though, but it's no surprise since perkedel tahu is quite a common dish in my mother's cooking.

Visitors

While we were enjoying our meal, the rain suddenly pouring down, hence we need to stay where we are. The side effect of it though, is that we got to meet other Festival goers, like these sisters from Karangasem, who drove all the way just to visit Denpasar Festival. Having a chatty kid helps a lot too, as it's an effective ice breaker among strangers.

The Closure

Missing many of 2009's unique dishes, like Sup Bulu Babi Pulau Serangan (very putrid taste but unique nonetheless), or the Lawar Nyawan, which made using bee's nest, I still managed though, to find some of Denpasar's unique culinary like the Sate & Tongseng Alu (monitor lizard); however (again) they're marketed more as medicinal food instead of savory treats, where I assume they're made just to become bearable; hence making me reluctant to try them.

In the end, we did more of walking around, and due to the rain we couldn't do much of that either. We made it to stop at a dessert stall though, selling many of Bali's best desserts, including the simplistic yet flavorful Es Daluman.

See you in Denpasar Festival 2013. (byms)

Marketing Savvy Onde-Onde

2013-03-15T19:23:00.002+08:00

Ever since Jl. Tukad Pakerisan was made one-way street for cars, the traffic jam is severely reduced.

However, around 5pm-7pm on working days, the heavy traffic resumes, hence I often prefers to take a detour into Jl. Tukad Batanghari for lighter traffic instead.

On one incidental occasion though, a thing happened which made me happily choose the traffic heavy Jl. Tukad Pakerisan.

Onde-Onde!

Sold in a decent aluminium showcase in a house's front yard, tens of this medium sized brown balls covered in sesame seeds tempting my eyes.

As I think "why not?" and pulled over, I then purchased some of this goodies at only 1K a piece. Went back inside my car, I begun to take a piece and bite right through it.

The result?

Never have I found onde-onde this good! Crisp on the outside, chewy dough underneath it, with crumbly creamy mashed green bean filling, and the nutty scent of roasted sesame seed lingering in between. And since I often get it hot, right out of the seller's frying wok, its delicious level doubled. While it's not the best ingredients I've ever tasted in an onde-onde, its freshness plays a great role.

Because my significant other the picky eater loves it too, therefore a visit once a week is a necessity.

What's too bad though, is that I often can't get off from the office early enough to catch the last balls of these goodies, or even if I could, sometimes the Javanese uncle who sells it feels like not opening his stall, or worse: the onde-onde are all there but...

"It's all for a special order, not for sale, sorry mas." said the man.

And seeing all those hot onde-onde resting on the frying mesh is a torture...

On some lucky days though, not only I'm able to bring home plenty of this delicious treats, but the uncle selling it often slip in an extra if you buy a lot, or when there's only one or two left on the display, and he's out of stock for the night. I know money-wise it costs only a parking ticket in Denpasar, but experience-wise those extras are worth way beyond its price: a happy customer.

While it's something that costs him perhaps only 500 rupiah for production cost, the extra has bought him a loyal, perhaps lifetime customer. And it's mind boggling how some businesses still focuses too much on one-time profit making, instead of nurturing a relationship which in turns creating brand loyalists. (byms)

Bakpiaku, Pia Susu White Rabbit!

2013-02-22T08:00:00.000+08:00

Remember White Rabbit Creamy Candy? The super creamy and milky candy with nougat-like texture and edible transparent wrapping? For your information, this Chinese delight was banned internationally on 2008 when tests in Singapore on September 2008 proven this product has melamine content, which followed by positive confirmation from similar tests in Hongkong, Australia and South Africa.

Though deemed not as fatal as the similar melamine contaminated infant milk formula case happened earlier, many countries including Indonesia prohibit the import and selling of White Rabbit cream candy afterward.

While the brand passes health inspection and was back on international market in April 2009, it's a rare treat to find in Indonesia nowadays.

White Rabbit Bakpia?

That question immediately jump into my mind upon tasting this neatly packaged bakpia "Bakpiaku", in a modern design style, immediately distancing it from the more traditional Yogyakarta's bakpia with their must-have-numbers attitude.

The pia itself tasted excellent: crusty layers on the outside, with thick crumbly sweet milky paste filling. At the first bite you can tell that it is a very good pia, but seconds later if you're familiar with the White Rabbit then you'll know what I mean.

Should you are interested, there are several ways you can contact them:

From their twitter account, Epicurina also discovers that Bakpiaku costs IDR 35K/box, delivery to Denpasar is 30K/4 boxes, while to Bandung is 28rb/4 boxes. 4 boxes is their minimum delivery quantity.

Should you are visiting Yogyakarta ("Jogja"), you can also visit Bakpiaku HQ at Jl. Gajah Mada

Simply saying, this one is among best tasted cookie I had in 2012 (byms).

Reference:
[01] "Scandal-hit White Rabbit candy back in overseas market", from http://www.china.org.cn/business/2009-04/16/content_17615066.htm

Alila Villas Soori's Whisky Business Dinner Invitation

2013-02-13T15:49:00.001+08:00

Alila Villas Soori will held a special dinner this month, featuring chef Brook Petrie from The Commoner restaurant in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, and Alila Villas Soori's executive chef Dwayne Cheer.

The theme of the dinner is "Whisky Business", one of The Commoner's favorite seasonal menu last 2012, where they setup a full year themed dinner, each titled just like movie titles.

I'm curious whether it will be the exact same menu presented back at The Commoner, or something rather different, considering the chef Brook's tendency of using locally sourced - what's in season ingredients.

Chef Brook is well know for his "Modern British" cooking style, some even adds "Quirky" to his style, as testament of his unconventionality approach: a style most probably honed during his years as the chef of Peter Gordon's restaurant Providores in London. Peter Gordon himself is often credited as the 'godfather' of fusion cuisine.

Before working at Alila Villas Soori, executive chef Dwayne Cheer held the similar position at At.mosphere, the highest restaurant in the world at 422 metres on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai. Interestingly both chef Brook & Dwayne are from New Zealand. (byms)

Will Meyric's Kitchen Sessions Bali Invitation

2013-02-12T17:39:00.003+08:00

When in the past it's been dishes new to my palate: Sri Lanka, and Burma, this time Will Meyrick is going to present his take on one familiar cuisine: Balinese!

For it's eye opening and taste portfolio enrichment, needless to say that Kitchen Sessions is among the most anticipated events in my foodie's calendar. Thank you Raechel & Will for extending the invitation. (byms)

Promo: Portabella Bistro Valentine 2013 Dinner

2013-02-09T00:28:00.000+08:00

Celebrating Valentine Day, Portabella Bistro Bali offering special dining package for you:

Choose between:

Appetizer:

TOM Carpaccio
Thin sliced butter fish and mango shaves served with roasted pumpkin seeds

or

KATIE Salad
Smoked oxtongue salad with radicchio lettuce cucumber tomatoes and onion with mustard dressing

Mains:

PITT Steak
Beef fillet in almond crust served with crispy zucchini and gorgonzola fondue.

or

ANISTON Risotto
Italian Arborio rice cooked with champagne asparagus and topped with raw oyster meat

or

JOLIE Swordfish
Swordfish a'la Livornese sauce and crispy lasagna served with green beans

Dessert:

CHRIS Pannacotta
Passion fruit jelly pnnacota served with raspberry creme brule

or

PALTROW Mousse
Red chilly and dark chocolte mousse with peanut praline crisp

Including Soft drinks and Juices.

Cost: IDR 200K/pax (400K/couple)

To reserve contact Portabella Bistro at:
(0361) 894 7002
contact@portabellabistro.com

(byms)

Epicurina on Empire Avenue (#EAv) Social Stock Market

2013-02-01T17:44:00.004+08:00

{EAV:c298176063604c9c}

For the past few weeks, Epicurina has joined the Empire Avenue universe. Empire Avenue (EAv) is a stock market simulation social network game that allows users to buy and sell shares of people and websites.

Shares of people? Well since this is a social networking game you can either enter the market as an organization, or as a person. The game itself is quite easy to play, but difficult to master, because the rules of the market are quite similar with real stock market, only simpler.

Players have their own portfolio in a virtual economy. The price of a player's share depends on the ticker's stock buying and selling, along with social networking activity. So the more active you are in the social market, the higher value your brand will have.

From Google:

At Empire Avenue (EAv) players can choose their own ticker symbol. The players can have multiple investors, which will garner them a higher share price, and they can invest in other players. Players win Achievements for their actions, such as advertising and adding services such as Twitter. Players gain dividends from the other shares in players they invest in, which are counted as Credits.

Social networks supported by Empire Avenue currently include Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Instagram, Wordpress hosted blogs and the player's own blog and RSS feeds.

As for Epicurina, Empire Avenue is the fun way to expand, engage and evaluate your social networking effectiveness, not to mention gaining new friends and connections, which is social networking all about. It also gives a good insight on how a stock market works. Once you're in it, you surely don't want your stock price to go down.

So it is all just a game? Well not really, because you can use the credits accumulated as incentive for people to help you fulfill your "missions", including driving traffic and engagement to your online content.

Furthermore, as the websit explains, Empire Avenue (EAv) drives social networking progress upon its three concept:

Expand

Empire Avenue's comprehensive social media suite is powered by the Social Stock Market, where you use your virtual currency to expand your social media audience. Your virtual investors will share in your success as they earn valuable currency through your online activity and engagement.

Engage

Use Empire Avenue's powerful Missions to drive traffic and engagement to your online content and social profiles, and to gain relevant new fans, followers and subscribers on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and other networks.

Evaluate

Finally, use the built-in Network Scores and other metrics to gauge the effectiveness and progress of your social media efforts, to pinpoint areas of improvement and to keep an eye on your network growth.

If you're already on Klout, and frequently checking various online tools to check on your blog/brand/self popularity, you might want to give Empire Avenue (EAv) a try. It's free anyway. (byms)

Source: Wikipedia & EmpireAvenue

Bajak Laut Nasi Tempong & Seafood, Renon, Bali

2013-01-20T00:00:00.000+08:00

Sporting the growth of Denpasar residents' likes for Nasi Tempong, Bajak Laut Nasi Tempong & Seafood sets on a different kind of path by combining Nasi Tempong with the other well-known Bali's best: Seafood.

Sets in the cozy neighborhood of Renon, Denpasar, Bajak Laut is the newest addition of restaurant openings in this area. From the down-to-earth food courts selling Ayam Goreng, Chinese food and Sup Kepala Ikan, to the more luxurious XO Suki & Cuisine, Ayucious, or the more established Bendega, Ikan Bakar Cianjur, and Hanamasa, Bajak Laut further marks Renon as a leading Denpasar's culinary destination.

Though opened really close to the market leader Nasi Tempong Indra, that with its aggressive market expansion in 2012 opens two new branches around Renon area alone, Bajak Laut however has what Indra has not: various choices of seafood comprising of fishes, shellfish, crabs, and shrimps. Therefore market wise, Bajak Laut is aiming at a slightly different crowds: those who loves the spicy Nasi Tempong, and those who loves Seafood; especially those too tired to go through all the traffic madness at Simpang Siur to reach Jimbaran.

(Or believes it's too touristy.)

As the champion of this premise, Bajak Laut offers "Kepiting Asap ala Bajak Laut", which are crabs cooked in sweet and savory rubs, then grilled inside banana leaf wraps to enhance its aroma. The result is a treat not only delicious to the taste but also to the sight.

Ingredients used for the rub is dominated with daun salam, or Indonesian bay leaves. For those familiar with gepuk; fried beef first marinated in spices and brown sugar, Kepiting Asap ala Bajak Laut has an almost identical seasoning.

One portion of Kepiting Asap ala Bajak Laut consisting of two crabs weighing total of 5 ons (500 grams). At 120K they're good for two, while the 7 ons one costs 150K. For the 5 ons portion, the crab size is a bit small, hence eating them requires quite an effort.

Nasi Tempong is a good example how a food originated from outside Bali could becomes a local hit. Originated from Banyuwangi, Nasi Tempong managed to get quite followers due to its main character of super spicy sambal. Nasi Tempong usually served as a package consisting of white rice, steamed vegetables, tahu, tempe, anemic salted fish, and super spicy sambal, and a main dish of either fried chicken, or other kind of proteins.

While I'm not a die-hard spicy food fans, I found their Nasi Tempong quite palatable, especially since the stewed vegetables plus sambal that's the core of every Nasi Tempong dish, is like a staple food in Western Java where I grew up.

Service is polite and attentive, though we found it's a bit hard to get attention from the waiters, except from the one stand by the front door. Beside of the seafood, the Nasi Tempong variations are sold around 12K to 45K,

Starting December 2013 but don't know for how long, Bajak Laut Nasi Tempong & Seafood offers a special discount for their set menu, at 150K for 4 people, and 250K for 6 people.

One annoying condition that we have to face as well, that even though the premise is fully airconed, people are allowed to smoke! And here in Denpasar, Bali, sadly it's the common case with many eating premises, and Bajak Laut is no exception. Therefore while their crab is quite delicious, until Bajak Laut separates its smoking and non-smoking section it poses health hazard to your youngsters. (byms)

Bajak Laut Nasi Tempong & Seafood
Jl. Cok Agung Tresna No.23, Renon, Denpasar, Bali
(0361) 7984007

Indonesian Foodblogger (IDFB) New Logo

2013-01-17T16:44:00.000+08:00

Beginning this January 2013, Indonesian Foodblogger (IDFB) will have their own unique logo as published today in IDFB's Facebook group:

This logo is available for Indonesian Foodblogger member to put on their foodblogs through several links which detailed further in this post. (byms)

Coming Soon: Seigo Dakgalbi, at Tebet Green Mall, Jakarta

2013-01-10T11:03:00.004+08:00

A new Korean restaurant is coming to Jakarta this early 2013. Located at Tebet Green Mall, Seigo Dakgalbi offers casual Cafe atmosphere missing from most Korean restaurants in Jakarta.

Epicurina would also thanks Fiana from Seigo Dakgalbi for the invitation to the grand launching party, however while the food shots look inviting but I don't think I'll be in Jakarta at that date. Good luck with the grand opening! (byms)

Infographic: The complex tale of @Epicurina

2013-01-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

I love infographics because it able to represents complex statistic in an easy and entertaining way! Here's one portraying @Epicurina activities on Twitter. It's a bit surprising that I Wayan Balawan is mentioned as my top retweeters! I was always suspecting that one of my fellow food bloggers would be on that list. Btw Tuesday 10 a.m. I think refer to this January 1 where I say hi to (almost) all of Epicurina contacts.

Want to know how yours look like? Create one today free using http://visual.ly/. (byms)

The taste of Jakarta at Ketoprak Uleg, Denpasar, Bali

2013-01-06T08:00:00.000+08:00

Among the sea breeze, white sands, and fresh air of Bali, Jakarta left quite a gap in our present dietary options. For example, its Nasi Uduk: sold in the morning, it's steaming hot emitting the aroma of coconut milk and daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves), enriched by the ever familiar scent of fried shallots. Eaten with sambal terasi and sliced omelette, Nasi Uduk is a flavorful and scentful breakfast missing from our mornings in Bali. At nights, the stalls selling Nasi Uduk along with Betawi's signature dishes like semur jengkol can easily be found in the center of Betawi's settlement around the city, like Rawa Belong in Jakarta Barat.

The other one we really missed would be Ketoprak. Different with in the one in Central Java, Ketoprak is not a form of drama shown on stage, but it's a dish containing ketupat (rice cake), tahu (tofu), and tauge (bean sprouts). While it's quite similar with Kupat Tahu Bandung, the main difference is that Ketoprak Jakarta contains beehoon as well.

Together with Nasi Goreng & Mie Tektek, Ketoprak is among the most common dish sold by street peddlers. You can easily find Ketoprak sellers among the dense skyscrapers in the city, or around the suburban settlements at nights.

That is why we got very curious upon seeing a new eatery "Ketoprak Uleg" opened up at Jl. Teuku Umar, Denpasar. We did hesitated for a while, until finally land our feet to try the place out.

The Place

Ketoprak Jakarta has a modest but clean settlement occupying a single ruko unit, with most of the interior spaces are used as kitchen and display. Tables are laid out front on the roofed porch, utilizing the best of open air circulation to dissipate the heat. Well the place is still hot for my thick stature though, even at nights.

The Food

Upon inspecting its neat and minimalism menu, we found both of Jakarta's signature dishes here: Nasi Uduk, and Ketoprak. As with the Ketoprak, they even have two variations: Ketoprak Betawi (15K), and Ketoprak Karet Tengsin (18K). While the firs is what I described earlier, the later consisting of more elaborate ingredients like telur asin (salted duck's egg), and potato chips.

As with the Nasi Uduk, they have it with fried chicken (18K), and with empal (24K); both are served with this delicious bacem tahu. The Nasi Uduk itself while it doesn't really taste coconutty, but the traces of daun salam aroma is strong; quite a relief after finding so many failed attempt at creating a good simple Nasi Uduk at Denpasar's eateries. No Semur Jengkol though.

Beside those two, you can also find other of Jakarta's specialties here like Soto Betawi (24K), and various other Indonesian dishes like Soto Ayam Kampung (18K), Lontong Sayur (16K), and Rawon Solo (24K).

Among the drink it's too bad they don't have Bir Pletok, but they do have this Air Sereh (lemongrass) which is quite unique.

Taste wise it's good, and looks like it's quickly becoming a favorite dinner place for workers around Simpang Enam, and Eastern Teuku Umar, including those ordering for takeaway. Parking space for cars is a bit tricky though, as the cellphone voucher seller opening next door is quite adamant in keeping his part of the roadside free from parking cars, while there's only enough space for two cars in front of Ketoprak Uleg. However for motorcycles there's ample of parking space available, a typical case with shops in this district though. (byms)