Din Tai Fung The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Had a little getaway to Singapore last month, and stuffed myself with all foods I've been craving. I also got recommendation from my cousin who studied at Singapore that said it's a must to try Din Tai Fung at Singapore. I've tried Din Tai Fung in Jakarta, but I'm just indifferent about it. My mom was recommending it too, said it's different from the one in Jakarta. Turns out that it actually does, cos it's not halal :D

The system is to write down your order first (ask for the menu, paper, and pen to shopkeeper outside) and give it back to her. She'll then give you queue number and later call you accordingly. You can sit back and wait for your order, cos she already put it into the kitchen.

Siew Mai

The most popular menu at Din Tai Fung, be it in Jakarta or overseas, is their famous Xiao Long Bao. As widely known Xiao Long Bao is dumpling filled with clear soup. My father specially requested to not order this because he doesn't like the soup. I agreed and ordered Siew Mai instead, thinking it would be like an ordinary Siew Mai. Turns out it's still Xiao Long Bao lol. Only topped with prawn and have thicker skin so maybe that's why it's called so. It's good though, I personally like it. The green vegetables on the picture was sauteed Dou Miao (that's extremely hard to order in Jakarta, they kept running out of it).
 

Roselle Drink

I ordered this while my parents ordered Chinese tea (typical..). Thinking it would be sweet (bcs I usually ordered in here and it's sweet!) but it turns out more towards sour x_x (probably due to dried sour plum drowned in there) mom likes this though, we ended up switching drinks :| I find the drink is unique cos the ice cube is made from the roselle as well! So when it melts, it wouldn't change the taste of the drink. The ice cube is so round and so cute and not as sour cos hasn't been disrupted by the damn sour plum.

Pork Chop Fried Rice

*insert heavenly sound effect here* It's the star of the show! The fried rice is just like any other Chinese fried rice, but the pork chop though! It's to die for. Next time I go here, I'm sure going to order the pork chop separately! The portion is quite generous, I share this with mom.

Mango Pudding

My favorite (Chinese) dessert of all time. Love the generous amount of mangoes they put both as topping and inside the pudding. I have no complaint.

I think it's true that you at least have to try this once because the variety of menu is completely different from the one in Jakarta. The selection of menu is not too many, but each deserves honorable mention. Unfortunately due to our weak currency it's actually quite pricey. If only our exchange rate towards SGD was like IDR 5,000 or 6,000 like in the past, this actually on par with Indonesia's Din Tai Fung's price. Nevertheless, when I go to Singapore again (despite of heavily used Mandarin language here that I couldn't understand), I will definitely come back.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Will I be back: Yes.

Pipiltin Cocoa Senopati Jakarta

Back to business!

I don't know why I said business when I literally earn zero from this blog lol.

So I've been MIA for more than half a year! Still ate in random places though, just being lazy to write hehe~

Last April, my friend (with her cousin) and I bought Groupon promo for Pipiltin Cocoa (which I had trouble to spell the first time. Pipitlin? Pitiplin? Pipiltin.). The promo was reasonably priced, so we thought why not. There are 3 of us, but each of us bought 1 Main Menu + 1 Dessert lol. But thank heavens we did that, because the portion was small!

First up was the drink. Mine is in the middle: Iced Apple Tea Caramel. The two in sides were either Lychee or Lemon Tea.

While waiting for our food, we wandered around the store. They also sell all kinds of chocolate treats that you're free to nibble. Even if they don't display some tester item, the waitress would willingly crush 1 item for you to test :) my friend's cousin made a big talk about how she would buy some of those, but at the end she didn't :/ I pity the waitress.
One treat that interest me was something like croissant stick dipped in chocolate. I also didn't buy btw. But if I was to buy, I will buy that one :D

Slow-Cooked Chicken Rolled

This was my entree. Shocked when seeing the portion honestly. And I actually forgot whether the filling was chicken or meatball hmm O_O Anyway, despite of its disappointing portion and the chips which I really despise, the taste was good. So I forgive you wtf. My friend had the same, only the filling was sausage, I think. Her cousin had cheese quesadilla. Not pictured, I also didn't try.

Another Egg "No"

That's no no. This could've been a good dessert if only those chocolate soils were removed! It was chili chocolate for crying out loud! Other than that, the rest were acceptable. The problem was, we can't eat those "acceptable other parts" cos the soil gets in the way la!! It is. Really. Spicy. And ruins everything. Probably there are adventurous people out there who loved spicy chocolate but definitely not us!

Macadamia Chocolate Soft-Cookie Pizza

This was okay taste and huge in portion. We whined about the portion of the entree and thought about where we should eat next, until this came and we could barely finish it. It has chewy texture and sweet in general. There was bits of very ripe banana in here, so it could be extremely sweet. Other than that, it was also very fulfilling. Hence why we cancelled the next destination lol.

Chocolate Soup

Probably the best menu we ordered. The white crumbles were crushed white chocolate? Or just sugar lol cos it's sweet. The brownies bits were also good. The chocolate shell would melt the second you pour the hot chocolate soup. Overall it was good dessert.

I visited this Pipiltin in Senopati branch. I heard there are other branch (sorry, couldn't remember!) which serve more menu than Senopati. Buying the voucher was worth it, but if I have to pay on full price I'd have to really think hard hehe..

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Will I be back: As said, when there is another promotion :p

Suntiang Grand Indonesia Jakarta Review

I had known about this restaurant around July this year when I passed it on Pondok Indah Mall. But then I finally found colleagues who are willing to try this strangely fusion food so here we are, 4 months late lol.

Suntiang is apparently a Japanese-Padangnese restaurant, that mostly served Padang food but also tried to make it into Japanese form of food. I noticed on the menu that they served ala carte menu of Padang food but not Japanese food. For example: Ayam Pop, Gulai Otak, Dendeng Balado, etc. They also served ramen but none of it is Japanese ramen cos what I saw was something like Ramen Cabai Ijo (Green Chili Ramen) or whatnot :|

Here are our orders:

Ayam Pop Roll

Tasted okay, not bad but not excessively great, just okay great. Problem is, eating this makes me want to eat the whole Ayam Pop chicken instead of the sushi, because the sushi rice was too firm and stuffy, while the chicken.. As you can see. Just that tiny pieces..

Gulai Otak Roll

I'm a huge fan of Padangnese' Gulai Otak. It's cow brain btw lol, not a cannibal. When it's cooked properly, it can turn into most delicious food on the table. This Roll, again the sushi rice is disappointing, and the otak somehow is crispy (?). As I know it should be moist though. I can hardly enjoy it but I cleaned up the plate somehow :| (because my friends are scared of brain -_-)

Dendeng Balado Roll

Probably one of the dish that I enjoyed eating. I have no idea what the roll with white topping was, I guessed it was melted cheese but tasted nothing like it. But it's successfully brought up the real dendeng taste into a sushi form. Good job!

Onigiri Ayam Bakar

Cute faced Onigiri stuffed with grilled chicken, complemented with mysterious sauce that tasted sweet. Again, the sushi rice... And the grilled chicken is a bit tasteless. Overall is confusing to eat.

Sate Padang Hotplate

Simply disappointing. The sauce was too watery and tasteless. The meat was marinated well but too mushy.

Nasi Goreng Rendang (Rendang Fried Rice)

Okay I admit, we ordered too much, thinking the portion would be small but turned out to be very firm and fulfilling. This has huge portion and spicy enought for me but not for my other friends because they have higher spiciness tolerance than me, but trust me even my level is already high. Don't trust their tolerance. We cannot finish this bcs too full of those sushi rice, so this one went to waste. But it was actually good.

Kue Cubit Green Tea

This is apparently the most famous dish of the restaurant. I've seen plenty of Instagram posts uploading this. It has another version with KitKat Green Tea but when we ordered they ran out of the KitKat -_- Shame! Anyway I like this Kue Cubit! Dunno how to phrase it in English and don't bother to search for it anyway. It has the right level of doneness (?). It makes the dish not too solid, but not to mushy. I like it! Even after so full of those rice (cannot letting go), I still want to nom the whole plate. I bet the one with KitKat would taste better :)

Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Hazelnut Ice Cream

Suntiang is having promotion when you're uploading any pictures of the food to Instagram or Path while using hashtag Suntiang and mentioned them, you're eligible for free ice cream! However it's only limited to 2 ice creams per table/bill. My friend was jokingly requested we split table and he would order only ice tea so we can obtained more free ice creams lol #kiasu (but no we didn't haha..). Second best food of the night goes to these free ice creams :s


I came to the conclusion that Japanese food should be left like what it is. And as awesome as Padangnese food, I think it should just be left to those traditional Nasi Padang stores. I saw a family came to this restaurant ordering white rice with ala carte menu like Ayam Pop etc. I wonder why. Other Nasi Padang stores taste better and cheaper than here. If you do come here, do order the strangely fusion food here, then decide whether it's worth coming back or not lol. Life is about experience! ^^

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Will I be back: Eh.. I don't think so for now. But when I'm up for something unusual maybe I will. Haha..

Popolamama Mal Taman Anggrek Jakarta Review

I always feel bad whenever I'm writing a bad review. It feels like I hold personal grudge to the restaurant. But it isn't. I just feel very disappointed that I need to share :(

I've seen Popolamama signage months ago replacing Ajisen Ramen at Mal Taman Anggrek. I wasn't interested bcs I thought it would be as mediocre as Ajisen. But then my friends at social media started to post "sweet pizza" at Popolamama Sudirman and I thought "Hey, Taman Anggrek has this place also." So when my brother asked me to have lunch there today, I said okay. Needless to say, I'd rather eat somewhere else.

First, I should say the service is terrible. When we got in, somehow only our table wasn't prepared with utensils, plates, tissues, ketchup, and basically everything. It's just table.

Brother ordered Pasta Set Menu A (IDR 70k); consists of Pasta of your choice (limited to only Bolognese, Tuna Aglio Olio, and Soy Sauce Beef, Spinach, and Rucola), Mini Salad, and choice of beverage (Coffee, Tea, or Iced Lemon Tea). Brother picked Bolognese & Iced Lemon Tea.
I ordered Cream Based Pasta with Beef, Spinach, and Rucola (IDR 52k) and also Iced Lemon Tea (IDR 20k).

Iced Lemon Teas with Mini Salad

Wait until 5 minutes with many waiters passing by, no one realized we weren't equipped with utensils. I had to raise my hand and asked for it. But what you asked is what you get. Only utensils and still no plate or everything else, while other tables are fully equipped -_________-

Spaghetti Bolognese & Cream Based Spaghetti with Beef, Spinach, and Rucola

I've always loved Rucola when it's cooked right. But this one is probably very raw with very tangy scent and I had to hold the urge of mini vomit everytime I put a spoonful in my mouth. Pasta was chewy and dry, no taste of cream. Only the beef had the cream absorbed -_- Bolognese was also very plain according to my brother, and we had to ask for Ketchup & Chili Sauce to get this through our throat.

Right after the waiter put this down, he took away our receipt (the paper you stick in customer's table to monitor all the orders) and said, "All of the orders have come out ya." And left wtf. We had to call him back to say that our pizza hasn't come ... And he said, we ordered no pizza. Earlier the waitress that took our order didn't bring any piece of paper and just memorize things I thought she's so capable but turns out, she missed the pizza omg...

We had to re-order. Brother was still eager to try the pizza, while all I wanna do just leave right away.

Classic Margherita Pizza

The only good thing in this disappointing lunch. Even though the topping more or less is the same like Domino's Pizza Deluxe Cheese, but the dough is definitely better. 

Popolamama is pretty much like Pasta de Waraku, except no matter how bad Pasta de Waraku is, it's still better than this -_-

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Will I be back: No.

Ikkudo Ichi Central Park Review

2 posts in a row! Hehe..

Visiting Ikkudo Ichi for the first time last Saturday. There's always this continuous debate between Hakata Ikkousha and Ikkudo Ichi (just like Tekko vs Leko, never ending). I think everyone has their own opinion on this infamous debate. Anyhow, I've only tasted Hakata so far and liking it at first. But only the one in Kelapa Gading branch, but then last time I went it somehow turned disappointing. Tried the one in PIK, also disappointing. Tried the one in Taman Anggrek... even more. They don't even serve pork!! They promised pork menu will be available after Lebaran last year, and hey it's almost Lebaran again this year wtf.

So yea back to Ikkudo lol I'm rambling. Went to the Central Park branch, that's somehow famous for its bad service. I'd say after visiting.. not so bad. Few weakness but I wouldn't say bad. The waitress just didn't offer us menu -_-

Buta Signature

Learned that Buta means pork and Tori means chicken! Hahaha.. On appearance, it appears smaller than its competitor, but after I finished this I feel very full! I didn't customize my ramen, but if you'd like to, you can customize the type of the noodle and the thickness of the broth. I like the ramen, despite the very thin slice of the chasiu :|
I read harsh comments that say if you like ramen in Jakarta, means you've never tasted better. Well.. I've never been to Japan and if you're so prude like that you shouldn't be eating ramen in Jakarta -_- sorry occasional rage :|

Bf ordered Buta Curry something. He likes it so much he dips everything in the broth, even the premium pork cheek we ordered -_-

Premium Pork Cheek (5 slices)

I took the pic when it was still 5 slices but the pic magically disappears T.T The meat tastes good and very tender. But I don't lust after pork as much as my bf so in the future I might be unwilling to pay IDR 72k for this 5 slices of pork. But bf certainly will *shift eyes*

Overall this is a fresh change after many disappointment, and I think from now on when I crave for ramen I will only eat Ikkudo :)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Will I be back: Yes.

Jiuzhai Valley Restaurant PIK Jakarta Review

I just got email from a certain five star hotel in Jakarta. Though I rarely check my email and the invitation has obviously expired, I do realize people do read my blog hehehe.. (well yea I have statistics but due to the lack of comments I sometimes feel disheartened.)

Anyway, got recommendation from a China native man to eat at this Chinese restaurant at Pantai Indah Kapuk Jakarta. He said this is the closest he gets to the authentic cuisine back in Guangzhou. Closest in Jakarta, but nowhere near the authentic. The statement is ambiguous. Anyway, bf and I gave it a try. Bf has tried the one in Guangzhou and I think he could make a fair comparison.

Gan Guo Pork Intestine

This was bf's favorite cuisine when he visited Guangzhou. Cooked with lots of oil and many kinds of chili. Very tasty but prepare for the spiciness. The spiciness is real O.O There are also few slices of potatoes inside, but the intestines are the stars. (Small portion: IDR 58k, big portion: IDR 78k)

Hui Guo Rou

To be honest, we looked at the menu and got confused, hence we asked the waitress what's the popular dish in there and she pointed this. This is pork belly cooked with, again, lots of oil and chili. But there is edible green veggies there (garlic chives?). The spiciness is not as overwhelming as the pork intestine but this tastes as good. When we visit the second time (yes, there is already second visit lol) we ordered this again. And the pork intestine, of course. The pork belly costs: for small portion IDR 48k, big portion IDR 68k.

Yang Chow Fried Rice

We visit this place after we had massage at Nano Reflexology, Pluit. That place gives free food and beverage as compliment and since I finished faster than bf, I had chicken porridge there hahaha.. So I only took few spoons from this Yang Chow Fried Rice. Tasted okay, nothing special. Price: IDR 30k.

I have to remind if you don't like salty food, this isn't the place for you. I like it and I know when food are overly salty, but for me this is decent and a good salty. Please trust my taste buds haha.. I just have to clarify this because I read people complain of the food being too salty. For me it isn't, but I guess it depends. Jiuzhai Valley opens until midnight, so if you're in the neighborhood and want nice food with rice at very late (bcs Indonesian can't live with rice :D), do come visit.

The only minus thing from this place is the waitresses!! They are not waitress. They're more like your maid or helper from home and asked to serve in this restaurant. Very rude, no manner, talk back to customer, record the wrong order (we order big portion, she gave small one wtf), sit in the customer table, sleep in customer table -_______- but then again, you do not pay for any service charge!

When we visit the second time, there this native Chinese lady (I assume the owner) and the waitresses behaved a bit better :|

Rating: ★★★★☆

Will I be back: Yes. (I need to explore other menus though, since twice went there I ordered the same thing T.T)

Bubur Kam Seng Mangga Besar Jakarta Review

Years ago, I saw one of my Facebook friends posted Chinese food and caption the picture as "Kam Seng!!!". At that time I thought Kam Seng was a Chinese word with a meaning like "Kanpei!". Turns out it's a name :|

So last night I finally had a chance to visit this porridge place with my brother and unwilling bf lol.

Here's what we ordered. From the very left side clockwise: Bubur Tiga Rasa, Tahu Kecap, Cheong Fan/Cheong Fun (Chinese Rice Roll) large, Bubur Guangzhou Special, Cheong Fun small, and 3 portions of Cakue.

Closer look of the orders without the cheong fun. Bubur Tiga Rasa (3 flavored Congee) contains 3 kinds of eggs inside; salted eggs, century eggs, and I forgot the other one sorry :| Bf ordered this. Then me & bro shared Guangzhou Special Congee with peanuts, char siew, and sliced fried eggs.

My portion! Congee is usually eaten with side dishes but even though I'm a Chinese descendant, I'm not a big fan of porridge and never really eat congee. We usually ate porridge plain or just with chicken or fish fillet, the end. Then we're kind of amazed that everyone else in this place ordered a lot of side dishes to complement their congees. As other reviews have stated, their cheong fun is indeed memorable. It's the nicest dish on the table. It has tiny bits of char siew instead (optional) but the rice roll itself tastes very nice.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (additional comment from bf: Best porridge but not exceptionally great, there's a lot of other menus to explore :D)

Will I be back: Yes.

Carnivor PIK Jakarta Review

Meatballs Spaghetti (served with Cranberry Sauce)

Meh.

Is a review allowed to only have a word? Lol. 

Okay background story. I was wanting to try a pasta with Pesto sauce and I read here and there that Carnivor serves Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken. I was very excited and decided to went there, even though bf already gave early warning that this place is meh. (He went once before me and even though Carnivor is specialized in meat, bf said the steak is bad)

I still want! Because all the reviews are so good but when I was handed the menu... It's not there. I even asked the waitress, which look confused, and said grilled chicken pasta is served but not with pesto sauce fml.

So I'm forced to pick this because there are no other pasta that caught my fancy and also order calamary hoping it will be good. But no. Meh. The pasta itself is overcooked, meatballs are tasteless, the mushroom cream sauce is savory but overwhelmed with MSG... Meh.. This place is just meh. I don't know it's because I had such a high expectation before, but I really can't find anything nice.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Will I be back: No.

Freeze Mal Taman Anggrek Jakarta Review

On October 15, 2013, a new ice cream store was opened in Mal Taman Anggrek. I've been eyeing this place a week before its grand opening, I even approached the stall when they were preparing but I wasn't able to buy at that time. But it's finally opened! It's an ice cream made using Nitrogen o.O I somehow noticed that this usage of Nitrogen is currently popular in ice cream industry but didn't know it would reach Indonesia this soon.

Here is a picture tweeted by Mal Taman Anggrek which shows the selection of ice cream creation you can make at Freeze.

But most of the ice cream flavor I like contains nuts in the menu :( I hate nuts!!
But!! They actually allow you to make your own creation!

Picture I took while queuing. Your order is made on the spot!

One of the ice cream maker. They use a lab coat and they will shout your queue number to make sure you are there since nitrogen ice cream melts faster than regular ice cream, as you can read from picture above. (if it's readable T_T)

My ice cream in the making! *-* The smoke is really fascinating lol.

Banana Ice Cream with Pretzel!

It really tastes different from regular ice cream and has smoother texture. But it does melt quickly. The taste is not so bold and feels a bit watery. I would like to go back to try other flavors but it is quite pricy for a light snack and if I'm in rush, I might run for bubble tea (again) as cheaper and easier to consume alternative.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Will I be back: Yes. (I love ice cream! :p)

Holycow Steakhouse Jakarta Review

Few weeks ago, I finally got to try the famous Holycow Steak. Heard that it serves good quality steak with cheap price. What I know after I ate there, it is not that cheap as people said :/ I think Gowagyu is cheaper (don't mean to compare).

We arrived at 7 or 8 PM at the Senopati branch, located at Jalan Bakti. Heard that now there's 2 kinds of Holycow: Steakhouse and Steakhotel. The original with Chef Afit is at Senopati, as well as other branches at Kelapa Gading and Kebon Jeruk. Upon arriving, greeted by queue of people. I thought it's quite late for dinner time but the place is still really packed. Waiting for our turn, we took time to learn the menu. The price for the steak is above IDR 80k though. Don't know how it is said as cheap? (If compared to those in mall of course is way cheaper, but I meant with other independent steak stalls)

200g Tenderloin Steak with Mushroom Sauce

Here's my order. You can customize the steak (200g or 400g), the potato (mashed or french fries), the veggies (sauteed bean or sauteed spinach), and the sauce which I picked the mushroom sauce which is marked as chef's recommendation.

My brother picked BBQ sauce while bf picked Blackpepper sauce. Both are much better than my mushroom sauce T______T My sauce just doesn't go well with the steak -________- for the meat I asked for medium well and it comes of tender, also I have no complain over the veggies and the potato. It's good but nothing is really special about it. It's not that kind of high end steak but it's an affordable good steak if you crave for one. For the drink there is bottomless choice for those who needs lots of liquid while eating *cough* bf *cough* you can choose Nestea Lemon Tea, Green Tea, and Blackcurrant Tea.

Tiramisu by MiSU

Order this for dessert. I thought I would get this for free but I was charged :( later on I know that they have like limited quota of the day, so not everybody can get free misu. Boo. It was delicious though. Only when I got this, it was really cold and I had to break the surface of the tiramisu (by knocking it with the spoon lol). But very yummy. It got an actual cake inside and everything they put just went well together. I once purchased tiramisu from famous bakery in mall (B**** T*** :p) and it only contains WHIPPED CREAM. What a waste of money.

My brother also had Apple Crumble by Mini Love Bites offered in their dessert menu and it was very good as well!

Rating: ★★★★☆

Will I be back: Yes.

Penang Bistro Grand Indonesia Review

Hiya! It's been a while! My last post was in March lol.

I was about to ditch this blog but I feel like this is the only place where I actually can write about my foodie experience (and hope for people to care lol). Anyway I just checked my recent stats and it's honestly surprising. Thank you for whoever stumbled upon this blog! Hope you enjoy reading and find what you're looking for :)

Last Saturday, I accompanied my friend to Grand Indonesia where he suddenly had to leave because of family matters. He told me to stay put and he will get back to me after he's done with whatever he's dealing with. So I had to have lunch by myself :(

My first option was Mr. Curry. Little did I know that the place has closed down! Permanently! (yea I haven't been around in a real world (?) for a while, okay). Mr. Curry has been replaced with Tokyo Belly and I wasn't in the mood for Japanese food, so I walked away.

Second option is my favorite Thai restaurant and will always be, Jittlada. Mainly because I haven't found better Thai place. To also find out that it was closed due to renovation. Just my luck!

Third option I was wavering between Marche and Penang Bistro. Both I have never had previously. Then I picked Penang Bistro because I heard such a good review from my cousins and my aunt. I trusted my cousin's taste bud because she's actually a pastry chef and I like everything she's making. So I had this really high expectation on Penang Bistro. She mentioned about a menu with cheese something? But I can't find out in the menu.

Tropicana Tea Fantasy (IDR 32k)

I had this really refreshing drink, I even save the name in my phone's note because I wanna share to people haha.. This is pretty much like a mojito but with stronger strawberry taste. Ingredients mentioned in the menu are tea, mint, strawberry, and lime. There is also few slices of strawberry inside. It's really good!

Additional information: I asked whether their iced tea is bottomless. And the answer is no. Lol.

Grilled Stingray (IDR 79k) and Chicken Curry (IDR 58k)

Few days before, I had this crave over grilled seafood that's why I order the grilled stingray. It's perfectly cooked and the seasoning went really well with the fish. The only problem is the bones. I do understand that this isn't a seafood restaurant, but I swallowed like 3 - 5 small bones of the stingray! Not to mention I had to debone it from the large bones!! I ate stingray before (in a seafood restaurant) and it was a pleasant experience. This one tastes really good but got so many bones!!! Comes with this sauce that tastes like sambal rojak. Don't match it with the stingray. Doesn't match at all.

The chicken curry comes with generous amount of chicken and 2 big potatoes. But it tastes too plain for my liking. I was raised with strong curry taste so this is really not impressive. I had to eat it with the sambal rojak to let the taste come out.

The ambiance in this place were really great, though. It seems odd for some people that I ate alone. But it wasn't only me who ate alone. And people here were pretty much minding their own business. And service was also okay. So I had no problem with the place. It's only a bit overpriced for me (eating alone for 200k! Fancier place doesn't cost me that much!) and I really had this high expectation before. It's understandable that I was disappointed. I should maybe go with my cousin as she seems to understand this place better.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Will I be back?: On my own, unlikely. 

Chung Gi Wa Jakarta Review

3 years ago I created a Formspring account. One of the first 3 questions asked by the site was, "If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you pick?"

For me it's Korean food.

PS: RIP Formspring. The site has announced it'll be closed down this March 31, 2013. You'll be missed!

Anyway, I make sure myself to visit Korean restaurant every month. Not every day or week cause I'll be out of pocket money :| Last Valentine, bf & I visited Gahyo. And last year for anniversary dinner we also had Korean dinner at Myeong Ga Myeon Ok.

So far we've made ranking for restaurant we've visited. They are:
1. Gahyo (no doubt. Price never lies lol.)
2. Jang Su De
3. Myeong Ga Myeon Ok
4. Arang22

Arang22 was actually the best, but their quality gradually decreases :| Han Gang would never make into my list. Their meats are tasteless! I only love their tteokpokki.
Then we had another 3 restaurant on the list: Chung Gi Wa, Soo Ra Cheong, and Tobak.
I also heard about Born Ga, but from reviews done by another blogger they seem to be so so.

Tobak is pricy. So I postponed until I have special occasion lol. I was torn between Chung Gi Wa and Soo Ra Cheong. Both claimed to have their own farm and guarantee their quality. However, available reviews stated that Chung Gi Wa only serves very little choice of banchan (Korean side dishes). Then I picked Soo Ra Cheong instead. (I do love various banchan okay!)

Soo Ra Cheong located on Jl. Senopati no. 49. Turns out it's right beside the crowded Arang22. However, when we arrived there... it's Abgujong :| GPS said it's the correct address. So? Where is Soo Ra Cheong? I Googled their phone number and called Soo Ra Cheong. I was greeted by, "Good evening. Abgujong. How may I help you?"

Wait. What?

So I had little interview to the employee of Abgujong and they said the place changed its name. So I thought it might be the same place just changes name. But the whole decoration was totally different and I remember I once saw Abgujong on Gandaria City mall (I was in front of the restaurant while making the phone call HAHA) and I asked again, the employee said it has different owner. Duh isn't that mean Abgujong bought that place? -_- so I cancelled. Abgujong was never been on my interest though. It's overrated for me.

Then we moved to Chung Gi Wa. Reached there at almost 9 PM. Place is still packed! We're on waiting list :| To be on waiting list was hard as well. You have to follow the owner (a Korean lady) which holding the paper and asked to be written in that paper. She acted like she doesn't need customer. Understandable though because if you can't stand that attitude, she still has many customers waiting. Gahyo's owner was way nicer.

Anyway we didn't wait long, we got table. But we joined table with other people, 4 noisy girls. Actually only one very noisy, though.

What I read about the banchan is true.

This is what you got: (clockwise) kimchi, spinach with sour dressing, radish slices, and veggies I couldn't figure out but tastes very nice (I assume it was processed with soy paste). All of them are refillable.

Free refillable tea comes in this metal pitcher that keeps it cold and very tiny metal glass that when you drink you can't help but think of shots :| But they take it away after they put it, I don't know what they means putting then taking away -_- probably they ran out of the pitcher since it's very crowded. Very logic reason of every bad service happened there: it's crowded.

So I want to try those banchan and I opened my chopstick. A bit disappointed cause it's wooden chopstick. You know how people judge good Japanese restaurant when it's not using wooden chopsticks, right. I thought Koreans have same level of judgement. But then this happens...

I broke it nicely okay. I just tried to separate them but this happened -_- so I asked the waitress to replace it. 

She replaced with metal chopstick yay! But the girls sat together in our table seemed to look at me all the time or what. One of them saw the waitress took metal chopstick and they want as well because maybe it seems cooler or whatever. She ordered her friends to take 4 pairs for them! I wonder why she wants to be ordered around. They also seem very newbie in eating Korean and also very attention seeking. One of them (the same one who ordered her friends around and is VERY noisy) acted stupid saying the smoke from the grill was disturbing and cover the grill with the vegetables provided for eating the meat -_- won't stop until her friends told her it makes the grill wet and the smoke even wilder. Does she want to impress me or my bf or her friends or simply lame? 

Anyway Galbi Tang came.

Comes with rice. Tasted okay. I prefer Galbi Tang on Arang22 since the broth is thicker and yummier. However, for the meat (which I take zero picture of them :|), Chung Gi Wa wins hands down. We ordered Samgyeopsal and Pork Ribs in sweet marinated sauce. Both are so yummy! Samgyeopsal was the best though. It directly made into rank 2 kicking Jang Su De and other restaurants down haha.. Bf who regularly traveled to Korea even said taste and place of Chung Gi Wa reminds him of place in Korea. And this place has very affordable price compared to others. We spent only IDR 200k for 2 portion of pork meat (pork is indeed cheaper, but they are cheapest!) and a bowl of soup that both of us can share.

Then my latest ranking is:
1. Gahyo
2. Chung Gi Wa
3. Jang Su De
4. Myeong Ga Myeon Ok
5. Arang22

Of course they have weaknesses though. No various banchan, no dessert, bad service, but the waitress are good. But if your pure intention is to only eat meat, then GO. This place is the best. They also sell Pajeon! (Korean pancake) I might be coming back soon though haha.. I gotta admit I underestimated this place cause I thought this was owned by local since they have farm in Bogor or somewhere in West Java. But it's owned by Korean and the meat really marinated the meat well and I feel guilty deep down for not making it my first choice.

Anyway they're indeed hidden gem!

You can find them at: Jl. Dharmawangsa III/ No 2. Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan.

Sari Sanjaya Flavor Bliss Alam Sutera Review

Few weeks ago, I was blog-walking few Indonesian food blogs and it left me wanting local food in the middle of the night. During Moslem New Year, I had Bebek Goreng Hj. Slamet. (Local, right? Lol.) Then 2 weeks ago, I went for the first time to Sari Sanjaya. Sari Sanjaya, as I read, focuses on South Sumatera cuisine. They sell many kind of Palembang food, from the famous fishcake until local market's cake.

I went there with my friend who's born in South Sumatera, though. So she helped me in judging haha..

She told me that foods that being sold here are actually not main course. She stated that back in her hometown, foods like these are actually snacks. Lol. Anyway, she had Mie Celor Kuah Santan. (Chewy Noodle served with Coconut Milk gravy)

There are few small prawns in there, half boiled egg, veggies and chewy noodle. I took a bite, and just nod. Lol. I can't judge. For you who didn't like strong taste, there's also choice of Kuah Bening. (Clear soup without coconut milk)

Forgive my upside-down picture. It can't even be helped with rotate tool lol. I was experimenting so much, trying to be artsy -_-

I had this: Pindang Ikan Patin. Uh.. I'm not sure how to say it in English. Tasted like Tom Yam. Very fresh, the fish was very soft; it's like melted in your mouth, and the sour and spicy level was just perfect. Unfortunately this is only 1 person's portion. There's like 1 slice of Patin Fish inside there lol. I had it with white rice.

 I also ordered this. It's called Roti Tissue. (Tissue Bread??) I'm getting ridiculous in translating. Anyway, I ordered this for dessert. Many times I've seen my friend posted food like this on their social media profile but I can't figure out where they had it. (too ashamed to ask :|) But theirs don't look like this. Their Tissue's skin are smoother and taller. It's served with thick condensed milk.

It's endless... O_O

You just can't stop eating it! First because it's yummy, and second because it has lots of layers. Kudos to whoever made it, rolling it perfectly without cracks. Top skin was crunchy and bottom skin was chewy. Oddly I like the bottom cause it reminds me of Martabak's skin in my hometown. Even though I ate this with my friend, we can't finish it x_x I want to bring it the leftover home but ashamed larr ahahaha..

 

My friend also had this, cause she said this is the only thing reminds her of hometown. This is the infamous Es Kacang Merah (Shaved Ice with Red Bean). Tried it also, but I'm not a fan of red bean though :D

I also had 3 fishcakes (Pempek) there. But I had no pic, cause I'm that brutal when facing fishcakes :| Ordering 1 portion means 1 piece only. I had 2 Lenjer (the usual long one) and 1 Kulit, (Chewy skin?) which I never tried before.

PS: I do use a lot of chewy and skin word in here :|

Added with 2 drinks, I had Iced Lime and she had Ice Tea, total damage was IDR 130k for both of us :) It was worth it!

Totally coming back! They also served seafood and veggies like normal restaurant, but I'm afraid it would be too expensive to pay. It was end of the month, anyway. :P

Until then! ^^