Mr. Park, Cilandak Town Square

Udah lama nggak jalan-jalan bertiga dengan nyokap dan kakak kedua, tapi Sabtu kemarin pas aja semua nggak ada acara, dan meluncurlah kami ke Ace Hardware yang baru buka di Karang Tengah (hmmm Ace Hardware ini selalu bikin ngiler, tapi mereka lebih banyak menjual produk mereka sendiri yang harganya selangit tapi mutu tidak terlalu terjamin >.<), setelah putar-puter Ace Hardware, akhirnya gw beli makanan kucing :), dan kk beli jump rope yang katanya bakal dia pake untuk exercise di rumah, yeah right... kita lihat saja berapa lama benda itu bertahan sebelum didiamkan sampai berdebu :D.

Ah ya kembali ke topik utama... setelah cabut dari Ace Hardware kita Citos untuk makan malam. To me spending time with my family is so precious, terutama kalau bisa lihat mama tersenyum lepas ^^, it's the most peaceful and beautiful moment of them all. Sampai di citos gw dan nyokap mampir bentar ke Matahari, mom needed a replacement for her sandal.

Lalu, kami mulai mencari resto untuk makan malam, ternyata ada resto yang belum dicoba, namanya Mr. Park, lumayan lucu namanya :D. Jendela display-nya dihiasi dengan model2 makanan yang keliatannnya cukup menggiurkan, terutama dari ukurannya. Yang paling menarik perhatian adalah family set mereka yang terdiri dari satu piring putih besar yang disekat-sekat, dan setiap bagiannya diisi dengan lauk yang berbeda mulai dari salad, ayam pedas manis, chicken katsu, semur iga, mie, dan semacam nasi goreng :). Katanya sih itu family set untuk tiga orang. Jadi kami langsung pesan menu itu tanpa tambahan lauk lain, habis ukuran di display-nya luamyan besar, takutnya malah nggak habis.

Sebelum pesanan datang, kami diberi tiga mangkuk kecil, sumpah ini mangkuk kecil banget, mungkin cocok untuk bubur bayi. Sambil menunggu pesanan datang, pengunjung dihibur dengan TV yang memutar channel KBS World, waktu pas yang diputar Ojakyo Family. Nggak berapa lama, muncullah pesanan kami yang ternyata beneran besaaaaar :D.

Secara rasa, sebetulnya nggak ada yang nggak enak, tapi tidak istimewa juga, standarlah ya. Bagusnya menu ini sangat mengenyangkan. Sayang sekali kimchi yang hanya secuil itu sama sekali nggak ada kecut2nya, dan salad coleslaw-nya pahit >.<sepertinya mereka pakai bagian pangkal dari kubis *SIGH*. Tapi, lauk-lauk lainnya masih okelah.

Jenis minumannya sendiri standar saja seperti resto biasa, dengan tambahan minuman khas Korean Tea. Ambience-nya terang, dan ruangnya dirancang untuk keluarga, sama dengan cita rasa masakannya, tempat pun tidak buruk, tapi tidak terlalu istimewa.

Family Set

Coleslaw yang kubisnya pahit

Iga dengan kuah yang mirip semur :), ini lumayan enak dan dagingnya empuk

Mirip chicken katsu, or maybe it is chicken katsu :D. Cukup renyah.

Mi yang rasa dan penampilannya mirip dengan mi jawa atau mi tek tek

Sayap Ayam dengan bumbu asam manis. yang ada di mangkuk kecil itu kimchi tapi rasanya jauh dari kimchi

Foodspotting

I just joined foodspotting this month :). It's a social media for everyone who loves food and it's photography. No need to make a review, just upload pictures of the food that you've spotted. Or, in other foodspotting accounts  you can give comments or click "great shot", Great find" etc if you find the pictures interesting, simple isn't it? If you love a person's fooodspotting account, you can follow it too. But, that's not all, almost every activity that you make will be awarded with some points. And there's also badges from challenges we can receive to make it more interesting.

I'd be very happy if you want to take a look of some of the food pictures I've gathered :). Not much for the time being, but I'm planning to add them regularly :)
http://www.foodspotting.com/raspberryblood

Kyusu @ Kemanggisan

I'd just like to show a few pictures of a humble little Japanese restaurant that offered tasty and affordable Japanese food at Syahdan street, in Kemanggisan area, in West Jakarta near Binus campus. 

Their menu stood out from the rest of the joints of Kemanggisan. They served from sushi to teppanyaki, with all kinds of fruits juices. From the looks of it, and the way he wore a cook's uniform, I think the owner had some experience in a real Japanese restaurant. But he had ran out of business, probably because the cost of maintaining the place was way to expensive to bare compared to the profit received. It breaks my heart every time a restaurant I love has to be closed down especially because of lack of customers >.<. Still, I have to admit although for a Japanese food the price was considered very cheap, still it did not suit the market at Kemanggisan that is filled with college students who usually aiming for a below Rp. 15.000 complete meal.

I still remember the nice owner who had high hopes when we visited the restaurant which at the time was just opened. Please don't give up. I hope you find a more strategic place for your restaurant. 

California roll

Chicken Teppanyaki

Gindara Teppanyaki

Piscatore @ Epicentrum

Piscatore, a new seafood buffet restaurant @ Epicentrum, South of Jakarta.

Thanks to my friend and her discount voucher, I could experience their cuisines. It's a Great place, with great fresh seafood. I ate lots and lots of oyster :), ME LOVE OYSTER. They also served grilled seafood and what attracted me the most was fan mussels, it's the first time for me, I never saw a mussel that big. 

Although it wasn't mentioned in their logo, but I think this restaurant is made especially for Korean food lovers, and they have a lot of Korean customers too in spite of the new building. They serve western and Japanese food (sushi, sashimi, etc), but Korean food is the main point. Just imagine, beside kimchi and other Korean cuisine, they also make Chajangmyeon! If you're a regular audience of Korean entertainment, I'm sure this name is familiar to you. Every time I saw how Korean artists drool over a plate of Jajangmyeon I'm always curious. But, somehow I didn't find the Chajangmyeon in Piscatore very appealing.

Still I had a great time in Piscatore, would love to stay there for hours if I could :D. For kids, they made a special corner with jars of candy assortments. In the cold beverages department you can have water melon juice, orang juice and lemon tea. And for dessert you can choose between salads, puddings, and ice cake tart ^_^, or all of them if your stomach still have some room.

Grilled family ^_^

Oysteeeer

Fish & co - Jakarta

I love Fish & co., never regret my visit to this fisherman themed restaurant!

Yes the price is not cheap for my wallet, but once in a while it's so worth it to dine there. I deliberatly do not want to mention any certain branch of Fish & co., because all of  them that spread all over Jakarta, offer the same good quality.

I also adore the fish chowder, yummyyyyy! Too bad, some times when ordering the menu, at first I feel like I could eat anything they have to offer, but when the dish arrived on my table, usually I felt exhausted half way. Because the portion is that big, so in the second half of eating, it will be hard to enjoy just like the first half.

But, now to avoid that kind of feeling, I usually order the sweet and sour fish as seen in the picture, the portion is just right. And the sauce will give you a fresh taste, plus they add sauteed chunks of vegetables which make me feel less guilty for stuffing my body with deep fried food ^_^.

HOT PLANET, Sarinah - Jakarta

At first, we were quite impressed with what this restaurant had to offer, who wouldn't be if the menu was so varied, from Indonesian food, Asian food, to Western food, with reasonable price. They also had an impressive line of breakfast menu, starting from pancakes to Indonesian style porridge.

And judging from the customers at that time, this restaurant was not bad at all. But, they have a very strategic location, so it's too early to judge the food just by looking at the customers present. The ambiance I felt was too dark. And how was the food? Simply put, “PLAIN”. For presentations you can see from the pictures, but for the taste, there was nothing special. It's great that they can sale with an affordable price, but must the taste come out that bland?

So I won't return to that restaurant again if I have to pay for myself :D. 

This one was still okay

Food of the Day

Today I got some cute delicacies ^_^ in my working place. 

First of all, these small pastries our section got from a client. They were so nice sending us parcels of sweet pastries and traditional cakes. But, I'm not so sure my own office will do the same >.<. Well... we're not known to be a generous company (he he, sorry).

The one on the left was filled with apple and cinnamon. Although I'm not a fan of baked apples, but I have to say it was tasty. The one on the right was a choux pastry with sweet weep cream, and as you can see, topped with mandarin orange, kiwi and cherry, a sweet delight in the afternoon ^_^. 

Next up, was this strange looking thing. It's a waffle actually, deep in a chocolate sauce. Bought it in a bazaar at the parking lot of my office (this is like the  3rd one we had during this fasting month).

The vendor call it "Lolly Waffle" since it's on  a stick, hence the name acquired. Well, it's not so bad, the batter was soft, and  the scent was mouth watering, I very much enjoyed eating it. it's a new way of eating your waffle, and you can have it for only Rp.5000 (about 50 cent).

Last but not least, my dinner at a regular place not far from where I live. I ordered fried battered red snapper with mushroom sauce & some chips and vegetables on the side. The fish was so soft, and freshly fried. Loved it! For Rp.13.000 (1.3 US$) it's a great bargain. 

I also got a taste of this baked potato with mayonnaise, broccoli and cheese, yummy!

Food of The Day

Berhubung masih dalam bulan Ramadhan, pastinya ulasan makannya jatuh ke makan malam ^_^. Nah, daripada maksain pulang sebelum waktu berbuka, yang mana berarti gw harus menghadapi kemacetan yang super duper gila dan cuma akan menguras pahala gw setelah seharian puasa, akhirnya gw memilih makan malam di D'Cost cabang ITC Permata Hijau. 

Sesampai di lokasi, resto-nya udah penuh, ada yang udah di-booking ada juga yang memang rajin nungguin dari sore. Untungnya kami dapat meja.

Ini dia pesanan kami malam ini:

Searah jarum jam: Tumis Kangkung dengan bawang putih, patin tim bawang putih, & kerang bambu saus tiram

Kepiting Soka Saus Telur Asin

Jus Semangka

Ah sayang T_T, kayaknya D'Cost juga mulai mengikuti jejak restoran lain, untuk menurunkan mutu. Memang harga masih lumayan murah, tapi berasa banget banyak yang dikurangin. 

Jus semangka (Rp. 4.800): Terasa semangkanya nggak sebanyak biasanya dan kurang manis. Kangkung (Rp. 6.800): masih tetep standar enak. Kerang bambu (Rp. 10.800): Kerangnya bagus2, dan besar, tapi cangkang yang ada isinya hanya separuh dari porsi yang disajikan, alias banyak cangkang kosong :D. Ikan patin tim bawang putih (Rp. 27.800): Daging tetap lembut, with that fatty goodness ^_^, tapi taste-nya kurang nendang, butuh bawang putih yang lebih banyak lagi biar sip. Kepiting soka saus telur asin (Rp. 34.800): Rasanya sih lumayan, tapi porsinya super kecil, beda langit dan bumi dengan foto yang di menu. 

Dan satu hal yang fatal, semua masakan di atas disajikan dalam keadaan dingin >.<, padahal kita menunggunya lama (kalau mau menyajikan dingin, paling nggak munculnya cepat, dong). Tapi setidaknya sopan santun pelayan masih tetap dijaga ^_^. Mudah-mudahan semakin ada perbaikan.

Fat Burger @ Plaza Senayan

Seneng banget waktu tahu bakal ada burger baru ^_^, cause I love burgers! Burger chain yang memilih Jakarta untuk awal dominasinya di Asia Tenggara ini bernama Fat Burger, menurut promosinya sih mereka ini the best burger in Las Vegas. Whuiiih, dari namanya, dan fotonya udah jelas terbayang burger-burger di Amerika yang fatty, juicy, nggak sehat, tapi enak banget :D. Maka, suatu hari, waktu mau nonton di Plasa Senayan, gw pun mencobanya. Setelah putar-puter cari lokasi, ternyata Fat Burger PS bukan berupa resto, tapi stan di food court, ya nggak masalah. So, will it meet my expectations?

BURGER 

 This is like, one of the most over priced burger I've ever tasted T_T.

Patty-nya tebal, tapi kering, dan rasanya hambar. Totally different dengan Mother's Cook, Burger King bahkan Mc D yang masing-masing punya signature taste. Big disappointment. Size-nya aja sedang-sedang aja. And forget the melting cheese in their posters, cause you have to pay extra for a slice >.<. 

FRENCH FRIES

Size-nya oke banget. Besar dan panjaaaang. Tapi, kok, ternyata kalau makan kentang goreng yang kegedean, rasanya kayak lagi makan ubi, ya? Dan sayang sekali, kentangnya nggak diracik dengan bumbu-bumbu khas, walaupun gw tetep cinta mati dengan rasa kentang yang asli. 



ONION RING 

 

Bener-bener irisan bawang bombay, my kinda onion ring ^_^! Bukan shredded onion yang dicampur ke dalam adonan (walaupun yang begini juga gw tetep suka). Awalnya sih suka, tapi kok lama-lama kepala jadi terasa berat, dan terasa eneg banget? Gw curiga ada apa-apa dengan minyak deep fry-nya. Mungkin udah keseringan dipakai, kayak minyak abang-abang tukang gorengan. 

SERVICE

Teknologi yang dipakai sih high tech. Kita bahkan bisa cek orderan kita dari layar kecil yang ada di depan mesin kasir, yang dihadapkan ke pengunjung. Terus, semua staf harus ikut mengulang orderan terbaru, kocak juga sih :D. Kalau yang teriakin order pertama berlogat jawa, staf lain juga harus mengulanginya dengan akses jawa :D. 

Tapiii... tetep ada tapi... keliatan banget staf-nya kurang dididik, mungkin standar operasionalnya juga kurang pakem, nggak seperti di resto fast food lain. Di antara mereka sangat kelihatan miskomunikasinya. Okelah itu tempat baru, tapi resto-resto lain pas baru buka juga nggak separah ini. Mulai dari salah order, berantem antara staf, sampai-sampai ada staf yang teriak ke rekannya, "Loe tau nggak sih isi-nya hot dog?". Wkwkwkw, parah kan :D. Dan itu semua terdengar oleh para tamu yang sedang berdiri menunggu makanan mereka keluar, lumayan sih untuk tontonan, sembari nyengir bete karena pesanan kita lama kelarnya.

Still, gw masih menyimpan harapan pada Fat Burger ini, karena mereka juga akan buka di Senayan City (berseberangan dengan PS, nekat juga), kali ini bukan berupa stan, tapi resto beneran. Mudah-mudahan sih poin-poin negatif di atas disebabkan karena kelalaian staf, bukan karena resep originalnya begitu. Kalau itu standar asli mereka, gw nggak mau lagi deh >.<, absolutely not worth it. 
-All pictures were taken  by myself, do not copy without permission- 

How to Eat Your Instant Noodle

No matter how unhealthy it is, instant noodle is just like a staple food in my country. Cheap, delish, easy to make; enough said. Usually we eat the curly delights with a conservative way. Boil the noodle, than put it in a bowl. I've been doing it, like, forever. Until I saw how Koreans in their drama shows eat their instant noodle or "ramyun", they like to call it. They boil the noodle in a personal pan, and eat it straight from the pan! Now, why have not I thought about it before?? A girl who doesn't live in her parents house, and only rent a room like me should be able to think that kind of practical way.

So, when I woke up late for sahur today, I only have 30 minutes left to prepare a dish (including the stretching in bed that could took more than 5 minutes), surely in that nick of time, the obvious thing to do, was to make instant noodle. So why didn't I try what the Koreans do, I thought. And yes I tried to eat straight from the pan, firstly I put the hot pan with boiling noodle inside, over a piece of news paper. And just eat it with my chopsticks. And it felt great! Since the noodle was still in the hot pan, it didn't go cold easily. And I was able to finish it, without a single thing left, in eight minutes (the noodle was taken straight from the electric stove, mind you)! I still got a few minutes left to drink milk and water ^_^. 

We indeed need to have an open mind in other cultures than our own ^_^.


The giants in the hectic world of Indonesian instant noodles

Here's the link of Indonesia's most popular instant noodle brand Indomie