Bear Brand Gold

Don't we all just love the fusion of flavors between cereal and milk? 

What if I tell you that, in Indonesia, such product exists in a form of a canned drink and we can actually buy them in grocery stores? 

The Gold Twins

Yes, Nestle's Bear Brand Gold twins! You might expect something absurd and out of the ordinary, but these milk actually has a hint of cereal flavor in it. Each can is filled with 140mL of milk and costs around Rp7.000,00. They come in two flavors, Malt Putih and Teh Putih, and my favorite is the first one. 

Bear Brand Gold: Malt Putih consists of fresh milk with grain essence. The grain essence makes the milk tasted like as if it had a handful of Corn Flakes swimming in it. The flavor is quite strong, as in familiar for those who had taste Corn Flakes with fresh milk before.

On the other hand, Bear Brand Gold: Teh Putih has drops of tea essence in it. Much to my surprise, it had a hint of Fruity Pebbles in it, instead of sharing the same taste with milk tea. For those who are not familiar with Fruity Pebbles, it is a colorful fruit flavored cereal that tasted sweet and fruity. Compared to its' twin sister, Bear Brand Gold: Teh Putih's cereal flavor is not that strong, but still delightful. 

So, fancy a can of cereal? 

QR671

On January 19, my parents and I hopped into a plane that would carry us to Doha, Qatar. It was around midnight when our aircraft reached a certain altitude in which the seatbelt signs were off, permitting the passengers and aircrew to roam around the aisle. When the steward and stewardess are free to stroll around, and you smell something good from the galley, there can only be one thing . . . flight meal!

Indulgence

Curried Potatoes in Roti Jala

I had this elfin dish for starters. "Curried Potatoes in Roti Jala" is what was written in the Business Class' menu. Judging from the name of the dish, this food must have an Indian touch in it. I have not eat Roti Jala (Net Bread) before, so I had to depend on my imagination to visualize the physical being of the dish. 

When the food came, it was not like how I expected it would be. I thought the dish would, at least, share the same size with my palm and is dark yellow in color from the curry sauce, but it was not. Instead of a messy Indian dish, I got a petite roll of what it seemed to be thin savory crepe with potato salad in it. On the other hand, the whole presentation of the food was simple and pretty, it matched the title "palate pleaser". 

I cut the Roti Jala, along with some Curried Potato, into bite sizes and had a mouthful of it. I thought the Roti Jala would tasted like either Roti Canai, or Roti Prata, but I stand corrected. It actually tasted like savory crepe. And the Curried Potato was far from sharing the same taste with curry. I was hoping for a strong piquant taste of Indian spices, yet I got a creamy egg-like and faintly sour smack. 

Warm Roast Beef and Brie Sandwich, with Caramelized Onions and Mustard Dressings 

The main star of that night's Indulgence, a nice plate of sandwich! In most of my night flights from Jakarta to Doha I always have an encounter with this certain dish. The sandwich will always be filled with beef and cheese, and is decorated with some crisps green on the sides. I usually get the one with thin sliced beef, but this time, I got the thick one. 

The sandwich was warm. That slice of Brie cheese that was peeking out from the sandwich was very gooey and on the edge of melting. Those thick beef let out a nice aroma, especially the part that has caramelized onion on it. 

I had to eat the caramelized onion first before I eat the entire sandwich, because I thought the sweet strong flavor of the onion didn't go well with the bread and the meat. After I got rid the onion, then I proceed to munch munch munch. The purple grayish beef was chewy, making it hard for me to enjoy it, but the Brie was very very nice, gooey, and beyond enjoyable. All in all, it was a lip-smacking and mouthwatering sandwich! 

After I fill my stomach with some refreshment, I immediately fell asleep on my foldable seat. I slept for hours, whereas I usually would just spend hours watching Disney movies on the In-flight Entertainment. I closed my eyes for a second and, the next thing I know, a stewardess named Terra was waking me up and offer me something to eat for breakfast.

Breakfast

Peach, Mango, and Banana Energizer

The energizer was creamy and milkshake-like. The banana dominate the flavor, which I fancied, yet it has the aroma of a peach. As much as this energizer tasted good, my love for Qatar Airways' Strawberry & Banana Energizer is much much bigger.

Breakfast Bakery Basket: Croissant, Pain au Chocolate, Soft Roll, Brown and White Toast

Pain au Chocolate is my favorite! Filled with melted chocolate jam, topped with chunks of chocolate, Pain au Chocolate is similar to Croissant in terms of pastry. It was crunchy on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside. I really enjoyed having a bite of this pastry to start my breakfast with.

Fresh Seasonal Fruit with Honey Yogurt

I was a bit full that morning, so I went with the fruit plate instead of the salad with smoked salmon. There were Pataya, Kiwi, Orange, and Grapefruit, with a blob of sweet Honey Yogurt. It was a light and colon-friendly appetizer!

Cookies and Milk

Since I skipped main course, I took the liberty to ask the stewardess for a glass of fresh milk. Other than the fact that milk will give you energy, it is colon-friendly as well! The stewardess was very kind to give me a pack of Belgian Chocolate Cookies to go with my milk. I opened the small packaging and was welcomed with a couple of dark cookies with chocolate chunks on it. I dipped one into the milk and indulge. Breakfast has never been this good!

Doha's Opera Patisserie

A couple days ago, I went to Doha's Opera Patisserie for the first time. I went there with my Dad's friend, Tante Rosi, and her daughter, Nabila. The patisserie is located at The Mall, a rather big, yet compact, mall located just 10-minute-drive from where I live.

Opéra Cafe

As we entered the cake shop, we were welcomed by a gorgeous display of cakes and chocolates. There were different sizes of cakes with different kinds of toppings. One of them has fruits on top, while the other has Vanilla cream. Another cake was decorated with some kind of jam, I assume it was Strawberry because it was red in color, and adjacent to that cake was an oval-shaped dessert coated in green colored cream. It was really fun to see such scenery!

The sight of Opera Patisserie's entrance 

Tante Rosi has been to Opera Patisserie before, so she knows which cake is good. We settle down for a big tray of Chocolate Mousse Cake and some petite cakes. The big cake costed 110 Riyal and the small ones were 2.5 Riyal each. We headed home right away because we were very excited to get our hands on that delicious melty mousse. 

A box of Opera Patisserie's Chocolate Mousse Cake

Petite cakes that worth 2.5 Riyal each

After lunch was over, we immediately attacked the cakes and bellow is the result of my observation (do take notes that when we pick the petite cakes at the patisserie, we simply point our finger, we didn't know the names of the cakes),

1. I'm guessing that it is a Blueberry Cheese Cake. At the bottom of the cake was a fragile and savory pie crust, on top of it was soft and delicate cream cheese topped with Blueberry jam. The cake was a letdown for a sweet-tooth, but a two-thumbs up for a those who fancy cheese cake. It was not sweet and nauseating, very light, and suitable to be consumed with a cup of Grand Wedding flavored tea.

2. Unfortunately, this cake was very dry and airy. It taste like leftover cake that has been left inside the fridge for three days. It was sweet and chocolaty, yet it was not at its' best condition.

3. This igloo-shaped cake is actually chocolate ganache covered chocolate mousse. Inside the chocolate mousse was clumps of savory and sandy nuts. This cake is very delightful! It was melty and gooey, very delicious, and the chocolate would just stick there at the ceiling of your mouth like peanut butter.

4. Cake number four is is a plain chocolate cake covered in milk chocolate. The cake was sweet and delicious, but there was nothing to shout about.

5. I picked this cake at the patisserie because it looked different than the other cakes inside the glass display. The cake was covered in some kind of green colored cream and is topped with pistachio. As I cut this cake open, I was welcomed by a wee bit of green colored cake in the middle of the petite dessert. I tried this cake and it tasted like pandan. It was nice, but I'm not that fond of it.

6. The last but not least, cake number six. I'm guessing it's a pistachio cake, but it tasted like pandan, same like the previous cake. 

This cake is to die for

The big cake that we bought, the Chocolate Mousse Cake, was shared with everyone for dessert. There were seven of us, surrounding the table in the living room as Tante Rosi took over the duty to cut the cake into pieces. The sides of the cake was wrapped with plastic - took it off, then the chocolate ganache on the surface of the cake started to drip. The cake was very very gooey and melty and yummy I couldn't help but to mentally drool all over the cake. 

The plastic wrapping had some chocolate ganache on it and was handed over to Nabila and Oom Bobby to be 'cleaned'. Guess how they did it?

Tadaaaaa!

We don't have time to make pie chart

I got a piece of the cake and it was the most beautiful piece of cake I have seen on that day. Three layers of cake topped with sweet and melty chocolate ganache, with chocolate cream on the sides, and a bread-like wall circling the cake itself. 

When you stick a fork inside that cake, you can actually feel how feather-like the cake is. The chocolate cake was very soft, not to mention the chocolate cream, and don't you make me start talking about the chocolate ganache. The only stiff component from the cake is the bread-like stripy wall surrounding it.

The best cake in town

I cut a big piece of the cake and indulged. It tasted like.. AN ERUPTION OF A CHOCOLATE VOLCANO! The cake literary melts in your mouth. The combination of the texture - the cake, the chocolate cream, and the chocolate ganache - was very enjoyable. It tasted sweet, chocolaty, gooey, and I had lean back on the sofa so that I wouldn't pass out from the deliciousness. My favorite part of the cake was actually the bread-like wall, I have no idea why. It tasted plain, but a bit savory, and it was stiff. Compared to the chocolaty cake, the stripy wall doesn't stand a chance. But somehow, I like it very much.

This cake was very very DELICIOUS, with capital D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S, emphasizing on the "delicious". If I could use the word "very" a lot of times before "delicious", I would use hundreds of them. 

Bon Appétit

For those who live in Doha, Qatar, you have got to get your butt to Opera Patisserie and get this epic Chocolate Mousse Cake. The big one costs 110 Riyal, but price may vary. The medium sized cake is 10 Riyal each and the petite cake is 2.5 Riyal each. Happy shopping, happy indulging, and don't worry about how you will gain weight after munching down a whole cake because you can always jog a mile! 

For more information about Opera Patisserie, you can go to their website here.

Opera Patisserie

The Mall, Shopping Complex

D-Ring Road

P.O. BOX 22544

Doha, Qatar

Phone: (+974) 467 8884 / (+974) 467 5277

OldTown White Coffee's Kaya & Butter Toast

It was at night when my parents and I decided to make a quick stop at OldTown White Coffee while we wait for our plane. 10 o'clock, my watch showed, and my plane will not takeoff in another two hours. So, the three of us rest our butts at a table near the smoking room and ordered some refreshments. I ordered myself a plate of Butter & Kaya Toast and Dad ordered a glass of OldTown's Enriched Cold Milk. 

OldTown's choice of dishes

Dad's cold chocolate drink was milky and creamy! This cold beverage costed Rp27.000,00 each. It is fresh and refreshing. The milk was very thick and creamy, making the whole drink itself rather heavy and pretty much suitable to be consumed when our stomach is empty.

Dad's OldTown Enriched Cold Chocolate

Cold and thick

You know how some food products ended up different than the one in the add, right? Well, I had the feeling that my toast would turned out like so, and I was right. But, my dish came out worse than I expected it would be. My toast looked very crispy and dry, similar to a dessert. It was thin and very crispy, and there were no creamy butter on sight. I was a bit disappointed with its' physical appearance, but, let's not judge a book by its' cover, shall we? 

OldTown's Butter & Kaya Toast

How the toast supposed to look like

Each plate consists of two toasts and it costs Rp23.000,00. It was crispy, and it tasted sweet from the Kaya jam and also salty from the butter. Light and not nauseating describes my Kaya & Butter Toast nicely. I have never tried Kaya jam before and, I have to say, it somehow tasted like Marmalade Jam. 

Kaya jam, Ladies and Gentleman, is made out of coconut milk and egg. Combine those two ingredients together, then add some sugar and pandan leaf into the mixture, and voila! there you have it. The jam is sweet and creamy, somewhat milky and caramel-like as well. This particular food is well consumed in Southeast Asia, especially Singapore and Malaysia. 

My first experience in eating Kaya & Butter Toast was nice. The Kaya jam and the butter blended nicely with each other. But, I can't help but to think that the crunchy toast works better with crisp bacons, sliced ham, poached egg, melted cheddar, some hollandaise sauce, and a dash of fresh cut celery.

The Kaya & Butter Toast that is lacking of butter

One unfortunate thing about my dining experience at OldTown White Coffee was about how the place the lack of good service. One of the waitress was rudely shouting to answer the chef's call and another waiter lacks of friendliness. It was a bit uncomfortable to dine in such situation, but Dad's cold chocolate managed to ease my temper.

Peek-a-boo, I see only a wee butter in you!

OldTown White Coffee
Terminal 2, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

Chicharrito: Flamin' Hot

Just today, my Dad gave me a small packaging of flavored Chicharrón that he bought when he went to the Philippines. Chicharrón, you see, are deep fried pork skin and pork fat. They are very very crunchy and crispy, they can sometime hurt the inner part of your mouth because of their tough physic. This particular snack is well known in Latin Amerika and Asia. 

Chicharritos is the name of the snack. This particular pack has Flamin' Hot flavor. Judging from the title, I immediately think that the Chicharróns are super hot and spicy. As a pork enthusiast and curious gastronomer that I am, I was very excited to find out about how it tasted. I immediately teared the packaging and try a piece. 

Flamin' Hot Chicharritos

There is actually a reason why Dad gave me this snack. "I don't like this Chicharron because they tasted sour," said Dad. At first, I thought he was bluffing, but it turned out that he was telling the truth. The Chicharróns were super sour, and not the slightest bit hot nor spicy because of chilly pepper. It's like they were bathe in Vinegar, lemon zest, and salt before they were packed. They were plain sour and not delicious my taste buds were tormented! 

I don't like them Chicharróns, and neither was my Mom, judging from the fact the she actually twitched when she tried a piece of those flavored deep-fried pork skin. I don't even have the desire to get near those flavored pork skin anymore. They are just lying there on the table, abandoned and untouched . . . 

The writings on the backside of the packaging

The super sour Chicharróns

Bandar Aden Restaurant

One night, when I was at Doha, I went out for dinner with my parents and my Dad's housemate's family. We went to this dinning place named Bandar Aden Restaurant, a Yemen restaurant that is located at Souq Waqif - a standing market at the heart of Doha, Qatar. There were six of us at that time, and we were lucky that the restaurant was not crowded, so we headed to one of the private dining booths that were provided and ordered some dishes. 

There are two kinds of dining area at Bandar Aden Restaurant, the usual dining area and the private dinning booths. The usual dining area is the one with tables and chairs. Like any other restaurant, you can just pick a table and sit there when you dine. On the other hand, the private dining booths are more isolated and unique compared to the usual dining area. The booth is fenced and decorated with rugs and cushions. If we dine inside one of those booths, the waiter will spread some plastic on the rug to put the dishes at so that the food will not defile the rug. 

This is how we dined at Bandar Aden Restaurant

After we placed our orders, the waiter proceed to cover the rug with plastic. Lucky us, we got some complimentary soup from the restaurant! Dad said that we don't always get free stuff in this restaurant and that we were lucky to be given soup for appetizer. "I have tried this soup once and it's very delicious," said Dad in a very convincing way. 

The soup is dark yellow in color. It is very light and watery, yet spicy and very flavorful. At the bottom of the cup are chunks of shredded chicken and veggies. In my opinion, the soup is best eaten when it is still warm, with rice and some crisps - like roasted peanuts, crackers, or even deep fried chicken.

Complimentary soup for appetizer

Eat the soup while it is still hot

About 15 minutes later, our other dishes arrived - two hot-plates of Beef Ogdat, a portion of Hanid Chicken, and some Yemeni Bread. 

Beef Ogdat here is actually Beef Stew. Cooked with carrot, potato, tomato, and other veggies and herbs, Bandar Aden Restaurant's Beef Ogdat is very delicious! The stock is very tasty and is rich in flavor, not to mention light and throat-warming.

One of the waiters were bringing the dishes to our dining booth

Beef Ogdat

Beef Ogdat is rich in flavor!

The second dish was a basket of half-meter-in-diameter Yemeni Bread fresh from the oven. Yemeni Bread is like the signature dish of Middle East cuisine. Layers and layers of dough simply put into an oven, usually the traditional one that is made out of semen and bricks and cooked with charcoal and fire, and then served on a weaved basket. This bread is very large, has a chewy texture and is deliciously doughy. You can just tear the bread, scoop some Beef Ogdat with it, and indulged. The combination of the plain chewy bread and the flavorful beef stew is amazing!

This is how big the Yemani Bread was

Sprinkled with sesame seeds, then toasted to perfection

Tear the bread to get your share

The third dish was a big plate of Hanid Chicken - a big chicken, nicely boiled with some spices and herbs, served on a bed of rice that was cooked with saffron. The chicken meat was cooked evenly, savory and spicy, and went well with the complimentary soup from the restaurant. The rice on the other hand was plain. The shape of the rice itself was somewhat lanky, thin and tall, and they were broken white, yellow, and orange in color.

Hanid Chicken

One big portion of Hanid Chicken

I personally love the Yemeni Bread the most! Not only the bread tasted fantastic, it went well with pretty much everything. Hanid Chicken, Beef Ogdat, you name it! When you have the chance to visit Bandar Aden Restaurant, you ought to order a basket of those Yemeni Bread. It's a must-try!

If you would like to know more about Bandar Aden Restaurant, you can visit its' website here.


Bandar Aden Restaurant
Souq Waqif, between Musherib and Al Rayyan Road
Doha, Qatar

Phone: (+974) 4437 5503

Opening Hours:
Saturday - Thursday: 8 AM - 11 PM
Friday: 12:30 AM - 11 PM

Al Sadiq Sweets

One day, when I was at Doha - Qatar, my parents and I went to this place named Al Sadiq Sweets. Judging from the name, I bet you can all guess what kind of products that they sell at that place. That's right, sweets. 

I have been to Al Sadiq Sweets quite a lot. Other than the fact that they sell chocolates and candies, they also sell nuts! Almond, chestnuts, green peas, you name it, they have it here at this particular sweet shop that's located at somewhere inside Souq Waqif.

Bags and bags of nuts

Which chocolate do you want?

When you enter the store, you will find glass containers filled with different kinds of chocolates. It's like entering an Arabic version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Dozens and dozens of chocolates are stored here, and don't forget the candies. All the colorful wrappings would immediately lit up one's heart with joy and excitement. 

Measuring the amount of the mixed nuts

My favorite nuts: Mixed Nuts

My favorite is the mixed nuts! I have no idea what kinds of nuts and crisps contained in that bag. I only know one type of nuts, which is the green pea. My second favorite is Villar's milk chocolate. There are two types of milk chocolate, such as the plain one and the one that has crispy rice inside, I like them both.

Packs of Villars' mixed chocolate

Another favorite of mine: Villars' Milk Chocolate

The thing I like the most about this place is that the seller is kind enough to let us try the chocolate and candy. One time, when I was just browsing through the endless display of chocolates, one of the seller came up to me and allow me to taste one. "Try, try. Just try," he said. I took one wrapping and enjoy the sweet milky texture of one of Villars' milk chocolate. How can you say no to free stuff, right?

Al Sadiq Sweets

Souq Waqif (between Musherib and Al Rayyan Road)

P.O. Box 161

Phone: (+974) 4411379