So Wow. Much Deep.

Hello, readers.

It is almost half past two in the morning, and here I am genuinely feeling okay for the first time in these past few weeks. I just got of the phone with my boyfriend, we just finished today's studies for an upcoming job recruitment test at Garuda Indonesia. We studied for a couple of hours, which is good for our first day.

I am happy with the fact that I am finally got my head back in the game. I am being productive, despite the fact that it has only been two days, and I'm feeling good about it. My Mom bought me a set of soft pastels today and I managed to add something into my canvas. And, by canvas, I meant my bedroom wall. I'm not much of an artsy person, but to be able to draw a blue whale in the sky is definitely something big for me. And the fact that it took me less than two hours on it is totally a big deal.

I have two projects that I'm currently on, which are the Jar of Happiness and a 25 Days of Writing. Let's sort it one by one, shall we?

So, the Jar of Happiness is this year long project of taking notes of what makes you happy each day. I get to write any happiness I felt that day on a piece of paper, doodle it, make it look pretty and artsy and stuff, then put it in a jar. By the same date next year, I will probably have a jar full of positivity and happiness, and I get to read all of it and be thankful for a wonderful and happy year. I believe there will always be a lego I will stepped on but, hey, every cloud has a silver lining.

Next, is the 25 Days of Writing which I found at Pinterest. I was scrolling through the endless page of DIY Jar of Happiness when I stumbled upon this challenge. I don't see why I can't do this. Other than the fact it challenge me to be a good writer, I also get to shape my creativity. Aku ya emoh kalau harus dipenjara. Wong badannya udah dirantai, mosok ya harus dirantai juga pikirannya?

And the fact that I have been talking to my Father for these past nights truly set my heart at ease. I have left Him for too long. :)

On the one side, for those who happen to be good friends with depression, anxiety, and any other form of mental issues you might suffering at the moment, hang in there.

Different people tend to have different ways to handle their monsters. I had to isolate myself.  I had to be alone to feel sane, yet I found myself always in a constant battle of needing to be alone and feel terribly lonely. It made me feel like I was chained. I called out for help, but I had the key to set me free in my grip all this long.

Reaching out to your friends might help, because it helped me. A lot. I talked to my best friends and, even though they always got to the point of screaming, "Kinan, safe yourself from yourself!", they were very supportive.

If you have a special someone, don't be afraid to ask for his shoulder to lean on. He won't mind your tears, he won't mind your insecurities, he won't mind the fact that you are fragile and weak as fuck and all you need was his support and him saying, "Every thing is going to be okay" (in my case, "Udah, nggak apa-apa, jangan sedih lagi. Nanti kita belajar lagi, yah."), he won't degrade you as the woman you are, he won't be as unsupportive as you thought he would be. Give him a chance to be there by your side when you break.

Try do things that (used to) make you happy. I got to the point of hating eating and hating writing. Both are the things I love most and I had my moment of not having any passion to do any of them. But, I gave them a chance and, eventually, they made me happy again.

You will get through this, I promise. 

Jalan-jalan ke Kota

Pas kemarin di Bali, ada satu hari di mana gue dan Ibu gue jalan-jalan ke kota untuk belanja dan nonton film di bioskop. Karena rumah kami memang letaknya di desa, kanan kiri sawah semua dan kalau malam-malam gelapnya kayak lagi program Live In di pedalaman kampung, kami memang benar-benar harus ke kota kalau mau mencari hiburan. Perkebunan padi seketika berubah menjadi jalan raya yang diramaikan kendaraan berplat nomor DK. Gue pun menjadi semangat saat sampai tujuan karena udah lama nggak ngeliat papan reklame bulat berwarna hijau tua dengan tulisan Starbucks. "Bener-bener kayak orang desa main ke kota, ya," ucap Ibu gue.

Perjalanan dari Desa Pejeng ke Denpasar kurang lebih dua jam. Destinasi pertama kami adalah Mal Bali Galeria yang terletak di sisi Jalan By Pass. Dengan desain gedung yang sepertinya mengikuti gedung tradisional di Bali, Mal itu tampak beda dengan mall-mall lainnya yang pernah gue kunjungi. Hanya dua lantai, bangunannya luas dan tidak dihias dengan Air Conditioner di setiap sudutnya, dan dilengkapi dengan area berjalan yang hijau di tengah-tengahnya. Ibarat donat tapi dalam bentuk kotak dan adalah sebuah bangunan. 

Siang itu, kami mampir ke bioskop yang ada di Mal Bali Galeria dan menikmatti indahnya nonton film keluaran terbaru dalam keadaan sepi. Belum pernah, seumur hidup gue, gue nonton film dengan keadaan sesepi dan sekosong itu. Cuma ada lima orang doang dalam satu studio!  

Kami nonton Alien: Covenant. Gue penggemar berat seri film Alien karena itu adalah makanan sehari-hari gue saat gue masih berumur 4 tahun. Iya, sekecil itu gue udah nonton film garapan Ridley Scott dari yang pertama sampai yang keempat. Gue bahkan inget banget di suatu siang, saat gue masih TK dan sedang disuapin sama Ibu gue, gue lebih memilih nonton Alien ketimbang film Robin Hood karya Disney. 

Tapi film itu pun yang menyebabkan gue takut setengah mati berenang di kolam, dan di laut. Pokoknya aktivitas apapun yang mengharuskan gue untuk berinteraksi dengan air, gue ogah, dan ketakutan ini berlangsung sampai gue kelas 3 SD. Akhirnya, setelah gue dipaksa ikut kursus dan berhasil berenang dari tepi kolam ke tepi seberangnya, dalam keadaan hujan badai yang membuat air kolamnya butek nggak karuan, atas dorongan Bapak gue, gue pun berhasil menghilangkan rasa takut dikejar-kejar Xenomorph di dalam air.

Selesai nonton film, gue kepingin makan yang berkuah karena, ternyata gue baru sadar bahwa makanan berkuah adalah comfort food buat gue, gue mendapat kabar yang nggak enakin. Jadi, ketimbang seharian mecucu dan menyebarkan hawa negatif ke seluruh penjuru Denpasar, gue memutuskan untuk makan Soto Betawi di Kafe Betawi.

Ditemani kerupuk oren yang rasanya terlalu bagus kalau dibandingin dengan kerupuk oren ala tukang ketoprak gerobakan, gue melahap Soto Betawi gue yang dihias dengan remahan emping dan bawang goreng. Rasanya nggak kayak Soto Betawi sama sekali, lebih kayak sayur lodeh. Terlalu banyak santan, terlalu manis, dan nggak ada gurih-gurihnya blas. Agak mengecewakan, tapi cukup untuk menghibur hati yang lagi gundah. Ditambahin sambel pun nggak ngaruh apa-apa karena rasanya tetap kayak sayur lodeh dan bukan rasa soto.

Sebelum meninggalkan Mal Bali Galieria, untuk ketemuan dengan Tante gue di daerah Seminyak, gue sempet mampir ke gerai Starbucks yang membuka cabangnya di mal tersebut dan membeli tumbler yang gue kepingin dari kapan tau. Sayangnya, desain tumbler yang gue mau udah nggak ada, karena udah lewat musimnya, jadinya gue pilih yang paling murah aja. Tadinya gue mau bayar pakai Starbucks Card, karena bisa dikasih diskon 10% untuk tumbler-nya dan dapat minuman gratis seukuran Tall, sayangnya mesin pengoperasian kartunya sedang error. Batal dapat diskon, deh. But I got me this tall-sized Iced Shaken Lemonade, with Passion Fruit Tea and less ice, so yay!

Yang tadinya mau ketemuan di Nalu Bowls harus diganti karena, saat itu, Nalu Bowls akan tutup dalam waktu satu jam. Akhirnya kami pindah haluan dan memutuskan untuk ketemuan di Earth Cafe yang terletak di sisi Jalan Kayu Aya. 

Nggak susah kok untuk menemukan Earth Cafe ini karena terbantu dengan papan reklame warna hijau yang kemungkinannya kecil untuk kelewatan. Awalnya sempat bingung mau parkir di mana karena cafe ini mungil banget, tapi ternyata ada parkiran khusus di dalamnya yang bisa memuat mobil dalam hitungan jari dan beberapa motor.

Karena saat itu gue lagi sok-sokan mau menerapkan hidup hits dengan diet sehat, jadilah gue pesan chia pudding parfait ini yang nama aslinya gue lupa. Parfait ini terbuat dari chia seeds yang dicampur dengan almond milk hingga mengembang, yang kemudian dihias dengan potongan stroberi, potongan mangga, taburan kuaci dan goji berry, tumpahan pemanis alami yang terbuat dari kurma, sedikit yogurt, dan parutan kelapa kering. Wow, Kinan jadi vegan! Hidup vegan!

Gue nggak nyangka makanan sekecil ini ternyata semengenyangkan itu. Asli, gue kenyang banget makan beginian doang! Beberapa suap terakhir itu rasanya menyiksa, entah kenapa. Sebenarnya enak kok, meskipun kalau chia puddingnya dimakan sendiri aja akan terasa sangat hambar maka dari itu dikasih segala hiasan biar ada rasa sedikit, tapi lama-lama lidah gue bosen juga dengan makanan vegan dan organik ini. Gue sangat merekomendasikan parfait ini untuk kalian yang asli vegan dan yang sedang diet sehat.

Sementara itu, Ibu gue tengah sibuk dengan jamur goreng kriuk dan jus C4-nya yang terdiri dari wortel, timun, dan apel. Kenapa ya, rumput tetangga selalu kelihatan lebih hijau? Kayaknya enak banget Ibu gue ngunyah potongan-potongan jamur yang dibalut tepung garing nan gurih. Makannya pakai kecap asin pula, tambah enak kan jadinya!

Sudah, deh, setelah kenyang menyantap biji ngembang yang rasanya hambar itu, gue dan Ibu gue memutuskan untuk kembali ke Desa Pejeng. Sudah cukup jalan-jalannya di kota, besok-besok lagi kalau udah suntuk dengan sawah dan segala hutan belantaranya. Dan gue pun harus menyetir dalam posisi kekenyangan yang membuat gue agak mengantuk. Sip.


Kafe Betawi
Mal Bali Galeria
Jl. By Pass I Gusti Ngurah Rai

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 10AM - 10PM


Starbucks
Mal Bali Galeria
Jl. By Pass I Gusti Ngurah Rai

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 10AM - 10PM

Earth Cafe
Jl. Kayu Aya, Seminyak

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 7AM - 11PM

This morning, I woke up with content. I talked to one of my best friends last night and she was, surprisingly, very emotionally supportive regarding all the depression I have been having this past weeks. I even got a new diet method that I'm gonna try first thing tomorrow!

The fact that there is someone out there who understands you more than you do yourself and care about you is overwhelming.  It made me feel good. Finally. :)

Jejak Kaki di Jepang

I'm not going to stop writing over feelings I'm having that I can't explain. As hard as it is for me to pour words onto this cyber blank sheet of paper, I'm still going to try anyway.

On this post, I'm going to share a  bit about the last time I went to Japan. It was the two of of, my Mom and I, and we stayed at Tokyo for five days. We strolled, we took pictures, we ate (a lot), we shopped for cameras at Yodobashi, we did all the fun things all duos of Mom and daughter can do.

I didn't take pictures as I usually do because, that time, I was trying to focus on my videos. You see, this YouTube channel of mine consists of travel vlogs, one of them being my Japan adventure. If you are interested, which I believe you do, just check out some of the vlogs bellow. It's simply a series of eating, and eating, and discovering the awesomeness of Japan's public toiler, and eating again. 

Enjoy~ 

Sunday Fun Day!

I ate something delicious for brunch this morning! It's been quite challenging to find food that makes me happy nowadays. It used to be so easy back when I was all sunny, as long as its' a dessert, or ice cream related, or something new, it would always lift up my spirits. But, it hasn't been like that at all, so I was pretty excited about it. 

I am familiar with it being called Choi Pan to some people, a traditional snack from Indonesia in which is a clump of shredded yam enveloped with a very thin dough made out of rice flour. It is then bathe with an orange spicy sauce, with a hint of sweet and sour here and there, and topped with fried shallots. 

The Choi Pan vendor set up his place just across the street from my church. Among all of the snack vendors parked there this morning, I decided that I wanted to have the Choi Pan after my mid morning mass. On his motorcycle, the Choi Pan vendor placed this large aluminium container consists of the rice flour dough, the deep-fried dishes, and the bottle sauce to go with the snack. He then swiftly move his scissor across the dishes and place them on this plastic food container, garnish them well, and serve them to us, along with a plastic spoon. 

I have no idea what the deep-fried snacks official names are, but I am familiar with them being called risol, or lumpia goreng, somay, gorengan bengkoang, and aci goreng. Risol is basically your vermicelli-filled spring rolls, while somay is just the Indonesian name of your shumai, gorengan bengkoang and aci goreng are both deep-fried with one being yam and the other being rice flour. 

I had me two pieces of gorengan bengkoang, one of each from the other deep-fried snacks, and two pieces of rice flour dough, or the Choi Pan dumpling skin, and they costed only Rp21.000,00! Lord, have mercy. 

I bullshit you not, they were super tasty! If this were a parfait of Ice Cream Sundae, the orange sauce would be the chocolate fudge, while the fried shallots acted as the cherry on top. All of the deep-fried goods, even though they tasted slightly different from one another, but they were all just darn good fried stuff. And the rice flour dough, oh my, it was fantastic! Everything inside that plastic container was delicious, it made me happy I almost forgot all of the emotional burden I have been having this past weeks. 

Jajanan Asongan

Across Gereja Kristen Indonesia

Jl. Panglima Polim 1 No. 51A

Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

Sunday fun day! 

Meh.

I went to Grand Metropolitan Mall, Bekasi, with Mom to buy some groceries and have dinner. I had an appetite for some Korean cuisine, so we went to Mujigae. Like usual, the staff greeted us with their signature, "Annyeong hashimnikka!" and "Annyeong haseyo!".

I ordered myself a set of Budae Jigae that costed Rp47.000,00, minus the tax, while Mom had her share of Beef Luncheon Ramyun. We also ordered a side dish that went by the name Original Korean Fried Chicken, a few pieces of boneless chicken meat bathed in a spicy and sweet red sauce. It didn't take long for our food to be served.

It was my first Budae Jigae. The Budae Jigae itself was more or less a hotpot of ramyun, or noodles, garnished with some macaroni, sausage, beef spam, leek, spicy minced meat, and egg bathe in red broth. It had this weird sweet flavor that I didn't quite fond of at first. The more I eat it, the sweetness disappear and was replaced by a spicy and sour flavor. It was okay, I guess.

After dinner, we went around the mall to shop more. Mom bought me a white shelf trolley for my printer at Informa and three pieces of beautiful clothes from Cotton On. We also shop for food and ingredients for my rendezvous with my girlfriends tomorrow. Mom is planning on making Quiche.

Oh yeah, I also bought me a lip tint from Body Shop! It has this beautiful, almost nude and neutral, dark cherry color that suits my skin color nicely. I'm not familiar with lip tints as this was my first time using it, but it was pretty handy to apply on.

And, for a second there, I thought that I managed to survive today without feeling sad or broken. But, I was wrong. The more I fake it, the more in eclipses my well being. Even painting my right hand's nails the color of mermaid's tail did nothing.

Not Today

Today, I woke up knowing that it's going to be a shitty day. But, I'm not just going to let myself dwell on it. So, I brought myself to get out of bed, reached out to my girlfriends, gave me a long and refreshing shower, painted my nails the color of Eragon, and made myself a nice loaf of brownies.

I looked up the recipe online. After minutes of scrolling and contemplating about which recipe I should use, I finally decided to use this one. I was too lazy to measure the ingredients in grams, so I settled with cups. It took some minutes to prepare the batter then, when I'm done, I put it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

The result was fine, if I may say. It doesn't look like how brownies should look like, with its' even and cracked surface, but it was okay. I cut into it to have a tasted and it also doesn't have the texture of a brownies. Maybe I did something wrong with the batter that made it have the texture of a spongy chocolate cake but, hey, I'm down with that.

In life, sometimes, things just don't work out the way you want it to be. Even when you think you did the best you could, without making any mistakes whatsoever, shit still happens. Let alone if you do make a blunder, big or small. But, it's okay. That's just how life works.

Now, are you gonna let yourself be down in the dumps? I say, not today.

Ikan Tenggiri Balado

Siang ini Ibu gue masak Ikan Tenggiri Balado, lho. Enak banget, suer! Daritadi gue berpikir keras gimana caranya menuangkan kata-kata ke dalam postingan blog siang ini mengenai masakan Ibu gue yang satu itu, tapi ujung-ujungnya cuma bisa gue hapus lagi dan hapus lagi. Enaknya bikin bego. 

Ikan Tenggiri Balado ini adalah salah satu masakan Ibu gue yang gue doyan banget. Padahal beliau alergi seafood, kecuali cumi-cumi, tapi masakannya tetap enak meskipun nggak dicicip selama proses masak. Dan, kelihatannya nggak begitu rumit untuk memasak makanan yang satu ini: hanya tinggal goreng ikannya, dimasak dengan racikan sambal balado, dan voila! Nggak susah, kan? 

Ujung-ujungnya, gue cuma bisa duduk bego, kekenyangan, dan berjuang keras untuk mengucapkan, "Tie, enak banget ikannya." setelah selesai makan.

Smoothie Bowl Sore Tadi

Sore ini pun gue bikin smoothie bowl juga, lho! Tadi siang, sehabis ngurus SKCK yang belum kelar sehingga gue harus balik ke polsek lagi Senin besok, gue dan Ibu gue mampir ke Total Buah Segar yang baru buka di daerah Kalimalang. Di sana kami belanja buah banyak banget, saking banyaknya sampai ada yang ketinggalan di mesin timbangan dan nggak kebayar. Sedih.

Sekali lagi, takarannya masih ngasal, tapi kali ini gue nggak menambahkan air sedikit pun. Hasilnya masih agak terlalu encer, sih, tapi nggak seencer kali pertama gue coba. Gue pakai campuran pisang Sunpride, buah naga merah, dan apel merah yang besarnya nggak lebih besar dari bogem gue. Dan, seperti yang gue duga, rasanya didominasi oleh pisang. Lucky for me that's what I like~

Platting skill gue pun masih perlu diasah. Tapi, ya sudah lah, ya..

Gue Bikin Smoothie Bowl, lho!

Ternyata mood mempengaruhi pembawaan menulis seseorang, ya. Selama gue di Bali, rasanya lancar terus setiap ngeblog. Sehari bisa tiga sampai empat postingan gue jabanin dan, rata-rata, semuanya ditulis dengan waras dan pemilihan kata-kata yang cukup manusiawi. Tapi, semenjak pulang ke Bekasi kemarin, hasrat gue untuk menulis kok jadi berkurang, ya? Apa mungkin karena lagi sedih? Ah, pasti karena itu.

Selama di Bali, gue berusaha untuk menjaga pola makan gue, walaupun akhirnya gagal juga. Gue berhasil detox apel selama tiga hari - yang membuat mood gue acak-acakan, badan gue lemas, dan lancar buang air besar. Don't get me wrong, it was good in so many levels, but it was not as easy as I expect it to be. It was fine while it lasted, though. 

Setelah program detox gue berakhir, gue masih mencoba untuk menjaga makanan yang gue konsumsi. Berniat untuk menjalani no-carbs and no-sugar diet, tapi sayangnya gue secinta itu dengan nasi dan roti, apalagi roti-roti Eropa. Gagal sudah rencana untuk mengonsumsi hanya protein dan serat setiap harinya. 

Tapi, untungnya rencana gue nggak sepenuhnya gagal karena terbantu oleh hasrat gue untuk membuat smoothie bowl sendiri di rumah. Ketimbang harus keluar uang berlembar-lembar demi bubur buah seiprit, mendingan gue buat sendiri, ya, kan? Bahan-bahannya pun nggak rumit, hanya buah dan blender, tok. Selain gue bisa mencari kombinasi rasa dan melatih platting skill, berat badan gue cenderung menjadi konsisten dan nggak naik-naik amat untungnya. Tetap aja berat, sih..

Waktu itu gue masih punya sisa beberapa buah Apel Malang dari program detox gue dan sebongkah buah naga merah yang besarnya hampir seukuran kepala gue - entah buahnya yang bermutasi, atau kepala gue yang terlalu kecil - dan keduanya gue pakai untuk membuat smoothie bowl. 

Karena gue nggak peduli pada takaran buah dan air, jadi aja gue masukin semua ke dalam blender. Potong apelnya, potong buah naganya, kasih air sedikit, blender sampai menjadi bubur, dan voila! smoothie bowl gue keenceran. Seharusnya, gue nggak perlu menambahkan air lagi karena buah naga sudah mengandung air yang cukup banyak. 

Yang paling gue suka dari smoothie bowl adalah topping hiasannya. You can never go wrong with your toppings. You just have to let your imagination do the magic and, there you have it, your own creation of smoothie bowl. Nggak perlu mahal-mahal keluarin duit berwarna merah jambu untuk dikembalikan dalam bentuk dua lembar uang ribuan, kan, jadinya.

Gue masih harus berlatih lebih keras lagi dalam hal plating karena keahlian gue dalam menghias makanan belum begitu bagus. Masih berantakan, masih nggak seimbang, masih suka-suka hati. Tapi, toh, yang makan diri gue sendiri, kan? Dan, toh, semua yang ada di mangkuk itu nanti akan kecampur juga di dalam perut, betul, bukan? 

Kebetulan, gue juga punya segayung low-fat yogurt di kulkas. Asli, sebanyak volume gayung buat mandi, gue nggak bohong! Tadinya mau gue pakai sebagai hiasan juga, dicampur dengan bubur buahnya dan dibikin motif yang cantik, tapi gagal karena tekstur dan kekentalannya berbeda. Ya udah aja gue ceburin di situ.

Mengenai granola yang gue pakai, gue belinya di Coco Mart seharga sekitar Rp65.000,00 satu kantongnya. Dari semua pilihan granola yang ada di supermarket tersebut, granola produkan East Bali Cashew's ini adalah yang paling murah, lho! Variannya ada macam-macam. Gue beli yang ini karena tergiur dengan potongan pisang kering yang seharusnya ada di dalam kemasannya. 

Granola ini rasanya manis dari cane sugar-nya, yang sedikit mengingatkan gue akan teh tarik di Warung Bu Nana. Banyak banget komponen yang ada di dalam kemasan ini, dari potongan kelapa, kacang mede, oat, potongan buah kering, dan beberapa lagi yang bentuknya gue yakin lo juga nggak bakal ngenalin. Digadoin pun enak! Tapi, kalau dimakan terlalu banyak tanpa pendamping yang bisa netralin rasanya, lo bakal mual saking manisnya. Emang cocoknya dipakai sebagai topping smoothie bowl, sih, gue rasa. 

Abis ini mau lanjut nulis lagi, ah. Kayaknya kumatnya pelan-pelan hilang dibawa nulis.. 

Detox: Day 3

I couldn't write much about what happened during day 2 because I was just trying to survive the day. I was lacking of sleep day that, since I slept at around 1 AM and woke up seven hours later, but I couldn't get myself to sleep.

I had a very long and exhausting day. Mom and I were driving around Tegal Lalang to find some furniture for my bedroom and I could feel the tingling sensation allover my body the whole time we drove out. Now, this tingling sensation is an old friend of mine. She usually comes whenever I was about to faint due to exhaustion, lack of sleep, lack of food, or simply standing for an hour straight at the field, with scorching sun, waiting for the weekly Monday Flag Ceremony to be over. Thank God I didn't faint. I brought an apple with me to munch on and it helped a bit.

Eating just apples this past three days made my tongue sore, the kind of sore that you get after eating a bucketful of pineapples. I have never experienced anything like it whenever I eat apples before, so this is a bit off for me.

My Granny Smith Apple was long gone by the middle of the day, so I switched things up with some local apples named Apel Malang. It was sour, but slightly sweeter compared to Granny Smith. It had a more crumbly texture too and the skin was less bitter. One point at night, when I was at the most hungry I have ever been through out the day, I couldn't finish my apple and put it back in the fridge thinking to myself, "Hey, maybe I'll make some apple juice for tomorrow." I'm already sick of eating apples.

And, by the grace of God, it's day three. In 24 hour, I can enjoy that yogurt and granola that my Mom bought at Coco Mart. I can munch on deep-fried salted squid that Mom made yesterday, in which I couldn't eat and had to tame myself not to go berserk and devour the whole thing in under a minute. I can go to Nalu Bowls and enjoy my bowl of J-Bay. Life is going to be awesome by the end of this detox, I can tell!

During my detox program, I have been doing nothing but having a quality time with my laptop. I wrote, I watched Riverdale, chatted with my boyfriend, made some calls to my best friend who is currently studying down under, write again, abusing my Spotify with its' Mood & Genres playlist, sleep, write again, and sleep again. It's been one hell of an unproductive weekend, but it's okay.

I'm thinking about making this detox thing a regular schedule, you know, like once every two weeks wouldn't be so bad. Don't you think?

Cerita di JJ Royal Bistro

Tahun 2013, tahun di mana gue sering banget dapet tugas dinas menjaga booth STPI di berbagai macam pameran pendidikan. Biasanya, dipilih dua perwakilan dari masing-masing sekolah kedinasan berbasis transportasi untuk dipamerkan di acara tersebut. Waktu itu, yang sering dipilih itu gue, yang ditemani oleh rekan taruna yang dipilih secara acak dari sekian banyak jurusan yang ada di intitusi tempat gue menimba air teresebut. Kalian nggak salah baca, kok, gue memang menulis air. 

Karena pameran pendidikan dimulai pukul 10 pagi, tim kami harus sudah siap di tempat dari satu jam sebelumnya. Kerjaan kami nggak kurang dan nggak lebih dari menjelaskan apa itu STPI, atau STTD dan STIP, dan nanti kalau udah lulus kerjanya jadi apa. Banyak calon mahasiswa dan mahasiswi yang kaget pas tau gue adalah taruni penerbang, yang nantinya akan menjadi pilot. "Masnya pilot," tanya satu orang dedek-dedek gemes yang pingin gue slepet karena udah mengira gue laki-laki. Sambil senyum dan dengan suara semerdu dan semelengking mungkin gue jawab, "Iya hehehe!" kemudian dia kabur sama teman-temannya. Takut gue rasa. 

Seharian suntuk kami melayani masyarakat yang haus akan informasi, diselingi dengan makan siang yang sangat sangat cukup dan enak untuk ukuran taruni rakus macam gue, sampai akhirnya waktu menunjukkan pukul 4, yang artinya pameran pendidikan untuk hari itu telah selesai. Belum pulang, belum! Kami masih harus beres-beres barang. Sekitar pukul 5, lah, baru bisa kembali ke hotel. 

Suatu hari, tim gue memutuskan untuk kabur karena tamu hari itu terlampau sepi dan, faktanya, kami ngelesan. Akhirnya gue dan rekan gue dari jurusan PKP-PK, singkatan dari Pertolongan Kecelakaan Pertama dan Pemadam Kebakaran, buru-buru beresin barang kami dan cabut ke destinasi masing-masing dengan supir yang disediakan dari STPI. Dasar, taruna taruni tukang ngeles!

Kebetulan, sore itu gue memang mau ketemuan dengan dua sahabat gue sedari jaman SMP. Perkenalkan, namanya Dila dan Icha. Silahkan kalian tebak siapa yang mana dari kolase foto yang gue selipkan di atas.

Karena lokasi pameran pendidikannya waktu itu dekat banget dengan Senayan, akhirnya kami bertiga memutuskan untuk ke Senayan City dan jajan di sebuah tempat makan yang berlokasi di lantai dasar bernama JJ Royal Bistro. 

Introducing: Alison, Meadow, and Josephine

Udah menjadi kebiasaan gue untuk nggak memesan minum di tempat makan yang kelihatannya kurang bersahabat untuk dompet pelajar. Gue lebih mending beli satu botol Aqua ukuran satu liter di Indomaret terdekat, ketimbang harus keluar uang tiga puluh ribu untuk segelas es teh dengan perisa buah leci. Menurut gue nggak sepadan! 

Icha, seperti biasa, pasti memesan makanan yang ada unsur ayam gorengnya karena itu adalah makanan yang paling dia suka. Gue rasa dia bisa hidup tanpa nasi, asalkan dikasih persediaan aam goreng seumur hidup. Dan, untuk menemani Nasi Ayam Kremesnya ada segelas Cherry Coke yang disajikan dalam gelas tinggi, yang keliatannya segar dan enak banget kalau diminum pas siang hari bolong. 

Kayaknya waktu itu dia lagi laper mata, soalnya dia pun memesan makanan sampingan lain yang lumayan berat, yaitu Deep-fried King Prawn. "Eh tapi porsinya banyak banget, buat barengan, ya," katanya. Gue dengan senang hati menjadi tempat sampah kalau-kalau dua krucil itu nggak sanggup menghabiskan.

Icha's Nasi Ayam Kremes

Icha's Cherry Coke

King Prawns as side dish

Ada satu makanan yang menarik perhatian gue selagi gue membuka lembaran demi lembaran buku menu JJ Royal Bistro, yaitu Marshmallow Sweet Potato Gratin. Bentuknya unik, ada marshmallownya, ada ubinya, langsung lah gue pesan.

Gue baru tau, ternyata Gratin itu adalah salah satu makanan asal Perancis, yang teknik pemasakannya adalah dengan memadatkan bahan pangan apa aja yang kalian mau di dasar panci, kemudian ditutup, atau ditaburi, dengan keju, atau remah-remah breadcrumbs, atau pun telur, pokoknya sesuka kalian. Nah, yang gue pesan kali ini sepertinya Gratin versi makanan penutup karena bahan-bahan manis yang menjadi bahan utama pembuatannya. 

Penampilannya cantik, mungil, menarik, bikin penasaran. Langsung gue tancapkan sendok gue dan menyendok satu bagian. Gue tiup dulu sebelum gue cicipi, kemudian hap! lalu dilepeh. Nggak enak. Rasanya aneh. Gue tau rasa ubi rebus seperti apa, dan ubi yang ada di dasar panci tersebut rasanya kecut dan aneh. Nggak manis sama sekali, bahkan nggak terasa seperti ubi pada umumnya. Marshmallow yang diatasnya nggak punya peran apa-apa selain sebagai rebounder karena ubinya yang mengecewakan. Setelah marshmallownya ludes, nggak gue sentuh lagi Marshmallow Sweet Potato Gratin itu. 

Untung Icha pesan udang, kan gue jadi bisa gadoin makanan waras.

My Marshmallow Sweet Potato Gratin

Look at that burnt marshmallow!

Dila anteng-anteng aja dengan Baked Penne-nya yang enak, gurih, dan berlimpah lelehan keju. Gue sempat nyobain sesuap dan enak banget, gue rela nuker makanan gue untuk makanan Dila. Tapi dia nggak rela. Gimana, dong?

Untuk minumnya, Dila memesan segelas minuman bersusu yang gue lupa apa, bisa jadi kopi, bisa jadi semacam blended something yang dihias dengan bubuhan bubuk berwarna merah dan sepotong biskuit coklat di pinggiran gelas.

Dila's Baked Penne

Dila's beverage for that evening

Gue nggak kenyang hanya dengan nyemilin marshmallow dan udang goreng tepung. Ujung-ujungnya gue harus membolak-balik menu untuk memesan makanan lagi untuk mengisi perut gue yang menjerit-jerit minta diisi. Fokus gue tertuju pada makanan penutup lagi yaitu Giant Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Ice Cream. Yak, pesan satu!

Kemudian datanglah Soufflé pesanan gue. Cantik banget, disajikan dengan sesederhana mungkin, tapi tetap cantik. Giant Valrhona Chocolate Soufflénya dihias dengan kombinasi potongan coklat, chocolate ganache, buah raspberry, dan taburan powdered sugar, dan ditemani dengan satu scoop es krim rasa vanila yang gue rasa adalah French Vanilla, karena ada titik-titik hitam di dalam es krimnya yang merupakan biji vanila. 

Panas dan dingin bercampur jadi satu di mulut dengan satu suapan dari soufflé dan es krimnya. Paduan rasa pahit dan asam dari dark chocolate ternyata cocok banget kalau disantap bersama manisnya es krim vanilla. Kami bertiga berhasil menghabiskan dessert ini bersama-sama dan gue merasa makanan gue masih kurang. Dari dasarnya memang rakus, sih. 

Giant Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé for dessert

JJ Royal Bistro

Senayan City Mall, LG

Jl. Asia Afrika, Lot 19

Jakarta Pusat

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 10AM - 10PM

Contact:

(+62)21 2932 9262

A Sanctuary Named Sophie Authentique

I really need to get away from everything. I need a place where I can be with me, a place where I can be myself, a place where I can enjoy the simplicity of myself without having a care about what people may think about me.

Back then, I found this place at Kemang named Sophie Authentique, a petite bakery on the side of the road that specialize in French cuisine. I fell immediately in love the moment I step into the bakery. The atmosphere is very nice and friendly. Simple white walls with minimum, yet sophisticated, decorations. Very appealing placement of tables and chairs, along with adorable furniture to go with. Sophie Authentique screamed aesthetic at its' every corners.

The food, despite the fact that they may cost a lot for college students, is breathtakingly beautiful and delicious. I have always been a fan of bread and what I had that day was a Croque Madame. Slightly different with Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame has the same ingredients to make, but with an addition of an egg. Nicely toasted loafs of bread, sandwiching a hearty amount of beef and cheese, then topped with more cheese, and garnished with a beautiful sunny-side-up that goes along well with the complimentary salad on the side. What a breakfast.

I had a cup of Cappuccino to go with my Croque Madame. As I remembered, the Cappuccino was nice and it didn't have that extra sourness that comes up whenever the espresso was served too early. It came with a flower-shaped sugar cookie that tasted non-other than how a sugar cookie would taste like.

Mom had her share of sandwich and hot beverage also. She went with the Beef Croissant, with salad on the side, and a mug of Hot Cocoa that looked beautiful with its' tulip late art on the surface.

To end my breakfast that morning, I had a piece of this beautiful brown French dessert named Canellé. Very chewy in texture, a bit sticky on the outside judging from the caramelized sugar that they used to make this delicious munchies. The taste of it reminded me of a traditional Indonesian dessert that can usually be found at most traditional wet market. Its' name is Kue Cucur. With a shape that looks like a typical flying saucer in comic books, this traditional snack is one of my favorite because of its' sweet taste and chewy texture.

Oh, how I wish I could feel at ease. I wish I could feel happy living my life without having any care about what the future got in store for me. I wish I could go back to the time when happiness could be obtain just by a single bite of ice cream. Now, I don't think food can save me. I don't even know what am I in to have a thought of wanting to be saved.


Sophie Authentique
Jl. Kemang Selatan 1, No. 20A
Kemang, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 8AM - 5PM

Contact:
(+62)21 728 0011

Jagoan-jagoan Sushi Tei

Dua makanan ini adalah menu andalan gue setiap gue ke Sushi Tei. They go by the names Stamina Roll and Salmon Sashimi, and they are my most favorite dish at Sushi Tei. 

Stamina Roll itu adalah salah satu varian sushi roll yang terdiri dari ayam bumbu teriyaki, kacang mede, bawang putih goreng, nasi sushi, dan nori. Semua bahan yang gue sebutin barusan digulung menjadi suatu maha karya yang bikin lidah gue menari-nari kesenengan, yang kemudian dihias dengan olesan mayonnaise dan tumpahan bumbu teriyaki. Enaknya tiada tara!

Manisnya ayam bumbu teriyaki dan gurihnya kacang mede bagaikan jodoh dari tangan Tuhan, cucok banget! Ayamnya bisa dibilang empuk, tapi kadang luarannya agak alot. Gara-gara keanginan kali, ya, makanya jadi rada alot? Tapi, tetap enak, kok.

Bawang putih goreng yang ditaburin diatas gulungan nasi dan lauk itu memberikan tendangan tajam dalam sekali gigit. Ngerti, kan, rasanya bawang putih goreng kayak gimana? Nah, kalau dipadukan dengan segala manis dan gurih yang ada di dalam Stamina Sushi tersebut, kombinasi rasanya makin menjadi-jadi dan tetap enak.

Satu lagi jagoan gue adalah Salmon Sashimi, yaassss! Salmon Sashimi di Sushi Tei selalu manis dan nggak amis setiap gue santap. Mungkin memang kualitasnya bagus dan segarnya beneran segar, kali, ya. Nggak pernah, tuh, yang namanya mencret atau mual setiap habis makan ikan mentah yang satu ini. Bahkan teman gue aja, yang tadinya nggak doyan makan ikan mentah, jadi ketagihan karena waktu itu gue jejelin Salmon Sashimi.