Nasi Campur Kenanga

Nasi Campur Kenanga, my family's number one destination when we are in the mood for a plate of porky lunch. Located at Grand Wijaya Centre, adjacent to a city walk named Dharmawangsa Square, this particularly small restaurant has been there since I was merely an elementary student. I'm a picky eater back then, so when my Mom and Dad visit the restaurant to get themselves a plate of Nasi Campur, I rarely participate in the munching part. But then, years later, I grew fond of this place and the food they serve. The next thing I know, Nasi Campur Kenanga is already in my list of favorite restaurants. 

Small restaurant, yet jam-packed with hungry people

A wide selection of dishes

My favorite dish: Sweet Red Pork

Cut them up nice and thin 

Whenever I visit Nasi Campur Kenanga, I always go for the Nasi Campur. Nasi Campur here is a plate of rice with various dishes, pork dishes to be exact. Each plate - contains of Siomay, Roasted Pork, Sweet Red Pork, Ngoh Hiang (Gohyong), chewy pork ear, a quarter of an egg, and Pork Satay - costs Rp32.000,00 the last time I visit the Chinese restaurant. You can either chose regular steamed rice or Hainan Rice (rice cooked with Chicken stock) to eat your dishes with. I usually prefer Hainan Rice because it has more flavor compared to a regular steamed rice.

Other than Nasi Campur, this restaurant also have other dishes, such as Noodles, Zongzi or Bacang (sticky rice filled with shredded sweet pork enveloped in bamboo leaves), and traditional snacks and crackers.

Those crispy Roasted Pork tasted so good

I would finish those pork strips if I could

Chop them up like a boss!

Pork, roasted to perfection

Look at those outstanding queue of Roasted Pork

To all of you pork eaters out there, you have got to try dine in at Nasi Campur Kenanga. Other than the fact that you can chose what kind of dish you want to order by simply pointing it out, you can also pick which meat you want to have, because the food bar is located exactly on your left the moment you entered the restaurant. The food bar is made out of glass, which means you can see the glorious display of various kinds of pork-related dishes, along with the preparation methods regarding the food. Awesome, don't you think? 

Clean place. Affordable price. Thirst-quenching beverages. Wide selection of menu. Fast service. Small, yet comfy place. Awesome pork. Those words define Nasi Campur Kenanga. 

What a view!

One of the owner, preparing the dishes

My plate of Nasi Campur

This is one luxurious plate of lunch

Clockwise from 12 o'clock: Roasted Pork, Pork Satay, Sweet Red Pork,
Siomay, Ngoh Hiang, and Pork Ear

Nasi Campur Kenanga

Grand Wijaya Centre

Jalan Wijaya II, Blok F No. 19

Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta

Phone: (021) 385 2293

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 10 AM - 7 PM

Pigged Out

It is said that "Pork eaters are better lovers". I must be one epic lover. 

1 Ounce of Roasted Pork

My best buddies, Sally and Angel, and I had been planning on having lunch at a restaurant named Kaca Mata. For those who are not familiar with what Kaca Mata is, it is a Chinese restaurant where you can find crispy pork and a thousand year egg. It is located at Grand Wijaya Center, at Kebayoran Baru, to be exact. My Mom and I paid a visit to Kaca Mata Restaurant once and we had what its' called Casio Goreng Madu, or a fried crispy pork that was bathe in honey beforehand. I told Sally and Angel about the delightful manna from heaven, and they showed an eagerness to visit Kaca Mata as well. Today, we finally made it to the Chinese restaurant and had lunch together.

We ordered a lot of food - an ounce of Roasted Pork, an ounce of Casio Goreng Madu, a bowl of Pork Buns, a couple glasses of Soy Bean Milk, and a glass of Kietna - and we shared the dishes together. I have no complain about how the pork tasted like because they were all good. The Roasted Pork are very savory and enjoyable, not to mention very juicy and tender. The Casio Goreng Madu, on the other hand, was beyond crispy and palatable! It was very sweet, from the honey, and I enjoyed every bite of it.

A plate of golden brown Roasted Pork

Casio Goreng Madu

A bowl of broth with Chinese Lettuce

I didn't like Soy Bean Milk when I was a kid because I think it tasted weird and gross. But, for some reason, I began to fancy that drink and ordered it most of the time when I see the word "Susu Kacang" on the menu. Kaca Mata's Soy Bean Milk was very refreshing and not nauseating, which is a good thing. That way, I could enjoy meat and milk at the same time, without having the feeling to pour them out. 

Angel had a glass of Kietna. I had no idea what Kietna was! I searched on the web for 'Kietna' and I found out that it is a type of orange that Chinese people fancy. "Here, try some," offered Angel. I took a spoonful of the orange drink and savor it with my fully operational taste bud. The drink share the same sour taste with Tamarine, yet it has this sweetness and juiciness of an Orange. I puckered my face as a respond of how weird the drink tasted like. It didn't taste that bad, in fact it tasted very unique and amusing, but I prefer my Soy Bean Milk.

Left: Soy Bean Milk, Right: Kietna

We also had a bowl of Pork Buns. There were three small buns inside the bowl and each one of us got one. This food right here is my second favorite dish in Kaca Mata that I ate today. The buns were small, it fitted the size of my palm, and they were very soft and slightly sweet. When you cut open the buns, you will find a blob of red goo with cut meat inside. The red goo was the sweet sauce that bathe the cut meat, in this case, pork. The whole dish was very delicious and mouthwatering!

Pork Buns

The sweet pork meat inside the buns

Angel was not too happy with Kaca Mata's Roasted Pork because they were not crispy enough. "How about we go to Kenanga after we finished our lunch? It's a Chinese restaurant that sells pork as well, and it's not very far from here," I recommended. Sally and Angel agreed and we continued licking our plates clean before we move on to the next destination.

Nasi Campur Kenanga was where we headed next. It is located in Grand Wijaya Center as well, only a couple blocks away from Kaca Mata Restaurant. Now, this right here is my favorite restaurant. My parents and I often visit Nasi Campur Kenanga after we finished our mass to feast of crispy Roasted Pork and Sweet Pork. 

The place was filled with people when we arrived, which lead us to dine in at the second floor of the restaurant. We ordered an ounce of Roasted Pork, two pieces of Siomay, and a stick of Pork meat. We didn't eat a lot at Kenanga because we just ate at Kaca Mata. Angel was very happy with the Roasted Pork because they were very very crispy. The skin was very crispy and savory, it even let out a sound that gives people the idea of you eating Cheetos. I continuously munch on those golden brown pork, but for some reason, I ended up being feed by both Sally and Angel. They stuck a fork inside the pork, and the Siomay as well, and shove it into my mouth. I didn't mind at all!

Kenanga's Roasted Pork

Two pieces of Siomay and a stick of Pork meat

We were stuffed with pork and we were very happy. It was two in the afternoon and we didn't want to head home yet. I suggested that the three of us find a place where we can leisure while eating a bowl of ice cream or cake. Soully Butter Kitchen and Hampton's came up in the conversation, but then the image of creamy cake and milky ice cream popped out of no where, which made us didn't feel like having dessert. So, we agreed to head to Sally's place and enjoy the afternoon.

But then, I remembered that there is this awesome bagel shop near Sally's house named Bagel Bagel. I was craving for some bagels this past few days and, knowing that I got the chance to visit a bagel shop, I said to my buddies that I wanted to make a quick pit stop. So, we did, and I bought my self a bagel-wich! With an Everything Bagel, as in Bagel with sesame seeds and poppy seeds as toppings, and bananas, caramel, and cream cheese as the fillings, I completed my weekly needs of bagels.

Banana Caramel Bagel from Bagel Bagel

The bagel was hard on the outside and soft on the inside. My bagel-wich was very sweet from the ripe bananas and the caramel, yet savory and creamy from the cream cheese. Sally had the same bagel-wich, but she didn't use any caramel on it. It was very kind of Sally to treat me a bottle of Iced Thai Coffe and two pieces of plain bagels. I shook her hand and place it on my forehead like how Indonesian students pay respect to their teachers to say my gratitude. Angel got her treat as well, which was a Chocolate Chips bagel with cream cheese and blueberry as its' fillings. 

After we got ourselves some bagels, we headed to Sally's place and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon munching on bagels and watching the new season of New Girl. It was very delightful to eat bagels with your friends, I recommend you to do the same thing!

Had an Everything Bagel, which consisted of sesame seeds and poppy seeds

Iced Thai Coffee

Kaca Mata Restaurant

Grand Wijaya Centre

Jalan Wijaya II, Blok C No. 4

Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta

Phone: (021) 723 5228

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 24 Hours

Nasi Campur Kenanga

Grand Wijaya Centre

Jalan Wijaya II, Blok F No. 19

Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta

Phone: (021) 385 2293

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 10 AM - 7 PM

Bagel Bagel
Jalan Benda Raya 14D, Kemang 12560
Indonesia

Phone: (021) 781 8769

Opening Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 6 AM - 8 PM
Friday - Sunday: 6 AM - 9 PM

A Bag of Souvenir From Dad

One day, my Dad went home after a trip to Munich. He brought an occupied paper bag with him and handed it to me. He told me to check what's inside. To my surprise, there was a palm-sized sandwich waiting to be indulged. So, I brought it to the kitchen to make some observation, accompanied with my Mom, and it turned out to be a stack of pork sandwich, complete with its' pork skin. "It's your breakfast," said Dad.

My Mom can use pork meat as big as this for three servings

Cut the meat evenly

Add some slices of meat and pork skin onto the buns

Add some french fries and potato chips to make it look fancy

Breakfast is ready. Are you ready to dig in?

Guten Appetit!

A Trip to Bali (Part 5)

My last day at Bali was the day Aunt Tami's newborn baby get his blessings. The people in the house woke up early in the morning to get ready, including me. We had belayad for breakfast, which is one of the so many cuisines that you can find in Bali. A bowl, made out of styrofoam, which were filled with a couple of shaped rice, some shredded chicken, a stick of chicken meat, a slice of egg, some vegetables, and a chunk of meat entered my stomach and I felt happy. 

This particular dish is called belayad. It looks a bit funky, but it taste great!

By eight in the morning, all of us were prepared, along with the food. Aunt Tami's helpers started to decorate tables with lots of food and drinks. One of them was this particular traditional snack named Biji Salak. Salak, you see, is a fruit which has a thumb-sized seed on the inside. Biji Salak is not literary made out of Salak seeds, but it is made out of a mixed of dough and sweet potato. I love this food, because it tasted sweet. The brown color originated from a traditional sugar cube that you can find in Indonesia named Gula Jawa, Javanese Sugar literary translated. If you happen to stumbled upon this traditional cuisine, don't miss the opportunity to have a bite.

Wait until you try my Mom's and my Grandma's Biji Salak. 
Both of them tasted great!

This pink drink is a punch. It contains syrup, coconut water, coconut fruit, and some grass jelly, which is very refreshing to be indulged during summer. I took a cup and poured myself a couple spoonful of this drink. It tasted delightful, especially after you eat some spicy food. 

I always scooped the grass jelly the most

Bwonies Kukus Amanda, or Amanda's Steamed Brownies literary translated, was my favorite dish of the day. Amanda is famous for its chocolate and cheese brownies, which tasted superb. These brownies are like the spinach to my Popeye. It tasted beyond delicious, not to mention it has different texture for the cheese parts and the chocolate parts. I love the cheese parts the most, despite the fact that the chocolate parts were soft and puffy, sweet, and a bit nutty. 

I lost count on how many brownies I devoured that day. Half a dozen slices, perhaps?

This traditional snack looks pretty funky, don't you think? Green in color, that bowl is filled with food which goes by the name of ketan. Do take notes that it is green in color because it was cooked with pandan leafs, no artificial coloring used. You see, ketan is fermented rice. It tasted sweet, more or less like how a rum should tasted like. Despite the fact that I'm not that fond of this dish, I still gave it a try. Didn't like it like always, but the other guests were delighted by it for some reason.

The white cube-shaped food is called uli, which goes well with some ketan

Another luxurious lunch I couldn't pass. There were so many vegetables and chicken meat. I made sure I tried all of the food that was provided on the tables to end my curiosity. There were rice, two kinds of vegetables, shredded chicken, chicken meat on a stick, and this particular dish which was very peculiar to me. I forgot the name of the dish and, I think, I didn't get myself some of that dish. 

I took some spoonfuls of rice and a spoonful of each dishes,
except the one on the right which name I forgot

Chicken meat on a stick was amusing.
It gave you this caveman-like feeling when you eat it.

A bowl of marinated and well cooked starfruit leafs

A bowl of spicy and bitter vegetables who goes by the name pare

Roasted pig! They have roasted pig in the house and I was excited when I spotted one. It was my second time seeing such glorious food, my first was at my teacher's wedding, and also my first time of actually ate a slice. The skin was golden brown in color, the rear end of the pork was stuffed with rice-stuffed leaf. The pig was rather small, at its teenager year, perhaps? Other than my excitement, I couldn't help but to think that particular scene in the Hunger Games when Katniss shoot an arrow at an apple on a roasted pig's mouth when she was trying to impress the people from the capitol. Priceless. 

I bet the ears are crunchy and a bit chewy

It was about time someone started to skinned the pig, or else we wouldn't have lunch

A plate of rice and some crispy pork skin for lunch were good for me

Angry birds gone wild

A quick trip to Bali felt like an adventure! I got to taste various kinds of food I have never tasted before, I got to visit Pasar Badung which felt like entering Narnia, and I even got to have waffles for dinner. True, Indiana Jones' would probably have a more blood-pumping and thrilling adventure, but, hey, it's up to us wether we want to live our life to the fullest or not. Life's an adventure, right?