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?

Culinary Adventure at Gading

Tous les Jours

So many choices of good quality buns and breads available in this bakery. From sweet to savory, chocolaty to salty, icy to steamy, they have it all in Tous les Jours. I found this bakery by accident, as I was on my quest to search for an ATM. The sight of the golden brown buns decorating the trays caught my attention. "Man, can this bakery bake," I thought to myself. There were so many bakery goods to choose, not to mention most of them will probably cost you not more than Rp 10.000,00. 

It took me a while to decided on what bread I should have for lunch, until I spot this rather appealing toast. Topped with melted cheese and some smoked beef, I took the toast, put it on a tray that was provided at the bakery, and handed it to the cashier. "I would like to dine in," I said. "Would you like us to warm your toast," asked one of the male staff politely. I nod enthusiastically. 

The toast was beyond savory. The crust was crispy and crunchy, and it blended well with the melted cheese. I felt very fancy and a bit classy, it was as if I were from the capitol. Indulging on a rather fancy looking bread neatly, with a help of a fork and a knife, while I usually would just eat it with my bare hand, made me feel like as if I were Effie Trinket.

Cold Stone

Cold Stone are a bit pricey, if I might say. Rp 28.000,00 for a cup of ice cream, with one complimentary choice of topping, is rather expensive, yes? Add Rp 6.000,00 if you would like to have another topping of your choice. Since I was waiting for some of my friends to come to Mall Kelapa Gading, I decided to wait for them at this particular ice cream parlor. I bought myself a cup of Hazelnut-flavored ice cream, with a piece of Oreo and a chunk of brownies for toppings. Can you imagine how heavenly this ice cream was? It costed me Rp 34.000,00, but it was worth it. 

Cold Stone is famous for its ice cream mixing. The staff would just scoop the ice cream and put it on a glass base. Then, he will add the toppings, just on top of the ice cream, and mix them with a shovel-like tool. Later on, he will put the ice cream into the cup, or the waffle cup, and let you enjoy the masterpiece. 

In my opinion, Oreo tastes best if you eat it with Vanilla ice cream. But, since I was in the mood for some nutty flavored ice cream, it will just have to do. It turned out, indulging on hazelnut ice cream, with small chunks of brownies and Oreo, was not bad. Not bad at all. I enjoyed it very much actually. If only it didn't cost you half of your allowance, then I would probably stuff myself with the same ice cream everyday.

Standing Sushi Bar

Don't get fooled by the name "Standing Sushi Bar" because they have tables and chairs there. It will cost you Rp 25.000,00 for a couple of Ikura Sushi, a boat shaped sushi wrapped with dried seaweed and topped with salmon eggs. For those who are not fond of sushi or fish eggs, then this particular cuisine is no match for you. But, since I'm a sushi lover, Standing Sushi Bar's Ikura Sushi deserves a two thumbs up from the Almighty Fregeek.

For those who haven't got the chance to try Ikura, or salmon eggs, it tasted like as if you are drinking a glass of fish juice. A bit eeky and yucky, I have to say, but it has this unique deliciousness that makes me like them. If you bite one of those eggs, it will immediately pops and fills your mouth with its fishy liquid. Very amusing and delicious. A must try to those who love sushi.  

A friend of mine, Ano, dare me to eat this sushi he hated so much named Nato Sushi. Nato itself are fermented soy beans, one of the common dish that you can find in Japan. Some Japanese loves this food, some are disgusted by it. I'm not a big fan of Nato, but he said that if I could eat a whole plate, then he would pay for what I have eat at the restaurant. I immediately accepted the challenge and finished the whole plate in less than ten minutes.

The thing about Nato is that it taste bitter and a bit unpleasant. Well, what can you expect from a fermented soy beans? If you have drank a glass of expired milk, unintentionally of course, I believe that you find it far from tasty and unpleasant. The same goes for this unique dish. I am amazed by the fact that most Japanese people eat this for breakfast and can survive through the day. True, Nato tastes better than Wasabi, Japanese green chilly paste, but still it tastes unpleasant.

Ippeke Komachi

A rolling sushi bar is an excellent place to have lunch or dinner for Japanese-enthusiasts. Make sure that you got yourself a seat near the rolling bar, so that you can leisurely chose what sushi you would like to have. Each plate contains of two sushi of the same type. The price range depends on what color of plate you chose.  

For a starter, I grabbed myself a yellow plate, which contains Tamago Sushi. This plate is the cheapest plate on the bar. Tamago Sushi itself only contains rice, a small slice of dried seaweed and some sweet fried egg. Now you know why this particular plate costs the least. 

Tamago Sushi is my second favorite sushi after Unagi Sushi, which is fresh-water eel sushi. Other than the fact that this sushi only costed me Rp 15.000,00 per plate, it's its sweet fried-egg I love the most. I told you before that I'm a walking sweet tooth, didn't I?

Second serving was a plate of sushi, which contained rice, eels, fried eggs, cucumber, and some dried seaweed. By looking at the color of the plate, you can easily tell that this sushi is no cheaper than Tamago Sushi. Green and dark blue with golden stripes for its color, this plate will cost you Rp25.000,00. Pricey? Indeed. Delicious? Hell yeah!

Ocha, or Japanese green tea, is free in this restaurant. You can even get yourself continues refill without having to worry that it might cost you an arm and a leg. The waitress will ask you wether you want to have cold Ocha or hot Ocha, then latter on she will bring it to you. Don't be shy to ask for refills. Free stuff are not meant to be wasted.

For dessert, I ordered myself a glass of pudding, which costed me Rp 9.000,00 per plate. Notice the drawing on the plate? Yes, it is Hello Kitty. This adorable pudding came with a lovely plate that would make you go "Moe moe kyun~" the moment the waitress served this dessert on your table. The pudding is Vanilla-flavored, poured with some caramel sauce on top, decorated with whipped cream, some chocolate chips, a bit of cherry, and some cornflakes. 

Do not mix the pudding all at once. I repeat, do not mix the pudding. It is better for you to eat it slowly, spoonful by spoonful, bite by bite. Savor the taste of the pudding, the combination of the caramel sauce and the vanilla-flavored jelly, the sweet whipped cream that goes well with the cornflakes, and the crunchiness of the chocolate chips. I gotta tell you, this pudding is a masterpiece. A must try if you got the chance to have lunch or dinner at this particular restaurant. 

Mall Kelapa Gading

Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard

Blok M Lt. 2, Jakarta Selatan 14240

Phone: (021) 4585 3858

The Boy With the Bread

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor" is probably one of the most common thing that you will heard from the society nowadays. You'd probably had stumbled upon the trailer more than a couple of times when you were watching Tv. You may have over heard your friends squealing over someone whose name rhymes with Ginger Ale. Some of you might have flipped when you heard someone pronouncing the term for men's genital part out loud, thinking that the both of you ship the same couple from the story, which made you squeal and spaz like someone who is being electrocuted therefore making you the center of attention for doing such bizarre and slightly-perverted thing. And you might know someone, who is beyond hyped up to read the book but continuously missed the opportunity to grab one at the local bookstore, so she decided to order the trilogy online despite knowing the fact that you can leisurely read the Hunger Games online. If you are aware of such situation, then let me welcome you to the era of the Hunger Games. 

Being a gullible person myself, I got caught up in the Hunger Games the moment Sally blurted out about how awesome the movie is. I watched the movie twice and finished all three books in a week. It's like being hypnotized. I fell for one of the male character in the book, Peeta Melark, who happens to be one of the tributes from district 12 and a baker's son. The image of Peeta's home, which is a bakery, made my stomach grumbles and my mouth watery. I can't escape from the fact that I'm in need of my daily dose of bread.

Bread Talk is one of the most common bakery that you can visit in Jakarta. I usually stop by at the one which is located at Mall Metropolitan, a simple mall near my house at Bekasi. Whenever I get the chance to hang out with my friends at this particular mall, I always find myself passing by the delicious bread corner. There are usually lots of middle-aged ladies filling her personal tray with mountains of appealing bread. Some are decorated with almonds and cream, some are filled with meat and cheese, some are coated with butter, and some are generously covered with chocolate chips. It's an excruciating pleasure to window shopping at Bread Talk.

A tray of almond and vanilla cream coated buns and perfectly
baked buns decorated with sesame seeds on top

Would you eat such buns that look overly adorable?

Other than the fact that owning a bakery is like an having your very own all-you-can-eat event in which you are the only participant, you can also create your own master piece. You get to work with numerous amount of ingredients. Endless buns idea is beyond endless if you have a spoonful of imagination and the urge to please the customer. You don't have to order a birthday cake for your Sweet Sixteen Birthday when you could just make one instead. Dozens of strawberry cheese cakes welcomes you every time when you are in need of something sweet and delightful to indulge. And the fact that you will never go hungry again is simply delightful. 

If I were Peeta, I would probably be surrounded by breads and cakes all the time. I'm not sure if I can decorate cakes as good as the blond teenager, but the thought of drawing on an edible canvass with an edible paint is amusing. Would you like to live the life of the boy with the bread? The worst thing that could happen is that you burn a couple of buns until it's black in color and get a smack on the head. Nothing big. 

A tray of strawberry and raisin creme brulee behind more than a dozen
cheese buns that would make your stomach thumps in happiness.

A couple of tray, filled with buns just came out of the oven.