Was That a Compliment?

A while ago, Mom succeed at making her very own homemade combro. Combro is one of Indonesia's traditional snack, deep fried that is, made from cassava, and filled with spicy minced meat. We can usually find combro on the streets of Jakarta, carried in a cart by the tukang gorengan, or the deep-fried-food seller literary translated. 

I'm not much of a combro-enthusiast, but I'm more of a misro lover. Combro and misro are kind of related to each other. If they were twins, combro is the evil twin and misro is the twin with good deeds. Why so, you asked. It is because combro has this spicy fillings, while misro is filled with melted Javanese sugar, which makes it sweet. Since I love sweet food the most, I usually go with misro.

A bunch of combro, fresh from the frying pan and ready to be munched

Can you imagine how crispy they were?

It was during the afternoon when Mom fried more than half a dozen of it. When it came out of the frying pan, Dad eagerly took one and had a bite. "Tasty. Too tasty, perhaps," said Dad. "It's lacking of its palatability. You know, like the one we usually buy at the tukang gorengan, where they are all airy and lacking of fillings and stuff," he continued. If I were Mom, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to respond to what Dad said. 

"Let's take pictures with the combro," said Dad euphorically

A Drop of Rainbow

I finally got the chance to eat a rainbow! Yes, I ate a rainbow. But not just any regular rainbow, it was a rainbow cake. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple in color. This cake made me feel lucky, as if I was a Leprechaun. Topped with some Vanilla-glazing and colorful icing sugar, this cake will sweep you off your feet. Fly you to the moon. Tickle your tongue with its sweetness. And it will even set fire to the rain. 

I was taken aback though. This cake looks amazing, but it tasted not far from a regular cake that you can buy at a local grocery store. I thought it will have different flavors, depending on the color of the cake, but the six of them tasted pretty much the same. I love the red part though, because the icing sugar on top made it tasted sweet. The cream in between the cakes was far from sweet. It was a bit tasteless, and somewhat salty. A bit weird, I agree. But all in all, this cake is pretty decent. 

I bought this cake at a local bakery, located a footstep away from my house. Bread Castle is the name of the bakery. With drawings of castle as its icon, and writings of "Bread Castle" which share the exact same font like Disney's "Walt Disney", this bakery just had its grand opening a while ago. Donuts, cakes, buns, and birthday equipment are available in this bakery. I tried their cheese buns a few days ago and it was not bad, pretty good actually. Good  quality buns they have, as the soft texture of the bread makes it easier for you to chew, despite the fact that they were lacking of a generous amount of topping filling. 

Bread Castle

Ruko East Point Residence No. 15

Jl. Caman Raya, Jatibening

Bekasi 17412

Crazy for Hotdog

I'm don't usually hang out at Seven Eleven, but when I do I make sure that I get myself a decent hotdog.

On Sunday, me and my parents went to Seven Eleven after the mass. Mom and Dad had some beers, while I got myself a nice box of hotdog. I was going to get myself some Korean mochi ice cream, but the hotdogs was more appealing. Black pepper sausage with cheese sauce was what I had for an after-dinner snack. It turned out that the sausage share the same texture and crunchiness like those sausages that I ate when I was at Germany. It was outer skin was very hard to bite, it was as if you were biting a cardboard box. But, all in all, it was a good hotdog. It costed me Rp 18.000,00, which was fine compared to the one that I bought at New York city. 3$ for a tiny hotdog, with a small beef wiener, topped with ketchup. But it was fine though. It was one of my dream to taste one of New York's street-vendor's hotdog, and it came true.

This particular hotdog of Seven Eleven is pretty good and fulfilling if you haven't had any dinner. Make sure that you get yourself a box when you get the chance to visit Seven Eleven. As for the cheese sauce, you can take as much as you want, because the cashier will probably tell you to help yourself. It taste good, especially when you eat it with some Nachos. The next time I eat at Seven Eleven, I'll make sure that I have a jar prepared in advance to store the cheese sauce. 

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

Dinner with Friends

Last week was beyond hectic. Me and my friend, Dennis, decided to undergo medical check up at Kemayoran to know whether or not we are qualified to be flight officers. It took us a week to finish all of the necessary procedures, starting from getting your blood drawn, doing an EEG test, until measuring how good your sight is. We were physically drained. But then, one night, Dennis' Mom invited us over to their house for dinner. "We will be having Korean cuisine for dinner," said Tante Dewi. Dinner invitations have never been this good!

I do believe the appropriate term for this kind of dinner is "Luxurious Dinner"

Seasoned vegetables for those who love korean cuisine

Meet Ssam, leafs that are used to wrap rice and meat when indulging korean dishes

Pork was the main dish for dinner. Tante Dewi had prepared a portable gas stove, and a fancy frying pan, so that we can cook the meat on the table. Dennis, being as hard-working as ever, decided to take over the kitchen and prepare dinner. He took advantage of the spare time he had to fry some garlic, which later on followed by frying the sliced pork. It was amusing to listen to the funky sizzling sound that the meat made.

Dennis, in the midst of preparing the foodstuff for dinner, decided
to use the ILY hand-sign to take pictures with the sliced pork

Look who's cooking, people!

Would you like your meat cooked rare, medium, or well done?

When all of the foodstuff were cooked and prepared, we gathered in the dinning room and said our prayers. The word "Selamat makan", or "Bon appetit" literary translated, echoed around the house, followed by the endless clinks of spoons, forks, and plastic chopsticks. Continued by the sound of cold water being poured in each of our glasses. 

Dinner began smoothly. Everybody exchanged stories, starting from how both of our Dads survived their flight school graduation - which was hectic and unhygienic, because it requires all of the pupils to be dumped into a polluted river - until how the EEG tests that Dennis and I did during the day. Tante Dewi made this delicious bowl of boiled vegetables cooked with eggs, which made me regret my decision of not helping myself with a second serving. 

Dinner had never been that good. We were all full. Plus, Tante Dewi took out some grapes, ice creams, and one of Indonesia's traditional cuisine, which is the asinan. Asinan is a mixed of vegetables, poured with sweet and spicy sauce, topped with some crackers and nuts. I managed to try all of the food that decorated the elegant dinning table and I have to say that it felt nice.

A bowl of vegetables and eggs that Dennis' Mom made

Make sure to try everything provided on the table during dinner

This is how you eat dinner Korean style: use the wrapping leaf to
coat some rice, along with some meat and other vegetables