Mummynista!

I had a huge Yakitori craving last week, and my friends suggested me to check out Kado at Intercontinental Hotel MidPlaza. Kado is apparently quite very famous for Yakitori in Jakarta and very popular with the Japanese travellers and expats. Hubby G and I had already tried couple of Yakitori places in Jakarta however we only found them pretty average; we certainly hoped Kado would be ' the Yakitori place' to go to. Tucked at a corner of the basement of Intercontinental Hotel Midplaza. Located at the basement of Intercontinental Hotel MidPlaza, Kado wasn't what I had expected of a restaurant in a hotel. It looks like a family-run Japanese eatery(though belonging a chain of restaurants), unassuming and easily missed- definitely not your usual high end intimidating hotel restaurants. This place is good for anyone who just want to come casually dressed and enjoy an easy evening with family and friends. The manager/chef is a very friendly Japanese lady and almost a...

My Indonesian girlfriend and I decided to check out this cafe- Tana Merah Coffee Shop for brunch last Saturday. Tana Merah Coffee Shop is located near Thamrin City amongst a row of shophouses. It is quite hard to find if you are going there for the first time. Just give the cafe a call (like we did) and they will give you or your driver precise directions to the cafe. This post will have lots of foodporn! Yay! For once, I made a conscious effort to take pictures of the food before digging into it. The reason I can't be a food blogger (despite I am such a foodie!) is that I can barely have the discipline to take pictures of all the delicious yummy dishes before I already poked one of my utensils in. Upon entering the cafe. Situated amonst a row of shophouses. I eyed the next table's order and the sandwiches looked great so I decided to order one for myself. My friend went for the french toast. The food presentation (for Jakarta standards) was pretty good and th...

Our friends were telling us to visit Potato Head Garage when they learnt that we were visiting Bali; the food bloggers are also raving about this place in their blogs...so we decided to check it out. Arriving ten minutes prior to Potato Head's opening hour at 11am, we were refused by the security as well as the restaurant staff to enter the restaurant. I was trying to explain that we have a toddler who was very flushed from the heat and that we would just like to take a seat in the restaurant till they can take our orders at 11am...which is like 10 minutes away... No, we can't take a seat at the restaurant while we wait and the staff wanted us (G, a pregnant woman and a young toddler) to stand under the scorching hot sun for 10 minutes until the magical clock strikes 11am. The chairs, which were in the shade were just couple steps away, and NO..WE HAVE TO STAND UNDER THE SUN WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE MAGICAL OPENING HOUR.   I thought it was pretty ridiculous. I asked fo...

Anyone who has been to Seminyak Bali would probably face the dilemma we have- too many choices, too little time. It's like entering a Disneyland of cafes, restaurants, boutiques and spas. On our last day of Bali, we decided to make very wise decisions about where to have our final meals. (Haha..sounds very sombre!) With great determination and a better functioning GPS this time (after our failed attempt to find this cafe the day before), we found this treasure cove of coffee- Revolver Espresso. Raved by many bloggers as the best coffee joint in Bali Seminyak! Situated in an alley at the busy streets of Seminyak, one would never know such a quaint and great cafe exist. The easiest way to identify the particular alley is to notice Bali Clinic which on the opposite street. Seminyak Square is also just a stone's throw away. Amazing ambience for a 'hole-in-the-wall' cafe. Opted for a iced Latte after such a long walk.  So yummy! Some blend of scrambled eggs...

We arrived at Bali with no itinerary planned this time, not knowing where to go nor where to eat. So I turned to my buddy, Google and got the answer within minutes. Raved by many bloggers as one of the must-go places in Bali, we decided to check out Naughty Nuri's Warung with expectations of a great grill and porky time! We took a taxi from our villa at Seminyak which took about ten minutes to Naughty Nuri's Warung. The smell of grill and charcoal greeted us the moment we got out of the taxi and we were greeted with friendly staff as we entered the restaurant. Although 'Warung' usually means street store in Indonesian, Naughty Nuri's Warung would be your most high end 'Warung' then. The restaurant was nicely done up with cheeky paintings and slogans and the ambience is laidback and welcoming (very great for groups!). We had our toddler with us too and the seatings were spaced out well enough to feel comfortable. Bustling but not cramped. Nicely ...

It was one of those days; when we didn't feel like dressing up for dinner however too lazy to cook at home so we decided to check Super Steak out. I have been wanting to try this highly raved (by local bloggers) Steak House for a while- mostly out of curiosity and also for the experience. You see, Super Steak is literally a Steak House... A house that serves steaks. The owner is selling grilled steaks right at his front porch of his home. The menu serves 3 types of beef and cuts- Angus(Imported) , Black Angus(Imported) and Local Beef; Sirloin, Ribeye and Tenderloin. Do not attempt to go there if you don't take beef as it is the only type of meat on the menu. G had the Black Angus Sirloin(200g) with butter garlic sauce. I decided to go for the Black Angus Ribeye(200g) with Cajun seasoning. Small yet bustling throughout the evening. I found the choices of seasonings or sauces most interesting as it is definitely not your mainstream type of sauces which you usu...

Korean food has became as famous as Japanese cuisine over the last decade. It is yummy yet easy enough to prepare. And here's a Korean supermarket in Jakarta for you to check out if you want to whip up some nice korean dishes at home or get some korean snacks. MGH (Mu Gung Hwa) appparently a supplier of korean groceries here in Jakarta, have their own stores around Jakarta. I went to the one at Jl. Senayan (it's not at Senayan though! Nearer to Senopati) which is the nearest to me. In the midst of couple of housing estates. You can find korean frozen food, as well as fresh ingredients that are used in Korean dishes. Stocked up on my korean ramen, pepper paste, etc. They also sell poultry and beef which looked relatively fresh, better than some Daily supermarkets. There's also a section where one could get fresh rice cakes and homemade kimchi/radish/etc. Be warned to check the prices before you head to the cashier; while most are reasonably priced,  some i...

Alright I've already shared the other day on where you can get cheap and good imported meat ( read post here if you have not).  Now I'll complete the meat loop and share where you can get great and fresh seafood in Jakarta without damage to your wallets! You'd have to check out Everfresh Seafood. Sounds cheesy? I know right..but who cares when you can finally stop buying old stale fish from the supermarkets in Jakarta or stop being ripped off at 'Bule' stores. You will probably need a good driver and sharp eyes to spot the place. Very inconspicuously hidden. An array of fish and other seafood. You can pick your seafood, how you want it cooked and they'll cook it on the spot! When you enter the place, you will notice that there's mostly locals, which is a very good sign that the price will not send you a panic attack.  Besides the seafood on display(as shown above), there's also aquariums keeping the live fish and prawns which you can...

Looking for great western food with a bit of an interesting twist? And also a less horrifying bill and a nice ambience?  Check out Koi Kemang or Koi Mahakam, and you won't regret. It's been a month since I arrived in Jakarta, and I would say Koi Kemang is one of the best restaurants in Jakarta and also my personal favourite. I like here way better than Union . Pretty art pieces filled up the textured walls. A great selection of wine. I like the classy yet laidback ambience of the restaurant; the couple times I went it was also full but not overly noisy so it's a great place to relax, have a good conversation over great food. My personal favourite is the Melted Brie on Beef Bacon and Potato Crisps Salad(below), the combination is simply amazing. It is great as a starter for sharing. I don't have the pictures here but the Escargot on Pastry starter is great as well, if you like snails like I do. You have to try this. Melted Brie on Beef Bacon and P...

We were craving for something soupy the other day; Indonesian food is mostly fried. We decided to check out the ramen store- Ikkousha. We went to the branch in Senayan City but they have couple of outletsIt is supposed to be a franchise from renowned ramen chain in Japan. I was feeling a bit skeptical of halal ramen-  you know great ramen broth is usually stewed from pork bones. The ambience is pretty nice and its attempt to make it look japanese is not bad. Miso Ramen Some spicy egg broth ramen, surprisingly tasty! Chicken Karage The outcome? I was surprised that it was pretty good! Of course it lacks the oomfph of the usual thick pork broth but they got the taste as well as the ramen right. I found the spicy egg broth really delicious and satiable to my soup craving; it's quite spicy though. The prices are also reasonable, costing about 80,000IDR (8USD) per bowl. Since we live only couple minutes away, we will definitely be coming back here quite regula...

Thanks to Jakarta100bars ,  I managed to find a Chinese Restaurant that serves authentic Chinese cuisine here in Jakarta. I was really excited as I always loved Szechuan food and was not too sure if we could find it here in Jakarta. Since our friend Deena, who is heading back to New York soon, also loves Szechuan; it was a perfect excuse to drag G for Chinese food. After half an hour ride, we finally approached an area that has couple of dark alleys with tiny restaurants appearing occasionally along the way. Just when we were afraid that we could have just missed the place, a Ancient-Chinese inspired looking building emerged at the corner (just across brightly lit O-Town Coffee). We found our Chinese haven.  It looks just like this. ( Credits: Openrice.com) When we arrived, the restaurant was a bit empty( with a large troop of servers) so we weren't sure if it was really as good as it was reviewed. However we decided to take the risk. Stir-fried Chinese Spinach. (...