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...

A tough dilemma isn't it? Giving birth in Jakarta or Singapore has its pros and cons. We know of many expats and affluent Indonesians moms would fly down to Singapore to have their delivery there. After all Singapore's healthcare is unarguably one of the best of the region and the entire country runs efficiently. The price difference between delivering in Singapore's hospitals and the prestigious hospitals here in Jakarta is not that huge either; and of course Singapore's hospitals are definitely way better maintained so it does seem like a very attractive idea to deliver in Singapore. There's couple of considerations when hubby G and I were debating to give birth in Jakarta or Singapore. 1. Medical Care. How comfortable and confident we feel about the local hospital facilities? 2. Logistics. If I were to give birth in Singapore, it means I have to be there a month before I am due and only be able to fly back a month after I deliver. Plus minus..I ...

Are you looking for a gynaecologist/obstetrician in Jakarta? Perhaps you may find this post useful for your research or contemplation on which gynae you should go to. The moment the pregnancy stick indicated that I was pregnant, hubby G and I were eager to find a Gynaecologist/Obstetrician in Jakarta to confirm the results. The first place we thought of finding a gynae for me was Jakarta Women and Child Clinic as we have been taking our toddler to the paediatrician there and we were quite happy with there (Read about our experience with JWCC's paediatrician  here -  Part 1: Finding a Pediatrician in Jakarta ). *Warning*  This is going to be a lengthy post so please bear with me. I found there's a lack of information on gynaecology care and childbirth in Jakarta so I thought a post on our experience would probably help other moms like myself. **All written below are also based on my own experience and personal thoughts, and it could be subjective to different individ...

I am sure those who frequent Kemang will not fail to see the big white building with a huge signage- Miracle Aesthetic Clinic. For those who follow my blog, you will know that I am always on a lookout for a nice spa or beauty/facial places. Just as I was about to check out the clinic, Miracle Aesthetic Clinic dropped me a note to try out their treatments; great timing isn't it? :) Many of us will probably be very skeptical about trying aesthetic treatments in Jakarta or anywhere in Indonesia, after all Jakarta is not famous like Bangkok for beauty treatments. So on the Saturday before I left Jakarta for our holiday, I dragged Hubby G with me to check out Miracle Aesthetic Clinic. They offered a consultation before trying any treatments including facial. I met one of the aesthetic doctors and she took me through the list of available treatments the clinic offers- Botox, Fillers, IPL, Facial, etc. As usual, the cynical me checked with the doctor if the products are legitimate and...

I totally forgot about this. I did this interview with Expat Arrivals (www.expatarrivals.com) when I first moved to Jakarta (like 7 months ago from the date of this post) . Hopefully this may help to shed some light to those who are considering to relocate/move to Jakarta or those who has just arrived. And well of course some thoughts and feelings have changed after being here for a while, I'll write a part 2 really soon.. Taken from: http://www.expatarrivals.com/indonesia/expat-experiences-in-indonesia About Cassandra   Q: Where are you originally from?  A: Singapore, and my husband is from Canada.   Q: Where are you living now?  A:  Jakarta, Indonesia   Q: When did you move to Indonesia?  A: September 2013.   Q: Did you move alone or with a spouse/family?  A:  We moved here as a family; with my husband and one year old toddler.   Q: Why did you move to Indonesia; what do you do?  A: ...

The joys of pregnancy does not just stop at morning sickness. 2nd trimester arrives and say hello to Mr Backache! Oh you didn't experience either morning sickness nor backaches? Go away! You shouldn't even be reading this post..Just kidding! On a more serious note, most pregnant women like myself will start to feel aches around the body once 2nd trimester hits. The increased weight from the belly adds more pressure to our backs as well as legs, hence the aches begin. And for me, the need to gag into the toilet bowl at least twice a day causes my neck and shoulders to ache too. Yes I know, I feel like I've aged fifty years being pregnant. However as much as we need the comforts of a massage, one can't just step into any massage place now. Firstly we can't lie face down anymore...duh! Hence we need massages that are tailored for us while we lie sideways which means options are kind of limited. I decided to check with my good friend once again, Mr Google and ta...

Are you like me who's attracted to things that have a history or looked like they have a history? Or maybe you are looking for some more interesting artefacts to add to your home decor? Well my buddy J and I definitely were and we decided to check out the famous antique street/market in Jakarta- Jalan Surabaya. This made me miss those times when I used to type essays with a typewriter. One has to have patience to go through the piles of collectibles.  Was tempted to get the gramophone for G. Just love these vintage binoculars/telescopes. J got one of these for her son. There's a couple of things to note over there:  1. You need to haggle. A lot. Most of the shopkeepers start with higher prices; although some must just be out of their mind or don't want your business, they quote you ridiculous figures. They quote us a vintage fan at 20 million rupiah..yes  20,000,000idr  (~2,000usd). We laughed and walked away. This is clearly a lost...