Mummynista!

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. (...

We went there the first time last week and I was back again today. Not sure if you realised but groceries are considerably pricey in Jakarta; as compared to the overall living standard.  I find that meat in Ranch Market and even Carrefour/Lottemart to be more expensive than Singapore. And less fresh. And thank goodness we found Indoguna through Ana's blog   and can attest that it was a great recommendation as the prices were almost half of Ranch Market and twice as fresh. It is not a big shop but you can find most of the cuts you want (beef), some lamb, salmon, mackerel and sometimes even lobster! So this is definitely the place to go to if you want some great and cheap meat in Jakarta! Apparently Indoguna supplies to all the major supermarkets here, hence the lower price; and I've checked out that they do also have a presence in Singapore. Entrance of the meat shop. Some of the purchases today. I've got 6x ribeyes, 2x tenderloins, 0.5kg ground beef, salmon...

The last that I checked, I am not a hermit, at least I don't look like one so...I kept myself surprisingly busy by trying to find myself some new friends in this new city. I think meeting like-minded people is one of the most important thing for someone new in town especially if you are a stay-home-mom or temporarily not working. As much as I love Alex, it is a one way conversation; at least at this point of time. And talking too much to Alex's nanny or the apartment's concierge is also not the best thing either. I realised I needed friends (of the same frequency)..if you know what I mean..so that I can sustain my sanity in this lovely yet crazy place. And I also know that I don't possess some super magnetic powers that I could just sit at home and people will come knocking on my front door, "Hi C, I am your new friend." So I decided to take a proactive approach to this and here's couple of channels that I've used or reached out to: 1. Fri...

I was meeting someone there and he suggested Djournal. I went there for the first time and I fell in love with it. So I brought G there after Church yesterday. I love the rustic blend of contemporary and vintage. Mint Mojito Coffee. Very interesting flavour and the blend of coffee is fragrant.  I just love, love, love all the little details they put into the decor. G had a chicken wrap. I had the Aglio Olio. G is an avid Starbucks fan and he agreed that this cafe is indeed very nice in many ways. Coffee is quite fabulous and I like the Lychee Tea (I'm not a coffee drinker). What I like about the place is that it is kind of hidden; not too busy and have a wide selection of drinks as well as some cafe food.  It is a great place to have some alone me-time and also a lovely hang out place with friends. It is a self service place so you don't get interrupted by rude waitresses or feel any pressure to not linger too long. Overall 9/1...

I suggested to G that we should go clubbing...however backed out as I was feeling too tired after a long day. We decided that we should still do something on a Saturday night and stop behaving like an old married couple- like surf some net, make out and then sleep. As we didn't do any prior research of where to go, we headed down to concierge and asked them for some recommendations which are nearby. Couple minutes later... we are at E & O (Easter & Oriental), just across the street and also one of the hippest places downtown. How did we missed it? Staying just a block away?! Beats me sometimes. Anyway, I decided to skip beer this week and try a cocktail. I asked the bartender to make me something according to my preference- like not too sweet or sour. Modern chic interiors.   Friendly bartender mixing the drink. Final shake. TAH-DAH! Think it is called Pink Lady. G had Erdinger on draft and we both went on for one more round of whisk...