-Kihana- restaurant @Plaza Indonesia

I went to Kihana at Plaza Indonesia for my lunch yesterday. I love this restaurant's salmon dish. So, when I got there I already know what to order. I ordered "salmon mentaiyaki" and "miso soup". The food came out like 10 minutes after I ordered it.

The salmon tasted great! The skin is crispy, the sauce is perfect in taste, the salmon cooked to perfection, there's no fishy smell from the dish at all. I love it! And, people said salmon is good for your diet, too =P.

The miso soup has lots of seaweed in it, they also add some daikon (Japanese radish) in it, and of course tofu. The taste is not special but I was satisfied =)

The owner of -Kihana- is actually the same as the owner of -Kiyadon- restaurant. -Kihana- is the more expensive version of -Kiyadon-, so to speak. Most of the menu are the same. But, in -Kiyadon-, they don't have this "salmon mentaiyaki", they only have the teriyaki one. I don't know if I can order it out of the menu, I might try later on.

-Pesto Autentico- @UOB plaza (ANZ square) UG floor, Jakarta

Yesterday I went with my girls to try out this recently opened restaurant named -Pesto Autentico-. I read the review before I came, and they all say nice things about this restaurant.

First, I ordered a mocktail drink that contains strawberry, orange, strawberry juice and yogurt. I don't think of anything special of this drink, actually. The strawberry is there, the orange is there, it's good but nothing special. I might wanna try the sangria next time. =)

After looking at the menu for a long long time (they have a lot of varieties of appetizer, pizza, pasta, main course, and dessert, so I got a lil overwhelmed to decide which one I want hahaha), I decide to order the recommended fettuccine. It has squid and prawn (one big prawn and lots of small prawns) and it's using cream sauce. I asked them to cook it al-dente, just the way I like it hehe and it came out perfect.

The food came out really fast! The size is big enough to make me say "I'm really really full". The cream is not too overwhelming so you didn't get that bloated feeling after eating it. The squid and squid are nicely cooked so the texture is real good. The texture of the pasta is just the way I ordered it (al-dente), so it's still a little bit hard but not hard to chew. One thing I noticed is the saltiness, I think it's a little bit too salty, but since I like salty, I didn't complain much hahaha.

I didn't order any dessert since like I said, I kinda scream "I'm really really full" after the meal hehe. So, I might come back later to try something more light so I can try the desserts and that sangria drink =).

"Pastel"

Yesterday my father bought a box of "pastel" from a guy that we usually bought "bacang" from. Remember, I talked about a guy that sells good "bacang" on this post http://yummieonmytummie.blogspot.com/2010/08/cake-n-food-from-market-petak-sembilan.html . Well, this is another food that he sells.

The filling contains beef, potato, egg, carrot and rice vermicelli. The seasonings is just right, not too salty and has a bit of sweetness in it. The crispiness!!! The skin is not too thin so it doesn't crumble when you bite, but it's really crispy.  

-Carls Jr.- @Grand Indonesia mall

I went to GI on my way to Medistra hospital today. Because the time is short, so I figured take away burger should be quick. I never tried -Carls Jr.- that opened @Grand Indonesia mall a month ago, so I want to try it.

When I look at it the first time, it's huge! Well, for me at least, it's just too big haha. And, I still have french fries that goes with the package. I bought the "Swiss cheese and mushroom burger". It taste delicious! Not too salty, the meat is moist, the mushroom is savory and has a bit of crunchy texture on it, the cheese melting in your mouth. It's really good!

French fries is also not bad, I would like a bit more crunch into it, but for the thick cut size, the crunchiness it has is already good enough. I still think McDonald's french fries better though.

"Mandarijn" cake from Solo

This "Mandarijn" cake is famous cake from -Orion- cakeshop located at Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. I never been to Solo, but I already ate this cake since I was little. I usually bought this cake at Puncak area, but now-a-days, stores around Jakarta sell them.

They have 3 type of cake, one is the regular one (the one in the picture), it's the cheapest of 3; second is the special one, a little more expensive than regular one, they said that the special one got more butter used on it, but I tried it and I don't feel the different at all hahaha; last one is the raisin one, so they contain raisin in it obviously =P.

In the middle of the yellow and chocolate cake is jam filling. This cake is soft in texture and the sweetness is great in my opinion. I love the chocolate better than the yellow one though haha, which one you prefer? The yellow one, chocolate one, or you prefer to bite them together so you get the mix taste?? =)

-Hock Seng- noodle @Jl. Orpa, Jakarta

I ate noodle for my lunch today. The restaurant called -Hock Seng- located at Jl. Orpa, in the area of B-29 soap factory. I never tried this noodle before but my parent's friend said that it's really good.

When I first look at the noodle, the first thing come to mind is "wow, got a lot of things in this noodle dish". Yep, you got, pork chunks, shrimp, crab meat, fish ball, oyster, kidney, and egg. They used thick noodle so I like the chewy texture on it. This is gonna be one of my favorite noodle restaurant from now on =D

-Kwang Tung- restaurant @Pecenongan, Jakarta

Tonight, I was going to eat @Ekaria restaurant but there's some kind of company dinner going on over there so it's packed and I'll have to save that restaurant for later I guess =). So, we decided to go to another restaurant at Pecenongan area called Kwang Tung. I went to this restaurant once when I was sick because this restaurant mainly served congee but at that time I felt it was OK, probably since I was sick, my tastebud doesn't really accurate hahaha.

So, I went there and order a bowl of congee (for 3-4 people) and some dishes that goes with it.

Of course, the fried dough that we usually called "cakwe" or "yu tiao". There's 2 kind of "cakwe", there's the sweet one usually made into squares, and then the salty one made into long ones. This one is the salty already cut to pieces. The crispiness is enough and the saltiness also good, so I like this "cakwe"!

Then, the "century egg" or "thousand years egg" or I usually called it "Pi Dan" (it's not Indonesian but Mandarin language). It's seasoned with sesame oil so it doesn't stink, there's nothing special from this restaurant's "pi dan", it's texture is jelly-ish the middle is kinda firm like any other "pi dan". I just like eating congee with this egg =)

Then we ordered "fried egg with oysters". The taste is kind of sweet unlike other restaurant that usually cook it salty. They are not stingy on the oysters but the taste is so-so. I still think the one from -Tio Ciu- restaurant @Mangga Besar is best for this dish.

Last dish, we got the "scallop taosi". The taste is salty from the taosi (sauce made from soy bean), spicy from the red chili and fragrance from the scallions. The scallop is soft and cook real nice. This dish got a full recommendation from me! I absolutely love this dish. =D

"bubur ketan hitam" @Muara Karang, Jakarta

"Ketan hitam" translate to "black glutinous rice" and "bubur" translate to "congee or porridge" so "bubur ketan hitam" is basically a porridge out of black glutinous rice. This porridge is usually eaten as a dessert because it taste sweet.

The black glutinous rice is cook in low heat with pandan leaf in the water to give fragrance into the dessert. And, when it's thicken and soft, add the palm sugar. Then, we eat it with coconut milk.

"Putu Ayu"

The two you see only greens are "putu ayu" that's turned upside-down, so that green only would be the bottom of the "putu ayu". Some called this cake "putri ayu".

This cake is made out of flour, eggs, sugar, coconut milk, pandan leaf extract or pandan paste, and shredded coconut. The texture is soft just like sponge cake. I love this cake because it smells nice with a hint of pandan leaf and the coconut milk gives it a savory flavor into it. The top of "putu ayu/putri ayu", the white one, are actually shredded coconut, giving it a bit of salty flavor and crunch into it.

"hot pot" @Hawaii restaurant, Sunter, Jakarta

First, they put the little stove for a hot pot pan in the table. And, they turn on the stove and wait for the stock to boil.

Then, they bring out the food in small plates like this one, we ordered fish wonton, beef, vegetables, mushroom, fish ball, fish maw, shrimp and fish. They put them all into the boiling stock.

They already precooked everything before except for the vegetables, beef and fish. So, we can eat them right away.

The beef and fish wonton is my favorite out of all the things here. The beef already seasoned with soy sauce and garlic before so it's not bland and the fish wonton is so chewy nice.

We also ordered this "pakis cah terasi". Remember, I already put this food on the blog. Before it's from -Family Ria- restaurant. On that blog, I mentioned I only found 2 restaurants so far serving this "pakis" vegetable. So, here is the second restaurant I mentioned before. The -Family Ria- texture is better but -Hawaii- taste better because they are really bold on seasoning I think. So, if you want it to be healthier or has high blood pressure where you can't eat salty food, I suppose -Family Ria- is better for you =)

"Rawon" @Pandan Village, Plaza Indonesia Mall, Jakarta

I went to Plaza Indonesia mall today for my lunch. I decided to give -Pandan Village- restaurant a try. It's located next to Domicile hair salon and across Erha 21 skin centre. I thought the food gonna be like Malaysian food, but it turned out to be Indonesian food. I was kind of disappointed because I was planning to eat some Malay food haha...

I ordered "rawon" and I was surprised. This is good! The taste of the soup is really superb. The meat though, could have been better. It's kind of chewy but it's still OK. When it first came out, they gave a side of chili and short-stalk bean sprouts. So, I put all the bean sprouts in and put half of the chili to test the spiciness. And, it turned out great!

Gonna be back for other food they offer. Especially the desserts, the pictures are really appetizing for me haha but since I was going to a fitness centre after lunch, so I thought I'll leave the dessert some other time.

"Tahu Pong" & "Udang Gimbal" with "Sambel Petis"

Today, I ate homemade "tahu pong" and "udang gimbal".

"Tahu pong" is a tofu (tahu=tofu) that empty on the inside when it's deep fried. Unlike the usual tofu, when you bite it, the middle of it has nothing, it's like only tofu skin are there. It's best eaten when it's still hot.

"Udang gimbal" is like a pancake with shrimps on it. Of course the pancake should be crispy and shrimps used are supposed to be bigger than the one here.

We eat them with a sauce called "sambel petis". "Petis" itself is a product out of shrimp stock that's been caramelized. Then, we add green chili pepper, garlic, and other seasonings to make it into "sambel petis"

Dip the "tahu pong" or "udang gimbal" with a lot of "sambel petis" and the taste is heavenly =)

-Gandy- Steak & Bakery @Hayam Wuruk, Jakarta

In my opinion, -Gandy- steakhouse @Hayam Wuruk is the best steak restaurant in Jakarta.

I went there today for lunch and ordered "AUS tenderloin steak with extra mushrooms". You got free complimentary of bread for a starter and then a side of french fries and vegetables (broccoli, corn and carrot) when the steak comes out.

The bread came out still hot for me, so it's really soft and puffy with just a little bit of sweetness of the bread itself. Yummmm! The steak is so tender and juicy, the taste is salty and peppery spiced. The portion is fulfilling, too, especially with the extra mushrooms =). Double Yummie!

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"Kerang Darah" @Pancoran, Jakarta

You may call it cockle or clam or anadara granosa but in Indo we call it "kerang darah" which translate to "blood clam" because the clam produces hemoglobin. People said that's why it's a good way to cure your anemia.

This stall located @Pancoran (Kota area) sell other food like "rujak shanghai", "rujak juhi", "kepiting/crab", etc but the one I love the most is this "kerang darah". It's boiled and slightly salted. You dipped it into the sauce which taste kind of sour and spicy. So you got sour, spicy and salty in the same time. Yummie! My father love the "rujak shanghai" sold here, so if you like it too, you should try it here.

If you like "kerang darah" but prefer it deep fried instead of boiled, try the seafood restaurant -Makassar- @Tanjung Duren, Jakarta. It's really nice =)

"Dragon Fruit"

I ate this dragon fruit today for my mid-day snack.

The texture is soft but the black seeds gives you little crunch. And, since I put it in refrigerator before I ate it, it's really nice and cool =). It's watery, too. So it's really good for your digestion.

I usually just cut it in half and use spoon to eat it. But, sometime my parents cut them into cubes.

strawberry shortcake @Bonjour, Grand Indo mall, Jakarta

This is the cake that we bought for my friend's birthday last night. This -Bonjour- cakeshop located in Ranch Market area of Grand Indonesia mall.

This "strawberry shortcake" is too sweet for me. The cake is really soft though, so I like it. The cream is not like a regular cream, too. It's kind of sweet and smells nice. And, the strawberries... Gotta love them strawberries hehe, it's kind of sour but has lots of water in it. So, if you eat the strawberries with the cake at the same time, you got a great combination.

-Mr. Curry- @Grand Indo mall, Jakarta

I went to -Mr. Curry- at Grand Indonesia mall, Jakarta for dinner last night. It's my friend's birthday party. =)

I ordered "salmon cheese curry rice" and "mango lassi". The salmon and cheese are covered with bread flour and deep fried to the crisp then put beside the Japanese white rice that's cooked to the perfectness and then of course the curry sauce (I ordered original sauce very spicy). Yummie on my tummie it is =p

And then the "mango lassi"!! It's a mango smoothie added with yogurt. Well, it's not the best I tried so far, but I don't think I know any other place that serve "mango lassi" in Jakarta. The yogurt is just not sour enough for me. So, it's OK to satisfy my craving from time to time, since the other one I tasted before is in Beijing, China haha kinda far just for a craving :p

Traditional Indo dessert "bubur sum-sum" @Social House, Grand Indonesia mall, Jakarta

I went to SoHo yesterday with my friends and ordered one of the traditional Indonesian dessert that just available since the fasting month started. I was expecting a really good dessert since SoHo is one of my fav place to hang out either for lunch/dinner, having high tea, or just drinking.

When it came out, I was so happy that I found that SoHo kinda twist the dessert with adding "pisang ijo" (translate to "green banana", it's another Indonesian dessert, it's a banana wrapped in green skin made of glutinous flour) that they made into balls and I think "red beans" balls. The white paste is the so called "bubur sum-sum". And, they pour palm sugar liquid on top of them.

But, I was very disappointed when I took my first bite. First, I taste the white paste, it was really bland!! even though I already mix it with the sugar, it's just bland! Then, I tried the "pisang ijo", the banana is not that sweet, and the skin is not that good. And, I'm not really sure what the other balls are, I think they are "red beans" but I'm not sure at all since the taste is really weird hahaha. And, I think, it tasted kinda like soap.

After a couple bites, I just stopped and doesn't even bother to eat it anymore. So, no more "bubur sum-sum" from SoHo for sure!!!

Daidomon @Kyoei Prince, Sudirman, Jakarta

We went for -Daidomon- for dinner tonight. Using HSBC, got 50% discount on food, no minimum/maximum!! (only until the end of August 2010, so better be quick) I usually went to this restaurant every year for my birthday, but dunno when I stopped going there. It used to be near Bunderan HI, Thamrin. But they moved to Wisma Kyoei Prince, Sudirman.

We ordered 1 beef premium set, 1 seafood premium set, 1 ebi tempura and 1 rib eye portion. The service is OK but kind of slow. But, the food came out the same as I remembered it.

The sets came with steamed rice, salad, soup and the meats on big plate. The tempura finished so quickly that I forgot to take a picture of it, sorryyyy =p. The tempura is so gooddddd, it's just too bad the sauce is so-so. The sauce for the yakiniku is superb though, especially when I add some sliced green peppers on it! Bottom line is "I'm really satisfied"!!!

Sweet Martabak @Muara Karang, Jakarta

My family bought this "sweet martabak" yesterday night for today's breakfast. The stall located @Muara Karang across Eaton restaurant more or less. The stall named -Sinar Bulan- which translate to Moon Light.

We ordered it plain (usually people order it with toppings like cheese, chocolate and/or peanuts on it) because we want to spread some "durian" on it. It was my mom's idea to buy some durian fruit and put it on the plain martabak hehehe. Of course, there are some "martabak" stall that sells "durian flavor martabak" but this one stall don't have it. My family love their martabak though, the texture is really soft and even without anything on it, it's already so delicious!!!

Then, we also bought this "tipker". It's actually a short name for "tipis kering" which translate to thin and dry. Because it's actually a sweet martabak just like the one up there, but then they cut the rising dough and leave only the bottom part and bake it til crispy! The topping is sugar, peanuts, chocolate and sesame seeds. Yummy!

My mom went to -Petak Sembilan- market again early this morning. She bought "nasi kuning" which translates to "yellow rice" with all the side dishes.

In these pictures you can see the "yellow rice" with sliced fried eggs, "perkedel" or "potato cake", "spicy potatoes and green beans", "sunny side up fried egg" and hidden under those eggs there's "beef rendang", and also the chili and fried shrimp.

I put little portion from all of these side dishes, and of course I came up with a pretty big size of lunch hehehe but I'm loving every bite of it. If you like spicy, you have to use lots of this chili, it's really goodddddd.

Other than those things I stated above, there are more to choose at the stall. For example, "beef empal", "tempeh", all kind of fried foods, etc. You just gotta be there to choose what appeals the best for you! =)