Wednesday 27 April 2016

Dessert First

Craving for a Snow Ice or Shaved Ice around Bugis area? You may try Dessert First.

Dessert First offers few types of Snow Ice and Shaved Ice. We tried Strawberry Snow Ice with Mango Cubes, Durian Shaved Ice and Mango Shaved Ice.

The main highlight in this shop is Durian Shaved Ice. They claimed that they use fresh durian as a topping. After eating it, we all agree that they really are using a fresh durian to make an ice cream. The taste is beyond our expectation. It's because you can feel the durian texture in the durian ice cream. Amazing, right?

For durian lover, this Durian Shaved Ice is a must to order. No wonder Durian Shaved Ice is their recommendation.

Other that Durian Shaved Ice, Mango Shaved Ice is also classified as one of their recommendation menu. The taste is nice and the mango is fresh.

Even though Strawberry Snow Ice with Mango Cubes is not classified as a recommendation menu, I still dare to try that. Because based on my experiences, I figure out that about 60% of the recommendation dishes at many restaurants are not reflected on the taste.  It tastes sweet and nice.

Please take note that this shop is very crowded especially at night. So you may expect a longer waiting time.

Will I go there again? Yes.
 

Strawberry Snow Ice with Mango Cubes S$6.00

Durian Shaved Ice S$7.00

Mango Shaved Ice S$6.00

Dessert First
 
Details
Name: Dessert First
Address: 8 Liang Seah Street #01-04 Singapore
Nearest MRT: Bugis MRT
 
Opening Hours
- Monday - Thurday: 04:00PM - 01:00AM
- Friday: 04:00PM - 02:00AM
- Saturday: 01:00PM - 02:00AM
- Sunday: 01:00PM - 01:00AM
- Public Holiday Eves open till 02:00AM
- Public Holidays open from 01:00PM

Thursday 21 April 2016

Haagen-Dazs

It would be very nice if you pamper yourself with an ice cream in this hot weather. Sounds good, right?

If you agree, let's go buy an ice cream. Do you want to go to Haagen-Dazs shop?

I tried The Eiffel Tower at Haagen-Dazs shop. The Eiffel Tower consists of Belgian chocolate, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. This ice cream is decorated with Dark Chocolate Eiffel Tower. I salute that they come up with this brilliant idea to create this Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the new menu that they have.

Overall, the taste is nice, but you must eat the ice cream faster as it will be melting very fast. I understand that sometimes it's very annoying if the ice cream melt too fast. So if you don't mind, maybe you can consider to try?

Will I go there again? Yes and I will try other flavors.


The Eiffel Tower IDR72.000
 
Details
Name: Haagen-Dazs
Address: La Piazza, Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard Blok M No.Lt. G, Kelapa Gading Jakarta Indonesia

Monday 18 April 2016

Nyonya & Baba

From the first time I have been staying in Singapore (around end of 2008) until now, I tried many types of cuisines (Western food, Italian food, Korean food, Japanese food, Indonesian food, Singapore food, etc). But I almost never tried Singapore Peranakan food.

If I am not wrong, I only had tried to eat Singapore Peranakan food at 2 different restaurant and this is my first Singapore Peranakan food article on this blog.

I feel a bit sorry as I should try local dishes more than other country's food in Singapore. I will do more hunting on Singapore Peranakan food from now on (hope it's not an empty promise from me :p).

In this article, I will review about Nyonya & Baba restaurant. This restaurant is located at Vivo City Mall.

We try Buah Keluak Fried Rice, Nyonya Mee and Chendol.

Buah Keluak Fried Rice is a fried rice mixed with Buah Keluak and they put a lot of crispy anchovies on the top of fried rice. Buah Keluak make this fried rice become a black colour.

For the taste wise, you may expect slight bitter taste that comes from Buah Keluak. Even though a bit bitter, Buah Keluak Fried Rice is delicious and crispy anchovies make the taste perfect.

FYI, Keluak a.k.a Pangium Edule is a tree that grows on the mangrove swamps of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea). This tree produces a large poisonous fruit (also called the football fruit). Event though it's a poisonous fruit, this fruit become edible by fermentation.


Buah Keluak Fried Rice S$13.00

Nyonya Mee is a noodles filled with streaky pork, shrimps and garnished with Chinese parsley and spring onions. It is served with pineapple, cucumber sauce and pounded chilli.

This Nyonya Mee is not bad and best to eat while it's hot. Pineapple, cucumber sauce and pounded chilli is also nice.
 

Nyonya Mee S$12.00
 
Pineapple, cucumber sauce and pounded chilli
 
Please be noted that both dishes portion are quite big. It can be eaten for two people. They also serve us the Crackers and Achar.
 
Crackers and Achar 
 
From my experience after trying both main dishes at the same time, I suggest you will not make the same mistake as me :) Eating both fried rice and noodle at the same time are really not the best combination unless you have a big appetite. We were very full after finishing both dishes.

I also like the Chendol. It has sweet taste and refreshing.
 
Chendol S$5.50

Will I go there again? Yes.
 
Nyonya & Baba Restaurant
 
Details
Name: Nyonya & Baba
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-54/56 Vivo City Mall
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront MRT
 
Opening Hours
Daily: 11:00AM - 11:00PM

Friday 15 April 2016

Bunga Rampai

Wondering which restaurant you should try when you visit Jakarta for holiday? You may consider to visit Bunga Rampai restaurant.

Bunga Rampai is a famous restaurant because of three factors: delicious food, the restaurant interior design and history of this building.

The restaurant interior is elegant and grand. So sorry I cannot show you how elegant the interior.  I couldn't take a picture of it because I was afraid that I would disturb other customers.


FYI, Bunga Rampai restaurant building previously was a Dutch colonial house. Cool right? I knew this place while searching google for the restaurant recommendation around Menteng.

For the main dishes, we order Kembang Pacar, Ayam Gandaria, Pempek Sutra Palembang and Sambal Mangga.


For the dessert, we order Banana Panakoeken, Sagu Rangi Keju and for the drink, we try Lemon Juice and Di Tiro Punch.

Kembang Pacar is a deep fried prawn wrapped with spring roll skin. The chef hangs those prawn on the pineapple solely for a decoration purpose :)

The prawn is fresh and crispy at the same time. It's a nice dish to start with.

Kembang Pacar IDR95.000

Ayam Gandaria is a grilled marinated chicken topped with Marian plump relish and is served with caramelized shallot on top and nasnaran mandarin. Ayam Gandaria is also delicious. Chicken is tender and sauce is amazingly tasty. You will not regret ordering this dish.

Ayam Gandaria IDR109.000

Pempek Sutra Palembang is a deep fried minced Spanish mackerel mixed with sago. Pempek Sutra Palembang is served with cucumber, dried shrimp floss, palm sugar and vinegar sauce. This Pempek is tasty and chewy.
 

Pempek Sutra Palembang IDR62.000

If you like spicy, you may try Sambal Mangga. Sambal Mangga is a chili mango and shrimp paste relish. Even though this is not free, but it's worth to try.

Sambal Mangga IDR17.500

Banana Panakoeken is a banana pancake with rum caramel. It is my favourite dessert in here. It's nice and not so sweet. For banana lover, this is a must order dish.
 

Banana Panakoeken IDR42.000

Sagu Rangi Keju taste is not so special for me. It's not crispy and a bit hard to chew.
 

Sagu Rangi Keju IDR40.000

If you order Lemon Juice, please take a note that the taste is sour so you must mixed it with all the honey in the bottle that comes with this drink. This drink have a refreshing taste.
 

Lemon Juice IDR54.500

Di Tiro Punch consists of Kiwi, Pineapple, Lychee and Melon. It's a recommended drink for you.

Di Tiro Punch IDR57.800
 
Even though the price is a bit expensive, I think it's ok to try once in a while :)

Will I go there again? Yes. 

 
 Bunga Rampai restaurant

Details
Name: Bunga Rampai
Address: Jalan Teuku Cik Ditiro No. 35, Menteng, Jakarta Indonesia

Thursday 14 April 2016

Monster Curry

Calling out for a curry fans in Singapore. Have you ever try Monster Curry before?

If haven't, perhaps this article will make you crave to try curry at Monster Curry restaurant.

There are two things that make Monster Curry quite special compare with other normal curry restaurant. First is the portion that is very big like a monster size portion (plate size of 34cm in diameter). Second is that they offer 5 different types of spicy level: 0 Flame (without chilli), 1 Flame (Normal Hot), 2 Flame (Extra Hot), 3 Flame (Very Hot), 4 Flame (Super Hot), and 5 Flame (Monster Hot).

I try Cheese Chicken Katsu Curry with 1 Flame. As I cannot stand spicy food too much, I feel that 1 Level is spicy enough.  If you realized in the curry picture has heart shape in the middle of the curry, that's a chili.

The Chicken is crunchy and tender. The curry taste is very delicious. It's so tasty that I can eat the rice with curry alone :)

The portion is very big so it can be share for 2 people.

Cheese Chicken Katsu Curry S$14.00

For the drink, I try Japanese Yoghurt drink ($2.80). This yoghurt drink is very nice and have a sweet taste. It will reduce the spiciness that you feel inside your mouth.

Overall I am happy eating curry at this place.

Want to challenge yourself? You should try their 5 Flame. Maybe you can have a fire breath like a dragon :p

Please take note that this restaurant is very crowded, so you may foresee a long queue. You may see below picture to see how long the queue.

Will I go there again? Yes.

 
Details
Name: Monster Curry
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk Vivo City #02-126
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront MRT
 
Opening Hours
Daily: 11:00AM - 09:30PM

Tuesday 12 April 2016

Cafe Strawberry

Today I want to share with you one of the unique restaurant located at Jakarta named Café Strawberry.

This café is unique because the themed of this café is Strawberry. They also have many board games for you to play with your friends while you are waiting for the dishes.

I believed once you read this café's name "Café Strawberry", you will guess that all of the dishes that they serve are made from Strawberry. It's a good news for Strawberry lover but for people who don't like Strawberry? Maybe they will skip this restaurant. But before deciding not to visit, you better read my review first :)

Fact that I find after visiting this place:
Some of the dishes that they serve do not contain Strawberry at all. I guess that 50% of the dishes contain Strawberry and other 50% do not contain Strawberry.


We try Nasi Goreng Gila, Initial Strawberry and Brownies Nutella.

Nasi Goreng Gila (Crazy Fried Rice) is one of the dishes that does not contain Strawberry at all. This dish looks like plant planted in a small pot. Nasi Goreng Gila becomes the soil of this plant. FYI, you need to take out the leaves first before you eat because it's raw.

Nasi Goreng Gila taste is delicious. It's best to eat while it's still hot.

Nasi Goreng Gila IDR34.999
 
 
If you are looking for a cute beverage that will melt your girlfriend's heart, you can try to order Initial Strawberry. They put a live fish in the bottom of the glass and sparklers in the top of Initial Strawberry. Please make sure your cell phone is ready to take a picture before they serve it because the sparklers will be gone very fast.

Initial Strawberry is very nice and very refreshing.

Initial Strawberry IDR29.999

Brownies Nutella is one of their new dishes. It's a good dish for a sweet tooth lover. It's yummy and the dish presentation is cool because it has smoke (from dry ice) that comes out from the bottom of this dish.

Brownise Nutella
 
Will I go there again? Maybe yes if I am around this area, because it's quite far from my place.

Details
Name: Café Strawberry
Address: Jl. Tanjung Duren No.10, RT.1/RW.6, Tanjung Duren Utara, Grogol petamburan, Kota Jakarta Barat - Indonesia

Sunday 10 April 2016

Stew Kuche

Wishing to eat Pork Knuckle without stressing your wallet? You may try to visit Stew Kuche.

Located at Salute Coffee Shop (Bukit Merah), Stew Kuche is serving delicious Pork Knuckle that can compete with famous expensive restaurant.

Other than Pork Knuckle, Stew Kuche is also served a wide range of Western dishes.  But, since the most popular is Pork Knuckle, I advice you to try that Pork Knuckle.

We try Swiss Farmer Dinner - Special Combo.

Swiss Farmer Dinner - Special Combo consists of whole Knuckle, two sliced of German sausages with sautéed vegetables, achar, mashed potato, hash brown and brown sauce.

The Pork Knuckle is very big. The pork skin is very crispy. The pork is thick and tender enough. Brown sauce makes pork knuckle tastier. German sausages are also delicious.

We are glad to eat Pork Knuckle at Stew Kuche. Although there is no air conditioner and is not located at a high class restaurant, we don't mind at all. In our dictionary, the most important thing is delicious food with a good, fresh ingredient and of course affordable price :)

With S$35, this dish can be shared for 3 - 4 people. It's really affordable, right? So, what are you waiting for? Let's go to eat Pork Knuckle at Stew Kuche.

Will I go there again? Yes.

Swiss Farmer Dinner - Special Combo S$35.00


Details
Name: Stew Kuche
Address: BLK. 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-40 (Salute Coffee Shop)
Nearest MRT: Redhill MRT

Opening Hours
Tuesday - Friday: 11:00AM - 03:00PM (lunch), 05:00PM - 10:00PM (dinner)
Saturday - Sunday: 11:00AM - 10:00PM
Closed on Monday

Sunday 3 April 2016

Voila Grill House

Looking for a nice place to have lunch and dinner around Rawamangun (Jakarta) area? You may try to visit Voila Grill House.

Voila Grill House is considered as a new restaurant in Rawamangun area. Even though it's quite new, I can assure you that the dishes that they serve can compete with famous restaurants.


Not believe me? You can try and judge yourself :)

We ordered Squid Ink Pasta with Prawn, Spaghetti Carbonara, Fusion Pesto with Crispy Chicken, Signature Fried Rice, Ribeye Steak and Sirloin Steak. For the drink, we tried Voila Ice Tea and Sunrise Sunshine.


Squid Ink Pasta with Prawn is delicious and I am quite surprised that it doesn't have fishy taste. I tried Squid Ink Pasta at other restaurant and became a nightmare for me because I could feel fishy taste.

Squid Ink Pasta with Prawn IDR49.000

Spaghetti Carbonara is my favourites because I love creamy pasta. It's so tasty.

Spaghetti Carbonara IDR49.000

Fushion Pesto with Crispy Chicken is also not bad.

Fusion Pesto with Crispy Chicken IDR49.000
 
They claimed that they make their own pasta.

If you are a steak lover, you can choose either Sirloin, Ribeye, T-bone, Tenderloin or Flank Steak. We tried Ribeye and Sirloin Steak.

Steak comes with two side dishes and one selection of sauce. We chose Onion Ring and French Fries with mushroom sauce for Ribeye Steak, Butter Rice and French Fries with the same mushroom sauce for Sirloin Steak.

Both steaks are delicious and the meat is very tender.


Rib Eye Steak 200g IDR80.000

Sirloin Steak 200g IDR80.000
 
If you prefer an Asian cuisine, you can try Signature Fried Rice. The fried rice is delicious and not oily.

Signature Fried Rice IDR42.000

Voila Ice Tea is their signature beverage. You should order this. It's very refreshing and quite addictive.

Voila Ice Tea IDR28.000

Sunrise Sunshine is also not bad.

Sunrise Sunshine IDR35.000
 
Overall. we were satisfied having lunch at Voila Grill House. The foods are delicious and the prices are affordable. It's a good place to hang out.

Will I go there again? Yes.

Details
Name: Voila Grill House
Address: Jl. Sunan Drajat No.19, Rawamangun, Jakarta
 
Operating Hours
Daily: 10:00AM - 10:00PM