Hi, just want to say that this blog has moved to http://thylifeisapeach.blogspot.com
It will focus more on food :)
Cheers!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Unadon at NOBORITEI, SHINJUKU, TOKYO
Address:
〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿3-32-10
3-32-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
Access:
2 min. walk from JR Shinjuku station South exit,
3 min. walk from Subway Marunouchi line Shinjuku Sanchome station,
10 min. walk from JR Yoyogi station
Phone: 03-3352-2484
Hours: 11:00～21:00 (L.O. 20:30)
I’ve been researched for a good bowl of unagi on the net. The best that you can find in Tokyo is Unagi Kappo Izuei Honten in Ueno. All agrees they taste superb but they also charge you big price. So I and Tors agree to head for the second best which is far cheaper and easier to locate, Noboritei.
We arrive quite early for lunch so the restaurant isn’t packed and we don’t have to wait to eat. Without any hesitancy we order right away, one Unadon set (grilled eel bowl) and one Naju Nami set (grilled eel on rice box). While waiting and sipping nice hot ocha, we can’t help but noticing how this restaurant is filled with quite a number of elderly. We find it amusing to observe them, they seem to really enjoy eating their food, and so we begin to droolssss……
Luckily before a drop of water hits our table, the food arrives…
To be honest, I am not a fan of unagi back in Jakarta. Only once or twice I got to eat good unagi, but it didn’t blow me away. So, this ‘unadon experience’, I dedicate this for Tora, as he is fond of unagi. And well I am sure glad, because this particular unagi tastes sooooo good.
The eels are both broiled and grilled; meaning double the taste. I love it when a dish is done double-ways, especially broiled and grilled, because they usually have a perfect texture without drying the meat and you still can get the smoky/caramelized surface. Perfect. The sauce compliments the dish beautifully, it is sweet but not overpowering, somewhat like teriyaki sauce but more salty and less sweet; I imagine they brushed the sauce generously while grilling the eels :). As expected, the meat is lusciously tender you don’t have to chew, it melts. And also neither ‘fishy’ smell nor taste could be found. The level of freshness is good; as you can taste the natural sweetness of the meat (you all know fresh products are always sweeter, especially fish, fruits, and veggies).
All and all, I like unagi now :)
〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿3-32-10
3-32-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
Access:
2 min. walk from JR Shinjuku station South exit,
3 min. walk from Subway Marunouchi line Shinjuku Sanchome station,
10 min. walk from JR Yoyogi station
Phone: 03-3352-2484
Hours: 11:00～21:00 (L.O. 20:30)
I’ve been researched for a good bowl of unagi on the net. The best that you can find in Tokyo is Unagi Kappo Izuei Honten in Ueno. All agrees they taste superb but they also charge you big price. So I and Tors agree to head for the second best which is far cheaper and easier to locate, Noboritei.
We arrive quite early for lunch so the restaurant isn’t packed and we don’t have to wait to eat. Without any hesitancy we order right away, one Unadon set (grilled eel bowl) and one Naju Nami set (grilled eel on rice box). While waiting and sipping nice hot ocha, we can’t help but noticing how this restaurant is filled with quite a number of elderly. We find it amusing to observe them, they seem to really enjoy eating their food, and so we begin to droolssss……
Luckily before a drop of water hits our table, the food arrives…
To be honest, I am not a fan of unagi back in Jakarta. Only once or twice I got to eat good unagi, but it didn’t blow me away. So, this ‘unadon experience’, I dedicate this for Tora, as he is fond of unagi. And well I am sure glad, because this particular unagi tastes sooooo good.
The eels are both broiled and grilled; meaning double the taste. I love it when a dish is done double-ways, especially broiled and grilled, because they usually have a perfect texture without drying the meat and you still can get the smoky/caramelized surface. Perfect. The sauce compliments the dish beautifully, it is sweet but not overpowering, somewhat like teriyaki sauce but more salty and less sweet; I imagine they brushed the sauce generously while grilling the eels :). As expected, the meat is lusciously tender you don’t have to chew, it melts. And also neither ‘fishy’ smell nor taste could be found. The level of freshness is good; as you can taste the natural sweetness of the meat (you all know fresh products are always sweeter, especially fish, fruits, and veggies).
All and all, I like unagi now :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
We found Atlantis!!!
Well well, I just read this interesting article on Jakarta Post about the lost Atlantis. And suddenly I remember that few years back I was reading an article about Professor Arysio Santos, mainly on his theory that we're all have been looking the lost Atlantis in the wrong place. That's why we will never find it. So, rather than looking for the lost Atlantis in Atlantic Ocean, we should see it in: INDONESIA.
Yes, you heard it right...the beautiful Indonesia.
For more than two millenniums, scholars and scientists have been searching, looking, and digging information to uncover this mystery about the lost superior civilization. The story of Atlantis was mentioned by Plato in his writings Timaeus and Critias. In those writings he described the people as geniuses, wealthy, wise, and powerful people. The mastered maritime culture, commerce, sports, dance, music, and other form of arts. So yes, basically it's a developed society. Now, Santos is trying to make a further connection based on Plato's description of Atlantis, pointing that it has a similar condition with Indonesia, where tropical climate, irrigation system, large population, megalithic construction, natural resources, and volcanoes exist.
The controversial theory further described that Atlantis was located in Sundaland, which includes Southern part of India, Srilanka, Sumatera, Borneo Island, and Java. He even quite sure that some of the west part of Indonesia was the capital of Atlantis. He added that Indonesia was the most perfect place at that time to grow crops and herd cattle when global temperatures were 15 degrees Celcius below today's level.
Plato did mention the island as being 'under the sun', and described it as an island where rain forests, palm trees, coconuts, pineapples, bananas exists. Santos believes 'under the sun' as an expression of an 'equatorial' that is lying directly under the path of the sun. Most part of the earth were covered by thick glaciers, so civilizations can only occur in Indonesia. It was around 11,600 years ago (9600 B.C), an earthquake shook the continent, create a great tsunami, and sunk the island.
However, geologists beginning to asked Santos and challenged him on several findings and facts that mismatched his theory. It surely a great challenge for all scholars and scientists to prove the real existence of Atlantis. As for me, I'm proud to be the descendants of Atlantians :).
Yes, you heard it right...the beautiful Indonesia.
For more than two millenniums, scholars and scientists have been searching, looking, and digging information to uncover this mystery about the lost superior civilization. The story of Atlantis was mentioned by Plato in his writings Timaeus and Critias. In those writings he described the people as geniuses, wealthy, wise, and powerful people. The mastered maritime culture, commerce, sports, dance, music, and other form of arts. So yes, basically it's a developed society. Now, Santos is trying to make a further connection based on Plato's description of Atlantis, pointing that it has a similar condition with Indonesia, where tropical climate, irrigation system, large population, megalithic construction, natural resources, and volcanoes exist.
The controversial theory further described that Atlantis was located in Sundaland, which includes Southern part of India, Srilanka, Sumatera, Borneo Island, and Java. He even quite sure that some of the west part of Indonesia was the capital of Atlantis. He added that Indonesia was the most perfect place at that time to grow crops and herd cattle when global temperatures were 15 degrees Celcius below today's level.
Plato did mention the island as being 'under the sun', and described it as an island where rain forests, palm trees, coconuts, pineapples, bananas exists. Santos believes 'under the sun' as an expression of an 'equatorial' that is lying directly under the path of the sun. Most part of the earth were covered by thick glaciers, so civilizations can only occur in Indonesia. It was around 11,600 years ago (9600 B.C), an earthquake shook the continent, create a great tsunami, and sunk the island.
However, geologists beginning to asked Santos and challenged him on several findings and facts that mismatched his theory. It surely a great challenge for all scholars and scientists to prove the real existence of Atlantis. As for me, I'm proud to be the descendants of Atlantians :).
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Up up in the air..!!
Watched this movie about two weeks ago, and all I can think of is how to get an extensive frequent flyer mileage in your pocket? I'd definitely use it wisely as part of my retirement plan :).
The movie talks about Ryan Bingham's (Clooney) obsession to hit a certain number of his frequent flyer miles (later on we know it is 10 million miles). Yep...I know, it just sounded too much for an ordinary people. However, that didn't happen in the movie, as Bingham was likely to achieve that mileage due to his 'super mobile' job on Career Transition Counseling that requires him to fire people from one place to another. If I'm not mistaken, he travels approximately 320 days out of 365, which makes him a man who take s*** more often in the air, rather than sitting nicely on his apartment's toilet. However, on his way to achieve his target, Ryan's life may change when the company hires Natalie Keener, a Cornell graduates who recommends the company to change its nature of work by conducting the "firings" via remote computer access. This shortly means that Bingham is being grounded. Bingham believes that Natalie doesn't fully understand the nature of the business, so he rejects the proposal, although the main reason is that he isn't ready to leave all the joy of travelling and living out of a suitcase.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Trio
TRIO
Gondangdia Lama no.29B Cikini Jakarta Pusat
Tel: 021-31936295
Ok, ask your mom and dad about ‘Trio’, I bet they’d know. This restaurant has been hustling and bustling since 1957 and still running strong! And this eatery is one of my family’s favorite and holds lots of dear memories :)
Each of us has our own favorite here and believe it or not, the flavor of each food still remains the same, very consistent.
Tora’s staple is the fried frogs’ legs; he could empty one plate by himself (take notes that ‘he DOES NOT share fried frogs’ legs). Since I don’t eat frog I can’t speak much so I will quote what he says about this beloved menu of him “Once you take a bite of this darling leg you just can’t stop, it is sooo damn addictive. It is oily and crunchy on the surface but the meat is sooo tender yet the taste is so simple with salty soy sauce and buttery-like oil with a hint of squeezed lime. This type of food shouldn’t be bothered with any other food, just eat this alone with rice. Period”
The fried pigeon is also one of the favorites. Always classic.
Aaahhh, this one is my favorite! ‘Bistik Sampi’ or we can call it ‘beef bistik’. Please don’t imagine ‘sweety-semur', believe me this thing is far from those Javanese taste buds. For me, this feels like home back-in-colonial-time-with-a-Chinese-peranakan-maid. Get the point? Well let me go through with it. Like typical bistik, these dishes consist of beef bistik, simple fried potato wedges, and veggies like peas, carrots, string beans and tomatoes. The condiments are really just condiments. The main star of course is the beef. Unlike any other, the beef is crunchy and a bit crispy on the outside but with a very very smooth and tender meat, and the taste, ooh the taste! Buttery with a hint of ‘worcestershire’ sauce. Simple and perfect :)
Can a ‘phuyung hai’ be a star? Well I guess not. The taste is always the same with a ‘blah’ kind of tomato sauce.
But, can a ‘crab meat phuyung hai’ in trio be a star? Sure it can! This is, ladies and gents, my favorite phuyung hai.
When I first ate this, I didn’t expect anything at all, we just ordered any ‘phuyung hai’ out of casualties, but when the waitress asked ‘what kind of filling do you want? Chicken or crab’ I thought that these could be interesting. Well, sure it was. Damn, it is. First you’ll just love the texture of the omelet, it’s crispy and crunchy and a bit oily. And of course you’ll love the filling, generous share of crab meat, well who doesn’t love crab meat? (Those who’re allergic, duh!). But to my surprise, the sauce is also delicious (note that the sauce is more orange-ish rather than red-ish). It is unexpectedly tasty, unlike any other. Yeah, you can still taste a bit of tomato sauce, but only a hint, there’s also a nutty flavor that I can’t recall perfectly. All in all, what a winning combination!
What I love most about TRIO is that this place holds high its originality. It feels like we’re time travelling to those old days. With the same place, same layout, same walls, same menu (they still use words like ‘sampi’ and ‘ajam’), same song (we listen to rayuan pulau kelapa, widuri and those oldies frocks) and also the same cashier with the same thick glasses.
Gondangdia Lama no.29B Cikini Jakarta Pusat
Tel: 021-31936295
Ok, ask your mom and dad about ‘Trio’, I bet they’d know. This restaurant has been hustling and bustling since 1957 and still running strong! And this eatery is one of my family’s favorite and holds lots of dear memories :)
Each of us has our own favorite here and believe it or not, the flavor of each food still remains the same, very consistent.
Tora’s staple is the fried frogs’ legs; he could empty one plate by himself (take notes that ‘he DOES NOT share fried frogs’ legs). Since I don’t eat frog I can’t speak much so I will quote what he says about this beloved menu of him “Once you take a bite of this darling leg you just can’t stop, it is sooo damn addictive. It is oily and crunchy on the surface but the meat is sooo tender yet the taste is so simple with salty soy sauce and buttery-like oil with a hint of squeezed lime. This type of food shouldn’t be bothered with any other food, just eat this alone with rice. Period”
The fried pigeon is also one of the favorites. Always classic.
Aaahhh, this one is my favorite! ‘Bistik Sampi’ or we can call it ‘beef bistik’. Please don’t imagine ‘sweety-semur', believe me this thing is far from those Javanese taste buds. For me, this feels like home back-in-colonial-time-with-a-Chinese-peranakan-maid. Get the point? Well let me go through with it. Like typical bistik, these dishes consist of beef bistik, simple fried potato wedges, and veggies like peas, carrots, string beans and tomatoes. The condiments are really just condiments. The main star of course is the beef. Unlike any other, the beef is crunchy and a bit crispy on the outside but with a very very smooth and tender meat, and the taste, ooh the taste! Buttery with a hint of ‘worcestershire’ sauce. Simple and perfect :)
Can a ‘phuyung hai’ be a star? Well I guess not. The taste is always the same with a ‘blah’ kind of tomato sauce.
But, can a ‘crab meat phuyung hai’ in trio be a star? Sure it can! This is, ladies and gents, my favorite phuyung hai.
When I first ate this, I didn’t expect anything at all, we just ordered any ‘phuyung hai’ out of casualties, but when the waitress asked ‘what kind of filling do you want? Chicken or crab’ I thought that these could be interesting. Well, sure it was. Damn, it is. First you’ll just love the texture of the omelet, it’s crispy and crunchy and a bit oily. And of course you’ll love the filling, generous share of crab meat, well who doesn’t love crab meat? (Those who’re allergic, duh!). But to my surprise, the sauce is also delicious (note that the sauce is more orange-ish rather than red-ish). It is unexpectedly tasty, unlike any other. Yeah, you can still taste a bit of tomato sauce, but only a hint, there’s also a nutty flavor that I can’t recall perfectly. All in all, what a winning combination!
What I love most about TRIO is that this place holds high its originality. It feels like we’re time travelling to those old days. With the same place, same layout, same walls, same menu (they still use words like ‘sampi’ and ‘ajam’), same song (we listen to rayuan pulau kelapa, widuri and those oldies frocks) and also the same cashier with the same thick glasses.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Cassis
Cassis Restaurant
Pavilion Apartment Tower 1, Ground Floor
Jl. K. H. Mas Mansyur Kav.24, Jakarta 10220
www.cassis-gourmand.com
This is one of our favorite spot for dating as we lost our number one like 6 years ago. We usually come here when we need a boost to our life, when we need those silly serious chat and come home fully energized with a plan about our future.
Cassis serves the best french food in Jakarta aside from Riva and the original Java Bleu, while Emilie is one par below.
Yeah the prices are steep, but hey you get what you pay I think :p
PS: Sorry for the bad bad pictures, we quietly took the photos with our Blackberry inside a dimmed-light restaurant.
For starter my favorite is the cassis foie gras with blackcurrant sauce; baked toast as the base, wedges of caramelized apple in the middle and the beautiful foie gras right on top with bits of greens. Oh my gaawdd this is what balance is like when being translated into food. The soft and buttery pan fried foie gras, so smootthh it melts in your mouth doubled with the tanginess of blackcurrants and the sweetness of the apple, and the crunchiness of the toast, oh-so-good! So far it never fails me whenever I need the balance fix.
As for Tora, his staple starter is those lovely escargot, generously covered with the garlicky oily butter and topped with mountain of crispy crusts, when I stole one bite from him I was on trance for a second, yeah, it’s that good, so far these babies sure are the winners from their kind :) but please do share because this will get you sick easily.
I’ve always been curious about a Dover sole, because: 1. One says it is so good it could beat red meat 2. It is expensive beyond belief; makes you wonder 'what's the deal?'. Okay, based on those 2 statements I brace myself to order one. A simple pan fried Dover Sole. The result: Yeah it’s good, it’s simple and good. Pan fried to perfection with butter, salt and whole peppers with a squeeze of lemon. The fish itself isn’t fishy; yeah it’s more meat-y compare to other fish, taste like the highest grade of garoupa only slightly meatier. Note that it comes as a whole not fillet so you can suck its bone (sounds dirty, but hell it’s good). But even it’s that delicious it can’t be compared with red meat of course, and also I won’t order it for the second time price-wise, *cough cough so not worth the expensive tag price.
It is always my fancy to order lobster in a French restaurant, so without any hesitation, I ordered a Lobster gratin with Sea urchin sauce. Sounds like magic isn’t it? Well, yeah taste like one too! Below the lobster lies a row of ravioli stuffed with spinach and topped with lobster gratin covered with sauce, oh my gaawdd the lovely sea urchin sauce taste like heaven. And don’t forget those piles of sliced leeks; they complimented the taste in a lovely way. The lobster tasted so sweet and fresh, the ravioli was just perfect. What a beautiful meal :)
Tora is one of those loyal people who sticks to their preference, and I kinda appreciate that (well, sometimes hehehe). So every time he comes to Cassis he’d order this wagyu beef. Well who wouldn’t love this meat dish? It is a safe choice that will satisfy you every single time whenever you need red meat fix. The taste is so bold yet simple. Grilled to perfection, crusty on the outside yet tender on the inside (please order medium or at least medium well so you don’t get dry meat). The sauce is served separately. There are quite a lot to choose from, but Tora always choose to eat without one. He likes the originality of the tasty meat.
For dessert, we recommend you the infamous soufflé.
Oh and for light drink please try the original blackcurrant drinks, it’s refreshing :)
And oh, if you want cheaper price do come at lunch as they offer a reasonably priced power lunch sets.
Pavilion Apartment Tower 1, Ground Floor
Jl. K. H. Mas Mansyur Kav.24, Jakarta 10220
www.cassis-gourmand.com
This is one of our favorite spot for dating as we lost our number one like 6 years ago. We usually come here when we need a boost to our life, when we need those silly serious chat and come home fully energized with a plan about our future.
Cassis serves the best french food in Jakarta aside from Riva and the original Java Bleu, while Emilie is one par below.
Yeah the prices are steep, but hey you get what you pay I think :p
PS: Sorry for the bad bad pictures, we quietly took the photos with our Blackberry inside a dimmed-light restaurant.
For starter my favorite is the cassis foie gras with blackcurrant sauce; baked toast as the base, wedges of caramelized apple in the middle and the beautiful foie gras right on top with bits of greens. Oh my gaawdd this is what balance is like when being translated into food. The soft and buttery pan fried foie gras, so smootthh it melts in your mouth doubled with the tanginess of blackcurrants and the sweetness of the apple, and the crunchiness of the toast, oh-so-good! So far it never fails me whenever I need the balance fix.
As for Tora, his staple starter is those lovely escargot, generously covered with the garlicky oily butter and topped with mountain of crispy crusts, when I stole one bite from him I was on trance for a second, yeah, it’s that good, so far these babies sure are the winners from their kind :) but please do share because this will get you sick easily.
I’ve always been curious about a Dover sole, because: 1. One says it is so good it could beat red meat 2. It is expensive beyond belief; makes you wonder 'what's the deal?'. Okay, based on those 2 statements I brace myself to order one. A simple pan fried Dover Sole. The result: Yeah it’s good, it’s simple and good. Pan fried to perfection with butter, salt and whole peppers with a squeeze of lemon. The fish itself isn’t fishy; yeah it’s more meat-y compare to other fish, taste like the highest grade of garoupa only slightly meatier. Note that it comes as a whole not fillet so you can suck its bone (sounds dirty, but hell it’s good). But even it’s that delicious it can’t be compared with red meat of course, and also I won’t order it for the second time price-wise, *cough cough so not worth the expensive tag price.
It is always my fancy to order lobster in a French restaurant, so without any hesitation, I ordered a Lobster gratin with Sea urchin sauce. Sounds like magic isn’t it? Well, yeah taste like one too! Below the lobster lies a row of ravioli stuffed with spinach and topped with lobster gratin covered with sauce, oh my gaawdd the lovely sea urchin sauce taste like heaven. And don’t forget those piles of sliced leeks; they complimented the taste in a lovely way. The lobster tasted so sweet and fresh, the ravioli was just perfect. What a beautiful meal :)
Tora is one of those loyal people who sticks to their preference, and I kinda appreciate that (well, sometimes hehehe). So every time he comes to Cassis he’d order this wagyu beef. Well who wouldn’t love this meat dish? It is a safe choice that will satisfy you every single time whenever you need red meat fix. The taste is so bold yet simple. Grilled to perfection, crusty on the outside yet tender on the inside (please order medium or at least medium well so you don’t get dry meat). The sauce is served separately. There are quite a lot to choose from, but Tora always choose to eat without one. He likes the originality of the tasty meat.
For dessert, we recommend you the infamous soufflé.
Oh and for light drink please try the original blackcurrant drinks, it’s refreshing :)
And oh, if you want cheaper price do come at lunch as they offer a reasonably priced power lunch sets.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Pondok Djaja
Aaaaahh, this Padang restaurant with a Chinese influence is an old time favorite. And also as I am married to a Padang family, this restaurant is a must! There were times when my MIL used to send me their food twice a month :) well I’m not complaining as long as my tummies happy, oh how I miss those days!
Okay, I’ll go straight to the point. I only have 2 favorites in this eatery, and both are chicken. Not that the others aren’t good, it’s just that they all taste quite similar to other Padang food. They all are good, but not outstanding like those 2 winners.
First will be the ‘ayam bakar gulai’ or ‘grilled chicken curry’ (the English version doesn’t sound right, huh?), but some people just call it ‘ayam panggang’. Well whatever the name is, this thing is abso-fu****-lutely delicious. Pardon my language. It is just that I have an obligation to express my true feeling hehehe. So far, this is the best ‘ayam panggang’ ever. Period. Believe me I’ve tried many ayam panggang (I am married to a Padang, r-e-m-e-m-b-e-r?). First the sauce, oh my gawd, it is soooo rich and savory, you could eat it alone with a bowl of rice. Seriously. It’s sweet, salty, and you get a hint of coconut flavor from the santan, and although it’s rich but it’s not that heavy (well it would be heavy if you eat more than 2 pieces, duh!). And the chicken, although it looks 'wet' you still can feel its crunchiness because they grill the chicken to perfection before they pour it with the sauce, notice the burnt and caramelized parts? Aahhh those are my favorite parts. And the chicken flesh is sweet, not artificially sweet because of sweetener and all; it is just naturally sweet and savory.
Second is the ‘ayam goreng’ or ‘fried chicken’. I can’t explain well why this baby is also a winner you just have to try it! This is one of those simple dishes that can get you addicted. Warning: seriously addictive, you’ll lose count on how much you’ve eaten. To be honest about the taste: simple yet addictive. Those 2 words represent the chicken very well. Well yeah, it’s crunchy, well yeah the skin is crispy, well yeah the meat is tasty but all in all they are a-d-d-i-c-t-i-v-e. If people could eat a bucket of KFC then I could eat a bucket of these babies :) Be sure to eat it while they still hot!
Beware that during lunch time this place is packed and also beware these 2 dishes sell really fasssttt. I used to come really early at lunch time around 11. If not I may not get a seat. You should eat-in because it will taste different if you eat it at home, especially the ‘ayam goreng’.
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