Christmas is here! Sorry for not posting any lately, because I'm superrrrr busy. But the holidays is here, so finally I could found some relaxing time to post something ;D Christmas is a time to share your time with family and friends. Every Christmas I'm usually busy with the Christmas dinner and exchange gifts. It's a tradition that I always treasured. So I have this plan of Christmas dinner with the girls, and since we have to do it on weekdays, we need some good place, but not that far so we doesn't have to be stuck in the traffic. Thank God I just remember that there's a recently open restaurant at Sunter Icon ( which very near to my house ), so why not giving it a shot. Atmosphere : Surprisingly, this place is quite spacious and nice. I always love a high ceiling space. The brick walls and wooden furniture also gives a warm vintage atmosphere here.
Price : Quite affordable. IDR 50.000 - 100.000/ person Food : For the starter we order Crispy Mushroom - IDR 27.000,-. It's a big fried champignon mushroom served with mayonnaise sauce. I think the mushroom quite tasteless, so they need to put some seasonings though.
Then, Salt and Pepper Calamari - IDR 32.000,-. Too bad, this calamari is also tasteless, chewy and we surely can't taste the salt and pepper.
For the main course, I order Salmon steak with a choice of Peri Peri Sauce - IDR 60.500,-. The salmon taste fresh and perfectly cook. Served with some salad with a nice dressings. The peri - peri sauce is quite hot, bit too oily, I don't think it goes well with the salmon though.
Rosemary Chicken - IDR 60.500,-. Look for the portion! With that price, I think it's quite a deal right? The taste is quite okay since the meat is a bit dry.
Pesto Cream Pasta - IDR 35.500,-. The pesto sauce was really good, but too bad the spaghetti is totally overcooked!
Chicken and Mushroom Risotto - IDR 36.000,-. The taste was nice and creamy, but I don't think they use an appropriate rice for risotto like Arborio. Since the texture was taste like usual Indonesian rice.
For the drink, I order their mocktail, Galaxy - IDR 29.500,-.It's a mixture of orange, mango, strawberry and soda. Taste just okay.
Dessert, we order Apple Crumble - IDR 35.000,-. Well.... this dessert is definitely below my expectation. When we think about apple crumble, we always want a buttery crumble on top and a strong cinnamon taste on the apple, but we didn't get that here. The crumble is almost like a panko, like a sand, wasn't nice to eat.
Melted Choco Volcano - IDR 35.000,-. Oh yea, this is definitely a chocolate goodie! The taste is just perfect, but I think it's still too runny. Need more time to bake.
Carnivor The Meat Company Sunter Icon Food Point Jl. Griya Sejahtera, Sunter Agung, Jakarta Utara Phone : (021 ) 293 76 276 Facebook : Carnivor Twitter : @CarnivorTMC
Hello Yummy Readers ! Did you know that The Yummy Traveler's blog having its 2nd Anniversary on last 21st October? Yes it is ! :D and since me myself having my birthday on December, so why not sharing the joy in the middle of it ( read : November ) ? :p It's near Thanksgiving week too! So I think it's a perfect time for me saying big big thanks for all of you dear readers and friends for all your supports ! Looking back 2 years ago, I even didn't expect how this blog could grow like today. I didn't say that I have the best blog in town, but I surely embrace every moment of it and the process of 'growing up'. There's sooooo many changes that I do since I've started this blog, but hey, stay with me. I am changing and I will keep changing ( in a good way ). I don't like living in boxes. So.... what's next ? Well.... Even though I had many goals in my mind, I didn't know what the future will bring. It's funny somehow looking at many people trying to be a 'well-known' food blogger nowadays?! I'm not that ambitious. Haha... I just do what I love to do, and if people appreciate it, it's a bonus ;) Last words I wanna say thanks to all my Food Bloggers friends ( please check The Yummy Buddies boxes on the right ) to be my source of inspirations and learning. My family and friends, who always support me ( and sometimes accompany me to attend the food tasting ;p ). My one and only God, who opening the doors and giving me the talent and skills that I need. *Cheers !*
The 3 Lucky Winners are .... - An Nur Khairisa - Nabilla Reysa - Yohana So let's move to the interesting part.
Y U M M Y G I V E A W A Y ! I'm giving away IDR 200.000 voucher for each 3 lucky winners. The vouchers are from Nomi, Inc. which you can use at the following restaurants : - Maroush - Middle Eastern Restaurant & Champagne Bar Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2nd Floor Jl. Jendral Gatot Subroto, Kav 2- 3 - Anatolia - Aunthentic Turkish Restaurant Jl. Kemang Raya No. 110 A - Front Page Wine and Dine Plaza Gani Djemal, Jl. Imam Bonjol Kav. 76-78 Vouchers valid until 4th January 2013
How to join ? Don't worry, it's veryyy easy!
Here's the Terms and Conditions : - Only for you who residence in Jakarta - Follow my twitter @Nvicl and my Google Friend Connect ( there's a button at the right side of my blog) -
Tweet anything about www.YummyTraveler.com ( in example : Kalau
bingung cari restoran enak dimana, just check out www.YummyTraveler.com )
you can tweet as much as you can and don't forget to mention me ok! - Post on my comment box your Name, Email, Twitter Name. So I know who you are. ( in example : Tweet already ! Name : Victoria Email : victoria@yummytraveler.com Twitter : @Victoria )
This giveaway STARTED NOW and CLOSED on Sunday,25th November 2012, 24:00 ! The winner will be announce around 26th- 28th November 2012. I will send the voucher via JNE. So what are you waiting for yummy
readers?? Join and win it ! ;D
So I just found out that this steakhouse is just recently open in Kelapa Gading area ( Yes, my area ! :p ). According to my longggg-ago post ( even the pictures are still with pocket camera ) here, it seems they're already separate their venture. One is Steakhotel by Holycow ( at Radio Dalam and Kemang ), one is this one, Holycow! Steakhouse by Chef Afit ( at Senopati and Kelapa Gading ). Well it does happen in business, doesn't it? Been there, done that ! #curcol Atmosphere : I came for a dinner time, and it's packed! Well.. the place are not too spacious though, only 1 shophouse. The interior was dominate with red and white color.
Price : around IDR 80.000 - 120.000/ person ( 8-12USD ) Food : Holycow quite famous with their 'affordable' wagyu. Even though we're not sure what grade are those wagyu, but yeah... who cares with grading when we just hungry for steak. That time I go with my female friends, so we decided to order some and share. First is Prime Sirloin Steak - IDR 65.000,-. They ran out of tenderloin, so that's why we choose the sirloin one. Well the beef are chewy and oily. Still chewy even we order it medium, and ... I wonder how they grilled it ( or maybe pan fried first then grilled?), but it's just very oily. I know I also didn't like my steak to be dry, but... maybe if they put some small cubes of good butter right after they grilled it, it would be moreeee tasty. However, the mushroom sauce, is always our favorite! Bad for the steak, but good for the fries :D
Next is, Wagyu Sirloin - IDR 98.000,-. I seriously questioned why they put the name 'wagyu' there if the taste are just same with usual sirloin? haha... Still chewy and oily though. But, one thing I like about their steak is they put some Italian herbs seasonings on it. I have order to the waiter to put moreeeee of the seasoning for the next one.
Then, we order Rib Eye Big Bites ( 400gr ) - IDR 100.000,-. I found this quite a nice deal. You got a 2 piece of steak and I found that Rib Eye one are more tender than what I have before. And yes, it's taste better with moreee of the herbs seasoning.
Holycow! Steakhouse by Chef Afit Jl. Raya Boulevard Kelapa Gading Blok WB2 no.16 North Jakarta, Indonesia
Phone: +6221 4508413
Facebook: Holycow! Steakhouse by Chef Afit
Twitter: @SteakHolycow
As you all may know from my previous post in Cambodia, I continue a short journey to Ho Chi Minh ( Saigon ) in Vietnam. It's my first time there, and fyi, going to Ho Chi Minh is already in my heart from so long. After a veryyyyy long bus trip from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh, I couldn't believe I finally step my feet in this city! 2 girls, no tour guide, doesn't speak any Vietnamese, you could imagine how our first day was ! :p I didn't made a wrong choice, Ho Chi Minh definitely meets my expectation. I fell in love with the city immediately. I love how the 'Old Town' architecture mixes with the Modern building, I love how clean and pedestrian-friendly are the road ( well .... compare to Jakarta :p ), love the easy-breezy weather, love the food and .......... the list still go on :D One thing that is the problem is only the language. Not like the people in Phnom Penh who had bettterrrr English, I found difficulties in communicating with the Vietnamese. If you watch the reality show of Bobby Chinn who opening a restaurant in Saigon, you know what I mean ! Yeah, thanks to those not-so-useful Vietnamese Dictionary Apps, I rather do body-language.
Thank God, the clueless lost-in-translation 2 Indonesian girls saved by an Indonesian living in Phnom Penh who had a Vietnamese friend living in Saigon ( how long that sentence was! haha ) It was last minute ! But after I meet this 2 beautiful young Vietnamese lady ( and very willing to take us anywhere ), I know my trip in Saigon would be a memorable one. So here it is.... the first lunch that I had in Saigon! Enjoy! Atmosphere : Nhà Hàng Ngon is one big restaurant that you will notice immediately. It's yellow wall color and tall building really stands out. The restaurant is spacious too! There's an outdoor and indoor seating, and it is packed with the tourist! If you had a really limited time and you wanna try all the varieties of Vietnamese food, this is the perfect place ! I've been told that Vietnamese food had 3 kinds of regions. Northern, Central and Southern. Each regions had their own character and in Nhà Hàng Ngon, most of the food here is a Southern one, which had many influences from the foreign countries like Chinese, French, Thai,etc. Nhà Hàng Ngon gather all the best hawker food from the Southern in one place. So when you arrived here, you can go around and see there are many 'little' stall selling different kind of Southern food. You order, then they will deliver it to your table. Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert, you name it!
Price : 150.000 - 200.000 VND/person ( 7 - 10 USD/person) Food : When talk about Vietnamese food I only know Pho and Spring Roll, that's it. haha... So I let my Vietnamese friend choose and here what they order. First is Bánh bèo, Bột lọc, Nem Nướng - 50.000 VND. Bánh bèo is a steamed rice cake, Bột lọc is a gelatinous cake with dried shrimp, Nem Nướng is grilled pork meatballs ( or sausage ? ), three of this dressed in some vinegar. I can see there's a Chinese influence in this dish. Like the steamed cake, usually we call it 'Talam' here in Indonesia. Next is Banh Hoi Chao Tom Cuon Banh Trang - 135.000 VND. This is a grilled pounded shrimp paste wrapped on sugar cane and served with rice vermicelli, rice paper, and vegetables. Need certain skills to wrap the rice paper ! haha... Glad that my Vietnamese friend do it for me :p Since the rice paper is very stiff and dry, you need to dip in to Nuoc Mam ( Fish sauce with garlic, sugar, lemon, and chillis ), to soften it and get the moist spring roll textures. How does it taste? A boom of flavor in your mouth.
For some fulfilling dish, they choose Com Chien Quan Ngon - 90.000 VND. This is a fried rice with mixes of sausages and veggies. You can see another Chinese influence here! This just taste like Chinese fried rice. It's good tho.
Next is Bun Mam - 54.000 VND. This is a Vermicelli soup with seafood that usually called as Vietnamese Gumbo. haha... The fermented shrimp paste are added to make the soup, also eggplant, shrimp, and silky, thinly sliced fish and spring onion. The soup is thick but savory. Not fishy at all, but rather sweet. The broth has a complex depth taste, and some of the herb like rau dang ( some variety of cress ), bong sung ( water lily root ), also beansprouts,basil and mint added to the Bun Mam.
For the dessert is Bánh chuối hấp - 20.000 VND. This is a steamed banana cake with coconut milk. When I taste it, it's still warm. Soft and creamy, and beautiful presentation.
Drinks? of course Ca Phe Sua Da. haha... Ice coffee with milk!
Nhà Hàng Ngon 160 Pasteur St, Phuong Ben Nghe, District 1 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Phone : +84 8 3827 7131
To be honest, I'm not actually called myself a drinker. I get 'red' so easily and suddenly sleepy after I drink. Lols ( You can judge ). But I do love to try any kinds of drinks, and I do like cocktails and white wine ( and moscato, and champagne, and ice wine lolsss ) ;D I already knew about this place when a foodie friend Culinary Bonanza , asks me whether I can join the invitation or not. Of course I say yes, it's already gets my attention at the first place when I've seen some tweets about how all the menu are cooked with alcoholics drinks. 'The only place where you can "EAT" alcohol', that's what they said. Concept speaks!
Atmosphere : Alcoholic Bar located in the hype Kemang area, with many bars and restaurants alongside the road. Even though the place not too spacious, but it has a great ambience. Modern and minimalist, combination of monochrome color, black and white, perfect for hangout.
Price : Around IDR 100.000 - 150.000/ person ( 10 -15 USD / person ). They had ongoing promotion every Sunday which you can enjoy a 3 course meal ( appetizer, main course and dessert ) with free flow sparkling wine for IDR 250.000++. Food : Kind of late that day, so I missed the appetizer which is Green Peas Cream Soup with Diced Pork Knuckle. But that's okay, as I enjoying my welcome drink which is a Champagne from Italy and Strawberry Sparkling Champagne from Chile.
Then, the brunch begin with Foccacia with Cointreau Gravlax Salmon, Scrambled Eggs and Rocket Salad - IDR 50.000,-. Well... I could eat this kind of brunch everyday haha... The cointreau gravlax salmon was quite memorable. A lil bit dense like smoked salmon, sweet, you still can taste the cointreau, but it's not that strong at all ( so it's definitely okay for you who allergic to alcohol :p )
What is brunch without Egg Benedict ? so here are Egg Hemingway Gravlax Salmon - IDR 50.000,-. The difference with usual egg benedict is, the Hollandaise sauce are cooked with white wine. Taste just ok for me, but I prefer the usual hollandaise which has a lemony flavor in it. I also think the muffins, are too soft and fluffy. I prefer it is toasted like usual english muffins, so we still got some textures in this dish. The rocket salad itself, dressed beautifully in balsamic vinegar.
Portobello Benedict - IDR 45.000,-. Same ingredients but the difference is this one using Portobello Mushroom.
Eggs Blackstone - IDR 45.000,-. Egg & bacon, couldn't go wrong with that.
For the main course, first round is Crispy Amaretto Pork Belly with Baked Beans - IDR 68.000,-. First thing is, yes they're generous with the portion. Second, Pork Bellyyyyyy how could you go wrong with it? The Amaretto gives a nice sweet taste to it, tender and juicy, perfectly cooked with crispy skin on top. Maybe for Asian taste buds, this pork belly taste a bit lack of seasoning. But to me, sometimes it's good to enjoy the meats for what it is. The baked beans, oh my... it's been my favorite ! Not like usual baked beans with it's strong tomato taste, this one had less sauce, but taste sweet as well. Love how they combine the chick peas with red beans!
Next is Pork Ribs - IDR 180.000 ( whole )/ IDR 90.000 ( half ). I forgot how they marinate the ribs, it's with Jack Daniel's if I'm not mistaken. The meats are tender with sweet taste. Quite nice.
Then, Salmon Crepes with White Wine Mornay Sauce - IDR 40.000,-. Love the thin flimsy crepes, but too bad the abundant White Wine Mornay Sauce overpowered the Salmon itself. Need more seasoning on the sauce. Maybe cheese could make it better. And yeah... love the caramelized onion.
Last one is, Ocean Thermidor & Cheese Bruschetta served with salad and red wine caramelized onions - IDR 50.000,-. The lobster tasted fresh and comes in quite big bites. Mixed with the cheesy cream sauce...... Heaven ! One of my fave dish of the day!
We also been served with another champagne, which turns to be the most favorite champagne of the day. haha... Sweet and refreshing!
For the dessert we've been served with complimentary Champagne Jelly Shot and Home Made Vodka Raspberry Sorbet - IDR 28.000,-. The champagne jelly taste just okay, and the sorbet taste very refreshing but with strong Vodka taste.
I do had a great time there and I love their concept, thanks Alcoholics Bar for inviting! ;)
