Mexican Food Extravaganza at Bengawan

ola! a few weeks ago, I got a lovely invitation from Bengawan, a restaurant of Keraton at the Plaza to try their Mexican menu, brought directly from Mexico by Chef Lamberto Valdez Lara.. it was really exciting since not many good Mexican restaurant I can name in Jakarta.. I personally think the Mexican cuisine is sexy and unique, thus I really can't wait to explore it.. especially when it's brought by a Mexican chef.. prepare your taste buds :)

the Mexican menu is part of the buffet menu served at Bengawan.. there was a special section dedicated for these appetizing menu.. let's start with the classic nachos.. I reckon this is one of the most popular Mexican dish in Indonesia, consisted of corn tortilla chips topped with cheese, tomatoes, beans and beef.. this was awesome! I have always been a huge fan of nachos.. I find this dish very appetizing both in the eyes and in the taste.. the fact that all of the ingredients were freshly made is just another plus point.. I need to warn you to be careful with this if you are not used to eat spicy food since there were chopped chilies in the toppings.. 

next, we have Mexican soup, caldo tlalpeño, which basically was made from chicken broth with garlic and onion.. you can add available toppings which includes chicken chunks and thin tortilla chips.. as basically, all Mexican dishes were spicy, the soup was also quite hot.. luckily, I love spicy food and so I enjoyed it so much.. it was very refreshing and unique with a strong sour and spicy taste.. 

on to the main courses.. let's try the staple food first, rice.. served here is Mexican green rice.. chef Lamberto himself suggested us to eat the green rice along with the tomato salsa, guacamole and red beans.. though I found the suggestion quite unusual for my tongue, I did try it and it resulted in a unique and delicate combination..

the next one is my favorite dish of the day.. carne asada which literally means 'grilled beef'.. the beef was marinated in achiote before perfectly cooked medium then served with roasted guajillo salsa, wild mushrooms and organic grown cherry tomatoes.. this tasted awesome! I have never tasted anything like this befoer and I'm totally loving it.. the beef was very tender and the seasoning was heavenly :)

other menu includes chicken flautas and chilles rellenos.. chicken flautas is basically rolled taco stuffed with chicken and cheese while chilles rellenos is stuffed bell pepper with Alaskan king crab, fresh corn, goat cheese and chipotle sauce.. chicken flautas, in my opinion, will be a perfect choice for snack or light lunch as this was easily lovable and quite fulfilling.. as for the chilles rellenos, I'm not a fan of bell pepper and so I just cut the bell pepper into half and eat the fillings which was delicious :)

chicken flautas

chilles rellenos

my lunch plate

of course, our lunch did not just end with the Mexican dishes.. instead we went for more from the store.. including the foie gras and oysters which available daily.. talking about spoiling your tongue, tummy and just making you realize how beautiful the world can be.. haha.. for drinks, I return to have their lychee ice tea which was still the best in Jakarta.. love the crushed lychee and the pop-up bubbles.. 

last but not least, I saved a room for dessert and found that their tiramisu was scrumptious.. I just can't get enough of it.. me want more!

overall, it was a pleasant event.. especially since I'm sharing the table with Cindy, Selba and Natasha.. well that's all from me.. adios!

Bengawan, Keraton at the Plaza
Jl. MH. Thamrin Kav. 15
Jakarta 10350

Ph.: +6221 5068 0000

Momi & Toys Creperie

I can't believe how long I have abandoned this blog.. well, things have been really, really busy with all the work stuffs.. irresponsible me.. anyway, let's go to business with this new post..

Momi & Toys Creperie stood out to introducing themselves as a creperie.. I considered this is a brave act since crepes is not a popular dish here in Jakarta for main course.. we, Indonesian people, love rice too much as our staple food that we usually pass those restaurants not selling rice.. however, I believe that Momi & Toys Creperie managed to steal the attention.. located in Plaza Senayan, this small eatery have their own fans..

simply decorated in blue and wood furniture, I found this place really intimate and very cozy.. I love my spot, on the corner of the store where I can definitely have my own quite time.. if I had not gone there with my mom, I believed I would have lost the trace of time and spent the entire day there having my personal me-time.. anyway, it was a lovely Saturday evening and we were having our early light dinner..

a refreshing ice green tea and honey lemon frutte to start our evening.. the honey lemon frutte was very refreshing but a tad too sweet for my taste buds.. I personally would prefer more sourness in my drink.. the ice green tea was somehow nice.. it has the clean and really smooth taste.. perhaps some other time, I need to travel to Japan and taste the real green tea..

for our crepes, we opted strawberry cream with choco ice cream and original chicken salad with mayonaise.. I expected that the chicken salad will come first, but somehow, our strawberry cream crepes come first.. my first impression was how small the portion was compared to the price.. upon tasting, I realized that the taste worth every Rupiah spent.. it was one silky, smooth crepes, simply combined with whipped cream and fresh strawberries then accompanied with chocolate ice cream.. the crepes was definitely a star.. I would want to eat them more.. the chocolate ice cream has a rough texture and not too sweet.. 

the savory crepes was a bit crispier than the sweet ones.. filled with chicken chunks, lettuce and mayonnaise, this one was another star.. I love how the whole dish blend harmoniously within one bite.. the small portion is the recurring issue, but the taste was superb..

I didn't record each price, but it was around Rp130,000 for all of the above dishes.. a bit pricey for a light meals.. I would still say it was worth it but perhaps will not visit this creperie too often as this may endangered my wallet.. 

Momi & Toys Creperie

Plaza Senayan

Level 3 Unit 302C

T: @momiandtoys_ind

Cimory Riverside

as time went by, I realized that the life here in Jakarta can be really stressful.. the work loads, the social pressure, not to mention the terrible traffic and a short getaway is just what I need.. of course, I would love to travel further and see the world, but in the mean time, I am still thankful for a short trip to Bogor, the rain city where I can rest my mind for a while.. Now let me welcome you to Cimory Riverside..

this place is beautifully located on the side of Ciliwung river, creating a very lovely atmosphere.. imagine having your weekend in the cold weather of Puncak, hearing the water flowing sound and surrounded by people you love.. heavenly! as always, Cimory always managed to fill in their restaurant with lots of cow accessories.. just look how cute they are welcoming me..

I came here with my mom and brother during a coffee break time.. and we were not too hungry that  we prefer to have some light meals.. I had strawberry juice (Rp26,500) while my brother had blueberry yogurt shake (Rp25,500) and we shared a portion of fried mushrooms (Rp29,500).. my strawberry juice was thick and pure which I love.. though I forgot to order it unsweetened, but it was still a good strawberry juice.. my brother's blueberry yogurt shake was not my favorite.. combining yogurt and blueberry juice was not my thing.. I prefer fresh juices to yogurt shake..

as for the fried mushrooms, you can definitely see that the serving size was way too small for such a price.. I was disappointed, in terms of serving size and taste.. I even made a conclusion for my next visit not to order any food there and stick to the drinks.. atmosphere-wise, it was still really a beautiful afternoon well spent!

Cimory Riverside

Jalan Raya Puncak KM 76
Bogor, Indonesia

Ah Poong

I am amazed how Indonesian people can be really creative.. specifically on the culinary business, we are lucky to have such bright people running the business.. Ah Poong is one of those ideas, which makes this place a must-visit when you're around Sentul.. a smart fusion of traditional floating market and Eat & Eat, I welcome you, Ah Poong..

 

the food stalls were too many to be counted that we were so confused deciding what to order.. my mom was the first one to made up her mind with sangu tutug oncom (Rp30,000).. a Sundanese dish which mainly consisted rice mixed with oncom then combined with various condiments.. hers included empal (Sundanese sweet beef), fried tofu, fried tempeh, spinach crackers, crispy salted fish and boiled vegetables, and of course, sambal terasi.. it tasted good, as my mom is a huge fan of oncom, this dish definitely matched her culinary preference..

I went with safe options by picking bakso Aheng campur spesial (Rp35,500).. Tangerang style meatballs accompanied with noodle.. other than meatballs, you can choose other fillings, including beef slices or beef innards, all based on your appearance.. I prefer pure beef and meatballs in my soup.. and taste wise, it was good! the broth was so tasty, the meatballs were great and the beef were tender! I praise the chili which making the whole dish complete.. on the down turn, the noodle was overcooked and mushy..

my brother, after really hard time deciding his lunch, picked nasi gudeg (Rp34,500) and siomay Bandung (Rp5,000 per piece).. a complete set of Jogjakarta's special dish, including chicken cooked in coconut milk, pindang tofu, krecek and chili then topped with crackers.. the look was really pleasing in the eye, but not the taste.. it was rather tasteless and failed to satisfy my brother's big tummy.. his siomay Bandung which consisted of 6 pieces -yes, he was that hungry- unfortunately was another miss.. the siomay tasted pure flour, I can't taste any fish in it and the peanut sauce was not helping.. he was really disappointed.. 

by the time we finished our lunch, it was raining quite heavily thus making us stay longer.. it was actually a really nice atmosphere, the weather was cool and the sound of raindrops on the river was relaxing.. however, it's just really easy to be tempted by the stalls that we decided to have a bowl of mixed ronde (Rp14,000).. ronde is Indonesian style of glutinous rice balls served with ginger soup.. it tasted sweet and warm.. the ronde was chewy and in a perfect texture and the ginger soup was tummy-warming.. 

overall, it was a nice family experience at Ah Poong.. the food was somehow a mix of enjoyment and disappointment but perhaps it's just us making the wrong decision.. I will definitely come back for mind relaxing :)

Ah Poong
Pasar Apung Sentul City

Lesehan Mbok Ndoro

I always had some love and obsession for Jogjakarta.. the very nice people and the food, including those lesehan opened only at night were definitely the things that stole my heart.. so when I found Lesehan Mbok Ndoro, I was more than grateful.. a humble hawker stall located on the side of Mas Mansyur road, which was opened from 6p.m to mid-night.. selling mainly Javanese cuisine, Lesehan Mbok Ndoro brought it further with their Javanese taglines.. kumpul ora kumpul angger mangan enak which literally means "whether we're together or not, it's okay as long as we can eat good food" and lemu pangkal sugih, means "being fat will lead to wealth" were some detailed touch.. somebody, please correct me if I'm wrong with the translation..

despite being quite new, the hawker was quite packed during dinner time.. I went there with my office mates after a long, tiring day at work.. its  location was quite strategic and reachable from Sudirman offices, when you want to avoid the heavy traffic.. so here's how it looked..

the humble and packed eatery

confusing! too many options and I basically wanted all of them

  

so basically, you can choose anything you want from those plates.. to start the meal, I would suggest you to go with one of their two basic rice dishes.. the first one is a plate of rice, sambal tumpang, chili and kremesan (Rp10,00).. and the second one consisted of a plate of rice, pecel, chili and kremesan (Rp10,000).. now, on top of the basic rice dishes, add anything from the menu.. selection includes the meaty dishes (Rp8,000/portion), cooked vegetables (Rp5,000/portion) or fritters (Rp3,000 each).. 

the signature dish: sambal Tumpang

that night, I went with their sambal tumpang, which is actually originated from Kediri, made mainly from almost-rotten tempeh mixed with chili and other seasoning.. then added sauteed string beans, balado chicken and fried tempeh.. my plate was so full! to be honest, it's my first time hearing about sambal tumpang and personally, I think it was unique yet somehow addictive.. pieces of seared tempeh drenched in red, chili gravy.. it's not as spicy as I hoped it would be, though.. but perhaps, it was just my tongue.. oh, be cautious as they mixed petai with the sambal just in case you don't fancy those..

going through my order one by one, the sauteed string beans were just okay.. and unfortunately, the fried tempeh was already cold.. I would prefer my fritter dishes to be hot and fresh from the frying pan.. however, the balado chicken was superb.. it was tender and nicely cooked in a spicy balado sauce.. yum! the chili was another thing to be thankful for.. there were two types of them and both were spicy and addictive! I love the bravery in mixing actual spicy chilies.. and to complete the meal, crunchiness from kremesan was just the perfect final touch..

my full plate

overall, I think Lesehan Mbok Ndoro has successfully brought the thing I missed from Jogjakarta right to our Jakarta.. a unique and one-of-a-kind experience of eating lesehan way on the side of the road is definitely something too good to be missed.. the food was overall delicious and the price was reasonable.. well, I will surely come back for their sambal and balado chicken.. and perhaps try their pecel.. 

Lesehan Mbok Ndoro
Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur No.9 Jakarta

(accross Apartment Sudirman Park, next to Seven Eleven)

Opening hours: 18:00-24:00

twitter: @MbokNdoro

Brunch at BonChon Chicken

if the Chinese are famous for their la mien and the Japanese gone crazy with their ramen, then the Koreans are proud for their myun! as a food-chain selling Korean dishes, BonChon Chicken brought the famous myun right to Jakarta, fellas! a few weeks ago, I had the privilege to try their new menu in a nice and warm food tasting.. now, let's get your tongue and tummy ready.. 

let's start with something sweet to quench your thirst first, perhaps after a long day at work or a crazy traffic.. I actually love their cup design :)

don't rush yourself, start slowly with something good to get your palate ready.. something like kimchi soup.. spicy and sour soup generously filled with Korean kimchi, tofu and scallions.. the soup was warm and nice with a generous fillings.. a strong sour taste usually found in Korean dishes.. if you are not a fan of sour dishes, then try something more Indonesian like the chicken soup.. a clear soup filled with chicken cubes, tofu, veggies and scallions.. by the way, thanks my fun food diary for your helping hands :)

or simply be safe and have their BonChon bites, available in original or spicy flavor.. personally, I prefer the spicy bites.. it was nicely drenched in spicy sauce in the perfect size for snack.. one cup would never be enough, trust me.. now if you want to have a healthier start, try fresh salad.. lettuce and carrot drenched in lemony sauce then topped with some crunch similar to Indonesian kremesan.. I didn't try this but some said the sauce was a bit lemony sour..

done with your appetizer, then here comes the myun which was available in the options of classic myun or spicy myun.. since I'm a huge fan of chili and all things spicy, I went with the spicy myun.. the myun was thick, made from buckwheat flour.. the main difference between spicy and classic was in the sauce.. the spicy myun came with a hot red sauce with cuts of scallion on top, while the classic one came in a milder red sauce.. taste wise, the sauce was actually good.. it was not too spicy for me, pardon my spicy tongue.. some complained it was too spicy, but I did enjoy the meal.. the chicken cutlet accompanying the myun, however, tasted a bit bland.. when confirmed to the chef, it was purposely made bland to balance the spicy sauce when eaten together.. I didn't try the classic one, but some fellow non-spicy lover foodies said it tasted a little sweet and still too spicy for their tongue and wished it was milder.. 

spicy myun | classic myun

after finishing the hot meal, spoil yourself with something sweet.. BonChon has two options of snowflakes (blueberry, strawberry or mocha) and mochi (vanilla, strawberry or mocha).. I had mixed mochi and as always, loved it.. one portion was never enough for me.. the snowflakes however, was not my favorite.. layers of ice shavings, red beans, cuts of mochi and your choice of sauce sounded quite good.. but somehow, the mix was not my kind of dessert.. their mochi were to die for, though..

and we were allowed to went home with these.. thanks a lot BonChon.. :)

BonChon Chicken
City Walk Sudirman, Ground Floor
Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur No. 121, Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 5422 0116

RM Kalasan

my mom grew up in Cilegon area and my dad was buried in the graveyard there.. so once in a while, we went there to pay our respect and visit our relatives there.. Cilegon is famous for the largest stainless steel factory in Indonesia and for Anyer beach located not far from there.. other than that, I don't recall any news about Cilegon.. a small but rapidly developing city.. 

now where can I find something good to eat in such a small city? well, thank God and thank my mom, we managed to found this hidden gem.. it was located on the side of the street, with a huge banner informing the service for driving license.. a huge 'RM KALASAN' was somehow easy to be missed, thus you need to drive slowly to find it.. it was a really hot and dry Wednesday afternoon when we stop by here.. a humble eatery with no air conditioner, only to rely on the natural wind.. quite old, I summarize looking at the menu and the furniture.. though I was in doubt, I can't help but notice how people keep coming.. well, I suppose it's a good sign, eh?

the menu was quite straight-forward, mostly serving Javanese cuisine.. the most popular dish would be kalasan chicken which is ayam kampung cooked in coconut milk for quite some time to ensure the chicken is well-seasoned.. the other recommendation was gudeg or boiled jackfruit in palm sugar and coconut milk.. now, I want to try everything thus I ordered nasi gudeg komplit (Rp32,500) which includes one kalasan chicken, a portion of gudeg, sambal goreng krecek and telur pindang.. while my brother picked kalasan chicken (Rp17,500), rice (Rp5,000) and stir-fried water spinach (Rp10,000)..

the chicken was delicate.. it was tender with delicious seasoning.. the chili was a nice touch, though it was far from spicy.. the gudeg package was as good as the one I tasted in Yogya.. it was not overly sweet and well-balanced.. personally, my favorite is krecek since it has a hint of spiciness combined with the delicate coconut milk.. the water spinach was cooked in oyster sauce, which makes it more of a Chinese cuisine.. and for a Rp10,000 price, the portion was huge as it was shared among the three of us.. and surprisingly, it tasted really delicious.. well, apparently, this small eatery is truly a hidden gem.. simple yet delish Javanese cuisine..

RM Kalasan

Jl. Simpang Tiga No. 93

Cilegon, Banten

Ph.: 62254 398406/392325