I have fulfilled my promise to come back..

in my previous post regarding Yogyakarta, I have fulfilled my promise to return there.. and what makes me happy is everything is on the office.. hooraayyy :) well, a few weeks ago, Finance Division held an outing and on-site CSR (corporate social responsibility) in Yogyakarta.. 

Yogyakarta is one of the most beautiful city I have ever seen.. the people are warm and very friendly.. everything sold there is cheap, at least compared to Jakarta's standard.. I love the air, environment, the people and almost everything :) the unique thing is they still use 'aksara Jawa kuno' or ancient Javanese letters in daily living.. you can see that in every street signs, there will be Indonesian language and Javanese letters, like below.. which I found really interesting.. moreover, they have the cute English signs, such as 'turn left, go ahead' which of course, means you can directly turn left in certain streets..

Yogyakarta is also famous for batik, you can find batik in almost everywhere and in any forms: adult clothes, children clothes, home appliances, bangles, mask.. everything, you name it.. I, myself, have fallen in love with batik, so it's like heaven for me.. nice batik everywhere, good price, good quality and free to bargain.. see, I'm so in love with this city.. other than the batik, they have a good culinary, which I have posted before here.. I love the Malioboro street and Pasar Beringharjo so much that I went there everyday on my 3-day-trip..

we stayed in a boutique hotel in Yogya, named Phoenix Hotel.. it's actually an old building, I guess, but they managed to keep it clean, nice, warm and vintage without being old and rusty.. I love the ambiance since you can feel a taste of Yogya heritage.. most of the furniture are made from jati wood.. there's a becak in the dining room.. and most rooms are available with a balcony which I love so much :) too bad, my room is heading to other building's roof, so there's no good view.. the hotel has a new building at the back, near the gymnasium and pool.. the food for breakfast is varied and similar to a five-star-hotel.. they provide salad bar, egg section, western food, indonesia food, vegetarian sections, bread, etc. they also have one mbok who can prepare you jamu as requested.. jamu is a Javanese traditional healthy drink, consisted of Indonesian traditional herbs..

hearts for you ♥♥♥

Berwisata Kuliner di Kota Yogyakarta

Setelah sekian lama.. akhirnya gw baru bisa nge-post lagi haha.. maafkan blogger murtad inih hahaha.. anyway, akhir taun lalu gw habiskan di Yogya and here's documentation of my culinary journey there.. tapi ga smua scara suka lupa poto ;P um, so here we go.. these are the food (happy drooling..)

1. Soto Daging Sapi Pak Sabar
begitu sampe di bandara, sang penjemput langsung mengajak kami makan di tempat ini.. tempatnya rumah semi permanen.. aga di dalem dan gw langsung ga inget itu dimana haha.. tapi rame banget.. pas kita dateng aja, harus nunggu sbelum akhirnya bisa dapet duduk.. klo di jakarta --> waiting list :) um, jadi resto ini cuma jual soto daging.. bisa soto daging campur (soto daging yang uda campur nasi), soto daging pisah (soto dan nasi dipisah) terus kita juga bisa milih, mau daging sapi aja ato campur dengan berbagai jeroan.. rasanya? kebetulan itu jam 2 siang dan gw blum lunch, jadi mnurut gw.. enak hahaha.. kuahnya bening, mirip soto kudus.. the kind of soto that i like, daripada kuah yang kuning ato pake bermacam2 rempah hehe.. rasanya ga terlalu gurih, biasa aja tapi bikin ketagihan hehe.. enak lah pokonya :)

2. Iga Sapi Bali Pertama di Dunia
well, itu beneran nama restoran yang tertera di depannya.. walo gw ga percaya sih itu iga sapi bali pertama di dunia.. lah, tempatnya aja di yogya hehehe :) um, rasa nya enak banget.. iga sapi nya gede luar biasa.. dan dagingnya empuk.. ga nglawan sama skali waktu qta makan.. delicious.. al dente.. mak nyuusss.. bumbunya aga pedes, bukan manis kaya iga bakar madu.. banyak rempah2 juga kayanya, tapi gw ga tau ;P enak lah pokonya.. di resto ini, slain iga bakar bali juga ada macem-macem makanan lain, such as sate sapi, bebek goreng, sop iga bening, ayam kecombrang, ayam betutu dan yang katanya juga best seller.. uratan.. yang adalah sosis sapi tapi gede gitu.. enak lah pokonya.. tempatnya lumayan bagus walo aga jauh dari pusat kota Yogya.. kedai kecil tanpa AC tapi nyaman.. lampunya ga terlalu banyak, cuma ada beberapa lampion.. tapi bikin suasana romantis euy :)

3. Gudeg Yogya Yu Djum
ini adalah satu-satunya gudeg yang gw coba slama di Yogya hahaha.. dan ini pun dibeliin klien.. bisa dilihat bentuknya yang merupakan nasi kotak.. um, rasanya? ENAK ENAK ENAK... smua orang bilang klo gudeg yang asli Yogya itu manisss banget.. gw uda takut aja sih ini kemanisan buat lidah gw.. tapi ternyata ini ENAK BANGET haha.. (bayangin si om Bondan ngomong "mak nyus" dengan mata berbinar-binar) hihihi.. gudegnya emang lebih manis daripada gudeg di Jakarta, tapi acceptable for my tounge.. krecek nya sih yang enak banget.. ga tau de diapain tu krecek ampe sgitu enaknya hihihihi..

4. Sate Kambing & Ayam Samirono
ini adalah resto yang di-recommend oleh klien tercinta di Yogya sana.. katanya satenya enak.. gw sbagai penghindar kambing -karna katanya bikin kolesterol- milih makan sate ayam aja.. rasanya? well, sjujurnya mnurut gw, nothing could ever be so special from the ordinary sate ayam haha.. biasa aja rasanya.. kaya sate ayam-sate ayam yang sudah ada dimana-mana hehehe..


5. Ayam Goreng Bu Tini
ini merupakan salah satu menu makan siang.. dan ENAK EUYY.. ayamnya di Yogya ini beda banget loh sama ayam-ayam goreng di Jakarta.. bumbunya meresap sampe ke daging nya.. klo di Jakarta kan cuma di kulit doank yang krasa bumbunya.. ayam goreng bu tini ini rasanya manis dan enak haha.. duh gw ngiler lagi ni.. pas banget sama sambel yang ga terlalu pedes, tapi juga ga manis.. it's really great :)

6. Bakmi & Bajigur Kadin
pergi kesini bareng pmimpin cabang klien hehe.. resto ini gede banget dan rame banget.. luar biasa dah.. jualnya cuma MI GODHOG JAWA dan MI GORENG JAWA.. udah.. cuma 2 aja menu makanannya hihi.. tapi banyak banget saung-saung kaya tukang nasi goreng tek-tek keliling itu loh.. gw pesen mi godhog, scara klo denger dari orang-orang sih enakan mi godhog, klo di jakarta kan mi goreng uda banyak ya.. tapi ternyata.. enakan mi goreng hahaha.. um, mi godhog nya itu kuahnya putih.. dulu yang pernah gw coba di Jakarta sih kuahnya coklat gitu.. rasanya enak.. ga terlalu banyak rasa yang kadang bikin lidah gw bingung.. ini rasanya simple but nice.. enak sih.. disajikan sama acar gitu.. tapi ya, itu.. ternyata enakan mi goreng nya hahahah..

7. Kedai Sapi
kedai sapi ini ada 2, yang satu di Ambarukmo Plaza, yang satu lagi.. di kedai gitu.. tapi lupa tempatnya di mana.. nah, beda tempat, beda harga.. kalo kata sang supir sih, sewa di mall itu mahal, jadi harganya juga jadi mahal deh.. kedai ini jualnya macem-macem sapi dan yang paling laris katanya sih iga bakar madu.. so that's what I ordered bareng-bareng.. rasanya sih manis-manis gitu.. tapi iganya rada alot.. aga kcewa sih karna beberapa hari sblumnya uda makan iga bali yang empuk itu.. rasanya sih sbenernya lumayan.. qta juga pesen sort of 'potato corned beef with french fries' which was enak banget.. haha.. seriously.. padahal cuma perkedel pake kornet gitu.. tapi poured with some gravy and makes it perfect.. enak.. yang juga enak dari toko ini adalah minumannya.. minumannya macem-macem banget.. gw nyoba hot mochacinno, served with oreo biscuit.. dan ENAK.. hangat dan manis nya pas.. ada rasa kopi nya and ditaburi coklat gitu.. perfect for relaxing my mind after some overtime :)

8. Bebek Goreng H. Slamet (Asli)
ini bebek terkenal banget loh.. qta pernah mau makan dan yang kita temui adalah tulisan 'HABIS' di depan pintunya hehe.. akhirnya qta kesana lagi dan makan disana.. yang terkenal, of course bebek goreng.. rasanya? enak terutama sambel nya.. sambelnya itu dari cabe mentah yang ditumbuk gitu.. pedes euy.. tapi enak banget.. cuma bebeknya banyak minyak banget.. bikin ndut deh hihi..

overall, my culinary experience in Yogya is trully satisfying.. ya eyalah.. scara makan enak gratis lagi hihi.. some funny facts about eating in Yogya:

1. hampir smua restoran di Yogya selalu dilengkapi dengan band.. or at least ada orang yang nyanyi buat nemenin para penikmat makanan.. nyanyiannya ga slalu enak tapi mayan lah buat memeriahkan suasana.. seru karna kita bisa request dan bahkan kita bisa nyanyi juga klo mau dan ga malu hehehe..

2. restoran di Yogya itu cuma nyediain kuota buat makanan hari itu.. misalnya hari ini kuota nya 200 porsi.. nah udah, klo uda abis, mreka ga buat lagi.. that's why kita sempet keabisan si bebek itu tuh..

well, overall.. I had a GREAT time there

Yogyakarta, I will be back :)

Spending Your Lunch Break at Malioboro Street and Pasar Beringharjo

During my visit to Yogyakarta.. that is the most frequently visited place haha.. I enjoyed the shopping spree along the Malioboro Street.. there were so many things to see and they sell it in a very smart price haha.. fits me really well.. what do they sell? well, all things especially made from batik fabric.. love it so much.. starting from clothes (including dresses, skirts, shorts, pants, blouses, shirts, t-shirts), bags (hand bags, clutch bags, wallet, laptop cases, handphone cases, backpack), sandals, jewelry (necklaces, batik bangles, rings, silvery things, your-own-name necklace & bracelets, earrings), all of it.. you name it.. and all of them were sold in a very reasonable price.. all you have to do is just spend more time to bargain..

Our second most visited place in Yogya is Pasar Beringharjo.. it's a flea market selling all clothes from batik fabric.. LOVE IT SOOOO MUCH.. banyak banget barangnya dan murah-murah euy haha.. me? I bought sackdresses, skirt, t-shirt and blouse with batik fabric (or at least a little ornament of batik).. the best thing of it was I spent less than 200thousands for all those stuffs haha.. jiwa shopaholic terpuaskan dan dompet terselamatkan..

we spent most of our lunch break time wandering around this area and each day, we bought ourselves a little batik haha.. some tips to go to Malioboro Street & Pasar Beringharjo:

1. wear a very comfortable clothes.. I would recommend t-shirt and jeans and a comfy sandal.. flats would be okay.. (fyi, during the lunch break wandering time, I wore a 7-cm-heels.. hahaha)

2. bargain.. bargain.. bargain.. if you go thereduring the peak season, like I did, start with 30% of the offering.. well, usually I got at not more than 50% than the offering from the the seller.. if the seller didn't give you the price you want, try to walk to other stores.. there are usually more than 2 sellers with the same goods along the street..

3. bring a good friend.. a friend who would give you good suggestions about fashion and who will remind you about the money left in your pocket..

4. have fun.. enjoy the ride.. laugh and smile a lot

5. take a good picture.. you didn't come to Yogya twice a year (well,unless you're Yogyaners) hahaha...

P.S: I wish I could come there again, real soon :)

Menikmati Malam Tahun Baru di Omah Dhuwur

pergantian tahun 2009 menuju 2010 dihabiskan di Yogyakarta.. secara lagi ada tugas kantor kunjungan cabang kesana, jadi skalian de menikmati waktu di Yogya.. itung-itung jalan-jalan gratis hihihi.. um, spesifically, malam tahun baru, gw dan 2 temen cewe yang tugas bareng makan malem di Omah Dhuwur.. Omah Dhuwur ini adanya di Kota Gede, near Yogya.. kenapa qta milih makan disini? karena di Yogya selatan (daerah malioboro, keraton dan kawan-kawan) rameeee banget.. padat merayap tanpa harapan haha..

Omah Dhuwur means Rumah Tinggi or High House.. jadi itu rumah khas daerah situ yang tinggi-tinggi, sort of rumah panggung.. konon katanya, rumah ini adalah milik orang paling kaya di Kota Gede.. dan resto ini baru buka gitu.. this resto offers a warm atmosphere and a cozy place..

anyway, we had these in Omah Dhuwur.. (there were only 3 girls with 1 very nice driver)

yang pertama, kripik telo.. it's free.. jadi ini kripik yang dibuat dari ketela or ubi gitu.. i've tasted this before di Malang (waktu branch visit taun lalu hehe).. it's good.. tasted sweetbut not too sweet.. a really nice touch of an appetizer.. yummy :)

yang kedua, ayam sere.. ini dipesen sama temen gw.. dan katanya best seller di resto ini.. for IDR49,252 sih mnurut gw worth.. ayamnya guede banget dan nasinya wangi.. i just had my fried duck for lunch jadi aga bosen makan unggas2an gitu..

so instead, i ordered mie udang.. mie ini adalah standar mie udang haha.. tapi mnurut gw sih enak..ga tau ya apa karna waktu itu gw bner2 lagi laper hihihi.. jadi mie-nya itu ga terlalu dikasi banyak bumbu.. cooked with tomatoes and chay sim.. IDR45,252

last picture, jambu selarong.. it's a mixture of guava, cinnamon, lemon grass and clove.. mnurut temen2 yang minum sih enak.. but i don't fancy any drinks made from lemon grass, so instead I ordered OD Lemon Tea (ga sempet dipoto hehe), it's a standard tea and lemon juice but added with a little apple juice.. TWO THUMBS UP buat lemon tea-ny.. I prefer the hot lemon tea and enak banget.. especially during the rainy season in Yogya..

overall, this resto provided a good Indonesia food with a fine dining concept.. enak banget tempatnya loh.. and when we're eating, our ears were spoiled by the keroncong music and songs.. selain itu ada juga pendopo tempat orang ngebatik.. and you can learn if you want to.. below is the pictures taken in and around Omah Dhuwur..

Omah Dhuwur
Jl. Mondorakan 252
Kotagede Yogyakarta
Ph. 0274 374952
http://www.omahdhuwur.net/
Food: 8/10
Place: 9/10
Price: 8/10