Izakaya Issei

Another new spot to share. Yay! It's the newly established Izakaya Issei. This small Japanese eatery is located in the busy Senopati area, tucked on the second floor, on top of a small cafe, Appetite and Chief barbershop. Though it was quite hard to be noticed on first go, I am sure you'll notice it if I told you it was on the house right next to the famous Cacaote. Well, you know where to go. 

The word izakaya represents Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks, a casual place for after-work drinking. While issei means first. This kind of joint was not common here in Jakarta and that's why Izakaya Issei brought a whole new experience. Let me tell you beforehand that I fell in love with the place, the dishes and even the very hospitable host. I was there to join the crowd for #EATJKT event, held from 21 April to 18 May 2014, and I was so pleased with all the food presented, the speed of service and the nice dinner companion. Here we go.

sharing is caring

The place was not too large but somehow comfortable. It was very crowded on Tuesday night, a good sign that this place really serves good food. We got ourselves a table on the corner, right in front of the famous 'Sharing is Caring' sign.

Let's start with something girly, like this Sake Beries Issei 125k. With a really nice and unique presentation along with cute pink liquid, this definitely fits me, a beginner for drinking. Tasted bittersweet with a strong strawberry taste.

Issei Chicken 27k

This is a must try when visiting Izakaya Issei, their signature Issei Chicken, deep fried chicken served with spicy sambal. The sambal was very spicy and of course I'm a fan. The chicken was very tender and you won't notice that along the conversation, a plate was finished. It was just perfect to start the night.

Age Dori Negi Sauce 36k

This is my personal favorite, age dori negi sauce. If you followed my instagram account, you'll notice I uploaded this live from Izakaya Issei. It was deep fried chicken thigh with special sauce. The chicken was tender, moist, juicy and almost melt in your mouth. The sauce tasted dominantly sweet and blended really well with the chicken.

top: Wakame Salad 45k - Korokke Potato 27k
bottom: Agedashi Tofu 27k - Jacko Salad 36k

Stop a while with a healthier option, like the delicious wakame salad and jacko salad. Both salad served with similar veggies but wakame salad is topped with seaweed and served with additional mayonnaise, while jacko salad is topped with jacko (Japanese small fish, similar to teri). I prefer wakame salad as the dressing were richer with the help of mayonnaise, but I do love the jacko. So perhaps, you can order both and mix them together? Korokke potato was served hot and has a smooth potato puree texture while the agedashi tofu was a darling. Love the warm sweet-salty soup with smooth silk tofu. Yums!

One of the must item in an izakaya is yakitori (Japanese skewer). I taste lots of these that I can't even remember what I had that night. Is there something called yakitori overdose?

Assorted Yakitori - original

Assorted Yakitori - sweet

Here's my personal favorites: gyutan 18k (beef tongue), teba 12k (chicken wings), tsukune 16k (minced chicken) and bonjiri 16k (chicken tail). These yakitori can be ordered with original sauce or sweet sauce. In my opinion, both sauce were nice with different, unique taste each. Theser yakitori are well-marinated and cooked to perfection. Now, if you are allowed to eat pork dishes, do not forget to have these luscious, buta bara (pork belly) and buta bara negi miso (pork belly with miso sauce and spring onion). These pork belly melts in your mouth and definitely not to be missed.

front: Buta Bara Negi Miso 27k - back: Buta Bara 25k 

Continuing our exciting journey, we had teba tsukune, chicken wings stuffed with minced chicken. This is definitely one of my must-order item. Love the juicy chicken wings texture and loving the minced chicken stuffing. Yum yum.

Teba Tsukune 25k

Overwhelmed with the starters and smaller menu, but spare your tummy for the mains. First stop is my favorite, gyutan don, Wagyu tongue with special sauce and rice - spicy. Delicious is an understatement. The beef tongue was very tender and smooth, with enough seasoning and some chilies, you have yourself a bowl of happiness. I do think that the portion would be too small for guys, but hey.. you had more than enough starters and smaller menus to choose.

Gyutan Don 95k

Continuing our bigger menu with butabara don and tori soborodon. Butabara don is pork belly over steamed rice. The seasoning was similar with gyutan don with spring onions and chilies on top. Of course, the pork belly was tender and smooth. While tori soborodon is minced chicken donburi topped with nori and egg. Again, it was well-seasoned and delicious!

Butabara Don | Tori Soborodon 62k

If you prefer something without rice, try the chicken katsu curry and chicken teriyaki. Crispy breaded chicken cutlet drenched in thick curry sauce. You gotta love it. The chicken teriyaki is another darling. Juicy chicken cooked with sweet teriyaki sauce.

Chicken Katsu Curry 46k

Chicken Teriyaki 39k

Are you thirsty already? I bet the sake berries we had earlier were not enough to quench your thirst. Do not be afraid as Izakaya Issei serves Asahi beer. Japan's no. 1 beer served in a frozen glass. I did not try it as I'm not too fond of alcohol, but everybody knows the quality of this beer.

Asahi Beer 

Or try their signature cocktail selection. We had rhubarb lemonade and Tokyo flush fixx. Rhubarb lemonade consisted of orange wedges, fresh lemon juice, Jim Beam White, sour rhubarb and sprite on top. While Tokyo flush fixx consisted of sake, midori, vodka, soda water and lemon wedges. These are lighter version of the alcoholic beverages served in the house. I have to say that I kinda like the rhubarb lemonade as it was really refreshing, with a light taste of alcohol.

 Rhubarb Lemonade 110k - Tokyo Flush Fizz 125k

To end the lovely night, we were served with beer sorbet, a dessert made from the alcoholic drinks which tasted unique and refreshing.

Now imagine you with your beloved friends share the table for great Japanese cuisine and some fresh cocktails over gossips. That's definitely my kind of night. Overall, I had a great time at Izakaya Issei with a lovely host and delicious food. I will surely return to taste more of their delicacies.

Izakaya Issei
Jl. Senopati Raya No. 82 Level 2
South Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 6079 6880

Menya Sakura (麺屋桜)

By now, I guessed everyone has aware of how ramen invades Jakarta.. I don't have to list down all those names for you.. Menya Sakura is one of the latest ramen house to open a new outlet in Jakarta.. Originated from Nagoya, Japan, this ramen house is famous as the 'small store, long queue'.. 

Arriving around 11.50 AM, I was quite surprise that the ramen house was crowded and full with people craving for ramen.. Located in the 2nd floor, this restaurant was quite small and you can hear the hustle of people chatting.. So, the waiter taking our name in the waiting list is a Japanese guy.. Personally, I think he's a store manager taking over due to the long queue.. After waiting around 10 minutes and deciding what to order, we finally got our table at the back corner of the restaurant.. I have to say I was impressed with their speed in managing the queue.. The table was cleaned in split second and the new customers can quickly get their tables..

On the table, a tray of all condiments were available.. I noticed fresh garlic, soy sauce, chili powder and this purplish powder tasted like salt.. It was one hot afternoon that I picked the cold ocha 10k for drinks.. It's not refillable, but the glass was quite big, so I have no complains..

So, the each of the girls ordered tonkotsu ramen 49.8k while the guys ordered spicy tonkotsu char-shu men 75k.. Not a creative group, eh? As far as I know, tonkotsu ramen is the most famous menu in all ramen houses.. It's a bowl of ramen in a pork-based soup broth served with pork slices and half soft-boiled egg.. While spicy tonkotsu char-shu men is the spicy version of tonkotsu broth served with more pork slices.. And that is why the guys were having the char-shu men.. See? More pork, more love from the guys..

The broth looked quite thick, I guessed it's the result of hours of pork cooking in the attempt to get the best flavor.. Thank God, it was still quite light and not overwhelming.. Definitely not as thick as those broth I found in other ramen houses, which is good.. The soup was really tasty and delicious, all at the right level.. I prefer the basic tonkotsu soup (added with chili powder according to my liking) to the spicy tonkotsu as the spicy one was too oily for my palate.. The ramen was cooked al dente, chewy and smooth.. Again, it's at the right level of not being too hard or too mushy.. 

Now, let's continue to the best thing in the bowl, the char-shu.. Let me tell you, those pork slices were to die for.. It was so, so good as it literally melts in you mouth, giving a nice, fragrant pork taste at its best.. Heavenly! 

So we had our big meal, but you know that there will always be room for dessert, no? Menya Sakura's dessert selection is quite limited but I was attracted to the mochi green tea 20k.. Consisted of two pieces of mochi and green tea ice cream, then topped with soy powder.. The mochi was mediocre and a bit tasteless, but the green tea ice cream saves the day! It was smooth and not overly sweet, in other word, it was perfect! Perhaps next time, I will just order the green tea ice cream, which was priced 12k..

So overall, it was a hearty lunch at Menya Sakura.. The food was delicious at a reasonable price.. On top of above price, you will be charged 10% for tax and 5% for service.. I will come back for their green tea ice cream, for sure..

Menya Sakura

Lotte Shopping Avenue 2nd Floor

Jln. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 3-5

South Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 2988 9256 

www.menyasakura.co.id

Ikkudo Ichi

Ikkudo Ichi is one of the top list of Jakarta's ramen stalls.. and how good words spread fast.. I have heard about this ramen stall for quite a while and was really curious and eager to try it.. so when my brother mentioned that he wanted to try this as well, I was more than excited.. and so we traveled quite far, far away to PIK area and easily found a huge Ikkudo Ichi sign welcomed us.. we were there..

the place was quite packed that afternoon that we only managed to get a table in the outdoor dining area.. due to the hungry tummy, I didn't take any pic of the atmosphere.. but in general, it was typical Japanese ramen stall with wooden chairs and nicely decorated with Japanese lanterns in the ceiling.. the outdoor area was quite comfortable since it was windy and the service was very good and prompt.. a plus point was when the waiter gave us an extra chairs to put our bags..

the menu was mainly consisted of ramen with choices of pork broth or chicken broth.. along with it are Japanese appetizers and side dishes.. our choice of appetizer went to buta chasu aburi (Rp48,000) since they run out of gyu chasu aburi which was recommended by wanderbites.. buta chasu aburi is five slices of pork which was usually put on top of the signature pork ramen then served with crushed garlic and scallions.. personally, I prefer more slices if you really have to put such thin ones on my plate.. taste wise, the pork was very tender and smooth, the main reason why I love pork.. it was perfectly balanced with the crushed garlic to make it less porky.. still smelled and tasted too porky for my mom but I love it.. 

buta chasu aburi

now, what the use of going to a ramen stall without ordering a bowl of it? of course, we had our ramen bowls here.. my brother had the ikkudo buta kara (Rp41,900) while I shared ikkudo tori kara (Rp41,900) with my mom.. buta kara is ramen with pork-based soup served with special red sauce, pork slices, boiled eggs, wakame and sesame seeds.. while tori kara is ramen basically the same only with chicken-based soup and chicken slices.. you are allowed to choose the thickness of the broth, the oil level and the texture of the ramen, so choose wisely.. we basically chose the normal broth thickness and normal noodle texture with less oil..

I noticed that the broth (both pork and chicken) was much lighter and clearer than Ikkousha's.. and I love it! it tasted delightful.. really smooth broth as a result of the slow-long cooking process was combined with chewy ramen then added with the tender boneless chicken.. you will get a bowl of satisfaction.. the special red sauce brought almost no value added to the dish as I still added more chili powder for spiciness.. after the first sip, I also add a little bit of crushed garlic to make the dish even more enjoyable.. my brother was also enjoying his ramen and kept saying that it was good..

ikkudo buta kara

so overall, all of us had a delicate lunch and happy tummy always means happy me.. here's a look of the happy ending of ikkudo tori kara..

Ikkudo Ichi
Rukan Crown Golf Blok D No. 2-3
Bukit Golf Mediterania, PIK
North Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 9662 8677

Ninety Nine

Merry Christmas everyone! I just can't believe that it's almost the end of 2012 already.. wow, time flies fast, huh? anyway, last Friday, I had an early Christmas dinner with my best girls.. and as we are five busy girls, it's really hard to find a time to fit everyone's schedule.. so when finally we had Friday night set, I was beyond excited.. we decided to have our dinner at Ninety Nine in Grand Indonesia due to the central location and cozy place.. a friend of mine made the reservation and though the traffic was quite unfriendly that I managed to reach the place around 7.30 p.m..

the place was quite pack though not full and we had a very nice table, a good start.. the menu was quite extensive from Western cuisine to Asian cuisine.. start our night with fresh drinks, iced grapefruit (Rp38,000), iced kiwi berry (Rp38,000) and pink lychee iced tea (Rp40,000) plus a cup of hot chamomile tea (Rp32,000).. I looked like an old lady based on my drink order, really.. but I was looking for something warm and chamomile tea was my perfect choice.. and kindly they add a piece of cookie to accompany my tea.. of all the fresh drinks, we all agreed that our favorite was iced kiwi berry.. it was sour and sweet at the same time with fresh fruits to literally wake you up.. I'll remember to order that next time..

hot chamomile tea

pink lychee tea - iced kiwi berry

off to the main courses.. started off with an appetizing plate of nachos chili con carne (Rp52,000).. it was one great nachos with lots of condiments and generous cheese.. I totally loved it.. continued with al capone pizza (Rp86,000) which was wood stone baked pizza topped with beef ham, pepperoni, minced beef and beef sausages.. sorry, the pic turned blur and not blog post worthy.. the portion was huge so remember to share when you order it.. it tasted just okay, nothing special and one of my friend even dislike it.. so I don't think it was quite recommended.. on the other hand, our dinner star, barbeque pork ribs (Rp186,000) was definitely can't be missed.. glazed in honey hickory BBQ sauce and served with baked potato, the ribs was tender and just delicious.. I would lick the whole bones if I don't remember being in public area wearing a dress.. not a classy lady attitude haha.. lastly, we still have baked lasagna (Rp86,000).. looked very yummy and finally some greens in between our meaty meals.. however, by the time it arrived, we were already to full.. I tasted a bite and thought it was quite good.. it was filled generously with minced beef and tomato ragout and topped with melted mozzarella cheese.. 

nachos chili con carne

barbeque prok ribs

baked lasagna

so, our bellies were indeed full but there's this little space which was always be available for desserts.. and my friends are desserts addict, so there's no way we can end our dinner unless we do it the proper way.. bread and butter pudding (Rp38,000) and lemon meringue (Rp34,000) were ordered.. not long after, both desserts come.. now, the bread and butter pudding has my high expectation since I'm a huge fan.. served with vanilla ice cream and vanilla sauce it looked really tempting.. however, after the first bite, it was too sweet for my taste buds.. ah, disappointing.. though the texture was soft and smooth, I can't help but stop eating after a few spoons.. the lemon meringue however, was outstanding.. sour meringue on top of sweet lemony cake.. now, that's heavenly.. the cake was soft and fluffy, not too sweet and I love the red jam aside which tasted really sour.. apparently, sour and sweet was match made in haven..

bread and butter pudding

lemon meringue

overall, great companion for your dinner is definitely the best thing in the table.. the good food and atmosphere were always a nice compliment.. a bit pricey though as the five of us ended spent Rp813,560 (the prices above are subject to 7.5% service charge and 10% tax).. worth it? well, for a once-in-a-while occasion, I guessed I wouldn't mind.. but definitely won't go there too often :D

Ninety Nine
Grand Indonesia East Mall Lower Ground
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No.1 

Central Jakarta 10210
Ph.: +6221 2358 1196

www.ninetynine.co.id

Yamagoya Ramen

ramen is definitely gaining a special place in the heart of Jakartans.. I mean just look at how it mushrooming throughout the city.. this time, my friends and I went to visit Yamagoya Ramen located in UOB Building.. why? well, we're talking about three girls here.. one living in North Jakarta, another one in almost South Jakarta and me in West Jakarta.. we need to find some place central haha.. 

Yamagoya Ramen served Kyushu-style ramen, with two types of broth: tonkotsu (pork bone) soup base and chicken soup base.. the menu was quite straight-forward, which consisted of mainly ramen in several styles and Japanese side dishes.. my friend went with mukashi special ramen - chicken soup (Rp53,000) and Kyushu black paste ramen - tonkotsu soup (Rp50,000) while I went with spicy tobanjan ramen - tonkotsu soup (Rp50,000).. and we ordered a portion of gyoza (Rp30,000) to share.. as for the drinks, we simply went with hot ocha.. 

the hot ocha was served in a very cute cup.. I want one for myself, can I? *grin* I personally think you can't ruin good food with too complicated drinks.. that's why I love having plain water or just simply hot ocha to accompany the meals.. it made the dish shines more.. but again, it's my personal preference.. 

our gyoza came first.. six pieces of appetizing Japanese-style of wonton.. this gyoza was really delicious.. it was crunchy outside and very tender inside.. as you bite a piece, you can feel a little sip of pork broth inside.. it was simply heavenly.. 

all of our ramen came just in time after we finished our appetizers.. three appetizing bowls of different ramen.. my spicy tobanjan ramen was served in a huge bowl, with milky-tonkotsu broth and a small plate of chili paste, which directly poured into my bowl.. two slices of pork, bean sprouts, lots of chopped celery and seaweed are the condiments.. first of all, I love my tonkotsu broth.. it was milky, silky and smooth.. I love this one better than Hakata's.. the thin noodles and the tender pork definitely made my day.. I did tried my friends' orders.. the mukashi ramen's broth was clear as it was a chicken base and tasted awesome! not too heavy but very tasty.. my friend truly love her ramen and tamago.. while the Kyushu black paste ramen was another thing.. the tonkotsu broth was similar to mine but the black paste definitely add some unique taste.. 

mukashi special ramen - chicken broth

spicy tobanjan ramen - tonkotsu broth

Kyushu black paste ramen - tonkotsu broth

overall, I had a hearty lunch at Yamagoya Ramen.. good food and great lunch companions.. what could be better? :)

Yamagoya Ramen

UOB Thamrin Nine Basement 1

Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 10

Jakarta 10230

Ph.: 6221-3190801

[Sydney] Hurricane's Grill

Hurricane's Grill is in my must-visit-no-mater-what list.. the brand has been really famous for selling one of the best pork ribs in the world.. I remember that everybody who knew we were visiting Sydney was recommending this place.. so the expectation was really high!

we decided to visit Hurricane's Grill branch in the famous Bondi beach, though they also have a branch in Darling Harbour.. we made our reservation in advance for 8:00 p.m.. but for overexcitement reason, we arrived too early and ended had to wait for a while.. but the waiters were very nice and made our table ready even before our reservation time.. once seated, we ordered plain water to accompany our meals.. a portion of caesar salad (AUD20.00) and full rack pork ribs (AUD42.90).. both dishes were shared between four girls.. don't get us wrong, but we heard that the portion was huge, so it's better to order the minimum and add more than to waste food due to over-ordering.. before our orders arrived, we were given an apron to avoid anything happen to our dresses.. very thoughtful :)

the caesar salad arrived first.. a good thing, since I do want to eat the appetizer first.. unfortunately, some Indonesian restaurants just don't get the idea of appetizers and main course.. a huge mountain of crisp cos lettuce, croutons, bacon, anchovies, shaved parmigiano drenched in caesar dressing.. it was delicious! I am a huge fan of caesar salad and this one didn't let me down at all.. the freshness of the lettuce combined with parmigiano and the dressing was just delicious.. I think I took the largest portion of finishing this dish haha.. 

a few moments later, come the star of the night.. full rack of pork ribs accompanied with french fries.. the portion was unbelievably huge.. first bite and the expectation was met.. it was one delicious ribs with tasty seasoning.. the meat was very tender and easily got off from the bones.. it was finger-licking good! the french fries was fat, crunchy outside and very smooth inside.. counting the calorie every time I eat a bit of it.. we were not quite satisfied and we ended up ordered another portion, half rack pork ribs (AUD31.90) for the second round.. that's just how much we enjoyed the meal.. forget about the calories or diet or anything.. it was simply heavenly..

Hurricane's Grill
130 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach,
Sydney, Australia
Ph.: +61 2 9130 7101
www.hurricanesgrill.com.au/

[Sydney] Chat Thai

hi all.. welcome to Sydney.. one of the most beautiful cities in the world.. I left my heart there, with the old buildings, great view and of course, the Opera House..

our first culinary experience in Sydney was another Thai food.. I can tell that Thai food has a place in the heart of Australians.. I got this recommendation from my friend who used to live in Australia and it was one of the most recommended restaurant found in Sydney's food blogs.. so the expectation was high.. our hotel is located right behind the Central Station, and we only have to take a few walks to reach Chat Thai in Campbell Street.. a little sports to start up the day.. as we arrived during lunch time, the place was packed! another level was added to our expectation..

after a while, we finally got our seats.. a small table with four seats.. the distance between each tables was quite narrow that you can hear as the other patrons were speaking.. not too comfy actually but it was one of a kind eating experience.. I noticed that there's an Indonesian family across our table.. well, off to the food.. our drinks came first, one kafe yen or iced coffee with caramelized milk (AUD4.00), one iced cha nohm rorn and two hot cha nohm rorn or sweet tea with caramelized milk (AUD4.00).. the kafe yen was great! but we were quite disappointed with the cha nohm rorn since they tasted kinda weird.. 

kafe yen - hot cha nohm rorn - iced cha nohm rorn 

as the appetizer we had mhu bhing or grilled pork skewers (AUD2.00 each).. pinkish pork skewers served with Thai chili.. the skewer itself was rather bland but luckily the chili saved the day.. it tasted really good and full of spices.. 

of course you can't go to a Thai restaurant without ordering padt thai,  the stir fried thin rice noodles with chicken, dride shimps, bean sprouts, garlic and chives in a tamarind and palm sugar sauce (AUD9.90).. I'm so sorry to say but Boon Chu Thai's padt thai was way better than this one, in terms of taste and portion.. 

this one was one of Thai's finest cuisine,  gaeng keaw gai or green curry of chicken with apple eggplants, kaffir lime leaves and basil (AUD14.00).. it's my first time trying this and I have to say I'm not a fan.. a lot of things going on my tongue on my first bite and it was quite overwhelming.. I still find it edible but I don't think I would order this anytime soon.. I'm gonna stick to tom yam goong for now.. however, my friend found it very enjoyable.. she said it was one of the best green curry she has ever tasted.. talking about different taste :)

lastly, we have khao mok gai which is chicken and rice braised in tumeric and five spice with green chili and garlic sauce with rice (AUD10.90).. in my opinion, it was similar to Indonesia's nasi kuning.. the chicken was nice, crispy outside and tender inside.. I love the yellow rice since it was fragrant and perfectly cooked.. the green chili was another plus point.. I love the spicy food.. 

overall, I didn't find Chat Thai quite as I had expected before.. and turned out our high expectation was not fulfilled.. I still think Boon Chu Thai has the best padt thai.. or perhaps I should travel to Thailand to experience the original padt thai.. but until then, the best padt thai is still in Gold Coast.. 

Chat Thai

20 Campbell Street Haymarket

Sydney

Ph.: +61 2 9211 1808

www.chatthai.com.au