Fook Yew

Fook Yew !! Yes I said it and I wanna repeat myself again 'Fook Yew!!'...sounds vulgar? Different spelling, same pronunciation but isn't that is one good attention grabbing marketing gimmick ?! Fook Yew is another restaurant created by the Ismaya Group people. Love the concept, it gave a very unique and a rather new type of fusion food. It's a cross between Shanghai and Java I suppose. Besides the very catchy name, I like the interior of the place; red represents the Prosperity color and the every other details that the place offer just builds on it. A solid concept from the menu, to the posters, napkins and even the modernized traditional song they play! Attention to detail is what I'm amazed.

Menu : Shanghai Pan Fried Bun (Chicken & Chili Crab)
Price : Rp 29,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> The appearance was drooling for me and the texture of the skin covering the meat inside was thin and crispy at the bottom. Not too dry, not too doughy. Just the right thickness to bit and chew on. The portion of the filling was good too. Not to stingy and each was made in equal size. But the small issue was at the texture of the meat, too soft and thus giving a false feeling of 'uncooked'. But other than that, the seasonings and everything else was delicious!

Menu : Ni Chang Sweet & Sour Crispy Chicken

Price : Rp 52,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> The outer layer of crispy texture was perfection to me! Wasn't soggy nor too hard but the crunchiness was almost to good. But with that comes the issue of being the chicken meat was mallet too thinly. FW lovess this and has no issue with the thin chicken meat but I'd love it to be a little bit thicker. Thus instead of the crunchy fried outer layer, I can enjoy the plumpness of the chicken meat. But worth the order? I'd give a green light :)

Menu : Spicy Beef Fried Rice

Price : Rp 45,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Goodness!! I could feel the spiciness kicking dancing around my taste buds and love that sensation. I'm a big fan of chili and glad the chef was daring with the chili seeds! Hahaha...well I can't say too much with the portion, too little for my fat tummy and the fillings of the beef was almost invisible. But I would order this again I think. The seasoning of the dish was just right on my taste buds.

Menu : Deep Fried Beancurd with Uncle Zheng Sauce

Price : Rp 36,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> My favourite dish of the day! The texture of the deep fried bean curd was just tooo yummy. It was crispy and still soft on the inside. I wonder what kind of flour they use to coat the bean curd skin. The sauce of the side was very complementing. It has a Vietnamese feel to it, very sweet and sour like. (Very sour actually). I recommend for you guys to dip the bean curd in the bowl of sauce instead of just pouring everything and mixing it together with the bean curd. First you loose the crispiness and then next it becomes too sour. Trust me! However bottom line, a must try menu !

Fook Yew

Gandaria City Mall Ground Floor

Warung Wardani - Denpasar, Bali

Warung Wardani is another eatery in Bali that is famous for their 'Nasi Ayam' or in English 'Chicken Rice'. Basically it shares the same idea with 'Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku' (See post 26/09/12). It is basically a selection of vegetables with chicken cooked in several different way, topped with a chicken satay served on top of steam white rice. The idea is simple but the taste is definitely complex and something you can never belittle.

Menu : Nasi Ayam Campur
Price : Rp 35,000
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> If you look closely to the picture above on the right, you can actually figure out each of the food items on the plate. The side dishes consists of :

1. Keripik Kentang
2. Sayur Nangka
3. Dendeng Sapi
4. Buncis
5. Ayam Suwir
6. Sate Ayam
7. Sate Lilit
8. Acar & Sambal

The items above combined together makes a good fulfilling complete dish. I like the chicken satay and sate lilit best. The other vegetables side dishes were 'okay', nothing stood out to me.

Overall, I would say 'Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku' is definitely much better. I'm sure judging from my score you all can figure out. As a matter of fact, one of the main point that Warung Wardani disappointed me was their poorly executed chili. But bottom line, not a 'to die for' but a fairly good dish.

Warung Wardani
Jl. Yudistira 2 - Denpasar, Bali
Phone : +62 (0361) - 224398

Manega Seafood - Jimbaran, Bali (Lebaran 2012)

I always put aside one dinner slot schedule for about eight out of ten trips to Bali, especially for this restaurant. There were some renovation made to the place, better decor all around but one thing for sure, their food is as good as ever! I made a point to come there sharp at 5.30 pm, just managing to catch a good glimpse of the Jimbaran sunset while waiting for the dishes to be cooked.

If you reach here at their peak period (per say 7 to 9pm) you will need all the patience you can find inside you to wait for seats and chasing the waitresses for to deliver your food out of their super chaotic kitchen. Therefore, I seriously suggest for you all to reach no later than 5.30 pm. Rather early for a dinner but the time they get your food onto your the table it's 6.30 pm! Perfect timing isn't it?

Menu : Sate Cumi (Squid Satay)
Price : Rp 75,000++ (For 15 sticks)
Score : To Be Advised

>> If you don't know, I don't eat squid unless maybe fried calamari rings (not a fan either). I didn't try any of these but hearing from FW, he loved it. There is something about the texture and the chewy pat of the squid meat that I just don't like any bit.

Menu : Tiger Prawn

Price : Rp 70,000++ (For 4 pieces)

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Very well cooked, exactly how a prawn should be grilled. It's well done, but still retains it's 'springy' texture when you bite and chew into it. The smoke grilled taste is infused into the dish and when dipped with 'kecap manis' (sweet soy sauce) and cut chili with sambal matah, you'll probably order another dozen of these!

Menu : Kerang (Shellfish)

Price : Rp 40,000++ (For about 12 pieces)

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> This dish is not only the cheaper among the menu but also simply the best tasting one! The shape of the shell retains all the sauce that was smeared all across it instead of dripping down the grilling stove. The sauce is simply yummeh!! It's their specialty I suppose, it's buttery, able to taste the smoked effect from the grill, strong in garlic and has a slight BBQ tang ! Hmmm....delightful :)

Menega Cafe

Jl. Four Seasons Muaya Beach, Jimbaran Bali

Phone : +62 (361) - 705888

The Angel's Bar and Cafe - Lombok (Lebaran'12)

Lombok is mainly populated by the Muslims and thus during the fasting period, very little restaurants were opened. This lunch trip to 'The Angel's Bar and Cafe' was a random pick and on an average was alright. It is situated at the center heart of the city. Even though the service was super slow but however we were informed in advance before the waiter took our order. It was due to the 'Lebaran Holiday' that many took leave from work.

Menu : Nasi Goreng Angel
Price : RP 30,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> A reasonable good plate of fried rice, nothing too special or damn good about it but definitely far from horrible. The portion is okay, the seasoning is good, the eggs is well cooked and even got 2 chicken satays at the side. But nothing scream 'damn delicious' to me. I did finished it but might order something different if I got the chance to revisit.

Menu : Ayam Taliwang

Price : RP 35,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Another round of Ayam Taliwang here in Lombok. I was determined to survey as many Ayam Taliwang as possibly could during my stay in Lombok and this one was a seven pointer. The chicken is beautifully grilled; very moist and juicy still. But the chili in 'Taliwang Raya' (Date of Post : 2 Sept 2012) is by far the most spiciest! There is nothing wrong with the chili here and pretty good on an average, thus I will still recommend you guys to have this a try.

Taliwang Raya - Lombok (Lebaran'12)

This is my first real encounter with 'Sambal Lombok'. For those who don't know, 'Lombok' literally means 'Chili' in Sundanese language and with that meaning behind the name of the island, I wanted my tongue and mouth to be burnt by the 'sambal', the food served here uphold to the name and did not disappoint me at all. Bravo! The restaurant is situated in 'Mataram' area and was  actually a quite famous place, upon reaching the place I understand why. Not only the food was good, the place was well kept, spacious, clean and has a view of rice fields at the back of the restaurant.

Menu : Ayam Bakar Pedes Manis

Price : RP 25,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> The chicken meat itself is not good, very very dry and too tough to chew. But the chili sauce is mind blowing good (which translate to very very spicy) hahaha! The portion is relatively small, enough for one. They uses 'ayam kampung' and thus resulting in the smaller size in compare to 'ayam negeri'. 

Note : Organic chicken is healthier!

Menu : Gurame Bakar Pedas

Price : RP 35,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Unlike the chicken, this piece of fish is grilled to perfection. Flaky meat yet not soggy and definitely moist and juicy still. Bottom line; not overcooked! The chili spread on top is similar to the chicken except a notch hotter (I assume from the title of the dish). It has been so long that I finally got myself wanting to chew on ice cubes due to chili burning sensation in my mouth. I wanted to take away the chili in bottles and bring it home to Jakarta, but they can't prepare on such short notice and thus next time maybe!

Jeeva Klui - Lombok (Lebaran'12)

So here I am, slapped back from my 8 days Ramadhan holidays from Lombok, Gili Air & Bali. I'm actually desperate for another extra week to pamper myself but nevertheless, reality is cruel and thus face it -__- lll. I am going to write a series of post with '(Lebaran Holiday 2012) at the end of the title just to mark as a continuation of my 8 days food journey. It might be quite long but i'll try to be as concise as possible. So relax, put your feet up and start feasting your eyes!

Above are several pictures of the resort I stayed (Jeeva Klui) during my trip in Lombok. Jeeva is situated near to the city center and has a stretch of private beach (Part of Pantai Senggigi) connected directly to the resort. Certainly a breath taking view! The resort only has about 20 bungalow cottages and thus it felt very homey. There were a handful of European tourist but even with that, the place still seemed serene to me. A good recommendation for those looking to visit Lombok.

Jeeva Klui only has one restaurant, bearing in the mind the small scale resort that I classify them to be, it make a lot of sense! The partly outdoor resto sits directly in front of the resort pool and open for all breakfast, lunch & dinner till 11 pm.

Menu : Corn Fritters

Price : Complimentary (Free)

Score : 5 / 10

>> The sweet and sour condiment sauce at the bottom suits my taste but I think the fritter itself was rather cold and soggy. But at the end of the day, this was a complimentary dish so I'm not going to complain too much about it hahahaha!

Menu : Aromatic Beef Salad

Price : RP 65,000 ++

Score : To Be Advise

>> I must honestly say that I sort of forget what this taste like. But definitely and surely not horrible! If it was bad, it's impossible for me to forget the dish. On the other hand, it didn't leave an impression on me and thus it is logical to say this salad didn't blew me away :p

 

Menu : Tuna Sambal Bawang

Price : RP 85,000 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> I was surprised by the size of the tuna fish. I am not sure how much does a kilo of tuna cost but man...Jeeva is generous with their portioning. I like everything about the dish, the salad was tasty, rice was perfectly steamed and cooked, the 'sambal bawang' (chili onion) makes the perfect condiments EXCEPT...the tuna was overcooked and thus slightly too tough for my liking. Nevertheless, it might be a one time mistake made by the chef. Thus if you are a tuna lover, you might wanna have a go at this.

Menu : Ayam Taliwang

Price : RP 85,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Again! Thumbs up for the portioning :) Unlike the tuna, this time the chicken is well cooked. Slightly burnt grill on the outside but still tender and juicy on the inside. The only thing that I would like the chef (if possible) improve is on the sauce. Ayam Taliwang is suppose to be spicy and hot but the taste here lean more towards 'coconuty and peanuty' flavor if you can imagine what I'm trying to explain. It is like a satay sauce but with a stronger coconut flavor instead of peanut.

Menu : Trio Tomato Risotto

Price : RP 80,000 ++

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> This might be the best risotto I have ever tasted in Indonesia. I had a couple of good bowl of risotto back when I was in Melbourne, but in Indonesia?? Hell NONE! At Jeeva, the rice were all plump, soaked with all the goodness of the tomato gravy sauce. The risotto is far from overcooked, exactly right on point! The sunripe tomatoes were extremely sweet thus the name of the dish 'Trio Tomato Risotto'. After the 2 Indonesian dish on top, I understood that the resto cater to the European tourist that come to stay at Jeeva and thus adjusting the taste of the food to their tongue not the local Indonesians.

 

Menu : Penne Zucchini

Price : RP 80,000 ++

Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Another good pasta dish! Now I am more certain with the statement I made above; the fact the chef at Jeeva caters to the European tongue and taste. This is my first try on a Zucchini pasta dish. It has a cream sauce base, similar to "Carbonara" but not as thick. I am not a big fan of cream base pastas but this I certainly don't mind having :)

Menu : Chocolate Fondant 

Price : RP 55,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> My meal wouldn't be complete if I haven't had dessert to sum everything up. I chose chocolate fondant and it was an average one. The technique behind was nailed; right temperature, soft texture, melted chocolate oozing out from the center upon cutting into but it lacks a little bit of sugar and a gigantic scoop of vanilla ice cream at the side (instead of whip cream). Nevertheless, not a disappointing menu!

Jeeva Klui Resort

Jln Raya Klui Beach No. 1 Lombok Indonesia

Phone : +62 (0) 370 693 035

Fax : +62 (0) 370 693 036