Naka Nakaya

Shame on me :( It's been quite a while since my last post. I was completely drowned in my work and personal life, too busy to write, too ignorant to make time. Apologies... But that doesn't mean I stopped eating. Well, I think I recently lost a little bit of weight due to those excuses I gave above but nevertheless my taste buds are still very much in tune.

Recently I went to Naka Nakaya and within the same week, I came back twice! Naka Nakaya is still under the same management with Sumiya and thus their standard is pretty much above there. The food served are more casual, with more variety of yakitori, a good selection of ramen & soba (which Sumiya doesn't offer) present in a more casual manner. The place is apparently popular among Japanese themselves and thus I assume the taste agrees with the origins.

I gotta love the front entrance. It has that hidden alley / entrance without a real door. Dark wooden fixings combined with dark cold panel slab gave a rather warm ambiance. It isn't as 'dark and dim' as Sumiya, but certainly a little more life and opened space.

Menu : Tan Tan Ramen
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> I love this upon the first sip. The broth has a strong resemblance to our local traditional food 'Soto Ayam' and thus it felt strangely familiar on the tongue. I was kind of confused, I don't know whether the cook over fusion the dish to adjust to the Indonesian people but however, the Japanese ordered this dish the most. This is one of the popular ramen dish in the restaurant. The noodles itself is on point, they didn't overcooked it nor raw tasting. Portion was good, the fillings inside were simple though; slices of chicken and beansprouts. But the star of the dish will have to be the broth! It's like a super good soto ayam that has additional magic ingredients inside. Definitely much stronger in the spice department. A superbly yummy bowl of goodness.

Menu : Chicken Negima
Price : Rp 26,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> It's what I do all the time when I come for Japanese dining. I always order a few sticks of yakitori. It's pretty much like our local satay (but without the peanut sauce), you can have a choice of parts of the chicken; whether it's the meat, skin, gizzard, liver or even intestines -__-. Well, I don't eat organs so I always stick to the boring part; meat itself. 

I had 5 sticks of Chicken Negima for Rp 26,000 and I thought it was a super good deal because even 'Old Chang Kee' is selling at a higher price for one stick hahahaha. But price aside, I quite enjoyed it. It wasn't over the top good but chicken was cooked well, and the leek gave it a crunchy side to the bite. The teriyaki sauce smeared all over combined everything and sealed it together.

Menu : Gyoza
Price : Rp 38,000 ++
Score : 7.75 / 10

>> Dumplings! I lovee dumplings, who don't? It is easy to eat with no hassle; just pop them into your mouth. But what makes a good dumpling? Are you thinking the obvious answer...well what about besides the taste of the fillings inside? My thoughts would be 'the ratio of the skin to the filling'. I hateee those thick doughy tasteless plain skin with teeny meeny amount of fillings. And I don't like an 'ugly' dumpling, too much fillings that burst out of the skin. I had a lot of bad ones and of course a handful of good ones but Naka Nakaya would fall under the 'good ones' Hurrrayy !! The skin is neither too thick nor it's too thin, just the perfect thickness and the amount of fillings compliments it. A good sear on the bottom makes it a little bit crunchy but not dry and a vinegar sauce on the side makes it all better.

Menu : Chicken Namban

Price : Rp 53,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Sadly, I am not a fan of this dish. The portion is enough for 2 to 3 adults to share and I only took a small piece from the plate. The fried chicken itself is tasty, crisp and not overcooked. The mayonnaise with onion sauce is also tasty. But when they poured the entire sauce onto the fried chicken, I didn't quite agree with it. It turns the chicken a little bit soggy and there was too much mayonnaise all over. Basically, you can't control on how much mayo cream that you wanna have. If you guys are gonna order this dish, I recommend you all to get the kitchen to separate the chicken from the sauce. I bet it will be much better.

Menu : Fried Garlic Clove

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

>> Wondering what is this? The title of the menu explains it all. It is literally fried garlic clove. Even though I love garlic, I was a little hesitated to order this in the first place. The waitress assured me that it's pleasant without the over strong bitter taste. I did have it and I quite like it. It's healthy because it's garlic clove but at the same time it's fried. Hahahaha so it's a little bit of cheating. It wasn't bitter and wasn't pungent at all. And surprisingly, it didn't leave a nasty breath. A good simple, healthy and slightly oily appetizer (does it make sense?) hahahaha.

Menu : Black Sesame Mousse

Price : Complimentary

Score : 7.8 / 10

>> I like this thing!! Besides the obvious 'free of charge' reason, it's delish ! It is more lighter than your usual chocolate mousse. It is super airy and light. The black sesame as the main ingredient gave it a more authentic Japanese dessert kind of feeling. The airy mousse is not sweet but the little dollop of sweet cream on the top was perfect ! I liked this so much that I asked for a second serving. Beware : this free beauty comes in small portion.

Naka Nakaya

Senayan Trade Centre, Ground Floor.

Phone : +6221 - 57931751

Seorae

It's been sometime since I chat about Pantai Indah Kapuk? Yes or No? Ummm... hahaha anyways there was a big buzz about a new Korean restaurant opening up in PIK. They were in business around early August and has taken the Pluit, Muara Karang, PIK community by storm! My friends living in Jakarta Barat, Selatan and even Pusat asked me multiple times "Yul, have you tried Seorae ??!". Well I finally did last Friday and I must mention about the queue. Queuing up for food is something that I hate soooooooo sooooooo much, but for the sake of this. I did wait for around 1 hour and 45 minutes !!! I almost gave up after one hour but to think that I had already spent 60 minutes, pushed me to wait till I finally get to try this damn thing. 

The usher in front was actually nice enough, he tried chatting with the people who were waiting anxiously. He assured everyone that they do have enough meat to go around and thus waiting will not be in vain. He tried to explain the specialty that 'Seorae' has to offer is 'Galmaegisal'. Each fully grown pig can only produce 250 grams of this sirloin extension ; Galmaegisal so called 'Skirt Meat' is thus considered as a rare part.

Menu : Sundubu Jigae

Price : Rp 54,800 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> I always go for soup in a Korean restaurant. I think it's important that a good Korean place can make a solid soup. Well it's a 6.5 from me. I had much better ones but I think Seorae's was pretty decent. The tofu, veggies and clams were quite generous, except for the pork. There wasn't much pork noticeable inside the hot stone pot. Overall, it is the kind of dish that when you have it, you'll not be disappointed but nor you will be impressed.

King Spicy Galmaegisal   :   Rp 134,800 ++   ( Score : 9.0 / 10 )

>> I was not hungry when I arrive but was famished after 1 hour and 45 minutes of queuing. Two person ordered 3 dishes. The sundubu jigae soup (above), king spicy galmaegisal and the pork neck (below). If you happen to pay attention to the menu during your trip, you'll notice there is a 'king' and 'non - king' galmaegisal. It simply means the portioning. I would urge you to get the king one! It is goooood and you'll able to finish it no matter how. Then there is a spicy and non spicy, I obviously had the spicy one and to be honest, no heat or spicy kick to my palate. Thus just follow my choice 'King Spicy Galmaegisal' and you won't regret it. I don't know about animal pig's anatomy body part, not sure whether skirt meat is really rare or not. But one thing for sure, my taste buds don't lie. Galmaegisal is a 9 pointer !! And I don't give points that high very often.

By the way, I forgot to mention that Seorae is in fact a franchised brand from Seoul. The owner said in the near future the waiter would most likely to teach the eater to be independent, hence grilling their own meat (exactly like those in Korea). But at the moment, helpers were there to assist us in grilling to perfection.

Hangjeongsal   :   Rp 79,800 ++   ( Score : 8.0 / 10 )

>> Initially I was quite skeptic about 'pork neck', but both of us decided on this anyway. And after grilling it to crisp with slightly char burnt edges, it was surprisingly goooood !! I expect it to be chewy, a similar texture to tendons I supposed. But it wasn't at all. Tender and quite juicy in fact! I dip it with the home made mustard sauce Seorae provide and I was blown away by it. A definite recommendation from trythismenu ^_^.

Coming back here? Yes, yes, yes ! The owner said they're preparing to set up the second floor and getting additional helpers and waiters to accommodate the crowd. Thus by then, the lead time for waiting wouldn't be so painful. A tip that I notice, come in late at around 9.30 pm, but before their last order at 10 pm. Around then, there is no crowd or line waiting on the list. You get served to the table right away! I might do that in the very near future. Galmaegisal saranghaeyo !

Seorae

Rukan Garden House, B - 19. Pantai Indah Kapuk. Jakarta Utara.

Phone : +62 21 29033389

MonViet

It's a tough thing to find a good decent Vietnamese restaurant here in Jakarta. Well maybe it's due to the lack of 'marketing' I suppose? Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurant has been flooding our go to destination shopping malls all over Jakarta and not so much for Vietnamese food. I'm not quite sure why, but maybe it resembles Thai cuisine? Nevertheless, I was in Kemang Village and decided on this for dinner. As it turn out, I left the place deciding on being a return customer! I believe just base on the 2 dishes I tasted below, the other menu were worth my second trip later in the near future.

Menu : Fresh Spring Roll with Prawns
Price : Rp 32,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> The appetizer was a so - so but maybe it was because I opted for fresh raw vegetables instead of the fried one. Anything fried would taste way better, all the time. But anyways, the vegetable were really fresh, with a strong smell of 'Kemangi leaf'. With the additional brown sauce they provide, it's just the right condiments to go with the menu. Prawns were steam and sliced and arranged in such a way that it is visible through the almost see through thin rice skin. A good appetizer to begin, but I'll order the fried one next time !

Menu : Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
Price : Rp 43,000 ++
Score : 7.75 / 10

>> YUMMM ! The soup is goooood. With additional chili given on the side, I poured everything into this, swirl it around for a good mixing and slurp away I go. The broth was splendid with beef goodness and the right amount of seasoning. The vermicelli was spectacular too!! It's difficult to describe the texture of the noodle but it's nothing I had tasted before. It's not too spring, but enough strength for slurping without breaking down too easily. The mouth feel it gave was to my liking. The only thing that I might want more is the beef slices. It's too little in comparison to the amount of vermicelli. It's a meal that is full with carbohydrate and lacking in protein. But hey! I love carbs and would come back for this again.


MonViet
Lippo Kemang Village Mall 
(Outdoor Section; Food Junction)
Phone : 0815 8455 2945

Sunrise Restaurant - Gili Air (Lebaran'12)

I have never heard of 'Gili' until a few months back when I was planning my trip. Gili is situated close to Lombok and I traveled with a chartered 10 minute ride speed boat trip from the local Lombok dock to Gili Air. To those that haven't hear of this island, check out this link http://www.gili-paradise.com. Basically there area 3 Gili islands; Trawangan, Meno & Air. FW and I chosed Gili Air as he has a friend that owns an establishment called 'Omah Gili'. Just for your information, Gili Air is nothing that I had seen or been before. Extremely quite and very laid back. Beautiful serene beach that is famous for snorkeling and diving. But if you are looking for parties, booze and weed for breakfast, then should definitely opt for Gili Trawangan!

My first lunch in Gili Air was at this Sunrise Restaurant (or should i say hut). I was famished and determined to have a good big solid lunch, turned out to be a good one! The cafes and restaurants in Gili Air were similar to one another. Wooden establishment on top of sandy beach with hay as the shelter. The weather there is 90% sunny and thus it make a lot of sense for the design.

Menu : Fettuccine Carbonara

Price : RP 50,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> I am not sure whether the fact the meal was good or it was just me who was being hungry. I asked for extra spicy when I ordered the dish and damn it was spicy! The dish still look like a cream pasta but with extra cut chilies inside. Perfectly cooked pasta; al dente, and the viscosity of the cream was nailed. Thumbs up for the seasoning too. Very yummy and very much recommended.

 

Menu : Pelecing Ayam

Price : RP 45,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Pelecing Ayam is different from Ayam Taliwang, besides the taste of the chili sauce, the chicken in Pelecing Ayam is fried while the chicken in Ayam Taliwang is grilled. As for this, I love the way this piece of chicken is cooked, crispy but not overcooked. However, lack in spicy and chili. The kick is there but not to where I wanted it to take me. Instead of just chili, there is a combination of tomato and chili to make the chili base which thus made it slightly more sweet than spicy for my personal taste.

Sunrise Hotel & Restaurant

Gili Air Lombok - Indonesia

Phone : +62 (0)370 - 642370

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!

Ikkudo Ichi

Finally! I had my share of the new ramen in PIK; Ikkudo Ichi. Some of you guys might already have tried this before I did. I hear quite a good buzz about this new eatery and before I start to blab, I'd just like to mention one point that I like about Ikkudo that we are allowed to cuztomized our ramen to our tongue and liking. Three choice for each categories; noodle firmness, flavour strength, richness (the amount of oil filtered from the soup). My favourite combination is three B's (normal for all three categories). I think it has the best balance for all taste.

Buta Signature (RP 39,800++) Score : 8.5 / 10

Ikkudo's Buta Kara (RP 39,800++) Score 8.5 / 10

Seasoned with cut chili, chili paste & garlic (Score : 9.0 / 10)

Buta Signature Soup - Before Seasoned

If you noticed the two picture at the top, there is a price difference of Rp 4,800 and that lies in the what they claim to be their ' special red sauce '. After tasting both bowl, I have to be honest that I cannot differentiate anything and that both taste equally GOOD ! Note : Order Buta Signature (it's cheaper hahaha).

I have agree with the crowd, that they serve good ramen. Better than Sengoku, even better than Santouka, rather similar to Ikkousha's but I have to revisit Ikkousha to confirm who won the battle at the end of the day. I  like their full set of condiments on the table. The unlimited cloves of garlic, fresh cut red chilis, and also grounded chili paste that when I mixed and poured in abundant into my bowl of ramen (bottom right), I knew I will be coming back to revisit this place!!

The only factor that Ikkudo need to work on is their 'slice pork' or better known as 'Chasu'. Their cut is overly thin and has no bite into it. I had a difficult time finding the meager slice of pork somewhere in my soup. Give the customers a decent cut of good pork and that will certainly win the heart of pork lovers. In addition to the ramen, I noticed their specially designed plastic spoon, love it! It has a certain angle cut at the neck of the spoon thus helping it to be attached to the rim of the bowl.

Menu : Mini Chasu Don

Price : RP 10,800 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> You cannot order this on its own. You can if you have already ordered a bowl of ramen and add this as an additional combo. Good pricing for the rather medium sized bowl. If you're not feeling too hungry, have this instead. Well seasoned minced pork chasu on top of steam white rice. Have it with spring onions, cut chilis and chili paste together and your mood will definitely be lightened up :)

 

Menu : Pork Chasu Curry

Price : RP 49,500 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I don't like their Chasu, tasteless, soggy and too thinly cut. They serve 5 slices on top the steam rice but quantity cannot compensate for quality. Their curry sauce was rather fine but brings back the memory that I had with regards to that famous instant curry paste that can be bought from up scale supermarket. The taste was exactly like this! So bottom line, this didn't taste bad in any way but just simply too ordinary. I like the mini chasu don (top) better than this and it cost only one third of the price. So...go figure!

Menu : Yaki Buta Gyoza Ebi Iri

Price : RP 35,000 ++ (Same for grill and fried)

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> My favourite Gyoza in town and I mean it. I prayed that Ikkudo will never change the kitchen staff that are behind this dish. I love every bit of this and here are why :

1. The skin is thin, not chewy at all. 

2. Filling is generous

3. Love the crunchy bit inside (not sure what, but I don't care)

4. Pork is good, pork and prawn combination is even better

5. Love the spicy condiments that goes well together with all noodle, rice and gyoza!!

6. A big possibility that their gyoza are better than their ramen...hmmmm

Overall, a must try for those ramen lovers! Stay the same and just fix those chasu meat (a constructive advice to the owners) Cheers!

Ramen Ikkudo Ichi
Rukan Crown Golf Blok D No 2 - 3 Pantai Indah Kapuk
Phone : 021 - 966 28677

Bangi Kopitiam

The rate of new cafes and restaurants opening up in Pantai Indah Kapuk is almost too damn fast to be true. Bangi Kopitiam is a newbie in PIK area and situated near the entrance of Tol PIK, exactly across Hops n' Malt. I had a quick bite with a girlfriend, catching up and stuffs like that on a wednesday afternoon. The traffic wasn't that bad, there were quite a few tables on a down time but remains the same until peak dinner time. Maybe words of mouth hasn't spread too wide about this particular 'kopitiam'.

However overall, I quite like the food they served, I pretty enjoyed my bowl of tom yum and tasted my friend's bowl of curry laksa. But the service and the way the waitresses were trained was rather irritating. They were blur as hell, clueless, slow and ignorance when comes to serving and taking orders. Maybe the fact that the place had just opened and thus the flow wasn't yet smooth sailing as they should be.

Menu : Tom Yam Mee Hoon Soup

Price : RP 37,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> They served me raw vegetables, not even blanched in any way. That point was rather a turn off, it shows ignorance in the kitchen. However that was compensated by the tom yam soup itself. They fillings and the add-ons were all very ordinary but the soup really brought the dish alive. A good balance of sour, sweet and spicy. Ask for their 'sambal' too, they serve 2 kinds (besides cabe rawit); sambal bilis & sambal udang. I prefer sambal bilis to be added into this dish. You can have a choice of 'bihun' or 'bakmie' to go with this menu.

Menu : Ipoh Noodle Curry Laksa Soup

Price : RP 32,000 ++
Score : 7.25 / 10

>> I'm not trying to be stingy by giving quarter of ratings but that is what I felt. Just a quarter fraction better than the above tom yum soup. The fillings were again ordinary, just what any other curry laksa would have and once again their soup saved the day! Good kick of heat! Add bird's eye chili and sambal bilis into this and your tongue will go 'gaga' over the hot sun :) Spicy hot I mean and thus beware :p Bottom line, I wasn't disappointed by neither of the dish and will come back in the near future.

Bangi Kopitiam

Ruko Crown, Pantai Indah Kapuk (Close to TOL PIK entrance / Across Hops n' Malt)

Seribu Rasa

 

I gathered some of my friends on Saturday and had a birthday dinner at 'Seribu Rasa', which means literally "Thousand Flavor". It is an establishment in Menteng area (right behind Deutsch Bank) that serves posh Indonesian food. The ambiance of the place was alright, just ordinarily pleasant; dim lighting, parquet flooring, high ceiling, spacious dining area, separate smoking and non-smoking area available. The only 2 big thing that turned me off were; a lot of mosquitoes and only one female toilet !!!!!! It took a long time just to take a piss ---__--- geezz !

Anyways, back to the focus attention; FOOD. It wasn't my first time there, but on this occasion I made sure I ordered the dishes that I haven't tried before (except for the dendeng balado). I liked the dishes on a general scale, it came out on a pretty decent lead time, the service was pleasant and quick too. Bottom line, I'm not too fussy about anything (which is a positive note).

Menu : Kerabu Mangga Melayu
Price : RP 35,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This mango salad dish is slightly different from the normal ones. This has an extra kick of spiciness which I very very much welcome. Sweetness from the sugar, sourness from the green mango and the spicy punch from the chili..hmmm...yummmm !!! Reminds me of Thai food actually.

Menu : Chicken Satay

Price : Rp 35,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Like the chicken, like the complete condiments, like the temperature when the food came out. Like it, all except the portion :( Tooooo little, toooo small, simply not enough :'( A mere five sticks for a portion and the meat are just too skinny and small !

Menu : Dendeng Balado

Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> This is a spicy beef dish, sliced into medallions. Well it's not spicy for me at all but hey...my threshold for chili is above ordinary and so this was child's play for me hahaha :p There's two types of chili, green and red chili paste. I like the green one better due to the fact it has this slight more fragrance to it. The meat was tender and not chewy with a little bit of veins to it. For those who can't handle chili, just simply scrape it off to the side and pass it to you 'hot' friend.

Menu : Pineapple Fried Rice

Price : Rp 56,000 ++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> The presentation was good, it has this half sliced mini pineapple on the plate, but the taste was ordinary. Nothing too special about it, taste the way it was supposed to taste. One of the turn off point was the squid were very much overcooked, chewy like hell !

Menu : Nanking Beef

Price : Rp 85.000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Portion is an issue here again -__- gosh, why are restaurants trying to earn sooo much profit?? I like the flavor though, slightly too sweet but when eaten with steam rice it is compatible ! The beef was cooked well, tender and juicy.

Menu : Fried Chicken with Mango Sauce

Price : RP 63,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Wasn't a disappointment. Even though the chicken was fried, it maintained it's juiciness, tenderness and flavorings was on the spot! I can taste the sweet and sour taste of what the name of the dish had promised to me.

Menu : Ko Samui Red Beef Curry

Price : RP 85,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> My favorite dish of the night. It has this coconut pungent curry base paste and yet didn't overpower the meat. The beef was cooked well, the temperature was right. It wasn't chewy or tough in anyway. The bread containing all the goodness was heavenly too. It was slightly thick but has this crispy crunch to it. Hmmm...good stuff :) Don't miss out on this when you're ordering your dish here.

Menu : Kangkung Balachan

Price : RP 45,000 ++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This was alright, no mistakes whatsoever. Didn't leave me a memorable taste though. This just came out and taste like what other proper Indonesian restaurants can provide, except with a higher price tag!

Menu : Ketan Durian Malaka

Price : RP 33,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> I looooove this one! The 'ketan' is sticky enough but not too sticky or tough that you cannot chew. The durian is definitely noticeable, it tastes super ripe and sweet. And lastly the brown sugar sauce was on the spot !! Love the balance of the texture and the sweetness. Yummmyy !!!

Seribu Rasa

Jl. H. Agus Salim 128 Menteng Jakarta

Phone : 021 - 392 8892