Pizza Hut

It's been ages since my last trip to a Pizza Hut joint, more than 2 years maybe. Last week, I was sitting in front of the TV and Pizza Hut's advertisement played and since then I have been craving for a slice of their pizza. Marketing gimmicks works I guess. I went in last Thursday and their special Thursday menu (HEBAT = hemat banget) is a 50% off on Crown Crust Black Pepper Chicken and also on their Puff Pastry Mushroom Cream Soup. Therefore a complete meal for two person, the bill came down relatively cheap; Rp 150,000.

I had the appetizers, entree, main and chocolate ice cream to end my lunch. The overall experience was okay, even though I was mildly irritated by the talkative waitress. All of the waitress were trained to speak in a certain way and memorize a certain paragraph. The whole thing becomes an act and in a way 'fake'. Nevertheless, it is a junk food chain restaurant and thus I can expect too much out of it.

Menu : Garlic Cheese Bread
Price : Rp 14,500++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I wanted to eat garlic bread so badly and when I saw this on menu I was derailed; tempted by the melted cheese all over on top. Even though I like just the garlic bread better, this garlic and cheese topping works beautifully together. The taste definitely works for me.

Menu : New Orleans Chicken Wings
Price : Rp 27,000++ (6 pieces)
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Whenever I come to a Pizza Hut joint, I'll always order this BBQ chicken wings. It is damn tasty!! The small size of the wings actually compliments to the entire dish, you can just easily pick one up and bite the juicy meat easily off from the bones.

Menu : Puff Pastry Mushroom Cream Soup
Price : 17,000++
Score : 3.5 / 10

>> Bland, bland, bland. No seasoning what so ever. I really think the chef forget to sprinkle salt and pepper into the dish. The pastry was fine but the taste was just utter disappointment!

Menu : Crown Crust Black Pepper Chicken
Price : Rp 32,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Crown crust simply means; fish finger lay over close to edge of the rim. This personal pan taste yummy! The black pepper sauce was tasty and seasoned well, the vegetables on top was not overcooked, the chicken were still juicy and the dough was the right thickness.

Menu  : Choco Mania
Price : Rp 24,000++
Score : 4.0 / 10

>> Super market bought chocolate ice cream and I assume the brand might be "Diamond" or "Wall's". Nothing special about this, just bits and pieces of chocolate bits thrown together into a big bowl. The only great thing is that this has 4 big scoops!!!

Bubur Ayam Abang - Abang (Road Side Chicken Porridge)

I have been in working in PT. Wihadil for about 1.5 years and just for your information and slight free advertisement; we're a manufacturer of sodium cyclamate (artificial sugar or sweetener) and for details, you can visit www.wihadil.com hahaha! Anyways back to the food topic, I had my first "Bubur Ayam Abang Abang" since I get in here. I often ate bubur ayam (Chicken Porridge) in my previous company for breakfast. But I don't know why, I stop having chicken porridge in the morning. 

I love road side chicken porridge, even though it is truly a simple food and some people think it is a 'peasant' food, it taste real nice and authentic to our traditional way of what the local eat. On top of the porridge you'll find shredded chicken meat, roasted ground nuts, birds eye chili, special gravy and crackers on the side. The food is cheap; RP 5,000 and it surely fire you away in the morning, giving you the extra energy to get through another day in the office.

Bubur Ayam Abang - Abang
Price : Rp 5,000
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> It has been ages since I ate bubur ayam and to be honest my first time eating it in the office. I was surprise and the price in comparison to the quantity. For the mere Rp 5,000 the portion is quite large and not only that, the shredded chicken and all the other goodness were plentiful and yummy! Definitely going to have breakfast more often in the office.

Rice Bowl

I wasn't in the mood for food but for the sake of just eating I had 'Chicken Rice' at Emporium Pluit Mall. It was a quick trip down to 'Rice Bowl' and actually my first. Rice Bowl (www.ricebowl.co.id) was first opened in October 2004, with the goal of providing great food, great services at an affordable price. Rice-Bowl serves many different variety of Asian cuisine, such as their all time favorite Roasted Duck, Black Pepper Beef, Hainan Chicken, Braised Japanese Tofu, and many more.

Menu  : Singapore Hainan Chicken Set
Price : Rp 39,900
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> For the budget price, I reckon the portion and the taste was satisfying and definitely worth it for money. The portion was generous and I couldn't finish the set. The rice was fragrant, chicken was succulent and broccoli was crunchy and yummy! I felt the chili was alright but definitely can improve on the taste; it was spicy enough and a little more ginger can do more good than harm.

Marutama Ramen

This is my second time to Marutama Ramen and to the same branch in EX Mall. I had a lot of pork dishes today and together with DH we 'piggied' ourselves to the max! I had Ramen the last time I was here and today I tried the Rice dishes too. The side dishes was of coursed wasn't missed by me and by the time we finished, I was all guilty with regards to my cholesterol level. I hope my body understands that, and forgives me :p

Menu : Pork Curry Gohan
Price : Rp 52,000++
Score : 6.0 / 10

» The portion is quite big, the pork meat is tender and juicy. But the curry sauce was too bland. It didn't have enough curry flavor, the seasoning needs to be more definitely!

 

Menu : Pork Chasu Gohan
Price : Rp 38,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Suitable portion for my tummy, not too big that you need to force yourself to finish the dish. To simply say it, it has the right size. I liked the pickled radish they put on top of the chasu. The price wasn't too pricey for the medium sized portion too!

Menu : Karashi Ramen
Price : Rp 52,000++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> This is the second time I had this Ramen and surprisingly it tastes better this time! I'm sure it is because that soy sauce, pepper and cut chili were poured into this bowl, thus making the broth crazily good!

Menu : Steamed Dumpling
Price : Rp 30,000++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I loveeee steamed dumpling in spicy vinegar soy sauce. The spiciness, saltiness and the tartness was incredibly wonderful.

Menu : Kakuni Pork Belly
Price : Rp 30,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» This pork belly is soft and succulent even though it has a little bit too much fats, i still like this dish. The sauce is salty and has an unique taste, I recommend eaters to eat this white plain white rice.

Menu : Yaki Chasu
Price : Rp 30,000++
Score : 7.0 / 10

» This is an entree dish and definitely my favorite dish in the entire menu. With a good amount of squeezed lemon all over, sprinkle chives and ask for the house cut chili to complete the whole experience. The fatty part wasn't too overpowering for my taste, just simply yummy!

Menu : Tori Dango
Price : Rp 22,000++
Score : 5.75 / 10

>> These six pieces of chicken meat balls are very small in size, bite size; more like a canape. The flavor is pretty okay but the texture of the meat is too mushy, I rather like it to be more firm and a hint of chili or slightly more pepper.

Wedding Dinner @ Hotel Mulia

Yesterday, the 14th January 2011 was certainly the loveliest day for my dearest friend Alvina. She had her wedding reception at Hotel Mulia. It was a beautiful wedding, the decoration was not only incredible, the entertainment was unique and fun too. It was a table dinner reception and the theme of the food was "posh Chinese cuisine". The wedding also gathered a couple of long time old friends, rekindle some lost moments that will be treasured forever.

My favorite dish of the night surely was the dessert; Thai Coconut Jelly with Vanilla Sauce. It was the perfect match to end the meal. The shark's fin soup and the fragrant fried rice would come second. Next was the prawn and the chicken fillet, fourth would the fish and lastly was the sea cucumber dish. I don't actually like sea cucumber, even though it is an expensive food, I'm just terrified of the the slimy texture hahaha...silly silly me!

THE MENU

 - BBQ Combination : Roast Duck, Jelly Fish, Baby Octopus, Vegetale Cakwe

- Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat

- Deep Fried Prawn with Wasabi Mayonnaise

- Deep Fried Chicken Fillet with Thai Chili Sauce

- Crispy Fried Fillet of Marble Goby with Soya Sauce

- Braised Sea Cucumber with Bailing Mushroom in Oyster Sauce

- Wok Fried Fragrant Rice with Cubed Chicken and Balachan Sauce

- Thai Coconut Jelly with Vanilla Ice Cream

Arang 22

My close friend (SM) had her twin baby boys today. She had a C - section and within 10 minutes her babies were out of her tummy. Brayden and Bradley were the two names! After visiting her in the hospital, I had Korean dinner with DH. I chose Arang 22 as the place. I heard a lot of buzz about this restaurant but only get to try it now. The parking space was a bitch but the food experience was apologetic for all the parking excuse.

 

Menu : Sut Bul Kalbi

Price : Rp 180,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Great tasting meat! I like the saltiness of the marinate sauce they use. Very succulent and juicy. With green lettuce leaf, cucumber, chili and red Korean paste, the whole party on the tongue is just irresistible!

Menu : Kimchi Chigae

Price : Rp 65,000++
Score : 7.0 / 10

» I would have to say this is 2nd best to Gyukaku's kimchi soup. Definitely better tasting than the one Han Gang is serving. It has great seasoning and the balance of sour, salty and the spicy really had me go for 2nd serving.

Menu : Bossam Jongsik

Price : Rp 80,000++
Score : NIL

» I'm sorry to say that I didn't taste this and therefore not able to cast a score. I had the Kimchi served at the side but not the pork. Reason was that it is 100% FATS -_-. Slices of thick and slightly grilled fats was surely not ordered by me. I reckon if I had this, my cholesterol level would have just shoot out of the roof!

Menu : Jap Chae

Price : Rp 95,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Arang's Jap Chae is amazingly delicious! Of all the dish I ordered from the menu, this is really the best tasting one. The potato noodle is more stickier than other Korean restaurant has. I love the noodle, the sauce, the texture and of course; the taste!!!

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Arang 22 : Sut Bul Kalbi Price : Rp 180,000++ Score : 6.5 / 10 » Great tasting meat! I like the saltiness of the marinate sauce they use. Very succulent and juicy. With green lettuce leaf, cucumber, chili and red korean paste, the whole party on the tongue is just irresistible !

Tesate

Last Sunday I forced myself to get out of my bed to go to Plaza Senayan with a couple of my Melbourne friends. I was actually very very sick, I was having bad fever, body was shivering, entire body was listless. But one thing that was still working alright; my taste buds and sense of smell was still working fine. We had "Tesate" for dinner, Indonesian cuisine that is cooked onto a higher level.

Menu : Nasi Lemak Ijo Royo - Royo
Price : Rp 74,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Savory coconut rice, intensely flavored with green herbs, served with minced duck wrapped onto lemon grass. Salad and crackers were served at the side too.

Menu : Nasi Goreng Kambing
Price : Rp 59,000++ Score : 6.0 / 10

» Aromatic lamb fried rice, infused with curry flavor served with salad and crackers. This dish would have obtain a score of 6.5 but unfortunately the lamb was too pungent; in a way "stinks"! The salad on the other hand was brilliant, the photo may look 'ugly' but the taste speaks otherwise.

Nanny's Pavillon

The first Nanny's Pavillon was opened in Bandung and their first out of state branch was in Jakarta's Pacific Place Mall. I was sick of work and escape myself during lunch time to meet up with my friend (RP) who worked in that area. I choose this eatery because I haven't tried it before and the decor was just too cute to miss out. 

The setting of the place was like an European Barn, the tone of the color was white and green; very soothing and comfy. The waitresses was dressed into a milkmaid costume, the tables, chairs, hanging items and even the menu was in line with the theme of the restaurant. Overall, my lunch experience here was a pleasant one, I wouldn't say extremely great but definitely something I haven't had before. And with the addition of the decor, I was not surprise that the place was busy with young and elderly eaters.

Menu : Sausage Cheesy Waffle
Price : Rp 24,000++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> The downside to this dish was that the waffle was soggy when it reaches my table. It would have been much better if it was still crispy. To add on, definitely need more seasoning to the sausage and cheese toppings.

Menu : Chicken Baked Rice
Price : Rp 31,000++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> Not sure what type of sauce they have on this plate, but it was actually good. The rice was the problem here! Not cooked fully, I can still feel the grit of raw rice feeling. They should have leave it in the oven 15 minutes more.

Menu : Beef Baked Rice
Price : Rp 34,000++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> Same situation with the chicken baked rice. The mysterious sauce over the rice was good but the downfall was to be blame on the rice. Not cooked fully, I can still feel the grit of raw rice feeling. They should have leave it in the oven for more time.

Menu : Arlene's Stuffed Mushroom
Price : Rp 29,000++
Score : 6.25 / 10

>> My friend Ratna loves this (she even clicked the like button on facebook). The cream cheese sauce at the bottom definitely made the difference to the entire dish. The stuffed meat was alright but the mushroom was slightly too soggy or else it'll get a 6.5 for sure.

Menu : Heavy Alvin's Potato
Price : Rp 29,000++
Score : 6.75 / 10

>> I like this very much. This dish might have salvage my trip experience to this restaurant. The potato was thinly cut and crispy. The minced meat with baked beans and generous melted cheese on top made me forget that I was on a diet:p

Menu : Nanny's Cocktail (Blueberry)
Price : Rp 40,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Not too sweet thus I assume it has no serious amount of added sugar. The bottle has mountains of fruits, blueberries, apples and all the goodness of vitamin C.

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Sanpachi : Jigoku Ramen (level 5) Price : Rp 36,000 ++ (small)

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Sanpachi : Jigoku Ramen (level 5) Price : Rp 36,000 ++ (small)

Ramen 38 - Sanpachi

As I had mentioned over and over again that I'm a sucker for spicy food and so this seems like a suitable restaurant for me to try out. I've heard of this place a lot of times before but don't know why I didn't get to try it before. Thus on my visit to Pacific Place Mall I made sure I had my chance of eating here. The place was decently decorated, nothing fancy, nothing luxurious it's more of an 'eat and go' type of restaurant. I came during the dinner time and had my taste buds dancing upon looking at the menu. 

You can have level 1 till 10 of spicy experience. As this is my first encounter, I ordered  a level 5 of the 'Jigoku Ramen'. My verdict was that; I can still handle it and I might order a level 7 or 8 next visit. Of course for those chili haters, you can still enjoy ramen that is non-spicy at all. They have the 'Shio Ramen' which tend to be more salty and no hint of chili whatsoever.  When you're finished, they'll serve you a complimentary lychee jelly which I felt was a sweet way to wash off the heat from the tongue. By the way, "Sanpachi" has several branch all over Jakarta, make sure to locate them!

Menu : Pork Chasu Tsumami
Price : Rp 32,000++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I like this a lot! The meat was different, it is served cold, not too fatty; the cut was right amount of meat to the fat found inside. The had spring onion at the bottom of the meat and when eaten with soy sauce, it gave your taste buds a disco session.

Menu : Jigoku Ramen (level 5)

Price : Rp 36,000 ++ (small)
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I had a level 5 chili and reckon that I can still handle this. My next visit here will be a level 8 for sure. Not only that I like the chili, I love the texture of the ramen. I think they might made it themselves in the kitchen. The ramen wasn't too thick or coarse, just the right size for you to have a big slurp of mouthful into your mouth.

Menu : Shio Ramen
Price : Rp 30,000++ (small)
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This is actually similar to Jigoku Ramen except that this has no chili at all. But being a chili freak I am, I wanted more heat for sure! This has a salty and calm soup.