hotel hopping - part one

As I mentioned earlier, on April this year, I got a new settled job. And from June to July, my new job required me to attend and host several seminars held in hotels. And so, there I was being hotel-hopping. In total, I attended six or seven seminars, and each of which required me to stay for 3 days and 2 nights in a hotel. Besides all the work-thingy, I kind of enjoyed this hotel-hopping though. The room is nice and you don't have to make up your bed. The food is fine and it's free. The wifi is okay. And in one seminar, I got a suite room located on 27th floor. In several occasions, I also managed to hang out until midnight with my friends. So it did not seem like we're working at all. And the best part is, of course, I got paid. Anyway, I will not post each of the hotel-hopping experiences that I got. I will only post three of them, and the first one is Padjadjaran Suites Hotel.

Padjadjaran Suites Hotel is located in Bogor. It is actually a small hotel, especially when you see it from the main entrance. It has only 5 floors, but the rooms are fine. From my room's window, I could actually see Pangrango mount, if I'm not mistaken. And since it's located in Bogor, the air was fresh (and really cold in the morning). 

The first meal that I ate in the hotel's restaurant is dinner meal. The meal served in the buffet is pretty similar to those served in any other hotel's restaurant: appetizer that consists of soup and salad, main courses that offers choices of beef, chicken or fish and fruits and desserts. That night I decided to eat the fried rice with beef curry and stirred pak choi. I also tried the finger-size fish chips and the cream soup with crab and egg. Overall, the food tasted good. And the menu offered is pretty various.

On the second day, the lunch's buffet still offered similar menu with those offered for the dinner, and I ate the tom yum soup which tasted good and freshly sour. I also ate the fried rice (they actually also offered rice) with chicken stew and cap cay. All fresh and tasty.

To be honest, my favorite meal whenever I stayed in a hotel is breakfast! I love omelette so much! I never miss it. And for my breakfast, I ate salad with mayonnaise, watermelon, omelette with beef and chicken sausage and drink the fresh guava and orange juice. See? I am so greedy when it comes to breakfast!

And last but not least, here is one of the snacks they serve during one of the coffee break sessions that we had. Fruits tart and otak-otak (fish cake). And I made them into this straight-face looked emoticon. The fruits tart tasted so yummy and the otak-otak was tasty as proved by the fact that I ate more than one of otak-otak.

MP - macaroni panggang

MP - Macaroni Panggang, 2 June 2013.

Couple of weeks after my visit to MP - Lasagna Gulung, I finally had the chance to try the super-mega famous macaroni panggang (baked macaroni). I went there with my family for weekend lunch. Once I stepped in into the restaurant, I fell in love instantly with the atmosphere. The outdoor dining space is designed to offer a dining experience at a garden. There are several tables and each of which is placed under a giant white canopy. The garden is decorated with stepping stones and filled with beautiful flowers and small trees. There are also a couple of small ponds in there which add the beautiful atmosphere to the dining area.

Alright, now about the food. They serve pretty various menu, I'd say. From traditional West Java cuisine, Italian cuisine (macaroni, the main signature dish is originated from Italy, right?) to Western food. And incidentally, we order each of the various food offered.

For appetizer, we ordered rujak (mixed fruits dressed with brown sugar grind together with fried peanut, pepper and tamarind). I always find that rujak is the best appetizer ever since it always manages to raise my appetite. 

super fresh rujak

For the traditional food, we ordered sup iga (rib soup) and nasi timbel (a menu set consist of rice cooked inside banana leaf, roasted fish, sambal bajag and petai). 

And as for the Western food, we ordered fish and chips and beef sausage. The fish and chips was so so, but the beef sausage was tasty.

Last but not least, we ordered the main signature menu of the house, that is the macaroni panggang itself. We ordered the medium one which should serve for 6 people. And it was the bomb!

MP - lasagna gulung

MP - Lasagna Gulung, 11 May 2013.

I've never been hanging out in Bogor before. I really did not have much expectation because the last time I went there with my family, I don't think there will be modern and hip places there comfortable enough for hanging out. And boy, I was wrong. When my boyfriend and I went to Padjajaran Street, we found lines of hip restaurants. We then decided to go to MP -Macaroni Panggang. However, not until we arrived at the parking lot we realized that we entered the wrong restaurant. Instead of going to MP - Macaroni Panggang, we get in into MP - Lasagna Gulung, and it turned out that the two restaurants are located inside the same area. We were about to go out the parking lot when it began to rain. And, off to MP - Lasagna Gulung we go.

The place was designed to be warm, I supposed. And I feel a touch of Java style since the main dining area is located inside a pendopo (a large open structure made of wood). We chose the lesehan table (no chair, we just sit on the floor) because they look cozier and more comfortable. 

It was raining when we enjoyed our visit there. We ordered the medium-sized rolled lasagna and sweet hot tea. I'm not really a fan of lasagna and macaroni, so I thought I was just going to taste a bit of the lasagna. But, again, I was wrong. The lasagna was more than just delicious. It was perfect. It tasted creamy since it is filled with sour cream, mayonnaise and egg. It is also filled with beef, spinach and red beans, and the combination of which matches perfectly with the lasagna dough which was baked until it cooked perfectly. Instead of tasting a bit of the lasagna, I ate 3 slices of the super mega delicious rolled lasagna. Oh heaven!

shaded and warm nuance of the main outdoor dining area

cups of tea: perfect company during rainy day

the perfect rolled lasagna

self-made salad

Okay, I decided this post to be my first recipe post! And, the first one should be an easy one haha. I'm just kidding. I made salad simply because it is actually the only recipe that I could make. I love salad so much. Even though now I'm already back to being a carnivore, I pretty much still order salad whenever it is offered in restaurants. So, around March, I was unoccupied. I took a one-month long holiday before I began my new job. And at one afternoon, I decided to make use of my spare time for making salad for my boyfriend who should be on a diet, for God's sake, now that his weight is above 100 kg. So, I went for grocery shopping to find the ingredients needed for making the most delicate and complex salad. Again, kidding.

Green Salad

Ingredients:

- Lettuce (as much as you want)

- Red paprika (gotta love the color)

- Green paprika (green is better, still)

- Frozen vegetables (green peas, sweet corn, carrot and string bean)

- Tomatoes (as much as you want)

- Lemon for dressings (as much as you want)

- Canned tuna (if you like it, but I don't really. I use it for tuna sandwich, and the recipe for which I will not post though)

Steps:

1. First, you prepare the necessary ingredients.

2. Second, you chop everything the way you like it. But, do it the conventional way is always best, though.

3. You mix all the vegetables (yes, count tomatoes as vegetables in this case). And dress them up with lemon juice. And voila! Enjoy the Green Salad a la Moi.

never get enough of thai cuisine!

Jittlada, 24 February 2013.

I could never get enough of Thailand cuisine. So, anytime people asked me to eat in Thailand restaurant, it is most likely (if not affirmative), I will say yes. For me, it is a bless to have munching-buddy interested in similar food taste like me, i.e. loving sour and spicy food. And this time, I was lucky. My college friends took me to Jittlada, Grand Indonesia. The place was cool with soothing ambiance which you would find in any Asian restaurant located in big shopping centers like Grand Indonesia. The restaurant is dimmed in light and decorated with carved wooden tools with Thailand signature which I believe aimed to offer cozy and comfortable space for dining, and they did well. 

We ordered the must-try food I always order in Thailand restaurant, and that is tom yum soup. 

It is served in small portion. The soup tasted fresh, sour and spicy. But, still it does not beat the taste of Thai Express' tom yum soup. The soup was offered with rich amount of button mushrooms and a mixed of seafood such as shrimp and calamari.

We also ordered stirred edible fern with garlic. The fern tasted fresh and tasty because it was not overcooked, this has always been the perfect way of cooking green leafy veggie.

  

And we also ordered roasted chicken with garlic. It was delicious. And to accompany the dishes, we ordered Thailand hot tea served in this cute teapot set. 

pasta time

Anyone fancying affordable Italian food (pasta and pizza) must be familiar with Warung Pasta (Indonesian meaning Pasta Stall). I notice that Warung Pasta outlets in Kemang and Depok are always packed with youngsters (if not teenagers). Couple of days ago, I went to Warung Pasta Depok with my boyfriend. We've been there once. The place is pretty spacious and big, it has two floors. Several tables are placed outdoor, some are on the patio of the first floor, and some are on the balcony of the second floor. 

We chose a table on the second floor near the bar (well, not really a bar, more like a order-serving counter). It was 7.30 pm on weekday, yet still almost all of the tables are occupied. I ordered spicy shrimp pasta with fettuccine and my boyfriend ordered the recommended nasi bakar (grilled rice) with shrimp, and we also ordered cheese calzone.

The grilled rice looks exactly like fried rice. When we saw it, we thought it would taste just like the fried rice, but turned out it did not at all. You can taste the smoke resulting from the grill process in the rice. It has a strong spices flavor, sort of a mix of black pepper, ginger and galangal.

  

Just like its name, the spicy and hot fettuccine is hot and spicy. The fettuccine is soft and yet chewy.

The calzone was so-so. I once tried the calzone served in Ebira, and I remembered that the calzone did not go down when we cut its middle part. Yet, the calzone in Warung Pasta deflated as I cut it into pieces. The cheese was fine too, although it was not so rich or creamy. But, then again, Warung Pasta serves very affordable meals. So, I must say that the calzone is worth its price.

suprised - a hip bar serves perfect rainbow cake

Last Friday night, my friend asked me to hang out in Bluegrass, a bar located in Epicentrum. She said that it is one of the most hip clubs today. Well, I am not really into clubs and stuff, but since I didn't have any plan that night, I decided to just jump in into her idea.

Bluegrass is actually a bar and a wine house. Hence, when we got there, the bar was packed with expatriates enjoying wine or late supper. My friend also said it is usually hard to get a table without prior reservation. Luckily, there was one table readily available for us. But, the funny thing is, when the waitress took us to the table, it was right beside a table which was occupied by three men in suits who turns out to be our bosses. But, luckily again, since the room was dimmed and it seems like they really enjoyed their meal, they didn't recognize us and voila, awkward moment avoided.

Neither my friends nor I wanted to drink any alcohol that night. My friend and I ordered the same mocktails (I forget the name but it is a mix of crushed strawberry and blueberry in soda and lychee syrup), and my other friend ordered green tea latte. Since we already had a dinner, we didn't eat any main course and decided to have the hip rainbow cake. The rainbow cake served in a huge slice. It consists of 6 colorful layers. What makes this rainbow cake tastes so good is the solidness of the cake and the unique flavor of each layer. Unlike most rainbow cakes, this cake has this strong and unique flavor in each layer. The cream separating each layer also taste good, that is neither too creamy nor too sweet. This cute little rainbow cake costs around IDR 70k which is why I recommend you to eat this with at least one of your friends because, trust me, you could never finish it by yourself. 

on tuna sandwich

Mr.Pancake's-not-so-yummy-tuna-sandwich

I have to admit that I am a big fan of sandwich, especially tuna sandwich. I have tried several tuna sandwich in several restaurants, and by far my favorite one is the Raffel's Market Fresh Tuna and Swiss sandwich. As the meal is named after one of the key ingredients, I believe that the key to the perfect tuna sandwich is the taste of the tuna itself. Raffel's tuna sandwich has this perfect creamy taste and juicy state which unfortunately I didn't find in the tuna sandwich I bought in Mr.Pancake. The tuna is neither creamy nor juicy; it was dry. And it was also lack of mayonnaise, making the entire sandwich is so dry. I couldn't really taste the sandwich, I just tasted a pile of white bread, lettuce, tomato, tuna and cheese. I almost didn't taste the mayonnaise which should actually be the element binding and mixing all the taste of the other ingredients. Boo! I would never buy any tuna sandwich in Mr.Pancake anymore.

happy tummy

A happy tummy simply can be measured by the smile of the tummy's owner.

On Friday, 23 November, I met my girls in Pejaten Village. My plan was perfect; go out from the office at around 5.30, take TransJakarta, and arrive at Pejaten Village at 6.30. But, Jakarta with its wonderful surprises always manages to ruin people's plan. When I went down to the lobby, at 5.40, the rain suddenly poured, and it was heavy. I must wait for like 10 minutes before the rain (and not to mention the wind which pretty much is almost like a mini-scale gale) started to go. Then, I went to the TransJakarta shelter and got in the line which actually seems normal during such rush hour. I waited patiently, and then suddenly, the rain came down all over again. And this one was even heavier than before. Hence, I should bear to wait the bus longer since every person who has been living long enough in Jakarta knows that rain during rush hour means more horrible traffic. After an hour, finally I could get into the bus. And it was raining more heavily. At 7, I was actually about to arrive at my destination as I saw the Pejaten Village building, but then I realized "Damn, I missed the shelter." Okay, this one was completely my fault. Because I was busy enjoying the game I was playing on my mobile, I forgot that the shelter to Pejaten Village comes before the Pejaten Village. Thus, I should get off the bus at the next shelter. My next plan was getting a cab so it would be much easier for me to get into the mall because I don't need to cross the road, and the cab could get into the lobby. But, another commonly popular circumstance in Jakarta: getting a cab during rainy rush hour is as hard as looking for your life-time soul mate. And, so I had to take mini-bus (known as angkot) to the mall and got wet when crossing the road without using any umbrella (by the way, I hate umbrella so much, and I never carry umbrella). And there we have it, a girl looking wet from head to toe and almost freezing and starving to death, entered the current spacious, clean, bright and modern playground and meeting point for urban people. She felt sad and a bit insecure, and most of all, hungry.

Okay, that is the sad part of the story. The girl, or should I say me, later on met her friends. And they ate happily ever after.  Well, we need the details, don't we?

My friend told me to have a dinner at Mr. Pancake, which I straight away agree with, because I was so hungry and the menu displayed on the reading stand looks appealing. We then ordered a table, which is wooden, but I did not eat it, believe me I was not that hungry. I ordered Atlantic Salad with neither beef nor chicken and a plateful Tom Yum Fried Rice. My friends ordered Tuna Mania pancake, Crasy Potato and french fries. And had I known that the serving is large, I would definitely resist myself from ordering more than just one meal. So, when the salad, which basically is a plate full of chopped lettuce, tomato, paprika and onion ring topped with shredded cheese and mayonnaise, was served, I straightly wanted to finish them all because I was so hungry. There is nothing really special from the salad except the extra large onion ring. But, because I was so hungry, I managed to eat them all like only within 15 minutes. Hence, by the time the fried rice was served, I was full already. I only ate a tiny portion of the fried rice, which I so badly regretted because it tasted so yummy. The rice is sticky, and the seasoning is strong but in a good way. I didn't eat the fish fingers because I was so full, but my friend said it tasted good. The Crasy Potato was also good especially the tiny small potatoes which better eaten together with the skins. I also didn't try the Tuna Mania pancake, but my friend said it was good, and she seemed so happy with the huge serving of the pancake.

And, voila a happy tummy leads to a happy face, indeed :) 

japanese food fiesta

I was having a Japanese food fiesta with my boyfriend the other day when suddenly I realized that I has fallen for sushi. The first time I tried sushi, there was nothing special. I just thought "Well, I could handle this hip meal." It was all due to Sushi Tei that I started to admire this delicate Japanese cuisine. My favorite sushi is and has always been maki (sushi simply consists of only rice, nori or dried seaweed and filling). I really love the maki served in Sushi Tei. Although I enjoy fusion sushi, it's not really the kind of menu I usually order except if I'm going to share it with friends. I always thought that fusion sushi offers too much flavors and deliciousness which actually better served and enjoyed individually. Moreover, based on my experiences, not every sushi restaurant really serves a tasty fusion roll. It seems like most of them just mix everything to make the fusion sushi looks fascinating and sophisticated. Yet, when it comes to taste, I believe there are only several restaurants that really put some efforts to make their fusion sushi enjoyable both for the customers eyes and most importantly mouths. Such restaurants would be Sushi Tei, Sushi Groove and Takigawa. And I do enjoy the fusion roll served in Takigawa.

As I said earlier, I had a Japanese dinner at Takigawa restaurant with my boyfriend. This time, he ordered tempura udon, and I ordered wakame salad, hot and sexy roll, and okonomiyaki which I has always been eager to try. The tempura udon was served just like the way tempura udon served in most sushi restaurants, but the shrimp tempura is a real catch for the eyes because the size is huge, I believe they use king prawn. The gravy is tasty and it's a bit creamy because it is added with a half-cooked bitten white egg which at first looks like melted mozzarella. The udon is also cooked with wakame, kamaboko (processed seafood cut in round shape), mushroom and vegetable. And finally, at the bottom of the udon, a perfectly cooked yolk is ready to be enjoyed. The wakame salad is, as always, fresh. I love the sour dressing. The highlight of the night is actually the hot and sexy roll (crab stick, avocado, cucumber and green chili in mayonnaise rolled with tobiko sushi rice) and the okonomiyaki. The hot and sexy roll was just like its name. Well, I can't really describe what sexy tastes like, but the sushi was definitely hot. I am a big fan of hot and spicy food. So, the hot and spicy flavor contained in this roll just fits my tongue. The combination of the buttery avocado, sweet crab stick and hot chili mixes perfectly with the creamy mayonnaise and the tobiko rice. Well, I think this may define the name "hot and sexy" for the dish. As for the okonomiyaki, I have to say that it did not come as I expected it to be. It tasted just plain, and the dough contained too much flour. Although the seafood is rich, they all just tasted as plain as the whole dish. And what makes me disappointed even more is the fact that it costs pretty expensive, namely IDR55k, whereas the okonomiyaki served in Senju which tastes way much better costs me less money. However, for me, eating at Takigawa is never really disappointing.