..It's a journey after all.. : Food and Travel Blog based in Jakarta: June 2012

Friday 29 June 2012

iCreamy~

Their menu and logo

I have a very hard time in choosing what I want.. The price is very friendly indeed

I want it all!
Last week, my friends and I visited Island Creamery first branch in Indonesia! They're originally from Singapore and now we have it in here! Anyway, they're famous for their ice cream. It's more affordable if you compare it to famous brands such as Baskin Robbins, or Haagen Dazs..

Click HERE to visit their facebook page.. They're located in Flavor Bliss in Alam Sutera

They have interesting choices of flavors.. The place is so adorable and they have outdoor and indoor sections. Let me just show you the picturesss

I love their interior
The indoor arena is filled with photos of customers..There are tons of these kind of pictures on the wall
Frozen Desserts
They have the children seats. But here's the deal, look at the toys on top of the table, I wouldn't trust my kids with that high level of sugar after over consuming any dessert in this place. They're going wildddd
They have so many selection of desserts, from pies to cupcakes!
They have different types of icec cream choices, from red velvet ice cream to mangga harum manis... The ones on the left are the mudpie and mini baked alaska. Mini baked Alaska is basically raspberry ice cream fully covered with meringue 
Ready to be taken home..
I think this is the cutest ice cream cake ever!
They have many more choices to pick
Your toppings
Selection of yummy sinful cakes.. The red velvet and rainbow cake had been sold out so we didn't get the chance to try some.. huhuhuhu
They were having a promotion. If we tweet about this place, we will get three of these.. They're basically cakes with different flavors covered with chocolate.. They have the rainbow cake flavor also the red velvet ones

Since we didn't get the chance to try the red velvet, so this is as far as how we go on their red velvet. Quite moist.. 
Lidia with her prize
We haven't had any dinner that night, so we grabbed some in Island Creamery. If you scroll back up, the menu said, Ice Cream - Burgers - Coffee and Cakes - Obviously, it means they specialize on it.. Then you stick with it! We were branching out in ordering different kinds of food and I'm quite disappointed by most of the meal we got..

Islander Burger. This, I am not disappointed. It's pretty good actually
It doesn't only looks good, but it also tastes very good
Now, the disappointing part.. The other meals that we had weren't satisfying. 

A smoked beef spaghetti.. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's also nothing special about it. The Indonesian version of pasta..
This is the flame-grilled 1/2 chicken. Obviously it's not a 1/2 of a chicken, they should rename it. And the term "flame-grilled" is obviously, literally true. It was burnt and bitter. I remember laughing at the chicken when I first saw it..
Beef bolognese pasta, again Indonesian version of pasta, nothing special
This is the Beef Island fried rice. Well, it's supposed to be okay. What possibly can mess up a simple fried rice? But danggg! Ir smells like raw eggs. Maybe it's because of the sunny side up, but it really did smell like a raw egg. I took a bit of this and quickly drank to rinse off that smell..
Now back to the yummy stuffs! For desserts! Everybody's on diet so Ivan and I ordered only two slices of cakes
Childhood Chocolate Slice. For chocolate lovers, you need to go for this one! The choco ball on top  is Maltesers..
The Rum Raisin. I love the hint of rum smell on this cake. It's just the right amount. I am not a fan of raisins, and apparently I encountered none on this slice. Top notch!
One slice of cake is worth of 23k, which I think is very decent. With the qualities of the desserts that they offered, the cakes are worth it. The food isn't that expensive as well.. If you're going for a light meal, this is the place to go. 

Even though I am disappointed in the food, I will still go back to this place for the desserts and appetizers.. Maybe even for the burgers and coffee. They really have a nice environment and ambiance. Really cozy! The staffs are amazingly friendly.. This place is worth a try!

Saturday 23 June 2012

Halo.. Halo, Bandung.. Part 2

Okay, let's pick up where I have let things off.. After going to Disini Bakery, my mother heard about this other bakery that her friend once mentioned. It turns out that the owner is a pastry teacher, so she opens classes.. She's the famous Ny.Liem..

This is the proof why I think rainbow cake and red velvet is overrated! Just see the pics below..

It's the ad they have.. Overrateddddddd
I admit it looks cute. But it doesn't taste good. They don't use cream cheese.. They use butter frosting which made them dry and not as moist as a good red velvet should be.. For the rainbow cake, it's definitely just an ordinary sponge cake with food colourings
Even the cheap cakes has been turned into a rainbow cake
 As I went inside the store, which is not too spacious, I was first attracted by the colourful pastries. But then I realised most of them all are just "rainbow cakes". I don't recommend this place cause I think they're just one of those people who exploit the trend of having a rainbow cake. It has nothing special, they only add food colourings. My mom also bought the supposed to be famous kue lapis from this place. It's not good. It's too dry. It just looks good cause they made it very pretty with a square-like pattern, unlike the ordinary kue lapis. But, it's not good. and it's expensive..

Sorry, Ny.Liem, your fake rainbow cake and red velvet is an embarrassment.. And I think you are exploiting  and ruining the cake itself..

Next stop, of course, the famous Primarasa.. I have done a review on this place in my other Bandung trip review.. Click HERE to see that post.. The thing that I love about going to Primarasa is that there are lots of food hawkers outside.. One of them isssss... TAHU JELETOT.. lol.. I can't say the name without letting out at least a smirk..

Hunted because Of the Taste.. it's H.O.T... lol
So yummiehhh
I don't have the natural talent of eating spicy food. This fried tofu is spicy, but I don't know where the spiciness came from. There's no chili in the filling. I just ate one and couldn't stand the spiciness. Unline my Mom, who is a spicy food lover, this means nothing to her.. 
 You can't leave Bandung without buying snacks! This is my favorite place to buy Bandung Snack. Snack Corner is located at Jalan Riau no 51. They have variety of snack choices as you can see on the pictures down below. They also have testers so you will know which one you like..

Yes, that red basket is full. We bought two baskets of snacks.. and we are not ashamed!
Choicessss
Choicessssssss.. I'm so confused which one to pick
The gigantic wok which they use to fry the snacks.. Too bad they were not frying anything that time
Last but not least, the last destination has been a compulsory place to visit when we are at Bandung.. I have been going to this place since I have a memory of my life.

Say hello to my most favorite Sundanese Restaurant in Bandung... Asli Laksana.. It is located at Jl. Soekarno Hatta no 395 and no, they don't sell laksana. Across this restaurant is another Laksana restaurant. So the owner has two wives and of course, they don't want to share things.. So the two of them opened the restaurant separately. I never visited the other one though. My dad said Asli Laksana is better than Laksana (which is just across the street). I trust my old man. Oh, there's also Ampera, another famous Sundanese restaurant with lots of branches scattered all over Bandung.

It is always this packed. They even have a special parking space inside the alley next to the restaurant cause they don't have enough parking space anymore
This is the karedok stall. I don't really like karedok. They are basically raw vegetables mixed with peanut sauce. BUT, whenever my parents ordered them, I couldn't help getting some on my plate cause they are so damn fragrant!
They have lots of long tables. The place is quite big so don't worry of not getting any tables. The plates of foods are just put on top of it. You can just take  whatever you want. They have the same system as Padang restaurants. So if you wanna lie about what you've eaten, you surely can do it. My brother once stole a fish when he was just a kid. He was so hungry, he couldn't wait to be seated. But it turned out he took a salted fish, which after a bite, he spat it out and threw it to the floor.. -__-"

Oh and that big pot and the big bowls next to it are some of the dishes that have to be ordered. They have sayur asem, many types of gulai, etc.. They also have sop iga and it's also tasty
This is the most spicy but delicious chili I have ever had. At first you will feel it's somehow sweet but it will give you a spicy feeling lingering your whole mouth and lips. I know I can't eat spicy food, but I can't help eating my meal with this chili cause it is SO DAMN GOOD AND YUMMY! It's so spicy that they started making the 'not too spicy' version.. 
This is VINA'S COMBO. I will always have these on my plate of rice. Okay starting from the top left, otak goreng.. Yes, it's brain, but it's so yummy I don't feel gross out at all. Next to it is pepes tahu. I usually open the pepes jamur. But this time, they ran out of it and I happened to open the wrong pepes.. So I gotta eat it since I've opened it. It's yummy but I like the pepes jamur more. Next to it is jarit and babat goreng. I love their jarit babat goreng. They are sweet and savory. Lastly, it's the fried kalasan chicken. The fried spices is delishhhh that I could only eat that with the rice.
 You can tell the waiter to heat up the dishes that you picked before you eat them. But my Dad usually only tell the waiter to heat up the otak goreng (I won't say fried brain cause it's just so weird), Kalasan chicken, and babat jarit goreng.. I love love love this place and I recommend it to you Sundanese food lovers.. They have so many varieties of Sundanese food which is PURE MAD LOVE. Plus, the yummy spicy chili that can only be found in here. I have never seen or taste anything like that in other places..

So yeah, we have come to an end of another Bandung review.. Hope you enjoy it and I also hope you can try the food for yourself..

These were only half of the things that we bought. We ended up buying carrots and avocados worthy of 5kg each..
 -___-"

Thursday 21 June 2012

Halo.. Halo, Bandung..

Okay sorry for the delay.. It's been a hectic week.. I spent half of my day with no internet, so it's kind of hard to get my hands to update you with a new blog post.. So anyway, last Sunday, my family and I had a quick family trip to visit my grandma in Bandung, but before that, we went to Puncak for little culinary stops..

Without further ado, let me just tell it to u (it rhymes well.. :p)

We woke up at 5 a.m, hoping to avoid the traffic. We left Jakarta at 7 a.m after picking up my aunt at her house. BAM! We were stuck on a one way traffic at Puncak, so we were just sitting inside the car till 10 a.m..

Without stopping, our first target : The famous Gemblong Ibu Juju.. a.k.a GEMBLONG BPK. HUSEIN.

Yes, her son officially has changed the name because of so many fake Gemblong Ibu Juju.. She was long gone, but her Gemblong stays so yummy! Here is the real thing, the best Gemblong I have ever had in my life. How to differentiate the fakers with the real one :
1. The real Gemblong Ibu Juju a.k.a Bpk. Husein (his son) has a yellow square box like in the pictures below. The fake ones has blue rounded shape box with the name of Gemblong Ibu Juju..
2. The real one is worth for Rp 3.000 a piece while the fake one isn't that expensive
3. The colour of the real Gemblong Ibu Juju is slightly lighter compared to the fake ones..
4. The taste, of course, you can smell the coconut fragrant on the real ones..
5. They usually stay put in famous restaurants and they will ran out of Gemblong like really fast. If you were looking for them at 3 p.m above, they'll be at home already counting all the money they made.. or maybe making more Gemblong for tomorrow..  Usually in front of Amen Restaurant, but we found none that day. We found this one in front of another famous restaurant which I will show you later..


Yummy!
Bought a Rp50.000 worth of Gemblong, this is just my portion.. Wuiiii
The next destination is a legacy.. My Dad has been going there when he was still very young.. Before he dated my Mom.. Before I even exist in this world.. The name of the restaurant is Kalimantan. The funny thing is it has no relation with Kalimantan at all. The owner isn't from Kalimantan, unlike my Dad who was born there.. This is the second time I ate there. They have the best noodles EVER! The owner still recognizes and greeted my Dad. He asked why my Dad didn't come as often as the olden days and were glad to see him..

It was a warm simple vintage restaurant. It's not very large.. I took pictures and the staffs were like "this kid is crazy!"

Chinese family ambiance..
I wonder how many years that old man has been working in here..
Can it be more vintage?
Nasi Tim Ajam and Air Djeruk.. lol.. vintageeee
I ordered the Nasi Tim Ayam.. It has a different twist and a slight different taste than usual Nasi Tim. The chicken wasn't cut into little pieces but into chunks and were buried in the middle of it.
The last time I got the thighs, this time I got the wings.. And the brownish top part is really salty in a good way. I think they also use fish sauce unlike the usual Nasi Tim. It gives the right fishy fragrant. It is so YUMMY!
The best Noodle I literally have ever had! They made their own noodles, it's paler compared to the noodles I usually see.. It's so fragrant and savory. I think they use lard.. I am willing to wake up at 5 a.m just to get this for my breakfast.. Even my aunt, who can't eat much, finish the whole thing.. 
Go to Cipanas! All the fancy cars parked in front just to eat in here.. Don't underestimate the  looks of the restaurant..
 We walked a bit and visited this little shop that sells traditional snack. It was only a few houses away before the Kalimantan restaurant. My Mom had been buying semprong from this shop when she was still dating my Dad.. She was craving for some so we went there. Unfortunately, they don't stock it anymore so we ended up buying other things..



Before I took this picture, he was busy combing his hair several times.. Lol.. I fancy the white spot of his hair.. Very dalmantion evil Cruella.. Oh the thing in front of him is traditional palm sugar. I never seen a palm sugar still wrapped like this..
I love mochi sukabumi! I bought two stacks of it! One is Pandan flavor and I finished it in two days.. 
Done with our speedy culinary adventure, we headed to Bandung to visit my Grandma.. I still have relatives there. My other aunt, who lives there, took us around Bandung to fulfill our culinary curiosity..

First stop at Bandung, disini Bakery. This bakery is owned by my very very farrrrrr relative. He doesn't even recognizes us.. We were told to go here by one of my cousins whose husband or somebody else turns out to be his family.. If this is the case, is it right if I consider him my very very farrrrrr relative?

Cute place indeed., It's not very spacious on the first floor, but you can enjoy the cakes and coffees on the second floor..

Drink Menu
Other breads and pastry products..
Next to me is my coolest and funniest Aunt, she is my Dad big sister and I can see they have the same taste of humor. She's really funny. Next to her is my Aunt who lives in Bandung. Then my Mom.. 
Mocha fudge cupcake
Red Velvet cupcake. It is Yummy! Unlike other cheap cupcakes, they use real cream cheese, like the original red velvet, instead of butter cream.. 
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcake.. I think they use cream cheese as well for the icing..
Their cupcake is worth for Rp 12,5k each.. quite cheap if you think of its quality
Kue Sus with Rum fillings.. It is good! The outer part is a bit crunchy as you can see from the picture.. and the inside is soft and creamy.. Just like how I like it.. And it's only Rp7,5k unlike the expensive beard papa who robs me blind..

Cappuccino.. Their coffee is quite strong..!  
My Americano.. Stronger than bucks..
An unfinished rainbow cake and blueberry cake.. We wanted to order a slice of red velvet but they ran out of it. It was still 1 p.m and they ran out of it.. Seriously Red Velvet, it's yummy, but it's overrated.  My cool aunt bought us the rainbow cake before and sent it to our home, but for me, all rainbow cake is just like an ordinary sponge cake, but with food colourings.. I am not into that, as well as Red Velvet. 
Other cakes
I ordered this in the end, it's pudding caramel. I think I have to flip it upside down on a plate, but I barbarically scooped it out.. It's just okay.. The same like other caramel pudding I've had before.. It's only Rp5.5k
We bought some more of the cupcakes and gave it to my sister's friends.. She was like "Oh my God! Where did you buy this red velvet cupcake? it's so yummy! It almost tastes the same as the ones in the States.." Well, it is good.. If you tasted the Goods Dept red velvet cupcake, they are quite similar but this one is half the price of the Goods Dept cupcake..

I think for this kind of price and this kind of quality, I think disini bakery managed to satisfy their customers including moi.. A couple of things lacking from this place is the staff hospitality. The owner never smiles.. Really scary. The cashier lady is very slow and doesn't know the products so it's quite confusing if you have questions about the products.. Maybe it's because this place is still quite new.. Give them time, I think they will blow! Go to their facebook page HERE to get some more info. They also have a twitter account..

Okay.. it's 1.15 a.m and I gotta wake up early tomorrow morning.. I will update the second part of my Bandung trip very soon.. so stay tune~