Back to my North Sumatra’s trip last March (yeah, I’m kind of neglecting posting about the trip, sorry). We visited Pematang Siantar on our way back to Medan. Since we arrived early in the morning, we stopped by a place called Rumah Makan Memeng for breakfast. This is the pioneer of a dish called Nasi Memeng, which we’ve seen several times at street food stalls on Jl. Semarang, Medan. Nasi Memeng is actually a small portion of rice topped with various dishes like tauco, bihun (rice vermicelli), potato crisps and sambal, then drenched with sayur lodeh‘s soup. That’s the basic composition, but we can also add more dishes to the plate like ikan sambal, ayam goreng, perkedel, tempeh, sate kerang, sate jengkol, telur dadar, telur mata sapi. It was delicious and quite fulfilling. Judging from the size of the dish, I think it is more suitable for breakfast, although Medaners seem to prefer nasi memeng for dinner/supper.

RM. Memeng
Jl. Dr. Wahidin no.37
Pematang Siantar
ph. +62 (622) 25302

Urukyu and I arrived early to the shop who took the place formerly occupied by Grand Beppu Menkan. Upon being seated, we were given a glass of ice water (free flow) and we started to order. Santouka offered 4 types of soup-bases Shio (salt flavor), Miso (soybean paste flavor), Shoyu (soy sauce flavor) and Kara Miso (spicy flavor). All of the ramen were available in small, medium & large bowl. For the topping, they offer Cha Su ramen & Tokusen Toroniku ramen.

We ordered a small bowl of Cha Su ramen with Shio 78K & Kara Miso 88K soup-bases. Each bowl got 4 thick slices of cha su (but I don’t know if they are going to give out 4 slices for their customers/not). When I tasted the soup, I like the Shio flavor better than the “spicy” ones. The noodle & bamboo sprouts were cooked right, it was delicious. I also love the creamy and milky pork broth. However, I noticed that the broth is a little too salty. The owner then told me that we can ask for less salt or oil upon ordering. And although the portions was categorized as small ones, we were really full after that. Santouka also gave us a plate of toroniku cha su (pork cheek/jowl meat) to sample. It is their signature dish which is served in a separate plate along with the ramen. I had to admit it was very delicious. The meat is very tender & fatty, but considering the price, I’ll have to think twice before ordering it

Overall it was a nice addition to Jakarta’s ramen shops, although it’s also the most expensive one among others. Hopefully they can keep the food quality top notch. So if you’re pork lover and happen to be at Plaza Indonesia, do give it a try and tell me what you think. BTW, I also heard that in several weeks, they’re going to add chicken ramen to their menu, so if pork is not for you, don’t feel left out

Santouka Ramen
Plaza Indonesia Level 5 #E11
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30
Jakarta
ph. +62 (21) 29923832

Last month, I was contacted by Marguerite Nougat asking me if I wanted to try and then review their product. I looked at their website and was quite interested. However, as I don’t do advertorial/paid review, I insisted on buying so I can try and review the product objectively/unbiasedly.

So I bought two packages of Marguerite Nougat: maple macadamia (180gr) 57k and dark chocolate peanut 50k. The owner also gave me a pack of Marguerite’s every other flavors. The nougat is wrapped like a candy. I tried the maple macadamia first and loved it instantly. It was not too sweet, and it mostly didn’t stick to my teeth. The dark chocolate ones have an extra transparent wrapper (edible) and tasted quite good, but I still prefer the maple macadamia. SC’s preference though, is the other way around. Marguerite Nougat’s other flavors are milk almond, green tea almond, chocomilk, coffee almond, oatmeal, cranberry, strawberry & blueberry nougat. Also it can be packaged into various kinds of packagings suitable for souvenir.

Marguerite Homemade Premium Nougat
Boulevard Timur NB1#36
Kelapa Gading
Jakarta 14250
Ph. +62(21) 4513166 Mobile. 0813 81122228
www.nougatworld.net

While everybody in Jakarta seems to be crazy about red velvet, blue velvet or rainbow cake, I’m enthralled by black forest cake from Sari Delicatessen. I’ve heard so much about this legendary black forest, claimed by many as the best black forest in town. Sari Delicatessen is located at a small corner on the lobby level of Hotel Sari Pan Pacific. Going inside the shop feels like being teleported to a bakery store twenty years ago. They sell various sizes of Black Forest cake, various bread, cakes and pastries along with home-made (OK, store-made) meats and sausages.

The price of the black forest cake is not cheap, but believe me, it worths your every cent. Sari Delicatessen’s Black forest cake (Black Forest Gateau) consists of three layers of sponge cake filled with fresh whipped cream, loaded with black cherry, and covered with another fresh whipped cream, generous chocolate shavings and maraschino cherries on top. The cake is moist, light and the taste of kirch was quite dominant which I loved so much (although SC thinks it’s a bit overpowering). It was definitely a heavenly pleasure eating this cake and I’ll be back for more.

PS: a friend also noted that their Mille-feuille is also very good, but I haven’t have a chance to try it. I think you have to order it a day in advance since it’s made by order. Well, that’s one more reason to return to Sari Delicatessen.

Sari Delicatessen
Hotel Sari Pan Pacific
Jl. M.H. Thamrin 6
Jakarta
ph. +62 (21) 2993 2755

Last month, my favorite sushi joint at Alam Sutera invited several foodbloggers, including me, for a “cyber dinner”. The event was opened by Harry Nazarudin (Harnaz), one of the owners of Umaku Alam Sutera. I’ve known Harnaz for quite sometimes now and he’s a very passionate writer, always sharing his knowledge of chemistry in food. That’s why I know that this food tasting is going to be different. Before we began the tasting, we played a card game in which each of us was given a card with a food name written behind it. The food is what we’re going to try. So each of us were challenged to guess what is the connection between the pictures in the card with the food. If we guessed right, we would be given a dining voucher worth 50K at Umaku Alam Sutera. So let’s start.

• Karai Ramen 35K
  Apparently, Karai Ramen is quite a popular dish at Umaku Alam Sutera. I tried it before and it was very spicy, but still good as you can still taste the broth’s flavor. The dish was respresented by a map with a short text hinting about an island in Northern Japan. Well, it turned out that Karai Ramen is a specialty dish from Kamikawa, Hokkaidō. Harnaz explained that since the island is very cold, the people there came out with spicy noodle soup to warm up their body.
• Sake Yaki Meshi 33K
  This is one of my favorite dishes at Umaku. The dish was represented by a map of an island in Southern Japan, which is Okinawa. Many Okinawan dishes were influenced by Chinese cuisine, so yakimeshi (chahan) is a Japanese take on Chinese fried rice.
• Edamame
  This is a complimentary dish at Umaku. The dish was represented by a photo of a Japanese monk called Nichiren Shonin. According to history, in 1275 he wrote a thank you note to a parishioner for the edamame he left at the temple. This was the first documented use of the word edamame.
• Sake Kabutoyaki 26K
  Also one of my favorite dished at Umaku. This too has a hint of Chinese influence, since it originated from Yokohama, which is known as the chinatown of Japan.
• Volcano Sushi 35K
  One of the more popular dishes at Umaku, represented by a card with a picture of the iconic Hollywood sign. Apparently, Volcano sushi was created in Hollywood, California, for those Westerners who can’t eat raw fish.
• Spider Roll 37K
  Represent by a map of a lake with brackish water which called Hamana. Lake Hamana is a place to find high quality unagi (eel) which is the main ingredient of Umaku’s spider roll.
• Wagyu Robatayaki
  The dish is represented by a picture of beer. I think this is quite easy, since we all know that wagyu is a Japanese breed cattle fed with beer to produce juicy meat with good marbling.
• Tempura Moriawase
  According to history, tempura (Japanese-style battered seafood and vegetable dish) was introduced to Japan in mid 16 century by Portuguese Jesuits.
• Sashimi Moriawase Jyo 44K
  This is my favorite dish since Umaku always serves fresh and affordable sashimi platter. Represented by a picture of the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, the time when nigiri sushi became a popular fast food dish in Japan.
• Wakame Salad 26K
  Represented by a California republic picture. According to Harnaz, the main ingredients for wakame salad, which is alga/kelp was found mostly in California.

It was a very insightful dinner. Not only we got to try Umaku’s specialties, we also learned the story behind the creation of each dish. Thank you Umaku Alam Sutera for inviting us to such a memorable dinner. I had a lot of fun that night, although I didn’t try all the dishes. Well, I can always return anytime I’m craving for a good and affordable Japanese food.

Several bloggers and I were invited to their SCBD branch, right behind the disused Automall building. We arrived around 4 PM, so it was still a bit deserted. The interior has a typical Korean restaurant ambience with several tatami seating areas and a “normal” dining area. Each table got one/two exhausts since the place is also popular for its BBQ/grills. 

So, lets start with the food.
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• Banchan
  Korean food always starts with banchan (반찬) which are complimentary small side dishes that include kimchi (fermented cabbage). There were a lot of varieties of banchan and I didn’t find out their names. Some of the banchan tasted so good I had to stop myself from eating too much of them. At Gahyo, they gave the banchan free flow, so you can ask for more if you like.
•  Haemul Pajeon 95k
  Haemul Pajeon is Korean seafood pancake, served with a mixture of soy and vinegar dipping sauce. It was delicious. The dough was cooked right, well seasoned, and the seafood were fresh.
• Japchae 95k
  Japchae (잡채) is probably one of the most famous Korean dishes in Indonesia besides bibimbap. The dish was made from sweet potato noodle (dangmyeon) stir-fried with sesame oil and various thinly sliced vegetables. Gahyo’s version of Japchae was also quite good.
• Dolsot Bibimbap 68k
  Arguably the most popular Korean dish in Indonesia, bibimbap (비빔밥) actually is rice mixed with various of vegetables, beef and topped with raw egg. All of the ingredients were then mixed together with spicy red bean paste (gochujang). In indonesia, bibimbap is usually served in a hot stone bowl (dolsot/돌솥). Gahyo’s bibimbap also tasted great. Usually, I liked to scrape the the crispy rice at the bottom of the hot bowl, but this time, the rice were already divided into several small bowls.
• Sundubu Jjigae 68k
  Sundubu Jjigae(순두부찌개) is a Korean soup stew using beancurd, mussel, onion, gochujang. The sundubu jjigae I know is usually quite spicy. However, Gahyo’s version was quite mild, I don’t know if you can request a spicier version or not.
• Yukgaejang 68k
  Yukgaejang (육개장) is another korean spicy soup made from beef and various vegetables. Gahyo’s version was a little spicy, although I think it can be made even more spicy (yeah, I love spicy food). One of the ingredients was quite unique. It tasted and looked like some kind of mushroom, but after we asked, they informed us that it was gosari namul (fern bracken).
• Samgyetang 95k
  Samgyetang (삼계탕 / 계삼탕) is a Korean ginseng chicken soup. This is one of my favorite dishes. I’ve tried to make this dish before and it’s basically just chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, dried jujube seeds, garlic and ginger, then cooked in ginseng broth for hours. It is considered to be a very nutritious dish. I have to admit that Gahyo’s samgyetang is very good. It was very mild, very comforting without any bitter trace you usually got from ginseng soup. Definitely a must try, especially with that price.
• Galbi
  One of Gahyo’s specialties is galbi (갈비) which is grilled dishes. That night, we had Teuk Yangyeum Galbi (Prime Beef Short Rib Boneless Marinated in Sauce) 198k, L.A. Galbi (Choice Short Rib Bone in Marinated Sauce) 198K, Bul Galbi (Choice Short Rib Bone in Marinated Sauce) 198K and Wooseol (Special Sliced Beef Tongue) 128k. The meat was cooked in front of us on the grill set available at each table. Usually served with lettuce, perilla (shisho) leaf for wrapping the grilled meat and then dipped into ssamjang (쌈장) sauce. No complaint at all here… it was delicious and fulfilling.

  

• Yukhoe 178K
  One of the items I always look for is yukhoe (육회) which is a Korean version of steak tartare. So when I asked about it, they let me know they have it, and kindly let us try it. Gahyo’s yukhoe uses wagyu. The minced meat must be very fresh when preparing this dish, then the meat were mixed with raw egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, spring onion, cucumber and julienned bae (Korean pear). It was so delicious, the meat temperature were right and the pear added a sweet note to the dish. Definitely the highlight of the night.
• Dessert
  After that we’re already very full, but there were still some desserts to try. Gahyo serves mango, coconut and coffee pudding, nothing exceptional to note, except that the coffee pudding were very bitter. For the ladies, we got sujeonggwa (수정과) which is a Korean traditional fruit punch made from persimmons with cinnamon ginger hint. I was hoping for a sikhye (식혜) which is a Korean sweet rice beverage, but it was not available.

Overall it was a great night. Thank you Ms. Yumi & Ellen for having us. We all felt very full afterwards and when we’re finished at around 7PM, the place was already packed with customers, which are mostly Korean & Japanese expats. That’s a huge plus for authenticity, if that’s what you look for in a Korean restaurant.

Gahyo Restaurant
SCBD Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav. 52 – 53 Lot 6
Jakarta
ph +62(21) 5289 7044
Opening hours:
Mon – Sun, 11.00 am – 11.00 pm

After I nagged my brother several times, he called his Batak friend and asked him where we could find an authentic BPK. So, he took me to a place that looked more like a stranded hut in the middle of nowhere outside Kisaran city on Jalan Lintas Sumatra. We’re not really sure if this is the right place, but apparently it is. The hut floor is only earth, the wall were made from bamboo and the roof is made from from coconut leaf. There are several wooden tables inside the hut and several people sitting there eating. It kind of resemble a Lapo Tuak, except they didn’t have any liquor there.

So each of us ordered a portion of BPK with rice. The dish came in a small plate consisting of, roast pork, thinly sliced banana stems, several slices of cucumber, pork kidney slices, and some kind of sausages called kidu-kidu. The plate was accompanied by blood+andaliman sauce and clear soup. It was delicious. I like how the sauce tasted: spicy, savory, yet a little tangy and refreshing. The pork roast was a little tough, but I’m in love with the banana stems and the kidu-kidu. The banana stems reminded me a bit of Balinese’s lawar. It was savory and crunchy. The kidu-kidu is a whole new thing. Apparently besides meat, they also stuffed several types of vegetables like carrot, celery etc into the sausage. It taste so good, I ordered another plate of kidu-kidu and later take another portion home, which cost me no more than 100K. I was amazed, but looks like the owner was too. I think I’m the first non-Batak woman to ever step foot in this place, plus I ate quite a lot.

We ordered 3 portions of kwetiaw goreng, two loaded with all the good stuff (25K a portion), and one only with egg (15K). I noticed that, although it tasted good, it was a little too oily. The noodles quality were good. But I’ve had better ones in Jakarta, including one originated from Medan as well, called kwetiaw beras Yiu Huat. Overall we enjoyed our dinner, although the price for those kwetiaw goreng was not cheap.

Kwetiaw Goreng Gedeh
Jl. Gedeh
Medan

So, this month’s topic is Rawon. Rawon is an Indonesian traditional black beef soup originating from Surabaya (East Java). The black color of the soup is created by using keluwak (pangeum edule, fruits of the kepayang tree). The soup tasted very rich and flavorful from the addition of other spices like garlic, shallot, candlenut, turmeric. The dish is usually eaten with rice and accompanied by baby bean sprouts, salted duck egg, prawn crackers and sambal.

Rawon is usually available at restaurants specializing in Surabaya/East Javanese Cuisine. But some upscale Indonesian restaurants also have it too. So I’ll share some information about places that offer Rawon in Jakarta.

• RM Ekajaya
  Located at Pesanggrahan street (near Puri Indah), this place is probably one of our favorite restaurants serving East Java Cuisine. A portion of rawon costs 17K and came with a plate of baby bean sprouts, prawn cracker and sambal, which we can add according to our preferences. The soup was flavorful and the meat was tender. You can also order salted eggs if you like. I’d like to crush the salty egg yolk into the soup to make it more rich and creamy. Besides rawon, Ekajaya also offers rujak cingur which is a spicy fruit salad with the addition of cow’s nose and uses petis (fermented shrimp paste) in its sauce to add a very unique kick. To some, it may look disgusting, but it’s delicious if you dare to try it
   
• Rawon Nguling
  Back in 2010, I tried a rawon place at Kelapa Gading area, called Rawon Nguling. Apparently Rawon Nguling is a popular name among Rawon lovers. The rawon itself was delicious, the meat was tender, but I noticed that their soup is much lighter and far less richer than the one from Ekajaya.
• Mbah Djingkrak 
  Mbah Jingrak is a slightly more upscale Javanese restaurant (pricewise, it’s probably on par with Sate Khas Senayan) specializing in very spicy dishes. If you like spicy food, you should try their rawon. They added some crushed red eye chilis into the soup, so it’s already quite spicy without any additional sambal.
• Warung Ngalam
  I almost forgot about this place, located in the parking lot of Midori Restaurant & Bersih Sehat Massage at Wahid Hasyim street, Menteng. This place serves East Javanese cuisine, and one of them is Rawon. From what I remembered, their rawon is also worth to try.
• Bale Dahar
  Located on Jl. Panjang, this is also a good place if you want to sample Javanese cuisine. The place is usually very crowded during lunch hour on weekdays. I like to order their nasi pecel, but SC once tried their Rawon and it was also a very decent one.
• RM.Kedungsari
  This place is famous for its Durian juice (sinful but delicious), but also serves some Indonesian food. Their Rawon is also good. So if you happen to be around RCTI TV station around lunch time, do give it a try.

So, tell me, where’s your fav rawon place in Jakarta?

Our Rawon Hunters:

• Pawonkoe by Foodstime
• Rawon Nguling Cikajang by Ioflife
• Rawon by Selby Food

Actually I’ve tried their Mexican menu on my previous visit, but at that time, the Mexican menu was only available on certain days. Now its available everyday. So there was a short introduction by the owners of Q Smokehouse, which are two very passionate people in cooking. After that, there was a taco demonstration with slices of red radishes, green salsa, pinneaple salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, etc. We can choose to fill our own tacos with beef, chicken or fried fish. After that we’re back to our table to enjoy our meal.

• Tortilla Soup (Three beans and tortilla) 35K. I love the soup. It was warm and comforting. I like the beans although I couldn’t tell what kind of the beans they used (and I forgot to ask)
• Tacos. I assembled this myself and loaded it with roast chicken, radish, pineapple salsa, green salsa, cilantro. It was refreshing and tasty at the same time.
• Fajitas Delight (Trio: Prawn, Chicken, Beef served with fresh salad and soft Tortilla.) 135K, when the dish came to our table, the aroma was so mouthwatering and it was great tasting too, but because I took too long to shoot the dish, I only got to taste a little
• Crispy Prawn Bistro Pasta (Spaghetti and crispy prawn in lemon cream sauce) 85K. The pasta was loaded with breaded fried prawn and topped with arugula (rocket) leaves. It tasted good, but not really my kind of pasta.
• Texas Style Barbecue Brisket Platter (Beef brisket smoked Texas style) Reg 99K, light 79K. This is my all time favorite dish at Q Smokehouse. A definitely must order item everytime we go to Q.
• Agave Salsa Sorbet This is one of Q Smokehouse’s new creation. Not in the menu yet. It was quite a daring dessert, they serve lemon sorbet topped with sliced olives, avocado, tomato and raisins that have been infused with cinnamon and cloves. I love it! It was so refreshing and kind of reminded me of es krim rujak.

Overall it was an enjoyable afternoon, The food was tasty, the hosts were friendly (we got a tour to their kitchen) and I got to learn some tricks to try in my own kitchen. Thank you Q for having us. Happy Anniversary. I wish you’ll open more branches in the future (hopefully in West Jakarta). I’ll be back, with or without invitation

Q Smokehouse
Jl. Suryo No. 20 (Terusan Senopati)
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan
ph. +62 (21) 723 5728, 722 9202