Moved!

Been moving to my new blog, Journal de la Journee for the last five months.

Visit it here.

or here.

here is also fine.

whichever you want.

please?

Cemil Cimol

      In the stream of online stores promoting through Instagram, some stood out among others. One of it is Cemil Cimol, a brand selling cimol (aci di gemol) alongside with various flavorings to compliment the cimol. I opted for a non-cooked cimol that I have to cook by myself at home, my order consist of 100 of little round cimols and four toppings: seaweed, barbecue, roasted corn and cheese spread. The cimol comes in a package of 50 in which you can opt for two flavorings per package. The cimol is priced at IDR 20K for the uncooked ones and IDR 22K for the cookes ones, delivery fee excluded.

Warning: As I was cooking, some of the cimol popped in the oil so be careful!

     I tried cooking the cimol as instructed by coating it with corn starch before cooking, but the result is not too different whether or not you coat it or not. As for the flavor, the seaweed is ny favourite one with corn following second. I think the barbecue flavoring is a bit plain and the cheese spread tasted like mayo, not as cheesy as I thought it would be.

Mixing it the classic way: putting it in a container alongside
with the seasonings and shake it thoroughly

    Will I order more anytime soon? Maybe -- but I'll opt for the cheaper delivery service they offer (either via courier for 20K and can be paid on the spot or via expedition that is paid via bank transfer). This order pretty much fulfill my curiosity of what cimol tastes like and its pretty interesting. Regarding to the service, I contacted the seller through LINE and was responded pretty quickly and the dish was delivered the day after, so be sure to order it one day in advance to delivery to assure the delivery to you.

Cemil Cimol

+62 87876412264

7499CADF

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Bubur Kwang Tung

     On the night of December 25th my whole family decided to go to Bubur Kwang Tung to enjoy their large portion of congee/ rice porridge. Two of my brothers said they loved it and so we decided to go. The location of the restaurant is within the same row of the famous Martabak Pecenongan 65A (said to be the originator of martabak Nutella and Toblerone). It is amazing that even during Christmas time the store is packed, but luckily my family got our 8-seated table fast since we came in within a group. For muslims, you don't have to worry since this Chinese restaurant is certified halal.

     The order we made include four types of Cantonese congee: chicken (IDR 40), seafood (IDR 55), grouper fish/ kerapu (IDR 45) and chicken with abalone (IDR 180).  The chicken and kerapu dish came out in a bowl that is enough to feed 2-3 persons while the seafood and abalone-chicken mix can feed a group with of 5-6. But since my family have a big appetite, of course we finished the warm, soft rice in a blast! Kwang Tung itself serve its congee with complementary soy sauce with grated ginger that is very refreshing and healthy but I didn't get to try their chilli. Even if you like solid rice over congee, Kwang Tung has variable options such as warm hearty soup, steamed and hainanese rice, variants of Hongkong and Cantonese dishes as well as medicinal soup that unfortunately we didn't got to try.

     Alongside with the various type of congees, we also ordered stir-fry broccoli, fried shrimp with salted egg, century eggs and cakwe. I recommend you to pick out several sides since the congee comes in a bowl that fairly contains your protein order without the usual toppings you usually got. As for the congees we ordered, all of it has the same rice base that is only differentiated by the variety of meats it given. For me, the seafood congee is the most worthy from its the price, flavour and portion. The abalone-chicken mix for me is way overpriced since we cannot really taste the abalone since its little ration is hidden behind the mix of chicken in the congee. The sides itself for me is standard, and the accompanying dishes were nothing special in particular. But if you would like to enjoy a variety of congees any time of the day, you can certainly put this restaurant into your list since it is open for 24 hours. This dining experience we had at Kwang Tung is certainly pleasing since we come in as families and were greeted in warmth from the time we entered until we left the building feeling full.

 Bubur Kwang Tung

Jl. Pecenongan No. 67 I

Jakarta Pusat

+62 21 3865688

buburkwangtung@yahoo.co.id

Website

LIN Artisan Ice Cream

     "I Scream For Ice Cream," seems to be a notable quote coming out from Spongebob Squarepants in an episode when he is competing with Patrick in a sort of tournament. That quote is now used as a tagline for one of the hippest ice cream store in Jakarta. LIN Artisan Ice Cream is the first ice cream outlet in Indonesia that sells their ice cream through a freezing process using liquid nitrogen. The particular freezing process is one of the process adapted in modernist cooking (pardon me for not using the outdated term of molecular gastronomy) and is adapted in many restaurants for quickly freezing components of their dish or to create a certain texture.

     LIN Artisan Ice Cream gives me the first experience of trying out nitrogen-frozed ice cream -- the first kind of food that I tried out being nitrogen-frozed was actually a piece of marshmallow that I tried on a science show in Pusat Peragaan Iptek in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah! Another interesting fact about liquid nitrogen is that the storing machine is what makes it expensive for storage since the temperature cannot be suited for normal containers. Aside that random anecdote, the ice cream I had here were very satisfying. I went with my family and tried out four kinds of gelato: hazelnut, tea essence, vanilla with chocolate rice and rainbow cake ice cream on top of a waffle.

The kitchen is designed as a laboratory and the preparation took safety and sanitary cautions while processing the ice creams. The open 'lab' allows guests children and the adults themselves to take a look at the unique freezing process.

    The ice cream were all surprisingly good, although we have to wait for more than 15 minutes to get our complete order since the ice creams were made to order on the spot, and I only saw two mixing machines working there. Maybe as the store grows, there should be more working machine set up. Also, the unique thing is that all four gelatos I've tasted had all different textures -- maybe because of the ingredients used. The tea essence gelato tasted like milk tea and its not too sweet nor overpowering, the hazelnut coffee gelato was also nice and the cocoa bits are crunchy and was my favorite for the night. The vanilla gelato is sweet and its texture seemed like it's been mixed by jif marshmallow fluff. Lastly, the rainbow cake gelato was similar to the vanilla ice cream, but added with a mixture of a slice of rainbow cake that smoothly blends in to the ice cream. The rainbow cake vanilla gelato was the crowd favorite, but it is said to be only available for a limited time! 

The expensive nitrogen storage tube!

Top: Hazelnut Coffee Gelato with Cocoa Nibs, IDR 42 thousand
Bottom: Tea Essence Gelato, IDR 36 thousand 

Vanilla Gelato with Chocolate Rice, IDR 39 thousand
 It was good, although the aforementioned 'chocolate rice' were actually chocolate meises. I thought they would add chocolate rice krispies :( But still, overall very good dish!

Vanilla Gelato with Rainbow Cake, IDR 43 thousand
Additional waffle is IDR 22 thousand

    Lastly about the waffle, it was pretty good and fluffy although I prefer my waffle toast and crunchy. I'm not sure whether or not the waffle is newly baked, but it was served warmed. The prices written were excluding 10% tax. Overall, the dishes served here is very satisfying although I didn't order any savory snacks, their smoothie or their coffee selection, but it looked very good from a far. Maybe I should take another visit to try out, eh, especially since the place is near home and I might be constantly craving for sweets ;)

LIN Artisan Ice Cream

Jl. Taman Kemang I No. 6

Jakarta Selatan

+62 21 71794393

info@linicream.com

Website

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Umabo: Umami Bowl

     My brother has been asking me all week about going to a Japanese-fusion restaurant located nearby his office, saying that this restaurant is one of the best restaurant he tried lately. I finally agreed to go with him alongside with my little brother to the destined placed named Umabo, short for Umami Bowl , and it highlights signature rice bowls alongside with burger, hotdog, chicken wings and varieties of side menus.

PREACH!

     As for the food, we ordered plenty but I only got some of their picture taken. Apology for being such a rookie blogger :( Anyways, the appetizer we ordered were Monster Fries which is french fries topped with melted cheese, beef slides, caramelized onion, and jalapeño. The mix produces a very savory flavor per se umami, exceeding our expectation. 

Monster Fries, IDR 26 thousand

 
     I ordered the Chicken Wings Bowl which I particularly regret because my brother ordered 1-Kilogram of chicken wings right after I put the rice bowl into order on the waitress' menu options on the restaurant iPad menu and it turned out that the chicken wings on my rice bowl is way sweeter that the 1 kilogram portion, maybe it's the glazing sauce that differ them. The 1-Kilogram chicken wings order were good, although it's not punching umami flavor as the fried does. Our heavy portioned chicken was divided into two trays as the waitress kindly allow us to modify and customize our order since we want to try out their chicken wings variation. There are two kinds of the wings frying method, whether you want it naked (without batter) or coated (with batter) alongside with three types of sauce: coca-cola, hawaiian and buffalo sauce. We didn't get to try the coca-cola sauce since my brother is afraid that it will be too sweet for our taste.

Chicken Wings Bowl, IDR 46 thousand.
On the top of the rice, it is served about 4-5 chicken wings alongside with a half-boiled egg, an unidentifiable greens (oh, my lack of knowledge in produce) and cornflakes. You read that right, cornflakes!

1-Kilogram Chicken Wings, IDR 110+ thousand
(Left) Naked, unbattered chicken wings with Hawaiian Pineapple Sauce
(Right) Coated chicken wings with Spicy Buffalo Sauce, which I prefer more.

     My little brother ordered a rice bowl named Ribs Me Up and it was the boys favorite. The two brothers went crazy over the braised ribs topped with a runny egg and the beef reduction sauce. I didn't get to taste the particular dish since I'm already full with mine. As for my older brother, he ordered a burger that he liked although it was simply a burger without any sides. But a ton of chicken wings and a wonderful umami fried are amazing sides by its own, no? About the drinks, I ordered a glass lemon tea and an amazing green tea milkshake which is very smooth and subtle. The night I spent dining here was very pleasant, we even bought some food for our parents back at home.

    Umabo is located next to an English (or Math?) course place right across Samudera restaurant in Wijaya. The place itself it's not very big, but very cozy and spacey because of it's simple furniture. I also liked the decor of some of Umabo-customized slogans framed on the wall and  quotes about how Umabo appreciate their food, varying from one table to another. I love how simple this place is and how it is able to maximize it's minimum space, I definitely agree with my brother upon his impression of Umabo.

Oh, and as notice, currently Umabo only accepts cash for now and still have their dishes on a 5% off as part of their opening establishment promo, so grab it fast people!

An appreciation GIF, dedicated to the delicious fries served here. The best cheese fries I've ever tasted. 

Umabo

Jl. Wijaya I No. 22

Jakarta Selatan

+62 21 7222063

Cafe Batavia

     Weeks ago I was planning to catch up a photographic session with my friend, Melissa, as part of making a photo essay for my Indonesian People and Society class final project. One of the rubrics we plan to fill is the socio-economical development of Indonesian and Kota Toea, the historical landmark of Dutch colonialism would be a perfect setting for our project.

     Two-hour ride from Depok to Kota is tiring, but the view we got from Kota Tua is amazing! We arrived at 4 o'clock and decided to park our car facing Kali Besar (one of the waterway through the Ciliwung River) and walk our way through the buildings. Too bad all of the museum were closed, we were told by the local vendors that the museum's operating hour is from 10 am to 3 pm. The news were unfortunate but at least the sky is treating us nicely that afternoon. We got some shot we wanted in capturing the essence of Kota Tua.

     After taking several shots, we decided to have lunch at the notorious Cafe Batavia. The now fully operated cafe was actually first built as one of the Vereegnide Oost-Indische Compagnie in 1805. If you learn your nation's history correctly in elementary school, the compagnie is the sail in which took over Indonesian spices plantation for the company's trades and is the beginning of Dutch colonization in Indonesia. The office then were turned into a gallery by a Frenchmen and was latter turned into a café by an Australian in 1991. The timeline tells how Cafe Batavia today is filled with many portraits and is famous of its artistic décor.

     Regarding to the café, the food itself is very satisfying. Although not cheap, it is worth the scenery of Taman Fatahillah facing the Jakarta Historical Museum and a wide landscape of the Kota Tua landmark. The menu of Cafe Batavia is consisting of various dishes varying from Chinese, Italian and Indonesian cuisine. Ambiance is the focal point of this particular cafe that embraces the impression of dining in a colonial era atmosphere. Seen from the the carpentry, puffy carpet, batik tablecloth and the seating itself it can be concluded that the decoration is very well thought in order to capture the right vibe (minus the tension of colonization).

Spaghetti with Meatball Sauce, IDR 65 thousand (excl. 21% tax and service charge)

Fettucini Carbonara, IDR 72 thousand (excl. 21% tax and service charge)

     The food was all great and well portioned, although the addition of cream in the list of ingredients in the Carbonara makes me question the authenticity of the food itself (remember, traditional Italian carbonara recipe DOES NOT includes cream). But overall it was delicious. As for the drinks, I did not order any as we brought our own water bottle. We are seated next to a big window in the non-smoking area upstairs and the advantage of this area is that you'll get better view from a leveled floor. The dining area also had a bar and a lounge for live music performance.

     If you are visiting Kota Tua, don't worry about having to starve because there are wide array of street vendors nearby. I really recommend people to come and visit Kota Tua to relive the hype of local tourism as well to support the rejuvenation effort of preserving histories as inspiration for the future generation in protecting Indonesian national culture and heritage. Many lessons are learnt here as I was enlighten to pay greater respect to the nation's heroes in all the effort they took in to reach independence. This trip is inspiring indeed :)

Cafe Batavia

Jl. Pintu Kecil No. 14 Kota
Jakarta Barat
+62 21 6915973
cafe.batavia.jakarta@gmail.com
Website