Fat Shogun Independence Deal

Do you remember Fat Shogun? The Japanese-Peruvian restaurant returns with this awesome line up to celebrate our independence day.

This is Fiona, giving freedom a taste.

When Fat Shogun contacted me to try their Independence Deal meal, I said yes right away. I've been to Fat Shogun a couple of times and it's been on our favorite list ever since. I celebrated Valentine's day here too and would recommend this restaurant for your special occasion. The unique flavor of Nikkei keeps you coming back for more. It challenges the freshness of each ingredient, uniqueness of the sauce and toppings, in presenting you with the mix of the flavors. Definitely my kind of food. Let's see what the menu has to offer.

Ceviche With Acar Dressing
Snappers, red onion, tomatoes, acar dressing.

It's summer for sure! The spicy, sour dan fresh snappers will fulfill your longing for summer in the end of August. It comes with pickles and real chilli, if you like more spicy sensation. For me, this is more than enough. It's a good introduction to freedom. It's hard to stop and this is just the beginning.

Red White Tiradito
Seabass, tuna, mango ginger salsa.

Fresh seabass is one of my favorites, especially Tuna. But the highlight of this meal comes from its sauce: mango ginger salsa. A dominant ginger flavor which is combined with a sweet touch of mango. So it's not overpowering the fish while you still can taste the freshness.

Chicken Roll and Cod Misoyaki

Cod Misoyaki is a familiar dish, so having this included in the menu gives a homey feeling to my palate. This is my must-have menu in Fat Shogun and I'm excited that they decided to include this on theit special menu. For those who aren't familiar with the Cod Misoyaki, it's a buttery cod with crispy vegetables on top. I always ask for crispier veggies. The Chicken Roll reminds you of sushi, but instead of seaweed, Chicken is used to "wrap" the sushi. Inside is super yumny tamago. If you're up to different kind of sushi sensation, try this.

Ceviche With Acar Dressing

Red White Tiradito

Chicken Roll and Cod Misoyaki

Yuccamochi
Cassava cake and crumble.

I can smell cassava when the dish arrived in my table. Surely delicious, according to my nose. The cake is real moist (makes me wonder) plus the vanilla ice cream and crumble pair, makes this a perfect dessert. I really appreciate that the vanilla flavor doesn't overwhelm the cassava sweet ending.

Yuccamochi

If you haven't gone to Fat Shogun then this is a good time to try their dishes. They simplified their menu into these four dishes. The idea is using different ingredients in every plate so expect different range of flavors from one plate to another but still feel the Fat Shogun rhythm along the way.

The package is only 400k ++/ pax and it's only available exclusively for two days on 16 - 17 August 2017. Book today (before the 16th) and get those meals only for Rp375k++/pax.

Where is this?

Menara BTPN - Retail Tower, Rooftop Level, 

Jl. Dr. Ide anak agung Gde Agung Kav, 5.5 - 5.6 

CBD Mega Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan.

AW Kitchen Pizza Story

AW Kitchen is always fun. They serve good food and great taste. No wonder we’ve been coming back here again and again. This time for pizza and cocktails. AW kitchen has this open kitchen on the side where you can see the oven and watch how your pizza is created. Nothing beat the feel of freshness when you see your order going in and out the oven then to your table. We love the feel of knowing the cooking process.

But before we dive into the pizza and how it tastes, let's take a look on the appetizers.

 

Taking Platter at Dapur Seafood

Who can resist fresh seafood in north Jakarta? Here comes another spot for you to try, and well, linger for a while. Dapur Seafood is a semi-outdoor restaurant which reminds us with the seafood-on-the-street feeling.

 

But unlike those pedestrian kiosks, this place comes with a comfortable seat and even an aquarium. The interior is facing the yacht and there are second and third floor which accommodates private gatherings as well as wedding party.

While the upgraded feel may sway you away from the street-seafood feeling, the taste will take you back. Seafood Platter (Rp.800k) is made for 6 people. It’s everything you hoped for on one plate: Nassarius Snail, Male Crab, Golden Sand Deep Fried Goramy, Calamary, Salted Egg Yolk Shrimp, Hard Clam, Water Spinach. 

Out of Jakarta, Weekend at Resinda Hotel Karawang

When Jakarta is packed, you started to look beyond the borders. So did us. That’s why this post is another story about a driving out of the City Center. This time Fiona visited Karawang, a suburb 2 hours away from Jakarta. It was a bright and beautiful day.

Welcome to Karawang.

Deciding where to stay in places like Karawang also means finding accommodation with delicious restaurant on board. Sure, suburb these days aren’t that quiet residential places. Especially Karawang regency,a growing area under West Java province. So I picked Resinda Hotel Karawang, which is managed under Padma hotels.

Upon arrivals, after welcomed by the friendly staffs and drinks, we go straight to brunch at Tekai Japanese Restaurant. It’s an all you can eat sushi buffet, located at a cool minimalistic Japanese interior. This buffet serves sushi rolls but they don’t have sashimi. Too bad. Setting that aside, I moved on to beef minced karaage, fish karaage and curry. They quickly become my favorite. What’s surprising is that they have udon or cold soba. I love it so much! Come to Tenkai on Saturday lunch (from 11.30AM to 2PM) for their Sushi Mayhem promotions. It’s only Rp. 150k++/pax.

Fat Shogun's Rooftop Romantic

Win a special girl’s heart with a unique and lavish dinner. That’s probably what we brought back from this year’s Valentine’s Day. It’s all started with Fiona’s Valentine’s Day celebration at Fat Shogun.

Hello, This is Fiona.

I’m not celebrating Valentine’s Day with flower and chocolate, but a nice rooftop (romantic) dinner is hard to resist. Fat Shogun is located on the rooftop of BTPN building. There’s this simple Fat Shogun sign, dominated by the gold and black colors and the city lights reflected on the large windows. A bar is located on the corner. Needless to say, this place is romantic. 

Their inspiring set menu only adds on to the sweet ambiance. Called "Epicurian Of Nikkei," a romantic dinner journey related to Nikkei history. Nikkei is a combination of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. So, set aside the thought of complicated stock exchange when you taste each meal. Its origin can be traced back to late 1800 when the Japanese worker immigrated to Peru, to work on railroads. Some of them stayed and the cuisines blended into what’s known today as Nikkei.

Jia: An Epicurean Journey to Contemporary China

The classic New-Year-New-You phrase resonates to Jia, Shangri-La Jakarta’s latest signature Chinese restaurant, which was opened in place of Shang Palace. This is Fiona’s adventure to discover the delicacy of contemporary China.

Ni Hao. This is Fiona.

I've been to Shang Palace couple of time. When Jia takes over the premise, I feel the difference, but in a good way. It’s still a Chinese restaurant, with a young, vibrant and modern feeling. I personally love the interior, which I think has taken the right path to present China. Tokyo-based firm Bond was in charge of the interior, creating an update from its former dining place with shades of cobalt and a range of earth colors. The dining area can sit up to 122 guests and the private dining rooms can host 20 guests each. 

It’s hard to stop taking pictures because the place is so photogenic. The big tables are everywhere and sofas for 4 people or less. There’s a small transparent glass room for those who want to see the Peking Duck roasting. Yummy, I can imagine the smell of Peking Duck being opened by the chef.

Guan Yin Tea Cold Brew is waiting for me at the end of my journey around the restaurant. Served in a transparent bottle, it gives another hint of modernity. It’s really refreshing and I always love Chinese tea. I’m glad to find a cold brew that I can enjoy in a hot mid-day. The menu book is a magazine. You’d be surprise.

Middle Eastern Delight at Al Nafoura Le Meridien Jakarta

Al Nafoura, a beautiful dining place with Middle Eastern ambiance at Le Meridien Jakarta is interesting. The Mediterranean gate and interior joined the dim lighting and warm welcome. 

Hello, this is Fiona. I'm joining my friend Yenny (yennymakanmulu.com) and Arditya Chandra Putra (Marketing Communication Manager) of Le Meridien at Al Nafoura. 

Terracotta brown flooring and stone walls contrast the cushions and rugs. Then my attention turn to the table. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in general doesn't differ much from those we're familiar with growing up. The secret, Chef Ahmad Jamil said, is using right balance of natural spices and ingredients. While spices like Saffron and Zaatar are still imported from Middle Eastern countries, other ingredients including eggplant, chickpeas and parsley are of local produce.

Spice by Chris Salans: An Ubud Taste for Share

Ubud has never disappointed you. From art to food and the combination of two, there’s always something to discover in this part of Bali. On her recent visit, Fiona stopped by to taste another masterpiece of Chris Salans, the man behind Mozaic. A place called Spice.

Hi, this is Fiona!

Chris Salans is known for his signature cuisine which infuses local Balinese flavors with French cooking techniques. I had been eyeing on this restaurant since my last visit to Ubud, but it was full. This time I arrived with my fiance and he apparently is the perfect man to share the moment and the flavors. 

Located in the center of Ubud, this bright spot, unfortunately isn’t available for reservation, so we arrived early to choose the table we wanted to. My choice was the one by the massive glass window that allowed us to see the life of Ubud. It’s a warm-welcoming place with laidback atmosphere and delicious dishes. The chef, American-born Chris Salans is also the owner of Mozaic, which offer equally unique gastronomy experience through its ever-changing menu. But this is Spice, and we’ve yet to discover the taste.

A Night At Sudirman Street Bandung

Sudirman Street popped out out of nowhere when I stopped by to approach my favorite Martabak stall on Jl. Jendral Sudirman. It was back in December when the place was only opened for a few weeks. I revisited the place again a few months later, dining in inside this time.

This is Ruth’s family weekend-getaway in Bandung.

It was like a deja vu because we’re staying in the same airbnb house and went on technically the same itinerary. This time, we determined to try Sudirman Street for dinner. Parking a few minutes away from the Jl. Jendral Sudirman entrance, this food court was packed by sundown. Last time, we figured this place is only open for dinner, but Google search showed that some stalls opened for lunch as well. Bandung’s mountainous breeze makes outdoor dining possible at lunch, even without sitting inside an air-conditioned restaurant.

We finally found a table near the entrance. In between a fried meatball and noodle stalls. Settled down, I got up first and took a look around. The first thing I noticed about Sudirman Street is pork. Almost every stall serves pork, including the Pinky Porky Martabak stall on the side which use pork meat instead the usual beef. Across the street from the Martabak is a pork satay stall that gathered a lot of crowds and smoke. Looking at the satay shape, I decided to order that first.

The pork martabak has quite a line. When my brother ordered one, he was given a queue number, just like when you’re ordering bubble tea. The cooking took a while so when it’s done, we’ve tried almost half the food in Sudirman Street. We decided to have it at home, just in case somebody get a midnight craving. The martabak is delicious, a little salty and well, it has pork. Some people believes that pork in a dish changes the taste, and it really does on this particular martabak. Needless to say, the box was emptied a few minutes after we reached home.

The satay arguably was the best one I’ve ever tasted. It’s sweet to the inside, the meat is thick and grilled to the right tenderness. So this one is highly recommended for those dining at Sudirman Street. There is also a bloody drink stall next door, which sold everything from Baymax blood to Smurf blood. Those are sugary drinks with different flavors. Wasn’t my preferred thirst quenchers but these interesting drinks are well-loved by the young children.

Walk to the other end, near the Cibadak entrance and you’ll find a nicely decorated wall, perfect for photos if the place wasn’t that packed. I would recommend strolling through the alley first before placing an order. Choose wisely because you’ll be full and realize that you haven’t tried this and that. But of course, tomorrow is a new day and you can always return to try on different stalls. If you’re a pork-fan, this place is pretty much heaven.

A few tips: (1) Came early to beat the night crowd. Especially if you’re here on weekend. We arrived around 6 PM and it was packed. (2) Watch your belongings. Sudirman Street is an open food court and it’s always wise to be cautious. (3) Prepare cash. If you haven’t got any, the mini market nearby has an ATM machine. (4) Order right away after you decide. Some stalls are popular and would run out of food even before the end of the night. (5) Watch your kids if you’re dining with them. Several stalls like the satay cooked in the open, so you might want to pay more attention to your curious toddlers.

But our visit isn’t complete without a stop at the Martabak stall which started the culinary journey. My family had always ordered sweet martabak and thin crispy ones whenever we’re in Bandung. It dated back to our childhood days. The thin-crispy martabak, called Tipis Kering or Tipker, is arguably the best I’ve ever tasted and stayed true for around 20 years. So that’s why we kept on returning to this simple stall over the years. This time, the stall introduced us to a whole new dining experience called Sudirman Street.

One Afternoon at Old Town White Coffee Pakubuwono

It’s probably not too much to say that OldTown White Coffee is legendary. While our first encounter is at supermarket shelf, these days the Malaysian brand has expanded into full-serviced restaurants. Opening its latest stand-alone outlet in Pakubuwono, South Jakarta, we’re honor to be part of the crowd.

This is Ruth and her late-afternoon coffee adventure.