Introducing A&W National Day Promotion

We recalled flipping through calendar, couldn't wait for the next month to come so we can redeem that free ice cream. A&W has always been a dear memory to our childhood, serving the one-of-a-kind Root Beer, curly fries invention and the golden aroma fried chicken. That's why, when invitation called, Ruth jumped out the bed early on Saturday morning and join the BFF Rooty Picnic Barrels launching party at A&W Cipete. 

It's their first time doing a promotion in August, so it was a blast of fun. Aside from the sit-down, show-and-tell launch, that morning started with brunch an array of waffle, fried chicken,fries and nuggets. And ended in a traditional independence day game, which I accidentally won. The game is pick your best friend and do the dancing while keeping the balloon between our foreheads. The best friends concept is drawn from the barrels, which contains a lunch (or dinner) for two. 

My brunch for the day. Waffle and chicken are great idea.

It was displayed up front, so I was curious what’s inside the barrels. The limited edition BFF Rooty Barrel consists of a pair of Golden Aroma Chicken, rice, potato fritters (perkedel) and regular Root Beer (starts from Rp. 69,5k). The A&W Rooty Picnic Barrel comes in different packages to choose from. If you’re like me, thinking about skipping rice, try combination 1 of 2 Golden Aroma Chicken, 1 Beef Burger, 4 Chicken Chunks, 1 rice (for your BFF) and 2 regular Root Beer (starts from Rp.79k). Guys would probably eat more than one piece of chicken, so combination 2 is perfect for the buddies and bros searching for a filling meal: 4 Golden Aroma Chicken, 4 Chicken Chunks, 2 rice and 2 regular Root Beer (starts from Rp.98k).

 

The three limited edition picnic barrels are decorated with sporty theme, showing Rooty bear playing soccer, cycling and badminton.

But what’s A&W without its coupons? The good news arrives as we don’t have to wait for the months to change to use the coupons because now they’re available online. I think in the near future, they should start creating an app. I wouldn’t mind having Rooty Bear popping up on my screen with coupons haha. All you have to do is sign up at awrestaurants.co.id/kupondiskon and download the ones you want to use. Once you’re at the counter, show it to the cashier and enjoy the discount, explain Irvan Maulana, Head of Digital A&W Restaurant. He also assured that one coupon can be shared with your friends, so no need to worry about running out of promotion.

Sounds good, smells good and off we go. cos this National Day Promotion is only available through 31 August 2016.

Penfolds Bin 9 Launching Shangri-La Jakarta

We were asking ourselves, what’s our lucky number when a tempting red invitation arrived on our inbox, a ticket to savor the launching of Penfolds Bin 9 Cabernet Sauvignon at Satoo Garden, Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta. It’s Penfolds, and you just can’t turn it down. So, Fiona agreed to go and try her luck with the free flow.

 

It’s always hard to overwrite a wine taste. At the entrance, I was faced with the dilemma of the night, Penfolds Bin 8 Cabernet Shiraz on the right and the star of the party, Penfolds Bin 9 Cabernet Sauvignon, on my left. The two booths were separated with an array of Shangri-La delicacies, ready to be paired with each glass. I was welcomed with a lot of laughter. Casual, as the invitation said, but not leaving classy behind. It’s a wine party afterall! 

Tasting Japanese Food Culture at AEON Mall BSD City

Finally found my perfect dish, I ordered: a bowl of ramen, a plate of chicken steak with miso and chicken karaage on the side. The cashier gave me a pager along with receipt and changes. I was told to wait for the pager to buzz which means my food is ready. The peculiar experience is just another day at Food Culture AEON Mall BSD City. 

Hello, this is Ruth.

An invitation to attend a food blogger gathering arrived on our inbox last weekend. As curiosity defeated the laziness to drive on Sunday morning, I found myself exploring a food court called Food Culture at AEON Mall BSD City. When you heard food court at this new mall (it’s less than a year old), the first thing that come to your mind is Kedai Bungkus by the supermarket at AEON Department Store area, which is famous for its low-priced sushi and other Japanese take-home snacks. Food Culture is on the other end of the mall.

A Weekend at K-Food Fair 2015

Food brings people together. A series of events and food tasting as well as booths introducing Korean culture filled the main atrium. So we weren't surprised to see how packed the K-Food Fair Indonesia 2015 at Kota Kasablanka the past weekend.

The event was collaboration between Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT). The weekend event is a follow up to the seminar which was held on Friday at Hotel Mulia. It's time to eat and have fun!

On the opening ceremony, we’re invited to see the making of 42-metre Kimbab. Kimbab is a korean dish made of rice and seaweed as the main ingredients. Everything else is personalized. “Kimbab was chosen because we want everyone to know that Korean food can have many variations, which can be adjusted to region and seasons,” said Jae Su Kim, the president at Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation.

We lunched at Kyochon with the popular mix wings (99k) which come in original, honey and red series. Original is crunchy and crispy, coated with soy garlic glazed. Red series is hot and order only if you're brave enough to try Korea's hottest chili peppers. Honey series introduces the sweet 24-hour marinated chicken. Or you can try its Toppoki (Rp50k), Korean popular rice cakes cooked with spicy and sour paste. Mandarin Chicken Salad (49k) is served on the side. If you’re still hungry, order the Galbi Chicken Steak with Kimchi Fried Rice (69k). The sweet, sour and spicy combination will get you to crave for more.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

Mix Wings at Kyochon 

Galbi Chicken Steak with Kimchi Fried Rice

Spicy Toppoki at Kyochon

Returning to the main atrium, there are an array of events and booths (with more food to try for FREE) waiting for us. All you have to do is walk around the area, line up and decide which one you like the best. One part of the exhibition that’s interesting (other than the Hanbok photo session) is the Korean Halal Food wall located across the traditional game area. There were different Korean snacks and food which some we’re familiar with, displayed on the Halal wall under the explanation about the Halal Food certification system in Korea. 

The Halal K-Food Wall Display

Booths giving out Free K-Food samples

The popular restaurants are participating too

Even with the big lunch served, we’re still curious about the K-Food available on display. Food tasting brought us to the cheese instant Toppoki (called Yoppoki) while we spent the early afternoon watching the dance cover and martial art show. The original Toppoki, like the one served at Kyochon, tends to be spicy. Although maybe for us, Indonesians, the spicy is still quite mild. Toppoki is a popular street food/snack in Korea and these days they come with different flavors and even fusion style like Carbonara, cream or cheese sauce.

Unfortunately, looking at the line at Hanbok photo area, we decided to skip that and tried the origami instead. We could have stayed all afternoon. But, we went home with full stomach, happy feelings and more knowledge about Korean Food. Nothing can beat that weekend!

Roger Mooking and Flavors From Around The World

Roger Mooking served delicious dishes combined with easygoing personality on a special dinner with Asian Food Channel at Bluegrass Bar & Grill last month. The Man Fire Food host cooked his special creations to special guests from Indovision and bloggers.

We didn’t know what to expect when the invitation reached us a while back. Being a fan of Asian Food Channel, we’re definitely curious about this one chef. Our little research pointed out that Roger Mooking is a Canadian chef as well as recording artists and book author. He’s the host of Man Fire Food and co-creator of Everyday Exotic, both are food TV shows aired in North America.

The list of dishes, expected to be served in the next hours got us excited. It’s a personalized 5-course meal with vegetarian option. Then we get glimpses of the chef as he made final preparation for the night’s event. He was vibrant, lively and seemed to be excited about everything. Then he finally stepped out into the spotlight.

 

He admits he enjoyed encountering new ingredients. “Duck egg, for example, is something familiar in Asia, but in the U.S., we have to look around for it.” But cooking often placed people together in one plate. He pointed out the pillow bread (we assumed he’s talking about kue bantal) that is also a common dish on a different side of the world under another name. “I love how everyone in different parts of the world are doing the same thing.”

So here are what’s on our menu that night:

First Course: Steamed Duck Egg with King Oyster Mushroom, Sesame Oil and Razor Herbs
Hold the crackers, spoon the soup (which is actually the steamed duck eggs) over the mushroom and crackers before you let them all inside your mouth. The first bite, with all the flavors coming together on your taste buds are incredible. But overall, we would love to have more bread to finish the duck eggs. The eggs are too simple and lack of textures when they are eaten alone. The first course really set the base of what we expect from Roger’s around the world experiments.

Steamed Duck Egg with King Oyster Mushroom, Sesame Oil and Razor Herbs

Second Course: Green Coconut Curry, White Fish and Moo’s Chutney
Soup is a surprise because it comes as fish curry. Served by pouring off the kettle, this “soup” has strong spicy flavor that amazingly doesn’t kill the fish and noodle flavor. Easily washed down with water, its Asian taste makes the second course a real complementary for the first one.

Green Coconut Curry, White Fish and Moo’s Chutney

Third Course: 5 Spiced Floats Salad of Micro Greens, Pickled Carrots, Ginger and Braised Lambs
When the menu said salad, we expected a bowl full of greens with colorful garnishes on top. Instead, a sandwich sitting comfortably on a bed of greens is served on our table. So this is where the pillow bread is used. Stuffed with greens, carrots, lambs and a hint of ginger, everybite is heavenly. “These are things I never cooked before,” he admitted. Somehow he has succeeded in infusing an Asian flavor on every dish.

5 Spiced Floats Salad of Micro Greens,
Pickled Carrots, Ginger and Braised Lambs

Fourth Course (Main): Beef Tenderloin with Blackbean Shrimp and Broccoli Dust
It’s just natural that we expect a lot from this Man Fire Food host. Grilling and meat are supposed to be his specialty. And this one is specially prepared too because he showcased the process in front of us. “Surf and turf Chinese Style,” he described the dish as he combined the meat and seafood in one plate. Chinese fermented black beans are used along with sweet soy sauce. Another surprise because even in Indonesia, we didn’t encounter much of sweet soy sauce being used in Western style steak. 

Broccoli dust is a compelling concept. Peel the skin off, dust and break up the larger pieces with hands into crumbs and dice the stems. “You’ll notice that when you cook vegetables, there’s a change from pale green to bright green. That’s when you get the maximum color, maximum flavor and maximum vitamins,” he shared. This seemingly simple main course is apparently rich in flavor. But Roger insisted that “simple is always the best.” If simple is like this, then we couldn’t agree more.

Fifth Course: Mango Lassi Ice Cream, Honey Rosewater, Pistachio and Indian Puffed Rice
Whoa Lassi! Yes, we both love lassi. So when the soft-textured dessert arrived covered half in pistachio and half in puffed rice (which is familiar to us as Jipang the puffed rice cakes), we were overjoyed. A sweet and sour ending to the feast. We’re glad Roger decided to go with something light to close the dinner with.

Mango Lassi Ice Cream, Honey Rosewater, Pistachio and Indian Puffed Rice

Roger takes everything into perfection. From the first to the last course, we saw him pushing every details and hands on to fix things. Watching him preparing each dish in the kitchen is indeed another pleasure. He was throwing instructions to the Bluegrass team, making sure that everything from plating to garnishing goes on smoothly. Roger seems to always go with texture and color with his dishes, adding his cheerful personality as he stopped by each table to greet the guests and gather feedback.

We can safely say that it was a 5-course dinner well done.