Three Kings - Java, Toraja and Robusta

Definetley the three kings of coffee. At least that I knew of.
I tried this coffee in a good Monday morning in Bandung. It was raining last night and the chill of morning breeze was still around me. My friend brought his portable stove and a pan to my hotel room (strange, I have a house in Bandung but having a morning coffee in a hotel!). Then, a good coffee time surely followed.

How on earth you make a good cuppa? Depends on how you want it actually. If you wanna have a good cuppa of espresso (that tiny cup of good brew), you must have a good machine to come along with good bean and skilled operator. In a simpler way, if you want to have 'just cofee' or we call it here 'kopi tubruk' then all you need is a stove, a pan and good coffee powder.

You must know the character of water you use. That morning, I used tap water from the hotel sink. Sure, it has quite some mineral, hardness and so on. But I believe that it would be very subtle I hardly notice.

First you heat up the water up to near boiling point. When the first bubble arise from Rinse your cup (or mug) with portion of this hot water. Put a tablespoon of coffee and pour in the hot water. Wait a minute then stir.

The first, it was java. It was one of the best java I ever had. The aroma is just built nicely layer by layer but not too complicated. First a bit citrus then followed by other fruity aroma. The thick chocolaty flavour is there with no bitterness. The body is slightly thin but still there to feel. The finish is long and sweet. Very sweet. This coffe is a good pair of that traditional banana fritter and surely wakes up every senses. A nice cuppa to start a day.

Then I came to toraja. This is also an arabica bean therefore I expect slightly the same experience as java. Missed big. This cuppa is far more complex and heavy. The first aroma that strikes me is very thin chocolate followed by layers of spicy tones. The body is thicker than java and the acidity is more lively. By the time the cup getting colder, heaviness of the body added. The finish is clean and no sweetness lingers. A brisk and powerfull coffee. I believe that this cup will be a very good companion for afternoon snack or afterlunch drink.

As a comparison, the last cup, robusta. After that rich and complex aroma of toraja, the aroma of robusta is nothing to feel. A flat aroma and flavour. However, the body is there and this cup will be best as a base of other sweet drinks. Very sweet drink.. with milk..

Semarang part 1: To Eat Lumpia Properly

Sejak kenal lumpia semarang, dengan sausnya yang mengingatkan pada
lem prangko di kantor pos :), lengkap dengan daun selada, cabe
rawit, bawang putih dan kucai (atau bawang yang mulai tumbuh?), saya
selalu bertanya-tanya dalam hati, "bagaimanakah cara makan lumpia
semarang yang baik dan benar?"

Maka dengan pertanyaan berkecamuk di dada (hayyahh.. hiperbolik
sekali dikau!), saya berangkat ke Semarang bersama plesirannya
Sahabat Museum di long-weekend kemaren. Target operasi: Lumpia Gang
Lombok!

Setiba di kawasan Gang Lombok, lho kok ramai? Ternyata di klenteng
Tay Kak Sie yang didirikan tahun 1772 ini sedang ada perayaan
sembahyangan yang oleh warga lokal dikenal sebagai Sembahyang
Rebutan. Hewan kurban dijejer, makanan berderet-deret dan gunungan
tinggi dari kue terlihat rapi berwarna-warni. Dulunya, kue pada
gunungan ini diperebutkan setelah upacara (mengingatkan pada upacara
gerebeg bukan?). Sekarang, acara rebutan ditiadakan, diganti dengan
pembagian sembako pakai kupon.

Setelah puas melihat-lihat upacara, saya menculik Dila Bondan untuk
menjalankan misi mencari kebenaran tentang lumpia semarang. Di
tukang lumpia Gg Lombok, dua kompor sedang menyala. Yang satu
dipakai untuk membuat isian lumpia (rebung, udang dan telur), yang
satunya dipakai untuk menggoreng. Warungnya kecil, sempit tapi sibuk
banget. Puluhan besek besar dan kecil bertumpuk buat take away.
Besek kecil isi 10, yang besar isi 20.

Dengan semangat kami pesan "makan di sini, 3 basah, 2 goreng..
tambahin 2 lagi, goreng".. abis itu malu.. ternyata porsi "normal"
makan di tempat adalah 2 potong lumpia. Jadilah datang ke meja saya
4 piring lumpia (dengan formasi 2-2-2-1). Waduh, tampak lapar sekali
kami.. dan menuh-menuhin tempat banget!

Lumpia disajikan di piring tanggung dalam keadaan terpotong-potong.
Disampingnya tampak beberapa sendok saus kecoklatan yang kental,
dengan cincangan bawang putih (freshly crushed!) dan acar timun. Di
meja, digelar piring berisi daun selada, cabai rawit dan "bawang"
(seperti kucai tapi lebih gendut, seperti bawang daun tapi bagian
bawahnya gembung. Benda apakah ini?). Nah lu.. gimana makannya ini?

Tiba-tiba, segerombolan anak muda duduk di dekat saya. Waaa, orang
semarang.. bisa dicontek dong.. Lumpia pesanan mereka datang
(sementara punya saya belum diapa-apain tuh!). Dengan seksama saya
perhatikan.. Lho kok malah pada pesen es cao? Es cao adalah es
campur berisi cincau hitam, kolang-kaling, kelapa muda dan lain-
lain, diguyur sirup merah dan es serut. Langsung saya
teringat "pesan" dari Bu Widya Wijayanti malam sebelumnya.. "Es Cao
Gang Lombok adalah es cao terenak di dunia".. waa.. abis makan
lumpia pengen pesen juga aahhh...

Akhirnya tibalah..

Ooo.. ternyata cara makan lumpia-nya gitu toh. Ambil sepotong, beri
saus langsung happp!! dan disusul segera dengan acar timun
dan "bawang". Daun seladanya jadi kayak lalapan aja..

That's it.. mission accomplished..

As for the lumpia and es cao.. yes, they are trully "terenak di
dunia".. Dunia Lain ataukah Dunia Dalam Berita.. terserah anda
meyikapinya..

Hehee.. beneran lho.. itu adalah lumpia terenak yang pernah saya
coba. Kepadatan isi, kerenyahan kulit dan ukurannya pas banget.
Lumpia dibandrol 5 ribu perak per biji, dan es cao-nya.. gratis..
lha wong saya ngembat punya Titin..

Karena di klenteng sedang ada perayaan, maka di seputaran Gg Lombok
banyak sekali penjaja makanan. Hampir saja saya terpikat jajan
bolang-baling, Wedang Tahu dan Es Tebu kalau nggak ingat bahwa rute
tour kami habis ini adalah: Makan siang di Toko Oen!

ps. Iwan@office van Semarang.. thnx cerita-cerita, sambutan dan
muaci wijen-nya!! Thnx buat Pak Agni yang bayarin lumpia saya
(wahh.. akhirnya.. gratisan semua :)

Feeling kinda religious here.. sorry no food talk

This is from Dian Sastrowardoyo:

Disaat waktu berhenti... kosong
Dimensi membutakan mata, memekakkan telinga
Lalu diri menjadi hampa
Saat paradigma dunia tak lagi digunakan untuk menerka
Sadarku akan hadirmu, mematahkan sendi-sendi yang biasanya tegak berdiri

Sujudku pun takkan memuaskan inginku
'tuk hanturkan sembah sedalam kalbu
Adapun kusembahkan syukur padamu ya Allah
Untuk nama, harta dan keluarga yang mencinta
Dan perjalanan yang sejauh ini tertempa
Alhamdulillah pilihan dan kesempatan
Yang membuat hamba mengerti lebih baik makna diri
Semua lebih berarti
akan mudah dihayati
Alhamdulillah,

So another cuppa

Plaza Senayan.. strange place there is. I had a meeting with AdiWT (with Miyoo, of course) and Nino, my best buddy. Nothing specific to mention about the place though.. just a fancy block housing many resto, cafe and fancy store.

After finishing my lamb kebab (nothing special worth mentioning here), we move to a cafe called Coffee Club. That night was my first experience of having coffee together with a serious coffee drinker. AdiWT he is..

The first page of the menu was browsed and Adi gave his suggestion. "The first three is overrated, the last three is over priced.." so go on to next page..
Moccha Java it is..

This is simple brew coffee (siphon type brewing). Warmth and size is good. Visual is clear and nice. This cup surely please the eyes. But you don't drink coffee with your eyes, don't you?

Dissapointing.. The aroma is very light. It should be better than this. What do you have back there, Mate? Months old bean? Come on.. buy fresh one!

Acidity is nearly there, whilst the body is as thin as Indonesian Model. This baby has lost almost all of her flavour. No nutty taste, no chocolaty flavour (as the name "Moccha" should implies). No nothing.. But the sweet after taste is there nicely..

Overall, this Java lady that should be sweet, passionate, not too sexy but appealing is failed to appear at her top form. What came to our table that nite was a sad, broken hearted, gloomy Java lady.. sweet, but having no passion..

Selamat Hari Kartini

Perempuan dikirim ke muka bumi hanya untuk melahirkan saja



melahirkan warna dan suara,
melahirkan syair, lagu dan cinta,

melahirkan kehangatan lewat matanya,
melahirkan ketenangan lewat senyumnya,
melahirkan kekuatan dengan sentuhnya,
melahirkan ilmu dengan sabarnya,
melahirkan cita-cita bersama khayalnya,
melahirkan gembira bersama tawanya,
melahirkan perlindungan melalui tetes air matanya,

Semangatnya lahirkan kobaran api
Panaskan jiwa disekitarnya

Mimpinya lahirkan dasar
buat manusia gerakkan langkah

Nafasnya lahirkan deru angin
mendorong layar hati arungi dunia


wass,
irvan

Starbucks.. after all this time

My last experience with SB was not a very pleasant one. After having Japs meal (sashimi) in Citos, Sonia and I decided to finish it with a strong cuppa coffee. Then we go downstair and visit SB. I can describe the espresso in one word.. yuck! It's a bit oily and burnt. The demitasse is not even warm, and no crema at all. The aroma is burnt, streaking and harsh. Whilst the acidity and body is not worth noting here. I think the barrista was having a problem of her own.. Please girl, keep it home!

Then with such trauma, I visited another SB to meet my relatives. About a month passed by. This time, it's Kampung Kemang (known as Ranch Market Buncit). The SB here is having much more pleasant atmosphere. The barrista is a guy. Well, that's a hope. Dana, his wife Tante Win, K'Umma and my Sonia is not a heavy coffee drinker. Well, some of them claim that they do, but you know.. you can see how big a coffee drinker a person is by measuring how much sugar they put in their cup :) More sugar mean less fanatics.. to me..

None of them order real coffee. So I did. I try my luck by ordering brew of the day. The smiling barrista said that it's guatemala. I'm in no mood of asking "what combination? which roast?" I just order the regular brew of the day.. Brew them mate, and give 'em to me!

"Should we leave space for milk, sir?" he said. "No Lad, fill 'em up!" said I.

The mug was warm, and the coffee was steaming. I just need to put about a teaspoon of sugar. Surprise! This coffee is good!

The aroma is delicate and not that bursting. More to robusta side. Then I expect a full body, medium acidity and living combination of flavour. Which.. came true.. The flavour was surprisingly complex but smooth. I notice a bit of nutty hint, creamy but not too spicy. This will go good with a thin layer of full milk or fifty-fifty of chocolate. This stuff will be great as mocca, surely is. The finish was clean and pleasant but not that fast. I think its beacuse I let the coffee to cool down a bit.

Being the cheapest drink on the list (hey, brew of the day is always the cheapest in SB!) the result is amazing. So next time I go to SB, I just try my luck with another brew of the day. No offence to those fancy brew.. moccachino.. macchiato.. I like them too, but trust me a cuppa ordinary black stuff may surprise you sometime.

And The Quail Goes Further

Remember my story of Ibu Entik's deep fried quail?

The best take away from Sukabumi, indeed. Backhome, I re-energize this little fellas to give it a twist. I sliced one big onion and crushed 4 clove of garlic and sauteeing them in mixed olive and veggie oil. Then the quail went in. I added a glass of apple juice and let them simmer for about half an hour. Salt and lots of pepper next to be mixed.

Beauty..

Ibu Entik: Revisited

After a long hard driving from Jakarta (thanks to Kampanye!), I arrived to the town where I was born. Sukabumi.

Late lunch at Ibu Entik's resto always give me sense of acceptance and welcome. Feels like home allright. Maybe it's the old house used for the restaurant, with the high ceiling and everything. Reminds me of my grandpa's house just two blocks away.

The food display at the counter shows various menu. That day, they have fried fish, fried chicken, fried tofu and tempe, beef stew, beef rendang, kering tempe (sweet dry-fried tempe), beefskin and bittermelon, salted squid in light curry and lots of pepes. Mushroom, fish or chicken covered in various herb and spices (mainly turmeric, basil, ginger, galangal and lemongrass) wrapped in banana leaves, tied and steamed for hours.

All meal come with plenty of various greenies (lettuce and eggplant to name a few) and a small portion of sour and red-hot sambal. Free flowing hot jasmine tea is ready at my table.

I choose the beefskin and bittermelon, salted squid and mushroom pepes to accompany my steamed rice. And a glass of hot sweetened jasmine tea. Big meal, indeed. All for 8 thousand rupiah only!

The beefskin and bittermelon is perfect. The skin is fried before cooked further and feel very soft. The bittermelon was sliced very thin thus the gravy can penetrate deeply and masking the bitter taste of it. Good.

Salted squid is always good in Sukabumi. Finger-sized squid, dried, salted, with purplish color was cooked in light red curry. The subtle taste of salt in the squid mixed perfectly with the herb and chili used in the light curry. Yummy!

Mushroom used in the pepes is the white mushroom grown on the damp soil. Plump pieces of mushroom mixed with various herb, what more can I tell?

I also take away one of Ibu Entik's specialties.. Deep fried quail. This tiny bird was cooked to perfect tenderness, and surely the taste is much bigger than it looks. It was crisp and crunchy on the outside but moist on the inside. I plan to have the meat seared and re-cooked with fried rice or noodle bowl. Humm.. I must do it immediately.. I can't keep my hand's off of it.

Each bird was sold for 3.5 K rupiah only. The best take away from Sukabumi, I think.

Sabia (Brazilian cuisine)

Without LOVE, days are: sadday, moanday, tearsday, wasteday, thirstday, frightday, shatterday. (quote from my friend's blog, yohanhandoyo.com).

Well.. It's Valentine day in Bandung..

On my way to my best friend's wedding (sounds like a movie huh?), I spot a tiny cafe just behind the Gedung Sate a.k.a Governor Office. This is a small place, a terrace hut that post a black banner bearing the name of SABIA, Brazilian Cuisine. And it caught my eyes fair and square. Brazilian cuisine? Never heard of them.. except maybe.. Portuguese style grilled chicken and a cuppa Brazilian coffee.. Curiosity was the main reason I drop by after congratulate my buddy on her wedding.

Hmm.. My lack of knowledge in Brazilian cuisine was worst than I thought. I didn't recognize a single spot of Brazilian dishes on the menu. Steak or alike is too-not-Brazil for me, so I go for the explanation under the dishes name. I order hot brown bean soup (I think kidney bean is south American, so I order them), and Moqueca. This is "Brazilian fish and shrimp stew with tomato, pepper, coconut milk and onion, serve over hot Brazilian rice". And off-course, hot espresso to finish with. Then, I wait anxiously..

First, the soup of kidney bean. It was thick and bold. The base flavor is beef stock, without too much fat. The cream consistency is rather heavy and the taste is plainly salty with a strong aroma of kidney bean. A splash of Tabasco turn this plain soup into heart warming dishes in this rainy day. I was satisfied, in some way..

Then here comes the Moqueca. I think it was good. The taste is not as strong as I expected. In my head, the default of south American dishes is heavy, strong and bold. I think an extra cilantro is required to bring up the feeling. I believe that SABIA is playing safe. Not many Indonesian love cilantro.. I, personally, am a cilantro lover.

The fish is great. It was fresh and cook to tenderness but still firm to the fork. I don't recall the fish, but I believe it's snapper. The shrimp came in decent size and freshness and proper tenderness. Coconut milk was used in good amount, and made this meal relatively light. Overall, it's a good heart-warming dish. And yes, almost forgot the rice.. It was Brazilian rice. Long grain rice cooked in light oil (olive? I almost suspect butter, but I think it's not proper) and subtle taste of onion and garlic. Basmati rice? maybe. Good..

And the espresso..

It came in a small cup. Not a demitasse, not an espresso cup. OK... That's one thing. And almost no crema. I can see a ring of crema on the rim of the cup.. They need a lots of improvement in brewing. The crema came in dark color, only not enough quantity. Using a proper demitasse, I believe it will made half to 1 mm thick of crema. The coffee, I suspect, is using Excelso as base. Slightly burnt aroma, medium body and low acidity. The leather complexion is nicely build and the finish is sweet but not too crisp. For not too serious coffee sipper.. It's OK, considering the rainy day outside and a beautiful dishes I just had..

Price? Good..

I will come again..

Have a cuppa in Bandung Mate (not!)

Writing from my mailing list, from one of my friend, Adi WT. He's good.. Never mind the language though.. don't understand a bit what he said? no worries mate, u can always mail me.. Here it goes

Ngopi di Bandung

jujur saya sempet sedih dan sebel nyari tempat ngopi yang enak di Bandung. Enak
dalam artian produk wise ya, bukan tempatnya (kalo ini Bandung rajanya, lotsa
great places with terrible food).

Saat ini tempat ngopi yang lagi rame ramenya di Bandung kalau saya perhatikan
adalah Cafe Oh La La di Plaza Dago yang buka 24 jam. Dulu saya lumayan sering ke
sini, ketika owner/managernya masih sadar buat manggil teknisi secara reguler
buat ngebersihin mesin kopinya.... sekarang sayangnya kesadaran itu hilang entah
kemana. Espressonya makin ama makin menyedihkan. Cremanya yang dulu tebal dan
creamy sekarang hilang entah kemana. Kalau ada pun jan tuipis tenan. Karakter
creamy yang mestinya ada di crema dah jauh dari harapan. Oh ya, as far as I
know, Oh La La ini (seperti kebanyakan cafe di Bandung sekarang ini) menggunakan
produk kopi Illy. Karakter Illy asli udah gak nongol sama sekali. Sayang ya....
padahal harga dasar biji kopinya gak murah....

Diseberang Oh La La Plaza dago berdiri Black CoffiBar, chain lokal bandung.
Black Coffibar ini multi bean cafe, dalam artian dia jualan kopi dengan beberapa
variasi biji kopi, dengan karakternya masing masing, yang dapat kita pilih. Biji
yang mereka miliki kalo gak salah ada yang dari costarica dan guatemala
(dicurigai ngambil dari Dakken Coffee), selain strain lokal seperti timtim dan
toraja (yang terakhir ini gak yakin). Biar gampang benchmarkingnya, saya mesen
espresso Illy aja heheheheh...
Dulu kualitas espresso Black Coffibar ini lumayan amburadul..... yang saya inget
banget adalah karakter hangus atau burnt yang ada dalam espresso Illy-nya.
Syukurlah karakter tersebut sekarang sudah tidak ada. Beberapa hari yang lalu,
saya sempet kesana bersama Miyo dan teman saya Echi. Seperti biasa Miyo dan saya
memesan espresso, while Echi memesan Cappucinno Espresso (oh ya.... di sini ada
beberapa versi cappucinno.... jadi mbingungin kalo pengen classic cappucinno).
Espresso kami datang dalam kondisi yang lumayan. Crema 1-2 mm (idealnya 3 mm),
demitassenya cukup hangat, gak ada karakternya hangusnya, tapi masih belum Illy.
Illy yang biasa saya minum ada sedikit hint "manis"nya dibelakang dengan
aftertaste yang "bersih". Illy yang saya minum kemaren masih belom nyampe situ.
Body dan Flavournya sih dah lumayan. Froth (busa susu) Cappucinno Espressonya
Echi on the other hand, mengingatkan saya dengan busa sabun. Busa susu tersebut
secara tampilan terlihat kasar (jauh banget sama frothnya segafredo yang kayak
awan) dan kering. Rasa manis susunya pun telah hilang. Kenapa bisa gitu ya? I
guess ketika sedang di-froth, temperatur susunya sudah terlalu mendekati (atau
malah melewati?) titik didih, that way rasa manisnya susu otomatis akan hilang.

Potluck..... setelah absen beberapa lama saya sempat kesana lagi. Selama masa
absen, saya mendengar beberapa komplain tentang kualitas produk minuman mereka.
Rata rata pada bilang rasa minuman mereka (terutama yang coffee based) cemplang
alias gak jelas mo kemana. Anyway, saya datang kesana seperti biasa memesan
espresso dengan menggunakan biji Arabika Aceh. Makin lama espresso di Potluck
makin menyedihkan. Crema yang dulu udah tipis, sekarang makin menghilang.
Karakter aceh yang buat saya full body, medium acidity, boosting semangat tapi
di lain pihak menenangkan pikiran asli dah bubar jalan. Mending dateng ke
sendiri ke Aroma, beli kopinya, n minum sebagai kopi tubruk aja...... Jauh lebih
nikmat. Iced Cappucinno yang dipesan teman saya sesuai dengan komplain yang saya
dengar selama ini. Cemplang gak jelas mau kemana. Apa karena kebanyakan ngasih
esnya ya?

Tapi pengalaman minum espresso yang paling mengerikan saya dapatkan ketika saya
minum di Embargo. Embargo ini terletak di lantai dasar Bandung Super Mall. Dulu
banget saya pernah kesini ketika mereka baru banget buka, dalam kondisi cape
setelah nyetir jakarta bandung, dan jujur bukan pengalaman yang menyenangkan.
Kemaren, dalam kondisi lumayan segar (setelah nonton Lord of the Ring III)
semangat mencoba saya tumbuh lagi (siapa tahu kemaren itu tulalit karena baru
buka). Setelah duduk di sofa mereka, saya memesan espresso. Gak berapa lama
espressonya datang dalam kondisi nir-crema (not a good sign). Espressonya
sendiri relatif encer, dengan karakter rasa yang mengingatkan saya sama rasa
rumput (grassy) dan kayu (woody). singkat kata......... Yuck! Aftertaste kopinya
pun lumayan lama menempel (lumayan mengganggu karena gak enak) dan entah kenapa
bikin mual. Asli sayang banget. Apalagi mereka menggunakan mesin espresso yang
cukup bagus (La Pavoni bar Series 2 group i think), grinder dengan merek
ternama, dan biji kopi yang katanya dari itali. Mending minum kopi di warung
pinggir jalan deh.

Cinoa-Dharmawangsa Square

In the urge to eat fancy food, I stumble upon an idea of trying one of the restaurant recommended by Female Radio reviewer. So I went to this fancy, tiny, red restaurant. Yes, it is red. The terrace has a red hood with big white writing CINOA.

This Chinese food resto is a bit strange. It serves street-food like fried bee-hon but their beverage list also shows "Esprit flavored mineral water". Roast duck (Peking style) is on their menu.. Along with cheesecake! Whatta strange combination. I think the owner is a baker. She/He sure can make good cheesecake, so why don't open a coffee shop? But again, why stops there? Why not a fancy restaurant? OK, so what's cooking? Hmmm... Chinese food is simple and cannot go wrong..

But the dishes is more than just simple Chinese food. It was G-O-O-D, good! I ordered corn and crab soup, sapo tahu with chicken, deep fried squid with salt and pepper, and a cup of hot tea.

The corn and crab soup was amazing. I gulped them in no time. The thickness is perfect and it has no overpowering smell of sesame oil. Just a hint of them. The crab meat was fresh and tasty, and in good quantity too. Too bad they don't have fish sauce and pickled chili on the tables. I can have another portion of this soup actually..

Sapo tahu, the stir-fried egg tofu, in combination with oyster sauce, soy sauce, red Chinese cooking wine, sliced ginger and a hint of sesame oil. Chicken fillet was then added to the mix in good timing. It was still fresh without any crusting on them, indicating that the chicken was added in later time of cooking. The vegie (carrot, baby bokchoy, leeks) was crunchy. I don't mind having two or more baby bokchoy in them... The sauce was warm to the feeling, thanks to the generous amount of sliced ginger. If.. only if.. they use MSG, they must be use it in very small amount.. Which is good.

Deep fried squid with salt and pepper. When this meal arrived in our table, honestly, I thought I choose badly. The appearance is in resemblance of classic Bandung street food of cireng (fried tapioca flour). This finely sliced squid was deep fried in tapioca flour batter. White and uninteresting. On top, there just sauteed sliced spring onion, mixed with a sprinkle of coarse salt and cracked white pepper. But don't be fooled by the looks, this stuff is taste good! The taste still linger in my mouth till today.

For dessert, my lovely companion, Sonia, choose her favorite oreo cheesecake. The slice is quite small actually, but extra whipped cream and a piece of strawberry on top made it look bigger. And nicer too. Small drizzle of strawberry syrup on the plate balanced the thickness of cheesecake and freshen up the entire dish.

The price is good too.. a bit pricey than the average noodle soup restaurant next door, but the quality is proper.. If only they serve it a little bit faster..

Cafe Geulis Bandung

My friend said that this cafe is wonderful. She even bring her family there to see. Having such good review, I think I have to check it myself.

Venue:
Cool enough. In the center of Dago street where all the fun in Bandung lies. Parking area is quite small though. For a cafe, the lighting is too dim. It is more a pub than a cafe. The atmosfer is relatively friendly, not too intimidating considering that this cafe is part of a hotel. Anyway, just next door, you can find Dago Panyawangan restaurant. A good and worth to try sundaneese food resto.

Food:
This cafe offers Italian pasta and some steak range. I came with two of my fellow. We tried our luck with Lasagna, Spaghetti Carbonara and BBQ Chicken steak, accompanied by hot tea (jasmine), iced lemon tea and a bottle of mineral water. The next review is the first comment straight after the first bite.

The lasagna is sucks! I can do better than that. The minced is dry and the lasagna is overcooked. And where is that melted cheese that suppose to be spreading endlessly, covering the whole dish? I can't find the white sauce either? Where are they? The tomato sauce used as the base does not have decent body and complexity. I suspect that they use commercially sold tomato paste brand (Del Monte is my guess). Come on, if you want to serve Italian pasta, at least make your own sauce. And please, bake the lasagna in real oven. Microwave oven don't bring enough heat to the ceramic dish you use Mate, that's how I knew..

The spaghetti carbonara they made is much much better. The thickness of sauce is good and the consistency of the cream is developed by using egg yolk. Quite original and relatively successful. The colour is correct and they don't make it too thick (as when using roux as base). The beef bacon strips and all the spice built the flavor nicely. One thing to note is that the white sauce is too much for the spag. They should add more spaghetti to the plate. If you don't feel like gambling with the menu,try this.

In BBQ Chicken Steak, the flavour is developed by using comercially-available barbecue sauce. You lazy chef! And no bake potato as side dish? why do you call this BBQ then Mate? (again, you lazy chef!). The chicken came in small portion. They should mention it on the menu card that it is lady size. Nothing worth to note on this stuff. No good.

I prefer Obonk double combo steak. The chicken is bigger and the sauce is created by their own chef. And yes, it is cheaper too..

The hot tea is quite good. Unfortunately, they use tea bag. Again, commercially available brand is used (and again we yell, you lazy chef!). As a courtesy to the land of Sunda, I think it will be nicer if they use "teh tabur" for their jasmine tea.

The iced lemon tea came with no trace of lemon in the glass. The tea is half as strong as it should be. And they put syrup on it. Hey, they should learn to ask me whether I like to have the sugar syrup on it or not! Even in smaller cafe, I get default iced lemon tea with separated syrup on side.

Iced lemon tea in Cafe Soeryo Pasaraya wins by knock out compare to Geulis. In Soeryo's, the iced lemon tea is served in large glass, with about quarter of the lemon pressed and drawned in the tea. And the syrup is came separately. I don't fancy sweet drink too much, so this way is highly appreciated.

Having all three dishes and drinks by 139K was not a happy experience. I wouldn't say that Geulis is the best place in town. No Mate, Bandung have better place to offer.

Nasi Goreng Bakar KOBAR

Tadi malem saya mampir dan nyobain (di Margonda Depok). Sambil ngobrol sedikit dengan tukang masaknya.

Warung ini selain menyediakan Nasi Goreng Bakar, juga menyediakan Mie Goreng Bakar.. What is it anyway? Di daftar menunya ditulis "Nasi goreng dengan campuran daging ayam (dll) yang dibakar terlebih dahulu sehingga memberi aroma sangit...dst".

Pada proses memasaknya, daging ayam, telur dan lain-lain itu dimasak dengan api sangat besar sehingga wajannya menyala. Lalu nasi dimasukkan dan api tetap dinyalakan sangat besar. Pokoknya berkobar-kobar (sesuai dengan nama warungnya!).

Hasilnya adalah nasi goreng berbasis kecap yang biasa-biasa saja. Aroma sangitnya memang muncul, tapi menurut saya aroma sangit dari tukang nasi goreng jalan Mangga (di Bandung) lebih sedap. Di jalan Mangga ini nasi goreng dimasak di atas tungku berisi arang.

Little friendly advice to the cook.. more rice, more chili!

Other than a couple that didn't hesitate to do PDA (Public Display of Affection).. there's nothing worth to note.

Anyway.. nasi gorengnya murah (cuma Rp 5K) dan pangsit gorengnya very plain. I could do better than that!

Ayam Sereh a.k.a lemongrass chicken

It's not lemon and it's not grass.. So why people call it lemongrass anyway.

Cooking this meal for the very first time in a small, around-the-corner Sydney diner, I found it amazing that I forgot all about this until one of my never-met friend mention it several days ago and ask me the recipe. I have to recall all my memory to cook this chicken.. And the weirdest thing is.. I can't remember how it taste (sure it taste like chicken.. IT IS CHICKEN!), because I used to cook in that diner and before that I came to the diner to eat Ayam Kecap (chicken with sweet soy sauce), not this Ayam sereh. But anyway, I try my best to re-produce the aroma and fragrance of the dish.

I start with chicken and lemongrass.. Mate, they don't sell small bunch of lemongrass in Carrefour!! So I , against my will, have to buy a big bunch, distributor size packet of lemongrass.. Please.. I only need four stalks (five the most) for my chicken.. I only got about 1 Kg chicken... Please...

Then it goes the chilli. Big, red, shiny chilli. It's not that big, round, salad thingy.. It's the finger size red hot chilli.. Then garlic and shallot.. I ground the chilli (5 of them) with 3 clove garlic, 3 pcs shallot and four (like I said!) white part of lemongrass stalks using mortar and pretzel (I mean pestle :). Salt and spoonful of sugar added.

Meanwhile the chicken was cut, marinated in heavy, yellow, turmeric based mixture then deep fried.

Then I saute a handful of chopped onion and the chilli-lemongrass paste with small amount of oil. Then I add that smelly-but-amazing "terasi" (my precioussss....). A pinch of it is all that matters. Then.. (drumroll please..) here comes the fragrance I've been waiting for! And all the memory comes along... knock me off my head.. I remember the taste and the looks, the sight and sound of this fantastic meal!!! I know I have to add a spoonful of dark, thick, sweet soy sauce.. and a splash of water. And when my magic potion start to sizzle, here comes the fried chicken..

Sweet, hot, crusty and zesty chicken meal.. with all the memory it posses.. once again, re-born in my lunch table today..

This is it.. let's start