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