Semarang Trip -- Cafe and Restaurant Hopping

 First post in 2015! Hi everyone, if you're following me on instagram, you would know that I just got home from a culinary trip in Semarang recently. The trip was fully sponsored by OpenSnap, a new mobile app for foodie developed by the well known food website, OpenRice. They're holding lots of exciting competitions and promotions every month, and this time me and my friends happened to be the winner of their Semarang trip competition.

The prize consists a 2D1N trip to Semarang, with the accommodation and transportation fees fully sponsored by OpenSnap. This is my first time being to the city of Lunpia, and I was so excited to try as many food as my stomach could bear. This is the first part of the story, in this post I will share about the Restaurants and Cafes we visited in Semarang. But don't worry, more excitement (read : STREET FOOD) will be coming up next.

TOKO OEN

Address: Jl. Pemuda, No.52, 50138, 50139, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 3541683

One of the icon of the city! This colonial style restaurant has easily won my heart with their old style Dutch influenced bakery and homemade ice cream. Looking at their display was such a temptation, I want to try all the bread and cookies they have. We tried one of their old style bread from their display called "Roti Telur / Egg Bread", Poffertjes, and also Rum and Raisin and Tutti Frutti Ice Cream. Everything was incredibly good! Must must must try when you're in Semarang.

PARIJS VAN JAVA

Address: Jalan Singosari Raya, Semarang, Kota Semarang, Jawa Tengah 50242, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 8311938

This place is such a feast for the eyes. It is decorated to look like a vintage European house, with lots of vintage furniture, floral pattern, and uber cute ornaments. Every corner is photogenic! Even better, they serve various good food here. My favorite is their Nasi Bakar Parijs Van Java. The rice is so fragrant and rich, and it is served with crispy and juicy fried chicken. Totally one of the best Nasi Bakar I've ever had.

KOENOKOENI CAFE GALLERY

Address: JL.Tabanan, No.4, Candi Baru, Jawa Tengah 50231, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 8415454

This is just the place if you want to enjoy the true essence of Semarang. Not only because the cafe is taking form of the traditional semi outdoor Joglo House, it is also strategically located at the peak of Semarang city. You know, I always love to see the skyline of the city or the city lights at night whenever I travel. If it's a modern city, I'll find their best rooftop bar. But coming to a traditional city like Semarang, I think Koenokoeni is just the perfect place. Too bad their food wasn't really outstanding, though, but the view and the ambiance are worth it.

KABUKI JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Address : Jl. S Parman no. 56, Gajah Mungkur

Phone : (024) 8509866

When you're craving for Japanese food in Semarang, Kabuki will come to the rescue! They're serving pretty much all kind of Japanese food, from sushi to ramen and Japadog, but they are specializing in Teppanyaki. And I must say that their Teppanyaki taste could even compete in Jakarta. Tried their Dynamite Teppanyaki, which consists shrimps and squids with their signature dynamite sauce, and it was awesome!

FLORIAN ICE CREAM

Address: JL Letnan Jenderal MT Haryono No. 571-A, Karangkidul, Semarang, 50241, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 8412070

I'm glad we did make it to Florian before our flight back to Jakarta. Love love the place, it was decorated in pastel colors, and lots of cozy sofas. I could imagine spending hours here if only we had more time in Semarang. Their ice cream was quite pleasing too. Some of the fruit flavors were too sweet for me, and kinda taste like syrup, not real fruits, but the chocolate and mocca flavor were rich and yummy. And the waffle, it was da bomb! Probably one of the best waffle I've tasted, it was buttery fragrant and moist.

So that's all the cafe and restaurant I visited during my Semarang trip. Some of them was scheduled by the OpenSnap team, while the others are found by googling and asking some of my fellow bloggers (huge thanks to them). Anyway, the street food post will be coming up next. See you!

Truff it Out Series at Three Buns

Last minute suggestions, how about spending your Christmas lunch with the new menus at Three Buns? I believe this burger joint doesn't need the long formal intro, as they're already very well known for the scrumptious burgers and fries.

During this jolly season, Excecutive Chef Adam Penney created something new and artistic to please the loyal customers.Using truffle as the main concept, the Truff it Out series is setting higher standard for all the burger and cocktail fans out there.

Street Truff Burger (IDR 105.000)

Prime 150gr beef patty, melted cheese, lettuce, truffled onion jam, and silky den miso mayo. Definitely one of the best burger I've ever had! If the picture hasn't tell you enough, well take another look at that thick patty, it tasted as tender and juicy as it looks. And combined with the melted cheese, sweet onion with just perfect hint of truffle, also fresh lettuce and lovely homemade miso mayo, burgergasm alert!

Truffle Mac and Cheese (IDR 35.000)
Mac and cheese is such a simple yet delicious dish, but adding truffle on it has brought it to a whole new level. As sometimes creamy cheese could be overwhelming the whole dish, the earthy truffle comes as the savior to balance it. Very recommended dish, especially because they're very affordable and yet so good!

Truffle Chocolate Martini

Truffle Passion Martini (left) and Truffle Pear Martini (right)

Truffle Cocktail Selections (IDR 110.000)

Not only food, Three Buns also brought truffle to their cocktails by adding truffle oil into them (you could see the truffle oil floating at the Chocolate Truffle Martini picture above). According to Chef Adam Penney, they did research and experiment for weeks to find which ingredients match best with truffle, and these three are on the top of the list. If you want to get the strong taste of the truffle, I recommend you to try the Truffle Pear Martini though.

Truffle Gelato (IDR 25.000)

Another happy news, Three Buns is now also serving gelato! Their homemade gelato is created by the famous Milkbar. Here's the Truffle Gelato, vanilla gelato with a hint of white truffle. Unfortunately, for me, the truffle aroma was a little too overpowering, but still acceptable though.

If you're having confusion on which dish you should have because I know all of them are tempting, don't worry, because you could have it all! You could simply order the Truff It Out Set for IDR 250.000, and you'll get the Street Truff Burger, Truffle Mac and Cheese, one choice of Truffle Cocktails, and a cup of Truffle Gelato. Best deal indeed!

And while you're here, of course don't forget to order their famous Naughty Fries (IDR 55.000) as they're very damn good. It tastes so Western yet so Indonesian, you know, with that minced beef, chilli sauce, and fried shallots on the top. Finger-lickin good!







Unfortunately, the Truff It Out Series will only available during December 2014 and January 2015. This is definitely not something you could miss, dear burger lovers and fancy truffle eaters. Get on your way now.

And a couple hours too early, but Merry Christmas everyone! Have a jolly Christmas :D

Three Buns

Jalan Senopati No.90

Jakarta 12190

Indonesia

ph. +62 21 29307780

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Hot Stone Steak Experience at Street Steak

Get ready guys, the culinary area in Pantai Indah Kapuk will be expanding soon, because the shophouses at the front area (across Burger King and Fresh Mart area) are now completely built! Meanwhile there are already two shophouses open for bussiness: Eng's Resto -- which is famous for their Asinan Bandung (Bandung's traditional pickle), and Street Steak.

As I'm not a big fan of asinan, that evening me and my highschool girls tried the newly opened Street Steak. The PIK outlet is their second branch. The first one is located in Kelapa Gading, and they're famous for the hot stone steak.

The name's not a bluff, because when we dine here, we are literary having our meal on the street! The place is decorated as a real street, complete with the pavings and road signs. Very cute and unique.

The other unique thing here is their food presentation. Your steak will be presented on a hot stone to maintain the quality of the steak. The concept of hot stone is actually quite similar to hot plate, the stone they're using is thicker, so it can keep your steak hot for longer time.

One portion of their steak consists your choice of meat, freshly-cut onions, thick-cut fries, sauteed vegetables, and one of their three choices of sauce (mushroom, BBQ, and blackpepper). The side dishes and sauces were fine, the only minor turn down was their sauteed vegetables, which for me, seasoned too strong.

Baker Street Steak (IDR 89.000)

This is my choice of steak that night, 200 gr of Australian Prime Tenderloin served on the hot stone. Well to be honest, I wasn't expect much from this dish. I mean, if I am craving for a big chunk of super juicy meat, I would order their choices of wagyu instead. But that night, I was just looking for something ordinary and affordable, so I ordered this. But what I tasted was totally not what I expected. The meat was grilled perfectly, it was very very juicy and flavorful, I would say that it was even better than some wagyu steak I've tasted in the other affordable steakhouses (no need to mention the name). Oh, and the seasoning was so good, that I could enjoy my steak even without the sauce.

Tomahawk Steak (IDR 345.000)

500 grams of enormous wagyu sirloin steak. Look at that huge steak! My friend ordered this to be shared for the two of them, as Street Steak are having promotion for this steak. It's only IDR 280.000 during their soft opening period. I usually avoid sirloin, as I hate that chewy fatty part of it, but I took a bite of this steak, and it wasn't chewy at all. All hail the power of wagyu!

Stone Grilled Chicken (IDR 50.000)

A friend of mine didn't eat red meat, so she ordered this grilled chicken instead. It was decent, though I'm not a fan of chicken breast. I love the fatty thigh more, lol.

Another worth visited restaurant in the neighborhood, for sure. Other than the special price on the Tomahawk Steak, they also got the 50% discount on the Hokubee Premium Beef during the soft opening period. Be sure not to miss it!

Street Steak

Jl. Pantai Indah Utara

Rukan Metro Broadway Blok 9BE

Pantai Indah Kapuk

Trattoria at St. Moritz

Had lunch earlier this week at the newest Italian restaurant around my neighborhood, Trattoria. It's one of my favourite casual Italian dining restaurant! They have pretty similar concept with PePenero, but based on my dining experience, I've always liked Trattoria better. I've been dining in their Kuningan outlet several times before, and everything I ordered was never a let down.

The new St.Moritz outlet was designed with the simple industrial look. It was quite spacious, loving the high ceiling and lots of sun light. The dining area consists two floors, the ground floor and mezzanine floor.

Another reason to love Trattoria is the generous complimentary bread. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a basket of bread and another plate of tomato bruschetta. Couldn't ask for more, the bruschetta was fresh, and the bread was warm, salty, and fluffy.

They have various food selections from Antipasti to Pizza and Pasta, but their menu comes in Italian language, so it may took some time to decide your dish. The food they serve may contain pork, but you can request it to be halal.

Prosciutto Cotto E Funghi (IDR 78.000)

This is what we chose from their Pizza selections. Thin-crusted Italian Pizza topped with pork ham, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce. I have no complain about this dish, the pizza was perfectly crusted, the toppings were generous, it was such a nice dish.

Penne Alla Vodka (IDR 86.000)

Penne and salmon cooked with vodka, red onion, olives, and cream. To be honest I couldn't taste the vodka in this dish, but anyway it still tasted so good! Well you know I'm a big fan of cream based pasta, and this one also didn't fail me. It tasted rich and creamy, but not too heavy. Very recommended!

So glad that my favourite Italian Dining Restaurant is coming to my neighborhood. Couldn't wait for my next visit! 

Trattoria Cucina Italiana

St. Moritz Apartment Ground Floor

Jl. Puri Indah Boulevard

West Jakarta

ph. coming soon

OpenRice Meet the Chef Event with Hog's Breath Cafe and VMAD Vegetarian Restaurant

Got invited to OpenRice event: "Meet the Chef" at Central Park Mall last Sunday. Well who doesn't know OpenRice? I bet you've at least heard of them, as they're the 1st culinary site in Indonesia, providing an online dining guide written by local people, featuring more than 71.000 dining places in Indonesia. This time, collaborating with Central Park Mall and Local Taste ID, they are organizing "Meet the Chef" event, a live cooking demonstration by restaurant's head chefs. Not only the visitors could learn how to cook a restaurant quality dish, they can also taste it on the spot, for free!

The first cooking demo was held by Chef Anto from Hog's Breath Cafe. Hog's Breath cafe is a chain of steak house restaurants which originally came from Australia, and now they've opened their first Indonesian outlet at Central Park Mall. Not only specializing in steak, they're also serving choices of burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas.

Aussie's Burger (IDR 89.000)

Time to judge the book by it's cover, guys, because this burger tastes as good as it looks! Hog's home made all beef patty in BBQ sauce topped with cheddar cheese, crispy beef bacon, lettuce, beetroot, pineapple, tomato, onion, and sunny side up, served with soft bun, salad, and curly fries. What's not to love? Me personally, the thing I love most -- other than that thick juicy patty in BBQ sauce of course -- is the pineapple inside the burger, which is unusual, but gives the burger the fresh and tangy sensation.

Prime Rib Steak Sandwich (IDR 149.000)

Tender prime rib char-grilled steak with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, and hickory BBQ sauce on a toasted Vienna loaf, served with salad and curly fries. Another jaw dropper, I just love everything on the plate.

Virgin Mojito (IDR 40.000) and Strawberry Mixed Smoothies (IDR 38.000)

Both of them were so good and fresh, a great companion for the meal in such a hot day. The mojito has the perfect balance between the lemon and mint flavor, while the smoothies is tangy and sweet. Oh please note that this glass is not their actual servings.

The second cooking demo was held by VMAD, a Vegetarian Indian Restaurant located in Sarinah and Sunter. I know some people are being skeptical when they heard the word "vegetarian". They immediately judge the food to be plain and tasteless. Well I was one of them, to be honest, but lately I've tried some vegetarian restaurant, and I even tried the vegan diet for health purpose, and not all vegetarian food is plain and tasteless. I found some of them to be delicious and addictive too. VMAD here is also trying to let people know that vegetarian food can be as good as the non vegetarian food. And they're obviously healthier.

Hakka Bakka Noodle (IDR 49.000)

Fried yellow noodle mixed with sauteed vegetarian chicken and mixed vegetables, and gently mixed with black pepper sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and olive oil. Even though it looks like a normal fried noodle, the taste was not just normal. It was BOLD. It's sweet and savoury and peppery in the balanced way. The vegetarian chicken they used here are actually made of soya bean, but it tasted quite similar to chicken.

Murtabak Ceylon (IDR 29.000)

Thin crusted pancake stuffed with spicy minced vegetarian chicken filling, served with Indian curry sauce. As expected from Indian food, this one's also bold and spicy. Nicely done, love the crispy outer layer and also the spicy chicken filling.

Jamaican Cooler (IDR 36.000) and Green Fantasy (IDR 35.000)

Jamaican Cooler is made of mocha syrup, vanilla ice cream, milk, and cashew nuts, while Green Fantasy's ingredients consists green veggie, lime, and pineapple. Both are cold and refreshing, but I love the Jamaican Cooler more as it's sweet and creamy but not heavy.

Thank you OpenRice for inviting me to this event :D 

Oh and for you who loves to capture your food and share it with others, you can now download OpenSnap for free. It's OpenRice's mobile apps which let you share your food experience with lot's of foodies from all across Asia! Download now on your AppleStore or Android PlayStore. Because sharing is caring, rite? ;p

Hog's Breath Cafe
Central Park, Tribeca Park, GF, Unit 15
Jl. Letjen. S. Parman Kav. 28, Slipi
 ph. (021) 29200114 

VMAD Vegetarian Madness
Jl. Danau Sunter Utara Raya Blok R No. 46 - 47 - 48, Sunter 
ph. (021) 6516075
Sarinah Building, Jl. MH Thamrin no. 11
ph. (021) 3903533