Bakmi lovers rejoice! Until January 24, 2016, there is something exciting going on for you: bakmi hunt. In collaboration with Green Sands, Bakmi Club Kelapa Gading offers a treasure hunt-esque experience for foodies and foodgrammers. Simply dine in one of the listed noodle restaurants, and you’ll get a chance to win a trip to the capital of Indo-Chinese food, Medan.

There are 10 noodle restaurants on the list. For a first timer, visit any restaurant you like, then ask for the Bakmi Hunt pamphlet. After eating, ask the staff to put a stamp on your pamphlet. Repeat the steps at the other nine restaurants. The restaurants are, among others, Bakmi Danau Toba, Bakmi Ayam Kampung A Tjuan, OTW, Mie Benteng, and Bakmi Sin Lun. Check out Bakmi Club’s official page for more details.

Now I’m going to talk about two restaurants I’ve visited: Bakmi Sin Lun and Mie Benteng.

Don’t you people agree with me that one of the greatest God’s gifts to the world is all you can eat restaurant (AYCE)? Especially one that serves high-quality meat that would satisfy even the pickiest carnivores. One that is also somewhat healthier, as it mainly serves shabu-shabu and not barbecued meat. Say hello to Shabu Ghin, Senopati area’s latest shabu shabu joint. 

It is universally believed that a glass of fresh milk a day can make you stronger and healthier. But then you realise… It is so damn hard to find a glass of fresh milk in Jakarta and its neighbouring areas. Yes, you can find milk in supermarkets, but you want something directly from the farm and also budget-friendly—safe for your wallet. Good bye problem, hello solution: Nenen Nyok.

Nenen Nyok serves milk that is less than a day freshly milked from the cow. It first opened at Taman Harapan Bekasi in 2014 and now has moved into a small shop house next to one of the main roads in Bekasi. 

Ever since This Love was released 13 years ago, I’ve been a fan of Maroon 5—and yes, admittedly, of Adam Levine. My musical tastes have gone through many periods of changes, yet Maroon 5 remains one of those few that stay in my playlist. Even when their musical direction has changed a lot since Songs About Jane. Even if I hated some of their songs.

Maroon 5 has come to Indonesia for concerts a couple of times, yet time hasn’t seemed to be my friend; I had prior engagements each and every time they came. At the time I finally managed to snatch a ticket of the Indonesian leg of the V tour, the concert was freaking cancelled! That was why when the offer to attend Maroon 5’s concert at Singapore F1 Grand Prix on September 19, 2015 arose with reasonable budgets, I barely thought twice.

I was lazily browsing through my laptop when I stumbled upon some photos of my time at The Hong Kong Observation Wheel during my trip to Hong Kong at February 2015. While some time have passed since then, I sincerely hope this “throwback” post could give you some ideas on how the ferris wheel ride feels like, as well as entertain your eyes with fun-looking ferris wheel shots from strange angles. Enjoy!

If I had to sum up Hangover in one word, it would be “K-Pop”. It serves Korean cuisine; it is hip, like K-Pop stars; and is undeniably Korean without being traditionally Korean. And while it doesn’t exactly play K-Pop music—it mostly plays electronic dance music and remixes—and has no Korean design in any shape or form, it essentially is a funky bar that serves Korean food. See? K-Pop. Anyway, here’s my dining experience at Hangover Kelapa Gading.

Selamat Hari Sumpah Pemuda!

Sumpah Pemuda, which literally translates to “Youth Pledge” is one of the most important events in the history of Indonesia. Declared on October 28, 1928, it propels the youth movement towards Indonesia’s independence. The pledge says:

To celebrate this day, today’s blog post is going to be about my visit to Museum Sumpah Pemuda, Kramat, Jakarta.

Om nom nom.

While no one can really confirm where the term originally comes from—Cookie Monster? Random people expressing the deliciousness of their food?—it is now known as the universally accepted expression of enjoying a good meal. So, when a restaurant is named similarly to that term, you know it has to give you a good dining experience. Meet Nomz Kitchen and Pastry, a less-than-one-year-old establishment at Grand Indonesia, Jakarta.

Dusun Bambu is located in one of the “hippest” city in Indonesia, Bandung. Well, not exactly in Bandung, but a little bit farther: Lembang. Since the Dutch colonial times, Lembang has been widely recognised as a scenic location, perfect for weekend getaways. Dusun Bambu spans across a 15-hectare area surrounded by the Burangrang Mountains; it is equipped with a man-made lake, gardens full of blooming flowers, traditional Sundanese food stalls, and sweet Lembang strawberries.

Located at the heart of Jakarta's Chinatown is Yi Xiang, one of the few restaurants that truly have original roots from China. The cook’s family came all the way from Shenzhen, China. Even ordering is more efficient when done in Chinese language; they can only speak Bahasa Indonesia minimally. You can order through the waiter, but because of the language boundary, the waiter sometimes can’t perfectly communicate your order to the cook as well.

Yi Xiang’s speciality is pio/pioh, a dish made of the meat and shell of turtles. In Indonesia, it is said that the dish is made using green turtles, not the endangered soft-shelled turtles used in China. The turtle body parts will be poached in some Chinese herbs, goji berries, ginger, and God-knows what else. If you’re interested in trying pio, Yi Xiang suggests diners to reserve a day in advance, so they have plenty of time to prepare the soup to develop a more complex flavour.

Six months after my trip to Paris, there are a few things that really stand out amongst all the hundreds of memories I’ve made (including the free Paris Metro story that I told in the previous post), one of them is the French pastry. As a huge fan of eating everything pastry, coming to Paris was such an exhilarating experience. Even the most-likely-made-from-frozen-dough croissants sold at Carrefour Paris tastes très bien.

French pastry, je t’aime.

Paris, the city of lights. Dwelling of “The Iron lady”.  Home to one of the most complicated metro systems in the world. There are numerous comprehensive articles on the internet—like this one—that you should definitely read to get a better idea on how to survive on Paris Metro. But not this article. This article focuses on some fun facts about Paris Metro and my experience of using it for five days. I realise visiting Paris for five days doesn’t make me an expert, but here it is anyway! Click to read on!

Social media savvies most likely have seen a picture of cute-looking pandas on a plate of curry, or intriguing churros with chocolate inside a syringe. Those two dishes belong to Itadakimasu, one of the hottest restaurants in Pantai Indah Kapuk area. They look extremely cute that we can’t help but hopping on a car and visiting the restaurant as soon as possible. After all, what could go wrong when pandas are involved? A lot of things, apparently.

Sop Buntut — known to the whole world as Oxtail Soup — is one of the most favourite traditional food in Indonesia. After doing some research on Sop Buntut, I just realised that there are actually different types of them; each has its own identity and characteristics. There is Korean Oxtail Soup, Chinese Oxtail Soup, South American Oxtail Soup, and so on.

In Indonesia, the oxtail is marinated with some herbs, then cooked until it is soft and fragrant. The soup is clear, and there are some vegetables inside, such as carrots and potatoes. Dapur Dahapati in Bandung serves classic Indonesian Sop Buntut. Here’s how it goes.

The Tim Ho Wan fever has infected Jakarta! Having tasted “the real thing" in Hong Kong just a couple of months ago — and some of you may have also read Maria’s dining experience at Tim Ho Wan in Singapore — I’m really happy to see that the delicious Crispy Pork Bun is just around one-hour of drive away from my house. But wait. Why are there so many negative reviews of Tim Ho Wan Jakarta on social media? Is it really as bad as they say? 

Do you know how hard it is to find a decent lemon tart in Jakarta? Despite the number of coffee shops and patisseries and bazaars that have been proliferating and happening all across the city, I can tell you that it is bloody hard to find. And it boggles my mind why it is the way it is. Maybe its acidic flavour is most likely too much for the majority of people? Or maybe the skyrocketing lemon price — health food trend, remember? — discourages bakers from trying to make one? Whatever it is, I’m glad to have found TOF Sicacilla at Kelapa Gading area.

Hello! I’m back with more stories from Karimun Jawa, the clear sea aquarium! This post will talk about staying at Wisma Apung and travelling around the islands. And loads of pictures. Ye’ have been warned! Check out this for more information on how to reach Karimun Jawa. 

It is always a great day when you are able to find a good café with a nice view, decent coffee, and awesome cakes while chatting with your girlfriends that you haven’t seen for a long time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Exquise Patisserie, Menteng, Jakarta. 

It is a fact that Indonesia — being an archipelago in the tropics —  is no stranger to beautiful beaches, vast seas, and endless blue skies. This begs the question: among numerous islands in Indonesia that have become tourist magnets, what makes Karimun Jawa islands special? The sea around Karimun Jawa is only 3-5 metres deep, making corals, fishes, and other sea creatures visible to the naked eye, even without snorkelling. 

Since I have a long story to tell, I will divide the Karimun Jawa stories into two parts. The first post — this one — mainly deals with the technical stuffs and how to get there. The second post, hopefully will be posted in a couple of days, will tell more about the experience. Jump below the line to read more!

Fewer things can make twenty-something girls go from completely silent to completely ga-ga compared to the word ‘DISNEYLAND’. Unless someone says ‘Benedict Cumberbatch’, then it’s another story. While we realize not every girl fits into this category, we certainly do — and are proud of it! Long story short, this post tells the story of our one-day adventure at the magical world of Hong Kong Disneyland. We hope you’ll find it entertaining and (somewhat) useful!

It’s always fun to try the hippest and newest restaurant in town, but sometimes it’s good to take a step back and rediscover old favourites. While Ocha & Bella is most certainly not old in human years, you have to admit that amidst the rapidly growing culinary business in Jakarta, it can be considered older. Here’s our dining experience at Ocha & Bella a couple of weeks ago, four years after its inception.

Italian cuisine is, more often than not, everyone’s favourite. Considering that, it’s not a big surprise that there are a lot of Italian restaurants across Jakarta, and Porta Venezia at Hotel Aryaduta Semanggi is one of them. One of my friends told me this restaurant served good quality pastas and pizzas, so I decided to pay a visit.

Most people who may eat pork, love pork and all dishes that are made with it. Bak kut teh is no exception. Bak kut teh is a popular pork soup dish that dates back to hundreds of years ago, with a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. There are a couple of ways to cook this dish, and the method used in Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh, Singapore, is one of the favourites. Why, you ask? The clear broth is the key.

Oh, Grand Indonesia. Sometimes I can’t keep up with all the new restaurants and cafés that pop out at this giant of a mall in Central Jakarta! While Slice of Heaven is ‘relatively old’ compared to other even newer establishments, I only had a chance to try it recently. Slice of Heaven is a pretty difficult name to live up to, so I had to remind myself to keep my expectations in check. This is how it turned out! :D

If you have been to Semarang and are of Chinese-descent, chances are you already know about Lombok Street. Located along the Kali Semarang - the Semarang River - near Klenteng Tay Kak Sie, Lombok Street is famous for awesome street food and is home to some of the best Chinese-style food stalls in Semarang: Lumpia Semarang, Mie Siang Kie, and also Es Gang Lombok. Read on to find out more about these three!

Look at any set of postcards of Jiufen, Taiwan and it’s likely that you’ll find at least one - or more - picture of the gorgeous Ah Mei Tea House. Thanks to its beautiful architecture and unmistakable hanging red lanterns, Ah Mei Tea House has become one of Jiufen’s most iconic structures. It is said that this very building is the model for the bath-house in Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-winning animated movie ‘Spirited Away’. When I visited Jiufen, I got the chance to visit Ah Mei Tea House twice: for lunch in the afternoon and for tea in the evening. So, were the food and the view worth the price tag?

The food scene in Jakarta these days reminds me of something Heidi Klum always says on every episode of the ’Project Runway’: one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. It seems that only a while ago one of my favourite restaurants in Grand Indonesia, Waraku, went out of business. And now, no more than a couple of months later, another Japanese restaurant - Itacho Sushi - has taken its location! Itacho Sushi is a chain sushi restaurant who has gained success in some Asian countries.

Whoop whoop! I finally got the time to write down this post, which has been brewing inside my head for a couple of months. Talking about my journey in the small rainy city Jiufen, Taiwan won’t be complete without dedicating a whole post to Windsor B&B - the super awesome B&B where I stayed. Windsor B&B has a couple of villas that are spread throughout Jiufen, each with its own unique theme and views. I stayed at a room called ‘Owl Museum’, and it was hands down the most interesting room I’ve stayed in the last five years!

Strategically located at the heart of Singapore, the Orchard Road, and inside one of the most famous malls for youngsters, Plaza Singapura, Tim Ho Wan is the perfect place to make your hungry stomach satisfied. It’s originally a famous dim sum chain restaurant from Hong Kong. When it first opened in Singapore, people had to queue for two hours to get a seat! But right now it has opened a few outlets, so it’s not as crowded anymore.

The original Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong has acclaimed a Michelin Star and dubbed as “the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant” in the world! For those of you living under a rock and thus are unaware of what a Michelin Star is, it’s basically a food guide, listing the best restaurants in Planet Earth. If this fact doesn’t intrigue you enough, I hope the pictures will. So, shall we?

If you live in Indonesia sometime during 1990s-2000s, chances are you have watched at least an episode of Doraemon on TV on a Sunday morning. Doraemon is an extremely popular manga/ anime series from Japan about a robotic blue cat who comes from the future to help Nobita Nobi -a clumsy human boy- to get through his childhood. Doraemon is the epitome of childhood of many Indonesians, so it’s no wonder that Jakarta becomes one of the destinations of the ‘Doraemon 100 Secret Gadgets Expo’.

Jiufen. Something as simple as typing its name instantly flies me back to that beautiful rainy November day I spent in Jiufen, Taiwan. Jiufen -albeit very touristy- definitely has its charm and is hands down my favourite city in Taiwan. It has that extra something that I can’t put my finger on… Is it the narrow red-lantern-lit streets? Is it the misty sea view from atop of the hill? Is it the fascinating locals? Or is just it the rain?

Back in September last year when I was planning my Taiwan trip, I tried to find some insight about what to expect of Chishingtan (or Qixingtan) Beach in Hualien County in the middle of November. Is it possible to see the sunrise? Is it going to rain often? Do I need to bring a swimsuit? I had no luck finding answers to those questions on the internet, thus after I got home I decided to write a post about it. After all, there are 7 billion people in the world and if one person tries to find a particular info, there must be someone else looking for the same info as well!