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.

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? 

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?

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! 

Seorae is a brand new Korean chain restaurant owned by seven Indonesians and one Korean. Their cooks are from Indonesia but they learned and trained in Korea. Amongst other Korean restaurants in Jakarta, Seorae is perhaps most similar to Chung Gi Wa, as they both specialize in Korean BBQ. Seorae already has two outlets in Jakarta, the first one is located at Flavor Bliss (Alam Sutera, Tangerang) and the other one, where I dined, is located at Pantai Indah Kapuk.