Lapo Ni Tondongta

Let's review something different and extremist this time. This time I'm featuring Bataknese food. Why I call extreme food? Because some of their dishes are made from dog meat and cooked with its blood. Yeay!

The Bataknese food is usually available at what they call Lapo or Warung Makan in Bahasa. Simply translated as small restaurant in English. Because usually the place is indeed a small restaurant and sometimes doesn't have sign board, because they serve dog meat and pork which are haram food for Moslem. The most famous Lapo in Jakarta is Lapo Ni Tondongta, simply means Warung Sahabat or Best Friend's Restaurant. The main branch is located at Jalan Pramuka, but I am their regular customer of the other branch in Puri Indah.

As I mentioned before, their dishes are mainly dog meat and pork. But they also have others like fish, chicken and vegetables, but not popular. The locals call the dishes by B1 and B2, where B1 is dog meat and B2 is pork. My favorite dish here is Saksang B2. I tried Saksang B1 once long ago, but I didn't like it because the meat was a bit tough.

Saksang B2 is pork, chopped in cubes, and cooked with its blood, made the appearance is a bit like rendang in Padang food. Taste soooo delicious. I don't even smell the blood taste. The blood actually enrich the taste in my opinion. A must-try dishes for pork lover. Other famous pork dishes here but I don't really like is their Panggang B2 or Roasted Pork Chop. In my opinion, Chinese roasted pork in Chinese Mix Rice is more delicious. But for others who don't like or disgusted by the blood, they usually come here to enjoy Panggang B2. Both Saksang and Panggang B2 was priced at IDR 20K per portion.

Their other dishes are Sop B2 (pork soup), Arsik (fish, similar to fish curry), chopped cassava leaves, etc. And I heard that their dishes are using Andaliman leaves as one of the ingredients, which only grows at Bataknese home land in North Sumatra. Anyone dare to try this extreme food? Well, I'm a fan of them.
Food - 9/10
Cleanliness - 5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Price/Value - 7/10

Lapo Ni Tondongta (Puri Indah Branch)
Jl Pesanggrahan No.9 Puri Indah
Jakarta Barat
+62-21-32462758
Business Hours : Mon to Sun 11am - 3pm

Ya Udah Bistro

This year's holy week of Easter was a very long weekend for me. And this gave me chances to explore new eatery places. After a long pending, I finally visited the famous pork place Ya Udah Bistro today.

I have heard about this restaurant about two years ago when my ex Indian boss and my ex colleague (Yes, you, Theresia Pelengkahu) told me about this restaurant almost at the same time, made me think : "Are they a new hip hangout place in town?". My ex boss was a fan of pork and at that time he suddenly summoned me to his chamber just to tell me that he found a good and very affordable pork restaurant. Hahaha.

Basically, Ya Udah Bistro is a German food restaurant. There was no sign board in front of the restaurant saying that this is Ya Udah Bistro. You can spot the place by it's bright yellow color building with big red round shape painting at the top part of the front building, almost like a Japan flag. Have no idea why they make restaurant sign like that. They offer many varieties of Bavarian dish such as varieties of pork sausages, Bratwurst, Leberkase, and not to forget Haxen or Pork Knuckle. And along with lots of German beer brands. Particularly for the Haxen, they need approximately 2 hours of preparation time before it ready to serve at your table, so I skip ordering this dish for this time although actually Haxen was my target menu today.

Pork Neck Steak with Mashed Potatoes - IDR 79K

I chose this dish in order to compare it to the one I had at Paulaner Brauhaus. Appearance wise, it was very simple like a home-cooked Bavarian dish rather than the one that served at restaurant.

The meat was tender, but less juicy and too dry. However, the seasonings was absorbed till the inside of the meat and it was very nice. There was nothing special about the mashed potatoes. I know it is not fair to compare it with the one I had at Paulaner because of the price, but I prefer the Paulaner one. Maybe because Pork Neck steak at Paulaner already marinated with beer for 24 hours before grilled.

Original Milanese Pork Picata with German Fried Potatoes - IDR 61.5K

The second dish that I ordered was the Picata, with the choice of chicken or pork. It was an easy choice that I select pork. Hahaha.

This dish consist of two pan fried of pork loin battered with flour and cheese. And the German fried potatoes was stir-fried with onion. Personally, I prefer the Picata rather than the Pork Neck Steak, because the taste was more complex and the pork loin was more tender. The side dish was okay.

Apologies for the low quality of the photos since the place was quite dark. Maybe because this is a bistro bar, a place for people to hangout and having beer. Oh, and there was no air-con in this restaurant.

Overall, I'm not very impressed with the food. It was okay. I'm not saying that the dishes was bad, not at all, but just nothing special. The plus point for Ya Udah Bistro was that the price is very affordable for this kind of dishes, and the food is not bad. If you ask whether I plan to return for their Haxen, well, let's see.

Frohe Ostern und bon appetit!

Food - 7/10
Cleanliness - 8/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Price/Value - 9/10

Ya Udah Bistro
Jl. Johar No. 15 Kebon Sirih Menteng
Jakarta Pusat
+62-21-39090100
Business Hours :
Sun - Thu : 8am - 12am
Fri - Sat : 8am - 2am

Soto Betawi H. Mamat

There is one soto at Serpong area which I called a heaven soto. And this soto is already famous not only to Serpongers, but even to Jakartans. Yes, it's Soto Betawi Haji Mamat. Don't get mixed up with the one at Muara Karang area. That refer to different person since Mamat is the common name for Betawi-nese.

I usually visit their branch at Gading Serpong. Their main branch is actually located somewhere in BSD but I don't know exactly the location. This Gading Serpong branch is run by his son.

The restaurant is always crowded, swarmed by the locals no matter in weekdays or weekend. They only serve one dishes, Soto Betawi, with two different varieties. One is the ordinary Soto Betawi that we already know, and the other one is their signature dish called Soto Oseng. Soto Oseng means the meat is stir fried beforehand and served separately with the soup. We can chose the soup with or without coconut milk which usually we call it by Bening and Santen. Other than the main menu, they already have side dish menu such as Potato Cutlet (Perkedel Kentang), Corn fritters (Perkedel Jagung), Tempe Mendoan, etc.

As for the meat itself usually it is beef but they also have chicken which is less popular. We are free to chose only the meat or mix it with innards. For the innards itself we can also chose which innards. So, basically when you order your soto you can shout like this to the Abang : "Bang, one oseng. Mix. Santen. But I don't want the intestines. And give me a lot of rawit." Of course this kind of special order need longer time to prepare since they have to oseng it first. Usually I only order mix without specific order to make it faster.

Although they open until 5pm in the afternoon, but make sure you come early if you want to have their Soto Oseng. The Oseng usually sold out very fast after lunch time. So get ready to get disappointed if you come late. The price for their Soto Oseng is IDR 30K with rice. Quite expensive for just a soto but it worth the taste. For me, this is the best Soto Betawi that I ever had. Very tasty with perfect seasonings. If you call yourself a foodie, make sure you try it before you die!

Food - 10/10
Cleanliness - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Price/Value - 8/10

Update July 23, 2015 : They have already invade mall with the opening of AEON Mall branch (2nd floor food court area)

Soto Betawi H. Mamat

Jl. Bulevar Gading Serpong Blok AA4 No. 23 

Gading Serpong - Tangerang

+6281318642362

Business hours : Mon to Sun 8am - 5pm  

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh 松发肉骨茶

Last week, I finally managed to try this famous Bak Kut Teh restaurant. Why only now? Because during the first months of their opening, this restaurant was always crowded and swarmed by culinary lover. I heard from a friend that to be able to have table you must queue for the average of 1.5 hours during lunch and dinner time. But now, you don't have to queue anymore to dine here. Two hypothesis. One, they already open their 2nd branch in Jakarta at Hayam Wuruk area so people are split into two location. Second, people are already fed up with the taste.

This restaurant is originally from Singapore. The first time I heard about this restaurant was at around 2010 from my friend who lives in Singapore, Julius Kho. Basically Bak Kut Teh means pork ribs in tea flavor soup. And typically, Bak Kut Teh from Singapore is divided into two style. The first one and the most common in Singapore is Teo Chew style Bak Kut Teh, where the taste is dominated by garlic and pepper and have white soup. The other style is Klang style Bak Kut Teh, where the soup is brown and full of herbs taste. Song Fa is a Teo Chew style one where you will find peppery taste of the soup.

Bak Kut Teh with Pig's Kidney and Liver - IDR 98K++

The first impression of the appearance of this dish was normal and nothing special. It consist of 2 pieces of pork ribs and bunches of sliced kidney and liver, also 2 pieces of whole garlic with some green garnish. The soup taste was very refreshing. What would be the plus point here was that you can ask for free refill for the soup. The pork ribs surprised me. It was so tender and juicy and made from good quality of meat. Even the meat can be easily pulled of the bones. And as a fans of innards, I really adore the generous portion of kidney and liver.

I'm not sure whether what I ate when I was in Penang was Klang style Bak Kut Teh. Maybe that was just the common Malaysian style of bak kut teh. You can see what I ate in Penang in below picture.

Braised Trotters with Intestines - IDR 60K++ (Small)

The second dish that I tried that day was the braised pork leg. It was so hard to find good and delicious pork leg in Jakarta. I can count pork leg in Song Fa is one of the best. The meat was succulent and the skin was fatty. Really a perfect sides to accompany the pork ribs soup. But the intestines was a bit tough and dry. If you want to try this dish I suggest you have it without the intestines.

Overall, I was having a decent experience dining here. The food was delicious and the service was quick. I don't see any issue of having back to dine here in the future.

Food - 8/10
Cleanliness - 10/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Price/Value - 5/10

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh 松发肉骨茶
Ozone Mall, L01 - 05 & 05A
Jl Pantai Indah Kapuk Utara 3
Jakarta Utara
+622129673670
Business Hours :
Mon - Fri 11.30am - 9.30pm
Sat - Sun 11.00am - 9.30pm

Bakmi Alok vs Bakmi Asui

If we talk about Kampung Chicken Noodle or Bakmi Ayam Kampung in west Jakarta, we can only screen out two names, Bakmi Alok, and Bakmi Asui.

It's not fair to compare these two if we only look at the business size. It's like David and Goliath. Alok has already have many branches, while Asui currently only open their outlet in Tanjung Duren area after they close their branch in Green Garden. But taste wise, these two is very comparable. Let's have a closer look at them.

Bakmi Alok

I already familiar with this bakmi since I was on high school. One of my teacher was the big fans of this bakmi, when they only have one outlet in Green Ville which ran by the second generation. Now, the third generations spread the wings by opening many branches. Even until Gading Serpong. Compared to Asui, they have better chicken broth, close to natural without water addition. And by appearance, the bakmi is more "organized" as compared to Asui.

Bakmi Asui

If we look at the appearance, the chicken meat at Asui is more messy cut. What I like from Asui is the meat is more fatty and more greasy. For others who don't know, I'm a fans of fat and innards. So no wonder, hahaha. Asui use different type of noodle, more close to mie karet or mie kadut. Be aware that Asui always crowded during weekend because they only have one outlet, so I have motto for them : "You can only eat here if you take leave."

Who win the battle? No one. It's a parity. Both offer delicious Bakmi Ayam Kampung. So if on weekend, I tend to eat at Alok, but if I take leave, I will eat at Asui. I forget their exact price but both offer similar price around IDR 30K per bowl. Not sure if they contains lard. I'm pretty sure Alok doesn't contain any, but I doubt for Asui.

Bakmi Alok (Main branch)
Jl. Mangga II B No.38, GreenVille
Jakarta Barat
+62-21-5687417
Business hours : 07.00am - 3.00pm

Bakmi Asui
Jl. Tanjung Duren III A, No. 337 B
Jakarta Barat
+6285881279103
Business hours :  07.00am - sold out

Hog's Breath Cafe Jakarta

Oz oz oz...oui oui oui...

Yeah, Aussie's most favorite steak house chains has finally open their first branch in Jakarta last Lebaran. And they settle down at my most favorite mall, Central Park Mall. Yeayyy....

This famous original Aussie brand has a lot of outlets back in Aussie. Last Lebaran, I had chance to try them. Because they were recently open, they offered special 10% discount on their famous Prime Rib Steak. Let's have a look at them.

Natural Prime Rib Steak - IDR 198K ++ (Lite cut)

In here, the prime rib steak is prepared in slow cooked method, means the meat is grilled in low temperature for hours. There are many variety of Prime Rib Steak here including Blue Cheese Prime Rib Steak, Hickory Smoked, Garlic Prawn, Calamary, etc. As far as I remember there are 8-9 of them. You can choose many side dished such as Curly Fries, Mashed, Baked Potatoes and Cajun Rice. There are 3 portion size, Lite Cut, Regular and Boss Hog's. My friends suggest not to order Boss Hog's cut since the portion size is enormously big, unless you are really spare your tummy for this. Usually the rule of thumb for having steak is never cook it more than medium cooked. But, because of the slow cooked method, the meat is still tender and juicy even if you order well-done cooked.

Here's the sneak peak to other variety of their Prime Rib Steak.

This restaurant is definitely worth to try. I will be back again here for some special occasions.

Hog's Breath Cafe
Central Park Mall
Tribeca Park, Ground Floor Unit 15
Jl. Letjen S. Parman Kav 28
Jakarta Barat
+62-21-29200114
Business hours : 10.00am - 10.00pm

Saveur

Craving for French fine dining while you are in Singapore but your wallet is crying? You won't believe you can have it there. Thanks for my local Singapore counterparts Ilona Loo, Yingming Cheng and Henry Agus for recommending this restaurant. I had lunch here when I was visiting Singapore last December. Reading from internet review, this place always crowded and has long queue. That's why I went there before their opening time at 11.30am. But guess what? Tadaaaaa...there was no queuing at all. This might because I came on weekday and during lunch time. Could be different if it's on weekend and dinner. Second guess maybe because they are now opening their new concept restarant called Saveur Art at ION Orchard and people are moving to that place.

It was quite easy to locate this restaurant. It located right in the front shop of the Far East Plaza at Scotts Road next to KFC. They have other branch at Purvis Street at Bugis but there they only accept reservation.

Foie Gras with Creamy Lentils - SGD 7.90++

I couldn't believe I had my first experience on foie gras in Singapore. I've been waiting to taste this dish since long ago but I am waiting for the perfect restaurant for this. Despite of its horrible preparation story, I must admit that this is heaven dish. It was melted in my mouth. Unbelieveble!
The dish was only 2x2 cm cubes. So badly want to have more. Maybe next time I can order the other variant of this menu, with Apple and Raisin.

Duck Confit - SGD 12.90++

Where on earth you could find nice Duck Confit for only SGD 12.90? Even here in Jakarta the cheapest Duck Confit I know is around IDR 200K. The duck was cooked to perfection and so crispy outside. The best part was the mashed potatoes. I couldn't remember when was I had delicious mashed potatoes. It was long ago at Chili's Sarinah Jakarta. This dish is a must order in Saveur from what I read on internet review. And I really saw every table must have this menu when I was there.

Pan Seared Seabass - SGD 14.90++

This menu was also recommended dish in their menu list. The fish was so moist and fatty. Below the fish, there was cubes fried potatoes and the sauce serving around the dish. It was OK, but as compared to the duck, this dish is less value for money.

I was so satisfied with this restaurant. I can consider to come back again. Maybe to their new concept restaurant at ION Orchard when I visit Singapore again.

Bon Appetit!

Saveur
#01-07B Far East Plaza
14 Scotts Road, Singapore 228213
+65 6736 1121
Business hours : 11:30 am – 9:30 pm