Ramen 38 Sanpachi: Little Japan in J Town

Take a quick jaunt off Jakarta to the little piece of Japan. Taste the authentic Ramen, a Japanese Noodle, in a small but compelling Ramen House called Ramen 38 Sanpachi.

The place which located in The second floor of Kamome, a Japanese Supermarket in Melawai, is secretly famous among Jakartans, especially South Jakartans who love Ramen at its best. The best thing about this place isn't only the food, but also the services and the place which apparently quite secluded.

For the services, everytime you order a dish, you'll get some complementaries such as free flow ice water and a konyaku jelly for the dessert. While for the place, this is totally like a mini Japan in town since, first, the size remind me of the traditional Ramen Joint in Japan. Next, the decorations are so authentic with Kanji printed red flag hanging in the front door just like what i witnessed in Tokyo Love Story, a Japanese hit tv series in the 90's. And the guest, most of them are Japanese.

Well for that fact, i want to share my personal tip. If you want to know whether a native restaurant serves an authentic food or not, you can tell from the guest. If a Japanese Restaurant is packed with the Japanese, then the taste is authentic. Because as an Indonesian, when i'm abroad, i'll only visit the Indonesian Restaurant which has the food taste enclose to the real deal. How can i eat an Indonesian food that taste like an Indian's, for example. So i believe that this thing also happen to everypeople in the world. They'll look up for the taste like home. hehe.

For the price, they're ranging from IDR 15.000 to IDR 48.000 for the food, and the drink is around IDR 5.000- IDR 20.000. But watch out for the service tax, because they charge 10% for it, with the addition of Governmental Tax, the total tax is 20 %. It'll quite blow your bill.. But believe me, with the big portion and the best flavor, it's all worth it!!

And if im not succesfully persuade you with how authentic this place is, when you're there, make sure you check the menu carefully, because you'll find some English spelling error. I bet you've heard that Japanese are famous for the amateurish english translation. Need proof, check this pic below.

notice the blunder?

(check how the spell "dessert")

my miso ramen

my dessert
(i forgot the name, but it's the same stuff that appeared in Memoars of a Geisha)

I Heart Africa!

Another gastronomy fiesta. The Craziest i've ever been. The Destination is called Tanah Abang and the dish is called Sate Africa. Too bad it's in Jakarta :(

It was Saturday, the second Saturday in the holy Ramadan, my team that day was Swasti and Fani. We were fully equipped with needs and wants and money of course. We jot down the places we wanted to go before the Sate Africa finally came out as the winner. Believe me it was madness. The place first of all, located in the heart of African Residence in Jakarta. The eatery is located beside the museum textile. The food is lamb grilled with onion and as the side dish, you can pick banana, yes banana, or rice. We chose both of them and they're both nice. The Price, save yourself about IDR 60.000 for the whole meal and drink.

The African Map (An African Touch to the Place)


The Dipping Sauce (A mix of mustard, traditional chilli sauce and soy sauce)



The Lamb-Grilled (For 3 portions)



Side Dish- Fried Banana


Me and Swasti

Quickie Lunch

Need a quick lunch but surely has to be delicious at the same time. Then, head yourself to Ranch Market in The Oakwood Mega Kuningan, because they're now serving a various kinda meal in affordable price. A combo you just can't miss. Just a couple days before entering the fasting month, my friend Swasti took me and Nika to undergo the place.

"It's not just a supermarket," that's my first impression of the place since in its terrace you could find many lines of tables with an orange-colored chair. The lines were'nt full at the time due to the end of lunch time, but i'm sure if we arrived at 12-ish, the condition would be different. When you enter the supermarket, then you'll find a magazine rack on your left and next to it there were the fridges for the food that you can choose to be cooked for your meal. The prepared foods consist of many kinds such as barbeque or grilled one (ranging from chicken, meat, lamb, ribs, seafood), selection of pastas, salads, and some local food like Soto, Nasi Goreng Kampung, Oxtail Soup, etc. You can also choose three choices of dishes with rice for only IDR2 25.000.

And the best thing of the place iiiis.. You can pick your own drink from the supermarket and pay as the price stated. I picked a 500 ml of Nestle Pure Life for only IDR 1.100 to accompany my IDR 28.000 boneless grilled chicken with barbeque sauce with belgian french fries as my side dish. Isn't it great? You can savor the superb meal in the decent yet clean table that the Ranch Market has provided.

Cork&Screw, Rustique: Such A Culinary Experience!

There are times when i want to dressed my self up and go to the fancy restaurants to have a slice of juicy steaks and a sip of wine. After strolled to the Padangnese vibrant eatery some times before, last weekend i chose to taste another part of Jakarta and sit gracefully on Cork&Screw and Rustique.
Cork& Screw which located in Wisma Kodel, Kuningan is a complete package of resto, bar, lounge, and wine store. My personal favorites from this place are the food (turns out that this place has a collaboration with Koi Resto, my favorite European resto), the atmosphere (the place has a low dimmed lighting, which reminds me of native restaurants), and the music background (it's chilled jazz, ambiance music, kinds of music which will make you stay all through the night). That night, with the sound of Mondogrosso, my favorite Japanese Jazz artist, i chose Asian Cuisine which is served by rice. I picked the Asian Black Pepper Beef Steak. The portion is quite big and the pepper wasn't quite strong but the taste still remained thick. I enjoyed my meal with Moscato d'Asti. This is a classic sweet Piedmont wine obtained from the soft pressing of Moscato Bianco grapes cultivated in the restricted area distinguished by the denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin. It has a pale straw yellow color, intense fruity perfume and a sweet, pleasantly and harmonious flavor. Moscato d'Asti should be served at temperature of about 9/10, traditionally in a goblet, but current trends seem to prefer a flute glass. I personally prefer white wine to red wine, and my friend's choice for wine was right. It tasted really good combined with my spicy food.

After visiting Cork&Screw on saturday, the next day, i went to have some steak at Rustique which located in Plaza Senayan on 4th floor. I believe that steak is better enjoyed for dinner. Maybe is just a state of mind because so far i haven't found the connection between food and the time you consumed it. Honestly, i picked this place because i just recently read the review for that restaurant in a local magazine. Rustique is famous for its specialty for serving the dry-aged beef for the steak. Dry aging occurs while the beef is hanging in a refrigerated cooler, at a specific temperature and humidity, for 10 to 28 days after harvest and prior to cutting. When beef is dry aged two things happen. First, moisture evaporates from the muscle creating a greater concentration of beefy flavor and taste. Secondly, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the fibrous, connective tissue in the muscle, tenderizing it. Most of the tenderizing activity occurs in the the first 10 to 14 days. So the meat will be so soft but still juicy when you chew. That night, i chose a 200 gr dry-aged Rib Eye Australian Beef with mushroom sauce and grill mix vegetables for the side dish. I requested the meat to be 3/4 cooked. I can say that this might be the best steak i have ever had. I can easily slice the meat and i don't need any effort to chew. The best part came when i chew the meat, the fat that sticks to the meat was firmly melt and it add the juicy of the steak itself. Yummy. For the drinks, i prefer a mocktail called Rustique Mocktail which consisted of lychee sorbet and mango juice.

As a wrap, i'd like to say that i will definitely go back there again. Because i love how they give me such experience in culinary with their best place and most exactly BEST FOOD!

Food Fiesta: Nasi Kapau Kramat!

Are you a fan of Padangnese food? Or you don't know what it is? Just spend your time in Kramat Road and test the food! I bet you will be a loyal fan. This is such an experience!

I always love to eat in a place with such vibrant atmosphere. Before i visited this place, i was going to 1001 malam seafood in Kelapa Gading, East Jakarta. They served not only the most delicious dishes, but the atmosphere is hectic yet hot but those were the thrill. And Nasi Kapau Kramat provides u with the similar escapade.

This is a hawker eatery, located in Kramat Road. From Kwitang you turn right in the Senen Intersection, and the place is right on the left. Park your car in the side of the street and start to eat. There are many kiosks that offer you the Nasi Kapau, but my personal favorite is the Sabana Asli.

The specialty of these places compare with other Padangnese Restaurant is that they serve the authentic Padangnese Menus like Itiak Cabai Hijau (It's the duck which cooked with the green chili) and Bubur Kampiun (a sweet porridge dessert). The taste are GOOD, and the price is just right. I spent Rp. 17.000 (2 USD) for a portion of Nasi Kapau which consist of rice, roasted chicken, vegetable and a glass of ice tea.

Well if you really want to know the real deal, i have the video just for you :D

My Latest Food Fiesta

Well i love to taste new food, so whenever somebody tells me about new food or drink i guess they are worth to try! Like the one i just tasted.

It is called Kwetiaw Akang. It's located in Central of Jakarta, Sawah besar to be precised. And i gotta tell you, that the food there was awsome. I think that was the best kwetiaw (kwetiaw=rice noodle) i have ever tasted. It's chineese style kinda way. They have quite complete selection of kwetiaw, noodle or bihun (or some people called it beehoon). So whether you like it dry or gravy, they'll have it at your service.