BALI #FOODCHELLA TRIP

During earlier Mid-June, I had the chance to fly off to Bali again, this time with the @foodinhands team, @kamikita.id and also other influencers as well as celebrities. With people from Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bali itself joining in the fun.

We flew in to Bali on June 15th, Reggy and I arrived the earliest since we took the 6 A.M. flight with Sriwijaya Air, along with the Surabaya team who came in several moments after we landed.
Upon gathering at the airport, we went straight ahead to our first lodging during our trip to check in, which is the Jambuluwuk Hotel located at Petitenget.

Jambuluwuk Resort
Jl. Petitenget No. 108
Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara
Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

A quick look at the place made us fall in love instantly with it! Everything feels so serene and peaceful, even though it is pretty near to the crowded area of Petitenget.

After checking in our luggages and taking a quick rest, we went down to an artisan gourmet cuisine restaurant right beside our hotel, which is called Frestro. This restaurant serves one of the finest international cuisine infused with the soul of Bali.

Since we arrived early, we had the chance to enjoy the various meals served firsthand while waiting for the rest of the participants to arrive.

Listed below are some of the foods that we had at Frestro.

Frestro Bali
Jl. Petitenget No. 108
Kerobokan, Kuta Utara
Bali 80361

I got to say, the foods here are pretty amazing, the steak was very tender and the burger was pretty good as well. However, the pasta didn't appeal much to me though. (Probably it was overshadowed by other dishes we had)
But everything else was fine as well!

Celebrating International Women's Day and Hosting My Food Photography Workshop

March 8th is widely celebrated as International Women's Day all around the world, including here in Jakarta, Indonesia.
This year, along with Accenture, a company which moves within the management consultation industry, I have collaborated with them to deliver a Food Photography Workshop for the International Women's Day Celebration event dedicated to the employees.

So through this post, I would like to share a little bit of my activity and what I did to celebrate this wonderful day as well as my thought about it.
This celebration was held on Friday, March 10th 2017 at the Function Hall of Citywalk Sudirman, which started from noon until the evening. The event began with a panelist discussion which consisted of female entrepreneurs and motivators. It was amazing to see how times have changed now and how the current working industry celebrates women more, trusting their abilities to hold positions equal to men. I am sure this brings a greater balance to the whole working ambience with men and women working together, each conquering the problems they face with their own unique capabilities.

And through this day, the committee of the event would also like to enhance the knowledge and(or) talent of the female employees by holding workshops, another way to empower women even more with better knowledge. There were three workshops held with different topics to cover, the Food Photography Workshop, Coffee Latte Art Workshop, and Sushi Making Workshop.
And as what I have stated, I would be covering the Food Photography Workshop, while Nino Fernandez, an Indonesian Actor would be covering the Coffee Latte Art Workshop, and we had an expert chef for the Sushi Making Workshop.

The participants had the choice of choosing which workshop they would like to attend when they received the invitation. So everything was organized well and went smoothly.
As I got on to my station, I was amazed to see that there were quite a number of people who are actually interested in food photography. I was super pepped up to share my experiences and what I have learnt over the years of being in the blogger industry as well as my knowledge on food photography.
Of course, if I was asked whether I was nervous or not, I would be lying if I said no. At one point, I was afraid that I might not be experienced or knowledgeable enough to "guide" them. But thanks to the participants' appreciation and proactive attitude, I soon got over it and felt comfortable speaking in front of the crowd.

Mustika Ratu Slimming Tea; Fit and Health Bloggers Gathering

As I tend to visit a lot of different restaurants and trying a wide variety of foods almost every single day, I can say that the risk of me gaining weight is pretty big. Especially when I hardly exercise to burn off those extra calories.
I have always been worried and self-conscious about it, and been planning to properly maintain my body weight to a proportionate number but of course, it is mostly only thought out and yet hardly executed in a proper way.

Fortunately my current body weight is just right and I don't need to worry too much. But sometimes, I just can't rid the thought of getting obese out of my mind due to my huge appetite.
Earlier this month, my friend asked me to sign up for a gym membership at one of the gym clubs here in Jakarta together with him, and so I did.

AND THEN, I FELT LIKE THIS MUST BE A SIGN FROM ABOVE TO TELL ME TO TAKE CARE OF MY WEIGHT!

Not long after, I got invited to this bloggers gathering event held by Dream.co.id x Mustika Ratu at Twin House, Cipete. The main purpose of this event was to introduce their slimming products and also to point out that guys can also consume slimming products as well.

I MEAN, JOINING THE GYM AND SLIMMING PRODUCT INTRODUCTION TO ME, COINCIDENCE MUCH?

This must be a sign.
*Looks down at my belly*
Yes, indeed.

Fast forward to the D-Day of the event, upon arrival, we were seated at our own pre-arranged seats, not many familiar faces were seen from the usual bloggers gathering events that I go to, and so I simply sat awkwardly on my seat.

Le awkward lunch moment, and I finished everything off my plate!

KINTAN Japanese BBQ Buffet - Jakarta

On Monday evening, as I was idling around with nothing to do, my friend suddenly called me up for dinner, explaining how much he was craving to have a Japanese Meat BBQ for dinner. So as we were pretty hungry at the moment, we agreed straight away to go for an All-You-Can-Eat restaurant. We decided to try out the newly opened Kintan Buffet - All You Can Eat Japanese BBQ.

Truth be told, as we didn't do much research beforehand, we went to Kintan Yakiniku located at Pacific Place, SCBD, only to find out the bitter truth that it is different and they don't serve buffet menus there. Words couldn't explain how disappointed we were (and hungry) at that time, so without any further ado afterwards, we went straight towards Emporium Pluit Mall for the long-awaited buffet dinner. Yes, we took the extra effort to move from South Jakarta to North Jakarta for the sole sake of it.

Upon arriving at Emporium Pluit Mall, the clock has struck around 8.30 P.M. and it took us around 5 to 10 minutes to get to the restaurant from the parking lot. The server told us that the last order is on 9.00 P.M. but we still went in ahead anyway after the kind advice from the server.

Fancy Warteg? Say whaaat?! - Jakarta

Warteg or commonly known as Warung Tegal is a very common food place that you can find almost everywhere here in Jakarta. They serve a variety of pre-cooked Indonesian dishes at a very affordable and cheap price. The downside of it, however, is that the places which are called Warteg are usually not very comfortable as they are in the form of small eating places without any air conditioner inside. And as you can imagine how hot the weather in Jakarta is, well, you would pretty much feel like you're having your meal inside a sauna.

Just recently though! I managed to find a place in Menteng, called "FAME - Food Art Menteng", which is basically a collection of Indonesian food stalls merged into one.

This FAME - Food Art Menteng consists of four restaurants / food stalls inside, namely Sate Sosial & Beer, Martabak Boss, Noodle Station and lastly Warteg Express. On this blog post, I would mostly talk about the Warteg Express, since it is the most unique one here in my opinion. We also had the satays from Sate Sosial & Beer here, so keep your eyes out for them!

UNION's Re-opening and Ramadhan Specials!

If you guys are staying in Jakarta, or have lived in Jakarta before, I'm sure that you guys have heard about UNION at least once before. It is one of the most popular restaurants here in Jakarta, and is well-known for their delicious food and cakes. Personally, it is one of my favourite restaurants to go for.

Last month, from May 23rd, however, the UNION outlet located in Plaza Senayan was closed for maintenance and repairs, up until last Saturday! It is such a good news that the UNION in Plaza Senayan has opened again, as this outlet has the best ambience and feel compared to all of their other outlets (UNION Deli in Grand Indonesia and UNION at Pondok Indah Mall Street Gallery) in my opinion.

CONGRATULATIONS TO UNION FOR RE-OPENING AGAIN!

Nothing much seems different at a glance, as most of the maintenance and repairs are aimed at the kitchen and ventilation of the restaurant, aside from the ceiling.

So, during last Saturday, I came along with my friend, Hans Danial (also known as @eatandtreats) to enjoy the newly re-opened UNION, and it happens that they also have two new cake selections in store for customers to enjoy!

I have been a big fan of their cakes here, and let me tell you that all of their cakes that I have tried here are simply SUPERB! But before we get to the cakes, let's have a look at some of the snacks and main courses that are just as awesome.

Buffalo Chicken Wings with Housemade Blue Cheese Dressing and Crudites

The fried chicken wings were nicely breaded and they were so crunchy! The blue cheese dressing was also very fragrant to top it off. Nothing could go wrong with this!

Boon Tong Kee from Singapore is Here in Jakarta!

Hainanese Chicken rice has got to be one of my most favourite food in my whole life so far. It is also one of the foods that I set a very high standard on.
I have never tried a single plate of Hainanese chicken rice here in Jakarta that actually passes my standard level of being "good". Everything is either just mediocre or plain bad, to the point that I'm no longer interested in trying out new Hainanese Chicken Rice in town anymore. Or maybe it's not that bad actually, it's just me who is hard to please when it comes to this one specific dish.

That's why once Boon Tong Kee has opened their branch here in Jakarta, I was super excited about it. And by excited, I mean super excited. Especially for the fact that I know Boon Tong Kee is very popular in Singapore and well-known for their awesome Hainanese Chicken rice.

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Disclaimer: I was doing my research on Boon Tong Kee while writing this post and apparently, Boon Tong Kee has opened a branch before in Jakarta, around Kelapa Gading area under the name Woon Tung Kee, which I never knew about since it is so far away from my place. But now that it has opened in Pantai Indah Kapuk, I can finally go and enjoy it!

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Aside from the well-known Hainanese Chicken rice, Boon Tong Kee also serves a variety of Chinese home-style food. In fact, I would say that it caters more to the a la carte menu, as I don't see any set menus available for us to order.

7 Things You Should Know Before Visiting Borobudur Temple!

Last month, I finally had the chance to visit Yogyakarta (usually called as Jogjakarta or Jogja for short). It is a city located on Indonesia's Java island and also well-known as the centre of education islandwide. There are a lot of traditional arts such as batik, ballet, puppet shows, and many others. Also with cultural heritage around the area, ranging from buddhist temples, palace complex, and so much more.

One of the most popular tourist sites here in Yogyakarta is the Borobudur Temple, it is the world's largest Buddhist archeological site with a pyramidal base and a total of 504 buddha statues around it. The monument consists of nine stacked platforms, a total of six square and three circular platforms, and finally topped by a dome in the middle.

A Queen's Worth of Meal at Queen's Tandoor - Jakarta ( Psst; Stand a Chance to Win Something AWESOME!)

As a restaurant that has been around for decades since 1986, Queen's Tandoor has definitely lived up to their reputation and deserved the customers crowding the restaurant.
With 2 branches in Jakarta, and 4 in Bali, Queen's Tandoor serves a variety of Indian & Fusion cuisines and has definitely made a HUGE name for themselves in the catering industry.

Nasi 4 Rasa; Sari Bagindo - Jakarta

Nasi Padang; it is a dish originated from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra, Indonesia. Nasi Padang is a Padang steamed rice served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes such as the famous beef rendang, curry chicken, stewed greens, chili eggplants, fried beef lungs, curried fish, curried beef liver, tripe, intestines, or foot tendons, and of course, sambal!

The Nasi Padang is usually served in 2 different ways, one is where you order the side dishes that you want from the display window directly on the counter (They usually have all of the pre-cooked dishes displayed in a glass window up front), and the other one is where the waiter / waitress with stacked plates upon their hands would bring in all of the dishes in small plates up to your table where you can take your time in choosing which dishes you would like to consume.

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So I would assume that you have already known the concept of Nasi Padang by now (If you haven't before).

Here at Sari Bagindo, they have created a whole new experience on how one would normally perceive the Nasi Padang as. The rice of the Nasi Padang here comes in 4 different colors, white, yellow, green and red, each with their own unique taste and fragrance.

The white rice is the everyday plain rice that we normally know, whereas the yellow one is mixed with turmeric, giving it a more unique flavor and fragrance. And then we have the green rice, made by mixing in the pandan leaf, which has been well known for it's fragrant smell and commonly used for various savory dishes and sweet desserts. Lastly we have the red rice, made with tomatoes that taste fresh.

Of course, your appetite would not be whipped with only rice on your plate, and this is where we get to the famous side dishes of Nasi Padang which are rich in flavors and seasonings.

Here at Sari Bagindo, you can find most of the common dishes that you would find at any other Padang restaurants. The flavor of the spices are pretty nice, but they're somehow around average for me.

What's so great about Nasi Padang  is undoubtedly the taste of the spices and the hotness of sambal. Whichever one you are craving for, Sari Bagindo provides a wide variety of sambals to choose from. Just pick one or two or more and VOILAAAH!

Here's what I got for my lunch, a piece of boiled chicken, cassava leaves, omelette, and some crackers to go along with the Nasi 4 Rasa (4 flavored rice). What would you like to have?

Sari Bagindo also provides a special package for you guys who would like to try the Nasi 4 Rasa! For IDR 39k++, you can enjoy the Nasi 4 Rasa along with a piece of chicken + vegetables + crackers + sambal.

Location:
Sari Bagindo
Kuningan City, LG Fl
Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 18
Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta, Indonesia, 12940 

WiFi: Available

Opening Hours:
10.00AM - 10.00PM

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Tenya Tempura Tendon New Menu Launch October 2015, Mall Taman Anggrek - Jakarta

Tenya Tempura Tendon is the number 1 most successful Tendon restaurant chain in Japan. It specializes in serving Tendon - Japanese Rice Bowls Topped with Tempura. And now this restaurant is brought here to Indonesia by Asia Culinary Inc. Pte. Ltd, a Singapore based company owned by Indonesian, with Cilandak Town Square as their 1st outlet back in June 2014.

Now at present time, they have expanded several more outlets respectively in Grand Indonesia in December 2014 and Mal Taman Anggrek in March 2015.

As most of you guys might have already known, Tenya is famous for their Tempura Rice Bowls, but my visit to Tenya this time isn't for their specialty Tempura Rice Bowls, but for some of the new menus that they have just recently launched. So, here's a quick look of some of the dishes that we have tried during the night.

Publik Markette, Markette to Table Brunch; Sunday Brunch Specials - Jakarta

Within the list of restaurants from Ismaya Group, which has been well known for their interesting restaurant concepts, Publik Markette has just launched a range of new brunch-special dishes on their menu several weeks ago.

In case you haven't known Publik Markette yet, it is a restaurant that caters to various dishes, mostly with Western cuisines dominating their menu. The restaurant itself is located in the East Mall of Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, right in front of NOMZ and near Union Deli.

Hawaiian Bistro, Grand Indonesia - Jakarta

Aloha! pehea 'oukou? I'm sure you guys must have already known about Hawaii, an isolated volcanic archipelago in the U.S. state, famous for their amazing tropical ambience with beaches and rugged landscapes.

Here at Hawaiian Bistro, they are bringing you that exact vibe of a typical tropical night by the beach through the decor and murals. With dim lighting, this place does make you feel a lot more relaxed and just right to chill out, relax, and chat with your friends or whoever you're there with.

Cortado Coffee Bar by VISUU - Jakarta

Most of the cafes in Jakarta as we know it usually have a very different design to Cortado Coffee Bar, it is unique and different, as the interior seemingly brings you back to the 50s with most of the interior covered in the shade of black color from sofa and the chair, wooden flooring, and a lot of painting displays on the wall.

The place itself is pretty small but it is also comfortable. Even though there were some road constructions going on outside the place at that time, we couldn't hear any of the noises from inside.

Plaza Indonesia Men's Fashion Week 2015: Adamist, Antony Morato #PIMFW15

The 2nd day of the #PIMFW15 features one of my most favorite local brand, Adamist, with the "The Convict" for the title of their show. As usual, Adamist have a very minimal and classy look with a touch of elegance to their designs.

As how the title of the show tells us, the show started strong with the models being The Convicts standing behind some steel bars.

Plaza Indonesia Men's Fashion Week 2015: Fred Perry, Rococo, Ben Sherman #PIMFW15

The first day of Plaza Indonesia Men's Fashion Week this year kick-started with the looks from Fred Perry, Rococo, and Ben Sherman.

Following the success of their show last year, the #PIMFW15 has managed to rail in so much interest from all of the fashion enthusiasts in town. Located at the Multi-function Hall on the 2nd floor of Plaza Indonesia, the shows are set to start from either 5.30PM or 6.30PM onward.

JKTGO's 2nd Anniversary at Bottega Ristorante

For those of you who stays in Jakarta, I'm pretty sure that most of you guys have already heard of the name @JKTGO before. Yes, JKTGO is the newest online directory to the city of Jakarta, the leading site and community for the most updated information on new places and events in Jakarta, from what to try, where to eat, and what to do.

During September 18th, JKTGO has just celebrated their 2nd anniversary! It has also been a year since they have launched the Jakarta Society, a community for those who contributes in finding new places and updating information on events which are happening in Jakarta.

The anniversary was celebrated at the venue; Bottega Ristorante. Located at Menara Bank Danamon, South Jakarta. The dinner was supposed to start on 7PM sharp, as stated on the invitation, but knowing how Jakarta's traffic is, the dinner started a bit later from the schedule. Which was not that bad at all, I'd say! Why so? If you might ask, it is because I was also late upon arriving there with my friends. 

Hahaha, typical.

Jakarta's traffic bruh.

Long story cut short, we arrived just in time when dinner was about to be served. I went there with 2 of my friends, Alvian and Quincy, but unfortunately our seats weren't set at the same table so we just had to sit separately at different tables for the dinner. Meanwhile, I was arranged to sit with some of my old friends, which is awesome too! It has been quite a while since I've last seen them, we sure got a lot to catch up about.

VIP Dinner; Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert.

FrontPage Wine & Dine, Plaza Gani Djemat - Jakarta

Another establishment by Nomi Inc., FrontPage Wine & Dine is a mix of restaurant and bar that serves a variety of  Continental and modern fusion Chinese Indian cuisines (or as I would prefer calling it as Chindian cuisines). I am pretty much a big fan of Chinese dishes as well as Indian dishes, so this fusion sounds like so freakin' awesome to me.

The restaurant's wine and dine experience is enhanced with a classic ambience styled along with a collection of old international magazines' front pages, spread across the bar and restaurant area. The restaurant is mainly divided into 2 areas, upon entering the main entrance, on the right side is the bar and lounge area while taking a few steps down the stairs to the left is the dining area with larger tables. There is also an exclusive private VIP room located right beside the dining area if you would prefer to have some of your own space during dining or for a business meeting in the restaurant.

WIN A FREE 7 DAYS TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND! #NZFamilyTrip

Located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is a country consisting of 2 main islands, both marked by volcanoes and glaciation. The capital of the country, Wellington, is home to Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand. Wellington's impressive Mt. Victoria and the South Island's Fiordland as well as the stunning Southern Lakes stood in for mythical Middle Earth in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films.

To promote the beauty of New Zealand, the New Zealand Tourism Board has organized a competition worth thousands of dollars. Every single family can participate in this competition, which is to upload a video, explaining why New Zealand is the best choice for your next family vacation destination. This video has to be uploaded to New Zealand Tourism's microsite, www.newzealand.com/nzfamilytrip along with the hashtag #NZFamilyTrip.

The competition starts from August 27th until October 9th, 2015. You can access the microsite by the link above or simply by clicking here.

A few months ago, the New Zealand Tourism Board has also launched a digital campaign with the theme; "Everyday a Different Journey". The video showcases various activities and experiences offered by New Zealand, which you can easily enjoy thanks to the close distance between one place and another.

As shown on the video above, you can find plenty of fun filled adventures or purely relax and enjoy what the nature has got to offer. From kayaking in majestic Milford Sound at Fiordland, uncovering secrets at the Hobbiton film set in Hamilton-Waikato, enjoying the diverse urban landscapes of Auckland city, and many more!

How Can I Join?

Follow these simple steps below and get your chance on winning a 7 DAYS TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND with your family members! (Valid for 6 people)

1. Create a family video as interesting as possible with any gadgets or cameras on why you would like to go to New Zealand.
2. Upload the video to YouTube and fill in the registration form for the whole family along with the URL of your video at http://www.newzealand.com/nzfamilytrip before October 8th, 2015.
3. Get as many likes as you can by sharing your video to your social medias with the hashtag #NZFamilyTrip
4. The chosen participants will be informed on October 14th, 2015 for further interviews and the winning family will be informed before October 30th, 2015.
5. The winner will fly with Singapore Airlines in early November 2015 for an unforgettable one-week journey to New Zealand.

There will also be another special surprise waiting for the winning team in New Zealand. So, what are you waiting for? Make your moves quickly and grab your winning tickets to New Zealand ASAP!

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Last day in Medan; Leaving Taman Simalem Resort and leaving Medan

After so much fun and joy staying at Taman Simalem Resort for 2 nights and 2 days, the time has finally come for us to leave. It was also our last day in Medan, so we planned to drop by several places as we leave before catching our flight in the evening.

We have certainly had so much fun and memories to keep while we were here. From sightseeing around the mountains, playing games, catching sunrise, eating the local organic vegetables, playing the flying fox, etc.

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We woke up in the morning around 7AM, and guess what?! The weather and sky outside was crystal clear. Finally! We were so excited that the sky finally cleared out, which means we could take better photos of the scenery and everything.

We tidied ourselves up first and packed our stuffs first before heading for breakfast. In case you might be curious on how our room looks like, here is a preview for you. The room has a full-sized window that is faced directly towards the Lake Toba and also a small balcony outside where you can sit and enjoy the breeze.

Look at how lovely the scenery is without all of the fog! Everything just looks so clear and awesome from this distance. This is the view that we got from outside of our balcony, we can directly see the edge of the lake and a small village beside it, also the mountain roads and landscape around the area. If only the sky has been clear since the first day we arrived..

After leaving the resort, we headed towards a Buddhist temple called Taman Lumbini, which is said to be the tallest and grandest pagoda in Indonesia, located not far away from Taman Simalem Resort. Taman Lumbini is covered in a bright gold color and it has a similar style with the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar.