Birthday Lunch at Glosis Grill and Bar
Posted: December 30, 2013 Filed under: Bandung, Uncategorized, Western Food | Tags: food blogger, food review, Glosis grill and bar, Glosis grill and bar Bandung, Glosis Grill and Bar Hegarmanah, New Yorker Steak, Smoked pork chop Leave a commentDecember has always been my favorite month of the year for some reasons. It’s my birthday month and no need to mention we also celebrate the festive season of Christmas and New Year too! This 12th month of the year is when I have my final exam and then rewarded by a long holiday until the next year, when abundant yummy foods are available at most of the time and when family and friends come and gather to celebrate the joy of Christmas. For those reasons, how can I not love December?
I just had my silver birthday this December and sometimes I can’t believe I’ve reached this age. I feel like I’m still 22, isn’t that normal or it is just me? HA! I had a small birthday lunch with my family of mom, dad and my brother at Glosis Grill and Bar. This is one of Bandung’s old eatery that survives until today. I chose to have lunch here since Glosis Grill and Bar has pretty much historic childhood memories for the family. Our family is a loyal customer since I was very little and we used to spend many of our Sundays at Glosis back then. Even though many things have changed (they have relocated for several times since their first appearance) but we still want to go back there.
Mushroom Soup
The soup served with tiny bites of croutons and warm yet moist bread roll. I (was) a big fan of Glosis’ mushroom soup as they make it with blended champignon and cream instead of adding sliced mushrooms into cream soup. Honestly I felt a little disappointment as the soup was too watery and not much blended mushroom there.
IDR 23,000 ~ US$ 2.30
Fried Mushroom
I’m not very sure why the starters were mushroom themed until I write this post. The presentation was lovely and inviting, mushrooms also fried perfectly crunchy but it would be nicer if they add more seasoning to it. Seriously the mushrooms were plain but the good things you can savor the freshness of the mushroom, (if that’s what they intend to highlight with the dish?).
IDR 28,000 ~ US$ 2.80
Salmon Lemon Butter
I got excited and delighted to see all the vibrant colors on my plate and couldn’t wait to devour them all! Salmon was grilled to medium as what I requested and I really love how it went well with the lemon butter sauce and salsa. I just feel they need to add a little bit more seasonings for the potato, really.
IDR 82,000 ~ US$ 8.20
Pork Chop
My mom’s all time favorite at Glosis is the Smoked Pork Chop. Pork meat was smoked and seasoned very well, super tender smokeyyy meat combined with the sauce was beyond. I reckoned the smoked pork chop was the star on that day!
IDR 79,000 ~ US$ 7.90
Sirloin Steak
Sirloin steak is actually a very basic menu, sadly the meat was cooked very medium instead of well done as my dad’s request. We were relieved because the staffs did a quick response to change it with well done cooked meat.
IDR 83,000 ~ US$ 8.30
New Yorker Steak
The New Yorker was nice, perfectly medium cooked and also well seasoned. The sauteed mushroom, onion and tomato was lovely too. My brother had a quick movement eating it up!
IDR 88,000 ~ US$ 8.80
The beverages were so-so but I recommend their Mojito selections as they are pretty awesome and would be a good pair for any dishes. A little offs we found during the lunch couldn’t ruin our joy and happiness that day. We still love the place, the ambient, the attentive staffs and hope there will be some improvements to their foods.
Glosis Grill and Bar
Jl. Hegarmanah No. 6
Bandung (022) 203 – 1321
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Proud Mary
Posted: October 9, 2013 Filed under: Breakfast and Brunch, Melbourne | Tags: Bagna cauda, brunch Proud Mary, food blogger, melbourne, Melbourne coffee, Proud Mary, Proud Mary coffee, Proud Mary Melbourne 2 CommentsA sudden brunch appointment made between me and my best food strolling partner, Celi. We were assuming it’d be a good time to visit Proud Mary on Monday and hoping it wouldn’t be too crowded.
We had to bite our fingers to the fact that this coffee shop located in Collingwood industrial complex was full house thus we had to wait for a while to get a table for two. Celi and I chose the outdoor area rather than sitting on the bar stools. The friendly and attentive waiters/waitress came down to our table with the menus and some explanation regarding the coffee selections. Coffee is really not my thing, but Celi is a sucker of good coffee. She normally has double shots espresso whenever we eating out.
Potato Hash was Celi’s brunch, homemade potato hash brown, grilled bacon, spinach, poached egg with bagna cauda sauce. Bagna cauda is creamy Italian style sauce of anchovy and garlic. The thinly grated potato hash was super lightly seasoned, but went very well with the salty yet strong bagna cauda sauce. We both really liked the sauce! The grilled bacon was a little bit too dry for me but Celi preferred it to be even crispier. Ha!
AU$ 16.50
I had Roasted Mushroom, which was medium to big size flat mushrooms and chipotle butter over a brioche, whipped goats cheese and a poached egg. For me the mushrooms were so perfect, nicely seasoned, tender and juicy combined with spiciness from chipotle butter. Chipotle butter really reminds me of Twiggy stick flavor (it’s a kind of salami stick). Another food-struck component on my plate was the aromatic goat cheese, I reckoned it was mixed with parsley, dill and lemon juice. The Fluffy and soft brioche, mushroom, goat cheese and runny poached egg on stack was a really beautiful combo in my mouth!
AU$ 16.50
Celi had 2 different espresso, the first one was Kenyan single origin and the other one was a missing story. We forgot to re-check as it’s not on the menu but from the ipad instead. She loved both of them but preferred the Kenyan one. Me myself, had a Chai Latte and still can’t believe that I’m now so in love with chai.
AU$ 3.50
AU$ 4.00
The hype of Proud Mary is not something overrated, it’s a kind of place that potentially visited in regular basis rather than a one time trying. Apart from the notorious coffees of theirs, I really enjoyed the all day breakfast and lunch here! So give it a go when you’re in Melbourne and let me know your thought!
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Sushi Hotaru
Posted: October 7, 2013 Filed under: Japanese, Melbourne | Tags: food blogger, melbourne, Melbourne restaurant review, restaurant review, scampi nigiri, sushi hotaru, sushi hotaru melbourne Leave a commentSushi Hotaru is a famous yet almost hidden Japanese restaurant on Bourke street. Its reputation as an “affordable and yummy” sushi place is well known especially to those living around Melbourne CBD. It was my first time visiting Hotaru and really fueled by the hype my friends gave about this place. The three of us managed 18 plates at the end, not bad huh?
When we arrived, there were some people sitting down at the regular tables area so we were directed to sit on the bar stools. I am not very keen on sitting at the bar area since forever but we had no choice. Later on we realized that those people sitting on the regular tables are the bosses (we reckoned) and some staffs having their break. Oh geez!
All the order are made using the provided touch-screen pad therefore we can order anything in anytime without calling the waiters. Efficient!
My favorite was the scampi nigiri sushi which came per 1 piece for each plate. The plating was interestingly incredible by putting the whole scampi over the nigiri. I love how fresh and sweet the scampi was with a pleasant chewy and smooth texture. This is worth to try and highly recommended!
Soft-shell crab hand roll was also our favorite and yes it was soooo good! My friends excitedly insisted to order this and I have to thank them that we did. Well seasoned and crunchy soft-shell crab rolled by rice and crispy nori was just perfecto! The size of the hand roll was quite big too, such a real deal for the AU$3 price!
Wagyu beef Tataki was the first plate that disappointed us. You can even see from the picture that those sliced wagyu were dry, not juicy and or even tender as we expected!
Scallop and salmon sushi was also a light up, divided into 4 sections and the burnt on top was the crucial touch that make the dish scrumptious.
Jelly fish sushi was quite good too in sweet-savory and refreshing after taste. The mix of crystal jelly noodle with the jelly fish was really nice to add more texture.
Agedashi Tofu and crispy soft shell crab was pretty nice. As Sushi Hotaru has a really good fried soft shell crab, the combination with fried silken white tofu served with tentsuyu sauce was a good match.
Who doesn’t love snacking crispy salmon skin? I myself is also a fan of salmon skin but if there is anything to add, I would like to have crispier and thinner salmon skin for sure! The salmon skins were really escalated because of the lemony soy sauce (shoyu).
The service at Sushi Hotaru can be considered prompt but not very friendly. I don’t really mind as long as they do the service quickly. I mean, for affordable eating where most of the menu merely cost you AU$ 3, good service is kinda bonus! Too bad we didn’t get that bonus from Sushi Hotaru though.
We spent around $60,00 for three people, sated and happy as we ate many different dishes. Everything is in balance regarding the price and what you get. If you are strolling in the city craving for affordable Japanese eatery OR if you are a student study around the CBD, this place is not a bad choice to dine in.
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Isthmus Of Kra Melbourne
Posted: September 17, 2013 Filed under: Asian Food, Melbourne, Recommended, Thai Food | Tags: food blogger, food review, Isthmus of Kra, Isthmus of Kra Melbourne, Melbourne restaurant review, restaurant review, Thai food in Melbourne Leave a comment“In southern Thailand, where the land between the Gulf of Siam and the Andaman Sea is at its narrowest, lies the Isthmus of Kra.”
Last Sunday was a super well-spent day by having awesome foods with great companies. Me and 3 of my friends had dinner at Isthmus of Kra, a Thai restaurant situated on Parkstreet in South Melbourne. We were as hungry as a bear at 07 p.m. on Sunday evening and it had made us ordered 5 entrees, 4 mains, 2 companion dishes and 3 desserts. We are not kidding when we say we’re hungry right?! 🙂
As a brother of Shakahari and Shakahari Too vegetarian restaurants, Isthmus of Kra gives similar ambient with Shakahari Too as I haven’t been to Shakahari. From the dim lighting, meditational music, aromatic incense to viscous Asian’s ornaments including the iconic “kra” statue near to the entrance’s door of Isthmus of Kra. The name of the dishes are intriguing and appealing that you’ll find out really soon in my review. Let’s start the 14 courses Thai degustation!
Monsoon Oysters
The half dozen oysters came on a an artistic terracotta plate and each oyster placed inside the 6 holes on the plate. The oysters bathed in refreshing lime and lemongrass red sauce and topped with herbs. I usually prefer my oyster raw but having it slightly grilled was nice too.
AU$ 17.50
Barbeque Quail Secret
This was my favorite entree which is grilled jumbo-sized quail on top of kimchi/pickles and herbs sauce. The taste was not deceived by its beautiful presentation as it’s just stand out on its own. I love the well marinated and tender quail combined with the sauce made of garlic, chilli and corriander.
AU$ 17.50
Isaan Beef Tenderloin
From the look, I was worried that the tenderloin would be tough since it looked dry but my logic quickly told me that would not be happened in such a restaurant of Beh Kim Un’s. Of course the thick slices of the beef were succulent and really flavorful. It’s kind of heavy but the freshness of cucumber, onion, tomato and the dressing balance the flavor.
AU$ 21.50
Roast Duck Nonya Style
This duck salad won the diners’ choice that night for entree category. Yesss, we all agreed that the duck salad was exceptional! Slices of roast duck breast combined with cucumber, green mango, carrot, mints in plum sauce.
AU$ 23.50
Tom Yum
Our 5th entree didn’t get the chance to be in frame as we vivaciously finished our bowls. 🙂 The Tom Yum soup came with chicken, seafood and mushroom with a really strong combination of salty-sweet and subtle sourness soup base. It is quite strong even can be said too strong for me. AU$ 12.50
Red, Red Roast Duck Curry
Red duck curry was the star for me and it’s just effortlessly being my favorite dish of the night. Dominated by star anise, the thick red curry was very rich in flavor with generous fillings of vegetables and fruits such as pineaple, melon,broccoli, eggplant, capsicum and of course big slices of skinned-on roast duck. I need to highlight the duck skin since it escalated the whole dish for me!
AU$ 29.50
Lamb Gulai
Gulai came in yellow curry of lamb and chunky potatoes sprinkled with fried shallot. The yellow color resulted from turmeric cooked in coconut stock was very filling and I expected it to have stronger kick in flavor. The lamb chunks were succulent, some falling apart and some not and I loved the whole pieces more. This one was my friend’s favorite dish of the night.
AU$ 27.50
Seafood Trilogy
The three peeps including myself were craving for seafood and decided to go for this dish! There were large prawns, fish fillet and scallops in lemongrass prawn sauce. The seafood was cooked perfectly especially the prawn was superb good but I wasn’t really in love the tangy sauce. Actually the prawn stock sauce was fresh especially with the cut of herbs and veggies but I found it a little bit too bland for my liking.
AU$ 32.50
Roti bread
Crispy sweet and savory roti bread served with satay sauce.
AU$ 4.00
Mango Pudding
Caramelised diced mangoes arranged on top of black rice pudding and sprinkled with toasted shredded coconut. The shredded coconut gave an inviting yummy aroma. The texture and flavor of this three components complemented one another, crisp and savory coconut, juicy and sweet mango, lastly the smooth and sweet black rice pudding.
AU$ 13.50
Pandan Bavarois
A unique French style dessert of bavarois in pandan flavor that’s more Asian. The very light texture and not too sweet dessert was my favorite, a perfect outro for the dinner.
AU$ 12.50
In term of service, I couldn’t ask for a better one like, really. I say this based on the caring and thoughtful service from the staffs. They changed the plates and cutleries from entree to main, cleaned up the table before dessert and our glasses were always filled.
Isthmus of Kra was an exceptional and not ordinary Thai dining experience for me. Having dishes made of fresh ingredients and beautifully crafted presentation made me happy and truly satisfied. My geek bf is dying to eat here but we didn’t have the chance to go during his 2 previous visits to Melbourne last December and May. He was a little bit upset when I sent him the pictures and probably reading this post will make him even sadder. Oh boy! That’s why you should visit me (again) 🙂
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Izakaya Chuji
Posted: September 15, 2013 Filed under: Asian Food, Japanese, Melbourne | Tags: food blog, food blogger, food review, izakaya chuji, izakaya chuji bento, izakaya chuji melbourne, melbourne, Melbourne restaurant review, restaurant review 4 CommentsI would say it’s hard to resist the temptation for the goodness of Japanese food especially when you are in hunger. Me and my friend, L, were craving for Japanese food and we kinda starving that day. Walking down through Lonsdale street in Melbourne CBD, saw the bento lunch deal on Izakaya Chuji’s entrance and then decided to try the “make your own bento box”. Giving another shot to Izakaya Chuji this week after a not-so-good sushi dinner experience last year. I keep in mind how expensive I had to pay such small portions in mediocre quality foods. But this time I had a much better dining experience 🙂 
I remember how crowded this restaurant was on my first visit but surprisingly not too many people dined in even though it was lunch time. The waitress quickly came bringing the menu and explained how the “make your own bento box” works. So we can choose one main dish from part A, one side dish from part B and one vegetable dish from part C and they will come with free rice and miso soup. I got myself Soft shell crab, prawn gyoza and horenso (chilled spinach) while L chose salmon teriyaki, prawn gyoza and wakame (seaweed) salad.
The star of my bento should have been the soft-shell crab but poor him the prawn gyoza was more tantalizing! Crunchy gyoza skin was really crisp and fresh with fluffy and tasty minced prawn. They were even better when eaten with Japanese mayonnaise (It’s Kewpie, I reckon). The Japanese mayonnaise is very creamy and thick in texture, savory with subtle sweetness in flavor.
The soft-shell crab itself was a little bit too flat for me, texture also kind of soggy in some parts but again, Kewpie escalated my crab. Horenso was good, not to say it’s great but the rice and miso soup were tasty. In terms of the portion, this bento comes pretty small except the 3 pieces of gyoza. But hey, it’s 14,00 bucks anyway! 🙂
L’s salmon teriyaki was cooked nicely with the teriyaki sauce but she also loved her prawn gyoza more than the star dish.
The ambient and service were also good compared to what I experienced last time. I’m not sure if the hustle in the restaurant will affect other aspects down or what.
Ah well.. I love the idea of creating the bento based on our personal likings of the dishes. And I would be willing to give the bento another shot and try to make a different bento combination box next time!
*The lunch deal is over at 3 p.m. in the afternoon so make sure to drop by earlier if you want to eat without rushing since the restaurant will close for several hours before dinner time.
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Wonderbao
Posted: September 9, 2013 Filed under: Asian Food, Melbourne | Tags: food blog, food blogger, food review, melbourne, Melbourne restaurant review, wonderbao, wonderbao melbourne 1 CommentOne afternoon in Melbourne Spring, wait! Is it even Spring already?!?! Fortunately yes, here we are in the best Melbourne’s weather of the year! I love Spring the most among three other seasons and I believe many of you are on the same side 🙂 I dropped a visit to Wonderbao last week to grab a quick lunch and to meet my curiosity of one of the most popular eatery on Urbanspoon.
Lunch for two resized to be a lunch for one since my friend couldn’t come to meet me up. I was subtly screwed by the heavy wind and my not-so-warm outfit. Hahaha. Wonderbao is located on A’Beckett street in Melbourne CBD. The location is inside a building and I had no idea about this before so I walked round and round looking for this hideous Bao shop.
I went for Braised Pork Belly Gua Bao, Nai Wong Bao (egg custard) and Homemade hot soya milk. I was slightly tempted to order another pork belly bao but I knew I wouldn’t finish them properly.
The order came as quick as 30 secs and tadaaa all of my orders sat nicely in front of me. The homemade hot soya milk is kind of comforter for me with the right sweetness. It reminds me of old good times at home when my mom used to make ones for the family. Really good company in such a chilly day!
Braised pork belly gua bao is to die for! The bao is heavenly fluffy and moist, big chunk of sweet sauced braised pork belly, pickled mustard (I know it as salted cabbage in my country), cilantro and crushed nuts. The dominantly sweet pork belly is well seasoned, very tender and juicy, then combined with crisp pickled mustard (sour-salty), crunchy peanuts and all of them made a great texture combination in one bite! Later on, I just realized they provide Sriracha and almost everything tastes better with Sriracha right?
The Nai Wong Bao is just ok for me. The bao is as good as the one for pork belly but the egg custard is not something special. Yes it’s fluffy, lightly sweet and smooth but I wasn’t WOW-ed by the whole package of the bao.
I spent AU$ 9.20 for my lunch and satisfied with my spending in Wonderbao. This hideous bao shop is a nice escape in busy buzzing Melbourne city where you can get fast and affordable hot foods.
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Matcha Crusted Tuna
Posted: August 21, 2013 Filed under: Asian Food, Japanese, Melbourne | Tags: crusted tuna, crusted tuna recipe, food blogger, japanese food, matcha crusted tuna recipe, recipe, tuna steak 3 CommentsIt’s been a while since my last recipe blog post! Today I am so excited to share this recipe because this is a creation combining my favorite ingredients, tuna and matcha. I am so attracted with tea cooking lately and I found it really interesting and….mind blowing? Eheee, wait! I do have an explanation for the using of mind blowing term here. It’s just I never had a thought before about tea cooking besides using green tea/matcha powder for making sweets or beverage blends but then I realized tea is highly versatile!
We could find so many recipe creation using matcha and I would say that 90% of them are sweet recipes such as blends, smoothies, or desserts. I love matcha dessert, of course. Well, it started when I had an urge of having crusted tuna about several days back. Then I got the idea to add matcha into my crust mix and see what would happen. I didn’t have any idea how it’d turn out in the end, I sincerely say twas yummo!
Ingredients :
- 250 gr Tuna steak fillet
- ½ tsp matcha powder, I used the one I got from Kenko Tea
- 1/4 tsp salt (adjust with your liking if you want stronger or less salty flavor)
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1½ tbs sesame seed (add more if you love it)
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- Lemon
I warn you, this dish is hawttt! But just in case you couldn’t manage the spiciness, just ignore the chili powder. Shooo.
Method :
- Mix Kenko Tea matcha, salt, pepper, sesame seed and chili powder so you will have matcha seasoning
- Marinate the tuna fillet evenly for both sides
- Preheat the pan until medium hot and drizzle a little amount of vegetable oil all over the pan
- Sear each side of the tuna for approximately 1-1,5 minute (or more if you like the tuna well done)
- Cut thinly and serve with lemon wedges
I finished my tuna in a flash! This is perfect for appetizer or even main to be eaten with rice. Matcha has delicate and subtle flavor so the other seasoning will be overpowering the matcha itself. But I don’t think it is a big deal since I got the unique and nice color and not to mention the nutrition as well.
If you take a look to all recipes available on my blog, they have a strong similarity. They must be easy, simple and quick! That is how a(n) amateur cook food blogger who love eating and messing up in the kitchen deal with cooking. Happy cooking and much of love! Have a great great great Wednesday!
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Minty Strawberry and Lemon Ice Tea
Posted: August 18, 2013 Filed under: Melbourne, Sweet Treat, Tea | Tags: food blogger, ice tea, minty strawberry tea drop, recipe, strawberry mint and lemon ice tea, Strawberry tea, tea blogger, tea drop ice tea Leave a commentSunny day in winter is like finding an oasis in the middle of desert. Okay, this is too much, but I loveeee sunny day and warm weather so much! Believe it or not, I am easily affected by the weather. Cloudy or rainy weather makes my mood goes down but warm-sunny day magically boosts my mood up effortlessly. For the joy of this sunny Sunday, I’d love to share my quick healthy tea-based ice drink.
As a treat for this yummy day, I made myself a glass of ice tea combining some of my all time favorite fruits, strawberry and lemon. I used minty strawberry tea from Tea Drop as the base. Minty Strawberry is actually a tea pouch for 1 L pitcher so it’s good as you can store the leftover tea until the next day.
To make a jug of iced tea, brew the tea bag/pouch with hot water for around 5 minutes then add cold water and let it cool down. The best thing is to refrigerate the tea infusion once it’s cooled down but it takes you quite some time. There is a shortcut ,of course by adding ice cubes into your jug if you are going to finish a jug. OR just add ice cubes into your glass so you won’t lose any flavor.
I poured the tea infusion into my glass, added 3-4 ice cubes and to make it even more luscious, I put sliced fresh strawberries and lemon inside. I don’t like having sweet tea as I never use any sweetener while drinking tea but sweet ice tea is an exception! So I drizzled some honey as well and got a glass of slurrrppy ice tea.
Strawberry and lemon never go wrong and mint gives extra freshness. All went well and complement each other. It’s super easy, quick and refreshing! You can make a fancy yet healthy ice drink on your own in no time.
You can “play” as much as you want to make an interesting ice tea, just let your creativity takes part! You can use any fruit tea or flower tea and mix them with your favorite fruits. For this specific recipe, you can use any strawberry flavored tea and add fresh mint instead. Voila!
Just a quick tips, avoid drinking bottled or instant tea as much as you can. The amount of real tea inside those drinks is super limited so there are more chemical and sweetener inside. Drinking it occasionally is fine but I know some people around me consume bottled beverages like everyday and prefer drink it rather than any healthier choice such as water, real tea or real coffee. I am not saying I am super healthy. a clean eater or whatever but we can start small for a healthier lifestyle. Happy Sunday 🙂
foodandteatraveller 