My Inner Foodie

Babi Guling (from holihelp @ tripadvisor.com)

I like food. I don't try to hide that. But these past few days, I haven't been thinking (or eating) food. I'm still suffering from jet lag, so my appetite is non existent. That, plus my recent trip to Harvey Nichols. Harvey makes me want to be smaller and richer. It's quite pathetic really. I must admit that it sucks that I love food and clothes. Those two things are best kept at moderation, otherwise I will be crying if I do not get enough of the other.

I decided to plug my usb drive to my computer. What I found were many Word documents that I had forgotten about since arriving home. One of them happened to be a record of where I went to eat and what I ate. I have such amazing memory, I know.

When I went to Singapore, Indonesia, and Bali, there were so many restaurants that I wanted to go to. There are so many places I went to and to be honest, the French restaurants in Indonesia are just as amazing as the local food. Some of my favorites:

Riva, located at The Park Lane in Jakarta, Indonesia
Website: http://www.parklanejakarta.com/ under Dining
Riva is a French restaurant with a "twist". I do not really know about the "twist" since I have not been to France yet (I'm going there eventually) but the food is lovely. Every month, they feature different dishes from different regions. I was there in the beginning of July and had Wagyu beef (Steak au Poivre) while a relative of mine had Dorade, a fish from the Mediterranean. The texture of the fish felt like butter! I am not kidding. It was light and buttery and omigosh-so wonderful. Fortunately, since this is Indonesia and not France, the prices are better. I think I am going to go to France when the Euro is lower than the Dollar.

Babi Guling Bu Oka, located in Ubud, Indonesia
Website: http://thinqbali.com/blogi/babi-guling-bu-oka/
You want a real Balinese experience? This restaurant is known for its pork dishes. I had a rice plate with crispy pork skin, blood sausages, and this sweet and rather crunchy red pig. This place is busy, and definitely be flexible! The sitting arrangements may be uncomfortable and you may have to sit on the floor to eat. However, I really enjoyed the community style. There are rows of tables lined up and you may not know who you are sitting next to. I sat next to a family from Sweden and their translator. It was quite amusing to see the translator teach the family how to eat with their hands. Bu Oka is a great experience!

Block M, located in Jakarta, Indonesia
Website: http://jakartablokm.com/
This place is actually a district filled with night clubs and restaurants. I did not go inside any of the discotheques but I did go to this nice Japanese restaurant. I am quite sad I forgot the name of this lovely place, but really, any Japanese restaurant located at Block M is good. That area is supposedly catered to Japanese businessmen. I had sashimi moriawase as well as a seaweed salad. All the fish is fresh and the service is great and friendly.

Cassis, located in Jakarta, Indonesia
Website: http://cassis-gourmand.com/home.php
Cassis is a French restaurant. Unlike Riva, you should have a great and large (very large) appetite to fully enjoy everything. It's similar to the saying "too much of a good thing." I love red meats. Which is why I should have chosen a lighter appetizer. But every time I read the menu and something new and delicious sounding comes up, I have to have it. So I had this very large salad- could I even call it a salad? It was a mixture of fresh greens with grilled eggplant and sundried tomatoes and thinly sliced raw meats (carpaccio). On top of that was this citrusy balsamic vinagarette and a sprinkling of proscuitto. Yum. Everything is really delicious there. Just ask the wonderful staff there to help you pick out what to eat. Otherwise you might end up like me, full by the end of the appetizer to only realize I still have a main dish of beef fillet with pan seared foie gras. And a chocolate souffle, courtesy of the staff. They do want to indulge me.

I will post more when I feel like it. :)