Food and Traveling adventures

El Pollo Rey

2010-11-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

1101 Kansas Ave
Kansas City, KS 66105
(913) 371-4243

If you are wondering where to look for the best grilled chicken in Kansas City, El Pollo Rey is the place you are looking for.
This place is small, run by only two people (when I went there). They spoke little English, actually only one person (the cashier) who understood what I wanted. :)
I saw only few tables were set since the place is very small and right in the corner of S. 11th Street and Kansas Ave. It's right in front of Firestone Autocare. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the restaurant, so the one on the right is taken from "Neal1960", who put the picture on his flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neal1960/3543438471/).

No menu is necessary, because all they sell in there is grilled chicken. You either want it half or whole chicken. Half chicken costs $6.50 and whole is $12. They also do chicken wings with, I believe, their own creation of buffalo sauce. They accept CASH only. ;)

I did not order the chicken wings, so I won't comment on that.
However, the grilled chicken is absolutely delicious. It came with a small cup of Mexican rice, bean soup, salsa, tortillas, and sliced pickled red onion.
They know how to grill a perfect chicken, let's leave it at that.
It was smoky, tasty, and wonderful!

It actually reminded me of home. No, I wasn't born in South America. But, somehow the taste of the chicken was similar to the ones we have in South East Asia.
The tortillas that came with the chicken were different than what I would have gotten from chained restaurants. I may not be 100% in this, but I think they made their own tortillas or may be got them from an authentic Mexican supplier. It was freshly made!

Anyway, the Mexican rice was salty to my taste (because I only ate it like that). Until I put some chicken on the tortilla with the rice, red onion, and salsa. Absolutely delicious!!
I am not a big fan of pickled onion, so I did not eat a lot of them.
The bean soup was wonderful, as well. It had bacon in it and that made it different, I think. I could see the whole pinto beans, but they were very tender and tasty.

I loved just to eat the chicken and dip it in salsa. It's very addictive!
I could taste the sourness in the salsa, as well as the sweetness and not too overbearing spiciness. All in all, El Pollo Rey is now my number one favorite chicken place. You just can't get enough of them!

Pho KC Restaurant

2010-04-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

315 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 471-2224

Oh for the love of Pho! If you are looking for the best Pho in Kansas City, you have to go to Pho KC. Who would have thought that a small place lurking right there in the corner of 4th Street and Cherry Street served the best Pho in KC?

I first learned about Pho KC from my husband's hairstylist who was from Vietnam. I trusted her completely. A Vietnamese recommended authentic Vietnamese food? Hey, that's must be the real deal!

OK, let's talk Pho. I ordered a small bowl of Pho dac biet, the combination. It had eye of round, beef tripe, meatball, and some tendons. Their price was affordable. For a big bowl of Pho, combination or not, was only $6.39 plus tax. It's a huge bowl, complete with the fresh cilantro leaves and all the trimmings.
Their broth was simply "broth-taking"! Delicious! The broth was clear and you can really taste the beef flavor. I didn't have to add any hoisin sauce or any other additional sauce to enhance it. It tasted perfect to me. The noodle was thin, just the way I like it.

Other than that, I also had their appetizers, the Banh Tom Chien ( sweet potato shrimp fritter) and Fried quails.

Banh Tom Chien was alright. Their sweet potatoes were sweet, but I didn't think it was too special compared to any other Vietnamese restaurant out there. Price-wise, it was still cheaper than any other restaurants, though.
I do like their Fried Quails. The way they cooked them was interesting, I thought. I've had fried quails in Indonesia before. Of course it's totally different. The ones in Indonesia were way smaller than the ones in here (maybe because everything in Indonesia seemed smaller than here?). Anyway, the quails were very tasty. It had sweetness to it and very tender, too.

My husband ate their grilled pork with all the goodness. :)
That, too, was tasty. Although I still thought the Pho was their main star.

So, still looking for the best Pho in KC? Stop looking! Pho KC is the answer. Trust me! :)

One Bite Japanese Grill bites!

2010-04-23T14:26:00.001-07:00

I just got bitten by One Bite Japanese Grill. Ouch!

Lunch went wrong when the co-owner of One Bite Japanese Grill suddenly decided to make a suggestion about how to handle children.
Instead of handling the okonomiyaki in the grill, she decided to interfere with parenting.

My two girlfriends and I were trying to get the kids settled down when the co-owner came (I was still standing). She said, "If I may make a suggestion, can you try to calm your kids when they cry so they don't bother the other customers. Because last week your kid was crying and there were customers complained they couldn't eat and hear their own voices."
I was there last week and my girlfriends were not. It was my son who cried and had a temper for less than 10 minutes.

However, as a co-owner of a restaurant, telling that to a customer was inappropriate. No apologies. No smiles. She even said that since there were no customers at that moment, it would be better to tell us in advance so we won't be embarrassed later. She also added that we should control our children, etc...etc..
My girlfriends started to protest and I was getting very angry. She pulled away my chair and told us whether we wanted to stay or leave was up to us. However, pulling away my chair was a sign that she did not want us to be there.

This place clearly does not welcome children. The claimed of child friendly restaurant is a FAKE.
They only have 1 highchair and 2 booster seats since 2007.

As a foodie, I was very disappointed at their treatment to their customers even before I began ordering the food. As a restaurateur, she should know better than to reject paying customers.
As a mother, I was very angry that she tried to tell me how to be a parent.

How sad that she doomed this restaurant.

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

2010-02-22T20:56:00.002-08:00

After watching Julie and Julia movie, I was inspired to try Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. That recipe somehow stuck in my mind and I just had to try it myself.
So my husband got that particular recipe online and I was ready for battle in the kitchen with the infamous Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.
I read and reread the recipe many times before getting on it. I followed the recipe to the 'T'.

There were many steps to the recipe, but the result was rewarding. It was the most delicious stew I have ever put in my mouth. The beef was fork-tender. The gravy was flavorful and unbeliavably tasty. I served it with roasted potatoes and it was perfect! So here's the recipe taken directly from Julia Child's recipe cookbook. I took NO credit whatsoever from this. It was all Julia's. Bon Appetit!
Note: I used Beef chuck roast for the beef, with beautiful marbling for tenderness.

What you need:
9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
Slotted spoon

Ingredients:
6 oz chunk of bacon
1 Tb olive oil
3 lbs beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tb flour
3 cups red wine (Burgundy or Chianti)
2-3 cups brown beef stock
1 Tb tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
A crumbled bay leaf

18-24 pearl onion, brown braised in stock *
1 lb quartered fresh mushroom sauteed in butter **

Directions:

Simmer bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.
Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.
When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

*Oignons Glaces A Bruns (Brown-braised Onions)
Ingredients:
18-24 peeled pearl onions (small white onions)
1 1/2 Tb butter
1 1/2 Tb oil

1/2 cup of brown stock
salt and pepper to taste
A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 1/4 tsp thyme tied in cheesecloth

Directions:
When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and saute over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

Pour in the liquid, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet.

**Champignons Sautes Au Beurre (Sauteed Mushroom)
Ingredients:
4 Tb butter
2 Tb oil
1 lb fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large

Directions:
Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During the saute the mushroom will first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes, the fat will reappear on the surface, and the mushroom will began to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.

Note: Do not crowd the pan when you saute the mushroom. The mushroom must be dry and the butter must be very hot. Saute in several batches if you are preparing a large amount.

Update coming soon

2010-01-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe a new year is already here.
Yet, my latest blog was August 2008. Too much was happening during the last few months before the new year.
I went on the cruise to the Bahamas with Disney (which was awesome!). I went to Dallas again.
So the upcoming blogs will involve my adventure with Disney cruise and what I ate on board.
Plus I will also blog about the taste of Dallas, what I ate during my stay there.
I love Dallas. As I once said to my friend, Dallas had me at 'Hello'. :)

Stay tune, folks. I am currently writing my stories aboard Disney cruise, which I will post as soon as I finished.

Recipe: Fried Rice Omelette

2009-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the American breakfast, Omelette, I wanted to make a Fried Rice Omelette. I think the Japanese have their version of Fried Rice Omelette (Omurice a.k.a. Omuraisu). Anyway I made my version of Fried Rice Omelette using the ingredients I have in my refrigerator. I am proud to say that this is one of my original recipes. :)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced cooked chicken breast/thigh
1/4 cup diced cooked ham
1/4 cup sliced Chinese BBQ pork (char siu)
2 plates cooked steamed rice (let cool)
1 shallot, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T ABC Manis Pedas (sweet and spicy sauce)
2-3 T ketchup
3-4 T sweet soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
sugar as needed
Royco or dry Chicken Bouillon as needed

1/8 cup Fried shallots

2 eggs, beaten well with a little bit of water and salt & pepper.

Directions:
1. Stir fry shallot and garlic until fragrant in medium high heat. Add the chicken and other meat, stir fry until well blended.
2. Add the rice and other seasonings, except the Fried shallots.
3. When everything is cooked and taste good, add the shallot, turn off the heat.
4. Make an omelette. Place the omelette on a plate, put the rice inside half the omelette and fold the other half. Garnish with more shallot, ketchup, or mayonnaise.

Note: I didn't have enough time in decorating the plate, so it was very plain. But the taste was very good. Just ask my husband. :)

Buffalo Wild Wings

2009-08-24T16:54:00.001-07:00

Who would have thought buffalo have wings? :)

I fell in love with buffalo wings when I was in college. It was Mojo's wings from Lawrence, KS who captured my heart at first taste. Too bad they went out of business for a while now. Their "Red Code" (the hottest wings on their menu) was divine. But, I am not talking about Mojo's now. I'm talking about Buffalo Wild Wings.

I normally avoid reviewing chain restaurants, but since I love wings so much and theirs have a lot of varieties of sauces, heck, I wanted to talk about them.
My favorite sauces are Mango Habanero and Asian Zing.

Mango Habanero is more like sweet and spicy sauce. It has the sweetness of tropical mango and a whole lot of spiciness of chili pepper. Asian Zing is a lot milder that that and has ginger in it that made it Asian.
And yes, I have tried their Blazin' sauce. I tried it with their drumstick the first time (because of their drumstick special day). It was a HUGE mistake.
Never try Buffalo Wild Wings sauce on a drumstick. They called it 'wings sauce' for a reason.

For a daredevil and stomach hater, Blazin' is actually the perfect sauce for you. No, I'm just kidding here. :)
Blazin' is a really hot and tangy sauce. I really want to re-try eating it one day and have my picture on their wall for taking the Blazin' challenge. :)

For the appetizer section, I liked their Fried garlic Mushroom. The batter is garlicky and somewhat tasty. It goes perfectly well with the cool Ranch dipping sauce.
By the way, Do not order their Desert Heat! They did not taste good. Seriously, they shouldn't even put that on their menu. It's a good thing they only had it for a limited time only.

Oh, their Primo Margarita was also truly a Primo Uno! :)
Buffalo Wild Wings is a great place to go for late snacks or to watch the game.
(I hope someone from the Buffalo Wild Wings reads my blog and compensates me for advertising their restaurant for Free or give me a coupon for a Free margarita. Now, that will really make my day! :) )

A new update (8/25/09)
Brought home three wings with Blazin' sauce today. I wouldn't take chances of having stomach-ache after eating too much wings, so I thought three were enough.
As I mentioned before, the sauce is very very hot and tangy. Not too tangy like regular buffalo wild wings, but enough kick.
The first bite was hard on my tongue. I felt it burned my mouth, my tongue and the whole throat. Then I felt it on my stomach, the burning sensation. I almost cried!
But I kept on going, finishing all three wings with head held high and eyes all watery.
Oh I forgot to mention, I ate them with rice! Yes... rice helped toned down the heat. Forget the basket of fries, forget the Ranch dressings (I ordered the Ranch, though). Rice helped, period!

Hubby asked if I would order wings with Blazin' sauce again, I said I would. But probably not anytime soon. My lips are still burning while I'm typing this. Goodness!

PS: They even put a warning label on the box. Awesome!

Gaslight Grill

2009-08-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

5020 W 137th St
Leawood, Kansas
(913) 897-3540
http://www.gaslightgrill.com

Our restaurant choice to have our first real date without the children was at The Gaslight Grill. We've been wanting to come here for several months. After a bit of disappointment with The Plaza 3 (former occupant), we were a bit of worried about the newcomer.

The place wasn't changed much. Apparently the new owner did not change the style, leaving the high ceiling and open space intact. He added a new Jazz room in the back room, though.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly and immediately seated. It was Thursday night, a Jazz night. Since it was our first date, we wanted to be seated farther away from the Jazz room. It was surprisingly quiet, not many people were there. We were a little bit apprehensive. A server came with a basket of bread and two types of spread.

I was reading the drink menu and decided to try the Pomotini (pomegranate martini) since it's also $5 martini night, but no one came to take my order after sometimes. So I looked at the dinner menu and decided to try on the Smoked Scottish Salmon as our starters and 14 oz Maytag crusted Ribeye for my dinner. My husband chose 8 oz Fillet Mignon for his dinner.

After we munched our last bread, someone finally came and apologized for not coming in sooner. We were in a very good mood (for it was our first real date), so we let it go with a smile. :)
I got my Pomotini, but I honestly did not like the taste of it. The good waiter offered something different, a Fruitini, made of Champagne and Chambord (black Raspberry liquor). It tasted sweet and left a bitter after-taste. I couldn't get a Cosmopolitan, but this will do.

The smoked Scottish Salmon looked like a rose on a plate. It was beautiful! There was minted Crushed Red Potatoes on the bottom of the rose, Crème Fraiche and Black Caviar on top of the rose, and mint-basil sauce all around the plate. I wished they did not combine the red potatoes with the salmon because it tasted like a cold mashed potatoes and did not go well with smoked salmon at all. A simple crostini would have been perfect.
I ended up eating the salmon with the toasted sourdough from the bread basket. The Crème Fraiche and Black Caviar were great additions to the smoked salmon. Great starter!

My Maytag crusted Ribeye came out and it was yummy-licious! The steak was cooked according to my request. It was smokey and tasty. The Maytag bleu cheese was a little bit overpowering the meat, I thought. But it gave a distinct flavor to the meat. It would still be great without it, though. The bacon and chive mashed potatoes looked simple, but tasted very good. I substituted the green beans with grilled asparagus and I couldn't be happier with my choice. It went along perfectly with the steak and mashed potatoes. The grilled tomatoes were fresh addition to the hot meal.

My husband's 8 oz Fillet Mignon was a better choice than my 14 oz Ribeye. Not only the meat was a better cut, it was more tender and tastier than the Ribeye. His side dishes were similar to mine, with a slight difference in the regular mashed potatoes compared to my bacon and chive mashed potatoes.
Overall experience was great. The food was outstanding and the service was great.

While we were enjoying our dinner, the owner came and greeted all the patrons. He was warm and a very nice guy. The manager came to our table at one time and deeply apologized for the mixed-up (the long wait at the beginning) and gave us a Free appetizer and Free drinks.

Thank you Gaslight Grill for giving us a great time for our first real night out.
What a great night! :)

Torreon Mexican Restaurant

2009-08-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

9129 Elmhurst Dr
Shawnee Mission, KS 66212-3896
(913) 648-9582
http://www.torreoncantina.com

After reading a review of a fellow foodie about this place, I decided to go there myself and gave it a try. The restaurant was featured on the August 2007 Table Hopping for Tastebud Magazine. It claimed to be the home of original fish bowl margarita (that's my hot button right there!).

So I invited a good friend of mine to join me in this little adventure to their famous gorditas and a sip of margarita (well, that one was actually just for me).

The place was small and somewhat nice, tucked nicely behind a gas station, which blocked the noise from the 87th street. They have a really nice outdoor patio, decorated with beautiful flowers all around the patio, creating what I would call an oasis for the tired workers after a long hours at work.
There were not many tables at Torreon, and the space between each table was very narrow. No wonder, people prefer the outdoor tables.

After we were seated, I immediately ordered their original fishbowl margarita. Gorditas were what I after for dinner. Thus, I chose two beef gorditas and one chicken with Mexican angel hair pasta and refried bean.

I honestly was shocked to see the color of the margarita. I have not seen a margarita that green before. It was so green, that I thought they put some kind of green coloring on it. Seriously!
With high expectation, my first sip actually disappointed me. It was not as good as I thought it would be. I've had my share of good margaritas before and this one was way below my expectation.
Original margarita is supposed to be sour (from the lime or lemon), sweet (from the triple-sec), and have a little kick of liquor (from the tequila). With Torreon's, I felt like they put water on it, diluting all those flavors.

Alright, moving on to the gorditas. I've never had gorditas before, but as far as I know it was basically a puff fried tortilla (seen on Food TV Network, if not then blame them!).
My good friend had a very good gorditas in New Mexico and she was very excited when I told her Torreon has gorditas.
Gorditas are made of 3 masa biscuits, stuffed with choice of meats, beans, onion, lettuce, cheese, salsa and Pico de Gallo. They came with sides, such as refried beans, salad, and Mexican angel hair pasta (I tossed out the regular Mexican rice for this).

I thought they looked like a burger. :)
Although the masa biscuit was not fluffy or even puffy, I thought the whole thing was good. The beef was definitely a better choice than the bland chicken. I loved the angel hair pasta. Whoever thought about making a Mexican angel hair pasta was a genius! It was so delicious, it should have its own menu! Muy Bueno!
It had a kick of spiciness to it and sweetness of tomatoes. Believe me, it was worth a try!

My husband chose Caballero, which consisted of two Enchiladas (Cheese and Onion), two Tacos and one Nacho. The cheese and onion Enchilada was good, but that's all there is to it, just cheese and onion.

Oh, I was very and deeply (notice how depressed I was here) disappointed at their chips and salsa. Their chips was tasteless and the salsa was bland. I thought they were out of salt.
Gosh! The first bowl of chips and salsa was free, then they'll start charging for the next one after that. Oh come on! I got better chips and salsa at On the Borders for FREE.

Overall experience was not good. I expected this place to be a true and good Mexican restaurant with outstanding Mexican food, way above the chain Mexican restaurants out there. However, as much as I wanted to support local businesses, I probably won't come back here. Or maybe I'll give it another try, if they upgrade the cooks (or just to buy the angel hair pasta).

Cantinas

2009-08-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

There are many places that sell home-cooked meal recently (not restaurants or street vendors). Some owners open parts of their house for people to come and eat. The food is always homemade and the menu is different every day.

I chose two places for comparison, one was Pondok Makan Citra Sari and the other was Rumah Makan Prima Sari.

First, let me talk about Citra Sari. Located at Jl. Brumbungan no 5, this one is a house.
The place was small, but clean. The seating area was located right outside their front door patio.
The food was a la carte, so I chose whatever looked good. :)
My choices fell to a regular steamed rice with tumis tempe, ikan panggang, empal opor, and kuah telor balado. Then, es kopyor was my choice of drink.

Well, let me tell you about the tumis tempe (stir-fried tempeh). I always liked tempeh better than tofu, its closest cousin. So everytime I see a tempeh dish somewhere, I always wanted to try it. This one was delicious. The spiciness was OK, but the taste was good.

The grilled fish (ikan panggang), however, was too overcooked. I did not know what kind of fish it was. The fish was very tough and I could tell that it was not fresh. Yuck!

I particularly liked the empal opor, beef cooked in coconut milk. The meat was tender and the seasoning was very good. I wished they added more things into it, such as tofu or potatoes.
The kuah telor balado was a good addition, not a necessary for me, but I just wanted to try the taste of it.

The most wonderful thing I put in my mouth that day was the es kopyor. Double wow! Kopyor is a term to say about an abnormality in coconut. It was served cold and usually with sweet cocopandan syrup. It was very refreshing and the balance between the coldness from the ice and the sweetness from the syrup was perfect. Nothing beats hot weather unless it's es kopyor. Yum!

-----------------

The second place I wanted to talk about was Rumah Makan Prima Sari, located at Jl. Wotgantul Barat no 3.
The owner, a relative of my husband, rented a place close to the old Chinatown in Semarang. The place was not big, but it was clean and breezy. They open very early to serve the early risers and close whenever the food is gone or by 6 pm. It was very quiet when I came there, no one else was there. The owner told me that most of their customers ordered the food for to-go.

Anyway, since I always love traditional Indonesian food, I opted for things I knew such as ayam panggang pedas, tumis tempe, tumis buncis, and a little bit of sambal goreng ati sauce (which was OK).

The ayam panggang pedas (grilled spicy chicken) was their specialty. I liked their grilled chicken, but I wished they kept it warmer. Most of the food there was at room temperature, so I was a little bit disappointed at that.
The chicken was tender and the seasoning was right. It was very good.

The tumis tempe was much better than the one at Citra Sari. I could taste the spiciness and the aroma of pepper in it. This was how tumis tempe should be done. I really liked it!
The only turnoff about the dishes I chose was tumis buncis (stir fry green beans). I had absolutely no idea how this supposed to taste. It was tender, but they should have put more seasoning on it.

Another thing I should have told them was how sweet their ice sweet tea was. No, it should be how unbelievably too sweet their ice sweet tea. It was so sweet that even my daughter did not want to go for another sip. I had to pour water to it to tune down the sweetness, but I knew that I would need a lot more than just a bottle. So I gave up and just drank the water bottle.

Istana Wedang

2009-08-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jl. Kampung Kali (cabang Jl. Pemuda 21)
Semarang

Istana means castle. Wedang means drink (it can be hot or cold). Thus, once I heard about Istana Wedang, I immediately thought of a place which sells various drinks. Make sense, right?

However, this place sells mostly everything, from drinks to main dishes. The place was small compared to other restaurant, but the room setting was similar to a cafe.
We immediately ordered various kinds of food from the menu. They did not have a lot of choice for the food, but enough to satisfy one's hunger. The drinks (both cold and hot) were, obviously, more that the food choices.

1. Es Cencu...?? (I totally forgot the weird name)
This drink was basically milk tea with jelly balls or bubble tea. I thought they had some kind of grass jelly in it. It was OK, not too sweet either for a supposed refreshing drink.

2. Nasi Goreng Babat (Beef tripe fried rice)
This was my husband's choice. As always, I took a little bit just to taste. :)
The fried rice was sweet because of the sweet soy sauce. The tripe was amazingly tender and no smell at all. I'm always afraid of eating tripe because of it's yucky smell. But the rice was a little bit too oily to my taste.

3. Lontong Cap Gomeh
Lontong is a condensed steamed glutinous rice, usually with banana leaves. Cap Go Meh symbolized the 15th day (last day) of Chinese New Year celebration.
This dish was created by the Chinese descendants who lived in Indonesia using local ingredients.
Since lontong did not have any distinct taste, like regular steamed rice, it usually served with other dishes, such as opor ayam (chicken cooked in coconut milk), liver and gizzard stir-fried in spicy sauce, and sayur lodeh (in this case was eggplant cooked in coconut milk).

Together they all made a very delicious meal!

4. Fried noodle
The fried noodle had chicken, meatballs, and vegetables on it. However, it was a bit spicy (too much pepper), so the children couldn't eat it. :(
Also, the noodle was undercooked.

5. Es Teler
Literally means drunken ice, this drink did not have alcohol on it. The ingredients were avocado, young coconut meat, shaved agar-agar (jelly), and kolang-kaling (Nipah palm seed or atap seed). This was a very refreshing taste with the addition of coconut milk and ice. The sweetness was perfect. :)

To conclude my review at this time.. I would rather try their wedang than eating their food.

Sunday Brunch

2009-08-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

In honor of Sunday, I would like to list several places in town, which serve the best food for breakfast/brunch.

1. Santa Fe Cafe
9946 W 87th St
Overland Park, KS 66212-4768

My favorite is "The Farmer", chicken fried steak with gravy and served with two eggs, hash browns and toast. Oh their hash brown is divine!
This place is a mom-and-pop place where the servers are friendly and know the food. It a small place for breakfast, but it's very comfortable.

2. Pine and Bamboo
http://www.pineandbamboo.com/
10915 W 63RD St
Shawnee Mission, KS 66203

Dim Sum on Sunday and then some. :)
Dim Sum (literally meaning "a bit of heart") is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea.
My daughter loves their 'cheong fun' (fun roll). She called it noodle with the sauce on top. :)

3. First Watch
Various locations

Being a chain restaurant doesn't mean a bad place to eat. Well First Watch has been our favorite place to eat brunch before we found out about a local Santa Fe Cafe. My favorite is the breakfast scrambler. Hubby prefers The Works, maybe it's a guy thing. :)

4. Bo Ling's
http://www.bolings.com/main/home.html

There are only two Bo Ling's restaurant that serve Dim Sum a la carte. The one at the Plaza and Metcalf. However if you live close to downtown area, they have Dim Sum daily on their menu.
However, go to the one at Plaza for a complete Dim Sum dishes. I guarantee you'll be satisfied.

5. Granite City
15085 119th St.
Olathe, KS 66062

Granite City has a good breakfast buffet. It's a little pricey, but once in a while it's alright to try. :)

These are the places we used to go for a Sunday brunch. Once I try different place, I'll surely update the post.

Lawrence on the go

2009-07-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Encore Cafe
1007 Massachusetts
Lawrence, KS

We've never went to Encore before. But we've heard about their bubble teas selection and their Asian fusion food, and we just had to try it.
Of course, since it was raining and the kids were tired, we bought the food to go.

I ordered chocolate milk tea with boba (bubble tea) and mango milk tea for the kids. The chocolate milk tea was bitter for my taste. Also the chocolate flavor was not strong enough. Blah!
The mango milk tea, however, was awesome! The mango flavor was strong and sweet. I had to fight with the kids just to try it. I felt like in a tropical country with that mango drink. :)

We also ordered Beef chow fun and chicken fried rice. The server said the beef chow fun is their best seller.
Well.. since I took them home, the taste was a little bit different than when served immediately after cooking. But I could still smell the smoky flavor and that intrigued me. The beef was tender and the seasonings were sweet and tasty.

The fried rice was ordinary, I guessed. The chicken was tender, but the rice was a little bit tough. The color did not look good, I thought they needed to put more soy sauce for the color. But overall the taste was good.

The place was not too big, but the atmosphere was good. The servers looked like they knew what they were doing. The variety of the menu was great as well. And, the price was not expensive. For me, that's a plus!
I would definitely come back to this place again and maybe order the lychee milk tea next time.

Lawrence: right on the Memory Lane

2009-07-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Lawrence, KS this afternoon right after harvesting corns right in the field (story about that later).
I met my husband there during my college years. Therefore, Lawrence is always going to be a very special place for us.

We went to our favorite place in downtown Lawrence (well, it used to be), The Orient at 1006 Massachusetts Lawrence, KS 66044. The owner, Nancy Nguyen, is a Vietnamese.
The food at The Orient is a blend of Vietnamese and Chinese food. It's a small place that most people sometimes forgot.
However, they have moved to the place next door and the former is a seafood place now, owned by her daughter.

We ordered our old favorites to go: Chicken Phad Thai and Pork Chop over rice.
Phad Thai at a Vietnamese restaurant? Don't be surprised. I always thought their Phad Thai was the best in Lawrence. Of course I've had a good share of delicious Phad Thai at Thai restaurant in Kansas City, but this was our memory being repeated and how much we loved this dish during our college years.
The Orient's Chicken Phad Thai was spicy, but sweet at the same time. It had shredded carrots and cabbages, then sauteed together with the Phad Thai noodle (rice noodle). The chicken were cubed and there were minced meats in there as well.
However, the peanut (as a staple ingredient in Phad Thai) was missing from the dish. I guessed they forgot about it.
No complains here, though. I still liked it a lot!

My husband always loved their Pork Chop over rice. This one was different though. They used to grill the pork chop with amazing marinate. This time I thought they pan-fried it. The seasonings were different, too. It had a spicy kick to it. My husband said it's still good, although not as good as the old one. :)

What can I do with these bananas?

2009-07-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

Banana, one of the fruits I don't really like. But, it has lots of vitamins and it's good for me. So I experimented with it in ways I can eat them with joy.
One was lumpia pisang (recipe will be posted once I made another batch) and the other one was adapted from the infamous banana foster dessert, minus the rum. (Yeah I know.. it always tastes better with rum.)

As always, adjust the recipe to your own desire.

Ingredients:
2 bananas, cut in half horizontally
Approximately 1-2 tbs butter
Sugar as needed
Condensed milk, chocolate sprinkles or grated chocolate, and cheddar cheese as needed

Directions:
1. Heat the butter on the non-stick pan until melted. Don't let the butter burn!
2. Pan fry the bananas until brown. Sprinkle the sugar and let it melts.
3. Remove the bananas onto the plate, sprinkle with chocolate, cheese and condensed milk.

Serve it as it is or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum-O!

Note: I used Indonesian Kraft cheddar cheese. It tasted totally different than American cheddar cheese. Try using white cheddar and let me know the result.

Escargot: Is it worth trying?

2009-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

I went to Whole Foods market last night and saw these beautiful escargots. What is escargot, you may ask?
Escargot is a French word for snail. If you want to know more, you may read it here.
So anyway, I was intrigued with the beautiful shell and its taste.

Anyway, my curiosity suddenly came alive and I just had to try these snails. For me and my culture, eating snails is very bizarre. But I believe these are common food and sometimes considered a delicacy (you may correct me here) for many people. It wasn't cheap, either. Each snail was $0.99 before tax. I only bought 10 of them (couldn't buy too much to satisfy my curiosity). :)

The snails I bought already had seasonings on them. They consisted of parsley, garlic, salt, and butter combined together and stuffed into each shell.
They had to be baked at 400 F for at least 10 minutes before serving. I served them with baked French baguette to soak up the juices.

I had to admit I was not fond of eating these 'creatures'. Poor little snails. Images began to form in my head, but I dismissed them immediately. :)
Using a little metal thingy for eating corn (I have no idea what it's called), I scooped the snail meat out of its shell.
First off, it actually looked like an alien on TV. Seriously! The color was dark and its shape was weird in some way (kind of round). My advice to you if you want to eat these for the first time, close your eyes!

The texture was chewy, but not like calamari chewy. It was surprisingly soft and salty. Snails did not have a distinct taste, and the parsley butter was overpowering the meat. Eating them with the French baguette was perfect. The bread absorbed both the juice and the melted butter.
Délicieux!!

Now, back to my question above: is escargot worth trying? My answer is "Yes, definitely!"
It actually looked good, but don't go hunting snails in your backyard. Poor little snails. :)

Recipe: White pasta sauce

2009-07-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

This one is my improved version of the original recipe I read on Gourmet magazine. Basically, I simplified it. This is my daughter's most favorite sauce. :)

Ingredients:
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup of heavy cream
75-100 gr baby bella mushroom or cremini mushroom, sliced
Grated parmesan cheese (or use Parmigiano-Regiano for cheesier taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat the pan in medium high heat. Add olive oil and minced garlic. Stir fry until fragrant.
2. Add the mushrooms and let them cooked until soft.
3. Add the cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Let it boils one more time.

Note: The sauce is ready to eat with your favorite pasta. Add grilled chicken or cocktail shrimp if you'd like. If you can't find baby bella, use regular white mushroom. The original recipe asks for porcini mushroom. I agree that porcini has a better taste than baby bella, but it's way more expensive. :)

Recipe: Sup Merah (Red soup)

2009-07-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

To satisfy my readers who have been asking for my original and/or improved recipes, I have decided to post some recipes in this blog.
Oh by the way, I NEVER measure, so adjust the seasonings to your own taste. :)

Ingredients:
12-oz can of Spam, cut into cube
10-ct Oscar Mayer Wieners, sliced thinly
1 bag of frozen carrots and peas
Chicken meatballs (recipe follows)
14.5-oz can of whole tomatoes, cut into bite size
1/2 cup of ketchup
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of butter (or vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
4 tablespoons of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Water as needed

To make Chicken meatballs:
Add 1 breast of chicken, 1 egg, 1-2 tablespoon of flour, 1/2 tablespoon of corn starch, a pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of salt and pepper into food processor or a blender. Make sure the consistency of the meat is not too watery. If so, add more flour. If it's too thick, add a little bit of water. The thickness should be similar to a paste.

Directions:
1. Heat the pot in medium high heat. Add the butter and flour to make roux.
2. Once the flour is incorporated with the butter and the color has turned to slightly blond, fill half the pot with water, and let it boils.
3. Add the whole tomatoes, ketchup, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and let it boils.
4. Add all the meats together. Lower the heat if necessary. Skim the bubbles off the water. If the water is not enough to cover everything, add more.
5. After the soup boils again, add the vegetables. Stir and keep skimming the impurities.
6. Spoon the chicken meatballs into the boiling soup, one teaspoon at a time. The meatball does not have to be round.
7. Let the soup boiled one more time before tasting. The taste should be a combination of sourness and sweetness. Add more ketchup or sugar if needed.

Carrefour: a culinary adventure in itself?

2009-07-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to write about Carrefour, a French hypermarket chain. Semarang has one and it's located right on the second floor of DP Mal at Jl. Pemuda.

I went to Carrefour for the first time last year and was amazed at the arrays of food they sold there. My eyes were popped open and surprised to see the variety of food ranging from traditional kueh (usually steamed cakes, sold in traditional markets) to day-to-day food to upscale bakeries. You can get everything in one place and it's very fascinating to see. The prices were all market priced (meaning not too expensive) and the place was easily accessed by many. I saw some people even bought supplies at Carrefour for their own store, such as boxes of instant noodles, detergents, etc. These showed how competitive the prices compared to big suppliers.

So anyway, I brought a camera with me this time. My husband was in charged of taking some pictures before the security guy came and stopped him. :)

I wouldn't go into details, but check out the pictures below. Amazing, wasn't it? And these were only a few things they displayed there.

Ajam Lombok Ijo

2009-07-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Jl. Gajah Mada 158
Semarang

Ajam Lombok Ijo is basically traditional fried chicken served with green chilies. It's very crowded, especially during lunch or dinner hours. The prices are cheap and reasonable. Thus, making this eatery the number one choice for people with restricted budgets.

Entering the restaurant, patrons will be forced to leave the present time to the past era. The writings of the menu are all based on old edition of Indonesian language. There is no air conditioner here, but the sprays of water actually toned down the heat.

I went here with my husband and we quickly ordered their best selling food. The food came out really fast and fresh.

1. Es Sedjuk (cool ice)
This was basically orange juice, selasih (basil seeds), and sugars. The orange was freshly squeezed and the sweetness was not overpowering. This drink was perfect for the hot day!

2. Balado Terong (eggplant with sambal)
The eggplant was tender and not greasy. The key to this dish was in the sambal. The sambal was made of red chilies, shrimp paste (belacan), sugar, and kaffir lime juice. It was spicy and sweet and complimented the tasteless eggplant with a kick!

3. Tempe penyet & sambal terasi
The sambal was similar to the Balado Terong, but not as sweet. Again, the lime juice here held everything together. The tempe (made of soybeans) was crispy and perfectly cooked.

4. Ajam Goreng Lombok Ijo
The dish included fried chicken, green chilies, boiled cassava leaves, and cucumber. The chicken tasted good, but since they used 'male' chicken, the size was really small compared to the free range chicken. The boiled cassava leaves were tasteless. The green chilies were OK, although they could have made it better.

Overall, with only Rp. 7500 (about USD $0.75) per chicken piece (leg quarter or breast with wing), I would come back to this place at any given time.
It's very cheap, so I won't complain. :)

Martabak Manis

2009-07-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

Thien Thien Lai
Jl. Moch. Suyudi
Semarang

Martabak Manis (Indonesian sweet thick pancake) is a type of dessert that my husband and I loved. Semarang people called it Kue Bandung (Bandung cake) and Surabaya people called it Terang Bulan (Bright Moon). Martabak Manis is the common name, though.

This dessert is usually made by the street vendors, mostly in the evening. The sellers have to use a specially shaped pan and a big stove with a lot of fire holes. After cooking, a lot of butter is spread on the pancake and sugars are sprinkled. Then it is topped with a variety of possible toppings, such as grated cheddar cheese, chocolate sprinkles, crushed peanuts, raisins, and condensed milk only on one side of the pancake.

Thien Thien Lai is the number one seller in town, but it is very pricey. I thought theirs was too sweet for me, but the texture was the best in town. The batter rose up beautifully, creating these honey-combs look alike. Also the crispiness of the skin and the tenderness of its inside were perfect.

These pancakes are to be eaten right way when they are still warm. Due to its huge butter content, I advised you not to eat it everyday. :)

Tahu Pong

2009-07-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

Jl. Gajahmada 63B
Semarang

Tahu pong is a hollowed tofu. This is one of Semarang famous foods, a must try, so to speak. We chose the one at Jl. Gajahmada for its location (close to our home). We ordered tahu pong and emplek (a firm tofu). My husband peeked when they fried the tofu. To my surprise the oil they used was dark in color. I had no idea how long they have used it. :(

So anyway, aside from the horrid scene, I managed to eat the tofu with an open mind. The 'pong' was much better than 'emplek'. Both did not have any taste at all, but the 'pong' was better for its hollowness, which absorbed the sauce much better.

The sauce itself consisted of petis (made from fermented shrimp), garlic, water, and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). They used mortar to blend everything together and then served the sauce with optional minced chili and pickled lobak (radish).
The chili added more flavor to the sweet sauce, turning the bland tofu into a good dish.

A must try, indeed!

Permata Restaurant: Part Deux

2009-07-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Jl. Kranggan Barat 147
(024) 543425

It's Grandma's birthday and we're celebrating it at Permata Restaurant. We ordered a total of six dishes. Let me just write down the list along with my review below.

1. Bakmi goreng 'special' (Special fried noodle)
When I saw something 'special' on the menu, I expected something more, something extraordinary. Apparently, difference between regular and special noodle which had pork, kekian (ground shrimp and pork, steamed, cut into rectangle, and fried) shrimp, eggs, snow peas, and other vegetables is the ham part. The special noodle had ham on it (not much of excitement here), whereas the regular noodle did not. I liked the taste and the variety of meats and vegetables. However, the 'special' word was totally overrated! (of course they charged more, too)

2. Burung dara goreng (fried pigeon)
As stated on my previous review of this restaurant, the pigeon is their number one seller. With its delicious skin and tenderness of its meat (although not as tender as chicken), I'd say they have the best fried pigeon in Semarang. The price was not cheap, either. One bird, cut into 4 pieces, was about Rp. 70000 (about USD $7). Was it worth it, though? Maybe not. But if you really really really want to eat good pigeon and have a good excuse such as having a birthday, yeah.. have it there. :)

3. Tumis puiling (stir-fry vegetables)
I have no idea what 'puiling' is. Even my mother did not know and never heard of such vegetable. At a glance, it looked like choy sum or spinach. The texture was soft and tender, but it has the crispiness of a lettuce. The dish was simple, cooked with only minced garlic and salt and pepper, but it was good.

4. Gurame telur asin (Fried gurame with salted eggs)
Gurame is very similar to tilapia in the States. It is very popular in Indonesia. It can be cooked different ways, whether it's fried, grilled, or even steamed. This dish in particular was delicious! There was no fishy smell and no need for a dipping sauce. The key was in the salted eggs they fried it with. The fish was crispy on the outside, but still tender and tasty on the inside. The salted eggs provided extra flavor to the fish with its complexity. Truly a superb dish!

5. Sapi lada hitam (black pepper beef)
I was not too fond of this dish. The meat was a little tough. They should have pounded the meat more or chose a different cut of meat. Other than that the taste was actually good and the bell peppers added a hint of spiciness.

6. Pak pau ci soup (Chicken with 8 treasures soup)
A very complex dish, indeed. This was the first time I had this amazing dish. The chicken was first de-boned and the meat was taken from it. Then, they added eight different kind of things into it, before finally sew the chicken up and broiled. They all complimented each other and everything was tender. Also, the broth was amazingly refreshing and no foul odor.

7. Es soda gembira (Happy soda?)
I always like to try something new, but sometimes something old is necessary. Just like this soda gembira drink. It was like childhood all over again. The drink consisted of red syrup (usually rose flavor), condensed milk, and carbonated water. Add blocks of ice to it, and you'll have a wonderful refreshing drink. :)

Changi Kopitiam

2009-07-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

After more than 24-hour plane rides and transits combined, we were very happy to arrive in Singapore safely. By this time, we were very sick of the airplane's food. I couldn't believe they served those nasty food!

Changi Kopitiam seemed like a small oasis for all of us. It's located in terminal 1 of Changi Airport, right above the airlines counters.
It was still early in the morning and some of the food counters were not ready to open yet.
We immediately chose a plate of rice combination and noodle combination.

Mine was 'nasi lemak' (coconut rice) with chicken wing, fried fish, fried peanuts and anchovies, fried egg, 'sambal' (chili sauce), and a splash of curry broth.

First off, let me tell you about the rice. It was undercooked and dry! Also I was disappointed to find out that the food was at room temperature. I was expecting the food to be hot!
However, since I was so sick of the airplane's food and so ready to eat 'real' food, I tried to eat them with a grateful heart.
My son actually loved the rice. Maybe because he had no other option. :)

I would say the splash of curry broth and chicken wing were the best parts of this dish. The wing was tasty and crispy. The curry broth was delicious! Maybe the next time I go there, I'll order just these two.

Anyway, the fried fish was bland, it needed a lot more seasonings. And there was nothing special to the fried peanuts and anchovies. Alright, let's move to the other dishes.
The fried egg contained onion, green chili, and seasonings. It tasted good, but it was too spicy for the kids. I wished they would have more choices for the children.

Moving on to what my husband ordered, noodle combination was his choice. (Yes, I tried his food, too.)
It had "char kway teow" (stir-fry wide noodles), spicy long beans, fried fish balls, and fried chicken roll.
Whenever I think of "char kway teow", I always think of wide noodles cooked in sweet soy-based sauce with assorted meats and vegetables.

This noodle dish could not be called "char kway teow" because it was mixed noodles with no meats at all. I thought that was bad. It tasted OK, though.
I actually loved the spicy long beans. I thought it went along great with nasi lemak. I should have ordered that with my combination.
The fried fish ball was yummy. They really scored on this one. And the fried chicken roll tasted similar to the fish ball. Maybe they put a left over fish into the chicken. Huh!

So overall, the nasi lemak combination was below average and the noodle combination was average.
The price was ridiculously expensive and the foods were not hot. The latter was a big turndown!
I have to keep in mind the next time I come there, I will ask them to microwave the food.
However, I preferred these than those nasty food in the plane. Yuck!

Granny's Chicken Ranch

2009-06-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

1340 Village West Parkway
Kansas City, KS 66111
http://www.grannyschickenranch.com

June 6th was the National day of daughters (not official, I guessed). So after my daughter got a make over as a princess in The Legends shopping mall, she suggested fried chicken for dinner.
I saw an ad for Granny's Chicken Ranch in the Restaurant Guide of Kansas City (http://www.kcrestaurantguide.com/). I thought it was worth a try.

The restaurant was clean and the greeters were very nice. We were seated in the "family room" which was farther from the bar. I liked the idea that they sit all the families in one place. That way the kids will not bother the other patrons who just wanted a nice quiet dinner.

The menu had a lot of varieties, but I decided to choose the fried chicken with its ALL you can eat side dishes. :) My husband chose chicken fried steak.
By the way, side dishes included green beans, biscuits, chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, salad, and cinnamon rolls with sweet butter.

The fried chicken was crispy and very tasty. My daughter was very happy with it, too. The chicken was tender and the seasonings were perfect.
The chicken fried steak was good, too. However, I preferred the fried chicken than the chicken fried steak.

OK let's talk about the side dishes. The salad came with our choice of Ranch dressing, which I thought was great. The green beans were ordinary, needed more salt, though. The biscuits were warm and tasted good, especially with the sweet butter. The mashed potatoes were great, no complains there.
The one thing I really liked about the gravy was its richness. It went well with the chicken or the mashed potatoes.
The last thing that came out was the cinnamon rolls. They were warm and sweet. Although I thought they could have done better with the dough. They were not as soft as I thought they would be.

Overall experience at Granny's was great. They beat the other competitor in town, Stroud's fried chicken. I will surely come back there again. :)

PS: My husband said the sweet butter was great!

Old Shawnee Days

2009-06-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.oldshawneedays.org/
June 4-7, 2009

We went to Old Shawnee Days yesterday to taste the carnival foods. The only carnival food I have eaten before was funnel cake. So, I decided to try different kinds of food last night.
The carnival is held annually and this was the first time we went there (so shameful, I know).

Now, the first thing I ate was corn dog. I chose a vendor who had a long line and decided that it might be good.
The corn dog was warm, so it was easy to eat. As if I were to eat hot dog, I put some ketchup and mustard on it.
The outer layer (the batter) did not taste anything. I thought at least they put some seasonings on it. Then I bite the 'dog'. Yeah, it was like regular hot dog I could get in the grocery store. I couldn't tell more. My husband had to finish it for me. :(

Second thing I bought was a fried snicker. I've never had a fried snicker before, so this was truly an adventure for me.
Whoever thought of frying a snicker in the first place was a true foodie. It was delicious! The batter was similar to the corn dog, but the snicker was melted and stuck to the batter from inside. It gave a different twist. I felt like eating a warm chocolate bread. It was a great dessert. :)

Never leave the carnival without eating funnel cake. It's the true carnival food, besides corn dog or cotton candy.
There was one vendor selling funnel cakes as their main selling item. They charged $5 for it.
But when we walked a little farther and just around the corner, we saw a $4 funnel cake. :)
The funnel cake tasted like doughnut with powdered sugar, but tastier. I liked the crispiness and how it matched well with the powdered sugar.
My kids enjoyed it just like they enjoyed fresh fried doughnuts. :)

So, to wrap my review, I would say this was an exciting place to try out "junk food". :)
However, they were expensive! Next time I go to a carnival, I will probably just buy the snicker and funnel cake. The fun of eating carnival foods. *grin*

Serb Fest!

2009-05-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
11001 Greenwood Street
Lenexa, Kansas

We passed through the sign of Serb Fest happening at this church the other day. We decided to check it out, since we’ve never been to Serbia, nor eaten any kind of their food.

We came in right before dinner to avoid the crowd. Based on their church website, they are having this fest annually. So, they must be good!
Anyway, we signed up at the door and greeted by very nice ladies. The church itself was beautiful. They have set up tables inside the gym, laid with nice colorful faux tablecloths. Then we saw two tables filled with Serbian items, from traditional clothes to flags to ornaments. They even had Serbian cookbooks, which unfortunately I did not buy. :(

When we got into the bigger gym, we were greeted by Serbian music and the smell of food. We were immediately got into the line while talking about what we should get. We decided to get “Cevapcici” (Serbian sausage make with pork, beef and spices), “Raznjici” (Pork tenderloin shis-ke-bob), “Lepinja” (Serbian flat bread), “Burek” (Meat pita made of ground chuck, onions, and spices layered in “Kora” (homemade phyllo dough)), “Gibanica” (cheese pita), and Spinach pita. At the end of the food line, they provided mild and hot roasted peppers for us.

They took our orders professionally and the line was not overwhelming. We got all our orders right after we paid them. Then we chose several desserts, such as “Palacinke” (Serbian crepe filled with fruit preserves or chocolate), “Baklava”, “Pohance” (a light, crisp, batter-fried cookie, dusted with powdered sugar), and a mini pie with some kinds of nuts in it (I forgot the name!:( ).

Now, let’s talk about the food first. We both loved the meats. They were delicious! The sausages were tasty and moist. The pork was amazingly tender. Eating them with hot roasted peppers was a great decision. The peppers actually added more flavor to the meats.
I personally loved the meat pita. The cheese pita tasted more like regular quiche without the bacon. The spinach pita was very similar to “spanakopita” (Greek spinach pie), but softer. My husband thought the three pitas tasted good, though. :)

We both thought the desserts were OK. Nothing really stood out from the taste. The crepes were ordinary, nothing special about it. My kids liked the “Pohance” because of the powdered sugar on top.

There, we have eaten Serbian food without having to go to Serbia.:)
We loved these kinds of festivals. Since our expectation was not set high on this one, we thought this experience was actually a little higher than our original expectation. So we would love to come back next year (or before) if they are having it again. Who would have thought we can eat Serbian food right here in town?

Chosun Korean BBQ

2009-05-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

12611 Metcalf Ave
Overland Park, KS 66213
www.chosunkoreanbbq.com

What can I say about Chosun? It's absolutely the best Korean restaurant in KC Metro!
After a long disappointment with the other Korean restaurant (a.k.a Choga), I was in absolute delight to find Chosun.
They provided great services, warm-welcomed servers, and great ambiance.
Unlike the other competitions, Chosun delivered the food with dignity and pride. Their meats were fresh. The side dishes were outstanding. I can always ask for more kimchi or any other side dishes without being charged or the owner/servers complaining.

During my second pregnancy, I've always come to Chosun almost every Friday. The prices were reasonable and competitive. I always felt warm and happy everytime I entered the building.

Anyway, they offered a huge varietiy of meats to be grilled on table. From appetizers to desserts, they were written in detailed and some even had pictures. Thus, for someone who never had Korean food before will know what to expect.

I always ordered "dolsot bibimbap" (served in a hot bowl consisted of warm white rice topped with "namul" (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and "gochujang" (chili pepper paste). A raw egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are mixed together thoroughly just before eating.), "galbi" (marinated beef short ribs), "mandoo" (potstickers), and sometimes "soon tofu soup".

Galbi has always been our favorites. Never ever go to a Korean restaurant without ordering galbi (unless they don't offer it). It'll be a HUGE mistake. :)
Chosun's galbi was tender and sweet. The seasoning was perfectly balanced in a soy-based sauce.

In short, nothing can go wrong when you go to Chosun. Everything was delicious!

Joe Tess Place

2009-05-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

5424 South 24th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
joetessplace.com

The first time I’ve heard about Joe Tess Place was from Guy Fiery in a show called ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’ on Food Network.
The place was very nice and clean. I especially liked the ‘fishing’ décor. It put me in the right mood and I knew what to expect right away.

The hostess was friendly and the servers were very nice. We were seated immediately (because we called ahead ha! :)) and offered drinks. The menu had a lot of varieties to choose from.
We ordered the Fisherman’s Chowder, Louisiana Crawdads for appetizers, Chicken strips for the kids, and Double famous fish dinners with baked beans for the side dish.

I had to say the chowder was awful! It was the worst chowder I’ve ever put in my mouth. Even my husband wouldn’t try it. I gave a little bit of the broth to my son and he disliked it. I felt like the cook threw leftover seafood and dumped them in the pot. Blah! Don’t ever order that soup!

OK, move on to the crawdads/crawfish. I’ve never had a whole crawfish before, so this was an entirely new experience for me. Theoretically I knew how to dismember the shell to get to the meat, but in reality it was harder than I thought. :(
I liked the crawdads with their cocktail dipping sauce. It tasted similar to shrimp cocktail, but with more flavor.

The famous fish dinner we had was awesome! It originally came with jacket fries and cole slaw, but we substituted it with baked beans. We both loved the fish for its crispiness and freshness. It did not come with any special dipping sauce, so we asked for tartar sauce. It tasted even better with the tartar sauce. Oh, we also loved the baked beans. Delicious!

In conclusion, the overall experience was great! I would love to come back there again. Maybe I’ll try different soup next time. Who knows!

Note: Pictures were taken from Joe Tess website.

Nasi Tempong

2008-10-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sego Tempong Blambangan
Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur

"Nasi Tempong" was very similar to "Nasi Campur" (mixed rice). "Tempong" is Banyuwangian language, meaning a little bit of everything.
This mixed rice is the original Banyuwangi dish, where customers picked their favorite "tempong" (or topping you might say) on top of their steamed rice.
What I picked was very basic, scrambled eggs, fried chicken, fried tempeh, "dadar/bakwan jagung" (fried corn pancake), and steamed vegetables. No "tempong" would be complete without the spicy sambal, made with a little salt, tomatoes, chilies, and "balacan" (shrimp paste).

The key to a good "Nasi Tempong" was in the sambal. This one I tried was super spicy already, eventhough I asked for a little bit of chili. If you ask for a spicier sambal, just be ready to be hauled to a hospital. I meant it!
My father was the true survivor of eating a super duper spicy sambal (yup, he was hauled to the hospital and freaked the owner good). And he can eat the spiciest food ever made in our country. So, good luck to you! :)

Sate Ayam Rogojampi

2008-10-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Warung Rajawali - Pak Su
Jl. Raya Rogojampi (roadside)
Rogojampi - Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur

I told my Dad that I wanted to eat good satay, so he took me to this roadside "warung" (street hawker). Eating in that kind of place did not bother me at all, although the place was small (only 2 long picnic tables), noisy, and dirty.
We were seated together with the other customers, since the place was tiny. The tables were full of bottled soft drinks, "krupuk" (crackers), and other necessities for eating.
After ordering a portion of chicken satay, I realized that the chicken were cut into tiny pieces. I kept asking for more before I realized I have eaten about 27 skewers. Of course my Dad and sisters were somewhat horrified because I ate too much. :) Pak Su (the owner on the right corner picture) had to keep up with me.

The sate was actually quite tasty. Pak Su kept it simple by dipping the chicken in the sweet soy-sauce based marinate before grilling. Since the meat was not cut in big size, it did not take a long time to grill it. The sauce was a simple peanut sauce with lots of sweet soy sauce in the mix.
However, I would not recommend eating in such place, though. Not only the place was dirty and polluted by the ongoing traffic (cars and mostly motorcycles), Pak Su also did not refrigerate the meats before grilling. :(
He did not understand the basic sanitation, I guessed. Or like most people believe, once the chicken were cooked, the bacteria would die.
Wrong, I got stomach ache the next morning. What a price to pay!

Homemade: Grilled Prawns

2008-10-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Dad's office
Mutiara Blambangan Permai
Banyuwangi

I wrote this in honor of my Dad. He's a great cook and I learned a LOT from him since I was little. He introduced me to the world of cooking.

When my sisters joined me in Banyuwangi, I asked him to take me to a good seafood restaurant because I wanted to eat grilled prawns. He told me that he could grill prawns better than any restaurants in Banyuwangi. Oh yeah, I actually believed him. :)
So he had his way, told his workers to get the homemade grill ready and directed them to make the marinating sauce.
The sauce was simple, as he said it. It was made of sweet and spicy chili sauce, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and spices (OK I forgot what the spices were).
The prawns were HUGE!

After the preparations were set, he was ready to grill the prawns using homemade grill (He had it made long ago). The fire was hot, the prawns were thawed, and the sauce was ready to be used.
Cooking prawns was tricky. If they were cooked too long, the meat became rubbery. My Dad has mastered grilling these prawns, so he got them out right on time.

The prawns were sweet and the sauce complimented them. I could taste the sweetness, the sourness and a little kick of spiciness in them. I did not need any other dipping sauce, because the prawns absorbed the marinate quite well and they were moist and tender.
He was right (again), he cooked better than any restaurants in the area.
I was like a kid again, eating prawns like a mad-woman. :)

To my Daddy, you truly are the BBQ Master! *hugs and kisses*

Bizarre Food: Bee Larvae

2008-09-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

OK... don't think about it, just try it. Ugh!

My lovely mother loved this dish more than anyone I know, well, expect for her sister. So when I came to visit her in the village (yes, my mom lives in the village), her sister gave this "botok tawon" (not botox, mind you!) for me to try.

I liked watching Andrew Zimmern eating outrageous and bizarre stuffs on TV. I braved myself and thought of what he said everytime, "It if looks good, eat it!".
Well, it was steamed inside banana leaves and I honestly thought it looked good. It had lots of spices, surely it wouldn't taste bad.
Besides, I've heard people say that bees were good for us (or was that because of honey?).

I took one bite and tried not to picture the wiggly larvae (mentally, I meant). Hmm... OK it tasted alright actually. I could taste the pepper, chilies, salt, and other spices.
Then I took another bite. I still couldn't look away from the mental wiggly larvae, but I forced myself to eat a few more bites. Then I gave up, defeated. *sigh*
Although I thought it tasted OK, something just felt weird.
I watched my mom ate as if she was eating something just ordinary. She gave me the look and dared me to eat them again.
Oh well.. sorry mom, I just could not stand the weird feeling I had while eating those cute bee babies. No more for me!

Layar Seafood Restaurant

2008-09-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Jl. Raya Bukit Mas 109
Surabaya
Phone: 031 5683716

My favorite food is crabs. :) I have tried many crab dishes in Indonesia as well as in US. Layar's "Kepiting Saus Padang" is by far the most tastiest crabs I have ever eaten in my whole life. Seriously! It's that good. Just thinking about it already makes my mouth water. *slurp*

They had HUGE variety of seafood to choose from. They offered different kinds of cooking method, such as grilled, fried, sauteed, and boiled. As of course, different kind of sauces to go with the seafood.
I have heard about "Kepiting Telur Asin" (crabs cooked with salted eggs) that was the number one seller in Layar. Unfortunately, I did not order that since my companions chose to go with the spicy one, "Kepiting Saus Padang", the second best seller.

"Saus Padang" is basically a spicy sauce consisted with garlic, chilies, tomato sauce, and spices.
It went well with par-fried crabs.
With that, we ordered "tumis ginseng" (sauteed ginseng leaves), boiled little neck clams, crab soup with white asparagus, "Udang telur asin" (prawns cooked with salted eggs), grilled pomfret with sweet soy sauce, and finally "gurame" fish cooking in sweet and sour sauce.

First thing first, the soup was horrible. Never order the crab soup from Layar, it's 'crabby'. I hated it so much that I stopped eating it after the first spoon. :(
Boiled little neck clams were good. It served well as an appetizer. However, Indonesian people need to be educated about clams in general. Many of them were closed. People think it is safe to eat closed clams as long as it's cooked. Well, NO! Throw away the closed ones, it means they're already dead before they're cooked.

Anyway, the fish were good. Although I think they should have added more spices to take the 'dirt' smell.
The prawns were awesome! Now I know why "Kepiting telur asin" is the number one seller. The sauce was pretty much the same as the prawns, but different seafood. It was not overwhelmingly salty, it was perfect in balance of smokiness and saltiness.

Let's talk about the most delicious crabs I have ever eaten (for now). The crabs were big, we ordered one female (with eggs) and one male.
The sauce was spicy with a hint of sweetness. They cooked the crabs perfectly, not overcooked that made the meat rubbery. How can I put it in words? I can't! You have to try it for yourselves. :)

Layar is awesome!!!

Surabaya Fried Chicken

2008-09-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ayam goreng Citra Pemuda
Various locations, Surabaya

I went to eat "Ayam goreng Citra Pemuda" (Citra Pemuda fried chicken) with my sisters and my brother-in-law at the G-Walk, Citraland location. I don't remember when the last time I ate this chicken. They offered a variety range of menu, from fried chicken to sauteed squids. The list of tropical drinks was overwhelming, but understandably important.
This restaurant has become one of a must-to-eat places in Surabaya.

The chicken was perfectly seasoned with turmeric, coconut milk, and other spices. They used 'ayam kampung' (free-range chicken) to get the full flavor. It was very tasty!
Also, eating them with hot steamed rice and 'sambal' (chilies) with sweet soy sauce made this experience even more fabulous.

Ayam goreng penyet Bu Kris
Various locations, Surabaya

One of my favorites fried chicken in Surabaya is Bu Kris'. I believed they used coconut water instead of coconut milk to cook the chicken. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The 'sambal' was spicy and unbelivably delicious!
They offered some varieties other than chicken. The 'rawon' (blackened beef stew) was awesome! The beef was cooked tenderly and the seasonings were not overwhelming.
I loved their grass jelly drink. It was both sweet and refreshing, especially in the hot Surabayan weather.

Sate Ayam Ponorogo

2008-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sate Ayam Ponorogo Pak Bagong
Jl. Thamrin
Semarang

Sate (or satay) is grilled skewered meat. If it isn't skewed, it can't be called satay. :)
After staying in Semarang for a while, I was surprised that I haven't eaten satay yet. So after asking around, I went to try this Sate Ayam Ponorogo in Thamrin.
The place was small and had no air-conditioner. It was a good thing we went there at night.
Since sate ayam (chicken satay) was what I wanted that night, I only ordered satay with steamed rice. Usually people eat them with "lontong" (compressed steamed rice in banana leaves). But I don't like lontong that much.. :(

The satay was cooked right after we ordered, so it was fresh out of the charcoal grill. The meat was tender and the seasoning was not overpowering. I always thought that the key to a good satay was not in the meat seasoning, but the peanut sauce. Pak Bagong's sauce was good. The peanut sauce was smooth and the addition of sweet soy-sauce even made it better.
The meat was in a good size, so a portion (10 satay) was enough for me. :)

Gama Ikan bakar & Seafood

2008-08-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jl. M.T. Haryono 870A (Bangkong)
Semarang

This was the first time I came to Gama. Since I love seafood, it was the best decision to come here with good old friends. We were seated immediately and offered drinks. Now, being in a tropical country with a huge choice of tropical drinks, I ordered a young coconut drink with simple cocopandan syrup. Simply delicious!

OK, so we ordered a bunch of stuff from the menu. They offered a lot of varieties of seafood, mainly different kinds of grilled fish. We chose “Ikan terbang Gurame” (fried Gurame fish), “Srimping goreng” (fried scallop in shell), “Cumi goreng” (calamari), “Bawal hitam bakar” (grilled black Pomfret), and “cah ginseng” (stir fry ginseng leaves) for our lunch.

The fried fish was very ordinary for me, nothing special about it. However, I was in love with “Srimping Goreng”. OMG! It was superb! I think I can eat two portions of them myself. The vegetables were great, too. It was not overly cooked, it was perfect in both freshness and crunchiness.

I stayed away from calamari, due to its high content in cholesterol (ha!). I did ate one piece of it and it was OK. The grilled black Pomfret was great. It was deliciously sweet and properly seasoned. I probably preferred different fish to be grilled, but this one was not so bad.

If I have to rate this restaurant by 1-to-5 scale, 5 being highly satisfactory, I would rate this truly high 5. No doubt!
This place has become one of my favorite seafood eateries in Semarang. Go Gama!

Permata Restaurant

2008-08-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

Permata restaurant is a Chinese-based cooking restaurant. The best dish in their lengthy menu is “Burung dara goreng” (Fried Quail). Of course the price is expensive for one dish, which only had four quails cut into quarters. But it was worth it! I’ve never had fried quail as delicious as this one.

The restaurant was clean and brightly lit. The servers all wore clean uniforms.
It’s very typical for restaurants in Indonesia where the owners sit in a counter not far from the entrance door. This place is more of a mom-and-pop restaurant.

Other than the fried quail, we also ordered “Udang goreng telur asin” (Fried Prawns with salted egg). Do not be alarm with the salted egg thing. Salted egg is very common in our cuisine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salted_duck_egg).
It turned out that the prawn was delicious! I have never had anything like it.
They coated the prawns with uncooked salted eggs before deep-frying them. The salted egg added more flavor to the sweet prawns.

Fleur Bistro @ S2

2008-07-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

S2 is the newest restaurant to open recently. The place is awesome! I mean, talk about the amazing décor and not to mention that this is probably the hottest place in town.
We went to check out this place since it’s the grand opening day and they gave 50% discount for BCA account holders. Since the place was packed with people, we can only be seated and reserved the place at Fleur Bistro, one of the three restaurants in S2.

The ambiance was quite nice in this western themed restaurant. They offered steaks, bread-bowled soups, Italian food such as spaghetti Bolognese, etc. The service was excellent, considering they were still new at this.

I ordered a top sirloin steak with mashed potatoes and sweet corn. My drink was sweet raspberry flavored tea. The tea was great. The food, well, not so much. I’ve had my share of good steaks before. This steak was small and dry, even though I asked for medium well-done. The mashed potatoes were horribly undercooked. I could taste the grainy potatoes. It was cold, too. The corn was not as sweet as I thought it would be.

My companions ordered BBQ spare ribs, mushroom soup, and spaghetti Bolognese for the kids (sadly, no pictures). The soup and spaghetti were good. The only thing that was great was the ribs.

So, the overall experience was good. I liked the place and would likely to come back in the future. I’m pretty sure the next time I come there, I’ll order the ribs. :)

About the Foodist (full version)

2008-07-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve lived in a tropical country, where spices are very important to our cooking. Our cuisine varies by region and is based on Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian precedents. Rice is the main staple food and is served with side dishes of meat and vegetables. Spices (notably chili), coconut milk, fish and chicken are fundamental ingredients. More info: About Indonesia.

I’ve traveled half the world to pursue higher education and career. But, I’ve always enjoyed eating food from different ethnicities.
For me, food is a passion, whereas travel is an adventure. Both goes along well and perfect when is done together. What is the fun of traveling without trying the food?
Thus, searching for the ultimate meal is a fun challenge. Eating all kinds of different foods is an adventure in itself.

My passion is to always ‘try something new and something different’.
I hope my writings will not only satisfy your curiosity but also satisfy your hunger. :)

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

“If it looks good, eat it” – Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener