Cantinas

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!

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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

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.

Carrefour: a culinary adventure in itself?

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

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

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

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

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. :)

Sate Ayam Ponorogo

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

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

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

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. :)