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Infographic via Lark & Larks
Monthly Archives: October 2014
Nusantara Night at OPEN} (DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Jakarta)
OPEN, the all-day dining restaurant of DoubleTree by Hilton of Jakarta, has just recently introduced Nusantara Night, the only night where you can enjoy the splendor of Indonesian cuisine as you wish!
While it is only available every Tuesday night until the end of 2014, the Nusantara Night is a night that you should not miss if you are looking to enjoy something else than the usual fare from on hotel buffets. OPEN is not only recreate the best of Indonesian cuisine for the mains but also on the sidekicks as well.
While it is also interesting to find the Indonesian wedding obsession dish like kambing guling or the home comfort food like sayur lodeh, OPEN also introduces mangut, tongseng, ayam betutu, and aas well. That’s how exotic as it can be!
Other than that, Indonesian-style snacks that made us reminisce childhood like steamed peanuts, ubi rebus, and corn cobs are also available. If you are looking for something else, then try the ever-changing soto or soup in one corner as well as a wide array of satay and pecel.
The desserts are no less interesting as well and you might want to skip OPEN’s signature rendang pizza only for this occasion just once in a while. For IDR 288,000++, savor your time slowly to enjoy the best from Indonesia.
Selamat makan!
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For more information:
OPEN
Address:
DoubleTree by Hilton,
Jalan Pegangsaan Timur no. 17, Jakarta – Indonesia
T: +62.21.3190.4433
Opening hours:
Everyday, 6am – 11 pm
Nusantara Night is only available on Tuesday night only until December 2014 for IDR 288,000++
Iconic: Ayam Goreng Suharti (The Foodie Magazine, June 2014)
Selling door-to-door has been a useful technique for many businesses. One lady who used this very effective technique to sell her, now famous fried chicken, is Ibu Suharti.
In the 1960s, being a relative of Mbok Berek – famed for her fried chicken recipe, Ibu Suharti began her own fried chicken business and started selling around the neighborhoods of Yogyakarta alongside her husband. Business was never easy but yet the couple managed to save up enough money to set up their own restaurant in 1969.
The original restaurant on Jalan Adi Sucipto no. 208, Yogyakarta still stands, representing the five decade journey and how it has spread its wings to big cities around Indonesia. At first the restaurant was actually named as “Ayam Goreng Mbok Berek Baru”, but in the 1970s it was renamed as “Ayam Goreng Ny. Suharti”.
Unfortunately for inexplicable differences, the couple had to split in the 1990s and that is why there are two restaurants which carry the similar name. Ibu Suharti decided to go without the Nyonya or “Ny.” and put her own photo on the signage of her restaurants, while the ex-husband uses the logo of two chicken face-to-face with each other with an “S” initial in-between.
From the beginning, Ibu Suharti used only ayam kampung and despite it being smaller in size compared with the broilers, the chicken packs a really intense flavor that cannot be compared with any other fried chicken thanks to her particular recipe. The chicken comes whole or half portions and is golden color, signifying the perfection of the frying technique and the marination process. The chicken is also accompanied with the crispy kremes or flour and spices remnants used for the chicken. That certainly brings the chicken into a more complex umami flavor that no one would even dare to skip.
Additionally, Ayam Goreng Suharti also serves other delicacies such as buntil, gudeg, and the gurame complemented with her signature kremes or perhaps you may want to try the grilled chicken instead. For family dinners out, the usual Chinese-style stirfries are always there to please everyone and would make a fine addition to the fried chicken with extra kremes and sambal.
We can safely say that Ayam Goreng Suharti has won the hearts of many Indonesians, I remembered a conversation with an ex colleague of mine some time ago. “When our family was poor, having Suharti’s fried chicken was like a royal treat. I remembered that we ate it little by little so we could enjoy it longer”, he said reminiscing his younger days many many years ago. Indeed, whenever we see Ayam Goreng Suharti, I also consider it as a timeless delicacy that will never be forgotten and suitable for special occasions only.
How about you?
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AYAM GORENG SUHARTI
Halal-friendly (halal-certification to be confirmed)
Some menu are suitable for vegetarians
Address:
Jalan Adi Sucipto no. 208, Yogyakarta – Indonesia
Opens also in Jakarta, Bandung, Tangerang, and Pekanbaru
Opening hours:
Everyday, 9am – 9pm
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Featured in THE FOODIE MAGAZINE June 2014 edition
Download it for free here via SCOOP!
Photos by: Dennie Benedict
Experiencing Canada with Chef Joan Monfaredi at Grand Hyatt Jakarta
Canadian cuisine proves itself as an elusive one when it comes to on how to define it. For this, Chef Joan Monfaredi flew all the way from Toronto to introduce her pride and joy on cooking the food and explaining the great flavors from the huge country for a few days only in Grand Hyatt Jakarta.
Canada nowadays as we all know becomes a melting pot of many cultures previously unheard at least a century ago. Before we knew there were only the Native Americans and then came the French and the British. Now, Canada becomes the home of people coming from Europe and Asia as well.
While it is hard to pinpoint what the real cuisine look like, Chef Joan Monfaredi, who is a native Central Canadian, humbly states that Canadian food is all about honesty in each of the ingredients, something that you can trace back by tasting the very flavor of it.
From what I saw personally, her dishes truly incorporates the honesty of the flavors, the freshest of the ingredients, and the chemistry of many cuisines while also keeping the Canadian identity intact as well as she always stated whenever the food arrives.
Take it for example the wondrous courses that I experienced from appetizer to dessert starting from the lamb ravioli, the seafood salad, the aged beef tenderloin, and a myriad of ravishing desserts. Some specific produce and ingredients were brought personally from Canada to ensure the authenticity.
Now it’s your turn to experience Canada at its best with Chef Joan Monfaredi at C’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant in Grand Hyatt Jakarta for only until October 24, 2014!
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For more information:
C’s STEAK AND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Address:
Grand Hyatt Jakarta,
Jalan MH Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Jakarta – Indonesia
T: +62.21.2992.1234
Opening hours:
Everyday, 12pm – 3pm (lunch) & 6pm – 10.30pm (dinner)
Quikskoop™: Yo’ Panino
For quite some time now, Jakartans have been indulging themselves for delicious subs of rich variants from Yo’ Panino. Quite recently I gave a good try to some of their best flavors. Check it out!
Subs! I would never miss the opportunity of having it whenever I’m abroad from one of America’s famous brands that’s been around the world but Indonesia. I would never thought though that we would have the substitute for it and from as far as I can tell, a serious contender.
Yes, that’s Yo’ Panino with a myriad of cool selections for subs, all comprised of fresh vegetables, proteins, and rich sauces. Once arrived, you can see clearly that all is well composed, fulfilling, and certainly mouthwatering.
The first and foremost, the giant Big Daddy would be the strongest option to take in Yo’ Panino on any given day. Not only that it will surely quench your hunger but look at the composition – fried egg, minced meat, and melted cheddar all encircled within the sub of your choice.
A great option other than the Big Daddy is none other than the good old Sloppy Joe. This legendary filling for hamburger has all that you need even for subs, but I’d still pick Big Daddy nonetheless because, well I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’m so always in love with anything egg-y.
My wife, as an avid fan of Mexican cuisine, opted the Tex-Mex tortilla wrap and you got the pico de gallo alongside the guacamole with it all the way. It is healthier but as for me, I like the meaty side better.
Take for example the Angry Chicken. The adjective ‘angry’ doesn’t mean that you are going to receive a heavy blow from the spicy sauce (although it is probably taken as a pun from the a best-selling game few years ago), but it’s ‘angry’ on a friendlier term. I always like the fulfilling crispy chicken, fried to perfection, and served hot. Those are a really good combination with the sub by the way.
As for the rest, I particularly enjoy the peripherals such as the truffle fries, chicken pops, and a really good tempe salad with a nicely flavored Indonesian-style dressing that tastes like asinan and peanut sauce. Intriguing!
To end the deal, we detoxed a bit with Yo’ Panino’s current craze – The Cold Pressed Juice! All the natural elements were blended carefully without any addition of water, sugar, and even preservatives. I tried the very veggie one and my wife went with the Vitamin C Detox. Both the flavor and the texture might be thick, but we ended up liking it.
As always, after all the heavy stuff that we got, it’s time to relax a bit with Yo’ Panino’s cookies and cakes. They have anything chocolate-y with the cookies, but the one that I fancied a lot was their banana cake. If only they gave a scoop of ice cream to go with that.
Well, it was certainly a pleasant experience for me and I enjoyed a lot with their formula of subs. Even so, you can always assemble your own sub but for this one, I think I’ll stick with the menu.
Until next time, Yo’ Panino yo!
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YO’ PANINO
Halal-friendly (some of the menu contains alcohol)
Suitable for vegetarians
Available for delivery
Address:
Plaza Indonesia, Level 4 – Unit E0231, E023T
Jalan MH Thamrin no. 28-30, Jakarta – Indonesia
T: +62.21.2992.4020
Opening hours:
Everyday, mall opening hours (Fri – Sat until midnight)
