Wrapping up their pop-up tour to four cities in two countries, Good For Eats took us on the big bang that ended their campaign in the historical city of Yogyakarta.

An early wakeup call was all that it took to get us on a plane trip to Yogyakarta for the much anticipated dinner that Good For Eats (G48) had organized for us there. It’s both exciting and a feel good trip for me whenever it’s related to Yogyakarta, the city famed for its lengthy heritage list as well as its rustic culinary excellence. By the way, in case any of you foodies need to know better about who the guys are behind G48, we actually have introduced them in our September issue.

The chefs behind Good For Eats are Fernando Sindu (Nando) and Ivan Wibowo, who in our past issue, told us on how they began the G48 venture and up until now, the time when these creative young minds are busying themselves with a throng of projects from running their own restaurant, private dinners, pop-ups, and as professional culinary consultants for up-and-coming restaurants in and out of Jakarta.

Yogyakarta signified the end of their pop up tour that had been started since September. Singapore was chosen as their first stop at Toby’s Estate and then continued with Bandung at CUPS Coffee Shop, Surabaya at Historica, and finally with us at Canting in Yogyakarta. Each venue sponsored the pop-up tour for up to three days and with a special menu that only lasts during their stay there.

On why they ultimately chose Yogyakarta as one of their destinations was happily explained by Chef Nando, “In one aspect, it’s all is in line with the launching of Canting, our latest restaurant project as culinary consultants. However, we also feel confident with the maturing market in Yogyakarta to accept something new here”. Thus we also became the witness of what Canting has to offer in their menu and you can tell immediately, or me perhaps as a fan of G48, that it is comprised of the style that these duo usually show to people, but of course twisted with something new and colorful.

Summarizing their whole tour, Chef Ivan Wibowo remarked the whole experience as exhausting but full of fun, “The most interesting part is that we also came to a conclusion that each city has their clear distinction when it comes to taste and interest”. Ivan further noted that Bandung proved to be a solid market as they’re fond of anything related with rice bowl and truth be told, G48’s flagship restaurant Umabo in Jalan Wijaya is also well-known because of this particular dish. “But the craziest part came from the Surabaya crowd and we were overwhelmed with the never ending wave of customers. The queue line was unexpectedly long as well”, said Ivan.

There’s plenty of expectation on their final pop-up here in Yogyakarta and that didn’t come exclusively for us. In this lovely restaurant Canting, the duo had prepared plenty of selections with an intelligent chemistry between casual Western fare and influences from Mexican cuisine. It was nearing a full house when we arrived for dinner and most of them were seemingly enticed with the pop-up menu from G48.

Famed for their proficiency with meat, we witnessed how strong these fellas in that particular department. The highlight of that night simply goes for the tender wagyu hanger steak with kimchi fried rice, my Southern-style fried chicken with jalapeño cheddar biscuit and whipped potatoes. Additionally, the exclusive local wagyu steak with choices ranging from rib eye, sirloin, and hanger which can be accompanied by rice pilaf, sauteed vegetables, béarnaise sauce, and roasted garlic were simply choices that anyone cannot afford to miss while having G48 around as the mano behind the kitchen.

Other than these, we highly enjoyed their version of truffle French fries, huevos rancheros, and somehow we drooled over their eggs Benedict on puff pastries that our neighboring patrons chose. Of course, to highlight the night furthermore, Chef Ivan specially made us the “Toastalicious” or the French toast grilled in four corners but deliberately kept moist and soft in the middle. The toast is then combined with maple syrup, vanilla ice cream, and smoked beef. His choco-banana pie and panna cotta in bandrek sauce further showed us that his real intention from the beginning was all about pushing the boundaries where we would find explosion from the flavors and the complex texture structures. It was a big bang indeed!

As of this moment, G48 will now focus on their other projects including the up-and-coming eatery in a mall on downtown Jakarta and expanding Umabo as well. There’s never a better momentum than now for these boys and they sure know how to deal with it. But for sure, we will see more of Good For Eats in our culinary scene and be sure to book your seat for any of their offer for excitements!

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GOOD FOR EATS (G48)
Facebook: goodforeats
Twitter and Instagram: @goodforeats
E: goodforeats@gmail.com

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Featured in THE FOODIE MAGAZINE November 2014 edition

Photography: Dennie Ramon