Pangkep 33

Another post from Pluit/Muara Karang area.. Pangkep 33!!!!

For you seafood lovers, I bet Pangkep 33 is no stranger. Serving makasar style seafood, this place has many loyal fans including Ms. Ratu Lebah. When I asked her about which seafood place is her fave when we were dining in Bandar Djakarta a couple of weeks ago, she instantly screamed PANGKEPPPP #lebai

The new Pangkep 33 has moved to a new place in Pluit Putra Raya. Easy direction, the road from Emporium Pluit Mal leading to Pluit Village where Jakarta Fruit Market and Harvest exists. Occupying what I think is actually a house, the place is ordinary. A big house converted into a restaurant that pays minimum attention to ambiance and comfort.

Talk no more and let's dive into the yummy seafood...

1. Ikan Aji Bakar Rica (Grilled Aji Fish Rica Style)

YUMMYLICIOUS!!! The fish has no fishy smell at all. Grilled into perfection, minimum moisture. Great texture, a bit softer than mackarel but not not too crumbly. Basted in chili, rica style which literally blow your tongue away... Spicy goodness.

2. Cumi Goreng Mentega (Stir Fry Squid in Butter Sauce)

Another winning dish from Pangkep 33. Small squids stir fried in margarine and oyster sauce... Salty and sweet at the same time, the squids are cooked perfectly they bounce around inside you mouth when you bite them.

3. Kerang Bambu cah Tauco (Razor Clams with fermented bean sauce)

The razor clam is fresh and huge! The fermented bean sauce needs a little more salt to give a punch to the buds. The clams is chewy and spicy, fresh chewy and juicy not ewww chewy. The chili helps give layers to the one dimensional salty fermented beans and the ginger minimize the weird clam smell.

4. Kangkung Terasi (Stir Fried Morning Glory with Prawn Paste and Chili)

Another classic.. Well executed but not the best. The morning glory somehow feels not fresh... Missing the crunchyness of a perfectly cooked morning glory.

Although I live near all these seafood places, I rarely dine there. Mostly because IMO,seafood is expensive. I love good seafood but I think seafood in Muara Karang is a bit expensive. Surprisingly, for all of the above plus rice, es campur and ice tea, I only spent around 250K. Well, those can feed up to 4 people right? So it's not that expensive :) Recommended!

Rating: 8/10
Location: Pluit Putra Raya, Jakarta

Bulgogi Brothers

Fresh from the oven patients!!!!! Just yesterday, I had this early dinner at Bulgogi Brothers. A new korean restaurant in Lotte Shopping Avenue. At first, I planned to try Menya Ramen but unfortunately they only accept cash payment (it's 2013 man, nobody carries cash anymore). Luckily, I found Bulgogi Brothers to fix my hunger asap.

I heard about this place a while ago but wasn't interested to try at that time. The place itself is very casual. Heat conduction stove, cubicles of tables and sofas, more like fastfood join IMO. The menu.. quite interesting.. Offering many kinds of bulgogi, I was intrigued.

Banchan (Appetizer)

The food:
1. Bulgogi Brothers Special (400 Gr/Rp. 275.000)
A combination of Unyang and Gwangyang style bulgogi. Relax... I also don't know the difference. All I know is they come from two different regions. The Unyang Bulgogi is made from minced beef and shaped into heart shape. The Gwanyang Bulgogi comes from the southern province of korea made with Gwangyang sauce, mushroom, garlic, sweet potato and onion.

For me, I prefer the Gwangyang. The Unyang is minced, resulting in a rather mushy beef patty which is not my thing. The taste of both the bulgogi is okay, nicely seasoned with subtle sweetness and balanced. The bulgogi is cooked by the waiters so I guess they are trained to cook the beef while preserving its juicyness.

2. Haemul Pajeon (Rp. 109.000)
Korean style pancake with green onion and seafood. Resembles japanese okonomiyaki without the bonito flakes and the creamy mayo. This dish is tasteless without the pickled dip. Lots of seafood going on that pale pancake but once u sprinkle the dipping sauce, the dish comes alive.

I do think Bulgogi Brothers can survive the harsh battle of restaurants in Jakarta. Affordable price (in korean resto standard of course), nice flavor that is not too oily and too overwhelmingly delicious and great service.

Rating: 7/10
Location: Lotte Shopping Avenue, Jakarta

Tsurukamedou

Hey patients. how's your day? Today I'm gonna post a review of Tsurukamedou. Ramen boom started 2-3 years ago in Jakarta. The pioneer is the one and only ramen 38. People would queue for a bowl of authentic Japanese noodle. Then... Come Hakata Ikkousha.. The one place in Jakarta where people would wait for hours standing in front of the small restaurant just to get ramen. Thank god I live like 200 m from Hakata so I could come near closing time and enjoy my ramen queue free :)

Tsurukamedou is a the last big name in Jakarta ramen scene. As a late bloomer, Tsurukamedou certainly in a huge disadvantage. Opening the one and only branch in Taman Ratu area, this ramen offers a different kind of ramen.

The ramen is plated (or bowled in this case) differently than the other. The half boiled egg is served on a different plate than the ramen. Firstly, the ramen. This noodle, a bit fragile IMO, resembles hongkong noodle. A bit different to the usual rather chewy ramen. Toppings are beansprouts and scallion. Soup a bit thick and dominated with the taste of fermented beans (Miso?) Meat is great, tender juicy and yummy. This rather unusual combination in a ramen is a bit distracting for me. I just can't enjoy a fresh crunchy beansprouts with warm salty thick soup. Doesn't make sense for me. As for the ramen and meat, acceptable.

Pork Gyoza is good but not great. A bit too oily for my liking. 

Japanese fried rice with pork. A plate of happiness! Yummyliciousss. The rice is cooked perfectly, not too dry and not too soggy. Pork toppings in moderate amount, doesn't overpower the rice. Addictive!

Overall, a place u should try. Maybe for a different ramen experience.

Location: Taman Ratu
Rating: 7/10

Beautika

Back to Jakarta patients!!!!

Holiday is over and I am so so so sad :(  But life must go on and tummy has to be filled. Meet Beautika, a perfect example of no pain no gain.

Beautika is a reputable manado restaurant in Central Jakarta. I've known this place for a few years but haven't been a loyal customers since lately. Pluit/Muara Karang area is not exactly where Manadonese people live so it's kinda hard to find a good Manado restaurant here. The one that i actually good, called Rampa Rampa is coming to an end I think.

I wouldn't blabber much in detail since basically this place serves BOLD, SUPER SPICY, YUMMY and AUTHENTIC Manado food. My fave would be the shredded cakalang rica (I think the name is rabe rica) One fucking spicy and yummy dish. Shredded smoked cakalang (blue fin tuna) buried in aromatics and chili. LOVE LOVE LOVE it

Another quality dish is their Ayam di Buluh, more aromatics than chili but still spicy to the max. Combine it with the rabe rica, resulting in chili high and a guaranteed multiple trip to the rest room.

The dessert are great too although a bit expensive. All of them are high quality Manado traditional cakes, greatly influenced by the Dutch when they Invided Indonesia hundreds of years ago.

Nougat Cake

Salad Buah

Last but not least, beware! You've been warned, spicy alert.

Rating: 8/10
Location: Hang Lekir, Jakarta (In front of Moestopo University)

Bangkok Delight Part 4

The food below are from Nara, a restaurant serving authentic thai cuisine in Central World. The sign in front of the place shows that Nara has won "Best Thai Restaurant Award" for a few times. Judging from the queue and the nice decor, I was instantly hooked and decided this to be our last dinner in Bangkok.

 Kang Kiew Wan - Chicken Green Curry

The curry is a tad too sweet for me. I actually love Thai Green Curry since it offers something different in the world of curry. One thing this dish is missing is the WOW factor. It's a yummy curry but not yummy enough to make me lick the bowl clean.

Moo Phad Kraprao - Pork with Chili and Basil

I love this dish. Chili and basil are the perfect combination. Another well balanced dish from Nara. The pork is tender and doesn't have a slightest sign of foul smell. The portion could be bigger tho

 

Kang Phed Ped Yang - Roast Duck Red Curry

As expected of a thai curry, rich spicy flavor bursting with aromatic sensations. The spicy level is next to nothing (or maybe my palate is starting to numb from all those bird eye chili). The duck is nothing special but the curry is a well balance dish.

 

Gai Hoer Bay Toei - Chicken Pandan

One of the best I've ever tasted. The chicken is well marinated, cooked perfectly. YUMMY!

This place has adjust it's taste to foreign clientele so the dishes will not be that super spicy u need 3 bottles of water to cool your tongue. I like the fact that all of the dishes are well prepared, all yummy off course and the servers are excellent. Recommended!

Location: Central World, Bangkok