So we went back to Hilton Bandung for our 2nd staycation to try out their new event, Nourish Me with 3 special chef from 3 different countries, where the theme will be different each week. It's like an oasis in the midst of a stressful thesis semester!! Can't thank you enough for this, Hilton!
We went there on 14th - 15th March, which is a couple of weeks ago and there's also another group on the next week afterwards for the Indian cuisine. Lucky us, our group got the Korean themed and I love Korean cuisine! Traveling with us are fellow bloggers; Anak Jajan, Aline, Theresia, Natasha, and Verdi. Now, let's start this 2 days trip!
DAY 1
Like before, we were picked up at Plaza Semanggi at 8 o'clock in the morning. Before, it was with a private car from Hilton but this time, it's with Blue Bird's van, Big Bird. Lol! Thankfully, the traffic was amazing unlike the last time and we arrived after less than 3 hours! Since the schedule said that we were supposed to arrive at 11 am and we were early, we decided to have a little brunch in Pasir Kaliki area, then to Hilton!
When we arrived, we're greeted by the cute Hilton Bear, I think it was called Hilby or Hilbe or something? And while we wait for lunch time, we lounged around at Magma with this alluring welcome drink! Can't deny that this ginger flavored drink just looks really pretty!
So glad that we got the chance to go back to Purnawarman and their great delicacies but right now is not the time for that but we were given the chance to try Hilton's highlighted set menu that will be released in April for Nourish Me April!
Notice some changes? There's a lot of Korean themed decorations all over the place that will also change into Indian later on and then Chinese! We didn't came here for the buffet at that time, since the buffet was going to be at dinner time!
Even though they offer Korean foods that we will try later on at dinner, they still have some of Purnawarman's signature dishes!
Ready to begin our journey with food? Let's start then! This is the set menus that we were talking about!
THAI ICED TEA
Coming back to Hilton, the first thing that popped up in my mind when they asked about beverage is THIS!! I see that my fellow foodies also had the same thing in mind, since we all said 'Thai iced tea' simultaneously!
TUNA DABU SALAD
Seared tuna, sprout & tofu salad with dabu-dabu sauce.
They really know how to spoil a guest, that's for sure! Making this dish as an appetizer is a perfect strategy, since it really arouses my appetite, which is what an appetizer is supposed to do! The fresh tuna eaten with the dabu-dabu sauce will leave you wanting more and let's not underestimate the sprout & tofu salad!
That red color is my definition of desire!
BUNTUT BALADO
Stew oxtail served with rice & soup.
Moving into our main course, we're greeted by this tasty buntut (oxtail) balado! Now, I'm not a big fan of tails but I'd have to make an exception for this one. Might want to watch out for that burning balado though, it might be tolerable for me but I won't deny that it's hot..good thing it came with soup and rice, cause those really help in easing my aching tongue!
The balado, itself, is hot enough for me but if you don't think it's spicy enough...here's something to help you. Handle with care!
SURABI KINCA
Indonesian pancake with palm sugar & coconut milk sauce.
I really don't know why it's spelled 'surabi', isn't it supposed to be 'serabi'? Oh well, doesn't change the fact that it was good! The 'surabi' or 'serabi', whatever it is, is so soft and fluffy and I love anything that's light and soft! I'm not the kind that likes my dessert to be heavy, considering desserts are usually eaten at the end after a full course meal. It'll just be too overwhelming if the desserts are as heavy as a main course, which is why this surabi kinca is perfect! And this might not be the highlight but I want to shade some light onto the crepes there, cause it was yummy!
After lunch, we're given the time to check in and before, where we checked in from the lounge, this time we used the receptionist. Then we had some free time from 3 pm till dinner at 6, which I really appreciate, cause the last trip was too full packed that we felt as if we're always rushing! This time, it's more relaxed and more similar to a vacation! :D
On our last trip, we got to stay in the executive suite but this time, we're given the deluxe queen room, which is not bad at all! I even thought that this was more suitable, since executive room might just be a bit too over the top. Too much space and unused stuff, like the bathtub..so this is just perfect!
Even in the deluxe suite, the beds are way to big for 2 people! I think 4 people could comfortably fit those huge queen sized beds!
Time for dinner! A bit surprised by the sudden change of decoration, those gold bow really makes it look special, huh?
And look who's here! It's Chef Daniel Chong from Conrad Seoul, ready to get into action and show some of his cooking skills!
He's really an eye-candy, isn't he? Is all Korean guys like this? He looks like a very kindhearted man!
Charming and good at cooking, he must be the center of any girls attention! :P
Here's the pajeon cooked by Chef Daniel Chong! It was a bit similar to the usual pajeon I had but this was way more fragrant. I guess restaurants in Jakarta has almost achieved the perfect way pajeon is supposed to taste like!
The Korean foods were placed in one aisle only, so there're room for plenty of other foods as well!
Here's the popular seafood japchae!
One of my favorites, Galbi Jim! These are so tender and the seasoning is really well-absorbed!
Admit that after the Galbi Jim, this Bulgogi didn't seemed so extraordinary but it's good nonetheless!
And what is Korean food without Kimchi Fried Rice? Lol! Didn't really try it, since I wasn't in the mood for rice, I'd prefer meats!
The kimbap's really good! I've always prefer sushi over kimbap, since most kimbap uses rice with a hard texture, unlike sushi's soft ones. This one however, doesn't have that hard textured rice, though it's not as soft as sushi, which I think is good enough!
These are just clams with Kimchi sauce, very simple yet very satisfying! The Kimchi sauce got rid it of any smell!
This is a Cinnamon punch, though the one I tried was the pear punch on the background there. Can't help but to take a shot of this one cause of the pretty color!
That's pretty much all for the Korean section, now for the usual buffet! Starting with some fresh salads that I didn't try..lol! Can't blame me for saving my tummy for others, like pork or sushi or desserts!
Pasta corner! They totally showed of the brands they used for pastas in a very extravagant way! Lol!
Though the pasta has a wide range of selection, the same doesn't go with the toppings. Usually the toppings offered would be beef or mushroom or salmon but here, the topping is the meat below! It's some kind of Indonesia beef stew, good but I can't imagine ordering a Carbonara with this as a topping!
And of course, after the pasta would be the noodle section. Asian's version of pasta..lol! A lot of toppings can be found here, from veggies, meatballs, mushrooms, etc and for the soup, if I remembered correctly, there're 3 choices and one of them is Tom Yum!
Best part of a hotel buffet, Peking Duck!
Sushi!!! This is what I was eyeing the whole dinner time! I know their introducing their specials, which is Korean but I just can't help but be loyal with my love for Japanese foods!
The way they presented the wasabi is just so pretty! If only I had the chance to take a photo of with while it was still whole!
These here are some Western appetizers, like canapes and more!
Arriving to my most favorite corner to end the night's dinner! There's a lot of dessert selections here that I can choose from, ice creams, waffle, cakes, and they even have Korean's special dessert; Hoddeok, which is Korea's sweet pancake!
Let's not forget about this heavenly chocolate fountain now, shall we? This has to be the most ideal dessert when it comes to buffets, cause you don't have to refill it over and over and everybody loves a good chocolate covered fruits!
Ending day 1 with an almost exploding stomach.. Life is good! :'D
DAY 2
It was a good day! The weather was amazing, the clouds were beautiful and it's another plus to be enjoying all of this by having breakfast in Punawarman (again)! Can you imagine, after ending day 1 with a dinner buffet, we started day 2 with a breakfast buffet...we are really blessed! No photos of the breakfast feast, since you can check it out at our last trip's post. There's really not much difference, all I know is the danish is heavenly good!
Then we had a little bit of free time and then it's time for lunch. This time it's Nourish Me April set menu that will be available at Fresco on the 6th floor by the pool!
MINT GRENADINE
Don't know if I got the name right but it really is mint. All I can taste is mint and soda, which I think the mint was a bit too much! Or maybe that's just because I don't really like a strong mint flavor, I prefer it on a chocolate ice cream! :P
FRESH ORANGE AND HALOUMI SALAD
Orange and seasonal fresh garden salad with Haloumi cheese, balsamic vinegrette, and stuffed poached tomato with mustard dessing.
Loved it! Very fresh, very flavorful! You can really taste sweet, sour and salty in this plate, plus the plating is so cute! They made it look like a salad burger with sweet oranges as the buns. Not a big fan of mustard but I can barely taste it here, which is a good thing for me!
MARINATED POACHED COD FISH
Marinated poached cod fish with herbs and lemongrass, melted blue cheese, roasted spinach, tomato cherry and baby potato, fresh asparagus and low fat Beure Blanc and lime sauce.
I'd say that this is perfect, if only the put more sauce and get rid of that skin! I know that the skin is supposed to be there to give a crispy texture and all but I don't like it, so I'd prefer if they get rid of it. Other than that, it's all perfect, right to the spinach and potato, also the fish meat is really sweet and soft!
BLACKBERRY MERLOT GRANITA
Blackberry merlot granita served with yoghurt.
Ending it with this refreshing frozen dessert! Yeap, frozen! I even had to wait for a bit 'till it melted to be able to eat it, since I'm sensitive to frozen foods. The wait was totally torture because it was sooo good and I just can't wait to just dig in! Sweet, sour, and totally refreshing with rice crispy, exotic fruits and yoghurt. Yum!
After we had lunch, we met Chef Ashok Eapen from Hilton Garden Inn. He's the one that will be in charge of the Indian week's cuisine. Since it was the 15th and he'll start his work at the 16th, he decided to give us a little bit of sneak peek of his cooking!
Not only did he explain a lot about his specialties and about Indian cuisine, he also made us 2 of his special dishes; Grilled Prawn with Chutney and Fish Curry.
FISH CURRY
Even though the color is very vibrant, the taste is unbelievably light! It's still flavorful but you just know that it won't get overwhelming! You can clearly taste the herbs that he added in there and the fish was also tender. I kinda wished I had the chance to also taste all of the Indian week's dish now! :(
GRILLED PRAWN WITH CHUTNEY
Love the chutney!! Seriously, I even dipped the welcome bread that was given in the set menu lunch into the chutney because I just can't get enough of it! The prawns were also well marinated and seasoned that you can even taste the seasoning in every bite. We finished all of this without leaving anything behind, not even a single drop of the chutney sauce!
For this week, it will be Chinese cuisine by Chef David Du and I bet it'll be as great as the other 2! Well, we definitely had an amazing staycation and Hilton's hospitality is super welcoming, had a lot of fun and food that and as Maya Angelou says, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel! How great Hilton treated us will never be forgotten!
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, HILTON BANDUNG!!
Hilton Hotel Bandung
Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto No. 41-43
Jawa Barat, Bandung 40171
Indonesia
022-86066888
Check In : 02:00 pm
Check Out : 12:00 pm
Entertainment conditions our values, behaviour and thinking. This is especially true in case of media entertainment such as T.V and movies, which provide potent touching experiences. Our iptv
ReplyDelete