SANUR MANGGA DUA PIK

Are you ready for a wonderful Chinese feast? Here's Sanur Mangga Dua at Pantai Indah Kapuk, yes, don't get confused now. This is called Sanur Mangga Dua cause their first branch is at Mangga Dua and now they've open a branch at PIK. So let's start the feast!

Be ready for a whole lot of food..lol!

HOUSE OF YUEN - FAIRMONT JAKARTA

House of Yuen here is created by Sung Tung Lok, the leading number 1 Michelin Star restaurant in Hongkong. It's a fine dining Chinese cuisine and everything just seem so high quality. Located at Fairmont Hotel, right next to 1945 restaurant!

JIA Shangri-La Jakarta

Who's ready for a great Chinese cuisine? I know we are! It's funny how as we grow older we find that having a feast with friends are best held at a Chinese restaurant..lol! I guess we are starting to become more like our parents?

EIGHT TREASURES PLAZA INDONESIA

New restaurant alert!! It's called Eight Treasures and located in Plaza Indonesia, it's already pretty popular for their signature dish, which is the hanged red meat. Keep in mind that there are 2 restaurants with similar names, this one is Eight Treasures in Plaza Indonesia while the other is Eight Treasures in Daan Mogot's Ibis Hotel!

It's one the 4th floor, near the salon area of PI. The foods are pretty pricey but the have a lot of interesting set menus that will save you a few rupiahs. Not everything in the menu is overly priced though as there are affordable ones like their Chinese food but it was sold out when we came here, so we went with the meats!

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2016 @SHANG PALACE

It's almost Chinese New Year people!! Who's excited? I know I am! Not exactly because of those red envelopes (though that does play a big part of my excitement..lol!) but also because there'll be lots of yummy foods! It's gonna be a feast, both with family and friends!

Have no idea where to dine at for the celebration? How about trying out this place, Shangri-La's Shang Palace? The name definitely suits the theme and what better ways to celebrate CNY than at a Chinese restaurant? Lol!

For this special event, Shang Palace offers a few Chinese set menus that will be available from 7-22 February 2016, which are Xin Nian Kuai Le IDR 988K per person, Gong Xi Fa Cai IDR 1,388K per person, and Wan Shi Ru Yi IDR 1,988K per person. Not forgetting the little ones, there'll also a children's set menu for IDR 258K per child. On the CNY day itself, which is on 8 February 2016, there's a Chinese buffet with a glass of sparkling wine for IDR 358K. Shang Palace's definitely ready to accompany you through the CNY, huh?

Here are some sneak peeks of the lunch set that we got the chance to try!

BBQ SUCKLING PIG & JELLY FISH

Totally blown away by how crispy the skin is, not hard but crispy! The ones I usually find, the skin will either be too hard or too lumpy, not many could pull this crispiness off, total salute! Though in terms of taste, nothing could really go wrong with pork, especially eaten with the sauce!

Some people might find the presentation revolting, seeing as it still look like the actual pig, but I find this cool! Maybe I'm just weird..lol!

BAKED LOBSTER W/ EGG WHITE IN BBQ SAUCE
Thought that those white stuff in the bottom is mashed potatoes or something. Totally didn't expect it to be egg whites..lol! Anyways, this one's probably one of my favorites, might be because of those melted goodness on top! Love the perfectly cooked lobster as well, so expect a super tender meat that will just melt in your mouth!

DEEP FRIED PRAWN W/ MAYONNAISE

Accompanied w/ fried prawn ball with foie grass.

My favorite dish since childhood! It got upgraded here though, it's no longer that simple deep fried prawn and mayonnaise anymore. They added strawberries here and I think it goes really well with the whole dish! Try getting both the prawn and strawberry in 1 bite, then you'll know what I mean. The strawberry gives this refreshing feel that balances out the heavy mayonnaise!

Again, not a big fan of foie gras but thankfully, if you eat this in 1 go, the foie gras won't taste that strong!

WOK FRIED GLUTINOUS RICE W/ WINTER MEAT
Since we didn't look at the menu before eating, we were totally clueless on what's that sushi-like thingy. Well, we did guess that it was rice but because the texture's different, since it's glutinous rice, we thought it was fish cake or something! Anyways taste-wise it's good, I mean it's scallops, can't really go wrong with it. It's nothing out of the ordinary though, so it's not exactly my favorite!

CRISPY CHICKEN W/ MANGO IN SPICY SAUCE

The mango salad is good, the chicken is good, yet both are nothing special. Maybe because it's not something that strikes my interest. I'm more of a fried chicken kind of person, not healthy, I know..lol! This dish is kind of refreshing though with those sour and spicy mango salad on top! Plus, it's a whole chicken, so it's definitely enough for the whole family!

DEEP FRIED KING PRAWN WITH LACI SAUCE

Accompanied w/ golden bun.

Is it just us or does anyone else thinks that the buns look like a turtle? :p The focus on this dish is not on the king prawn but those golden buns! For the king prawn tastes good but what stole our hearts is the super fluffy bun! It's actually just mantao with an edgy look but the mantao at Shangri-La is always best!

Whether it's with the sweet condensed milk or with this savory sauce, the mantao tastes amazing!

Fyi, if you're the type who eats at home for CNY like me, Shangri-La also offers some delightful take-aways, Suckling Pig, Peking Duck, Nian Gao and Yu Sheng. These are also available on 7-22 February, so why not let Shangri-La accompany your CNY?

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2016!

Shang Palace

Shangri-la Hotel Jakarta

Kota BNI, Level 1

JL. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1

Jakarta Pusat

021-29399562

Opening Hours :

Lunch :

Monday - Saturday : 11:30 am - 02:30 pm

Brunch :

Sunday : 11:30 am - 02:30 pm

Dinner :

Everyday : 06:30 pm - 10:30 pm

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HUANG JI HUANG

Finally, something you don't see very often here..Chinese cuisine! I do think that Chinese cuisine is one of the best. This place is located at the ever-so-popular Pantai Indah Kapuk, in line with Shirokuma and it's called Huang Ji Huang. Pretty easy to find, since they have a huge white sign board with Chinese writings on it..lol!

Upon entering, you'll realize that this place has their own special smell, which I think kinda reminds me of medicines..I guess that's Chinese cuisine for ya! They have an indoor and a semi-outdoor. I don't really know why each time I came here, which is twice and in the afternoon, the staffs insisted that I sat indoors, their reasoning is that the semi-outdoor is way too hot! First time, I went with them and sat indoor, second, I persistently sat outdoor and turns out..it was not that hot..maybe they're just too cautious!

The people I saw here, most of them were parents and families, which is typical for a Chinese restaurant! Parents love these kind of cuisines and finally, something suitable and enjoyable for the whole family!

This place has a unique way of cooking their dishes, so each table will be provided with this pot with transparent lid!

Next, our orders will all be put into a plastic jar like so and the meats were all seasoned! You can also ordered a set or just make your original combination. What we ordered here were;

CHICKEN THIGH IDR 78K

CHICKEN WINGS IDR 86K

PORK RIBS IDR 98K

FISH BALL IDR 78K

TROTTER IDR 84K

Don't really understand why the chicken wings are more expensive than the thighs!

Okay, firstly they'll put butter on the pan and let it melt, then put the veggies which is complimentary or more like it always comes with these veggies!

The good thing is, they'll put the meat neatly, so it's pretty for the picture! :p

I'm guessing that they seasoning for the meats are all the same, you can judge by just looking at it!

Next, after the neatly stacked meat, they'll close the lid and cook for a specific time, there's a timer for it!

While it's 1/4 cooked, they will then put the fish balls, since it's easily cooked compared to the other meats, so it won't be overcooked..nice!

After it's almost done, then they'll pour in the sauce, there's their original soy sauce, seafood sauce, sour pepper sauce, and what we chose, spicy mala sauce. The sauce is what makes it all so incredibly good and that's what we've been smelling upon entering the place!

Cooked for a few more minutes, so that the sauce will become a bit soupy and when it's eaten with rice..just perfect!

Lastly, the staff will help you mix it all well. Ta-dah!! It's officially an addicting dish! <3

This is totally added to my comfort food list! Love the simmer pots, I'll totally come back for more even though, I've been here twice already! Wait for my next visit, Huang Ji Huang!

Huang Ji Huang
Ruko Crown Golf Blok A No. 57
Jl. Marina Indah Raya
Bukit Golf Mediterania
Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta Utara

Opening Hours :
Everyday : 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

SHANGHAI STROM - ALILA JAKARTA

In the midst of our busy schedule, I think Chinese food is great for our break time! For Chinese food, today we chose this place called Shanghai Storm by Alila Jakarta, well the name can't be more obvious, right? :p Shanghai Storm is an open kitchen and also a Chinese-styled modern bistro!

Stepping into the restaurant, I bet that even if you don't know the name or that it's Chinese, you could still guessed it! The whole room screams Chinese, from the evident red color, to the table setting!

Here's the open kitchen by the way and they have the usual tables or if you came with a large group, there's the VIP room at the back. The VIP rooms aren't decorated with Chinese decoration but don't be confused, it's still part of Shanghai Storm!

We were welcomed by Marketing Manager, Evi Rumondang and F&B manager, Trisna Djunaedi! Let's not forget the one who's in charge of all the dishes we had, Chef De Cuisine, Suratiman and the person below Executive Chef Alex Ensor!

REMEDY LEMONGRASS
Just by looking at it, you'll know that it's a healthy drink! It's not only healthy but refreshing, I guess that's why it's called a remedy! What I could taste in this is lime, lemongrass, and some greens that I can't really guess!

SPRING ROLL

For a Chinese starters, what's better than spring rolls? I love spring rolls, especially for snacks! These were really crispy and flavorful, the filling was also generous. Yum is all I could say!

DEEP FRIED CHICKEN
Crispy chicken, cashew nut, leek, salt and pepper.

Not a big fan of cashews but the fried chicken was okay. It could use a bit more flavor but other than that, it's all good. The crispiness was perfect and who can deny deep fried foods?

SCALLOP WITH ASPARAGUS
Stir-fried scallop and asparagus in XO sauce.

Amazingly fresh scallop and asparagus covered in a perfect for seafood spicy sauce! At least, it's what it's supposed to be but I think the XO sauce was lacking in the spicy division. They said it's so that it's more universal, yet it's a bit off mark from XO sauce but cause they're a hotel, I guess it's understandable that they need to please the majority!

BRAISED BEAN CURD WITH MINCED BEEF
Bean curd cooked with minced beef Szechuan style.

Again, Szechuan is also a spicy styled but this is lacking on that side! Instead of spicy, it's leaning more to the salty with a hint of sweet, resulting a really comfort food and it goes very well with rice! The bean curd really soft and it had a generous amount of beef!

DEEP FRIED KING PRAWN
Crispy prawn, egg yolk, curry leaf and red chili.

Not my favorite, since most of the food here has light flavors, this one is no different. The usual ones with lots of flavor already lacked any flavors, having light flavor for this one made it a bit tasteless but it does have a hint of saltiness. That's only coming from someone who likes strong flavors though!

PAN FRIED BEEF RIB EYE
Beef rib eye, baby beans served with home made sesame sauce.

This is my only favorite out of all, since the flavor came from the meat itself and I really think that they marinated this very well. Love how tender the meat was and the baby beans as well! This one disappeared in seconds! Lol!

Yeah! My favorite course, DESSERTS!

FRIED DURIAN ICE CREAM
When I first heard about this, I thought that it was an actual fried ice cream, turns out it's just fried durian WITH ice cream..lol! I was expecting that they used actual durian but I think that what they used is just a durian paste and I think the fried dough was a bit too thick. It needs more generous amount of durian!

FRIED MANGO ICE CREAM
Same thing as the fried durian goes for this one as well. The only difference is that this uses mango paste and there's this slight bitter aftertaste but I don't know where it came from! Hope that they'd think of using actual mango or durian for these, cause they could be great!

I'm really sorry for the late updates and it seems that we've abandoned this blog last week but it's a really hectic semester with a lot of projects and thesis and such. I'm really praying that I could update more often next month, since next month will be the day I need to submit my final thesis and I haven't even reached half of it! :'( Wish us luck everyone! Thanks for all your supports! :D

Shanghai Storm

Alila Hotels and Resorts

Jl. Pecenongan kav 7-17

Jakarta Pusat 10120

021-2316008

Opening Hours :

Lunch : 11:00 am - 03:00 pm
Dinner : 05:00 pm - 11:00 pm

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM