Author: Ardi

Boncafe Steakhouse

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7 /10

Price: Rp. 100,000 pp = $11

Place: 8/10

Review:

This week we’ll visit (possibly) the oldest and most well known western restaurant in Surabaya, Boncafe Steakhouse. It manages to survive amongst the elites due to its ability to reinvent itself over the years and bring in new and attractive menu to its customers. This improvement is apparent in its renovation of the building and a change in its fries and some other new food.

You will always start your lunch/dinner with complimentary bread when you order the steak. I chose to go heavy on the drink by ordering a mixture of coconut and avocado juice, named Snow on the Desert. I love avocado juice in Indonesia because of its soft and sweet taste. The coconut was sort of sprinkled on top with coffee syrup sprayed over it.

For starters we ordered two of Boncafe’s originals: Kulit Ayam (Crispy Chicken Skin) and Butter Corn. Although it might not be the healthiest starter, the skin was incredibly crunchy. Combined with their special sauce, it became one of my favourite starters of all time. The butter corn was boiled corn with a hint of butter and a sprinkle of grated cheese served in a petite corn-shaped bowl. It was also sweet and nice.

Before we move on to the steak, I must tell you that unless you stated otherwise, it will always come with Boncafe’s legendary mushroom sauce. I would also recommend you to have the steak medium well, considering the meat products of Indonesia.

The steaks were served in sizzling hot plate and I personally love the sound of the sizzling when the waiter pours the sauce onto the plate. The first one we ordered was the original Sirloin Steak. It was a decent-sized steak with a little extra side dish. Then came the new food on the menu, BBQ Lamb Ribs. Slightly bigger size than the Sirloin, but I guess it was due to the bone part of the Ribs.

However I would still recommend you to taste their original collection: Cordon Bleu, Spring Chicken, or Mixed Grill.

The final verdict: Old favourites like Spring Chicken and Cordon Bleu are still better than the new additions. Unfortunately this time we didn’t order them. Otherwise, It’s a decent restaurant with a local taste.

Did you know?

The one I visited was actually the branch. The main restaurant is located in Kertajaya. Boncafe is one of the rare few restaurants that manage to withstand local Surabaya’s harsh food climates. People continually crave for innovative new choices in restaurants or they’d face the inevitable decline of patrons.

As with most restaurant in Indonesia, unfortunately they do not have a website that we can go to.

Location:

Jalan Raya Gubeng 44 – 46, Surabaya, East Java

Mar 22, 2011
Kafe Halaman

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7 /10

Price: Rp. 15,000 – Rp. 55,000 per dish = $2 – $6

Place: 7/10

Review:

For my first review in my home country, I will take you to one of the only few good things in Bandung, Kafe Halaman (translated into ‘backyard café’). This café gave you the feeling of having a meal in a patio on our backyard.

Before you start, you might want to familiarise yourself with the menu, since there are literally 100s of things to choose from. Feel free to explore the variety of menu in the restaurant, as I will only list a fraction of it that we actually ordered.

Our first starter was this funny looking dish called Rambutan Prawn. Derived from the Rambutan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan) image, the noodle-coated prawns were deep fried till they’re golden brown. Enjoyed with condiments of Chilli and Tomato sauce, it was really crunchy. The other starter was Lumpia (Spring Rolls). Another deep-fried menu, but this time was too similar with the regular spring rolls, with the exception of their tiny bite-size.

We also ordered some share plates of Siomay (Chinese Shumai) and Ceker (Chicken Feet). I will pass on the description of the second one since its admirers are so little. The first one is an Indonesian adaptation of Chinese Shumai. They were slightly more sturdy and solid in appearance and usually more flour than meat.

We had two main courses to try with and both of them had the same seasoning. One was Buntut Bakar (Grilled Oxtail). It came with the unique Melinjo crackers and vegetable soup. Again, not anyone will enjoy this kind of treat. The second one was a bit ‘neutral’, Iga Bakar BBQ (BBQ Ribs). Unfortunately, these are not those gigantic Sydney’s Hurricane’s ribs. Quite the opposite, they were pretty tiny. I think it’s fair enough, considering the very low price of it. They did come in a nice old-fashioned hot plate, with sides of fries and veggies + additional yummy BBQ sauce.

The final verdict for Kafe Halaman:

The best thing about Kafe Halaman is its variety. You can choose from Chinese, Western, to traditional Indonesian food and they’re all decent (except maybe the exotic ones – for preference / distaste). It is also one of the few restaurants that open past midnight.

Did you know?

There are at least two Kafe Halaman restaurants I know of. This spot is definitely not better than the main one. In terms of taste, it’s not really different. Getting to the mall, on the other hand, is a mammoth task. Paris Van Java is one of the hottest spot in Bandung and considering traffic generally is already pretty bad in Bandung, it is worse at this spot.

Location:

Paris Van Java, Bandung, West Java

Mar 16, 2011
Tea Room

Experience:

It’s a night to remember for our newly wedded couples, Jun Guo and Endre Kollo. They found this amazing site for their wedding, at the far end of Mosman, called Gunners’ Barracks. Stonewall building right by the sea, overlooking the panoramic Sydney, it was truly a sight to treasure.

There were three pre-dinner canapés and regretfully I missed taking picture of the first dish, which was the Aburi Salmon Tempura-coated Sushi. The second one was Grilled Scallops in Cheese. The last one was a Risotto mushroom.

There were two alternating sets of dishes presented and like any other French menu, this one was really a pain to explain. For the entrée, I got Berbere spiced Poussin, basmati rice, confit leg tortellini. Poussin is a very tender 28-days-old chicken simmered in Ethiopian’s Berbere sauce on top of basmati rice with side of duck confit. The other dish was Prawn Cannelloni, spiced Calamari, sauce Vierge. The prawn and calamari were very smooth and the sauce vierge – aka Virgin Sauce (consists of olive oil, lemon, tomato, and basil) really complemented the seafood and created the refreshing taste.

The main course was equally mouth watering. My share was Pan fried barramundi, potato gnocchi, tomato, feta and basil. Perfectly juicy barramundi on top of ultra soft gnocchi was a new combination for me and it was great. The other main was Saffron and cumin marinated rack of lamb, capsicum, roast eggplant. It was a quite colourful plate with generous servings of lamb.

After some speeches from both sides, came the desserts. Caramelised apply tarte tatin, hazelnut ice cream, calvador sauce was really an eye candy. It was an upside down caramelised apple with pastry base topped with hazelnut ice cream. I was also fortunate enough to taste the Passionfruit brulee, sable biscuit.

Their Tea Room signature came in when the coffee and tea were served. It was a flowery mug with silver milk jug.

Did you know?

There are two The Tea Room venues in Sydney, but the gunners’ barracks is by far the prettiest. On any other day, The Tea Room serves high tea and other dining menu.

Location:

The Tea Room, Gunners’ Barracks

End of Suakin Drive, Georges Heights, NSW 2088

Website:

Home

Mar 7, 2011
Sushi Samurai

Rating:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 /10

Price Range: $13 – $20 per plate

Place: 6/10

Review:

This week, we are going to explore one of the restaurants in Pyrmont that was recommended by my friend, Sushi Samurai. The restaurant looked kind of small but it’s full of people. I guess we wouldn’t make it if we hadn’t booked in advance. It’s a nice sizable restaurant but unfortunately my friend failed to tell us that there was a special menu that could be ordered one day in advance. It’s a kind of preset menu with an optional lobster.

Casting our disappointment aside, we ordered several dishes that I am going to write in the order of the timing appropriateness. I dislike the fact that our main Sashimi Platter was the first one to be served. We would have been happier if our Deep-fried Lotus Roots, Agedashi Tofu, and Tofu and Seaweed Salad were the first ones to arrive. The lotus roots were crispy but it’s kind of tasteless and bland, except for a bit of salt. Agedashi Tofu was nice, but unfortunately it’s too little of a portion for the six of us. The salad on the other hand was very fresh with silken smooth tofu. There were a rich variety of vegetables in it and it had a big portion.

On with the Sushi dishes… We ordered two sushi rolls this time, the classical California Roll and my all-time favorite Soft Shell Crab Roll. California roll was o, regular 8 pieces, but lacking in the actual quantity inside the rice. The other roll was much better presented and tasting, but it lacked the number of pieces.

In the grilled department, we ordered Teriyaki Wagyu Beef and Grilled Fish Head. The beef was certainly one of the best dishes of the day. Sizzling wagyu cuts on top of a bed of bean sprouts. Perfectly combined with the sauce! The fish on the other hand was a nightmare. It’s true that you got three gigantic fish heads, but they were really plain. I’d advise you to order additional teriyaki sauce for them.

The only other dish that’s worth mentioning is the Sashimi Platter. It was pretty, it had great assortments, and they were fresh! If it was the only dish we ordered, our judgment could’ve been slightly better.

The final verdict: There was nothing that made me want to return to the restaurant. Everything was a disappointment, except for the Sashimi platter. However, I am curious about the special menu that they offer.

Did you know?

Sushi Samurai is part of a restaurant chain, called Excellent Group, and there are several restaurants owned by this group all over Sydney. I had a glimpse of the one in Neutral Bay and it looked so much better and more spacious than the Pyrmont one.

Location:

Shop 1/16-30 Bunn St Pyrmont 2009

Website:

Feb 22, 2011
Cafe Gundel

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7 /10

Price: $35 per person

Place: 7/10

Review:

This week I am going to take you to a journey half way round the world. Similar in name to the original Cafe Gundel, this Hungarian restaurant is well known for its authenticity in home-cooked meals. They also provided nice Hungarian Beer, Dreher. Considering that the portion is humongous, my friend advised us to order one appetiser, a main, and a dessert per couple. I didn’t really obey this rule and opted for two mains instead (although one was small size).

Before we start, the owner suggested us to taste Hungary’s original Langos. Bear resemblance to Chinese’s yóutiáo(Cakwe),this dish was unfortunately one of the better ones of the night. The extra sour cream and garlic oil created a fantastic combination to the bread’s puffy and crispy taste. For the appetiser, our friend ordered Duck Liver. I understand that the dish might sound a little bit exotic, since it was duck’s liver cooked with onions and spice.

Our two dishes of the night were Veal Knuckle and Veal Goulash. Our friend was right; the dishes were massive! We got two slowly roasted – but not crispy – veal knuckles atop sautéed red cabbage and onion potatoes. The knuckles were very soft and juicy. The Goulash on the other hand, was served with nockerl (Hungarian noodles) and cucumber salad. It certainly had the aura of home-cooked meal. Possibly best served during wintertime.

Our friends ordered Oven roasted Crispy Duck with braised red cabbage & onion potatoes and Hungarian Cabbage Roll with mashed potatoes. We were told that the preparation of this cabbage roll took around 5 hours. The soup in the plate was actually the juice coming out of the meat that was slowly roasted in layers of cabbage. This dish was noteworthy because of the rice element. It was put with the meat inside the cabbage. This was evidently the only traditional Hungarian dish with rice.

We tried to order Apple and Rhubarb Crumble, but they were sold out. We had to settle for the second best in Apple Strudel. Luckily the strudel was great. Nice, warm, crispy slice of Apple strudel served with Vanilla Ice Cream. We were also fortunate to be able to taste the Cherry Strudel as well. This one was sourer than the apple but was compensated with the sweet taste of (possibly) walnut.

The final verdict: It might not be the infamous Cafe Gundel, but it’s a very good place to taste authentic Hungarian home-cooked meals. Don’t forget to order Langos since it’s not on the menu. Taste wise? It was nice, but lacks the wow factor to make it great.

Did you know?

Unfortunately Rose Bay is not a culinary place and more like a residential area.

Location:

U5/698 Old South Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029

Feb 6, 2011
Blue Ginger, South East Asian Cuisine

Rating:

8 / 10

Taste: 8.5 /10

Price: $35 – $50 per person

Place: 7.5/10

Review:

Blue Ginger has everything that I wanted in what South East Asian restaurant should be: Nice ambience, table setting that won’t let u kick your neighbour, and most importantly GREAT service – no grumpy old lady throwing plates on your table!

There are choices of Banquet menu that we chose not to have because we weren’t too sure about some of the selection. We ordered 1 appetiser, 5 main dishes, and 2 desserts. For the appetiser, it was Salt & pepper squid. Definitely not the best one Sydney has to offer and quite frankly quickly abolished my hope of having a great night.

We were made to wait for quite a while until the main course arrived but in the end all of them came at once – which was the most important feature of South East Asian dining experience. It didn’t take long before dim expectation turned into great experience.The slow braised black Angus beef short ribs (boneless) literally blew my mind away! Cut into bite sizes, the ribs were cooked to dry, glazed with special sauce and an optional cucumber relish and tamarind for an extra taste.

The next one I tasted was Crispy skin chicken Maryland. Equally yummy with its unique trait, really really crispy skin! The black vinegar dressing complemented the chicken really well.Then, the stir fried eggplant & pumpkin was made special with the addition of chilli black beans and young corns.

The next two dishes were my wife’s favourite. First one was Panang curry chicken. The curry was really smooth without any overpowering taste of the element. The second one was Stir fried Singaporean chilli prawns with snow peas. It was perfect for me due to the mild hotness of the chilli.

Considering none of the dishes were disappointing, we were tempted to try out their desserts. Our choices fell to two of the following:

–Panacotta with Palm Sugar and Pineapple Ice Cream

–Kaffir Lime Crème Brulee

In overall they were not mind blowing but more similar to Chat Thai with a Fusion to western desserts, with special credit to the Pineapple Ice cream.

The final verdict: Blue Ginger charged quite a premium price but it was by far the best (South East) Asian restaurant in Sydney! Even the desserts are much better than one-hat restaurant we went to. The short ribs were the highlight of the day, shockingly excluded from the Banquet menu! They were just simply beautiful…

Did you know?

There are some nice spots in Balmain to relax and unwind, all in walking distance. Some of the nicer ones: Great coffee in Bertoni, Adriano Zumbo’s infamous Croquembouche and Macaroons.

Location:

241 Darling St, Balmain NSW 2041

Website:

http://www.blueginger.com.au/

Jan 26, 2011