Category: Global Cuisines

All About Food Blog loves trying different cuisines from all around the world. Sometimes food has the same name but completely different look and taste.

Vine Bar Double Bay

Vine Bar Double Bay Experience:

We went to Vine in Double Bay by invitation from the restaurant and I.AM.STRATEGIST. Vine has undergone a renovation for their Short Street restaurant in Double Bay. They had their grand reopening party one day before our visit.

Vine Bar have quite a simple menu. I like a simple menu because I don’t need to think hard on what I want.

Baguette | Salted butter – $3

Our kid really loved warm baguette with salted butter. I also couldn’t stop eating them.

½ roast chicken | sauce Provencal | eggplant – $26

This meal is still for the little one. However, being half a chicken, we managed to have a few bites. The semi-boneless chicken was wonderful. It was also the most complete main dish of the night (i.e. you can pretty much have this for dinner without anything else).

Oyster | Mignonette – $4.5 each

You need to order a minimum of three oysters. It’s always nice to start the night with a couple of oysters.

Terrine du jour | brioche | pear chutney | cornichons – $14

The terrine of the day was venison. We could not get enough of it!

Curiously, in this plate we received two slices of toast and not brioche.

Salmon carpaccio | yuzu & trout roe vinaigrette | marjoram | toast – $18

The idea of having salmon carpaccio with yuzu and trout roe vinaigrette was exciting to me. However, I still prefer the terrine over this.

Beef Tri-tip | caramelised fennel | pomegranate – $29

Beef tri-tip is the only red meat dish at Vine Bar that night. Personally, the portion was quite small(It must be noted that being a meat eater, I’m used to gigantic portion of meat). I love the caramelised fennel.

Goat cheese soufflé | peas | nuts | seeds (v) – $25

My wife ordered the goat cheese souffle and seemed to be enjoying it a lot. It reminded me of an Indonesian dish called macaroni schotel.

Crème Brulee | pistachio | Amarena cherry – $12

Pistachio and crème brulee… they are a match made in heaven!

Vine Bar Double Bay

We enjoyed our dinner at Vine Bar Double Bay. Most notably, it was reasonably priced – Nothing is over $30 (except for the shared desserts).

Did you know?

They have a big shared plate for dessert, called Assiette Mignardise. It looked quite tempting when searching in google. However, I had no one to share it with.

Details:

2 Short St, Double Bay NSW 2028

+61 2 9363 0010

http://vinebar.com.au/

Feb 23, 2017
Mottomoo – House of Hamburg

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Mottomoo has advised that they have changed their concept and menu. We will be updating the content of this blog post accordingly.

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Mottomoo Review:

I actually wasn’t planning on reviewing this restaurant. I was at Mottomoo because I tried to have a quick lunch for the little one before meeting a friend. Unexpectedly, I was quite impressed with their quality. Hence here we are talking about it!

The restaurant is located in one of the high end malls in Jakarta, called Pacific Place. The little one was craving for a Japanese restaurant. More specifically, the craving was for Japanese salmon teriyaki. It’s really hard to find even a decent salmon teriyaki in Indonesia.

Salmon Teriyaki Don – 63k – Japanese rice bowl with Norwegian Salmon fillet brushed in special house made teriyaki sauce

It was probably one of the more elaborate teriyaki don I have ever seen. In addition to the usual suspects, they also added mushroom, corn and seaweed.

Nicely done salmon teriyaki = happy kid.

Cheese Tater Tots – 45k

I thought I could use some snack before the main dish. I chose deep fried cheese sticks with some sort bolognaise dipping sauce.

Mushroom pepper Hamburg with Truffle – 89k.

This is what I love the most about Mottomoo. Japanese Hamburg is a fusion of Japanese and Western-style cooking. I love how Mottomoo grilled its Hamburg. It was still juicy and mixed really well with the mushroom pepper and truffle. Have that with a bowl of rice, and you have one nice meal!

The final verdict for Mottomoo – House of Hamburg

I did not expect their food could be good. But, I was wrong. I enjoyed the meal we had at Mottomoo.

Did you know?

Pacific Place has a real-sized sail boat (floating on a miniature lake) inside the mall!

Rating for Mottomoo:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: Rp 50k – Rp 80k for main

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Pacific Place Mall, 5^th floor

Jl Jenderal Sudirman, SCBD, Jakarta

+62 21 5797 3026

Mottomoo on Facebook

Feb 17, 2017
La Bufala Pizzeria

La Bufala Review:

We are trying out a new pizzeria in Mascot’s new shopping precinct, La Bufala. How do they compare with the more established wood-fired pizzerias in Sydney?

Considering that they were pretty new, I was surprised that the menu already looked so old and quite unappealing. However, we soldiered on and ordered what we usually loves best from a pizzeria.

Polenta Fritta – $15 – Polenta chips with blue cheese dipping sauce

I love polenta chips. The all-powerful blue cheese dip was the perfect company for the chips.

Bufala – $23 – San Marzano tomato, fresh buffalo mozzarella & cherry tomatoes

Bufala pizza is part of the pizze rosse (red pizza) menu. I can’t really taste the texture of their Buffalo mozzarella. Also, it looked like they were added in along with the cherry tomatoes after the pizza was cooked.

Tartufo – $24 – Fior di latte cheese, porcini mushroom, prosciutto & truffle

Tartufo pizza is part of their pizze bianche (white pizza) menu. We had to take out the prosciutto because some of the guests did not eat ham. Even without prosciutto, I still enjoyed this pizza more than the other one.

Gnocchi La Bufala – $24 – Gnocchi, napoletana sauce and buffalo mozzarella

The menu was supposed to be Gnocchi La Bufala, but we asked them to switch the gnocchi with Tagliatelle. The kids usually prefer the long pasta than the dumpling-shaped ones.

Nutella crepes – $16 – with mascarpone & fresh strawberries.

I am not a big fan of the crepe. There was only a hint of mascarpone and not enough Nutella. Also instead of Pistachio, I think it would be MUCH better if they give a scoop of ice cream instead.

The final verdict for La Bufala

La Bufala is quite a decent pizzeria if you are around Mascot area. However, they still have quite a big catching up to do if they want to compete with the rest.

Did you know?

If you are having a meeting around this area, I would suggest you to take the train to Mascot station. The traffic can be unforgiving.

Rating for La Bufala:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $17 – $25 for pizza

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Shop 17, Mascot Central

19 – 33 Kent Road, Mascot NSW 2020

+61 2 8319 4090

http://www.labufala.com.au/

Feb 14, 2017
Solo Culinary Tourism | What to eat in Solo?

On this occasion, our family went to Solo to attend a big family reunion from my father’s side. This week’s review is probably a little different because instead of roaming through the city of Solo, our host already prepared the best food Solo had to offer in their place (or more like a palace ^^).

For those of you who have never been to the city, this article can probably help you to answer “What to eat in Solo?”

Solo Culinary Tourism

Tengkleng

Tengkleng is one of the few dishes originated from Solo. This dish resembles Indonesian goat curry with additional internal organs thrown in the mix.

Tengkleng that we enjoyed came from Warung Tengkleng Mbak Diah – Tanjung Anom, Sukoharjo – 0271 644069.

Bebek Remuk H Slamet

Bebek remuk is loosely translated into smashed duck. It wasn’t that pleasing to see.. considering that it looked crushed up with bones everywhere. You actually need to scoop up the meat that falls off the bone.

Bebek Remuk H Slamet has quite a few branches spread around the city of Solo.

Soto Gading

Soto in the city of Solo has a similar appearance to a clear soup. Personally, the main attraction in Rumah Makan Gading II for me is the little bites that are served on the table (no you don’t need to finish them all!).

Also, don’t forget to remember what you are eating, because they do not keep track of it.. thus your honesty is appreciated here!

Shi Jack

Shi Jack was one of the more interesting phenomena in Solo. Quite a lot of people in Solo likes to hangout in a street stall and drink milk at night! There are quite a few Shi Jack branches in Solo. We happened to visit their branch in front of Lapangan Kota Barat in Solo. In addition to their milk products, they also serve snacks such as quail egg satay.

What to Eat in Solo? What else is available on this Solo Culinary Tourism?

Pasar Gede + Dawet Selasih

I enjoyed my time roaming through the traditional market of Solo, Pasar Gede. There are quite a lot of things that you would not be able to find in a supermarket, including traditional herbs and medicines. While we were at the market, we managed to try Dawet Selasih Bu Watik. This rice-flour-based dessert, also known as Cendol, was pretty refreshing in a hot weather of Solo. A lot of people also goes to Pasar Gede to find some food to be given out as souvenirs (it’s normal to give souvenirs in the form of food in Indonesia).

Srabi Notosuman

Srabi Notosuman is one of my favourite snacks. It is now available in other parts of Indonesia, but Solo is where it all started!

Nasi Liwet

Nasi liwet is available everywhere in Solo. On this occasion, we had the one served at the party in Solo Paragon Hotel.

Others

There are quite a few dishes that I tried whilst in Solo, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take individual pictures. In no particular order they are: Gudeg mbak Yati, Ayam Sukoharjo mbak Yuli, sate ayam pak Tukri Ponorogo, Selat Solo and Gempol Pleret.

What is Culinary Tourism?

Indonesians love to eat (including me). Their overabundance love of food enables them to create a whole new phrase dedicated to the journey of finding good food. Hence, the term ‘Wisata Kuliner‘ was born. It was hard to find the English phrase for it. However, after brainstorming session with my friends, we decided to use the term ‘Culinary Tourism’ to describe this phenomena because someone has written a thesis about it.

The City of Solo

Solo, or officially called Surakarta, is located in Central Java, East of Jogjakarta. One of their main attractions, besides the food obviously, are the palace of Kasunanan and the traditional Batik Solo.

Solo is also the birthplace and residence of Indonesia’s first Formula 1 driver, Rio Haryanto.

Feb 10, 2017
Haji’s Biryani Restaurant

Haji’s Biryani Review:

Haji’s Biryani is located in Lakemba, Sydney. The restaurant is your typical neighbourhood and old-fashioned restaurant with unassuming appearance. Their curry costs between $13 – $16 and a few extra dollars for seafood ones.

There were only the three of us, hence we didn’t order a lot when we first came in. Since then, we’ve ordered their dishes via one of those food delivery service companies.

Biryani – $14.90 – Speciality of the house aromatic nice and tender pieces of marinated meat cooked together with assorted of freshly ground herb and spices

My friend told me this is their specialty and the one he ordered a lot when visiting the restaurant. Biryani is the perfect dish if you don’t share with the table. They give you quite a generous serving of rice and meat with one boiled egg.

For the meat, you have a choice between Lamb, chicken, beef, goat, and vegetables. On this occasion, we tried their chicken biryani.

Goat Curry – $14.90 – Tender goat meat on the bone sautéed and blended in a sauce on onions, garlic & chili with potatoes

It was quite a spicy goat curry.

Naan – $3.00 – $3.50 – Garlic, Peshwari, cheese, butter, plain

They have five different types of naan as written above. On this occasion, we chose garlic and cheese naan. The garlic and cheese taste were not too overwhelming… and that’s good because we want the curry taste to be more prominent.

Raita – $2.50 – yogurt with cucumber

Raita is my best friend in an Indian restaurant! This side dish makes the super-hot dishes more bearable. Considering that a lot of authentic Indian dishes are quite spicy, I am never far away from Raita.

The final verdict for Haji’s Biryani

Hot! That’s what my impression of Haji’s Biryani dishes. Even their ‘mild’ options can still be considered as hot for most people in Sydney. The price was quite reasonable for dishes in Haji’s Biryani.

Did you know?

Lakemba is a suburb generally linked as an Arab/Muslim suburb, due to the many Middle Eastern establishments in the area and the presence of Lakemba Mosque.

Rating for Haji’s Biryani:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $13 – $22 main dish

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

158 Haldon Street, Lakemba NSW 2195

+61 2 9750 3993

http://www.hajibiryani.com.au/

Feb 7, 2017
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant Review:

When I get back to Indonesia, I always ask my friends and families to recommend me a new restaurant to try. This year, my brother recommended me to go to this week’s restaurant, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ. There are quite a few of them in Indonesia already and we tried the one in Tunjungan Plaza 4, Surabaya.

They have three types of menu: a la carte, standard, and premium all you can eat. The premium all you can eat costs almost twice as much as the standard one. However, it does come with wagyu beef, prawn and soft shell crab. On this occasion, we chose the standard one because almost all of their main dishes are included in the standard version, at around $23++ (tax and services).

Meat

The standard version came with three types of beef cuts, two types of chicken and assortments of sausages. The more important thing to order here is the condiments that accompany these cuts. They have spicy miso, garlic and butter, and cheese sauces. They really enhance the flavour of the meat.

Staples

We usually stay away from rice and the likes in an all-you-can-eat restaurant. However, if you really must order, they have four different kinds of rice, a ramen, and a few soups. We tried the Gyu-Kaku rice because the menu mentioned it should go well with karubi beef.

Cooked for you

They have a few deep fried stuff, vegetables, and quite a lot of salad.

Seafood

The seafood section is almost non-existent in this restaurant. The standard menu only has squid and the premium one has soft shell crabs, prawns, and fish cakes.

Desserts

Milk pudding and vanilla ice cream are the desserts for the standard version. There is only an extra sweet potato for the premium version.

The final verdict for Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant

Their standard buffet menu is a great value for money. The quality of their meat was pretty good and the condiments made it even better!

Did you know?

Gyu-Kaku is apparently an American restaurant chain. Looking at the American website, their menu is significantly different than the ones offered in Indonesia.

In Jakarta there are two types of Gyu-Kaku restaurants, the normal one and Gyu-Kaku prime.

Gyu-Kaku’s interesting feature is its grill that sucks up smoke and pushing it downwards. So, less smoke sticking on your shirt!

Rating for Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $23++ / $40++ all-you-can-eat

Place: 9.0 / 10

Details:

Tunjungan Plaza 4 Level 5

Jalan Basuk Rachmat 8 – 12, Surabaya 60261

+62 31 546 8349

Indonesian Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant’s facebook page

Jan 31, 2017