Tag: No Pork

A list of restaurants in my blog that is considered to contain no pork to the best of my knowledge

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
Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant

Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant Review:

This week, we will review a Lebanese restaurant that people talked about (at least in my circles). The restaurant name is Jasmins and it is located in Lakemba.

The restaurant itself is far from the words ‘fancy’ and ‘glamorous’. They are more like ‘down to earth’ kind of restaurant. Apparently, their falafel is quite famous and it is not something that I would normally order. Luckily, they give two falafels in every mixed plate. And I have to agree, they are the best I’ve ever tasted in Sydney.

As with any other Lebanese restaurants in Sydney, you were given complimentary bread, hommus, tabouli, and vegetables at Jasmins. They also gave us a few different sauces: garlic, chili, tomato, and BBQ.

Mixed plate (all shish kebab) – $16.50 – hommus, baba ghannouj, tabouli, falafel + lamb shish kebab (3 skewers)

When you see their mixed plate section in the menu, they were all pretty much the same thing, except for the meat. Basically you get hommus, baba ghanouj, tabouli, 2 falafel and onions.
My wife tried the lamb shish kebab first and warned me that we would be coming back for more. It has become our thing when we tasted something very good. I had no idea that shish kebab could be that good.

Lamb Shawarma (doner kebab) – $12.00 – marinated steaks + spices cooked on rotating skewer

The lamb shawarma was quite salty when eaten on its own. You should create your own kebab with the complimentary bread, vegetables and sauces provided.

Fried Bread – $6 – Fried wedges of Lebanese Bread – great with dips

I agree with the description. The fried bread is nice when enjoyed with dips. If you read my blog all these years, you should know that I like something crunchy in my meal. The fried bread suits perfectly.

Kefta Skewer Pack – $11 – 2x Skewers of Kefta, Hot Chips + juice

For the kids menu, we ordered the kefta (or kofta) skewer pack. It was quite a sizeable meal for the little one.

The final verdict for Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant

The falafel and shish kebab at Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant were on a different level! We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and would definitely come back for more!

Did you know?

There are quite a lot of Middle Eastern shops and restaurants in Lakemba. They also hosted one of the largest Eid in Australia.

Rating for Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $12 – $16.50 main dish

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

30B Haldon St, Lakemba NSW 2195

+61 2 9740 3589

http://www.jasminsrestaurant.com.au/

Dec 18, 2016
Bamiyan Restaurant

Review:

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article in Broadsheet about ‘where to eat Afghan food in Sydney’ and not long after that we dined at one of the restaurants in the article, Bamiyan in Five Dock.

Bamiyan restaurant is quite a standout yellow building in the corner of First Avenue and Cashmans Lane. The restaurant was very busy when we got there. Considering that this is our first Afghan cuisine ever, we took our time in browsing through the menu. The following four were the ones that interest us the most:

Seekh Kabab (charcoal grille) – $12.90 – Traditional Afghani Shami Kabab marinated lamb mince grilled on natural charcoal served with salad and chutney.

When half of your entree menu is filled with kabab, you are bound to choose one. Our choice went to Seekh Kabab and it was the right one! It was our favourite dish of the night, despite its not-so-appealing presentation. It came with a chutney that was too spicy for me.

Mantu (Beef-Dumplings) – $13.90 – Afghani favourite meal, ground beef, onions, dumplings with same spice and toppings with yogurt sauce, chick pea tomato and ground mince sauce, garnished with ground mint.

Mantu is a traditional Afghan dish. It is the Afghani version of dumplings. There were quite a lot of elements on the plate and it looked like a hybrid between Bolognaise sauce and dumplings. I usually am not a big fan of yoghurt in my savoury dish. However, this one is very nice!

If you really like it, they are also available as a main for $25.90.

Kabuli Pallow – $28.90 – Traditional Afghani rice slowly cooked flavoured with cumin powder & cardamom, filled with chicken pieces topped with a layer of Julian caramelized carrots, sultana and almond nuts, served with chicken korma.

Kabuli Pallow is the most expensive dish in Bamiyan. There were two plates for this. The first plate is the Afghani rice with quite a lot of fragrance flavour.

There was also a plate of chicken korma as part of the dish. It was an Afghan chicken curry with potatoes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best korma curry I’ve ever tasted.

Banjan Boranee (Eggplant) – $18.90 – Traditional Afghani dish with Fried eggplant covered with cooked tomato sauce and yogurt sauce, garnished with mint.

The eggplant was cooked with onions and green peppers. It was also drenched in tomato and yogurt sauce. It was quite similar in taste with the mantu, except for the absence of meat and dumplings.

Afghani Garlic Naan – $4.50

The final verdict for Bamiyan

Considering that this is our first time ever trying an Afghan cuisine, Bamiyan gave us a very nice impression! The dishes were bursting with flavors and were actually quite filling!

Did you know?

Bamiyan has two other restaurants in Sydney, Dural and Baulkham Hills. However, the other two are a bit too far from where I live.

Rating for Bamiyan:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $16 – $29 per main

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

175 First Avenue, Five Dock

+61 2 9712 7801

http://www.bamiyanrestaurant.com.au/

May 6, 2016
Al Aseel Restaurant – Greenacre

Review:

Al Aseel Lebanese Restaurant is consistently mentioned in any “top 10 Middle Eastern restaurants in Sydney” lists… and we are going to put it to the test!

Kibbe Naye – $15 – traditional finely blended raw lamb mixed with burghol, our secret herbs & spices topped with extra virgin oil and mint.

This is the first dish that we were very interested to try. We have eaten raw seafood, vegetables, and beef before. However, eating raw lamb feels like a whole new dimension!

It was presented quite plainly with mint leaves and raw onions. The meat was pretty dense and heavy. Obviously, this is not for everyone to try. But if you are quite adventurous (it was also our first time trying Kibbe Naye!), it was actually a nice dish to have!

Vine Leaves – $10 – rolled grape vine leaves stuffed with rice, tomato, onion & parsley served in a delicious olive oil & lemon juice dressing (4 pieces per serving)

I actually don’t mind eating this vegetarian dish and it was quite filling because of the rice wrapped inside the leaves.

Lamb Shank – $25 – rice cooked with lamb mince meat served with a braised lamb shank & served with yoghurt

I am a big fan of lamb shanks and will always be interested to order every time I see one on the menu. I first tried the combination of rice and yoghurt almost six years ago. I can eat a little yoghurt with the rice, but I still cannot eat a blob of them with rice!

Al Aseel Mixed Skewers – $32 – 2 skewers of marinated bbq chicken breast, 2 skewers of lamb & 2 skewers of kafta served with garlic dip

They have quite a few mix and match for the skewers, but I felt that this is the one that’s worth buying… Six skewers and garlic dip!

It was one of the better Lebanese skewers we’ve ever tasted in Sydney. They were quite big and was perfectly grilled!

For your information, the other skewers give you tabouli, baba ghanouj, hommus and falafel along with 3 or 4 skewers for around $3 or $4 less. So, if you prefer to have a more variety of vegetables, you might want to get them.

The final verdict for Al Aseel

Al Aseel truly deserves to be mentioned in the top 10 middle eastern restaurants in Sydney. Their skewers was very nice and the raw lamb (Kibbe Naye) was truly an eye opener!

Did you know?

There are five different Al Aseel restaurants in NSW (including one in Wollongong). The Greenacre one is the original venue.

Rating for Al Aseel Restaurant:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $30 – $40 per person

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

18 Waterloo Road, Greenacre 2190

+61 2 9758 6744

http://alaseel.com.au/

Apr 28, 2016
Sop Buntut Bogor Cafe

Review:

This is probably the most bizarre signature dish (for non-Indonesians) that I have ever written. Sop Buntut Bogor Cafe is a restaurant that serves grilled oxtail soup as its signature dish… and Indonesians (or at least most people I know) LOVE them!

These days, you can find grilled oxtail soup in quite a lot of places. However, I daresay Bogor Café in Borobudur Hotel Jakarta is the first one to do it. For this review, we went to its branch in one of the shopping malls in Jakarta.

There are quite a few dishes that use oxtail as their main ingredient at Sop Buntut Bogor Cafe.

Tahu Pong – 45k – with sweet soya – chilli sauce dip

Tahu pong is a typical Indonesian snack that is made of tahu (tofu). The tofu is then deep fried and served with sweet soya and chilli sauce.

To be honest, this one did not really look like the real ‘tahu pong’, which was usually more round with crunchy edge. However, taste wise, it did not disappoint.

Martabak Buntut – 45k – Sweet soya sauce dip and pickles

Martabak is also an Indonesian snack that you can pretty much find everywhere. However, it can be considered as a pretty ‘heavy’ snack. I think most of you would know ‘martabak’ by now (or you can read it from wiki).

The filling for its martabak was oxtail meat. Taste wise, I couldn’t really tell the difference between oxtail meat and regular beef meat. To make a good martabak, it is very important that you serve nice pickles and sweet soy sauce with it!

Oxtail Nasi Goreng – 125k – Fried Javanese rice with oxtail, pickles, stock, melinjo crackers

It is probably one of the more expensive nasi goreng dishes that you can find in Indonesia. It is the same cost as fried rice in quite a lot of Sydney restaurants!

You only got one small oxtail piece and a few shredded meat in the fried rice. Honestly, I think I would rather have three martabaks than this fried rice.

Hotel Borobudur’s Legendary Oxtail Soup Specialties – 160k – Served with steamed rice, melinjo crackers, pickles, chili sambal and lime

This is what we came here for… and yes they now actually put the word ‘legendary’ on the menu. They have two sizes, medium and legendary. The ‘legendary’ size is actually not that big for non-Indonesians. You can have the oxtail stewed in a soup (regular), grilled or fried. Traditionally, Indonesians love stewed oxtail but it also means quite a lot of fat. Grilled (and fried) oxtail on the other hand have less fat.

I’m pretty sure they were legendary because they were one of the first ones to grill oxtails. These days, you can find grilled oxtail in quite a lot of places.

The final verdict for Sop Buntut Bogor Cafe

Although Sop Buntut Bogor Cafe might be the first one to grill oxtails, it’s apparent that they are quickly losing its competitive advantage and become somewhat overpriced nostalgic restaurant… Nevertheless people are still coming in for that reason.

Did you know?

Whenever you are in Indonesia, always on the look for Avocado juice (like the one pictured below). It is such a nice drink to have!

Rating for Sop Buntut Bogor Cafe:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $4 – $20 per dish

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

Street Gallery, Ground Floor, Pondok Indah Mall

Jl Metro Pondok Indah, Jakarta

+62 21 2952 9718

Apr 20, 2016