Tim Ho Wan - A Dim Sum Experience

For those who are up-to-date with the culinary news around Jakarta, you might know that Tim-Ho-Wan is already here for quite a while. You might also have heard that it holds a Michelin Star Award in Hong Kong. Being a Dim Sum restaurant, it is a rarity to receive such award which has been known to be given commonly to Western fine dining. 

Now the question is, would it be bringing all of its quality from Hong Kong to Jakarta? 

The restaurant is located at Pantai Indah Kapuk, Ruko Crown Golf. While there are a lot of places in PIK to eat, this one is specifically located near Ikkudo. If you still don't know where it is, simply go to PIK and go straight, and go left at the huge roundabout near Yayasan Tzu Chi, and go straight to the parking lot. It will be located near the end. 

In this long Lebaran Weekend, we decided to give it a shot and theorize that we might not have to queue. We were wrong obviously. Typically the restaurant opens from 8.00 AM in the morning, but due to Lebaran, it starts to open from 11.00 AM, and people actually queued from 10.30. Now that's a bit crazy. When we come at 11.00 AM, we have to wait for almost and hour.

We decided to take a picture of the menu just for an easy reference for everyone. 

Pay a Close Attention

Keep in mind that the portioning is typically 3 pieces per portion, therefore if you're that picky about sharing, we suggest just order more. 

To start, we ordered the Kue Lobak / Radish Cake. It is nice and delicious, but might not be for everyone's taste as the taste of radish might put a few people off. For those who like it, it is both crispy and rich at the same time. 

Rp 31,800

Next is the Cheong Fun with BBQ Pork. This taste exacrly like Cheong Fun and Pork, so I don't know what else to describe. It tastes OK but portion is definitely on the smaller side. The plus side is, it is so full of meat unlike what we commonly find in other premises. Again, quite pricey for it's portion.

Rp 36,800

The weirdo of the day would probably the Baso Goreng Udang Seafood w/ Saus Apricot. Now, I am kinda lost with the exact location of the seafood, as this is mainly made with Yam / Talas and the filling makes me wonder what is it exactly, being white and colourful and stuff. Personally I thought this is too bizzare. What a shame.

Rp 38,800

Of course, Dim Sum would not be complete when you're not ordering Siomay and Hakao. 

One of the thing that we notice from both of them is that Tim Ho Wan is really generous with the filling, but still it does not taste way better than other places we have tasted. Somewhat pricey as well.

Rp 38,800

Rp 43,800

Another interesting thing is the Hakao with Prawn and Spinach. This is  one of my favorite - very tasty and rich in garlic. The spinach is really fresh. 

Rp 26,800

We also ordered the fried and steamed Prawn Lumpia. I personally liked the steamed version better as the fried one is a bit too dry to my liking. Again, not too different with what you'll commonly find in other upscale Dim Sum places.

Steamed Lumpia, Rp 33,800

Fried Lumpia, Rp 33,800

Now, the champion of the day, is obviously the famed BBQ Pork Bun / Bakpao Babi BBQ (just imagine how many B's are there). The crust of the bun is rich, flavorful, crispy, and moist at the same time. The inside is also very, very delicious, tasty, and full of flavor. We ordered two of these simply because they're amazing.

Rp 43,800. Amazing stuff. 

Their service is really, really fast. Our food was served less than 5 minutes of ordering. It seems the staffs are well-trained to handle such crowd, so I can safely say you won't wait for too long to get your food ready.

Price wise however, it's quite expensive for a Dim Sum, and there are many other options in Jakarta where you can get similar or even better experience with less price.

 The amount of crowd will also make you less likely to have a nice, quiet time to enjoy your food, as the seating is very tight and environment is noisy.

It's a nice little clean place however, and it seems to be managed well, so for me that's a plus point. Kindly note that you cannot make reservation, so be ready to queue. 

We're not really sure on the overall verdict, because again there are better options in Jakarta with lesser price. Feel free to give it a try though. We would probably only go back for the BBQ Pork Bun.

Tim Ho Wan

Ruko Crown Golf, Blok D No. 8-10

 Bukit Golf Mediterania, Jl. Raya Marina Indah, 14470

Ta Chia Bak Kut Teh - Muara Karang

This place has been my favorite but I always forgot to take some pictures.

Earlier this month we visited this little gem called Ta-Chia in Muara Karang. This place is well known for it's Bak Kut Teh, although it also has some noodles too. In this post, I'm going to share my experience with the Bak Kut Teh.

For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is basically a pork ribs soup, traditionally served together with oolong tea, which was believed to be able to dilute the fat after you consume the soup. A common misconception is that the soup itself contains tea, which is not.   

The place itself is a simple and no-frills place, comfortable enough to dine for two as well as for family gathering. There are a lot of choices within the menu, therefore feel-free to browse through it. 

We ordered two of the Bak Kut Teh, which itself contains the pork ribs as well as some other different cuts of meat. The soup itself is very heartwarming and has a delicious herbal taste - perfect if you are into herbal food. It doesn't feel too fatty or oily, therefore you can enjoy the soup guilt-free. The pieces of pork themselves have been infused perfectly with the taste of the soup, making the whole bowl enjoyable to the maximum. 

Within the soup, you will have a whole clove of garlic, which further enhance the taste. 

Of course, it would not be perfect without some dumplings (wo tie) to accompany the soup and a plate of cakwe for perfection's sake. The pork dumplings are very soft yet crispy. Definitely will get you asking for more. 

With the dumpling, cakwe, 2 portion of Bak Kut Teh, and 2 drinks, I only paid no more than Rp 170K. For such a unique and rich taste, I believe the value for money is rather good. It's kinda hard to find a good Bak Kut Teh in Jakarta, and this is one of them.  

Interested? Visit : 

Ta Chia 

JL. Pluit Karang Timur Blok O VIII Timur No. 59,

Penjaringan, Jakarta, 14450

Tel : +6221 - 661 9086

FOOK YEW

Chinese Food with Attitude

I have been very busy with my work lately I haven't been able to update anything! So deeply apologize for the late update

Last time, we went to Gandaria City and visited this place called Fook Yew (quite popular already, but hey - never too late too try)

It was very crowded on Saturday and we had to wait for like 10 minutes before getting seated - which is not bad at all! As you can see, the decoration is very flashy and eye-catching.

Without further ado, we go straight for the menu. 

We ordered the X.O. Fried Rice, Hong Kong Fried Noodle, Stir Fried Brocolli with Garlic, Chicken Garlic Sheng Jian Bao (or basically Fried Xiao Long Pao), and an Avocado Pudding as the dessert. Plus two drinks.

My X.O. Fried Rice was delicious as expected, and the portion is not too much, although it is also perfect for sharing should you plan to eat it with other dishes

The Hong Kong Fried Noodle was quite okay, although nothing is really special about it. It is being served in a Hollywood-style Chinese lunch box, so it looks kinda funny after a while 

The Chicken Garlic Sheng Jian Bao was delicious and the chicken filling is quite plentiful and savory, although the skin is very slightly a bit too thick for our taste, but didn't matter so much in the end.

You should also try the stir fried broccoli. An excellent combination of garlic and vegetable which would be a great 'friend' to be eaten with rice and some other dishes.

Finally, we come to our dessert which was the Avocado Pudding, topped with chocolate sauce. I found this very refreshing and taste perfect for avocado lovers. The texture is rather similar with Mango Pudding that you can find at dim sum restaurants, only it is avocado. Hope you get the picture.

With the price of roughly Rp 280 K, Fook Yew is a recommended alternative for those who wishes to try a new kind of Chinese Food in the town. Our adventurous belly suggests that we should come back here to try other stuffs (and share the story with you!).

Paradise Dynasty

Chinese Food Day - Part 2

A continuity of the Chinese Food Day!

Today, we happen to have a voucher that we can use at Paradise Dynasty and we decided to use it. Now, even though with vouchers, we still ordered additional stuff.  

Besides, who's saying we can't review food from vouchers? All restaurants are obliged to serve the best anyway :D

It's a nice,luxurious looking place with a warm lighting and high-quality display. You would probably also expect exceptional dishes being served here.

Without further ado, we quickly found a seat and ordered our voucher menu, plus some additional ones to make things complete

As we ordered quite a few, below is our review on each of the dishes

1. Sweet and Sour Chicken 

Taste is kinda OK, not too special but still enjoyable

2. Spinach with Garlic 

 A simple dish that we ordered just for some greens

3. Hot & Sour Soup

We find this soup to be very rich-tasting and superb. A very good combination of tastes. We truly recommend this one

4. Chicken Soup

 A nice savoury soup with an original taste. Compared with the hot and sour, this one tastes more original and simple, however still delicious

5. Chicken Xiao Long Bao 

The Chicken Xiao Long Pao was not really up to the expectation. We tried the pork one before and the pork one taste much better.

6. Deep Fried Scallion

This is definitely one of the best fried food that we've ever eaten. Crunchy and savoury with a taste of scallion obviously

7. Red Bean Pancake

A one-of-a-kind dessert in which a layer of chocolate is covered in crispy layers

8. Coconut Pudding

Sweet and fresh, although it is kind of different with other coconut pudding. The colour is usually white, while this one is very clear as seen in the picture

Overall, we had an amazing experience and wishing to return and order entirely different things. This place has a lot of potential. 

Overall spending without the voucher would be around Rp 420K. Not bad considering we ordered A LOT

Tounge definitely pleased. Find the address below :

Plaza Senayan, P5 Fl Unit CP 512 - 513Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8JakartaTel :(021) 5790 - 0146

Kwetiau Singapore

Chinese Food Day - Part I

So this day I wanted pick up my mom at the airport so I decided to have a quick lunch at Pluit instead.

We went to Kwetiau Singapore (funny since I didn't order Kwetiau ar all - maybe next time) on Pluit. As the picture suggests, it is highly visible from the street so I doubt you can miss it. It is right across a car repair shop

The place was homey and very comfortable, probably since the lunch time crowd is never as many as a dinner crowd.



We kinda know what to order there so we proceed with 2 portions of rice, Lindung cah Fumak (basically Eel with Vegetables), Prawn Spring Roll, and Oyster Omelette


The Prawn Spring Roll tastes amazing - it is very crunchy, tasty, and most importantly, the flavour is all over it.

The Oyster Omelette is also nice, however it is served best with the sambal provided if a fishy kind of smell is not into your taste. 

Lindung Cah Fumak, as seen here, looks and does taste delicious. It is a good alternative from those Chinese food you can find in shopping malls

We did not find any pork products though, therefore it's all halal. 

As a dessert, we ordered Es Solo, pretty much a traditional Indonesian dessert commonly found in many restaurants. The content of the dessert is various, and taste just right and not overly sweet. I forgot to take a picture of it, many apologies!!

We spend around Rp 150K including tea and rice. Not really an extremely cheap dining experience but we think the price is worth it 

Tongue Pleased on this occasion. 

Find the address below :

Jalan Pluit Selatan Raya St. No. 61
Penjaringan,Jakarta, 14440
Ph : +6221-6623232, +6221-6627511

Kwetiau Akang

2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to go back to Akang after 2 years. I know I could've gone there multiple times in a year,

but somehow I always get swerved by other treats

This time, I've committed myself to enjoy it once more

When I arrived it was already around 8 PM, however I believe this is actually the peak hour. I was glad I could get a seat for both of us! Akang is open only in the EVENING, around dinner time and they open until very late, so plan your culinary travel time accordingly. 

Conveniently located just at the right side of Jalan Muara Karang, with a visible blinking red sign in the night, this restaurant is already quite famous among foodies who like to try street foods. Despite being a street restaurant, it is very clean and well maintained. A plus point for me.

 As much as we would like to devour everything on the menu, we kept things realistic :D

We ordered 1 Kwetiau Siram (with pork) and 1 Kweatiau Goreng Isi (again, with pork), plus 2 portion of Wotie. 

The wotie, as an appetizer, left a very strong impression on us, mainly because it is not served like any other wotie you might find around Muara Karang or any other typical Chinese Food or Chinese Street Food around. The wotie was fried with a nicely done crispy texture on the outside and with a juicy bunch of meat on the inside.

We bought another portion to be taken home to be eater later on that night

Have to say, this is the best kwetiau I've ever eaten. I can't be bothered to use the proper English language for kwetiau because this is just too delicious.

The Kwetiau Siram is just as expected : tasty and having the right texture. The amount of soup poured onto the dish is just right and not overwhelming. 

The Kwetiau Goreng Isi is just as delicious. While I am more into Kwetiau Siram in general, when I tasted my girlfriend's dish it was awesome and really, really worth a try in the future

It is also said that the tomato noodle (Mie Tomat) is also one of the signature dish. I'm going to make sure I'll  get that one

The portion, as you can see, is not that huge. Those who have a large appetite might want to order two of everything served. 

All in all, with 2 kwetiau, 2 wotie, and 2 drinks, we paid Rp 130++ K. We can't say it's cheap, but for sure it's not too expensive either. 

Interested? Go pay a visit and find the address below

Kwetiau Akang
JL Muara Karang Raya Z-6 Selatan no 21 ,

Muara Karang – Jakarta Utara

Phone: 021 661 0359 / 021 668 1659

Opening hours : Dinner time - Late