People queuing to buy Ikan Bandeng

Yogyakarta - We took our breakfast to make our way back to Semarang - a 3hr journey and then fly to Jakarta and then back to Singapore.   It will be one full day of traveling for me.

When we reach near Semarang, Pak Adi and Erwin bought Bandeng which is famous for Indonesia.  I have no idea what is Ikan Bandeng is until I checked Google translate and it is Milkfish.  

I never knew how to cooked Milkfish as it has lots and lots of bones.  When I was in Manila, they love their milkfish too and I was told that they individually will take out each bone and then marinate it.   I tried it sauteed and it taste delicious.

At this famous store selling Ikan Bandeng, there were lots of customers all queuing up to buy this fish. The fishes were marinated in different sauces and styles. 

Milkfish or Ikan Bandeng

 
 

Lots of people queuing to buy Ikan Bandeng

 

Journey to Jogyakarta

Jogyakarta - Got up early @ 7AM as we have a long journey from Semarang to Jogyakarta (Jogja is the shorter name).   The car journey will take us 3hrs we stop for breakfast at around 9:40am @ Semarang famous Soto Ayam.



Soto Ayam

This Soto Ayam is cooked with rice, slices of chicken and in a delicious broth.   The restaurant is spartan but the food is good.  After a hearty breakfast, we are on our way.

For lunch, we stop at this restaurant with nice ambiance and traditional Javanese decor.




Lots of Koi around the ponds



The Restaurant decor with solid wooden pillars

Such a lovely setting for a lunch.  I think it would look even beautiful in the evening.

Chin Chow Drink

My Chin Chow (Grass Jelly) drink happened to be the sweetest half the glass was filled with Gula Melaka (Palm sugar) - very sweet top with coconut puree.

Traditional Salad

Fried Gurame Fish

This is a very delicious dish with the Gurame Fish deep fried and top with the sweet sour sauce. 

Prawns BBQ with Honey

Kang Kong stired fried with chilli

Pak Adi, Pak Erwin, Lesley and I

This restaurant keeps 2 caged tigers and it is within walking distance.  Maybe for diners that did not pay up it will be fresh meal for the tigers.

The Tigers look majestic and beautiful. We continue out journey to Jogja....

At around 4:30PM, we stop for another break.  Another 1 more hour before we reach Jogja.

Tahu Pojok store

Bottle of Fruit Tea

Tahu Pojok

This dish is deep fried Taofu with fried shallots, bean sprouts served in peanut sauce.  Similiar to what we call in Singapore - Tahu Goreng.

Semarang

Semarang - Today will be my first time to Semarang - the city on the north coast on the island of Java.   The city population is estimated at 1.5m people but Greater Semarang is about 5m.  This was a major port during the Dutch colonial era and called Bergota.  Semarang is still a busy port due to its strategic location midway along Java's north coast.

it is a melting pot of Chinese, Javanese and European cultures since at least the 17th century.  As a result of its large ethnically Chinese population, the city boasts several Chinese temples. These include Sam Poo Kong (Gedung Batu), built in honour of the Chinese Great Admiral Zheng He who visited the area in 1405.


The flight from Jakarta into Achmad Yani International Airport, was delayed by 1hr 20 mins.  The flight was to depart @ 5pm and we only left the tarmac @ 6:20pm.   We managed to check-in Lesley baggage whilst he was still sitting in his taxi in a heavy traffic jam.  We got the baggage stubs and boarding passes waiting for Lesley to arrive. 

Checked-into Grand Candi Hotel and then ready for good Semarang food.  Pak Adi brought us to a road side stall selling chicken rice.  The most famous chicken rice stall in Semarang.

Chicken Rice stall advertisement

Very delicious

The taste of this chicken rice is 'heavenly' comes with slices of chicken, half braised egg, vegetable with hot spices that gave the nice flavour to the white rice; served on banana leaf.   Each of us had 2 servings of this chicken rice as it's quite a small portion.

Assortment of cold dishes

 I did not try any of these as it was left out in the open; really do not want to get an upset stomach.  The dish is quail eggs and all kinds of cooked innards of the chicken.

Erwin tucking into his delicious chicken rice

Racikan Selat

Jakarta - After the smooth flight from Singapore, I took the silver Bird cab waiting outside the airport and it cost me Rp 200,000 to the Hotel.   It is always my policy to take the Blue Bird family - Blue Bird, Silver Bird and the higher end Golden Bird. 

When we reach the edge of Jakarta city, the cab travel came to a crawl and the traffic was bad - took me roughly one and a half hours to reach Le Meridien Hotel.   Had to quickly unpacked, iron my shirt and get ready as my partner will pick me up @ 1pm for lunch and meeting.

Lunch as a new experience with the food I had never tasted before.   I even took a photo of the menu because there are so many new dishes on it.

Es Mangga

Es = Ice
Mangga = Mango

There are nice slices of Mango in this drink and it  taste refreshing.

Deep fried cow skin

Definitely unhealthy as it's the skin of the cow deep fried but it tasted so good and crispy.   

Racikan Selat

Racikan Selat is salad dish that originates from the city of Solo.   Solo is a city in Central Java.   This dish is more like a beef stew - there are slices of beef, potato wedges, potato chips, carrots, lettuce, green beans,  braised egg,  Lontong (compressed rice cake) and served with sweet soybean-based sauce and eggy mayonnaise. 

Nasi Pecel

 Nasi pecel is a Javanese rice dish served with pecel (cooked vegetables and peanut sauce). The vegetables are usually kangkung or water spinach and a fried egg.

Tahu Pong

Tahu Pong = Hollow Toufu

This dish was served with fried egg and also some prawn battered.  The chilli paste is what makes this dish delicious.

Tokyo Skytree view from my room

Tokyo - I can see the Tokyo Skytree from my room and this is the hottest tourist spot now in Tokyo. 

Day time view

Night view of the Tokyo SkyTree

Raining in Tokyo

Tokyo - I arrived @ 5.30pm and looking out of the plane cabin; it has been raining.   The plane that I arrived on was a big jumbo A380 and it was put at the far end of the terminal.   It was a long walk to the immigration and by the time I arrive there, there was a long queue and it was snaking around with about 20 per row and 10 rows.   There were only 2 counters serving these amount of people very unlike the prior trips I made. 

By the time I finished and took my limo bus it was at 6.35pm to reach T-CAT and then a taxi to the hotel; it was already very late.   All the time I was thinking should I have sushi or cutsi (pork chop).   I would think that dinner with Terry will be a good sushi or sushi so I opt for my cutsi restaurant.

Quickly put my lugguage down, and walk to the restaurant and saw the sign that Subway is here.   I was thinking 'please don't take my pork chop restaurant; I love the tender and juicy pork chop and it was there.  Free flow of green tea, miso soup and salad - price Yen1,700

Transit in Seoul

Seoul - I had meeting with Kevin and then we adjourned for lunch at a nearby Sushi restaurant. 

Tuna head broiled

Appetisers

Mackerel  or Saba fish

Very nicely grilled and the meat within is to tender and juicy.

The main course - sashimi

Very succulent and delicious raw tuna fish meat...yummy!

Fried tuna meat in sweet and sour sauce

This dish was very tastefully done and the meat is so tender....Kevin asked for another round of sashimi and by the time we left the restaurant, we were bloating with tuna.