My Home Restaurant

Bangkok - I always like the food of My Home restaurant and so Lesley and I walk down the street to have our lunch.

Stir fried spicy Mimosa leave and buds

This is one of Thailand's popular dish which it is difficult to find in Singapore.  Apparently, mimosa leave and bud is eatible.

The waitress delivered this dish to our table and immediately told her that we did not ordered this - it's free she said.  It's some homemade dumpling. 



Thai Pineapple Seafood rice





Spicy Steamed Sea Bass fish



This is a very delicious fish dish and it's slight spicy.   The Sea Bass was very fresh and the meat is so tender.  The total bill was Baht 608 (S$ 24.32) very reasonably priced.

After our apointment, whilst I was waiting for our customer to send us to the BTS station.  A kitten sneak up to me....

Big Nose Restaurant

Kuala Lumpur - The silkair flight into KL landed late and when I reach the immigration counter, there was a long queue of passengers.  Many of them were Arabs coming to KL to avoid their hot summer and having a long vacation.  On clock work, I took the luggauge cleared customs and took the KLIA to Sentral station.  

Le Meridien Hotel is undergoing massive renovation at the reception area and therefore I had to check-in at B3 instead of Level 1.   I was told the renovation would be completed by end of October 2012.

For dinner, we went to Big Nose Restaurant off Jalan Kuchai Lama.  

We chose the Kerai Fish which is a local fish.



Kerai Fish - the big fish on the left

Infamous Tahu Otah dish

The Otah is snugged between 2 slices of Tahu cooked with slices of petai (bitter beans).

You can see the Otah between slices of Tahu

Mantis Prawn fried with salted egg

The Mantis Prawn fried with salted egg was crispy on the outside, salty due to the salted egg and on the inside succulent and fresh.   This is a very delicious dish.

Not sure what's the name of this vegetable but it's my first time tasting it and it's good.  Stir fried with whole pieces of garlic.

Pork trotters tendons

This dish is new to me and it's Pork Trotters tendons cooked with Chinese wine and chilli.  The aroma is rich in wine and the tasted spicy due to the chilli.  More bones than meat, if you can call tendons 'meat'.  This is close to chicken feet cooked Cantonese style at Tim Sum (Yam Char) restaurant.

Steamed Kerai Fish Cantonese style

The Kerai Fish was served with their scales still on - of course it cannot be eaten so I wonder why the restaurant does not just remove them before serving.  The Cantonese style involves just good quality light Soya Sauce topped with garnishing of spring onions and Chinese coriander.   This is also my first time eating Kerai Fish and it's definitely fresh but there are lots of bones.   Caution when eating this fish with it's many bones and I will definitely not order this fish again.

As our stomachs still have room for one more dish - I ordered the steamed chicken garnished with lots of chopped spring onions and garlic.

I

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.

Interesting food

Jakarta - Arrived into Jakarta on time but long delays cause by massive traffic jam on route to the Hotel Le Meridien along Jl. Surdirman.   The weather is hot and humid but the ride was smooth in a Silver Bird to the Hotel.   The check-in lady that greeted me at the reception was exceptional.  Le Meridien is part of the Sheraton chain of Hotels is running an incentive to reward their excellent staff.  I have 4 cards to give away and gave one to the check-in lady @ Le Meridien Hotel.

Erwin brought me to a non-descript restaurant called 'Star Cafe' and the food I have never eaten before.