Depot Gang Djangkrik at Sungkono

HELLO THERE! DO YOU MISS ME?

For the holiday (part 1) my cousins and I went to Surabaya to visit our Surabayan cousins for a lengthy 10 days. Of course, besides goofing around and wrecking our cousins place, we were also taken to a culinary adventure. Lots of food places were gone to, though unfortunately I can't fit them all in this blog, and most of the time my cousins were too excited for food that they eat them right away, giving me no chance to catch snapshots of the food.

This post will be one of the two Surabayan eateries that I managed to plan a review on. This will be a short review, not as long as usual.

Actually, we ordered around 6 menus here, at Depot Gang Djangkrik. But I only fit 3 menus here because three of the items were; you guessed it; already eaten by my mutinous cousins. Very well then, here goes the pictures.

Cwie Mie Udang Tempura, 28k.

The price is just right - noodles with three chunks of shrimp (which should be named katsu instead of tempura), pieces of chicken and pangsit on the side, how can it not be a good deal? And also, the taste is not disappointing at all.

Nasi Goreng Bacon, 33k.

You heard me, it is bacon! And man were they generous in giving the bacon, which was cooked to crisp goodness. The fried rice itself was a little bit spicy and had an overall salty, tangy taste. 

Nasi Goreng Kepiting, 30k.

Crab fried rice that costs 30k? Are you serious? Crab chunks can be found at every spoon, and their freshness were undoubted. The fried rice had the exact same flavor as the Bacon Fried Rice.

For those who are not a fan of red fried rice, don't fret, Chinese fried rice (the white colored one) is also served, although you need to specify your choice to the waiter. Classic Chinese foods are also available on the menu.

A decent meal with a not-so-extravagant price? Check. Really guys, if you are visiting Surabaya or Malang by any chance, check out this place. 

Depot Gang Djangkrik

Ruko Grand Sungkono, Blok A-7, No. 176-178

Jl. Mayjend Sungkono

Surabaya

031-5670755 / 031-5632586

Locale Diner at PIK

I AM BACK TO REVIEWING!

After a few posts consisting of only reports and pictures, I am finally jumping back the reviewing wagon. This post is going to be a review the peculiar looking, rather eye catching restaurant which is in a shape of a bus ( a light blue one, to be exact).

Here's a shot of the diner's interior:

I was only around for a snack because me and my girls had just attended another friend's birthday lunch so we pretty much felt that our tummies were close to bursting. Beforehand, I apologize for the terrible photo quality; we were sitting right by the window and were having too much fun to bother to move, or do anything correctly. Tehee.

On to the dishes, then!

Bolognese French Fries, 38k.

To be honest, the fries are soggy and the bolognaise sauce lacked the minced meat that the menu have promised. The flavor of the sauce is just ordinary and the fries was not spiced. The cheese on top did not even taste like cheese. All in all, I think it's a little bit too expensive to my liking.

Corn Tortilla, 36k.

Yet again another dish that it way too overpriced. My photograph said it all; the starter only consists of a bunch of tortilla chips, topped with drizzles of barbecue sauce and probably American Cheese (the flavor of the cheese is too weak I can't even recognize). If you don't think that's too expensive I don't know what's wrong with your mind.

Holly Broccoli and Red Spinach, 38k each.

If there's anything that's going to make me come back to this diner, it's definitely the healthy drinks. Damn, never in my life I have thought that healthy could taste this good! The Holly Broccoli (containing broccoli, honey dew, apple, lemon and gomme) tasted surprisingly sweet and tangy, with tiny accents of the broccoli smell, which is very much tolerable. The Red Spinach (containing red spinach, apple, lemon and gomme) on the other hand, gave no indication of other ingredients besides the sourness of the lemon and apple, but I'm sure the other ingredients are there (where else can the red come from?). I must say that the Red Spinach is a little bit more sour that the Holly Broccoli.

Caramel Panna Cotta, 40k.

 The caramel was not sweet enough, so all I tasted was the creaminess of the panna cotta. Texture was not bad, although I can say that I've tasted better, smoother ones. Overall taste was quite bland.

The menu surprised me quite a lot. I walked into the place expecting to find an All-American diner serving solely western comfort foods. Turns out, Locale served huge variations of Asian dishes! Such dishes range from Indonesian street foods like Ketoprak and Soto Ayam up to Asian classics like the Singaporean Laksa or Spicy Seafood Curry!

Oh, and that's my friend's hand up there!

All in all, Locale gave customers a uniquely adorable dining experience, making customers feel as if they were inside an actual bus. The food served was also not all bad, but prices may be a little overpriced. If you haven't been here, I think it's worth a shot.

Locale Diner

Rukan Garden House Blok B10

Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta Utara

021-29033162

BLACK HOCKEY

Hola!

It's not so long since I've posted my last blog post, eh? I promise that this holiday I'll be posting much more frequently to, you know, make up my protracted hiatus.

This following post will yet again not be a review post but more of pictures of an outfit that I styled earlier today. I got the vibes of rapper-style, sporty street fashion so I assembled little bits and pieces and look what I came up with! So to put off the beats around the bush, here goes the pictures!

Cap: Animal Defenders

(it's an organization that defends animal rights and rescues animals, FYI)

Hockey Jersey: Hard Rock Cafe

Necklace: Forever 21

Stockings: Mom's wardrobe

Sneakers: Converse

Some more pics just because. Excuse my horrid make up!

Photos were taken by my super mean little cousin who turned out to be nice enough to be my photographer for the day.

There goes my first ootd blog post! I know it isn't much but I promise my next stylized outfits posts will be much better! 

Ciao for now!

INACRAFT 2014

First and foremost, I apologize so very greatly for not updating this blog for over one month :( The number of exams and homeworks had piled up to mountains so high, I was not able to do anything else besides indulging in the madness of school. Once again, sorry :(

Today's post will be more of a report than a review of an event that was actually held over a month ago that I went to with my mom. I know, the event is too outdated because it happened way back in April, but I just thought that it is wrong to not do a blog post on INACRAFT, the largest exhibition of Indonesian arts, handicrafts and fashions. So I decided to go along with the latter.

Without further ado, here goes the pictures (I've got lots)!

LOOK AT THE CROWD!

Comers from different races, ethnicities, ages and genders filled this enormously spacious Jakarta Convention Center, located in the widely-known Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) complex. 

I've got a little story to tell. I was so glad to attend a much anticipated event and I had high expectations. I thought I was going to have a great time. Turns out, most of the comers are very ignorant. Why did I say this? Well, they do not care a single bit for their surroundings. I had a camera looped around my neck, anxious to take pictures of the dainty, exotic handicrafts and displays. For people who had any eyes and are able to use them, when they see someone who's trying to snap a picture, it is in their correct minds to stop or walk on routes that would not block the object that a photographer is trying to picture. Instead, I have found myself pausing for long seconds to wait for passers to strut as if they were the only ones present. It was as if they had zero appreciation on the existence of other human beings. Not one person in that event acknowledged the presence of a teenage girl trying to take a picture of displays that were right behind them. Most of the time I calmed my nerves down and waited until the road cleared, but sometimes I just lose my patience and decided not to take a picture at all. Oh, and did I mention people bumping into me without muttering a single apology?

 Both pictures, for instance, took me a good 2 minutes of waiting for long charade of passers to clear out. I've only got a few more seconds to snap a quick picture before a new row of passers arrived, so please excuse the sketchy angles for the pictures.

I tried a clearer view, but passers own the road. One lady took pity on me and suggested me to try out a different angle, but those pictures are the clearest that I can get.

As I walked along the aisles in between the kiosks and counters, I spotted numerous handicrafts that were so creatively made and distinct; unlike anything that I've ever seen before.

I must warn you though: not all kiosk owners were welcoming. Once me and my mom stopped by this kiosk owned by a middle-aged Caucasian woman that sold ornaments made of mainly glass. The kiosk was also decorated in such fashion that it stood out among all the others. Not going to mention any names, but I'm just going to say that the owner was not very friendly; my mom asked for a business card, and she replied by saying this, "Why? Are you going to come and visit me?". Those words were not spoken with smiles or whatnots. In the end, she decided to give her business card anyway. Not long after, I requested her permission to take a few snaps of her work, and what did she do? She declined me with absolute hostility, she didn't even look at me in the eye when she said it! Oh well, you can't expect everyone to be as sweet as sugar all the time, right?

I did manage to take pictures of some of the products in other kiosks, but let's just say that after the lady's rejection I had lost much of my enthusiasm.

Below are some of the designs at the BECCA kiosk. Unlike the previous kiosk I stopped by, the attendants were all smiles and sunshine. Anyways, BECCA's intricate details made of bead and the vibrant colours and patterns of the batik have added a layer of adorableness and distinguished their products among others. It's compelling how almost every brand label has their own individual signature.

Next up is Chameo. Chameo had this counter that occupied a large area of space. It was my intention to take a snap of the whole counter but you guessed it; passers were blocking my view. Despite being a local brand, Chameo has been exporting their bags to many countries, and a recent breakthrough was exhibiting their products in Japan. It's no wonder really; elegant bags with modern international designs that still scream Indonesian roots (with the tiker weaving, of course), what's not to like?

I had only managed to take pictures of three kiosks, all of which are owned by people whom my mom had made acquaintances with before the exhibit. I've learned, quite bitterly, to not ask random strangers if I could take pictures of their products.

So, last but not least is Origo, a business that started online, but has now received public attention by winning three Wanita Wirausaha Femina trophies. Some pictures below:

I took loads of pictures, eh? It's because Origo's products are so unique! You cannot find jewelries like these in shops like Forever 21 or H&M. There's a certain character in the jewelries, in the way that most of them are made from fabric (yes, fabric) and other elements that are not usually used in jewelries. Despite that, you can see with your own eyes that they turned out to be peculiarly beautiful pieces.  Wear a plain shirt, top it up with one of Origo's necklaces and your look will totally be edgy. Certainly pieces that can spice up your look.

There goes my report on the INACRAFT 2014! Overall, I didn't have that good of a time, but I definitely did not regret my visit. There were ridiculously beautiful fashions and arts that are pleasing to the eye, and it was worth coming. I recommend you to stop by the kiosks and take your time in indulging the sight of the gorgeous works of the locals, although you should beware of some hostile owners! Oh, and the comers too.

(Notice that there were heads of some random passers that refused to acknowledge my existence. FYI, I intended for the  gorgeous lights to become the subject of the photo. Oh well.)

That's all for now! I hope you find this post useful in some kind of way. Ciao!