Jason Pirelli Tandean (IG: @jasontandean)

Hello Monday. For most of us, monday is our big enemy, the most least anticipated day to come. Not in the mood to go back to work, or whatever, I hope you could still have a little time to look on you and your surroundings, be grateful that you still have a job to go to and get paid. Otherwise, remember you can always resign from your post and have those ocean of jobseekers replace your position. 

Due to a thing, we chose to do our works in a quite renowned Cafe in Surabaya, @locaahands_ . Set our laptops up, ready to go, and ordered some nice drinks and nibbles. I had my Berry Limeade, Thicc (yes, double C, folks) Bacon and Egg, and a side of hash brown. 

The limeade, tasty and refreshing. Not too sweet and overpowering. Those hash brown triangles look and taste the same as what I used to have in those Sydney cafes back in the day. And was a favourite of a mate of mine. Hands up for the perfectly cooked Hash Browns, crispy yet not greasy on the outside and moist on the inside. 

The star of the show, the bacon and egg. Thick and chunky slabs of bacon was indeed the star. Scrambled egg was nice and creamy, butter toasted brioche was served warm, crunchy, and toasty. Just perfect. A smother of mustard-mayo made it better. Salad greens to refresh your palate and get you ready for your next bite. 

The Thicc Bacon. I give it a dedicated paragraph as it deserves such a privilege. Smoky, chunky, crispy, I'm salivating just by writing this. Fyi this is pork bacon, just to let you fellas know. The moment you cut it to pieces, and send it to your mouth, you know it's gonna be gooood. And yeah I was right, it does feel good. Love the texture of the fat and the bacon meat, tastes savoury with a hint of smokiness, and call me a fatso but I believe I can have more than 2 pieces of them. Of course you gotta pay extra for them, Duh. Imagine 5 streaky bacons, stacked together, all for you to devour. Sauces are available at your disposal. 

Bottom line, get the bacon. For your (mental)health.

It's a bright day and it's after office dinner time for us. There's this happening Porchetta place in Loop Graha Famili and we haven't had a chance to try it, until the day finally came that we could lay our hands on these bad boys. 

Porchetta basically is roasted crispy skin pork belly, rubbed with herbs and spices (especially rosemary) and rolled into well, a roll of belly then cooked in the oven until its skin turned golden brown and crunchy (not just crispy) with juicy meat. Served kinda shredded on a sharing plate to share (or not, up to you) with 3 kind of sauces. We picked Sambal Matah, Thai Green Chilli and Crispy Chilli sauce. That's one item. 

The next one, loaded fries. Pig loaded fries. Yeah you read that right, it's so good that it became the cover photo of this dinner. Chips/fries were cooked to perfection, crispy but not greasy, and the pork pieces, well, perfect on their own. Who doesn't love crunchy and juicy bits of porks? 

Been a while since my last visit to @tongtong_restaurant for their authentic japanese cuisine, of course it's been tailored a bit to suit the taste of the locals, but nevertheless it still is a champion to my tastebuds compared to other japanese restaurants in town. 

Stir-fried Shirataki Noodles, both deep fried and pan-fried gyoza, and chicken karaage for that night's meal. Shirataki noodles because we just finished our swimming session hence to make me feel less guilty, I opted for the shirataki noodles. Said it contains only a little bit of calories, add in a few other ingredients, oil, etc. Yet still I believe it contains less calories than other dishes (I'm just comforting myself, I know). 

Those gyozas, pan-fried and deep fried, are equally good. Filling has more texture than what we had at @rayjinbali a few posts ago, equally good and satisfying. Dip them in the free flow condiments of chilli oil, chilli powder, black vinegar, and you're in for a treat. 

Chicken karaage was juicy on the inside, nothing wrong with it, just I don't feel like having lots of fritters on that day. Rinse them off with a sip of soda water since there's no sparkling water on the menu. 

Price-wise, this restaurant is not well-known for its cheap price. There's a premium you gotta pay for such meticulous dishes, but hey when it comes to great things in life, they all have their own price tags that we gotta pay right? It's not a sin to charge a premium if you could walk your talk, if your dishes are equally as good as your pricetags, or even better. If not, referring to my previous post, rethink everything over and act fast to save your business, or simply be overconfident and watch it sink underwater.

After a pleasant burger lunch on my previous post, we wanted to just hang out and chill for a while, a luxury privilege that we could rarely afford back in our days of being a hotelier. Well, @luckyhutama was the last to join our club of ex-hoteliers, no surprise that he's the most excited one to just sit around and do nothing on days off. Not weekend off, as there are no such thing for true hoteliers. 

@tanameracoffee Surabaya was our place of choice and altho I personally have visited this place multiple times, it still feels inviting to me. Perhaps the homy interior, friendly service team, relaxing atmosphere, sweet memories with someone, or a combo of them? Heaven knows. 

We ordered coffees and bites, mine being the Tangerine Latte, and a plate of Onion Rings together with Tahu Cireng for the nibbles. Onion rings were ok, the batter is thick, reminds me of beer battered fish n chips. Tahu Cireng was great. This basically is fried stuffed tofu, and deep fried until both the tofu and stuffing becomes crispy and chewy on the inside. Cireng means aci digoreng/fried tapioca (dough), is one of favourite fritter menu in my hometown. The chewiness of the dough combined with the crispiness of the tofu made them perfect couple of ingredients to entertain these hungry and exhausted souls. 

Tangerine Latte, to me, is alright. Always a good idea to combine coffee drinks with citrus, and this is another example of that brilliancy. Sugar syrup was served separately, I don't need one as the drink itself is already sweet from the tangerine syrup (?) Cool to have it once in a while, but Tanamera's Cold White would always be my go-to chilled coffee option. 

#latte #coffeeoftheday #coffee #white #whitecoffee #orange #citrus #sweet #plating #beerbattered #pub #pubgrub #fritters #foodie #foodieofinstagram #instafood #instadaily #instagood #surabayafoodie #sharingiscaring #hotel #hotelier

Early dinner with my lovely sis @joshadeline and mate @chrisongkoo at @mykopio Pakuwon Mall/Supermall Pakuwon Indah, kinda miss their chicken wings and salted egg tofu, reminiscing the good (yet full of anxiety) ol' days. 

Korean and Spicy Japanese chicken wings, salted egg tofu, Grilled Saba/Mackerel on rice was the pick of the day, enough to share for 3. You might think I've ordered too much but trust me, it's not. In fact I felt like I ordered too little of their chicken wings. 

The chicken wings still taste like the way I knew them, crunchy battered skin and moist + juicy meat, although it leans toward the dry side this time, but still forgivable. Smothered in their Sweet (Honey, maybe?) Korean and Spicy Japanese (Sweet and Spicy) special sauce, it's literally finger lickin' good and won't let you stop reaching the plate for more chicken wings goodness. Worth the effort deboning and sucking on every single piece of bones. 

The salted egg tofu, sounds like a simple dish but not every restaurant can pull this off. I love the creaminess of the salted egg sauce that beautifully coat those crunchy yet airy fried tofu pieces. A must-order menu item every time I drop @mykopio a visit. 

Grilled Saba on rice, was actually good. Never been a big fan of fish myself but this one convinced me that my belief is a few percent incorrect. Grilled to perfection with crispy charred salty skin, flaky meat with well-rendered fat, combined with some sort of teriyaki sauce and caramelized onion, pieces of veggies making this dish a good option if you feel like you can't have a meal without rice, and when you want to feel less guilty with the chicken wings fiesta. Of course since the fish contains a buckload of nutrition, it could increase a tad more of your intelligence (results may vary depending on each individuals).

It was a long overdue catch up time, and lunch time as well. Since we feel a tad fancy at that day, @theneighborscafe was the place of choice for us. The burgers and loaded fries are what made us decided that this is a perfect place to host our little reunion session. 

The ultimate/combo burger that I ordered was exactly like what I expected, with both proteins that were cooked accordingly to perfection. I craved for proper beef patty burger since the day I left the Land Down Under and no burger places in my hometown come close. Burger is not a staple food here so looking for proper burger joint is a challenge of its own. That is, until I got introduced to this place. 

Burgers were juicy, pleasant, and satisfying. The only thing they could improve was simply its sauce that they smothered on the burger, too sweet to my liking. Tastes like I had burger with thick syrup, covering up the original tastes of the perfectly cooked beef patty and breaded chicken. Apart from that, love it. Worth every penny. 

The loaded fries was a must have too. They have heaps of variations, so pick your poison accordingly. We had the bolognese and the salted egg yolk with fried chicken pieces, and the golden one grabbed the trophy. The bolognese, again, problem with the sauce. Too sweet and heavy. The golden chicken fries? Simply delicious 👌 

#bistro #cafe #restaurant #localrestaurant #localcoffee #plating #platter #foodie #foodhunter #foodieofinstagram #igfood #surabayafoodie #burger #fries #loadedfries #beef #patty #friedchicken #chicken #fresh

Being stranded in the northern part of Jakarta, in the area of PIK/Pantai Indah Kapuk, the lovely couple @gideonseputra @aktalisa took us to @orbitgelato , to try and enjoy gelato like we never had in Surabaya and boy, what a decision. 

The gelato was served in a small tub/jar. Yeah folks, not those classic paper cups we usually use to enjoy our gelato with, Orbit Gelato serves their house-made special gelatos in a jar. Interesting, and to be honest for me, I like my gelatos served this way. Feels grippier and firmer than those paper cups. We got the 2 flavours portion to share, 1 jar for 2 people each. Price wise is affordable for us Surabayans, let alone for Jakartans folks. We ordered Rum Raisin and Dark Chocolate -> this was the bomb and couldn't find it anywhere else. 

Rum raisin was alright, I like it but I wish they put real Rum in it. You know, make it boozy. Maybe I gotta fly to Bali to enjoy some boozy treats, as the authorities in Java island are a bit strict regarding alcoholic drinks. Rum raisin ice creams here in Java, Indonesia are just sweet and raisin-y with a hint of rum flavour essence. 

The Dark Chocolate Gelato, oh wow. Divine. The tastes itself was rich and chocolate-y, a tad bitter. To make it better, they added some cocoa nibs into their gelato, giving you a tad of crunchy textures for your enjoyment. I have never found it anywhere else, I wish gelato parlours in Surabaya could serve dark chocolate gelato as good as Orbit's. 

Combine the two in 1 jar together, they felt like Yin and Yang, black and white, complementing and lifting each other up. Looks comforting, black and white in a cup, and tastes great as they could balance each other. The sweetness of the rum raisin, countered and balanced out with the gentle bitterness of the dark chocolate, and the little crunches was a nice addition to the party in your mouth.

The Malang folks would love to satisfy their craving of authentic Nasi Padang by Rumah Makan Padang Sederhana. So tricky finding the appropriate IG account of this restaurant, I'll just leave the pinpoint for you guys then. Gotta tell you, this is the best Padang Sederhana in town. Plenty of other Sederhana franchise in town, but the one in Jl. Kertajaya is the best tasting Sederhana I've had. 

You can go 2 ways here while you're having your meal: order everything on the display and have the server stack those plates on their arms (we are talking about 7-10 plates in a go, kinda embarassed me and my 4 plates-carrying skill) and serve them all on your table. Before pandemic, this is the norm. Even before you decided to choose what you'd like to have, the server will serve you a buffet of gorgeous yummy menu items for you to get hypnotized and trying each and everyone of them. After pandemic, now, they cling wrapped every single dish plates so no contaminations. Good move. 

The second way was to go directly and order Nasi Campur, as in steamed rice and a dish of your choice, veggies included. I went for Nasi Rendang, since my favourite Nasi Kikil (kikil = tendon-y part of the feet of a beef/cow. Gelatinous and delicious, again, not everyone's cup of tea). We didn't go the buffet way simply because it's too late (around 8.30 pm) and we just want to eat what we have in our minds. 

Don't forget the mandatory side dish: beef cracklings/beef skin puff(crackers) smothered in curry sauce. Looks simple yet it has such a complex flavour and ability to elevate your overall dining experience. If you haven't tried this combo then you're missing out a chunk of happiness in your life. Seriously, have a go at it and thank universe for allowing someone to craft such a genius combo. 

The mix veggie curry and poached cassava leaves + sambal are there for you regular fibre intake. Enjoy 😉 

#surabaya #padang #sederhana #holiday #vacation #rendang #halalfood #curry #vegetarian #plating #instafood #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #foodporn #foodphotography #instadaily #foodgraphy #foodgram #indonesia #spices #foodhunter #foodblogger #foodlover #foodstagram #foodaholic #foodinspiration

Lavender Latte. The name sounds interesting, sounds beautiful. Well for me the word "Lavender" automatically reminds me of a field full of purple/lavender flower, relaxing atmosphere, and so on (thanks @loccitane for your propaganda 😉). OR those spray can of bug spray/insect killer (baygon shayyy dengan wangi lavender). Nothing in between. Oh there is, called aromatherapy diffuser or air freshener spray (BayFresh). 

With that in mind, having this coffee for the first time made me excited and nervous at the same time. How will it taste? Will I like it? Or will I hate it because it's too aromatic? Or maybe I will love and hate it at the same time, like most of the stories of my life. 

Presentation wise, it looks chic and pretty thanks to that little purple flower floating on top of the iced coffee. It might be edible, some kinda of chrysanthemum flower or something, but I sincerely don't recommend you to eat it. Or act cute and slip it onto the ear of your loved ones/SO. Man up and get her a proper bouquet of flower, dude. 

Remove the garnish and give it a quick stir, and start sipping the bev. Honestly? Not my cup of tea (coffee). Too aromatic and sweet for me, kinda feels like I'm drinking coffee with air freshener liquid/aromatherapy oil in it. Don't get me wrong, I still finish it and you guys might actually love it as I heard it's one of @kollabora.id 's best seller. 

#coffee #latte #lavender #kollaborra #cafe #localcoffee #localrestaurant #latteart #sweet #foodie #foodhunter #surabayafoodie #surabayafoodies #plating #foodhunter #visitsurabaya #visitjatim #visitindonesia #wonderfulindonesia

Back to @bebinigelati , now with the 3 VIPs from Malang, who were very excited to have a staycation at Surabaya. Not saying that a city is better than another, but we all can't deny that sometimes a city seems like they have everything yet still lack a small stuff that we're looking for right? 

I tried the Chocolate Affogato, thinking that it was a normal affogato with chocolate ice cream. Upon reading the description clearer, it said (1 scoop gelato + dark chocolate shot), no mention of espresso shot whatsoever. I asked the barista to scoop me the best gelato flavour for my affogato, and boy. It did come without any espresso/coffee, pure chocolate and chocolate. 

The gelato is very chocolatey, love the flavour and texture. We already knew gelatos are lovely, and Bebini took their gelatos seriously, but I wish I discovered this flavour earlier. The dark chocolate shot, on its own, taste very chocolatey and strong, not overly sweet. Even slightly bitter, just the way I like my hot chocolates. Pour the shot onto the gelato and let them elevate each other up, it's like Yin and Yang in a cup, only no colour combo here, just the combo of texture and flavour. Imagine chocolate gelato with a soup of dark chocolate liquid, Chocolate bliss. Now this is a drink I'd happily pay IDR 40k for. Worth every single dime spent. No more words needed. You gotta try it yourself, the sensation of cold gelato and the warmth of concentrated hot chocolate, the cold and warm sensation tingling in your mouth, pure bliss. 

Bebini actually have some more interesting items such as sorbet-tea, original affogato, coffee float, basically drinks + sorbet/gelato combined into a single glass/cup to brighten your gloomy day up. If you need more options, go to their display fridge and try to have all of their gelato flavours, I'd say you won't grow sick of them.

Alrighty until my next visit then, folks ;). 

#surabaya #malang #holiday #vacation #platter #gelato #dessert #affogato #tea #chocolate #plating #instafood #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #foodporn #foodphotography #instadaily #foodgraphy #foodgram #indonesia #spices #foodhunter #foodblogger #foodlover #foodstagram #foodaholic #foodinspiration