Jason Pirelli Tandean (IG: @jasontandean)

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

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

Pig(Pork) and Beer. A match made from (earthly) Heaven. 

Got me and my mates a knuckle of pork and crispy pork belly skin on the side. Yep you read it right, pork skin as a side dish for the pork knuckle. Why, you ask? Because it is THAT good and because we can. You see, the 2 of them are die hard bike riders with their respective biking gears and early morning weekday rides plus out-of-town weekend rides. They burn those porky calories like nothing. As for me, well, I'm burning lotsa calories by doing regular lifting sessions. Lifting weights (of life). 

The dominant taste of these dishes are salty-savoury. Chinese five spices powder, garlic, salt, creates a punch of flavour however is a bit too much for my palate. That's when the garlic vinegar chilli dip comes in handy, and a plate of steamed rice. Flush them down to your happy tummy with a glug of beer/pilsner. What a life 

Perfect companions for chill afternoons, for you who are allowes to have pork in your diet, what are you waiting for? Put some pork on your fork, mate!

  #porkknuckle #porkbelly #porkonyourfork #crispy #roasted #fried #vinegar #chilli #garlic #sambal #chopsticks #handsinframe #beer #pilsner #pilsener #bintangbeer #chill #afternoon #bike #savoury #fivespice #fivespicepowder #visitsurabaya #visitjatim #visitindonesia

Back here again, with the sole purpose of having a glimpse of dessert with some Live Music. Turns out we came on the wrong day where the band doesn't play 😅 so yeah we ended up having the dessert and playing some Ludo on an iPad. Millenials. 

The affogato is a champion. Kudos to @kollabora.id for their creation. They elevated the dish with some old-school style fairy floss which surprisingly makes the dish better, not overly sweet as I thought it would be. The floss melts down instantly when the espresso shot was poured on top of it, incorporating the Black and White perfectly (Yin and Yang, Evil and Pure, Black and White, balance in all things, you know?). It was a pleasant dessert to have when you just want something refreshing, sweet, with a kick of caffeine after. Don't try my style of enjoying affogato, but I usually took a shot of espresso on its own then nibble on the ice cream as I go on, so then I have all the bitterness gulped down and I only need to deal with all the sweetness from the ice cream. Trust me, it's not for the weak 😉 

The brownie caramel granita thingy is not as good as I thought it would be. It is alright, edible, but too much orange rind for me. Initially I thought it was shredded coconut pieces but after the ice melted, it became evident that those flaky things are orange rinds. Too much to my tastebuds, you guys might actually like it though. 

#coffee #cafe #chill #dessert #affogato #granita #plating #surabayafoodie #localrestaurant #localcoffee #foodie #foodies #foodhunter #visitsurabaya #visitjatim #wonderfulindonesia