Jason Pirelli Tandean (IG: @jasontandean)

First dinner of the week and we already went big on it. @bumbusatujkt was our pick and despite its Indonesian name, they are serving Korean cuisine and by far was the most proper and authentic Korean Restaurant I've had. 

Pork trotters/feet, grilled marinated eel, marinated octopus, blood sausage/sun dae, and beef soup was the menu that we ordered, and was surprised that it can feed more than 4 people. Portions are big here so if you're after a restaurant that could host your big family/circle of friends, this is one of the place. 

Side dishes flowed out generously, making my table pretty and colourful. Each of them tastes great, I personally liked the pajeon and kimchi. The table setting was on point, love it 👌 you don't have to wait for too long for your orders to be served, enjoy a bit of their side dishes then your orders will be delivered smoothly. Ours took around 5 minutes after the side dishes are served. 

The beef soup was light and hearty, you can taste the beefiness in the broth, yet it's not being overpowered. Season it with salt to your liking as it's served unsalted. 

The blood sausage tastes nicer than I thought. It's like eating vermicelli rolls with chewier wrapper, and the blood tastes kinda grainy. It sounds weird in words, have a taste yourself and you'll understand what I mean. 

The marinated octopus and eel, loved this. Octopus was still juicy and not tough like a piece of rubber. The marinated eel was too ginger-y for me, but I don't mind, it took the fishyness away and was cooked too perfection, giving you delicious plump juicy eel to enjoy. 

The pork feet. Served 2 ways, hot and cold. Served in slices, Both of them are equally good, a tad chewy from the collagens. Have them with those pickled banchans (side dishes) and all to reduce its gaminess. Dip them into the sauces provided as well to elevate its flavour, and alternate between dishes to entertain your tastebuds.

If few posts ago Pak Bas was my go-to place when we need massive portion of meal with cheapy pricetags, this place is a level above Pak Bas, located inside one of Surabaya's most crowded shopping mall since probably a long time ago, perhaps since its opening. 

Wok Noodle, famous for its Finna Fried Rice (red fried rice, the red comes from Finna's sauce) and Crispy Fried Chicken. The fried rice should be enough for 3 people to share, and the chicken as well. The condiments really complement the meal, love the chopped chilli and soy sauce combo. 

Taste wise, it's your typical chinese food meal, slightly better than Pak Bas thanks to the toppings of the fried rice (this one got green peas, chicken meat, scrambled eggs), and the marinade + batter of the chicken. Well I guess each of them have their own markets and caters to different tastebuds 

All in all, when you feel some comfort food, or when you feel lost in a Mall and don't know what to have, Wok Restaurant will be your safe bet to feed you and your family. 

#chicken #friedegg #fritters #rice #friedrice #chilli #friedchicken #surabayafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodhunter #plating #platter #localrestaurant #visitsurabaya #visitjatim #visitindonesia #wonderfulindonesia

Now, we finally got the chance to enjoy the Live Music, well, live. I couldn't remember the name of the band, I could only remember one of its personnel is the one and only Mr. @raymond_johan . I was one of his student back in my high school time when he was teaching my extracurricular lesson (economics, if I'm not mistaken?) When he was a college student (cmiiw bro) with his light blue Honda Jazz. Who would've thought that 13 years later, he became one of Surabaya's well-known singer. 

Believe it or not, the live music really did amp up the atmosphere of @kollabora.id . I really enjoyed the band's way of singing those song titles with the highlight for me being that in slide 2. I have no idea who the name of that singer, but please don't take him off your roster, folks 😂 the way he sang Waktu Yang Salah echoes to the soul of his listeners, according to @ovaldosanjaya 

The drink that I ordered was a cold black coffee with some kinda lychee juice. At first the waiter brought me Lychee Tea because its name's pronounciation is similar to "Lychee Tea". After I explained that she brought me an incorrect item, without further ado she apologized, took the lychee tea back to the counter, and whipped me up my order. Appreciate it, mbak. Sorry I didn't manage to get your name. Kudos to @kollabora.id team for such a service. 

While it sounds weird, apparently black coffee and lychee juice do complete each other nicely. Appreciate for the menu creator(s) in Kollabora for their creativity and courage in challenging the Status Quo, resulting in fresh and exciting menu items like no other. Keep it up. Considering to get your membership since lately you guys being one of our fave go-to place. 

PS: I am by no means endorsed/getting paid by Kollabora to promote their restaurant. I'm just a customer who enjoys their place, ambient, have few drinks and snacks, and pay my share afterwards, to enable them to keep on opening their doors for us. 

#coldbrew #espresso #coffee #dessert #plating #chill #livemusic #foodie #galau #quotesgalau #localrestaurant #foodies #surabayafoodie #foodhunter #lychee #cocktails #coffeeoftheday #mocktail

Kinda missing the authentic taste of this Geprek, so here I am (we are) again. Ayam Geprek (Fried Chicken smashed with House Special Chilli Sauce), swap the steamed white rice with red rice for a healthier me (that's what they said), and add deep fried egg omelette and cabbage on the side. Healthy enough? 😏 

I chose the hot chilli sauce on purpose, as I need some party in my mouth at that time. Fried cabbage, well I love it. You guys should try it too, but not too much. Yes it absorbs the frying oil, but the taste and texture are worth the health risks. Spread it on top of a spoon of rice and smother it with the chilli sauce, heaven. 

Chicken was fried perfectly, succulent meat and crispy skin + batter. Again, the chilli sauce elevated the dish and it does its job well. Be careful with the chicken bones as the smashed fried chickens here are bone-in, not boneless. The tamarind soup/Sayur Asem is there, ready anytime for you to sip on it and refresh your palate. 

The fried omelette? Greasy, but good. Won't hurt to have it once in a while. Till next time 😉 

#chicken #chilli #sambal #plating #foodie #foodhunter #surabayafoodie #foodieofinstagram #foodphotography #instagood #instadaily #instafood #instafoodie #diet #mealprep #fiber #healthfood

Shao Kao. I believe in Chinese that means skewers (?). Basically most of your favourite food items are skewered then grilled to perfection, with a dash of savoury or bbq sauce. I strongly believe the savoury glaze that I always ordered consists of salt and some cumin and 5 spices powder. 

Ordered me Broccoli skewers, rolled bacon, pork cheek, chicken skin, chicken softbones, pork belly. I love pork and I love chicken. Why not both? Toss in some vege as well so it's not that "sinful" 

Broccoli was grilled and charred well, it still has a pleasant crunch to it and tastes wonderful thanks to the savoury glaze. Rolled Bacon, need I say more? Bacon is bacon no matter how you cook it, it will always be good. Cmon it's bacon. 

Pork cheek is kinda fatty and chewy, savoury. Love it. Chicken softbone was cooked well and the chicken skin as well. Only downside was the skin. It was a challenge to take it off the skewer, the skin simply breaks down and made a mess on my table. 

Again, it's not iced tea. A pint of beer to accompany the skewer madness, and was mentally prepared to have my pocket skewered by the bill 😂 

PS: lotsa customers opted to have them skewers with steamed rice, optional but kinda make so much sense to fill your tummy up. 

#shaokao #skewers #skewer #pork #baconlovers #bacon #broccoli #vegan #vegetables #veggies #green #porkonyourfork #chicken #cheek #skin #beer #lager #ale #cumin #5spice #5spices

The first day of the end of the week would normally be spent by lying around on your bed and do nothing. Some of you who are fortunate enough to have partner(s) or that someone (or two) with romantical interests looked forward to the weekends to spend some times together. Not for me and these folks: @lisabethcorry @itswinnyslife @ovaldosanjaya 

Despite all the hustle bustle of life, failed moving on process, simp, and so on (the list got longer and longer), we accepted our fate that as of today, the universe pulled the 4 of us together to just enjoy the presence and not overthink about stuff we can't control. What's better to enjoy this quality time with, if not a cup (or glass) of coffee? 

@thirty3brew is well known for their transparent-canned iced coffee with choice of Rum, Baileys, or Aren (palm sugar) flavour. Me personally would love to try the Baileys but damn they ran out of it the time we got there. It was a rainy day and the place was pretty crowded, so I guess we'll try our better luck next time. 

You get a can of your iced coffee and a separate cup full of ice if you'd like to enjoy it in the cafe, on the rocks. Sure it dillutes the consistency of your coffee a bit, but it makes it cooler and, for me, it balances out the sweetness of the coffee and worked well for my tastebuds. 

Since I believe this is the most recent outlet of @thirty3brew , the one in Dharmahusada, some hiccups are still tolerable for me altho a bit disappointing. They ran out of the Snack Platter due to they don't stock up enough fries/chips, and the POS system encountered a trouble of not syncing up or something, resulting in the EDC/EFTPOS machine become unusable. 

All those are well compensated by the professionalism and delightful manner of their operational team, kudos to all of them. All of them were polite, welcoming, and professional. As someone who used to run cafes and restaurants, I understand how much pressure they felt and the way they handled them was just perfect. Well trained and well played. Look forward for my next visit. 

#coffeeoftheday #coffee #plating #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #foodies #foodhunter #instafood #rain #icedcoffee #rum #baileys #spirit

That Nasi Geprek again. I guess closer to the end of the month, the financial crisis kinda creeps in strong, huh. Life of a salaryman. That's why it is mandatory, not only recommended, that all of us have some kinda of side hustles to generate us some extra income while we are working our best for that monthly salary (unlike you guys out there who got paid weekly/fortnightly salary/wage, here in Indonesia we got paid monthly salary). 

This time I tried their Ayam Geprek with Sambal Matah (the previous one was beef rib, this one is fried chicken), with some extra Tahu Crispy on the side (fried crispy tofu. Cheap snack yet nutritious and satisfying. Idk how such cheap food could be so addicting). Love the chilli sauce, might take a while to get used to its level of spicyness but it's worth your sweat and tears, if you are the kind who has no control over the waterworks when your tongue got chilli-burned (I am one of them). Chicken breast was juicy, the tamarind soup on the side was tasty and refreshing. Tofu? Oh champion it was so good on its own. 

Have this kinda meal with your mates and maybe couple pints of ice cold beer 🍻 to enjoy your after-work evening, before starting your side hustle. Remember, hustling is important but so are good friends. Happy Friday, folks. Have a short break and come stronger on Monday! 

#geprek #ayamgeprek #chicken #tamarind #sayurasem #vegetables #veggies #tofu #crispy #vegan #fritters #fries #foodphotography #foodhunter #foodie #chilli #chill #mates #surabayafood #surabayafoodies #surabaya #visitsurabaya #visitjatim #visitindonesia #wonderfulindonesia

Another Feastaphoria, not lunch but linner (sometimes between lunch or dinner).

Nasi merah ayam geprek sambel spesial. Steamed red rice with chilli sauce smeared - fried chicken and soup. I honestly couldn't really translate it to English, but you guys got the idea. The fried chicken is smashed and folded with their special chilli sauce, served with steamed red rice and tamarind-broth veggie soup on the side. A normal modern Indonesian dish. 

HOWEVER. Normal is not my style. So there we have a side dish of crispy pork cheek. Fried, not roasted. Deep fried and tossed in fried garlic chips and five-spices powder. Sprinkled with freshly chopped green onions. Nice crunchy salty side dish, it really is an appetizing item. Dip it into its garlic vinegar dipping sauce, perfect. 

Beer. When you can, or whatever. Just get a pint of beer. Thank me later 🍻 

#rice #redrice #healthfood #healthy #chicken #chilli #chill #sambal #porkonyourfork #porkcheek #crispy #garlicchips #soup #vegetables #loop #surabaya #visitsurabaya #visitjatim #visitindonesia

The coffee on the previous post was good and gave us enuf energy to went through a Saturday. Off to this mall we went, and guess where these quarter-century old fellas headed to? Timezone. You gotta keep your inner child alive, folks 😄 

Now onto the culinary side of the trip. At the lowest level of Galaxy Mall 3 is a place called Gourmet or something, it's basically a place where you can choose your marinated meat and have them cook it for you, then serve it on your table. Sort of a steakhouse, for the poor (jk. Steakhouse for everybody). You can also buy some sides like frozen fries or anything and get them to cook it for you, so you can enjoy it while you're there. I ordered some beef kebab skewers and a piece of chicken thigh, they were served with a side of wedges and sauce of your choice. My sauce of choice was honey mustard. 

To my surprise, the marinated meat tastes wayyy better than that popular indonesian-fusion restaurant in Surabaya, the one that got famous because of their spin on sauce for their steaks like chicken steak, gallantine or whatever. Their sweet brown sauce. The one called *** cafe, *** *mi, yeah that one. I personally don't find that place a must-visit, but everyone tastes and feels differently so choices are yours. 

Meat are grilled and cooked perfectly, not under or overcooked. Still juicy on the inside, and the sauce completed them all, ensuring a party in your mouth. You can see on slide 3 that we did enjoy quite a big meal, and it's all worth the calories. For you who wants to have alternative dining experience with interesting concept, I'd encourage you to drop this place a visit. Trust me, you won't regret it. 

#gourmet #gourmetfood #plating #platter #grill #pizza #kebab #chips #steak #chicken #foodie #surabayafoodies #instafood #foodiesofinstagram #steakhouse #surabaya #indonesia #holiday #nightout

Sunday morning, time for a quick catch up session before we went back to our routines. @leonyaphar 's Sunday routine being going on dates with his SO, so here I am stealing some of his time in the morning lol 

Depot Bu Rudy (Bu Rudy's restaurant) is famous for her Nasi Udang aka steamed rice topped with crispy fried shrimp and some condiments such as serundeng (crispy spiced coconut flakes), house made sambal/chilli sauce (and a free flow jar of her famous Sambal Bawang/onion chilli sauce on the table), and stir-fried noodle. I felt like having Pecel (steamed veg with peanut sauce) that day, so here it is. Nasi Pecel Udang Empal (Nasi Pecel with crispy shrimps and fried beef steak).

The taste, as always, was good and comforting for Indonesian's palate. Legend says that Bu Rudy has been selling her signature crispy shrimps and Sambal since 1995 (I read it on their brochure) and I can understand why it keeps being one of the most-sought products by travellers when they come to visit Surabaya. Pecel on top of the dish simply balances and completes the meal for me, as I need some veg and fiber intake. It's a shame that the Peyek chips was tough and soggy @burudy.surabaya shrimp was nice and crispy, the empal/fried beef steak was tender and sweet. Nice 

I got no much else to say, as this is one of my favourite dish in my hometown. Oh just one thing maybe. Have a try yourself and correct me if I'm wrong 😊 

#plating #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #shrimp #prawns #crisp #crispy #foodie #food #instafood #restaurant #localrestaurant #surabayafoodies #surabaya #surabayafood #fried #fritters