Revisited: Tin Pan Alley

One of my ex-colleagues who is one of my close friend now was coming to Jakarta during CNY. She moved to Spore after she got married. Actually almost all of us were not working in the same company anymore, but time to time we still put some time to catch up. ;)

Last Friday, we went to Tin Pan Alley. There were 5 of us along with my friend's husband who was also our colleagues but he was working for the headquarter in Spore and their super cute 8 month old daughter, Kaylie. We called her baby K. =) 

We sat down and began to order. For the appetizers we went for Grilled BBQ chicken salad (59k), Potato wedges with southern chili (52k) and Grande nachos (49k). I like the salad, it was fresh & over dressing. I don't like the nachos though, it was not crunchy so it felt a little bit soggy.

Grilled BBQ Caesar Salad

Potato Wedges w/ Southern Chilli

Grande Nachos

For the entree, we chose Tin Pan Alley burger (75k), Grandma's fried chicken dinner (75k), Mushroom stuffed chicken breast w/ white butter sauce (69k), Pork chop w/ handmade cranberry sauce (105k) and Grilled pork sausages w/ dijon mushroom sauce (95k). We shared all the foods so each of us can know each of the meals taste, well except for the burger, I didn't try that as it was my friend husband's order, but he said it was just ok. As for the rest of the food, it was standard but two of them strikes out more compare to others, the pork chop which was juicy and tender, love the fatty part. ;) and the sausages were deliciously savory. 

Tin Pan Alley Burger (beef patty w/ homemade BBQ sauce served with cheddar cheese, mushroom & fried egg)

Grandma's Fried Chicken Dinner (deep fried boneless chicken thigh w/ mashed potatoes)

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast (chicken breast stuffed w/ spinach, mushroom & cream cheese served w/ mashed potatoes)

Pork Chop w/ Hand Made Cranberry Sauce

Grilled Pork Sausage (bratwurst & krakauer pork sausages served w/ french fried in Dijon mushroom sauce)

Overall I had a great time. Good meals, comfy place, great laugh with great companies. 

Dedicated to my pretty ex-colleagues. May we always stay friends. ;) 

Tin Pan Alley

Thamrin Nine Building

Podium Lobby Flr

Jl. MH Thamrin No.10

Jakarta

Ph. +6221 30007881

Table 8: Chinese New Year's Eve Feast

Being born in a small family and not many relatives staying in Jakarta, CNY was not really something big for us to celebrate. However of course we still follow the tradition of CNY eve's dinner (yay!) and wearing new clothes (another yay!) on the new year first day.

Most people now are looking for efficiency to just make a reservation and save all the hassle of cooking at home. My family happens to be one of them. Actually mom loves to cook, but we didn't allow her to cook on CNY's eve as none of us have her cooking skill so it will be too tiring for mom to cook by her self.

Last year CNY eve's dinner, we went to Angke at Kelapa Gading and I can still remember vividly the crappy jam we had at that night. We drove from Pluit around 6.30 pm and we reached Angke at 9 something. It was crazy. I didn't even have an appetite after those stupid traffic. So this year I have been "warned" by my family to be extra careful on choosing the right place to eat. :) 

After a thoughtful consideration between the (safe hopefully no traffic) location and the menu offered, I chose Table 8 as the place for my small family to celebrate sa cap me. I asked several Chinese restaurant to emailed me their CNY menu, and Table 8's menu seemed to be the one most likeable by mom. Usually they have buffet and ala carte style, but for sa cap me, they only served menu set.

Luckily this time, the traffic was extremely smooth. We reached Mulia only in about 20 minutes. This is our Longevity set menu (845k per person) for that night: 

Traditional Sliced Conch and SalmonYee Sang

Peking Duck (Folded with leek, cucumber and hoisin sauce in soft Chinese flour crepe)
Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Wild Bamboo Fungus and Shredded Fish Maw

Deep-fried Shrimp with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Chili Mango Cube 

Crispy-fried Filet of Sea Garoupa with Spicy Soya Bean Sauce

Braised Sliced Abalone with Sea Cucumber and Vegetable in Oyster Sauce

Crispy Noodle Braised with Shredded Roasted Duck, Shimeji Mushroom and Bean Sprouts
Sweetened Tang Yuan with Red Bean Cream

Deep-fried Crispy Nian Gao and Sesame Ball

 

Overall it was a nice dinner. Great interior, great service, great food presentation, taste was just ok except for the super yummy crispy noodle, most importantly my small great family. 

Happy Lunar Dragon year! =)

Table 8

Hotel Mulia Senayan, Ground fl.

Jl. Asia Afrika, Senayan

South Jakarta 

Ph. +6221 5753271

http://www.thetable8.com/

Saboten Hong Kong

It was never easy to look for something delightful to eat at airport. Normally to ensure I got at least a decent meal, I will went for a well known fast food. That day, while waiting for our flight back to Jakarta, I spotted Saboten when I was wandering what to eat at the food court. From what I looked from the display, Saboten was specialized in cutlet just like Katsusei. 

My friend and I ordered the same menu, Saboten set (HKD 99). It was a very good deal, a set of deep fried breaded pork loin, tenderloin & prawn comes with rice and miso soup. The cutlet was superb. Very delicious. Now I know what to eat the next time I'm at Hong Kong airport. 

Saboten

7E163, level 7, Departure East Hall

Terminal 1

Hong Kong International Airport

Ph. +852 31711984

Modern Toilet Shen Zhen

The first time I knew about Modern Toilet was when I visited Taiwan several years ago. My friend who was studying in Taipei took me for a dinner there, and since their delicious Hot Pot always be remembered. When I was planning my trip to Hong Kong, I was so excited to know that Modern Toilet had a branch there. However, we ended to eat at the branch in Shenzen. 

We stayed at Days Inn Shenzen during our time there and it was strategically located in Dongmen Pedestrian Street where shops and dining places surrounding the street. As we were confused on looking for something to eat, we spotted Modern Toilet in the 2nd floor of a shop. Rushing in as it was almost 9pm, we quickly order Thai style beef hot pot (45 Yuan) and Kimchi Hot pot seafood (59 Yuan). 

While waiting for our meals to be served, I walked around to took pictures of the interior. Like the name, Modern toilet concept was designed to ensure the customers really did feels like they were eating in a bathroom. From the toilet seat, basin, towel & bath robes accessories till the serving plate were all designed in toilet shape. I think they were brilliant to came up with these humorous design ideas. Nowadays, Modern toilet really did has a massive development as their first branch in Kaohsiung had growth into 10 branches spread in Taiwan. 

Private room A

Private room B

 

Our hotpot came, instead of using a bowl or a hot pot, they placed it in a designated toilet seat hot pot. It was cute, and the hot pot were delicious. The seafood and beef slices were fresh, broth were delicious. I like the Thai style beef more than the kimchi broth though. But if you like kimchi, it was surely worth to order. 

Modern Toilet 
2nd flr, Jiefang rd 1004
Dongmen Bujingjie, Shenzen 
Ph. 0755 - 82229281
www.moderntoilet.com

Tsui Wah

When we walked out from Yung Kee, I was very happy to notice that Tsui Wah was located just across Yung Kee. Tsui Wah was one of the place I read that was recommended for their fish ball soup. Received many awards and had 20 branches in HK, along with 2 branches in Shanghai was enough to make my friend and I decided to go to Citygate outlet first and on our way back, we will stop by at Central again for a bowl of fish soup at Tsui Wah. Back from City Gate, we were tired and almost thinking to just eat nearby the place we stayed. Luckily we didn't.

As I looked down the menu, I was having trouble on deciding what to eat as they were all looked so tempting. Tsui Wah was famous for the fish soup, but to choose one from their lots of combination to paired with the soup was not easy. I came to the point on selecting Squid balls w/ seaweed in fish soup (HKD 34) while my friend picked Fish combination and seaweed in fish soup (HKD 39). It was superb. The fish broth were tasty, light and beautiful seasoned that I finished all my soup until the last spoon, not mentioning the squid and fish balls were so good. 

Ice milk tea & Lemon with tangerine

A bowl of fish soup in Tsui Wah was truly worth many come back visits. 

Note: 1 HKD = 1180 rupiah 

Tsui Wah

G/F - 2/F, 15 - 19 Wellington street

Central 

Ph. +852 25256338

Central branch open 24 hours 

Other location can be found at: 

http://www.tsuiwahrestaurant.com/eng/info_e.html

Guidance: Stop at MTR Central exit D2, turn right then turn left. You will see across a big store of Coach in the corner. Enter that alley, and you will see a sign on the right, first alley named Stanley street, skip that alley and walk to the second alley sign Wellington street. Enter the alley and you will directly see Tsui Wah on the right.

Yung Kee Hong Kong

One of the meal must eat when visiting Hong Kong is definitely the roast goose. I love roast goose and I hardly ever find any roast goose in Jakarta. Anyway, in the airport used to have a quick fast food selling different kinds of barbeque from duck, goose, chicken to pork and the roast goose was quite but I was told that they no longer selling goose, so I have to find another place. I knew about Yung Kee from the free book of dining places in HK I picked up in airport. It was written that Yung Kee was very famous for its roast goose and the restaurant had won bunch of awards. 

We were lucky to found Yung Kee with only the help of a map. Entering the place, it was definitely an upscale restaurant type. The place was very crowded while it was only 10 something in the morning. I wonder how much money they got in a day. I was informed that we need to go upstairs to put our name in the wait list. The lady upstairs in the reservation desk was very nice, even in the center of a buzzing crowd of wait list, she was still very polite and kind whenever people asked her when can be seated. From her also I learned that first floor was meant for an easy quick dining type with orders of BBQ rice set, while the second floor was meant for a more expensive family dining type where no rice set will be served, instead we can only order ala carte and dim sum. We chose 2nd floor and about 30 minutes wait list, we were seated.

When I opened the menu, I was inhaling while I saw the prices. It was super pricey. The goose itself had different size to choose, from regular, half and one full piece. Regular was a small portion meant for 3 persons and it cost us HKD 150, while all the vegetables were ranged around HKD 65 to HKD 100. We went for a regular Roast goose and selections of Dim Sum where the Dim Sum were around HKD 32. 

Overall to me, the award recognition didn't say much on the food. The dim sum were standard, and the roast goose was not as juicy and tender as I would expected. But it was good to know the place remembering that they are really famous in HK. 

Yung Kee

32 - 40 Wellington Street 

Central, Hong Kong

Ph. +852 25221624

http://www.yungkee.com.hk/

Guidance: Stop at MTR Central exit D2, turn right then turn left. You will see across a big store of Coach in the corner. Enter that alley, and you will see a sign on the right, first alley named Stanley street, skip that alley and walk to the second alley sign Wellington street. Enter the alley and you will directly see Yung Kee on the left.

Yunguixiang Rice Vermicelli Hong Kong

This noodle was also one of my always must have whenever I went to Hong Kong. I first know this place was from my Dad's sister and since then the place had took a very big place in my taste bud. 

It was a little bit hard to recognize this place as it only had the Chinese signage in front of the restaurant and was located in an alley, but a big alley where car can fit in, not a small alley. The place open at 11am and closed until midnight, it was one of the dining where it was still very crowded during midnight. 

Remember to ask for the menu in English as they only put Chinese menu in the table. The waiter can be rude, but hey it's Hong Kong, it will be weird to bump into nice waiter. =) Anyway, these what we ordered. A bowl of small pot rice vermicelli (HKD 22). The original came with bean sprout, chives, salted vegetables but you can choose to add side dishes to complement with the vermicelli for $6 per items. At that time, I chose extra of tofu skin, mushroom and beef balls. 

Need no say, the best vermicelli ever. It was so hot that just fits well with the cold weather, the broth, the noodle and literally everything inside the bowl were delicious. Love it! 

Too bad I really forgot to took a photo of the restaurant inside & outside. In my defense, it was late. We just got back from a tiring Disneyland & City Gate factory outlet and I was cold and hungry, all I can think of at that time was eat! But this is the direction to go there. 

Guidance: From Sogo Causeway Bay, just go straight passing by Causeway Bay Plaza, keep straight until the corner and turn right. Cross the road in your left, enter the first alley. Keep walking and you will see a big red signage with Chinese name in your right. There will be pictures of vermicelli outside the restaurant. 

Or if you are not staying in causeway Bay, exit MTR Causeway Bay station exit B. When you exit, turn right until the corner again turn right, then cross the road in your left, enter the first alley.

Lemon's closet 7 - LOOK BOOK

I am just gonna say that it is such a relief that finally the closet was launched. The last December until a couple days ago had been ups and downs for me. Last December started just nice, me and hubby went for a short break to Phuket during our buying trip, followed by a one week holiday with my best friend to one of my favorite place, Hong Kong.

Back from the fun thing, I was preparing to start the photo shoot for Lemon's newest closet when my husband got sick and hospitalized for dengue fever. =( After his recovery, I fell sick too. In summary, I was really relief and happy that finally the photo shoot can be done. A big thanks to my best friend who help me on this one. 

Closet 7 had been launched last night, pls view at: Lemon's Coset 7  

 

Anyway, CNY is coming soon. Yay! To all who celebrate, I wish you a happy Lunar New Year. May this dragon year bring all the prosperity, health and happiness closer to all of us. 

Cheers all! =)