Artsy fartsy place to stay in Jakarta that will not break the bank

Posted on by

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

I was supposed to book something else in Jakarta, I think it was near Grand Indonesia.

But then my boss recommended this and I saw it was a lot cheaper, at around PHP 2,370 a night. There was no question about it so I booked it. It was in front of Sarinah, Jakarta’s first department store, ergo, I will not run out of food options.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

Durian Writer told me to take a selfie infront of it because it was the scene of the Jakarta bombings a few years back.

Anyway, Artotel in Thamrin is comfortable enough, the room was much bigger than anything else I book in Singapore, and has decent Internet connection (around 20+ Mbps). It poses as an art gallery/hotel and it has murals done by up and coming local artists.

Looks like it’s tilting but it’s actually level. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

The food though is… Any breakfast buffet without bacon in my book is a fail. That’s it. Since everything in Jakarta is halal, I couldn’t expect to have babi/baboy which is why my diet the past three days consisted of ayam (chicken) and veggies.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

The food I had the past three days lacked the umami flavor that I favor so much. Yes, Indonesian food is spicy because they love putting so much crushed chili but I found myself always reaching for the soy sauce and black pepper.

Nasi padang. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

The style of nasi padang is to serve everything on the table. But of course my colleagues and I did not eat everything. You only get charged for the ones you pick/touch. So I think they make money off people who have bigger eyes than their stomachs as they would be dipping into every dish on the table “just to try”. They will end up paying for everything.

I just ate beef rendang, jackfruit curry (like ginataang langka), and a vegetable dish that is a bunch of leaves that was blanched and it tasted like lagundi leaves. I liked the rendang.

The other day we ate near Sarinah and I ordered gado-gado (because this dish has been advertised to me by Durian Writer so many times) and satay, just to compare the Singaporean one. My colleague boasted that Indonesian satay is the best (of course you should love thy own) but unfortunately I liked the Singaporean version grilled near Lau Pasat every night. The Indonesian satay is covered in so much yellow sauce that didn’t help in flavoring the meat itself (which is, of course, ayam) I liked the gado-gado, which is a dish composed of kropek, fried tofu, veggies, sambal and some stuff I no longer remember.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

I had this blueberry vanilla milkshake when we were in Markette in Grand Indonesia for a meeting.

All in all, my travel food is not a success. I may have better luck the next time around.

Communication gone really wrong: How to get out of the Soekarno Hatta International Airport, where no ones speaks English, at 1 freaking am

Posted on by

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com

This was my first time in Jakarta. I cannot pinpoint any reason why it took me a long time to visit Indonesia. Maybe I associate it closely with work. Or maybe because of my experience below (which I half-expected already).

Anyway, because I have no idea how to navigate in Jakarta, a friend told me to just book Blue Bird taxi to bring me to my hotel, Artotel Thamrin, safely. I saw a Blue Bird ad at the airport and learned that it had an app so I quickly downloaded it and proceeded to book my taxi online.

The problem is it could not pinpoint my pickup point since I was under the train tracks or some kind of structure. The GPS was out of whack. So I had to ask a lot of people (airport personnel, guards, airport police) if the pickup point was correct. But they could not understand me. No one speaks English nor understand it. And they kept pointing me to different directions 😭.

All they understood was Blue Bird. Then pointed to me to these queue of taxis.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com

So I had to call Durian Writer to ask if Blue Bird is a generic name for taxi as well (kinda like Colgate and then there’s colgate). He said no. (Oh btw, I called him up at halfway past midnight for some SOS). He talked to one of the guards via my phone to give him instructions in Bahasa to direct me where a Blue Bird taxi can pick me up.

But the guy kept pointing me to this. He just kept on saying “Blue Bird, Blue Bird.”

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com

I was already going in circles for an hour. I went up because Durian Writer said maybe the pick up point for Blue Bird may be at the 2nd level.

I was really tired. I wanted to cry. No one understood me. I asked Durian Writer if I can just hop on in one of the taxis queuing. But you know, we were both Filipino reporters and know that it was a terrible idea to do that in Manila so we both thought we’d rather err on the side of caution. Stick to Blue Bird. But no one could properly point me or instruct me how to get a Blue Bird taxi.

Then an idea struck Durian Writer: Take a picture of where I was. I did. It was the photo above, showing the monitor for the taxi queue. Then he said look for a kiosk where they issue taxi queue slips.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com

Then he said look for Blue Bird. I did. I clicked on the touchscreen and ordered a Blue Bird. And took my queue ticket.

And my taxi came a few minutes later.

We took the expressway, traffic was not so bad, about 45 mins to Thamrin. I had Google Map with me to make sure the driver is not taking me anywhere I shouldn’t be (horror stories of rogue Manila airport taxis kept popping in my head). I had to pay for about IDR 17,000 tollway fee and my taxi fare or about IDR 127,000 plus booking fee I think.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com

Total was between IDR 150,000-IDR 200,000 (PHP 540-PHP 720). I no longer remember the exact amount because my brain was no longer functioning.

I got to check in my hotel at 2:30 am. Slept at 3 am. And I had an appointment at 9 am.

It was a miserable experience. The airport could have had some kind of instructions how to get taxis plastered at the exit for foreigners who are new to Jakarta. Just like what they had in Bangkok.

There was no instruction in English that says Blue Bird can be booked via an app AND via the kiosk outside.

The airport people whom I asked for help should have brought me to the kiosk and pointed out that I could order Blue Bird via the screen. But no, they kept pointing me to the taxi stand.

I should have read blogs on how to fucking get out of the airport especially no one speaks English.

So now, I am writing a blog entry for hapless idiot travelers like me who have arrived in Jakarta for the first time.

*no more train service so I was limited to taxis

Chinese and Indian food tripping in Singapore

Posted on by

Pork, chicken, and duck. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

Food tripping in Singapore is not complete without Chinese and Indian food.

@kongapored brought me to Mui Kee Congee along Scotts Road before I flew back to Manila later that day. She said she was curious about how the Cantonese-style congee tasted like in Singapore (she is Hong Kong Chinese but has lived in Singapore for about four years now). Singaporean congee, she said, is nothing but watery rice gruel so it was unappealing to her. To me as well since I am used to the strong flavors that the best lugaw/arroz caldo house serve us here in Manila.

Mui Kee Congee along Scotts Road. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

This was ok, as far as Chinese congee is concerned. It has a slight ginger taste (maybe a sliver of ginger there?) and the pork meatballs were a good foil to the blandness of the rice soup. I had to give the congee a good dollop of soy sauce to kick my taste buds.

Mui Kee Congee along Scotts Road. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

I forget what’s the name of this dish but @kongapored said this should not be dry and sticky like this one served to us. It’s supposed to be saucy and not served like this with the sauce separate from the dish.

My travails for the memorable Chinese food has been fruitless since the ones I had in some Chinese restaurant (supposedly earning one Michelin star) in Chinatown are pedestrian but expensive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkQH-c_jTEA/?igshid=nqjp9xm3po9g

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkQH4Z_DZW4/?igshid=11kvs90a2jwxc

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkQH1p2jNq4/?igshid=1uw45w5ctt0mq

Fish head curry is not really Indian but it is a Kerala-style x Chinese fusion cuisine that is signature Singaporean. I am including this to show the crossbreeding of cuisines that reflect Singapore: a crossroads of two civilizations.

Ocean Curry Fish Head along Telok Ayer. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

After having this fish head curry, I have more appreciation of fish heads, which I dismiss here in the Philippines because they do not yield me anything at all. I could tell that the fish in this dish was fresh (no lansa) and the curry was spicy enough to heighten my senses as the spicyness level of this dish is not normally found in the Philippines. I even find Bicol express and pinangat mild compared to this one.

For more “authentic” Indian food (read: vegetarian) head to Little India or somewhere near that enclave. I cannot remember where this was because I just walked for four hours in MacRitchie Reservoir prior to this to clear my head (but ended up more confused that day). This was a purely vegetarian dish that did little to satisfy my hunger. And it was spicy to boot. I just neutralized it with sweet lassi, which I felt like was the only sugar source for me that evening.

This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

After this dinner, I drowned myself with a lot of alcohol. Jumped from one bar along Club Street to another one somewhere in Tanjong Pagar.

Satay feast along Boon Tat cor Robinson Road, Singapore

Posted on by

Satay feast outside Lau Pasat. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

Having a taste of satay grilled along Boon Tat Road between Lau Pasat and Sofitel five years ago has changed the way I look at that quintessential Singaporean/Malaysian street food. It’s skewered meat of every kind: chicken, beef, pork, mutton, rabbit, lamb, and even prawns. It can be eaten as is, or for extra oomph, you can dip it in peanut sauce.

The meat (of whatever kind) is tender and savory and not sickly sweet like how some of our Pinoy barbeque tend to be. Hindi sya nakakaumay. The meat size is cut just right so it’s not much of struggle when you bite it off the skewer.

Every night (around 7 pm-ish) they close off a section of Boon Tat so satay vendors can roll out the tables and chairs for al fresco diners.

There are senior citizens who go around selling wet wipes or tissue for SGD 1 a pop. If you’re feeling charitable, go ahead buy some because you will need that after stuffing your face. Otherwise, save your 40 pesos (roughly SGD 1) and use your own handkerchief to wipe the peanut sauce off your mouth.

I never fail to have one dinner there with coworkers or other Singapore-based friends like @barbaruuu there.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUeWZtygJAu/?igshid=1tcl7g63dziso

Satay is best paired with beer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUZjdNDAiFr/?igshid=k6c0bahlft8w

And more beer

Beer and satay outside Lau Pasat. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

After that eye-popping moment five years ago when I discovered how the real satay tasted like, I can confidently declare that the ones served by Shangri-la Makati and Shangri-la EDSA are complete garbage.

Peranakan food in Singapore… Again

Posted on by

Why is it that the most expensive food I get to eat in Singapore is peranakan?

Wait, what is peranakan food? It is fusion cusine, a combination of Chinese ingredients with Indonesian and Malaysian spices and cooking techniques (as described by The Culture Trip).

Good thing I was not the one paying for the dinners there (it’s usually company dinner) since these restaurants are either highly rated locally or has obtained at least one Michelin star, therefore, $$$ 🤑🤑🤑.

I love peranakan vegetable dishes. They’re cooked in a way that seems very familiar to the taste buds (Southeast Asian taste) but it’s alien in some sense because it is not my daily fare in Manila. Or I don’t get to eat them in Manila.

IndoCafe along Scotts Road. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

True Blue Cuisine along Armenian Road. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

True Blue Cuisine along Armenian Road. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

I wasn’t able to take a picture of the okra dish I fell in love with in Blue Ginger. It was cooked in coconut milk but was spicy like it had a good helping of sambal.

I also forgot to take a picture of the fish curry I had in IndoCafe. That shows how busy I was, stuffing my face with good food.

While Indonesian food is not peranakan, I am lumping it together with peranakan to save me one blog post (yes I’m that lazy).

I went to Pagi Sore (“Morning Afternoon”) along Telok Ayer twice with co-workers.

Indonesian food at Pagi Sore along Telok Ayer. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

Indonesian food at Pagi Sore along Telok Ayer. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

Indonesian food at Pagi Sore along Telok Ayer. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

Indonesian food at Pagi Sore along Telok Ayer. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com and can be found on @callmecreation on Instagram

I liked peranakan food that I bought a jar of sambal so I can stir fry kangkong with sambal, pinakbet with sambal… every ginisang gulay with sambal.

I’m getting hungry.