My hometown and all the good food I miss!
Bebek Goreng Mon Mon (fried duck)
J. Co (Donuts and Coffee Shop)
Kogyo BBQ (Korean-Mexican fusion, SUTOS)
Soto Ambengan
Hana Sushi
Kue Leker food cart (in front of Ayam Penyet Bu Kris in Tenggilis)
Martabak Mesir (Egyptian Omelet, Rumah Sederhana)
Sari Nusantara (Padang cuisine)
Thai Village
Layar Seafood
Upcoming:
Ikan Bakar Cianjur
Showing posts with label surabaya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surabaya. Show all posts
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Fresh Seafood, Preserved Eggs
Our current seafood restaurant in our hometown (Surabaya): Layar Seafood.
They have tanks and ice trays filled with live seafood right as you are walking in. Lobsters, crabs, fishes, clams, frogs. You name it. When you order, you just tell them how big a fish/crab/lobster you want. We've been going there every time I've been home (which is only once a year).
This time, we started with some frog legs :)
The frog legs here are nothing like what I've had in North America. Much more tender and flavorful here! Not like chicken at all. This particular one is made with some nice sweet soy-based sauce.
Then we went to their signature dish, "Kepiting Telur Asin" - which means "Salted Egg Crab"
As the name suggests, the sauce on the crab is made from Salted Duck Eggs (aka. Telur Asin). The salting is a method of preserving the eggs by soaking them in either brine or salted charcoal.
I thought loading the fresh crab with preserved eggs was somewhat ironic - but it is soo delicious so who cares!
A yummy savoriness filled my mouth with each sauce-laden bite of crab.
We also got some boiled crab with garlic broth
Good, and the freshness of the crab definitely stands out here. But flavor wise is a lot more subtle than the salted egg one, so we definitely liked the other one better, especially since we ate it first. This one tasted rather bland after eating the other. Should've started with this first.
I also have trouble finding good watercrest (Kangkung) dish in the US, so I ordered some here:
Sauteed watercrest/kangkung and shrimp in slightly spicy sauce.
A great meal throughout! Their ingredients are fresh and we can't seem to go wrong with any of the offerings here. Hopefully it will stay open next year as I plan to come back again and again. The Crab with "Telur Asin" is their unique dish and it would be such a shame if I can never eat it again!!
Layar Seafood
Jl. Raya Bukit Mas 109 Surabaya
Phone: 031 5683716
They have tanks and ice trays filled with live seafood right as you are walking in. Lobsters, crabs, fishes, clams, frogs. You name it. When you order, you just tell them how big a fish/crab/lobster you want. We've been going there every time I've been home (which is only once a year).
This time, we started with some frog legs :)
The frog legs here are nothing like what I've had in North America. Much more tender and flavorful here! Not like chicken at all. This particular one is made with some nice sweet soy-based sauce.Then we went to their signature dish, "Kepiting Telur Asin" - which means "Salted Egg Crab"
As the name suggests, the sauce on the crab is made from Salted Duck Eggs (aka. Telur Asin). The salting is a method of preserving the eggs by soaking them in either brine or salted charcoal.I thought loading the fresh crab with preserved eggs was somewhat ironic - but it is soo delicious so who cares!
A yummy savoriness filled my mouth with each sauce-laden bite of crab.
We also got some boiled crab with garlic broth
Good, and the freshness of the crab definitely stands out here. But flavor wise is a lot more subtle than the salted egg one, so we definitely liked the other one better, especially since we ate it first. This one tasted rather bland after eating the other. Should've started with this first.I also have trouble finding good watercrest (Kangkung) dish in the US, so I ordered some here:
Sauteed watercrest/kangkung and shrimp in slightly spicy sauce.A great meal throughout! Their ingredients are fresh and we can't seem to go wrong with any of the offerings here. Hopefully it will stay open next year as I plan to come back again and again. The Crab with "Telur Asin" is their unique dish and it would be such a shame if I can never eat it again!!
Layar Seafood
Jl. Raya Bukit Mas 109 Surabaya
Phone: 031 5683716
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Mon Mon!
Fried duck is pretty popular in Indonesia, but apparently as of late there has been a debate as to which place has the best fried duck. A lot of the votes has gone over to Mon Mon, so my friends and I decided to give it a try!
We also ordered the grilled duck, but the fried duck pictured below is definitely the best dish they have:
Since living in the US I haven't had the chance to try out many of the places in Indonesia, so I can't say whether or not this was the best duck in town, but it definitely is pretty darn good. They somehow managed to make the duck juicier/ less dry than most places do.
I also got the tongue stew since it's been a while since I've had beef tongue.
The beef tongue had the characteristic tenderness and flavor of tongue that I remember from childhood. Not like the tough chewy stuff I get in the US!
Bebek Goreng Mon Mon
Jl Mayjend Sungkono 139, Surabaya 031-5620220
We also ordered the grilled duck, but the fried duck pictured below is definitely the best dish they have:
Since living in the US I haven't had the chance to try out many of the places in Indonesia, so I can't say whether or not this was the best duck in town, but it definitely is pretty darn good. They somehow managed to make the duck juicier/ less dry than most places do.I also got the tongue stew since it's been a while since I've had beef tongue.
The beef tongue had the characteristic tenderness and flavor of tongue that I remember from childhood. Not like the tough chewy stuff I get in the US!Bebek Goreng Mon Mon
Jl Mayjend Sungkono 139, Surabaya 031-5620220
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sharksfin galore
One of the special delicacies of Chinese cuisine that my family likes to get occasionally is the sharks fin soup. We normally go to a place called Thai Village, located inside the Galaxy Mall in Surabaya (don't know why it's called Thai Village, it's all Chinese food actually).
The sharks fin soup is expensive, so this time around we ordered a Medium sized soup w/crab to share among the three of us, and then got other dishes.
Let's look at the sharks fin more closely :P They are the slices you see behind the bean sprouts. When one of my cousins was younger he thought that they were rice noodles!
The sharks fin is chewy, but does not have a fishy taste. The soup is rich and thick, and this particular one is also topped with crab meat. You eat it with lots of bean sprouts and, if you like it, cilantros. I think Thai Village still serves the best one in town, although a lot of people have gone over to other places like XO.
We also ordered some duck web, since the other dish we wanted was not available that night (I can't remember what it is).
It wasn't bad, but nothing special I thought. I like chicken feet better.
We also ordered one of my favorites, garlic stir fry noodles with crab. Just look at this!
That crab is just inviting me to crack it and eat it!
One of the best parts of this dish is that it is LOADED with garlic. This is what you will find at the bottom of the wok:
Roasted garlic everywhere :) Naturally the crab and the noodle both are completely garlic-flavored, which is just perfect for me.
Thai Village
in Galaxy Mall, Surabaya
The sharks fin soup is expensive, so this time around we ordered a Medium sized soup w/crab to share among the three of us, and then got other dishes.
Let's look at the sharks fin more closely :P They are the slices you see behind the bean sprouts. When one of my cousins was younger he thought that they were rice noodles!The sharks fin is chewy, but does not have a fishy taste. The soup is rich and thick, and this particular one is also topped with crab meat. You eat it with lots of bean sprouts and, if you like it, cilantros. I think Thai Village still serves the best one in town, although a lot of people have gone over to other places like XO.We also ordered some duck web, since the other dish we wanted was not available that night (I can't remember what it is).
It wasn't bad, but nothing special I thought. I like chicken feet better.We also ordered one of my favorites, garlic stir fry noodles with crab. Just look at this!
That crab is just inviting me to crack it and eat it!One of the best parts of this dish is that it is LOADED with garlic. This is what you will find at the bottom of the wok:
Roasted garlic everywhere :) Naturally the crab and the noodle both are completely garlic-flavored, which is just perfect for me.Thai Village
in Galaxy Mall, Surabaya
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Snow Crab in My Mouth
In general I'm a bit skeptical about eating sushi in Indonesia, especially when we're talking about the raw fish sushi. But my family wanted to go so I went along with them to Sushi Hana in Surabaya. We went on a weeknight so they were not that busy, also still had some customers.
There were six of us and each of us put in a request to order, including some tuna sashimi salad, which was pretty good - full of rich mayo-based sauce. We also had more basic rolls like Philadelphia roll and Rainbow roll, which were not bad (they tasted pretty standard, hey I'm used to LA sushi).
The surprisingly good roll though was this snow crab roll! It was called the Snow Crab Narudo (thx Stef for getting me the name!)
Wrapped in fresh cucumber, the roll doesn't contain any rice - yes the pink stuff you see in place of the rice is fresh snow crab meat! And the crab meat was surprisingly fresh and delicious. Wrapped in cucumbers, this roll was very refreshing. Since there's no rice to fill you up with you really end up wanting more.
We ended up getting two orders of this.
I think it's worth it to come here just for this roll alone, and maybe one of their either tuna or crab sashimi salad. The rest of it though, I must say, is not bad at all. Again, can't beat LA's finest, but comparable to standard sushi places. They do have toro sashimi plate for about $11 if you convert it to US currency, but I was too afraid I would be disappointed so I didn't get it even though by our standards it was really cheap :(
Sushi Hana
Jln Dr Soetomo 97E
Surabaya
031-5688041
There were six of us and each of us put in a request to order, including some tuna sashimi salad, which was pretty good - full of rich mayo-based sauce. We also had more basic rolls like Philadelphia roll and Rainbow roll, which were not bad (they tasted pretty standard, hey I'm used to LA sushi).
The surprisingly good roll though was this snow crab roll! It was called the Snow Crab Narudo (thx Stef for getting me the name!)
Wrapped in fresh cucumber, the roll doesn't contain any rice - yes the pink stuff you see in place of the rice is fresh snow crab meat! And the crab meat was surprisingly fresh and delicious. Wrapped in cucumbers, this roll was very refreshing. Since there's no rice to fill you up with you really end up wanting more.We ended up getting two orders of this.
I think it's worth it to come here just for this roll alone, and maybe one of their either tuna or crab sashimi salad. The rest of it though, I must say, is not bad at all. Again, can't beat LA's finest, but comparable to standard sushi places. They do have toro sashimi plate for about $11 if you convert it to US currency, but I was too afraid I would be disappointed so I didn't get it even though by our standards it was really cheap :(
Sushi Hana
Jln Dr Soetomo 97E
Surabaya
031-5688041
Monday, March 31, 2008
The Better Krispy Kreme KopyKat
The story we heard was that they signed up to franchise Krispy Kreme in Indonesia. Paid the initial payment, and got all the training and secrets of Krispy Kreme. Then backed out. Lost the initial payment but then opened up their very own donut franchise empire. So we've heard, I am not claiming this to be a fact.
What I will claim to be a fact is this: J.Co's donuts are lighter, less sweet, and more catered to the Asian palate. They serve flavors like mango, green tea, and Kaya which are big with Asians. Also a fact: Krispy Kreme later on did open up stores in Indonesia, but J.Co is doing far better business and can be found at least in every other mall. Krispy Kreme's donuts turn out to be too heavy and sweet for a lot of Indonesians (except for the glazed donuts straight out of the oven).
These donuts are pretty pricey by Indonesian living standards, they are luxury items and are about 3-4 times more than normal 'doughnuts'.
I got an assortment last time.
Our favorite was the very bottom ones, which are chocolate glazed donuts with cocoa pebbles. Sounds easy and simple but the crunchyness was great.
The white one was the Kaya with coconut sprinkling. It was okay ... I mean it was good, but if I want kaya I would just go for a Kaya toast in Singapore though.
I didn't get to have the rest :( My cousins ate em all >_<
What I will claim to be a fact is this: J.Co's donuts are lighter, less sweet, and more catered to the Asian palate. They serve flavors like mango, green tea, and Kaya which are big with Asians. Also a fact: Krispy Kreme later on did open up stores in Indonesia, but J.Co is doing far better business and can be found at least in every other mall. Krispy Kreme's donuts turn out to be too heavy and sweet for a lot of Indonesians (except for the glazed donuts straight out of the oven).
These donuts are pretty pricey by Indonesian living standards, they are luxury items and are about 3-4 times more than normal 'doughnuts'.
I got an assortment last time.
Our favorite was the very bottom ones, which are chocolate glazed donuts with cocoa pebbles. Sounds easy and simple but the crunchyness was great.The white one was the Kaya with coconut sprinkling. It was okay ... I mean it was good, but if I want kaya I would just go for a Kaya toast in Singapore though.
I didn't get to have the rest :( My cousins ate em all >_<
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Best "Soto Ayam"
Meet "Soto", a type of Indonesian (usually) chicken soup. There are many types of Soto, depending on the part of the country you're coming from, but usually contains chicken, hard boiled eggs, vermicelli, and some veggies. The most famous of these are probably "Soto ayam" or chicken soto, and the best soto ayam is undoubtedly Soto Ambengan.
In Surabaya, the best one is Soto Ambengan Pak Sadi Asli ("Asli" means original, or real, Pak Sadi being the name of the person who originally made the soto). You have a choice between chicken meat, chicken skin, eggs or no eggs, and various other parts of the chicken to put in your soup.
The soup is yellow from the turmeric in it, and most people put lots and lots of the peanut/koya toppings on top, making the soup richer. The multiple herbs and spices make the soup very flavorful and memorable. Now Pak Sadi has various locations around town, but the best one is still the original location on Jl. Ambengan (I'll find the complete address later, but really, if you hop on the cab and say "Soto Ambengan Pak Sadi" on "Jalan Ambengan" they should all know how to get there).
These pictures are taken at a mall food court location. (I had gone to the mall shortly after arriving and I didn't really want to eat anything else at the mall, so Soto it was). Not as good as the original, but still better than most other mall options.
I had a traditional Indonesian drink, "Es Dawet" also known as "Es Cendol" to go with it.
The green stuff is made of flour, basically, and the thickness of the liquid comes from coconut milk.
Rich and sweet.
In Surabaya, the best one is Soto Ambengan Pak Sadi Asli ("Asli" means original, or real, Pak Sadi being the name of the person who originally made the soto). You have a choice between chicken meat, chicken skin, eggs or no eggs, and various other parts of the chicken to put in your soup.
The soup is yellow from the turmeric in it, and most people put lots and lots of the peanut/koya toppings on top, making the soup richer. The multiple herbs and spices make the soup very flavorful and memorable. Now Pak Sadi has various locations around town, but the best one is still the original location on Jl. Ambengan (I'll find the complete address later, but really, if you hop on the cab and say "Soto Ambengan Pak Sadi" on "Jalan Ambengan" they should all know how to get there).These pictures are taken at a mall food court location. (I had gone to the mall shortly after arriving and I didn't really want to eat anything else at the mall, so Soto it was). Not as good as the original, but still better than most other mall options.
I had a traditional Indonesian drink, "Es Dawet" also known as "Es Cendol" to go with it.The green stuff is made of flour, basically, and the thickness of the liquid comes from coconut milk.
Rich and sweet.
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