Second Round, a Cafe

Still somewhere in Ginza. They serve teas in fancy cups and mag cakes. And oh, the cakes. My mouth is still watering thinking about it. I'll write about it more later.

It was a cozy spot. Apparently after lunch/dinner some Japanese love to have meet and greet in cafes. So they take the desserts here. The cafe doesn't sell any other food. Just some drinks (coffee, tea, perhaps soft drink) and cakes.

We had some fun and the conversation flowed freely. It's as if we've known each other for years. What an incredible feeling.

We had this awesome cake. The base is meringue, macaroon. Then heaps of cream and other stuff. Then decorated with chestnut paste, designed to look like spaghetti (in fact Isman and I first thought, who on earth put pasta on a cake? Ha ha!). I could almost feel the taste. It's addictive!

First Round, Chinese Restaurant

I think it was in Ginza, but I am not so sure. Ibu Yumiko is an Indonesian translator (she is Japanese) and she is a friend of Nyachan. We exchanged some emails and I found her very polite, charming and nice. In a way I think Ibu Yumiko looks like an Indonesian (she's wearing green, by the way).

It was a nice dinner, and Ibu Yumiko brought along a friend. She doesn't really speak English or Indonesian and I can't speak Japanese, yet somehow we got along fine.

The food was tasty even though I was quite sad because I couldn't taste the huge gyoza (they contained traces of pork). I love the drink. Orange juice in a bottle, yeaah! I love it so much, I had two bottles. I wanted three actually but it was my brain thinking, my stomach couldn't hold some more. :D

When my partner and I said that we were so full, Ibu Yumiko said, "Oh, this is just first round." We thought she was kidding. But actually there was a round two! *gasp*

Where to Eat in Bali?

Bali has tons of restaurants and cafes. From the ones littered near the beaches, small "warung" boasting whatever delicacies that they are serving, to haute cuisine.

Since I am Muslim, I have to be careful when eating in Bali. Some of the restaurants serve pork. In fact, one of Balinese specialty dishes is roasted pigs, skewered. They say it's succulent and tasty.

Appearances do matter. Affordable, cheap restaurants usually write their specialties on a banner/on their windows and some even put the prices there. Expensive ones are more elegant and located usually in busy areas, or places where many foreign tourists usually flock. If you're unsure, ask your guide/driver in Bali, they will be able to enlighten you since most drivers I met in Bali are well versed when it comes to choosing the best places to eat, according to your preference.

If you're Muslim, choose restaurants with the word "halal" in them. Otherwise you might have to ask the waiters or waitresses whether they are serving halal food or not. If you're unsure, just stick to vegetarian dishes.

Balinese dishes are generally spicy. If you're used to it, then feel free to sample whatever you fancy. Alternatively you can ask the waiters/waitresses if their chef could lessen the spiciness of their dishes. Never hesitate to ask!

My best friend and I chose a restaurant called Renon. It serves halal food and the price is affordable. They mainly serve Chinese food. I had fun looking at their wares. They're also selling cute saucers, mugs, bowls made of porcelain. If you happen to be there, try their specialty, Renon roasted chicken. They're yum yum!

I Love Cooking!

Just for the fun of it. I don't want to cook professionally or spend some allotted hours everyday just to cook. I want to cook to show my love to my loved ones. I cook because I care, because I want to spend some of my time bringing joy to people I love.

I wasn't always like this. I wasn't a natural. My mom tried to teach me but I was a late bloomer, I suppose. My mom used to tell me my specialty back then was sambal. It was the only thing that I could make right. Ha! And then I began baking cookies, brownies. Sauteing some stuff. My skills developed tremendously when I went to university because you can say that I lived on my own and my parents' house was kinda remote back then. What was the significance of this? Meaning I couldn't rely on takeaway food! LOL. IIRC only two or three restaurants provided delivery to my parents' place then.

I want my kids to grow up with the smell of homemade cooking. And I want them to be compelled to learn how to cook as well, it's a precious art and craft and I am quite sad not many are interested to cook any more these days.

My First Lunch in 2011

Courtesy of my mom. She made ayam kodok, Indonesian for frog chicken. Actually it's stuffed chicken, with minced meat and others. Was too lazy to make the sauce (ha) so I sliced some, added couple of prawn nuggets and slices of half a tomato.

Nom nom, and thank you, Mom!