Bornga: Original Korean Taste

Merry Christmaaas~
Wishing you all the best for this year's Christmas! May we be renewed and filled with joy for the upcoming year! However, this Christmas my family and I decided to stay in Jakarta for the break; We're not leavin as we just wanna use this holiday to rest. So, a day after the Christmas festivities, my mom and I decided to have lunch at this new-lookin' korean establishment 'Bornga' in Kelapa Gading.

Btw.. Thanks for the support my fellow readers! Check out my thank you note HERE. 

Restaurant Interior

Said to be an International Korean restaurant chain, they have restaurants in Korea, China, America, and Indonesia. I'm not gonna blabber all day to describe what kind of Restaurant they are. I'm gonna let the food do the talk.

Upon entering and greeted with a loud anyyeong haseo,  we are then directed to our tables to order. Since there's only just the two of us, we only ordered three kinds of food.

Barley Tea

Well well... after we got our complimentary Barley Tea, look what comes to our table below. Yes, a long plate of veggies and large bowls of different Banchan, as well as a bowl of Cold Kimchi soup.

Vegetables served on a long metal plate

 Different kinds of Banchan

Mul Kimchi

It was a lot of Banchan indeed. Especially, lookin at the veggies because I haven't had any Korean meal in Jakarta with that much of a veggie. Next up.. We also ordered a bowl of Dolsot Bibimbab. While it looks HUGE, it was not that huge: me and my mom finished it easily. The Bibimbab itself was delicious: it has this crust within every spoon - making it crispy and delicious.

Next up, are the beef! We actually ordered two portion of beef: The Woo Samgyup or the Brisket, and the Saeng Galbi (Unmarinated rib cut). The star here is actually the Woo Samgyup since it is marinated with their special sauce. Smile!

Uncooked Woo Samgyup

Okay. This is sooo mouthwatering. So lets burn the meat BABY! Btw sorry for not having the pic for the Saeng Galbi. I was rushin' the waitress for the food haha.

 

Cooking the Saeng Galbi

Cooking the Woo Samgyup 

Watching her cook the dish made my salivary gland to produce more and more saliva. SERIOUSLY. But then in the end.. It all become cooked just right. Look at the brisket after it is done cooking! It looks SOO GOOD.

Cooked Woo Samgyup

Presentation-wise, it already looks nice. The taste? AWESOMEEEE~! This is just like the perfect marriage of beef, its fat, and its seasoning! And of course.. To make the meal nutritious and delicious, Lets wrap it on a veggie. (Btw, they recommended to do so as well)

 In the end... We finished most of the veggies. It turns out to make the meat more interesting to eat.

Well yeah. I totally had a nice meal. It was delicious. One of the best korean meal I ever had. In the end, We were also given a selection of complimentary sides: a bowl of sliced fruit, or coffee. And we picked the sliced fruit of course ;)

Conclusion-wise, I just had experienced a nice korean meal in Bornga. Their specialty cut was just awesome. Before I left and close this post though.. I shall give my attention to thank for their excellent service. It was so excellent that they even provided this on the basin: One thing hmm... I never expected to see on a restaurant.

Yes to Listerine!

Bornga

Jalan Boulevard Barat Raya

North Jakarta

Which ever comes first.

So. if this one post is posted. I have made an accomplishment; It either me having a 10.000 visitor mark, or Foodgazette's first anniversary. Well the fact is, the 10.000 visitor mark comes first.

So.. this blog was registered at March 2012. At that time I only got my iPhone 4S to do the job - and my decision to create a blog was merely based on the fact that I need something that would entertain me at times when I get bored.

However... As time goes by.. Blogging became a necessity as well. If you have checked out my other blog.. the Raymond's CAS Blog... Foodgazette has became my diary to post my progress in regards to my C.A.S (Creativity, Action, Service) activities which are required by my school and the International Baccalaureate Organization - (the organization that will issue my high school diploma, if you don't know). Without foodgazette, I.. may not be able to graduate. So this blogging thing is a huge deal as it is one of my creative activity.. alongside with my photography courses in which I took em during my Summer break in 2012.

Thanks to YOU! My fellow readers.. This achievement means a lot me because I believed that I learn by experience. And as time goes by... I learn more and more. I have improved the way I write especially, dealing with the way I express food, as well as the way I took pictures. Believe or not, thanks to Foodgazette, I aced my English: Language and Literature Further Oral Activity at a score of 28/30. Why? Well because at that time.. the further orals was circled around FOOD! 

Foodgazette meant a lot to me. and I will continue to post more and more as time goes by. For now, I may not be able to form further relationship with other fellow Indonesian foodies due to the fact that well... exams are coming up - what I have been learning for these past two years.. would be tested.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Ginger Li

Ah.. the festive season.. a time where everything gets merry and jolly.

Well its not gonna be a relaxing holiday.... (DUH) because I would only have six months left to enjoy my last year in high school. Therefore, I would have to prepare my college applications. So far... I have submitted my application to a list of universities in different cities: From Boston.. Hong Kong.. Kuala Lumpur.. and Jakarta of course. Please pray and hope for the best for me.  Wherever I go, I will still be write at thefoodgazette! So please do pray for me!

Taken, written, and posted at the same day (Sunday 16/12/2012), after I had my time in Senayan City..  My sis and I went to Kemang to try this asian establishment. How do I know about this place? Well thanks to google because a few weeks ago.. I got so hyped up with kway teows that I decided to even search for some scrumptious looking kway teows. From Kwetiau Ahui (Owned by Fels), Kwetiau whatever in Pluit (I forgot the name: it was in Pluit Sakti), Singapore Kway Teow in Ritz Carlton's Asia Restaurant.. I ate them all in the same week. It was nice comparing all the different kway teow available.

So as I googled, I found Ginger Li from an article in Detik.. From that.. I wanted to try em. The chance to try them.. happened to be today. As for the picture.. I have to apologize for the lower quality since I left my camera at home. So my galaxy will have to do the work.

 Their Restaurant Façade
 

At the time of visit.. The rain just stopped. As a result, well... the weather gets quite cold as I enter their restaurant.. the window next to me was full of dew. Nice lookin' actually . I love this kind of weather and the dew that results from it.

Dew in the window - Nice and cold...

Restaurant Interior

Who's Mural is this? is this Ginger? haha!

 

Entrance

So yeah. As I enjoyed their decor.. I ordered. My sis ordered.

 

First.. the drinks. For this kind of weather.. My sis wants something warm. But something with less caffeine.. And no alcohol since she will have to supervise me with my noob driving skill. A hot English Breakfast will have to do the work.. and as for me.. A glass of orange.

For appetizers.. We had the Squid Cakwe. Ordered by my Sis. Tastes nice.

 

Not long after we had a few bite of these crunchy cakwes.. Our mains came.

For lunch.. My sis decides to have the Katong Laksa. I love how this dish was served. Presentation-wise, it was superbly served. The prawn was cooked to perfection.. Not overcooked.. Not undercooked. And the broth itself.. It was rich in flavors. Not too rich, not too spicy, just rich. Love this. As for myself.. I had....

Ta-Dah! The Ginger Li Wagyu Kway Teow! This is soo good! The beef makes it even better.. The hot candle below it keeps my kway teow warm as I ate em.. The flat rice noodles itself was nice in terms of its texture.. and I love their seasoning. I don't know what they use to enrich this kway teow other than the dark soy sauce they used. Whatever. Simply delicious.

Overall, I had a nice meal.. I did not ordered any desserts as we decided to save it for some other foods. For sure, I'll be returning here again for some more asian fine-cooked foods. Love the ambience, Service-wise, one waiter needs to be a little more friendly... and well... their price is quite high actually... But if you're an asian food lover.. I believe that your money will be worth it. Ciao!

Ginger Li

Jalan Kemang Raya

Jakarta

School Bali Field Trip: Tenganan Village Treats: Cerorot and Sumping

First off - this post may not truly express my love of food. Instead, this post is more towards all the aspects I have learnt from my itinerary to Tenganan Villlage. Hey ray, What is Tenganan? So Tenganan is an isolated village - not travel-wise, but it terms of its culture. It is one of the villages in Bali that still highly values local tradition and lived by the Bali Aga people or.. the native Balinese.

For short: they still maintain and perform ancient traditions:  rituals, architecture, marriage, and so forth.

As we enter the village, we headed straight towards the village chief's house. A lovely house with lots of geringsing textiles which are made using the double ikat method.

We are greeted warmly by the village chief and his household members and we are given a basketful of snacks and warm tea. Nice presentation huh?

A basket of Traditional Balinese snack

Now to the food part which everyone loves -  First off is the Cerorot - Looks like a dodol, but it isn't. So the cake consists of two main ingredients: brown sugar and rice. They are then steamed. To eat it, simply push the cerorot to your mouth and let the gooey cake melts into your mouth. Nice.

The second delight was the sumping: which was a steamed rice cake filled with bananas. I loved this one.

It was a nice coffee break with these two Balinese treats. Despite the heat, I can still enjoy these two delicacies due to its deliciousness. Nope. I did not touch the warm sweet tea. It'll drive me crazy.

As we discuss further Balinese tradition - including marriage, religious activities, titles, economy and external influences (maybe.. foodgazette readers won't be highly interested in these topics...) we went back to the bus and saw this unique egg cactus. (kaktus telur) I thought it would be interesting. The tree is real, and the egg truly grows. But this is not.. a chicken egg you know.. the one you can cook? No. 

School Bali Field Trip: Pita Maha

Helloo foodies! Continuing on with my Bali field trip stories... Well.. I realized as seniors that will end his or her school life soon - making this Bali trip as our last big fieldtrip... We have a big appetite. From eating, shopping, playing and hangin out.. as seniors we need lots of those. Worst thing is: The school is a bit crazy on food: Snacks are always served during coffee breaks and there are huge portion of meals needed to be finished during most meals. I really had to control what I ate during the trip really. I'm getting fatter and it is D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S!

In the previous post, I posted about Ibu Oka's Sucking Pig that was delicious (If you haven't checked them out, please do so!) . However, you guys should know that before we went to Ibu Oka... we actually had ate lunch at the Pitamaha Ubud. Terrific isnt it?

 

Despite the crazy appetite, Pita Maha Ubud has an excellent view. There's a pool down the restaurant, and a green scenery of traditional Ubud. 

While enjoying the scenery, we are given a glass of soft drinks. Perfect for this time of day.

 Soft Drinks - Sprite and Coke

The weather in Bali in the last 2 days of my trip has been extraordinarily hot! I even got a fever during the second day due to the harsh weather.. But thank God I was fully healed after I ate breakfast.

Back to the point, despite the nice scenery we can enjoy.. Service was kinda slow. While waiting for our appetizers, Bert even ordered a glass of juice and minutes after the juice has arrived, our appetizers are not even served. Here is what Bert ordered: The Pineapple Juice in Black-and-white.

Pineapple Juice

Still waiting.. I took a pic of the table ornament they had in each table. This is the one on my seat with J. Still in Black and White.

Table Ornament

And finally! Meal is served. Starting with the appetizers. First up is the Prawn Soup / Sup Udang. Three prawn balls served in a Balinese spicy soup. It's appearance may not look really close to a tom yum (due to the clearer soup)... But it tastes like one. More prawn balls would be nice seriously.

 Prawn Soup / Sup Udang

Good thing they have sped up. Now comes the main course: The Ubud Fried Duck.

 Balinese Fried Duck

Deep fried till brown and crispy.. I like the crispiness of this duck and not too salty either. The companion: The sambal matah was nice. Did not touch the red one.

Last came the desserts. Wasn't really special because its only sliced fruit. Not even Cold... Maybe they should've chilled the fruits first before serving?

Overall, it was an okay meal. The view was really great and relaxing to us all. :)

Meanwhile, there is one more post in regards to my trip to Bali with my School. Just wait for it!

School Bali Field Trip: Babi Guling Ibu Oka

Hello foodies! I just had a nice field trip with my School to Bali!  I had a nice time for sure as this field trip isn't just an ordinary fun trip. We are here to meet Oka Rusmini, the writer of Tarian Bumi. A book... that will be used for our final papers. This trip was also a trip for us to learn the true Balinese culture and local arts as well. 

                                  
Despite the hectic schedule - from going to Tenganan Village, visiting the Blanco Museum and hearing some speakers express their thoughts...  it was a generousity of my school to give us students some free time during the night and at our last itinerary in Ubud.

The grade twelve male seniors.. decided to have another lunch in Ibu Oka's Suckling Pig joint. I'm sure frequent visitors of Bali knew this place.

Entrance

A whole lot of pork being prepped up!

Upon entering, we are given an awesome service: we are greeted and asked where were from with our DK B4 LI tee.

Thanks to Krish for being my model!

Well we answered. We're from Jakarta. International school... We love Ibu Oka's suckling pig... and it will be a huge loss if we did not made the effort to eat some of your pork and bla bla bla.

Their Menu

The taste? No doubt about Ibu Oka's cooking. Based on my tastebuds, It is Simply one of the best foods in Bali. Its cuts are perfectly cooked with the right texture and the right taste. not too salty.. not too spicy.

Special Plate

In this Special Plate, everything is included - vegetables, pork roll, fried meat, sausage, meat, PORK SKIN... and rice accompanied with their not-so-spicy sauce.

While Calv can't eat sambals.. he opted to have the plain one and he said it is still great. For sure everything becomes really clear when the meat and veggies get naked. :)

 Special Plate with no Sauces at all

For the drinks.. I had the young coconut, and we had a glass of rice wine for each. Delicious.

 Rice Wine

Last the waitresses said goodbye and to come again soon, we too said bye bye.

Meanwhile, Expect more food reviews posted at thefoodgazette.blogspot.com in regards to my Bali Fieldtrip with my school!

Convivium Home Cooked Italian Dining

I'm bored of Jakarta's malls. Seriously. They need to add new food other than the Sushi, the Duck, the Pancakes, and more. I'm not gonna mention them all - you guys probably know.
I'm bored to most restaurants that are in malls. Most of them always share the same concept with similar foods. I need a new concept people!

And yeah. That boredom has changed how my buds hang out.

So one day, my friends and I went to this establishment in Panglima Polim 6 which is.. Convivium.
However, we're here not to dine.. but just to have some simple snacking... haha. 

welcome to Convivium! hahaha

restaurant interior

without further delays, these are the dish that we ordered. First up, is the Calzone. Pork contained. Good.

So done with the savory stuffs... We then ordered lots of desserts to sample together! hmmm~

First up to arrive at our table is the Red Velvet Cake. Said to be naturally colored, this cake is superbly moist. chewy enough. and creamy enough. One of the best tasting Red Velvet in town.

  

Again, admitted to be naturally coloured, their version of Rainbow Cake is good in the eyes. But the taste? I am not synchronized with the fact that each layer has different flavors. So.. Pink is for strawberry, the orange is for oranges.. and whatever. Just don't get this one.

Next up, is the pannacotta. Raspberry Pannacotta. Its milky enough. sweet enough. and sour enough. Perfectly balanced. Delicious. Like this one.

Before Leaving Convivium.. We are enticed with the availability of these... Uniquely wierdly-sounded flavored gelato? From squid ink, strawberry chilly, bacon, earl grey, red velvet, orange basil, vanilla basillico, lychee and lime rosemary.. I find the lychee, lime, and chilly to be uniquely flavored and delicious. the rest are just unique, but does not really fit in into our taste buds especially the bacon one. The bacon one is just... to porky to fit in into an ice cream.

Overall, I like this time that I have spent with my friends. Great desserts.

Convivium Home Cooked Italian Dining

Jalan Panglima Polim 6

Jakarta