Two words: brick oven. Not all Italian restaurants have one and it is definitely a selling point for Portofino.
After you've been seated and ordered your meal, your server will bring you complimentary bread that has most likely been baked in the brick oven: crusty, light, and fluffy. I got half-full on the bread before the first dish was served. It's hard to not eat so much with several different spreads (tomato salad, salsa verde, and... romesco, I think?) and some balsamic and olive oil.
The Caprese salad is not as flavorful as I had hoped. Since the salad only contains four ingredients, the quality of each ingredient will show. The cherry tomatoes are delicious, different from the typical Indonesian tomatoes that I find grainy. The mozzarella is almost tasteless but has a wonderful soft, pillowy texture. The dish could've used more than two basil leaves.
When there's a brick oven, you have to order the pizza! Their pizza is light with crunchy edges, sure to appeal to the Indonesian palate. They have plenty of different toppings including Parma ham. I am normally apprehensive of charcuterie as I normally get diarrhea (and even food poisoning from one shitty "Italian" hellhole that I will not name), perhaps due to improper storage, but this one was fine. I was not afraid of ordering it from such a fine establishment.
Portofino's signature pasta is the freshly made porcini ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and shaved parmesan. Perhaps customers order the pasta so often that the porcini stays fresh (as far as dried goods go), unlike in other Italian restaurants where customers opt for cheaper options. The porcini retains its strong earthy flavor and aroma.
The osso bucco was so tender the meat fell off the bone. I wish more marrow remained in the bone, though. They must've melted off through the long cooking time. The risotto leaves something to be desired as it was tasteless and bland--probably the broth/stock. It could use more parmesan too. According to the menu, the risotto alla Milanese is made with saffron, but I didn't detect the smell at all. Overall a good dish but they need to work on the risotto.
The chocolate lava cake is delicious. The shell is very thin and the cake is almost entirely liquid. It comes with a scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, and ganache.
Do know that the portions are huge so a single pizza or appetizer to share with the table and one piatto for each diner should be enough. Don't be a showoff and order a full-course meal--you won't finish it. I do wish Portofino would offer a tasting menu, though, or perhaps alternatives with smaller portions for those who want to order several dishes.
The price is steep since it's in a five-star Shangri-La. Expect to spend Rp. 200-300k per person. If you know someone with a membership card, you can get between 30-50% discount, which will make going to Portofino completely worth it! I knew it was expensive but I left feeling satisfied, not ripped off at all.
Showing posts with label Excellent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Excellent. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Bakerzin -- Excellent
Hello everyone! I haven't updated in a long time. No pictures this time, since I rarely take my camera with me. I might as well update with some cake posts.
Bakerzin is an odd establishment. When they first opened, I tried their cakes and they were awful. Terrible. Out of six or seven cakes only one was edible. And even that one I know they skimped on the ingredients; in Singapore they use hazelnuts, while in Indonesia they use peanuts.
But they have come a long way since then! Now their cakes are very well-made. Their entremets are divine! The one I had was chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, passionfruit gelee, and ganache. The cake itself is fluffy and moist and the chocolate comes through (no gelatinized chocolate bullshit that's getting popular lately). They use good quality chocolate, so enjoy every last bit!
I also tried the Death by Nuts and Bloody Mary specials. Death by Nuts wasn't sweet at all, and the aroma of black sesame is faint. Overall a very bland dessert. The Bloody Mary is more appealing (red instead of grey) and tasty from the tomatoes. Texture-wise, it was interesting, as they used crunchy choco caviars that contrast with the fluffy and delicate cake. I'd stick to the other cakes.
The macarons are better than in most other cake shops. Maybe I had them while they're still relatively fresh; I don't know. Almost all other macarons I've tried are stale, either from drying out in the fridge or absorbing moisture from the air. Bakerzin's macarons have a good consistency, albeit very sweet. Update: I can now safely say that Bakerzin's macarons are easily in the top 3 in Surabaya. I bought close to a dozen macarons recently and only one had the off-smelling fridge odor, but the rest were made splendidly.
The food is quite good. I love their salad dressing. I know it's just mayo, but they put in a lot of lemon. It's like pouring slightly runny lemon curds on your greens, and I love every bite. I like the salmon pasta mixed with tapenade. The pasta is cooked al dente, which is not the standard in Surabaya. An aside: I asked the folks at Pisa Cafe and they said many customers complain the food isn't cooked through when they serve pasta al dente (lol), so they just serve overcooked pasta every time. Al dente is normally upon request.
The tea is a hit or miss. I bought some tea at Bakerzin when a new branch opened in Jakarta and the tea was memorably delicious. However, I went back there several months later and the tea was tasteless and odorless. Maybe Bakerzin doesn't throw away tea even after it's stale and past its prime.
Overall, I'd say Bakerzin is a good place to hang out at. The main drawback is the price (Rp. 35,000 for a slice of cake!) but it's okay to splurge once in a while. I upgraded Bakerzin to Excellent with one caveat: order the cakes. The food I'd say is good, but the cakes are excellent. Go there for the macarons.
Bakerzin is an odd establishment. When they first opened, I tried their cakes and they were awful. Terrible. Out of six or seven cakes only one was edible. And even that one I know they skimped on the ingredients; in Singapore they use hazelnuts, while in Indonesia they use peanuts.
But they have come a long way since then! Now their cakes are very well-made. Their entremets are divine! The one I had was chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, passionfruit gelee, and ganache. The cake itself is fluffy and moist and the chocolate comes through (no gelatinized chocolate bullshit that's getting popular lately). They use good quality chocolate, so enjoy every last bit!
I also tried the Death by Nuts and Bloody Mary specials. Death by Nuts wasn't sweet at all, and the aroma of black sesame is faint. Overall a very bland dessert. The Bloody Mary is more appealing (red instead of grey) and tasty from the tomatoes. Texture-wise, it was interesting, as they used crunchy choco caviars that contrast with the fluffy and delicate cake. I'd stick to the other cakes.
The macarons are better than in most other cake shops. Maybe I had them while they're still relatively fresh; I don't know. Almost all other macarons I've tried are stale, either from drying out in the fridge or absorbing moisture from the air. Bakerzin's macarons have a good consistency, albeit very sweet. Update: I can now safely say that Bakerzin's macarons are easily in the top 3 in Surabaya. I bought close to a dozen macarons recently and only one had the off-smelling fridge odor, but the rest were made splendidly.
The food is quite good. I love their salad dressing. I know it's just mayo, but they put in a lot of lemon. It's like pouring slightly runny lemon curds on your greens, and I love every bite. I like the salmon pasta mixed with tapenade. The pasta is cooked al dente, which is not the standard in Surabaya. An aside: I asked the folks at Pisa Cafe and they said many customers complain the food isn't cooked through when they serve pasta al dente (lol), so they just serve overcooked pasta every time. Al dente is normally upon request.
The tea is a hit or miss. I bought some tea at Bakerzin when a new branch opened in Jakarta and the tea was memorably delicious. However, I went back there several months later and the tea was tasteless and odorless. Maybe Bakerzin doesn't throw away tea even after it's stale and past its prime.
Overall, I'd say Bakerzin is a good place to hang out at. The main drawback is the price (Rp. 35,000 for a slice of cake!) but it's okay to splurge once in a while. I upgraded Bakerzin to Excellent with one caveat: order the cakes. The food I'd say is good, but the cakes are excellent. Go there for the macarons.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Ah Yat Abalone -- Excellent
Hello everyone! I figured I should comment on techniques and ingredients used to prepare some food (or at least my best guess) so the home-cooks can try new things. I updated older posts to reflect these changes.
I am somewhat torn about Ah Yat. Ah Yat serves the best dim sum in the city, but quality seems inconsistent. The last time I went there, the dumplings were already cold. The one before that, the dumplings were fresh except for the bao. Maybe the dumplings are fresher on the weekdays? Well, try coming here during a weekday for a 50% discount and fresher dumplings if you can. This way you also avoid the crowd, as you may need to wait in line during the weekends, even though the restaurant easily seats 300.
Fried shrimp wontons with mayo. From my observation, this is a big hit with the kids. Kids love crunchy stuff coated in sweet mayo. If you want to make this condiment at home, mix store-bought mayo with sweetened condensed milk. Add Sriracha and you get the spicy mayo found on sushi rolls.
Hargow, thin rice skin with crisp shrimp. If you want to make your shrimp crunchy like this, let the peeled shrimp sit in a bowl of water and baking soda (not too much or it will turn bitter!). The higher pH firms up the flesh.
Fried mashed taro with meat filling. Like a fancy croquette but less savory. Instead of rich mashed potato, you get mashed taro which is a lot milder and tastes slightly like coconut milk.
The famous bo lo char siu bao. A combination of pork bun and pineapple bun. The pineapple bun is named that way because the cracked yellow surface resembles pineapple skin. The top is just cookie dough slapped onto the bun, just like melon bread in Japan.
These chicken feet melt in your mouth. They are first deep-fried to puff the skin and then stewed or steamed with the sauce. Skin and cartilage contain a lot of collagen, which turn into gelatin when cooked for a long time.
The dim sum here is overall delicious. There are many other types served here and I will add more pictures in the future. Ah Yat serves a bigger variety of dim sum during the weekends, but everything that matters is served on the weekdays. I forgot to take a picture of the chang fen, but I highly recommend it. It's silky smooth and the sauce is quite sweet. In places like Singapore, chang fen is usually not that sweet or smooth. In this case, I approve of sweetening the sauce.
Last comment about this place: don't order the abalone. I mean, it's good for the novelty if you want to burn some cash. The abalone itself doesn't have flavor, just like shark fin. The flavor resides in the sauce, which Ah Yat is famous for. Then again, it is just really good chicken gravy.
I am somewhat torn about Ah Yat. Ah Yat serves the best dim sum in the city, but quality seems inconsistent. The last time I went there, the dumplings were already cold. The one before that, the dumplings were fresh except for the bao. Maybe the dumplings are fresher on the weekdays? Well, try coming here during a weekday for a 50% discount and fresher dumplings if you can. This way you also avoid the crowd, as you may need to wait in line during the weekends, even though the restaurant easily seats 300.
Fried shrimp wontons with mayo. From my observation, this is a big hit with the kids. Kids love crunchy stuff coated in sweet mayo. If you want to make this condiment at home, mix store-bought mayo with sweetened condensed milk. Add Sriracha and you get the spicy mayo found on sushi rolls.
Hargow, thin rice skin with crisp shrimp. If you want to make your shrimp crunchy like this, let the peeled shrimp sit in a bowl of water and baking soda (not too much or it will turn bitter!). The higher pH firms up the flesh.
Fried mashed taro with meat filling. Like a fancy croquette but less savory. Instead of rich mashed potato, you get mashed taro which is a lot milder and tastes slightly like coconut milk.
The famous bo lo char siu bao. A combination of pork bun and pineapple bun. The pineapple bun is named that way because the cracked yellow surface resembles pineapple skin. The top is just cookie dough slapped onto the bun, just like melon bread in Japan.
These chicken feet melt in your mouth. They are first deep-fried to puff the skin and then stewed or steamed with the sauce. Skin and cartilage contain a lot of collagen, which turn into gelatin when cooked for a long time.
The dim sum here is overall delicious. There are many other types served here and I will add more pictures in the future. Ah Yat serves a bigger variety of dim sum during the weekends, but everything that matters is served on the weekdays. I forgot to take a picture of the chang fen, but I highly recommend it. It's silky smooth and the sauce is quite sweet. In places like Singapore, chang fen is usually not that sweet or smooth. In this case, I approve of sweetening the sauce.
Last comment about this place: don't order the abalone. I mean, it's good for the novelty if you want to burn some cash. The abalone itself doesn't have flavor, just like shark fin. The flavor resides in the sauce, which Ah Yat is famous for. Then again, it is just really good chicken gravy.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Best Food and Restaurants in Surabaya!
Hi all!
People visit this blog to look for restaurants. You might be a tourist traveling to Surabaya. You might be a local trying to find a new place. Whatever your purpose, it would be better to list all the restaurants I recommend and follow up with individual reviews in the future
Here are the best restaurants according to me. The restaurants are listed in alphabetical order. I will add more restaurants as I remember/find them.
Ah Yat Abalone (Dim Sum)
If you come during the weekdays for lunch, you get a sizable discount, which makes the food really cheap. They're famous for the bo lo char siu bao (baked barbecue pork bun), although lately they don't taste fresh. The chang fen are better than the ones I've had in Singapore: silky-smooth rice wrappers are filled with crunchy youtiao/shrimp/char siu and topped with a sweet and tangy sauce. The fried shrimp wontons will please anyone in the crowd with its combination of crunchy shell and smooth mayo. If you don't want something fried, the hargow is just as good. The chicken feet melt in your mouth. Ah Yat is famous for abalone, as the name suggests, but it's not worth the money. My grandmother cooks tastier abalone using the cheap canned stuff. Frankly, I have never understood the appeal of abalone. It's funny how the expensive Chinese food ingredients are flavorless (like bird's nest and shark fin--better to avoid shark fin due to animal cruelty issues). Scallops taste much better than abalone and are cheaper.
Boncafe Steakhouse and Bon Ami Bakery
A classic steakhouse in Surabaya. The steaks here are cooked well-done but the meat is always tender and the gravy is so smooth and luscious. Make sure to ask for extra gravy and drown the meat and potatoes. The crispy chicken skin makes an excellent appetizer. The bakery has always been a childhood favorite. They make some of the best mushroom croquettes in the city. The smooth, slightly cheesy mashed potato goes well with the meaty mushrooms and crispy panko breading. Put some relish on each bite and you'll come back asking for more.
Golden Rama (Chinese)
This place is somewhat overlooked. They serve excellent Chinese food and steamboat for reasonable prices. The Lumpia Seafood sounds ridiculous: cabbage, shrimp, squid, and mayo wrapped in a thin crepe, breaded, then deep-fried. When I first saw this, I was disgusted by the amount of fat, but then I took a bite... and another... and another. Wow. Their mayo tastes so good. Also get their fried rice with salted fish. Oddly enough, the other fried rice on the menu taste horrible, but this one is so light and fragrant! They also serve delicious steamboat, but I prefer the a la carte menu.
Gudeg Bu Har (Indonesian)
Highly recommended for tourists. Rice served with tender chicken, jelly-like cow skin, young jackfruit, tofu, and egg, topped with savory coconut milk. You can get a combo with pecel, a traditional salad topped with spicy peanut dressing. Gudeg originated in Jogjakarta, but the recipe has been so heavily altered that we can call this part of Surabaya's taste. The gudeg in Jogja is cloyingly sweet and looks darker than the Surabaya version. I definitely prefer our version.
Hotel Majapahit (Pastry)
They make the best mousse cakes in town. I suggest the Mocha Latte cake if you want something light and fluffy (though the chocolate flavor is anything but light!) and the Choco Terrine if you want a denser mousse. The Tiramisu is famous but I still prefer my homemade version. If you come after 6 pm you will get a 50% discount.
Holland Martabak Terang Bulan (Snacks)
Terang bulan is like a giant pancake with the filling of your choice. Many others come quite close, but they suffer from being too chewy or too dense. I think that Holland does it just right. They are expensive though, considering that many hawkers sell terang bulan for a fraction of the price. Don't pay extra for butter since it makes no difference. If you like savory, get a thin one with cheese. If you like sweet, get a thick one with chocolate and peanuts/sesame seeds. I suggest getting martabak somewhere else since many hawkers make better versions for a fraction of the price.
Jade Imperial (Chinese)
Food done right. I love the care they put into each dish. Meats are tender and juicy. The sauces are perfect with rice (but too salty on their own). If you order a hotplate, they pour the sauce on your table so you can hear the sizzle. Even the onions are uniformly and thinly sliced! The noodles (la mian) are springy and are relatively cheap for lunch! In some malls like Galaxy Mall, the food here isn't much more expensive than the ones in the food court.
Layar (Seafood)
Fresh seafood all around, from clams to fish to crabs to shrimp. Their tomato-based sauce is extremely tasty, especially with fish or prawns. Their salted-egg crabs are famous, but they're too oily and grainy for my taste. To each their own. Layar is hailed as one of the best seafood restaurants in Surabaya, so it's definitely worth checking out!
Lemper 168 (Snacks)
Every tourist should try this traditional snack. Chicken is slow-cooked in coconut milk and herbs. They are then shredded and wrapped in glutinous rice. Intensely sweet and savory! These are incredibly cheap for the amount of chicken you get. In fact, my complaint is that they put too much chicken! The proportions are a little off; I'd prefer less chicken and more sticky rice. However, this is the best version in Surabaya since the others suffer the opposite problem: too little chicken and too much sticky rice.
Pasar Atum (Snacks)
If you are a tourist, make sure to visit this mall! Pasar Atum is one of the oldest shopping centers in the city, so it has some historic value. Many well-made traditional snacks have been sold here for decades. My personal favorites are Cakue Peneleh (fried garlic dough), Pastel Go (fried pastry stuffed with sweet noodles), Ronde Kitty (glutinous rice balls filled with peanuts), and the different versions of bubur Madura (Madurese porridge) sold throughout. Notable mentions include the crispy char siu in the food court and the lontong mie on the second (?) floor.
Pisa Cafe (Italian)
The food is decent. I wouldn't come here for the food. I'd much rather make my own pasta at home. However, the smooth and creamy gelato is heavenly! I come here at least once a month for the gelato; the other gelateria simply can't compare because they can't find the right balance of flavor and sweetness. You can keep sampling the different flavors until you find several that you like due to their great service. Never have they made me feel ashamed even after sampling the sixth flavor! My personal favorite is the coffee. They used to mix in cocoa nibs into the gelato, then they stopped doing that. I asked them about it since I missed the crunch and now they mix in toffee into the coffee gelato. Even better! Their signature flavor is the stracciatella (chocolate chip) but I'll stick with my coffee!
Sheraton Hotel (Bakery)
The best croissants you'll ever find in Surabaya. They are light, soft, fluffy, rich, buttery, and oh so flavorful! The plain ones cost the same as the chocolate or cheese ones but I prefer them plain because they're already so good on their own! Come here after 5 pm for a 50% discount. They also have an all-day 50% discount for the ladies on Wednesday, but they are usually sold out by 10 am.
Tong Tong (Japanese)
The Japanese expats love to eat here. The food is expensive but the taste is clean and simple, a characteristic of true Japanese cuisine. Other places tend to skimp on or substitute the expensive ingredients, or cover up the taste of the dish with heaps of mayo, but not Tong Tong. They use real dashi (bonito broth) to impart a delicate sweetness. My personal favorites are the gyoza, loaded with garlic, and the ten oroshi soba, which is their version of tenzaru soba.
X.O. Cuisine (Chinese)
Even though their portion sizes keep dwindling every year, the food is still consistently good. I recommend the pork ribs with Marmite sauce. This doesn't reek of Marmite, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your taste. Either way, the umami meter is going haywire. Another good choice is the ikan bilis. These are small fish (like anchovies, but not smelly at all) deep-fried to a perfect crunch and then seasoned with garlic and chili. X.O. used to make the best xiao long bao (they were better than the ones I ate in Shanghai!) but the quality has declined a LOT over the years. Right now they're not much better than 3.6.9.'s dumplings, which breaks my heart. I miss the old xiao long bao.
X.O. Suki (Steamboat)
After X.O. Cuisine became popular, the company opened several steamboat restaurants to great success, even in Jakarta. Now it is the icon of steamboat restaurants in Surabaya. If you want to eat a lot of soup, come here. They also serve a la carte menu
This list is by no means exhaustive and will be updated in the future. I sincerely hope you will find something you love, perhaps to the point of coming back for more!
People visit this blog to look for restaurants. You might be a tourist traveling to Surabaya. You might be a local trying to find a new place. Whatever your purpose, it would be better to list all the restaurants I recommend and follow up with individual reviews in the future
Here are the best restaurants according to me. The restaurants are listed in alphabetical order. I will add more restaurants as I remember/find them.
Ah Yat Abalone (Dim Sum)
If you come during the weekdays for lunch, you get a sizable discount, which makes the food really cheap. They're famous for the bo lo char siu bao (baked barbecue pork bun), although lately they don't taste fresh. The chang fen are better than the ones I've had in Singapore: silky-smooth rice wrappers are filled with crunchy youtiao/shrimp/char siu and topped with a sweet and tangy sauce. The fried shrimp wontons will please anyone in the crowd with its combination of crunchy shell and smooth mayo. If you don't want something fried, the hargow is just as good. The chicken feet melt in your mouth. Ah Yat is famous for abalone, as the name suggests, but it's not worth the money. My grandmother cooks tastier abalone using the cheap canned stuff. Frankly, I have never understood the appeal of abalone. It's funny how the expensive Chinese food ingredients are flavorless (like bird's nest and shark fin--better to avoid shark fin due to animal cruelty issues). Scallops taste much better than abalone and are cheaper.
Boncafe Steakhouse and Bon Ami Bakery
A classic steakhouse in Surabaya. The steaks here are cooked well-done but the meat is always tender and the gravy is so smooth and luscious. Make sure to ask for extra gravy and drown the meat and potatoes. The crispy chicken skin makes an excellent appetizer. The bakery has always been a childhood favorite. They make some of the best mushroom croquettes in the city. The smooth, slightly cheesy mashed potato goes well with the meaty mushrooms and crispy panko breading. Put some relish on each bite and you'll come back asking for more.
Golden Rama (Chinese)
This place is somewhat overlooked. They serve excellent Chinese food and steamboat for reasonable prices. The Lumpia Seafood sounds ridiculous: cabbage, shrimp, squid, and mayo wrapped in a thin crepe, breaded, then deep-fried. When I first saw this, I was disgusted by the amount of fat, but then I took a bite... and another... and another. Wow. Their mayo tastes so good. Also get their fried rice with salted fish. Oddly enough, the other fried rice on the menu taste horrible, but this one is so light and fragrant! They also serve delicious steamboat, but I prefer the a la carte menu.
Gudeg Bu Har (Indonesian)
Highly recommended for tourists. Rice served with tender chicken, jelly-like cow skin, young jackfruit, tofu, and egg, topped with savory coconut milk. You can get a combo with pecel, a traditional salad topped with spicy peanut dressing. Gudeg originated in Jogjakarta, but the recipe has been so heavily altered that we can call this part of Surabaya's taste. The gudeg in Jogja is cloyingly sweet and looks darker than the Surabaya version. I definitely prefer our version.
Hotel Majapahit (Pastry)
They make the best mousse cakes in town. I suggest the Mocha Latte cake if you want something light and fluffy (though the chocolate flavor is anything but light!) and the Choco Terrine if you want a denser mousse. The Tiramisu is famous but I still prefer my homemade version. If you come after 6 pm you will get a 50% discount.
Holland Martabak Terang Bulan (Snacks)
Terang bulan is like a giant pancake with the filling of your choice. Many others come quite close, but they suffer from being too chewy or too dense. I think that Holland does it just right. They are expensive though, considering that many hawkers sell terang bulan for a fraction of the price. Don't pay extra for butter since it makes no difference. If you like savory, get a thin one with cheese. If you like sweet, get a thick one with chocolate and peanuts/sesame seeds. I suggest getting martabak somewhere else since many hawkers make better versions for a fraction of the price.
Jade Imperial (Chinese)
Food done right. I love the care they put into each dish. Meats are tender and juicy. The sauces are perfect with rice (but too salty on their own). If you order a hotplate, they pour the sauce on your table so you can hear the sizzle. Even the onions are uniformly and thinly sliced! The noodles (la mian) are springy and are relatively cheap for lunch! In some malls like Galaxy Mall, the food here isn't much more expensive than the ones in the food court.
Layar (Seafood)
Fresh seafood all around, from clams to fish to crabs to shrimp. Their tomato-based sauce is extremely tasty, especially with fish or prawns. Their salted-egg crabs are famous, but they're too oily and grainy for my taste. To each their own. Layar is hailed as one of the best seafood restaurants in Surabaya, so it's definitely worth checking out!
Lemper 168 (Snacks)
Every tourist should try this traditional snack. Chicken is slow-cooked in coconut milk and herbs. They are then shredded and wrapped in glutinous rice. Intensely sweet and savory! These are incredibly cheap for the amount of chicken you get. In fact, my complaint is that they put too much chicken! The proportions are a little off; I'd prefer less chicken and more sticky rice. However, this is the best version in Surabaya since the others suffer the opposite problem: too little chicken and too much sticky rice.
Pasar Atum (Snacks)
If you are a tourist, make sure to visit this mall! Pasar Atum is one of the oldest shopping centers in the city, so it has some historic value. Many well-made traditional snacks have been sold here for decades. My personal favorites are Cakue Peneleh (fried garlic dough), Pastel Go (fried pastry stuffed with sweet noodles), Ronde Kitty (glutinous rice balls filled with peanuts), and the different versions of bubur Madura (Madurese porridge) sold throughout. Notable mentions include the crispy char siu in the food court and the lontong mie on the second (?) floor.
Pisa Cafe (Italian)
The food is decent. I wouldn't come here for the food. I'd much rather make my own pasta at home. However, the smooth and creamy gelato is heavenly! I come here at least once a month for the gelato; the other gelateria simply can't compare because they can't find the right balance of flavor and sweetness. You can keep sampling the different flavors until you find several that you like due to their great service. Never have they made me feel ashamed even after sampling the sixth flavor! My personal favorite is the coffee. They used to mix in cocoa nibs into the gelato, then they stopped doing that. I asked them about it since I missed the crunch and now they mix in toffee into the coffee gelato. Even better! Their signature flavor is the stracciatella (chocolate chip) but I'll stick with my coffee!
Sheraton Hotel (Bakery)
The best croissants you'll ever find in Surabaya. They are light, soft, fluffy, rich, buttery, and oh so flavorful! The plain ones cost the same as the chocolate or cheese ones but I prefer them plain because they're already so good on their own! Come here after 5 pm for a 50% discount. They also have an all-day 50% discount for the ladies on Wednesday, but they are usually sold out by 10 am.
Tong Tong (Japanese)
The Japanese expats love to eat here. The food is expensive but the taste is clean and simple, a characteristic of true Japanese cuisine. Other places tend to skimp on or substitute the expensive ingredients, or cover up the taste of the dish with heaps of mayo, but not Tong Tong. They use real dashi (bonito broth) to impart a delicate sweetness. My personal favorites are the gyoza, loaded with garlic, and the ten oroshi soba, which is their version of tenzaru soba.
X.O. Cuisine (Chinese)
Even though their portion sizes keep dwindling every year, the food is still consistently good. I recommend the pork ribs with Marmite sauce. This doesn't reek of Marmite, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your taste. Either way, the umami meter is going haywire. Another good choice is the ikan bilis. These are small fish (like anchovies, but not smelly at all) deep-fried to a perfect crunch and then seasoned with garlic and chili. X.O. used to make the best xiao long bao (they were better than the ones I ate in Shanghai!) but the quality has declined a LOT over the years. Right now they're not much better than 3.6.9.'s dumplings, which breaks my heart. I miss the old xiao long bao.
X.O. Suki (Steamboat)
After X.O. Cuisine became popular, the company opened several steamboat restaurants to great success, even in Jakarta. Now it is the icon of steamboat restaurants in Surabaya. If you want to eat a lot of soup, come here. They also serve a la carte menu
This list is by no means exhaustive and will be updated in the future. I sincerely hope you will find something you love, perhaps to the point of coming back for more!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Boncafe -- Excellent
Boncafe is a classic steak establishment in Surabaya with many outlets. The prices are quite steep, so prepare to dish out at least 70k per person.
The fried chicken skins have always been my favorite. Sometimes the chef derps and it turns out chewy instead of crispy, but this rarely happens. Easily the best appetizer on the menu.
As you wait for the steak, the server will bring you a dinner roll and some butter. The delicate roll comes from its bakery chain, Bon Ami. The steaks come with vegetable and potatoes. The meat here is very tender despite being cooked well-done. (Note: You want your steaks cooked well-done due to the low food hygiene standards in Indonesia. However, I trust Boncafe enough that I'm happy when my steak turns out medium-well.) The picture above is the Tornedo, which has ham wrapped around the steak. The one below is the black pepper steak. Always ask for extra gravy, free of charge. Cover the entire hotplate with gravy; it makes everything taste better.
The desert line is just fine, but it's hard to justify the 25k price tag on the desserts. I'd say skip dessert. Any fancy dessert or drink will cost an arm and a leg at 30k apiece.
Overall Boncafe consistently serves great steak and dining experience.
The fried chicken skins have always been my favorite. Sometimes the chef derps and it turns out chewy instead of crispy, but this rarely happens. Easily the best appetizer on the menu.
As you wait for the steak, the server will bring you a dinner roll and some butter. The delicate roll comes from its bakery chain, Bon Ami. The steaks come with vegetable and potatoes. The meat here is very tender despite being cooked well-done. (Note: You want your steaks cooked well-done due to the low food hygiene standards in Indonesia. However, I trust Boncafe enough that I'm happy when my steak turns out medium-well.) The picture above is the Tornedo, which has ham wrapped around the steak. The one below is the black pepper steak. Always ask for extra gravy, free of charge. Cover the entire hotplate with gravy; it makes everything taste better.
The desert line is just fine, but it's hard to justify the 25k price tag on the desserts. I'd say skip dessert. Any fancy dessert or drink will cost an arm and a leg at 30k apiece.
Overall Boncafe consistently serves great steak and dining experience.
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