JAPAN FOOD FESTIVAL BY JETRO AND KOTA KASABLANKA

How are you guys! So I just came back from attending the opening ceremony of Japan Food Festival in Kota Kasablanka which is brought by Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) - thank you for having me! - and I am sharing my experience to you and hopefully if you have spare time or happen to be around, you can come, visit and actually dine there.

The event will be running for two weeks starting today until November 13th 2016 at Food Society Kota Kasablanka, and one of the main purposes of this event (besides serving good food) is to held the "Test Kitchen" and introduce the people of Jakarta five Japanese food brands/joints that might be opening in Jakarta (keep reading to know who they are).

So more and more Japanese brands that are expanding to Indonesia and it's because of the new regulation made by the government which applies to foreign companies who agreed to invest with 100% capital investment, and through this event, JETRO expects to educate people with more food related information like food business, ingredient distribution, supplier information, food general pricing, cooking wares to ways to recruiting local staffs.

Before I got to the event and the food, I want to give them credit for the nice setting built for this event. It was actually pretty simple but I was feeling the Japanese vibe from the major wood elements used on the deco, overall it's almost set like a semi-outdoor food court and something about the lighting earlier that was pretty (luckily before the heavy rain not too long after).

Speech, followed with the ribbon cutting making the ceremony official!

The opening ceremony was attended by mainly friends, relatives, medias and bloggers.

It's official!

The chef/representative from one of the participating tenants: Sushi Kaz

Kue Cubit Eat & Eat

After the ceremony ended, guests were welcomed to go around and sample the food prepared from all of the tenants. The Japan Food Festival is held in coordination with Eat & Eat, so you'll find some lightbites from Eat & Eat aside from the 5 main tenants in the event: Menya Takeichi (Take You Co., Ltd), Enokiya (Morinaga Gyunyu Haikyu Co., Ltd.), Fujisan Taiyaki (Yataro Co., Ltd.), Sushi Kaz (Riverside Inc.) and Ringer Hut (Ringer Hut Co., Ltd.). Menya Takeichi comes with their signature chicken ramen creation, Enokiya with their homemade Japanese sweets, Fujisan Taiyaki with their pretty taiyaki, Sushi Kaz with their sushi and Ringer Hut with their Champon or  Japanese noodle with assorted toppings.

...and they are all halal :))

Do note that cash payment is not applicable here and you'll need to purchase the Eat & Eat card for payment (minimum IDR 10k but it wouldn't get you anything) and it's better to bring cash as major debit cards couldn't be used to top up the card.

ENOKIYA

Enokiya came with their tasty dango (rice flour ball cake) and their snow skin mochi. The dango was served with this nutty and caramel-ly sauce or coated in nut powder if you fancy. It was probably one of the yummiest dango I've ever had in life! I mean dango has always been quite simple but the highlight has got to be the sauce and the texture. It was firm but chewy without being overly firm and I love that!

While the dango was fabulous, my heart was stolen by the snow skin mochi with this perfect thickness coating the whole sweet, soft and generous red bean filling. MUST TRY!

SUSHI KAZ

Sushi Kaz was all about fresh ingredient, here you can try their delicious sushi and chirasi don with absolutely fresh produce as the toppings. Here you're looking at their Sashimi Chirasi Don with fresh tuna, salmon, beef and shrimp topping!

FUJISAN TAIYAKI

Fujisan Taiyaki - IDR 22k/each
The Fujisan Taiyaki came with three different filling: Matcha, Cheese and Red Bean. Tried both the Matcha and Red Bean but I solely opted for the matcha all the way! The matcha filling was something that I never encounter anywhere else before, it's sweet with a tiny hint of bitter, creamy, sweet and fragrant (I really don't know how to explain the matcha flavor as it was slightly different but delicious), the red bean filling was slightly dry, they could do better with that.

Fujisan Taiyaki Matcha - IDR 22k

RINGER HUT

At a single glance, I thought this was a vegetarian ramen as the amount of veges here was GENEROUS, but turned out they also had chicken and shrimp as the topping. The flavor of the broth reminded me of capcay (in a good way), it was mild, tasty but the thing that I want to highlight was how nice this ramen was for weight watchers, you can defo customize to have this completely meat-free. The noodle was quite thick with firm and chewy texture, just the right kind of noodle for this kind of ramen and broth.

MENYA TAKEICHI
Special Collagen Chicken Ramen - IDR 77k

Menya Takeichi is one of Tokyo's most well known chicken ramen specialist and their Chicken Paitan ramen has gained them quite a recognition and for years has been awarded one of the best chicken based ramen. The broth was indeed very delicious! The texture is considered thick if you compare that with other chicken based broth ramens in town, and along with the thickness comes the velvety smooth texture and flavor-packed broth without being overly salty.

The texture of the noodle could be thicker, but it held the broth nicely before actually meeting your palate. The chicken slices were thick yet tender!

So what's my verdict? Can I see them some time in Jakarta? Absolutely! To me, ramen trend is never ending as Indonesians are too attached with noodle (at least it's me) but it's essential to make 'em really good, especially when you make it halal then it gives the possibility that more and more people can enjoy them out loud! As I am typing this I am craving for more dangos from Enokiya and that sweet matcha custard from Fujisan Taiyaki as well!

I am an avid Japanese cuisine fan, and couldn't be happier for events like this! Looking forward to see more events like this in the future!

Kota Kasablanka - Food Society

Jalan Casablanca Raya No. 88

Tebet, Jakarta Selatan 12870

021 - 2946 5000

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

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Map for Kota Kasablanka

SUNDARA AT FOUR SEASONS RESORT BALI AT JIMBARAN BAY - LONGEST SUNDAY BRUNCH EXPERIENCE

Post-holiday withdrawal is the hardest, but I am more than excited to finally loose my fingers' muscle and share you stories from my latest trip to Bali. It was one of those days where I just wanted to be completely lazy in my villas and do nothing, but I can say that those 4 days were one of the most relaxing and stress-free days I've had almost the entire year. So many of you from Snapchat ask me to do the review of the resort, well I will but give me more time because after the stress-free days now the busy days are here to remind me that I am still alive :) #truthhurts

I am going to start by sharing my fascinating brunch experience at Sundara, which by the way is my current favorite beach club in Jimbaran at the moment. Sundara is owned, managed and located in the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay where I stayed at for two graceful nights. I've heard a good talk about theri Sunday brunch, so that's exactly what I did last Sunday, I guess it was the perfect time to spend a good couple of hours and based on my friends' saying: the food is now better than ever.

Before I start getting into the foodporns, let me show you how gorgeous Sundara looks!

Main entrance. There are several access to enter Sundara, you can go through the main entrance (photo below), through the beach or pedestrian entrance especially if you're the hotel guests

Sundara's outdoor patio - blue sky, gorgeous beach view and all you need is glasses of good cocktails

There were several dining/chilling areas in Sundara, I remember there were two main buildings with the smaller one (near the main entrance) as the more private lounge-style area with a more intimate vibe (and good air-conditioning) where guests were more than welcome to sit around and enjoy the wonderful range cocktails they had on the menu, and as for the larger building, it accommodated a gorgeously decorated dining area and a rather more private area on the second floor with the access to the glorious beach landscape and the Sundara private beach front pool, where yet again, customers are more than welcome to soak in.

I honestly would suggest you guys to come with your friends because it will add more fun to the moment.

The main dining area on the larger building also features an open kitchen and a gorgeous view like this, imagine sitting here for hours.

Poolside cabana for you to chill or take a nap, but if you fancy swimming then don't hesitate to take laps at the 57-metre beach front pool.

Beach vibe: on!

The interior of the smaller building that I mentioned earlier. This was a little more private with this lounge style. Incase you're not aware, Sundara is highly known for its HAPPY HOUR which starts at 5-7 PM daily where you can enjoy the buy one get one promotion.

LONGEST BRUNCH EXPERIENCE (IDR 525k++/pax)

Every Sunday Sundara offers a unique brunch experience you've probably never experienced anywhere else before: six hours of ala-carte brunch with beachfront gazing and grazing accompanied by the unlimited amount of cold, hot and sweet dessert cuisines on small plates. It will probably be your most relaxed brunch as you will not be pressured by the time. It's 6 hours lemme repeat.

Guests will be entertained by the soulful voice of Lydia Rose, I think I was there for almost three hours and her voice was seriously entertaining for the whole time: cuddly soft with a touch of pop and the acoustic songs she sang just sounded so perfect.

Instagenic food before my eyes. I could just upload this to my Instagram.

THE COMPLETE MENU LIST -> HERE

More than 45 menus that you can enjoy for six hours: UNLIMITED.

Ok because there were too many menus that I had, I will do the review generally. I honestly found the quality of the food to be exquisite! None was disappointing to me and I was glad to find that they put good effort in the presentation of the food, and it's proven consistent even after good amount of people having the brunch here as well. It did not take me a lot of time to have my food ready (and I would suggest you to order much in a single order to avoid possible waiting time). Some of my most favorite ones include the Nasi Goreng Quinoa (literally Kampong style fried rice with quinoa seeds replacing what normally is rice), Lombok Oyster Tempura, Salt & Pepper Squid, Swimmer Crab, Chicken Betutu, Soft Shell Crab, Torched Foie Gras, Exotic Fruit Crispy Meringue and Purple Ice.

I also appreciate the fact that they provide information for each menu (represented with single letter) for those who are gluten free, vegans, vegetarian, allergic to nuts, muslim (no pork), or contains alcohol.

Duck & Chicken Liver Parfait

Duck & chicken liver puree, tomato chutney, toasted sourdough

Tea Smoked Mahi-Mahi

Seaweed cracker, takuan pickle, soy mirin dressing

Tiger Prawn

Tiger prawns, mint, leaf, lime, nam prik pow

Ancient Grain Bircher

Berry, pistachio, vanilla rose yogurt

Chia Parfait

Almond milk, papaya, longan, lime, coconut

Swimmer Crab

Crab, coconut, lime, and palm sugar dressing

Chicken Betutu

Chicken betutu, peanut cracker, local spice

Red Snapper Carpaccio

Red snapper, pomelo, vanilla, local herbs

Ahi Poke

Raw tuna, ginger flower, avocado, crispy quail egg

Little Gems

Crispy bacon, parmesan, ranch dressing

Tiger Prawn

Tiger prawns, mint, lime leaf, nam prik pow

Sate Lilit Ayam

Chicken, nake fruit, sambal sauce

Soft Shell Crab

Soft shell crab, green mango, chili jam, cashews

Quinoa Goreng

Quinoa, kale, egg white, tofu, sprouts

Beef Cheek

Beef cheek, palm sugar, pickled water spinach, carambola

Black Cod

Black cod, mushroom escabeche, dashi butter

Panko Egg

Egg, BBQ eggplant, moroccan dressing

Salt & Pepper Squid
Deep fried battered squid, kalamansi lime, bonito aioli

Sardines on Toast
Sardines, coriander dressing, sambal tomatillo

Roti Canai
Grilled flat bread, nyonya curry sauce

Char Siew Sliders

Char siew in mini buns, vietnamese papaya, shiracha mayo

DESSERT PLATTERS

Red Creamy Cheesy, Purple Ice, Paris-Bali, Japanese Yuzu Cream, Classic Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream, Cherry Apple Pie

Frambos, Burgery, Yogurt Blueberry Macaron, Savoury Sweet, Thai

The most fascinating presentation among all the dessert and deserve an independent shoutout: Purple Ice! Homemade sweet taro ice cream decorated with mini dense choux puff.

If you're feeling a regular lunch, the main dining area is always ready for you and you can dine here with no minimum charge applied. Lunch with all-day menu is available daily starting from 11 AM-5 PM.

There are so many things to love about Sundara and why it is my favorite beach club in Jimbaran at the moment. Good food is the main thing, great cocktail is another specialty. I am pretty familiar with the high price of Four Seasons service, but Sundara offers a quite affordable experience to its guests and not to mention the happy hour so you can defo take advantage of that. Service was friendly and attentive and of course: the location itself! If you were craving for good seafood outside the hotel area, right after having your drinks here over sunset, you can just hop on to your car and take a 5-10 minutes ride to Jimbaran's best seafood places like Menega or James Cafe.

To conclude my experience, definitely one of the most fascinating brunch, it's wide but hassle free and absolutely delicious!

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Sundara

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Jimbaran, Kuta Selatan

Bali 80361

0361 - 708 333

Opening hours:

Lunch: 11 AM-5 PM

Dinner: 6 PM-10:30 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 400k

Dresscode: none

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Map for Sundara