[NEW OUTLET] MONVIET AT FX SUDIRMAN: BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT IN JAKARTA

Vietnamese cuisine might not be as popular if you compare that to Western or Japanese cuisine, but I honestly don't think the comparison is needed as Vietnamese cuisine is very different than their "peers". I like Vietnamese cuisine, but there are not many Vietnamese restaurants in Jakarta, and until I actually met Monviet for the very first time, it was a "like" converted to a "love"

I remember receiving this email back in 2013 from someone named Hai who just started his restaurant business (which is Monviet) asking me whether I want to visit his newly opened restaurant back then and had a chit chat together. I would not regret the day I said yes to Monviet because this restaurant taught me a lot of things but the most important two is that Vietnamese cuisine is very delicious, and secondly, when you cook with heart and passion, great result is what you will get, and hello, three years later and three outlets spread around Jakarta. I genuinely feel happy for them.

A brief history about Monviet: back in the 1970s, the owner's mother left the village she lived at to start opening a noodle stall at a corner of a Saigon street, it was her top selling Bun Bo Hue that quickly gather more and more customers to come and even waited in front of her stall before it opened. I honestly do not wonder why. The power of "Bun Bo Hue" was that phenomenal, it was an everlasting recipe that nurtured 9 sons and daughters in the family, and two of them: Hai and Loan are the ones who expand their mom's creation to another state: in a form of a seated-dining restaurant.

I went to the grand opening of their newest outlet in Fx Sudirman and it is the biggest one to date. I think this particular outlet is pretty successful in bringing Hai's vision to life. He has always wanted to create and design the restaurant with rich culture and background value, and I can totally see that from the design and little details like coloring, ornaments, the lamps, even to the condensed milk they're using here, overall it almost feels you're eating in a house and a neighborhood in the same time. On the face of the entrance, you'll be greeted with this dining area "covered" with roof canopy, yellow wall and window. The opposite part of the dining area is where the "greener" and more outdoor vibe is at, even though this restaurant is located at the LG level of FX, you can totally get in from the main lobby as it has its own connecting entrance to the restaurant, from that entrance you will meet the dining area featuring what I would call "the green wall" with plants set on it and a bahn mi bar.

I used to think that Vietnamese food is all about pho, and I should really be ashamed of that. NOW FOOD! Back when they first started, Monviet "only" had 26 types of noodle dishes, and the range is now blowing up darling, and again, they don't only serve Pho here that's what you should know, they also have more than 15 rice based dishes, dozens of appetizers and chef's favorites which I am about to show you, and not to mention, ALL HALAL!

Canh Ga Sot Me - IDR 38k
The glazed deep fried chicken was very saucy, with the sauce being flavorful, beautiful mix of sweet & savory with just a tiny hint of sour flavor, almost like a honey glazed but along with that Vietnamese soysauce flavor character. The chicken was cooked nicely without being overly crispy and dry. What a good dish to prepare your palate.

Nem Vuong Ga (IDR 37k) / Nem Vuong Chay (IDR 30k)
This is one of their new menus, technically square spring rolls and they have the meat and the vegetarian kind for this dish, of course being a carnivor that I am, I opted for the chicken filling one (Vuong Ga). Again, this was cooked perfectly with nice pre-seasoning, it's all about the fresh ingredient and the fish sauce for the dipping.

You just can not come to Monviet and not try their bloody delicious bahn mi! You just can't do that.

Bahn Mi Xa Xiu - IDR 65k

They have several variants for the bahn mi, and my favorite has got to be the chicken chasiu filling (again if you skipped reading, they do not serve pork here). Their bahn mi breads are made using premium ingredients with the right crunchiness on the coating (like I don't know the right way to explain the crunchiness, it's crunchy but not dry crunchy) and fluffier center. Inside you'll also find pickled veges, cucumber, celery.

So what makes their pho really special? I think it's the rich amount of seasoning and herbs infused to the soup. All the ingredients for their pho (and most of the food) are imported straight from Vietnam and they've done it ever since they opened their first outlet in Lippo Mall Kemang. Some of the local ingredient's quality just did not live up to their standard.

Pho Dac Biet - IDR 79k
Let's check out Hai and Loan's mom legendary noodle soups! This Pho includes the combination of fresh sliced beef, briskets and meatballs. The soup was very fragrant, and if you have eaten Pho before, you probably knew that Vietnamese Pho always comes with side vegetables and fragrant leaves, the reason behind the separated serving is simply because not everyone likes to have the vegetables mixed, so it depends on their preference for having or not having it. The soup is really tasty, it's made of beef bone that's been slow cooked for 14 freaking hours. If you haven't seen what Pho noodles look like, it is linguine like, only it comes in white color and softer.

Bun Bo Hue - IDR 76k

NOW THIS IS IT! The recipe that has been alive for more than 4 decades, that one very food that could nurture the founder's 9 kids and is now the best selling menu here in Monviet! It's the Bun Bo Hue! The main powers of the Bun Bo Hue are on the very rich and tasty soup (14 hours of boiling and including the flavor & aroma from ingredients like Ngo Gai (Thorny coriander) and Rau Ram (Vietnam coriander), and the fresh high quality beef brisket cooked perfectly to a beautiful level of tenderness, while you can change the noodle as you desire, the default serving was the rice vermicelli. It's one of my most favorite menus here in Monviet, and if you're a virgin to Monviet, this is what you should order. Don't forget to add in their homemade chili, since I am into spicy food, I think it really elevates the flavor to another level. It's my go-to food when it's raining and a bit cold outside (well I'm lying because I can have this anytime that I want FU), but seriously it's so good I running out of words to actually emphasize it enough!

Some of the new menus launched by Monviet are the hot pot rice! There are four new ones available but I got the chance to sample the Com Tho Xa Xiu (chicken chasiu) and the Com Tho Ga Cay (chicken and red chili)

Com Tho Xa Xiu - IDR 74k
Claypot rice with honey soya sauced cha siu as toppings. The chicken slices were pretty tender and they carry this beautiful flavor, the mix of savory, salty and sweet like chasiu typical flavor.

Com Tho Ga Cay - IDR 72k
Now this has got to be my favorite menu from the rice dishes! It's pretty spicy but it's generously and richly seasoned that I wouldn't mind having just the rice and the red chili sauce dressing! It's a MUST TRY!!!

Secret menu...ssh! Only I know!

I love getting a little experimental with the food here because I just love playing with my sense and inkling. I had a good feeling that the Pho Dac Biet should be perfect to pair with the Bun Bo Hue soup, and OMFG it did! The first time I had it I was blown away and this has been the food that has to be my order everytime I am here. Believe me when I say I can go to Monviet 2 times a week! I don't know if they will let you get this, because most of the staffs here know me and I am very used to ordering this all the time so I guess that's the privilege I have here! Hashtag #everything.

I can seriously talk about Monviet for a long long time like a folklore and how they've grown bigger in the past three years. They are one of the most genuinely passionate people that I've ever known and I wish they never change and badly driven by "business". I will always be one of Monviet's biggest supporter, and I really hope that you guys -whoever you are reading this right now - if you've never tried Monviet before, YOU BETTER! The flavor of the food here is basically the representation of their passion and love: really delicious and genuine.

Gosh typing this post right now is a bloody pain in the ass! I am really hungry right now.

LIVE UPDATES ON SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Monviet at FX Sudirman
FX Sudirman Basement lvl
Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, Pintu Satu Senayan
Senayan, Jakarta Selatan 10270

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 300k

Dresscode: casual

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || GOOGLE+

email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Map for FX Sudirman

AQUA S SYDNEY: INSTAGENIC ICE CREAMS MADE FOR YOUR FEED

I suffocated from seeing Aqua S pretty ice creams on my Instagram explore tab, but four months ago, knowing that I was going to Sydney, for whatever reason, I HAVE TO GO TO AQUA S. This might be super duper hyperbolic, but you don't know how happy I was when I actually made it to Aqua S and with my very own eyes, the most beautiful swirl I've ever seen in my life, and completed with the cotton candy, it's almost like an outfit for the ice cream, like it's magically meant to be with the soft serve.

Aqua S has several outlets in Sydney, I went to the one in the city, precisely at the George Street. I honestly have no idea about the name of the building, but you have to get into the building and took the escalator to reach one level above, it should be noticeable from the catchy blue color and people queueing for the treat and not to mention, it's also located right across the matcha dessert specialist: Chanoma.

The shop wasn't spacious, in fact it's small with two small tables with capacity for four. Most people would just purchase the ice cream and have it on the go. FYI they changed the flavors every two weeks, but the seasalt flavor (which is their signature flavor and best selling one) will always be around. On my visit, they were having the grape and coffee flavor. I literally tried each flavor or have it as a mix, too much ice cream won't kill you. Sweets make me feel genuinely very happy.

Previous flavors include apple blackcurrant, orange, grapefruit, taro, lemon and black sesame, updates of the flavor is announced on their social medias. What a brilliant way to bring audience to the social media.

You can choose to have your ice creams in cup or cones, chances that your ice cream might look way prettier in cones if you care about your Instagram posting. One portion of soft serve with one topping (cotton candy, grilled marshmallow, popping candy, caramel popcorn) will cost you AUD 5.30 (AUD 4 with no topping) and you can have everything for AUD 8.

Grape and Sea Salt Soft Serve with Grilleded Marshmallow

To be honest, I did not expect to be impressed, but after a scoop of everything, I was sold.

I gotta give it to the amazing quality of Australian milk. The quality is reflected on that creamy smooth ice cream texture and flavor, which holds the flavor nicely. Luckily, the flavor did not seem like this sweet artificial flavor, the mixture of the sweet and fruity grape with the tasty-salty sea salt was beautiful. I wish it didn't end.

Sea Salt and Cafe Latte
I think this was my favorite combo. The other hand you're having this salty but delicious sea salt soft serve combined with this rich and creamy but not overly sweet cafe latte flavor and together they sang a great duet to my palate. So good I can't even.

I don't know if you guys can see it, but the ice cream looks so freaking smooth and velvety. So nice.

Dreamy, whimsical, beautiful and absolutely delicious. Aqua S for me serves and totally above everything else I've had in Jakarta, I honestly don't know how to emphasize that I like this very much and how yummy this is, it's just that it makes me crave and genuinely very happy.

Aqua S is a must visit from me, even if you're not into soft serve, at least to just appreciate the beauty.

LIVE UPDATES ON SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Aqua S Ice Cream Parlour
Shop 27 Level 10 501
George Street - Sydney CBD
Australia 2000
02 - 8668 5957
Opening hours: 12 PM-10 PM (daily)
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || GOOGLE+

email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Map for Aqua S

WHAT TO EAT IN KUALA LUMPUR: KUALA LUMPUR FOOD DIARY!

Now I have this thing with writing my travel diaries, it is to blog about it as fast as I can, because you know, it�s nearly impossible to blog about my travel stories when I am back in town and �attacked� by my other projects in town. I am wrote this blog post literally above the ground, in the air, on my way to Bangkok, Thailand.

Afterall, the not-so-secret Blogging success tips are doing what you love to do + commitment.

So last month I told my assistant not to book me anything for a week from the last of May to the first week of June, because I was literally that close from being exhausted and crazy, and coincidentally, my friends from myfunfoodiary asked me if I wanted to join them to KL and Bangkok, so I agreed, tickets booked and voila I was on board.

It�s been six years since the last time I went to Kuala Lumpur. I was in my first year of college & first time Kuala Lumpur with my cousins (oh good old days), six years and 20 pounds later, I came back with more interest towards food, and yeah that�s sort of what this trip is all about: eat and eat and eat!

Now this post is going to be about my KL food (and a bit of beverage) diary, everything that we�ve visited for 2 and a half days. In total, we managed to visit 13 places (we wanted more, but we�re very short on time), and personally I wanted to thank everyone of you who have put the effort to email me long list of where to dine or snacking in KL, I seriously love love LOVE you guys so much, I didn�t have a lot of time to browse and did research, and your top notch recommendations really helped me!!!

PS: for some reasons, ever since Uber is trending in Asia, I have been such a loyal customer of theirs and throughout this trip, I didn�t take any public transportation at all and went straight to Uber every single time. Guess what? The Uber fare in KL and Bangkok are incredibly cheap, like CHEAP CHEAP half of Jakarta I must say. If you think Jakarta�s Uber fare is cheap enough, you just haven�t experience the KL and Bangkok�s.

Ok without further adieu let�s start! (this review will be a short summary, full review of each visit might possibly be writre)

DAY ONE

BRICKFIELDS PISANG GORENG (AKA MR CHIAM PISANG GORENG)

21-19, Jalan Thambipillay, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur,

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The first thing that I had as soon as I landed in KL! We departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) using Skybus (11 MYR) to KL Sentral. Getting here from KL Sentral was very easy, all you need to do is walk towards the main road from the bus drop (DON�T TAKE THE ESCALATOR), keep straight, cross the road until you see the eye-catching YMCA tower, Brickfields Pisang Goreng is located right across. It was like a 5-minute walk.

Seriously one of the best, if not, THE BEST pisang goreng I�ve tried in my life. The coating was really crunchy, and the banana itself was very soft, fresh, flavorful and somehow one whole bite gave me this sweet yet caramel like flavor to my palate, so nice! Expect to see long ass queue, but transaction runs fast // each 1,3 MYR (IDR 5.2k)

RUMAH MAKAN YUT KEE

1, Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 3-2698 8108

One of the most recommended on my Snapchat was this, Rumah Makan Yut Kee, which is highly famous for their pork chop. The interior of the restaurant was classic with this vintage vibe that I really like. They might be very well known for their pork chop, but I honestly liked the chicken chop better, and expected this stronger and braver flavor from the sauce, but I still think it�s pretty decent. The coconut kaya jam they�re using for their toast is fantastic!

JUICE WORKS AT KLCC

Kuala Lumpur City Center Kiosk KL1A, Concourse Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I was craving for a lil juice to cleanse off my digestion system (actually more because I feel like having one) and I notice this little juice and smoothie booth located on the LG floor of KLCC. Had the Berry smoothie and it was pretty refreshing, overall I might like Boost�s better.

EIGHT OUNCE COFFEE AT KLCC

Kuala Lumpur City Center 0S104, 1st Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Now here�s the bullshit part, after having the juice and walked around a bit, I saw this coffee shop and suddenly had the urge to sip a good caramel-cappuccino, so yeah, coffee after juice (booyeah). The coffee was pretty decent, not the best one that I�ve tried tho, and considering I had an extra flavor from the caramel sauce.

BUKIT BINTANG/ALOR STREET CULINARY HUNTING

DIMSUM

This was an impulsive food shopping, because we were walking around and saw this dimsum stall (with no name) with people queuing in front of it, so yes they say when it�s crowded it better be good, I don�t find street dimsum very often tho, so it strangely feels exciting hahaha!

Each color of the dimsum represents each flavor. The yellow ones is the classic rendition of shrimp dimsum and another one with additional mushroom, the white ones are basically the same as yellow one, only with additional prawn chunk and the other one with salted egg yolk, the green one is the vegetarian one, the black one = blackpepper, and the purple one is the yam.

CU CHA

Federal Territory of, 75, Jalan Alor, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This was one of the most recommended restaurants from you guys (thank you so much), it�s a famous seafood restaurant located at Alor Street, Bukit Bintang called �Cu Cha�. It was my first time here and I literally just walk along the Alor Street and accidentally found this place, it�s located around the Dimsum place (above) or if you�re familiar with Loong Kee, a shop which sells good fermented meat, it�s just two shops away. The food here in Cu Cha was pretty decent, only that it�s a bit expensive for the food that we ordered (spent almost IDR 600k or $50) and I expected bolder flavor.

The grilled stingray is pretty good and rich in seasoning.

DAY TWO

RESTORAN KIN KIN - PAN MEE

40, Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Baru, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 16-372 8069

Restoran Kin-Kin is famous for their pan mee. Pan mee is a traditional Malaysian dish of flat-flour Hakka style noodle, I once tried Jojo�s and it was really yummy, but that was like a very long time ago. I must say that Kin-Kin�s version is also pretty delicious, Jojo�s somehow a little richer in flavor. One portion of pan mee consist of noodle, homemade seasoning sauce consisting of ebi and pork belly bits, and runny egg yolk. Don�t forget to order the meatball soup side dish here to add in more fun to your dining experience. Even though the default serving was pretty spicy already, locals here love having their pan mee with a lot of chili, so no wonder needed if you see this pile of chili flakes on your tables (and it�s pretty spicy too).

SITKA RESTAURANT

8-6, Jalan Batai, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 14-968 8949

I notice most of you also recommended Sitka so I put it on my �KL must go� list. Sitka is a posh restaurant located at the Damansara Heights, a complex in Damansara, Petaling Jaya filled with hip shops & dining places. Petaling Jaya is located 30 minutes away from the city, but with Uber, all good. The interior of Sitka reminds me of the typical coffee shops in Jakarta: simple with a bit of industrial and rawness around. The food here in Sitka was very good, one of the best throughout this trip! I was really satisfied with whatever we ordered that day: Orange-Beetroot Salad, Sitka Burger, Brownie with Raspberry Brittle ice Cream. Had nothing negative to say except the not-so-friendly service, the waitress seemed lazy.

YELLOW BRICK ROAD

50490, 7, Jalan Batai, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 3-2035 5922

If you fancy good coffee and sweets, then Yellow Brick Road is A MUST! This award winning caf� serves the best coffee I�ve had on the entire KL trip and the cakes were damn fine too. My iced soycap was divine just how I wanted it to be and the Millionaire cake (chocolate cake with cream filling) was moist & perfectly sweet. They open at 10 AM everyday, do come early or expect to be put on a long waiting list.

VILLAGE PARK NASI LEMAK

5, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

+60 12-273 8438

Now this is THE MOST recommended restaurant on this KL trip, I always printscreened every recommendation given on both Snapchat, emails and comments, I notice more than 60 people actually recommended Village Park and claim it as THE BEST NASI LEMAK in the entire Kuala Lumpur, and when so many people gave you that recommendation, you know you just gotta go. Village Park is also located at Damansara, Petaling Jaya, but not necessarily very close to the Damansara Heights, it was another 20 mins (including traffic) cheap Uber ride (you just gotta keep the �cheap� in the conversation). I have never tried a lot of other nasi lemak in KL so I can�t just jump in and say that this is the best, but yes this was pretty delicious with rich tasty rice, tastiest sambal with well-balanced spicy flavor and a hint of sweet (I notice the food here in Malay tends to feel sweeter for my palate) and additional chicken rendang. Recommended.

MADAM KWAN�S

Lot 1.16.00, Level 1, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 3-2143 2297

I see Madam Kwan�s as Jakarta�s very own �Kafe Betawi� or �Sate Khas Senayan�: a famous restaurant chain with emphasize on local cuisine, and they�re famous because they are simply good. We were on a short 2 day trip to KL and we were craving for something local to entertain my palate, and we happened to arrive at Pavilion KL after stuck on a crazy 1 hour traffic from Damansara so anything would actually do. Judging from the crowd, our choice fell for Madam Kwan�s and it was clearly something we didn�t regret. We ordered plenty of food here and everything was seriously nice. The highlight has to be their �Otak-Otak� and �Curry Laksa�!

DAY 3

Our flight was on 5 PM so we took advantage to browse around and visited two more places.

WONDERMAMA

G6, Ground Floor, 1, No Satu,, Bangsar Village, 1, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 3-2284 9821

Special thanks to Rosalyn for recommending this to me, this is a quite famous caf� located in Bangsar Village which has a good reputation for their cheap and good breakfast menu, and yet what I seriously love about the cafes here in Malay is the fact that they still take a big chunk of local cuisine as a part of their main menu, and locals seem very enthusiast about supporting it, I honestly don�t see that here. The food here in Wondermama was nice! The mamak mee goring (which by the way only cost me 9 ringgit) was flavorful, tasty and spicy!

HANBING

33, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 3-2202 0238

Didn�t plan on going here, but when we were walking around the Bangsar neighborhood and saw this convincing bingsoo shop (and plus it was freaking hot too), we decided to make a quick stiop before really heading to the airport. Here they sell SUPER GOOD durian bingsoo (didn�t find this pretty often) that came in beautiful presentation and top notch flavor. The durian was shaped to these blocks and generously given, it�s just altogether sweet, fresh and addicting. Perfect for the hot day!

Teasers for the Bangkok trip blog series

LIVE UPDATES ON SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

FIND ME HERE

FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || GOOGLE+

email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS