[BANDUNG!] Kaki Lima: Bebek Borromeus

Fried duck screams simplicity. But if you look deeper, there's a complexity to it. At least to me. Fried duck looks like fried chicken, but it's so much more. All I want in a fried chicken is nicely cooked meat. But with duck, my desired doneness includes moist, soft flesh, crispy skin, succulent, juicy fat, and crunchy bones. I expect more, because when done wrong, the meat will be very gamey, the fat all liquified and the dish will just be another passing poultry dish. In this unassuming joint, I definitely get what I want, and more.

That's it. Just white rice, the duck, some lalapan, and the plate of sambel tomat. It looks just like every other fried duck. I ate with my boyfriend Bram, who is obsessed with this place and planned to make me as obsessed, and he told me the first thing to do, especially for a first timer like me, is try the sambal. Just dip your fingers in and lick em. Boy, it was good. There's an oily, fried feel to it, adding to the savoury and spiciness of the sambal. It's not searing hot, just comfortably so. It didn't make me scramble for a glass of water, neither did it make my eyes water or anything like that. It has a level of heat that's, as I said, comfortable. Just right to put a punch in every mouthful, but not too much. 

I teared open the flesh of my duck, and can see, and feel, the beautiful fat beneath the crispy skin. Took some meat, skin, and fat, dip it completely in the sambel, scooping with me the chunks of tomatoes, put it on the rice and had a mouthful. I was speechless. Bram looked at me knowingly, fully aware that I was basking in the glory of his favorite Bandung street food. The fat and skin was so amazing, and that sambal, I just can't get enough. We were quiet as we plow through our meal, absorbing the thousands of calories we're consuming. Afterwards, we would sit in the car, glowing in the afterglow of a great meal, and couldn't stop raving about how good it was. 

Yes, it was THAT good.

This awesome place is located beside RS Borromeus, the sign says Syailendra. Serves other dishes, but the duck wins. Everytime.

[BANDUNG!] Kaki Lima: Mi Kocok Kikil, Jl Riau

In every city, there is bound to be a place spoken about like an urban legend. Word of mouth spreads like wildfire, yet not every person who has talked about it has eaten there. They seem to be discouraged by its hole-in-the-wall location, insiders-only crowd. 

Maybe I went overboard. But still. For me, this place is one of those legends. My cousins used to talk about this place, how a bowl was never enough, how no matter how many mi kocok stalls dot this city's streets, this one would still be the best. If I wasn't with my family, I wouldn't have the guts to go and order a bowl. There's something menacing about ordering food in a completely foreign place, where everybody seem to know how things work, except you.

My parents placed the order, and came before me a bowl of steaming, murky broth, accompanied with some noodles, sprouts, bakso, and kikil. I seasoned it to my liking, which is (as always) a generous helping of salt, vinegar, and chili. Absolutely no kecap manis. I mixed everything together, and tried the broth first.

Man. It was heavenly. For me, the beauty of dishes like this is its unpretentiousness, something I value highly. It's just food, honestly prepared. Steaming hot and spicy, the broth fatty. Every spoonful should contain some noodles, kikil, and sprouts. I used to hate beansprouts. But now, it's like the life of the party in my bowls of food. In pho, mi kikil, and several other dishes, sprouts provide that freshness, that crunch, that unmistakable fragrance of beautiful vegetables. You'll find your spoonful miraculous. That hot broth, the soft noodles, the chewy and awesome kikil, and that crunchy sprouts. In another spoonful, be sure to include pieces of succulent bakso. In between spoonfuls, grab a kerupuk kampung and sip on good ol' teh botol. You'll be full, happy, and find yourself longing for seconds.

This piece of heaven is located just by the Summit factory outlet. Unlikely, huh?

[BANDUNG!] Kaki Lima: Bubur Pelana, Jl. Burangrang

Bandung is a city known for it's nice, cool temperature. What better food is there to eat in such climate than a bowl of deeelicious bubur ayam? I spent the weekend in Bandung and I ate at all my favorite kaki limas, and I will write all about them! First up, is the best bubur in Bandung (that I know of), Bubur Pelana.

Jl. Burangrang is a street bustling with nocturnal culinary adventurers. By day, it has some restaurants open, including the famous Bakwan Enggal, that always has a line of people outside (it is that good). By night, the street lit up with a lot of kaki limas and a hawker center that houses my favorite martabak, Martabak San Fransisco (it needs its own post completely dedicated to its glory). One of the kaki limas is the quite crowded Bubur Pelana. This place is also open in the mornings for a hearty breakfast. They only sell bubur ayams, with various toppings. They have the bubur ayam biasa (just chicken), spesial (ati ampela), and istimewa (everything plus chicken skin). You can have your bubur half portion, because the regular is huuuge. So I ordered a half order of bubur istimewa.

The toppings in bubur istimewa are ati, ampela, hard boiled eggs, kulit ayam, and ayam. As usual, I seasoned my bubur with a generous helping of kecap asin and sambel. It was sooooo gooood. The bubur was thick and savory, all the toppings delicious. It was filling and warm, a perfect dinner that chilly Bandung night. One thing I regret is that I forgot to order my eggs setengah matang. Not that hard boiled eggs are bad, but runny eggs are just perfect for bubur ayam.

Anyway, everybody who loves bubur must try this. Rp 13.000 for a bowl of warm, gooey heaven, worth every penny.

Awesome Kaki Lima: SEAFOOD 68 SANTA

Jakarta is chock full of seafood stands, dotting the roadsides. How to pin point the ones that are good and clean? Pick the crowded ones. Like this amazing place on Jl. Wolter Monginsidi, Seafood 68.
Seperti warung2 seafood pada umumnya, mereka buka pada malam hari dan tutup dini hari. Tempatnya bersih dan ramai, makanannya cepet dateng. Abis pesen, kita disuguhin otak2 buat nyemil (bayar tentunya). Seperti biasa, gue dan keluarga gue pesen Kerang Dara Rebus, Kerang Hijau Saus Padang, Baronang Bakar, dan Cah Kangkung.

I love their kerang dara. Bukannya kerang dara dimana mana sama? oh tentu tidak. Di sini kerangnya tender dan sama sekali nggak amis, fresh banget, dan dipping saucenya juga segeer. Kalo ga dihentikan gue bisa makan 5 piring sendiri kali. Paling asik nyemil kerang rebus.
Kangkungnya lupa difoto hahaha tapi yang jelas kangkung mereka itu just the way I like it. Crunchy dan asinnn.

Baronang bakar mereka juga juara. Bumbunya itu lho, nyeresep banget, dan kecap cabenya mereka itu pedesnya asik! Ikan mereka dipotongnya juga jadi bikin mudah dimakan. Ikan2 lainnya seperti bawal juga enak, tapi rekomendasi gue adalah bakar aja semuanya, karena lebih taaasty.

INI DIA JUARANYA. kerang ijo saus padang. Dayummmmm enaknyaaa ga pernah gue temui di tempat seafood semahal apapun. Gatau gimana caranya, kerang mereka ini luarnya crispy tapi dalemnya lembut banget, jadi kerangnya sendiri udah gurih. Terus saos padangnya itu enak banget, pedesnya, asinnya, pas banget. Paling enak dimakan pake nasi panas. Biasanya keluarga gue pesen 2 sampe 3 piring hahaha the best.
Soal harga, sepiring sekitar 20-30 ribu kalo nggak salah. Dijamin bersih, gue belom pernah sakit perut abis makan disini. Dan dijamin puas! Cumi goreng tepung dan udang goreng menteganya juga enak. kayaknya semuanya enak hahaha intinya jangan malu2 pesennya kalo makan disini ;;--))

Awesome Kaki Lima: KEYAKI JAPANESE FOOD

Hari sudah malam. Lapar melanda. Ngidam kari jepang, teriyaki, tempura. Buka dompet, sisa 30 ribu doang. Jangan bimbang, ada solusi nendang! Kemarin malam gue makan di Keyaki Japanese Food, yaitu lokasinya di belakang mesjid Al Azhar Pusat, passss di samping Roti Bakar Edi yang super oke dan super terkenal itu. Harga semua di bawah 30 ribu, menu lengkap dari kari, tempura, teriyaki, dll. Dan ENAK! Seperti biasa gue makan bersama Bram. Doi pesen chicken teriyaki, gue pesen chicken katsu yang dimasak pake telor itu lho, lupa namanya.


Dari tampang emang nothing much. Tapi menurut gue sih enak banget dan super terjangkau. Averagenya 20ribu udah pake nasi. Makanan gue lebih enak dari oyakodon nya Kiyadon, which is basically the same thing. Katsunya masih berasa crunchy, hangat, telurnya lembut, rasanya gurih dengan sedikit rasa manis yang passss bgt. Chicken teriyakinya juga enak, ayamnya tenderly cooked, sausnya juga enak. Abis makan dari sini paling mantap emang makan pisang bakar di sebelah, roti bakar edi. ^^
jadi intinya, siapa bilang makanan jepang harus mahal?