Pyongyang (North Korean Restaurant & Karaoke)

I discovered Pyongyang thanks to a reader's comment on this blog who described the place as the best Korean restaurant in Jakarta.

While it may be exaggerated, Pyongyang is still a must-try, off-the-beaten-track dining venue, mainly because this is probably the closest you'll ever get to experience North Korean culture.

Pyongyang is not unique to Jakarta: It is a chain of restaurants, operated by the North Korean government, with branches all over Asia. They have been accused of being used for money-laundering, and you cannot help but wonder about the freedom of their imported, North Korean staff (read this wikipedia article for more information "Pyongyang (restaurant chain)".

From what I saw, the restaurant is divided into a 40-seat dining area downstairs, and private rooms upstairs, for both eating and karaoke. I wanted to visit but they were all full unfortunately. In the main area, the decoration is rather discreet, with only a few paintings of North Korean landscapes. On TV, they play a sort of documentary/commer! cial abo ut the beauty of North Korea... Truly fascinating...

The waitresses, all of them pretty and devoted are North Korean, and once in a while, they take the mic and start singing on the podium. It is amusing, a bit like that Mandarin place I went to in Kota called De Volvo.

The food is typically Korean, with some local specialties, such as the Cold Noodle Soup (Naengmyon). From other reviewers, I've read about a dog meat soup, but I couldn't find it on the menu. We tried three dishes: Kimchi (fermented cabbage, Rp44,000++), Bibimpap (mixed rice with vegetables, Rp68,000++), and a Mixed Mushroom Casserole (Rp160,000). The taste of the food was excellent, though a little different from what we are used to in South Korean restaurants. The Kimchi for instance was much less spicy, and the Bibimpap undercooked. Here are some pictures (I'm missing the Mushroom soup):

Appetizers (free)

Bibimpap (Rp68,000++)Kimchi (Rp44,000++)

Overall: Pyongyang serves delicious, authentic Korean cuisine, and if you are lacking ideas for original dining, its atmosphere is unique. Recommended.

Opening hours:
Everyday from 11am to 10pm

Pyongyang

North Korean Restaurant Jakarta
Jalan Gandaria No.58, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

Phone: +62-21 7280-0889
Fax: +62-21 7280-0885

Herb Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs

I would like to think that August is going to disappear into a happy blur of friends, and meals, and walks around San Francisco. We're smack in the middle of a parade of house guests, and it's pretty great. One of my best friends from high school visited first - all the way from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Then, a few days later, this amazing lady dropped into San Francisco to sell her beautiful letterpress stationary. I connected with Lynn a couple years back (through her site) - I loved her clean, understated designs, and I found her writing about her work (and adventures with this little guy) inspiring.

We did a bunch of stuff while she was here. And(!) her visit happened to coincide with the Alameda Flea market. So, we crossed the bridge (not long after sunrise) last Sunday morning, to beat the crowds. Conversations so early in the morning are always a but hazy in my memory, but I know we talked about lots of things, including eggs. A subject, it turns out, we have similar opinions on. For example - poached eggs are good, but jiggly whites are just gross. Lynn mentioned she does a scramble where she adds a couple dollops of special, super-herby cream cheese to finish the eggs. Now, this was an idea that had never occurred to me. In fact, I can't actually remember the last time I bought cream cheese. They sounded incredible - the sort of thing I think of as simple-special - simple technique with a special twist. Lynn was a good s! port, an d let me shoot her while she showed me the ropes. Here's how you make them...

One thing before we get to the recipe - you're going have plenty of leftover cream cheese, and it'll last a good week or so in your refrigerator. Other ways you can use it - slathered on toast and crackers. Lynn suggested layering it throughout a breakfast strata, or adding dollops to the top of a frittata. You can toss some into a bowl of hot pasta along with some chopped spinach. Or top a bowl of roasted tomato soup with a dollop. Or smeared on one of these quesadillas? You get the idea - it's great on/in/over a whole host of things.

Thanks for being a most excellent houseguest Lynn - come back soon :)! xoxo

Continue reading Herb Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs...

Maroush (Moroccan Fine Dining Cuisine)

Maroush is a Moroccan restaurant in Crowne Plaza hotel, owned by the same group behind Frontpage and Anatolia.

Along with Al-Nafoura (Lebanese food), it is among the best fine dining Arab restaurants in Jakarta. It is great both for the atmosphere and for the food, and while it remains much more expensive than your usual warung, I think it is affordable by Western standards (approximately Rp! 250,000 for a 2-course meal with drinks).

Maroush is not very big, with one main dining room and one private area (for 15 people). Both have a chic, ethnic design, with dim-lighting and antique furniture. It is very similar to Hazara. If you have the choice, it is best to come at night: As they light up candles, the place looks even more gorgeous and intimate. Also, every evening from Tuesday to Saturday, they have a belly dancer from Morocco. At last, I should mention that Shisha is available.

I ate Tabouleh (Rp38,000++) for appetizer and Yayla Kebab (Rp115,000++) for main dish. Both were delicious, easily the best you can get in Jakarta. The chef as of August 2011, Abderrahim Touqo, is from Morocco as well and he has already many years of experience in Jakarta. He used to work for El-Wadj, a popular Middle Eastern restaurant which closed down a few years ago. I was only disappointed with my orange juice, which tasted as if it had been diluted with water.

Tabouleh (Rp38,000++)

Yayla Kebab (Rp115,000++)

Overall: As I said, one of the best Arab restaurants in Jakarta, so if you feel like eating couscous, tagine, kebab or hummus, this is a top place to go to.

Opening hours:
Everyday from 11.30am to 10pm (11pm on weekends)

Maroush Jakarta
Crowne Plaza Hotel 2nd Floor,
Jl. Jend Gatot Subroto Kav 2-3

Phone number: +62-21 5289 2431 / +62-21 9277 2277

Fax: +62-21 5289 2433
Email: info.nomiinc@gmail.com

Keong Kee Herbal Soup Opposite Shaw Parade, Off Jalan Pudu

Street food has always been the best food in Malaysia because it is usually cheap, localized and most importantly delicious. Sometimes I feel I should be covering more of these instead of just visiting the restaurants. As far as KL is concerned I have to admit I have not been adventurous enough therefore missing out a lot of good and affordable makan places. And after trying Keong Kee Herbal Soup in Pudu, this sentiment of mine is even stronger now.
But first, a little background of how I got to know about Keong Kee. You see, besides this food blog I also maintain MamakOnline, a small community forum where we talk just about anything under the sun, usually more on food. So Keong Kee happens to be one of the heavily recommended eating places by one of the forumers from KL nicknamed Moon. To most KLites I believe Keong Kee is probably well known or even old for you. But for a non-local like me, it is one of the most exciting discoveries that I want to share with everyone.In case you missed the many stacked steamers, Keong Kee is situated just acrosss the street from Shaw Parade. Because of the large tree that shades Keong Kee, they are also referred as the stall under the big tree or dai shue tao in Cantonese. If you are coming for dinner I strongly suggest you to come early before the peak hour kicks in, as business is very brisk and it would take a long time before someone finally attends to your order.
Also, if you are a first timer it is also best to send someone to scrutinize the menu imprinted on their signboard. The reason behind this is because the waiters wont be suggesting those more exotic dishes like flying squirrel, white pigeon, terrapin, bull penis and etc. But if you are not that adventurous in food then nevermind.One thing that you must try here is the Wil d Boar Curry, simply the best I have ever had so far hence highly recommended. For those who have tasted it before will know surely what I am talking about. But for those who havent, it is for you to find out because words cannot describe the awesomeness. So you can forget about any wild boar curry that I have mentioned in the past, Keong Kees rendition is now the new benchmark.
I dont know about you but I grew up eating Mui Choy Kao Yuk, a Hakka dish cooked by my mom so it is pretty much a very common every day thing to me. Here, they manage to prepare it taste extremely appetizing simply by thickening the soy sauce which also heightens the saltiness slightly. And of course Mui Choy Kao Yuk wont taste good with lean meat so plenty of thinly sliced three-layer pork are used. Perfect when paired with rice.Braised Chicken Feet with Mushroom Dong Gu Gai Giok nice flavor with big, thick and juicy mushrooms but unfortunately paled in comparison with the two dishes shown earlier. In all fairness, they are kinda hard to top because they are just too delicious.As for the herbal soups sadly I only went for the normal stuff and I can only lament that I did not try the more special ones like pigeon and terrapin. If this is something new for you and you are wondering as well, this Ye Zi Gai (Coconut Herbal Chicken Soup) is quite herby with a hint of bitterness. Well, the main ingredients are herbs and some ginseng anyway. With that being said I still enjoyed it nonetheless since I am not exactly the kind of person who dislikes the taste of Chinese herbs.
Actually we were not meant to get this Ye Zi Gai because the existing supplies ran out. But when we overheard that a fresh batch was being! prepare d and would be ready by 8pm, we slowed down our eating pace, waited and got it eventually.A similar but not-so-bitter version of the Ye Zi Gai would be Yok Choy Gai Herbal Chicken Soup, but minus the coconut. It derives the natural sweetness from the wolfberries and red dates that are boiled together.Old Cucumber Soup should be one of the most acceptable soups here, another being the lotus roots soup. It might look very light or normal but one sip is all it takes to love this. It is so delicious you will wonder how much MSG is added to achieve that kind of flavor lol. But I believe the MSG level is kept to a minimum as I did not feel any major thirstiness after the meal.In all, it cost RM58 for the three of us and we were stuffed silly with all the food and soups we had. As you can tell from my writings, I am very happy with the food served here. So, there is no doubt I will return again soon to sample the other things that I missed out. Lastly, the food at Keong Kee finishes very fast therefore it is recommended that you reach here before 6pm when most of the goodies are still available.

Keong Kee Chinese Authentic Food (Opposite Shaw Parade)
Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah,
Off Jalan Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
GPS Coordinates: N3 08.425 E101 42.745
Business Hours: 4pm onwards

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tomato salad with crushed croutons

We spent the last week in what I call the vacation trifecta: among beaches, wineries and farm stands. The vacation was supposed to be a reward for getting my book finished by August 1st. Instead, I all but tried to cancel the vacation when I realized I wouldnt be done. Despite all of my practice over the last few months, Im not very good at not finishing things. I dont like going to bed with dishes in the sink, Id rather stay up until midnight getting something done than have to start the morning with an old item on my to-do list and I did not want to go on vacation until I finished my project. Oh no. I did not. I might have even dreaded it.

Thank goodness we went anyway as we had fantastic vacation, I dare say the best one weve had since adding another member to our family. As it turns out, when the baby sleeps (in a bed! in a strange place! like a champ! who is this child and what did he do with Jacob?) on vacation, everyone gets one and it also turns out, when youre really on v! acation, any and all promises you made to yourself to get some work done go out the window. Thank heavens for that too. Other signs of a good vacation: I didnt take many photos. I ignored the stack of recipes Id bookmarked for Ideal Summer House Cooking (yawn). We went to a different winery every afternoon. I fell asleep with saltwater in my hair on at least three different occasions. I discovered that when my son sings the alphabet, for the P, and the P only, he closes his eyes, reaches his arms wide, tips his head back and belts out a giant PEEEEAA! I splurged on local feta and started making crunchy summery salads every night tossed with it and whatever could be diced raw. We had countless ears of corn and at least one lunch of tomato-corn omelets (have you done this yet? Because Im obsessed with them). There was a birthday breakfast for my husband of skillet baked French toast. There was an accidental recipe of what Im now calling sugar steaks, and making intentionally. Two batches of dry-rub ribs (a twist on Mollys rub, McGees technique) in the oven, because its so, so easy that way. And my future fall obsession came to me early at our daily jaunts to the North Fork Table & Inn Food Truck: chicken posole. It was amazing; I promise to try to recreate it soon.

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The Manuscript and the Scones that Will Take Us Home

"I feel like I am forgetting something" I emailed my agent Judy on Thursday. I had just submitted the manuscript for my cookbook to my editor. It was time to celebrate, yet I felt as anxious as ever. "Yes, you forgot to celebrate!" she wrote back. I laughed.

So true.

After months of working on this manuscript as if it were my third child, I am done. I have created it, now it's in someone else's hands. Of course there will be revisions and edits, but the recipes are set, the images captured, and the stories told. And here is a small sample of the images you will find in it.



These props will finally have a home and some order.

C. will thank me.

I am looking forward to the promise of time off with my family back in the Basque Country. I am ready to relax, cook with my mom, drive along the coast while stopping for a pintxo or two, pick apples from my uncle's orchard, and sit under ancient oak trees while the childre! n play.< br>


The last thing I baked this weekend were scones. Three batches of them to be exact; until my oven finally gave up. It has had enough. Almost like life telling me it is time to stop baking compulsively.

I got it. It's time to stop.

We will take these with us on the plane. Full of black raspberries, red currants, quinoa, and oats.



I leave you with this recipe and soon I will be back from images from our trip. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your summer with your loved ones, cooking, and eating away.

See you soon!

Black Raspberry, Red Currant, Quinoa, and Oat Scones

adapted from Dorie Greenspan

makes 10 (2-inch) scones

1 1/3 cup (140 g) gluten-free oats
1 cup (140 g) superfine brown rice flour
1/3 cup (70 g) natural cane sugar
1/3 cup (45 g) quinoa flour
1/3 cup (40 g) tapioca flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
10 Tbs (140 g) unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated shortening (I us! ed short ening)
1/2 cup (125 ml) unsweetened almond milk ( you can use whole milk)
2 eggs, divided
1/2 cup black raspberries
1/3 cup red currants
Demerara sugar, to sprinkle on top

Put the butter or shortening in the freezer for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients. Take the butter out of the freezer and grate it into the dry ingredients using a box grater. If you don't have a box grater, then just cut it into small pieces (no need to freeze) and work it into the flour. Coat the grated butter with the flour and spread it throughout.

Whisk 1 egg and almond milk together and add it to the flour mixture. Fold using a spatula or your hands until flour moist. It will be lumpy and chunky. Just press it together with your hands. Add the black raspberries, red currants, and fold.

Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead a few times until it comes together. Pat to a disk that is about 3/4-inch thick and cut scones using a 2-inch cookie cutter. Place the scones on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake at 400F (200C) for about 18 minutes or until golden. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before lifting them. Serve while warm. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month.

Parducci Deep Roots

They've won an award you know; one celebrating their status as the "Greenest Winery in the US". Dunno who decided this or who handed over the trophy to the fine people of Parducci Wine Cellars but one would hope the trophy was imaginatively constructed from recycled wine bottles.

While residing in the 'consumers don't give a shite' camp about such credentials such info is 'nice to know'. We in the UK buy by price and pretty labels or if you happen to know a bit (snob!) by grape type, producer, region, food matching plans.

But on the back label of these four new Parducci wines are the credentials laid out in easy to digest bullet point - locally owned and operated, grapes from family farms, protecting the environment, earth-friendly packaging, carbon neutrality, solar power... Perhaps, at these price points (10.99/11.99), reading the back label is of more import than on lower priced 'brands'.

While I applaud Parducci's sustainability policies and achievements, of which I am sure they are rather proud, one can't help wondering why do these points take precedence over describing the wine? And why something instantly understandable "sustainable winegrowing practices" is not included in the rather prosaic and unexplained list.

The four newly released wines are two single varietal (a Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel) and two blends (a Chardonnay/Viognier/Pinot Grigio/Muscat Canelli and a Syrah/Zinfandel/Carignan/Petite Sirah/Viognier). All are sealed under screw-cap.

The wines are a joint effort between Paul Dolan and Steve Daniel, the team that bought you Fetzer, and are a lesson in what Californian wine should be; modern, balanced, sustainably farmed and above all affordable! Parducci Wine Cellars, set up by Paul Dolan and Tim Thornhill in 2004, is the realization of their shared visions - committed to sustainable business, dedication to building community, respect for tradition and confidence in the immense potential of Mendocino County grape growing a! nd winem aking.

Parducci are to be presented the 2011 International Award of Excellence in Sustainable Winegrowing by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) in October for their exemplary use of renewable energies, recycled packaging and water conservation efforts.
Parducci focus on making wine from locally farmed grapes, recycling 100% of the winery waste water utilising an onsite wetland as well as using sustainable farming practices and employing earth-friendly packaging. Their labels are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and printed with soy and water-based inks. The winery is also powered from 100% renewable energy from 10,000-square feet of solar panels and bought-in wind power."

Wasn't that keen on the Parducci Mendocino Country Sauvignon Blanc 2010 [Adegga / Snooth], it seemed to lack the snap and zass the zest and punch one expects from a Sauvignon, being more rounded, simplistic melony and citrusy. (Alcohol 13.5%).

The Parducci Deep Roots White, 2010, Mendocino County, [Adegga / Snooth]on the other hand combined all those grape types into something much more interesting. While initially easy to dismiss as 'just' another chardonnay it is with a little concentration that the aroma reveals more lemon and floral hints, the grapiness of the Muscat plays along too. The palate is firmly in the lemon corner with apple and pear dominating, all unsullied by oak. (Alcohol 14%)

A fan of Zinfandel? T! he Parducci Zinfandel 2009, Mendocino County [Adegga / Snooth] won't disappoint offering that full, deep flavoursome, robustness that one expects. Its dry with a spice-pepper led finish. Alcohol 14%.

But as with the whites my preference goes with the blend. Fuller, more rounded with greater depth of palate and complexity of flavor. The Parducci Deep Roots Red, 2009, Mendocino County [Adegga / Snooth] has a robustness, a roughness, a dryness that needs food. Plenty of blackberry fruit, length a little abrupt and the alcohol quite high at 14.5%, but I like it.

2011 Mooncakes @ Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

After spending the afternoon in Aquaria KLCC with Baby C, we popped into Lai Po Heen in Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur to get some mooncakes. Ever since I saw Boolicious's tweet about salted caramel mooncakes from MO, I have been wanting to get my hands on them since I love all things salted caramel. Lai Po Heen have displayed some of their mooncakes at the entrance of the restaurant, with two samples of baked mooncakes for their customers / guests to try. Service was a little slow (it was the end of their lunch service), and they also got my orders mixed up but luckily I checked before we left the restaurant.

Classic decor at Lai Po Heen

Mooncake tasting

There is a total of 16 flavours available here, ranging from large, medium and mini sized mooncakes. I purchased 3 mini snow skin mooncakes, 1 medium mooncake and 1 large mooncake. Since this is our first time buying Mandarin Oriental mooncakes, I was slightly taken aback when I saw how small the mini mooncakes were. I measured it, and they were only 4cm in diameter hence making this the smallest mooncake I've come across this year.

Tastewise, both the Mini Snow Skin with Green Tea and Almonds and Mini Snow Skin with Honeydew Flavoured Lotus Paste were pretty good. I did not mention to my mum what flavours they were, but she managed to suss it out after taking a bite since the flavours were quite evident. The filling was also very smooth. Just wish they made them a little bigger.

Mini Snow Skin with Green Tea and Almonds (RM12+)

Mini Snow Skin with Honeydew Flavoured Lotus Paste (RM12+)

The Mini Snow Skin Mooncake with Durian Paste (RM13+) was too mushy though it tasted quite nice. I had trouble getting it out the box and even more while trying to cut it. I know durian mooncakes are usually softer, but this was way too soft.

We only managed to get a small piece each since they were so small

So far this year most of the egg yolks I've eaten out of the baked mooncakes have been a little dry. The one from MO's baked mooncake with lotus paste and twin egg yolks (RM24.50+) fared a little better. The lotus paste though is very fragrant and smooth, so thumbs up.

And finally, the Dark Chocolate Mooncake with Salted Caramel Ganache (RM18). I'm not sure why this is called a mooncake and also why it is categorised as a medium mooncake. I measured it and it's exactly the same size as the mini mooncake (4cm). The only "mooncake" thing about this is the shape. It is more of a chocolate than anything else... neither baked nor snow skin, but coated with dark chocolate. The girl from Lai Po Heen did not tell us how to store this mooncake, hence we refridgerated it.. however I think you're supposed to leave it out for a bit before eating it so that the ganache filling will be soft when you consume it. Anyway, it was a good chocolate but the salted caramel ganache would be nicer if the salt was more evident.

Chocolate or mooncake?

Lai Po Heen's mooncakes are available at The Mandarin Cake Shop, Lai Po Heen and 1Utama Shopping Centre. From 1 August - 12 September 2011.

Full set of photos can be viewed here.

Location: Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2179 8885