Indonesia's best dishes

I stumbled across an interesting article yesterday on cnngo.com where CNNGo readers voted Rendang as the most delicious food in the world. 

Rendang

Rendang is a meat dish originally from West Sumatra. The meat is slowly cooked for hours in a mixture of coconut milk and other spices. You can find it easily across Indonesia (and even in Singapore and Malaysia!), especially when you go to a Rumah Makan Padang (Padang food restaurant).

Interestingly, CNNGo then made another article featuring 40 of Indonesia's best dishes and also suggested restaurants to try them when in Indonesia. Very useful as an introduction to Indonesian cuisine!

All pics from CNNGo.com 

Bakso

Satay

Ayam goreng sambal

Soto

The Raid: Redemption

I was very glad to hear that an Indonesian film actually got some recognition abroad. The Raid: Redemption (Indonesian title: Serbuan Maut) is a hard-core action movie about an elite cop team trapped inside a building full of mobsters. 

From what I've read, besides the awesome fighting choreography, this movie should be commended because of the low budget it took to make it ("only" around 1 million USD).

Seeing the reviews, I wonder whether it is too hard-core for a chick-flick fan like myself. But after posting the question on my facebook page, my girlfriends say that it is still a great movie to watch even though there are scenes where we girls would squint. 

Well, I'm planning to see it later this week. Will post reviews then!

Indonesian shoes & clothing

These are two of my favorite Indonesian brands: Andre Valentino & Minimal.

http://andrevalentino.com/

Don't be fooled by the name (as I was), but Andre Valentino is not an Italian brand; it's actually an Indonesian shoe brand.  There are shoes for men, women and kids.

My first pair of Andre Valentino shoes were wedges which I completely fell in love with that I actually bought another pair but in a different color. They are sturdy so that you can walk hurriedly without being afraid of wobbling. And of course, the main thing, they are very comfortable. I could wear them the whole day at the office (and I really mean the whole day, since we often work until midnight).  

It turns out that Andre Valentino also has outlets in Malaysia & Singapore.

http://www.minimal.co.id/




This brand started business in Bandung, so it used to be that I could only buy it when I was in Bandung. But luckily, they now have opened outlets in the major malls in Jakarta. Minimal specializes in women's wear and accessories. 
I love the designs which are clean cut and well-tailored.

Java Jazz Festival 2012

I'm tempted to buy tickets for this year's Java Jazz Festival. They have a great line-up (as always) with special shows this year by Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Al Jarreau and Herbie Hancock.

Source pic: http://www.indonesia.travel/id/event/detail/427/java-jazz-festival-2012

But then, I remember that it is held in Kemayoran (which is quite far compared to Jakarta Convention Centre where the festival was held in early years) and also the crowds of people ;)

But for those of you who have never attended the festival before, come on...this is the time! Info can be found on their website: http://www.javajazzfestival.com/

And for those who will attend, Have Fun!! :)

Cikini Basket Market

I'm on a mission to tidy up my room and thought of buying rattan baskets for storage. But these baskets are quite pricey as I found out browsing through a shop located in one of Jakarta's well-known malls. I then decided to go to Cikini's Basket Market to try my luck there.

This market lies under Cikini train station. It is well-known for selling all kinds of baskets and boxes to be used for gift hampers. 

In Indonesia, gift hampers are especially sought after during the Ramadhan since it is customary to give gift hampers to your business relations. This practice has been discouraged though in recent years by the government amongst government officials, as it can be misused to bribe officials.

Because I went to Cikini outside the Ramadhan period, the market wasn't too busy. Still there were customers because people also search for hampers to be used for seserahan - a tradition where the groom gives a wedding gift for his bride before the wedding. 

Even though I know Cikini is well-known for its hamper collection, I was still surprised seeing the range of baskets and boxes: there were round-shaped ones, rectangular-shaped ones; made from rattan, carton, wood, bamboo; in natural color and bright colors. 

I spent a nice 1 1/2 hour just browsing through the "shops" to get a feel of the price and looking at the selection. Eventually, I bought 2 small rattan basket and 1 large one. I may have tried harder at bargaining but I was already satisfied since even the initial asking price was 50% cheaper from the ones in the malls I saw earlier :)