A Day in Ubud, Bali

My memory about Ubud is kinda blurry. I remember I was in a car with a local driver few years ago, telling me that Ubud was a place where the culture was still thick. The ambiance was not so crowded and the surrounding was not about the modern coffee like we knew in Seminyak or Kuta area. I happened to visit ubud on August 2018 and found that I knew nothing about this area. The beautiful cafes are everywhere, beautifully blending in Bali local culture. The shops are here and there, not to mention the happening area of Ubud Traditional Market. Wow I am really behind all of this.

One of the places I really wanted to visit was Tegalalang Rice Terrace. I saw the photos through social media and interested to set my feet there. I asked my friend whom happened to visit Tegalalang and said that the best time to visit was around 7-9 am, before the sun was too harshly shine. It was beautiful there, he said.

So I set my alarm in the morning, managed to come early to visit Ubud. I came around 9-10 am, because it was raining that morning. Luckily the sun was still shyly appear, and we got a nice weather after that (but it was kinda slippery!). We tried to climb the terrace for about 40 minutes, and got tired halfway through there. But we got a nice view from that spot.

The entrance was about IDR 20k, and you have to pay for local donation once you arrive at the photo spot. Some people said they have to pay donation for few times, but I only got asked once, so I guess it was okay.

I also got myself into a high swing, overlooking into a lovely rice paddies. Bargaining was important here! We got IDR 200k for 3 people to try the swing for few minutes. The safety belt was there and the people was kinda helpful. It was scary at first, but after few swings I started to enjoy myself with the breeze.

Things you have to remember before going to Tegalalang Rice Terrace, Ubud:

• check the weather forecast
• make sure to have some breakfast before you start to hike, I was starving in the middle of the hike!
• it's best to visit before 11 am.

Another place I visited in Ubud was Ubud Traditional Market. I was surprised to see that the road heading to the market was full of cute shops. Too bad I could not pay any visit because I could not find anywhere to park. I really recommend you guys to hire a local driver while you're going to visit the market because the jam was quite crazy. You can go shopping while the driver look for the parking area.

Tha market sells some traditional stuffs like Balinese ratan bag, wooden utensils, loose dresses, and traditional scrubs. The stuffs they sell is kinda the same, so make sure to get the best price. The art of bargaining could be an advantage here, but be ready because the seller was not so friendly.

Overall I found my trip to Ubud was satisfyling. I got the part where I could enjoy the beauty of Ubud nature and the traditional part at the market. My friend also recomment to spend a night in Ubud to chase the sunrise at Tjampuhan Ridge Walk, but I already had a hotel reservation at Seminyak.
Some photos are captured by @pebriansyah

How's your day in Ubud? I'd like to hear your experience!

Love,
Jessica Christy Limanjaya
@jechristy

THE GARDEN JAKARTA

Hello people!
It's been a few months from my last post and I am sorry for that. My life has been so busy working at this new place and writing a blog was not in my mind lately. After few months of adapting, I am free to have some spare time and gonna catch up several new things in town.

So today I am gonna write about this new place called the garden. Based on its name, they really highlight those pretty things and put those flowers in every corner in the room. To my knowledge The Garden is one of the prettiest vibe I know in town. One step inside, it's like entering a whole new world. The Garden is located in Pantai Indah Kapuk, but all the ambiance they offer, it feels like having a really good time somewhere else.

Pretty bar with tropical touch

You could see that everything is on point. The menu was so pretty and cute. The variety of the food itself was quite wide, with symbol of flowers to show their recommendation. They also have some selections of cocktails and desserts, which could make them a nice hang out place at night.

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when I was going to try their food. As we know that some of those pretty places was not accompanied with good food. I've heard some good reviews about them, and I hope they do not disappoint.

Bad Ass Fried Rice-IDR 90k

The title made it clear, they should be a bad ass one. The first thing on my mind was the size was quite small, I could really have it by myself. The fried rice was accompanied with onsen egg (which came like a regular egg) and well done wagyu. It was quite good, but nothing kicked my palate. The fried rice was spicy, which was actually good, but it's nothing more than a regular fried rice. The meat was just alright.

Sunshine Caramelized Pork-IDR 100k

Now this, was on of my favorite. Melt-in-your-mouth-pork, cooked with caramel to make it sweet and a hint of sour. The pork was so good and makes me drool right now. Again, the only thing was about the portion size.

The Wonder Duck Crispy Kecombrang-IDR 220k

This one also one of the highlight. The rice was so fragrant and so tasty when you mixed it with their sambal. I could not stop to dig in this full of carbohydrate meal. The duck was just fine, but I found it was too dry in some parts. Consistency with the duck could make this one awesome! Honestly, this one was the only meal that made us quite full.

Creamy Chicken Truffle Dumpling-IDR 75k

This was my personal favorite. A 4 pieces of chicken dumpling, covered with fragrant creamy sauce. The Truffle was on point and the meat was tasty. However it was so small and I felt like one portion was not enough. The creamy sauce was the winner tho.

Now let's jump to their dessert!

I tried Oops I Dropped My Ice Cream-IDR 55k, which was actually an upside down coconut ice cream with crumbles and yuzu. The crumbles and yuzu was so good, while I could not really taste the coconut. She's Slice of Heaven-IDR60k, also came in such a pretty presentation. It was mille crepe that came with 3 choices of sauces, taro, milk tea, and milo. I wanted to try different flavor so taro it is. The cake was so good and creamy, and the taro sauce was also delicate.

Overall The Garden is one pretty cafe with wide selections of food. The portion itself was not big, a  size to try a little bit of this and that. The price was quite vary and little bit on the higher side. However the place is so pretty, and a good one to spend with your girlfriends (or boyfriend). Don't forget to snap some pictures here!

THE GARDEN
Rukan Garden House blok B no 28
Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta


Best regards,
Jessica Christy Limanjaya
@jechristy

DEAR FRIEND

Dear (a particular) friend,

Hello, are you doing well?
I think you are. You are so contented, they said.
It's good, I am please that you are good.

Losing is part of our life. It's funny how our stories were quite similar back then.
I guess my story is not part of yours, no more. 
So let me write this one here, since you are not here to be shoulder to cry one.

Forfeiting this one hurts, a lot. It's worse than any heartbreak I know.
Those heartbreak, I could hold on. This one, I am not sure.
Insomnia greets me every other night, keep me awake even though I counted those sheeps.
I guess you sleep well, huh?

It's like losing the directions,
It.s like a caffeine withdrawal,
It's like a heartbreak in 2016,
but much worse.

What's worse than a friend deciding that the life is better without you?

FOOD IN JAPAN

After writing down my favorite ramen in Japan, I still have several recommendations I feel like I wanna share with you guys. Food in Japan is dominated with good ramens, skewers, teppanyaki, okonomiyaki, and obviously sushi. None of my pick of food in Japan is bad, but I do give some highlight about this thing I'm gonna write.


Okonomiyaki Mizuno

Located in the heart of Dotonburi Osaka, finding this okonomiyaki house was easy with the long queue. The staff was not really friendly, but still this one was worth the try. The staff was going to cook it on the table and honestly I liked it a lot. The sauce was very flavorful and rich and tasty. I also had yakisoba, with burnt taste on the noodle, in a good way. However, you had to order one thing for everyone which made it very fulfilling.

Gyukatsu Motomura

I had this twice on my 12 days trip. That explained a lot, right? Thick slices of beef, sizzled in the hotpan in front of you, accompanied with warm rice, was surely gyukatsu motomura at its best. If you're a meat eater, you really have to order double racks of this goodness. Just remember that you could face the crazy long queue, and I do recommend to come at 4 pm, the least popular visiting hour. You can find them in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku area.

Takoyaki

Along the Dotonburi area, you,ll find so many Takoyaki stall. This one was one the best Takoyaki I'ever had. The dough was thin and melted right away in your mouth. It could be a perfect snack to accompany you to stroll around the busy road. 

Daiwa Sushi

At the inner part of Tsukiji Market, you'll find this hidden gem. You might be queueing for 1-2 hours, but their Omakase goodness (4000 yen) would make a festive in your palate. Their best cut would be sea urchin, melted and delicious at the same time. It could really be one thing that I won't forget.

Luke's Lobster

You could find them in Tokyo and Osaka, but the queue was attached to them wherever they are. One portion of this was not cheap, but the toasted fluffy bun and fresh lobster could really tell the quality of the dish. A must try whenever you're around.

Sushi no Musashi

The sushi was famous with its conveyor belt. The price was not expensive, and you could really take all the plates because all of them was looked so good. Just beware that the blue plates had wasabi on it, so when you're not fond of it, take another color of plate.

Coco Ichibanya Curry

You might be skeptical about this, but Coco Ichibanya is definitely one of the heartwarming dishes I have in Japan. Coco Ichibanya might be available in Indonesia, but I would say the original one in Japan is more delicious. The fact that I enjoyed it on winter made it even better. Go for the pork one, it's tasty!

Tsukiji Market

Tsukiji Market might be famous for their tuna auction that happens at 3 am, but having those seafood feast at the market was not a bad idea at all! In fact it was one of the best thing I had in Japan. Everything was so delicious, sweet tamago, scrumptious unagi, and tasty chirashi don. O I love it all!

Sukiya

One thing you have to have when you're at Sukiya: unagi don. With cheap price, you'll get the enjoyment of scooping a heartwarming ricebowl with glazing unagi on top. Such a good deal. 

Ps: Sukiya is open for 24h, it might be your choice to survive your midnight hunger!

Convenient Store

Yes, you read it right. Japan's convenient store is so good I have to include them on this post. The choices are wide, Watson, Family Mark, Seven Eleven etc. Every morning I would go for their onigiri and tamago sandwich. Yes, it was that good I could not even argue. For a sweet tooth, their milk tea also to die for!

Hope this post helps you to decide. You could also look for my instagram profile @jechristy and use #jechristyJAPAN to see posts in Japan. Happy holiday!

Inside My Thinking Brain

                                  

Define a thinker.

In my case, it’s one thing that describe me well. I am not really the one who could make decision in an instant. I see the problem in front of me, going back and forth through the choices, and still, cannot snap  the decision. Too many what-ifs run through my mind.

Let’s see on the day when I am looking for a sweater for my winter holiday. I’d go to the most complete mall in the city, going into those interesting shops to look for what caught my eyes. When I saw one, I would hold it for a while in front of the big mirror, took a photo of it, spending some time at the fitting room and went out that store empty handed. Yes, I would not buy it until I checked out another store. At the end of the day if I did not find a better one than the previous thing I was interested in, I would buy that previous one! In attempt of finding the best thing, huh?

Theoretically, maybe it’s good. You have to be careful to take the decision in order to get the best result, right? Honestly, no. It’s killing me to find the best of those things with my own way. I envy those people who are spontaneous in things, without having any headache to decide what to do. If they like it, they buy it. Oh I wish I was them.

You might be thinking, it’s not difficult to change. Why don’t I being a spontaneous one and just pick all the things I want? It’s easy, right? Well, it’s easy if the decision is picking those clothes. The thing is, my thinker brain work worst when I have to decide something important. Like now, where do I go to work? My brain keep making all those possibilities and I end up going nowhere, except my brain. I remember the day when I decided to take medical school, or the day when I entered on of the best high school in my country and I did not even know back then. Best things happened when I did not plan any of it. As much as I want to have that superpower right now, I just can’t. This brain is just thinking too much, not working very well.

Yes, for those non-thinker brain out there, I want your super-power.

DODEE PAIDANG INDONESIA

Another newcomer in Jakarta food industry, and I got this recommendation from a friend who enjoyed in so much back in Sydney. Yes, this one is new branch of Dodee Paidang, a well known noodles in Sydney and Melbourne. This time, they chose Puri Indah Mall to be the spot, which pleased me because I lived in the neighborhood area.

So basically Dodee Paidang is one Thai street food and noodle bar, which famous with its kind of flat noodle. On their menu, you could also found rice with soup, rice with porks, and thai desserts. Those kind of heartwarming food, they have it all. Unfortunately, they had a very bad service.

So I tried their flat noodle with thai tomyum soup, with lotsa pork meat, meatballs, fishballs, and fried wonton skin. The soup was very fragrant, a good balance of all of those components, and it surely was a good choice to be enjoyed on a rainy night. The flat noodle itself really was a good complement for the bowl.

 The rice soup, we also found it interesting. The broth blends well will all the toppings. It might look like a soup for a sick person, but in fact it was tasty! I was quite surprised to find that this simple dish could really capture the tastebuds.

So we also tried a dish of rice with pork skin and their sweet sauce. The pork skin was very hard for me and it was not really enjoyable to chew that kind of pork. My brother actually kinda loved the sauce, but the consistency of the pork was such a turn off.

Dodee Paidang was actually quite a good thing to try, even though the service was really really bad and I had such a bad time at Christmas eve. So four of us dined at Dodee Paidang, and ordered for dishes. After convinced the server that we ordered 4 dishes, in 15 minutes only 3 dishes were coming. I asked why, and the server said I only ordered 3. So I ordered one additional menu and kept asking her 3 times, every 10 minutes, why my food was not here yet. After waiting for quite a long a time (my patient brother eventually did not want to wait anymore), I asked for the server again to make sure that the dishes was already ordered. Turned out, it had not. I was quite angry, and the server was gone without trying to talk to me, not even sorry. So well, I hoped you treated your customer better.

DODEE PAIDANG

Puri Indah Mal

021 5822359