CHINESE NEW YEAR !

Olaaaa~

It been 7 years since I celebrated Chinese New Year in Asia. It's been MORE than 10 years since I went back to Dad's hometown -> Sukabumi. Sukabumi is about 80 kilometers away from Jakarta. However, driving there will take us about 4-8 hours depending on the traffic.

TRAIN RIDE

We decided to try out the train from Bogor to Sukabumi. It takes about 2 hours and costs only 50,000 IDR/person for the executive seat. It is my first time ever taking a train in Indonesia. Bogor train station was tiny -> it's probably 15 meters in length and 10 meters wide. I was surprised that the train leaves and arrives on time. That doesnt happen often in our culture. The only downside would be that the entire train ride was shaky. You dont really feel safe traveling in it. But thankfully, we arrived in Sukabumi in one piece. 

Bogor Train Station

The train from Bogor to Sukabumi 

Inside the train - executive seating is clean and big. There's enough space at the top to place your hand carry luggage. 

Inside the train

Much to my surprise, Sukabumi train station is better than Bogor's - bigger and there are plenty of seats available.  

Sukabumi Train Station 

Sukabumi Train Station 

Sukabumi Train Station 

LATE LUNCH @ BUBUR AYAM BUNUT

Our first stop in Sukabumi is at "BUBUR AYAM BUNUT". Sukabumi is a small town and it will take you less than 15 min to go everywhere and anywhere. 

I remembered eating this porridge 10 years back and it still taste so yummy. Indonesian porridge is different from others. Indonesian porridge is very thick (not watery like Hong Kong congee) and flavorful. You will have shredded chicken, fried shallots and prawn crackers as toppings. Dark soy sauce will be available if you want the porridge to taste sweeter. Mix it altogether and baaam -> Indonesian yummiest chicken porridge. :)

Indonesian Chicken Porridge

Indonesian Chicken Porridge

HOTEL @ MAXONE

This is where we stayed for the night. As you can see from the pictures below, it is a decent hotel. The employees provide exceptional service. Hotel rooms are clean and bigger than I imagined. This will be our go to hotel whenever we are back in Sukabumi.

Hotel Lobby

Family room

Shower Room

Swimming pool in the hotel lobby

Hotel Lobby

 CHINESE NEW YEAR EVE DINNER

It is a Chinese tradition to have a family/reunion dinner the day before Chinese New Year. That said, we went to gramps house to have dinner with them and our uncle's family. It was an extremely filling dinner because there's just that many good food and I cant stop eating. 

In our Indonesian Chinese culture, noodles & fish is a MUST have for reunion dinner. The long noodle strips is a symbol of longevity. The mandarin word for 'fish' (yú) 鱼 and the word 余 (yú), meaning 'extra' or 'surplus' are identical and this have made fish an indispensable component for CNY eve.

Lastly, we need to have leftovers on our plates so that we will have "slightly more than what we need and will never experience shortage in financial matters, but also in other aspects, such as health, friendship, etc." 

Noodles that represent longetivity

Pine-seed with coconut meat and juice as one of our desserts! 

These are traditional indonesia cakes. We called them 'kueh basah'  aka 'wet cakes' because you will have to eat them within few days otherwise it will go bad. These are moist/sticky cakes. 

 CHINESE NEW YEAR

The day of Chinese New Year - we were to wear new set of clothes and visit relatives to wish them for good fortune in the new year. Married couples will have to give red packets to singles as a symbol of sending good wishes and luck. 

We started our day with eating chicken soup with vermicelli, mushroom and egg for good luck and longevity. You will need to brew the chicken to make the stock really flavorful and this usually takes hours. Yummmm~

This is my grandma's homemade Kueh Lapis - layered cake. SO YUMMY~~ Kueh lapis is one of my favorite indonesian cakes. It is easy to make but takes a long time since you can to make it per layer. 

Our last meal of the day before heading back to Jakarta is "SOTO MIE AGIH". It is a pork sparerib noodle soup topped tripes, fried pork fats & fried green onions (it is the black stutfs at the top). Extremely fatty, high in cholesterol and yet so goooood. However, I remembered it tasting much better 10 years ago than now. The one we had is salty and you can taste the MSG. but it's still GOOOOD~

That marked the end of my Chinese New Year trip to Sukabumi. 1 night is enough because there's nothing much you can do in the small town. 

Have a wonderful CHINESE NEW YEAR !

With Lots of Love,

Claraaaa <3

Japanese Meals/Ramens

There is no such thing as 'bad' food in Japan. In fact, you can never stop eating because everything taste so good. That would explain why I gained 2kg in 5 days in Japan. Thankfully, Ive shed that already. (phew) 

This post is dedicated to ramens & rice I've had, excluding snacks and Kobe Beef, in the 6 nights I stayed in Tokyo, Japan. 

#1 ICHIZEN-YA

What I ordered: thinly sliced grilled pork belly over rice (small)

Cost: 630 YEN

Location: foodcourt in a mall located beside DisneySea/Disneyland Tokyo

There's a variety of food to choose from the food court. We decided to try ICHIZEN-YA because it has the longest line. True enough, our choice was not disappointing. (YAY)!

You can choose the size (small, medium or larger) accompanied with the type of grilled pork belly (thin or thick).  I chose the thin pork belly over rice. 

Taste - thin pork belly was grilled perfectly top with the special sauce. yummmmm~

#2 YOSHINOYA & SUKIYAKI STYLE

What I ordered: Regular beef bowl with green onion and egg

Cost: 480 YEN

Location: almost anywhere since Yoshinoya is a fast food chain.

Yes, we HAD to try the original Yoshinoya in Japan. Unlike Yoshinoya in other parts of Asia, each outlet in Japan is TINY. One store can fit about 6 people. That is why it's called FAST FOOD. 

Taste - average, the beef is too salty. I prefer the one in Indonesia. 

I like it how they have this separator to separate the egg yolk from the white. Efficient!

What I ordered: Regular beef SUKIYAKI Style

Cost: 500 YEN

Location: almost anywhere since Yoshinoya is a fast food chain.

Taste - I believe Yoshinoya- Sukiyaki style is only available in Japan. Very simple concept and it tastes above average. In fact, I like the sukiyaki beef better than the beef bowl. Perfect for a cold night!

#3  MUSASHI BUKOTSU, Ueno

What I ordered: Kuro style ramen with extra roasted pork. 

Cost: 1,030 YEN

Location: Ueno Fresh Market

Taste: 3rd time eating and I would gladly say it is my favorite ramen. They are known for tsukemen but tsukemen's broth is just thick and rich for me. This ramen is out of this world - it has chewy thick yellow noodles and the roasted pork is the BEST. Note that the pork is extremely fatty that melts in your mouth. Those who have high cholesterol should limit themselves. 

Even though it was my 3rd time, I never knew how to get there. It can get confusing getting from the train station to the Ramen place. You might want to ask locals for help. It is located within the market/shopping area. 

#4 TANAKA SHOTEN

What I ordered: Hakata style Tonkatsu Ramen

Cost: 810 YEN

Location: the one we had is at a foodcourt in Odaiba Mall.

Taste: Broth is thick and so you can see a layer of the fats if you leave it untouched. The pork itself is soft but does not exactly melt in your mouth. It has thin noodles. Love the half boiled egg as the yolk oozes out when you bite into it. Overall a good ramen but I feel that you can get 'sick' of the taste because the flavor is so rich. 

#5 Instant Noodle

What I bought: Miso Instant Ramen

Cost: 210 YEN per packet

Location: I was only able to find this in 2 supermarkets, of which both are NOT in the big cities. 1 supermarket in Furano and another near DisneySea. 

Taste: We were curious how an instant ramen would taste and so we bought few different brands of instant ramen. Out of which, the best is this brand with Miso Flavor (i think this is hakata style ramen). This instant ramen even came with one preserved pork! The taste of this ramen is better than some Ramen stores in Indonesia.

This (below) is the other flavor that we tried. It has thicker noodle, corn, pork and tastes more flavorful. But I still prefer the miso flavor. 

#6 ROKURINSHA RAMEN

What I ordered: Tsukemen with extra egg on the side

Cost: 1,080 YEN 

Location: We tried the branch in Skytree. The famous branch would be in Tokyo Ramen Street. 

Even though this is a restaurant, you have to order it through a vending machine that is in Japanese. Unless you read Japanese, you can only rely on the pictures for orders. 

Taste: This tsukemen is known for their broth mixed with shrimp paste. Not my favorite tsukemen because the shrimp paste is so strong that it felt tingling inside my mouth. Or maybe I am slightly allergic to it. Aside from that, good chewy yellow noodle with shredded pork.  :) 

 

With Lots of Love,
Claraaaa <3

Japan Part 1 - DISNEYSEA

You can never run out activities in Japan. It's my 3rd time visiting Tokyo, Japan and yet I am not bored of it. However, this is the first I am visiting the country with friends. 

Hotel - SOTETSU FRESA INN TOYOCHO 

The hotel is 100 meters away from Toyocho train station & shuttle service to/from Haneida International Airport. It takes about 10 min to go to Ginza (Tokyo's downtown) by train.

We decided to book the 4 bedroom bunk bed style. Since this is Japan, the room we have is EXTREMELY small -> 20 square meters. It was quite claustrophobic staying in the tiny room with three other people for six nights. We had to close our luggage to make a little space to breath.

DAY 1 - Jakarta to Tokyo

Flew in to Tokyo by Garuda and arrived at Haneida International Airport at about 10.30pm. By the time I was out, it was already 11pm. Neither bus nor the train was working and I had no choice but to take taxi to the hotel.

The taxi ride cost me a BOMB -> 8,830 YEN (USD$75)

In fact, Disney Sea ticket costs less than the 20 minutes taxi ride. The MOST expensive ride ever. -.-

DAY 2 - Disney Sea

The cost of one Disney Sea ticket is 6,400 YEN (USD$54). With the weakening Yen currency, I'd say that the ticket is relatively cheap. In Los Angeles, Disney tickets cost at least USD$100. 

Japanese are known for their detailed work and this is reflected in Disney Sea - perfect craftsmanship. In my opinion, Disneysea is the prettiest theme park with many attention to detail work. However, the ride itself is not as thrilling as the ones in America. All rides duration are extremely short -> less than 2 minutes. No photos are taken during rides either. 

CRAZE OVER DUFFY THE BEAR 
What is Duffy Bear? It is a Disney character created by Japan Disneysea. According to Wikipedia - "The original story found on the tag of the first released bear's ear said that Mickey brought his favorite bear to Magic Kingdom Park. Mickey sat in front of the castle wishing that he had a friend with him to share the excitement and magic of the park. Tinker Bell appears and sprinkles pixie dust on Mickey's bear, bringing it to life. Mickey then hugs the bear and a Mickey-shape appears on the bear's face, forever bonding Mickey and his new friend."

Japanese are extremely nationalist and since Duffy the bear originates from here, everyone is crazy over it. You can literally see everyone having at least one Duffy product. Duffy bears are only sold in Disneysea, maybe that's why everyone who goes here will buy one each. These products are not cheap. A naked Duffy bear costs 3,900 YEN (USD$33) while its clothes start at 4,900 YEN (USD$41). It is just way too expensive for me. :X!

THE GIANT DUFFY BEAR COSTS 52,000 YEN (USD$438)

With Lots of Love,
Claraaaa <3