Samurai Noodle: From Japan to Seattle

Last weekend, me and my friends decided to spend our long memorial day weekend in Seattle, WA. One of the most frequently asked questions were: "where should we go next?" and "what should we eat?" I was craving for Japanese food and so we decided to settle on Samurai Ramen as our next destination.

The Samurai Noodle mission to bring traditional Japanese food to Seattle is ongoing! As the stores expand, so does our menu: our newest location brings the taste of true Japanese Izakaya to Capitol Hill with a new menu of authentic Japanese appetizers and sides and a huge sake bar to compliment our famous Ramen.

----- SAMURAI  NOODLE 

 For their noodle/ramen, you can choose how firm you want it to be. From soggy to extra firm.

Japanese Potato Croquette (US$ 2.95)

The mashed potato was deep fried and served with some soy sauce for dipping and little bit of vegetables. They definitely did a great job with the croquette as it is all well cooked and equal crisp on the outside.

Takoyaki (US$ 4.75)

This deep fried octopus dumpling was served with mayonaisse and soy sauce, yum!

Gyoza (US$ 4.75)

This fried dumpling filled with chicken and pork. The crispy part of the Gyoza makes this dish really unique. I've never seen a Gyoza dish cooked and served this way.

A closer look to their Gyoza.

Miso Ramen (US$ 8.00)

The Sapporo style Miso Ramen comes with a block of butter. Chicken broth with miso flavor, wavy egg green onions, corn, bean sprouts and a pat of butter.

Shoyu Ramen (US$ 8.75)

Chicken broth with wavy egg noodles, a slice of pork, green onions and roasted seaweed.

Tonkotsu from Hell (US$ 9.80)

Spicy pork broth with thin wheat noodles, a slice of pork, green onions, corn and marinated bamboo shoots.

Tetsu Max (US$ 8.75)

A peppery chicken broth with wavy egg noodles served on the side rinsed cold. Toppings include shredded pork, marinated bamboo shoots, roasted seaweed and naruto (fish cake).

Tonkotsu Ramen (US$ 8.75)

Pork broth with thin wheat noodles, a slices of pork, green onions, mushrooms, and soft boiled egg (added).

This was my third time coming back to this place. So far, they never disappoint my tastebuds and so, there will definitely be a fourth time.

Samurai Noodle (1)
606 5th Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98104
206 - 624 - 9321

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Thursday
10:00 - 20:15

Friday - Saturday
10:00 - 21:15

Happy Hour (everyday)
14:00 - 19:00

-----------------------------------------------------

Samurai Noodle (2)
4138 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206 547 1774

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Friday
10:00 - 22:00

Saturday
11:00 - 22:30

Happy Hour (everyday)
14:30 - 18:00
21:00 - close

Student Special:
Monday - Friday
14:00 - 18:00
* Tonkotsu, Shouyu, Shouyu-Tonkotsu, Tounyu, and Daily Special are all US$ 5.25 with any valid student I.D. (Dine-in only)

Carryout Special:
Tonkotsu, Shouyu, Shouyu-Tonkotsu, and Tounyu are US$ 5.25 for take-out all day long

-----------------------------------------------------

Samurai Noodle (3)
412 E. Broadway
Seattle, WA 98102
206 323 7991

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Thursday
11:00 - 22:00

Friday - Saturday
11:00 - 22:30

Happy Hour (everyday)
14:30 - 19:00

Go! Curry: If It's Curry, I'll finish It!

I personally am a curry mania, if it's curry, I'll finish it!

Go Curry is located on the 4th floor of Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta. They also have another branch located on the first floor of Cilandak Town Square. This is one of my personal favorites, simply because I can have it my own way.

1 // Pick your curry

Brown Curry // Green Curry // Red Curry // Yellow Curry // Rogan Josh Curry

2 // Spicy?

Mild // Medium // Hot // Very Hot // Insanely Hot

3 // Rice

Long Grain Rice // Cilantro Butter Rice // Aromatic Yellow Rice // Extra Rice // Naan (bread)

4 // Topping

Tandoor Chicken Tikka // Zesty Cheese Chicken // Lamb Cubes with Herbs // Breaded Fish // Mixed Vegetables // Chicken Katsu // Australian Oxtail // Breaded Prawns // New Zealand Mussels

The price depends on which topping you choose, it ranges from IDR 50k up to IDR 120k ( around US$ 4 to US$ 11) ( US$ 1 = Rp. 12,000)

Rogan Josh Curry // Cilantro Butter Rice // Tandoor Chicken Tikka (IDR 62k // US$ 5)

Rogan Josh Curry // Cilantro Butter Rice // Tandoor Chicken Tikka The curry was not too overwhelming, it was alright. The rice was something new. I loved it (4/5)

Rogan Josh Curry // Cilantro Butter Rice // Breaded Fish (IDR 70k // US$ 6) The fish was cooked alright. Fish, butter rice, and curry, definitely a perfect combination.  (5/5)

Brown Curry // Cilantro Butter Rice // Breaded Fish (IDR 70k // US$ 6) The curry was okay, it wasn't something extraordinary. Still loved it, but not overly satisfied. Average.  (3/5)

Rogan Josh Curry // Long Grain Rice // Lamb Cubes with Herbs (IDR 85k // US$ 7.5) I personally liked Rogan Josh best because it was something new and it has that authentic taste. For lamb lovers, you might love this dish. It was tender and yum!  (4/5)

I am quite satisfied with all the dishes served here. Curry lovers, it is definitely a must to try their dishes!

Thank you for the images!
credits to: Theresa Christina Surya

Go!Curry
Pacific Place 5th Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 52-53 - Kawasan SCBD
Jakarta Selatan
021 51402751

Cilandak Townsquare 1st Floor
Jl. Letnan Jenderal TB Simatupang Kav. 17
Jakarta Selatan
021 75920265

Besaws: Est 1903, and here's to a hundred years later...

Besaws was started by George Besaw and Medric Liberty, they dreamed of starting their own beer parlor and gambling hall. Their dream finally came true and Besaws got pretty popular. It was a cafe that became the most popular meeting place in the neighborhood.

They serve 7 days a week, and they are pretty popular for their egg benedicts that they offer on every weekend from 8am to 3pm. They are located in Uptown Portland.

Weekend Specials!

We decided to try Avocado & Bacon from the Weekend Specials

Bacon - Avocado (US$ 13) Bacon, avocado, potato wedges, Hollandaise sauce, and some English muffins. I checked Yelp and there were so many people saying that this is so good. It was a little disappointing because I actually expected something more special. It was definitely good, but it was not something memorable. I loved the potato wedges, but for a Egg Benedict dish, I wish it's a little bigger and more sauce please! It was definitely a little dry, but the potato wedges were great! (3/5)

Chicken Fried Steak (US$ 15) two eggs, scratch biscuits, and roasted potatoes. It was definitely something new. This chicken fried steak dish is actually "ground chicken fried steak". It has such a nice soft texture, with a mix of crunchiness, with an addition of gravy. Yum! I personally liked this dish, simply because it was something new to my tongue. (4/5)

Chicken Fried Steak - you get to choose how you want your eggs cooked. We decided to go with sunnyside up, definitely no regret.

Croque Madame (US$ 12) Buttered Pullman brioche, shaved ham, gruyere cheese sauce, two over-medium eggs, chives, rosemary-garlic potatoes. Yum! It was good but nothing special, I actually liked their specialties courses (that they serve everyday) compared to their weekend specials. I am not a fan of ham, but this was not bad. The egg was delish and I think it actually tastes better compared to the benedicts, probably because I liked over-medium eggs better. (4/5)

We shared these 3 dishes for the 3 of us, it was a little too much, but if you are hungry, you can definitely go for one course each.

Check out their menu here!

Hours:

Dinner: 5 nights a week

Lunch: 7 days a week

Breakfast:  7 days a week until 3pm

Monday: 7am - 3pm

Tuesday - Friday: 7am - 3pm // break // 5pm - 10pm

Saturday: 8am - 3pm // break // 5pm - 10pm

Sunday: 8am - 3pm

Besaw's

2301 NW Savier St.

Portland, OR 97210

(503) 226 - 2619

Japan: The Food Heaven on Earth

A few weeks ago, me and my family decided to visit Japan for a short holiday. It was both hell and heaven on earth to me.

NO NO NO NO, because:

• Language Barrier: Not a lot of people speak English.
• Weather: HOT summer, it was around 30 degrees Celsius/ 86 degrees Fahrenheit pretty much everyday.
• Transportation: It takes time to get used to the railway/subway map. See here.
• Price: When converted to Indonesia Rupiah, everything is quite pricey there.
  ( 1 JPY = 113 IDR = 0.010 USD) expensive in terms of entertainment shopping.

YES YES YES YES, because:

• Food: You will always find good food in Japan, all restaurants serve good food.
• Lifestyle: It's interesting to see their lifestyle. The busy, discipline, and clean lifestyle. Funny seeing almost all of the business people are wearing white collared shirts.

This post is going to be all pictures of food I ate in Japan..

Potato Head Garage: Steakhouse Led to Disappointment

This is going to be my first post full of rants, complaints, and disappointments. I've always wanted to try Potato Head Garage simply because of the interior, it looks so grand. Pretty gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Magnificent furnitures and table settings. A lot of my friends came here and they said it was nice. I guess different people have different preference, I was curious about how the food tastes and it was definitely the worst food experience I've ever had. It was one of those days where all you want is eat decent food, pay for what you deserve, and get the best piece of meat served and sizzled by great chefs. 

"It was the day when all I wanted to do was spend the night with the family, this place totally ruined it."

When we called for reservation, they told us to just come in. Once we arrived at Potato Head Garage, they asked if we have any reservations and of course we said no. It was really heartbreaking, they told us they have seats for us, and yes we explained the whole story about the reservation thing. After 15 minutes or so, we decided to go somewhere else. When we reached the exit, they told us that they'll prepare us a table. Mixed feelings between disappointments and curiosity, we decided to give it a try.

Bread on the House

Green Beans Salad, it was this mix of green beans with garlic and some kind of spinach. (7/10)

Merlot Red Wine

Cute coasters!

Txogitxu Beef Astigarraga, Spain. It was such a regret that I ordered this. It was not tender at all and it was such a waste of money. A 1 kg of meat, it was recommended, but definitely not the best I've ever eaten. Definitely not a recommendation. (2/10)

Txogitxu Beef Astigarraga, Spain. The sauce was bone narrow butter, it was a little bland, but a great mix for those who love butter. It has little bits of, I guess it was the bone narrow. It tastes like little bits of potato.

Wagyu Ragout Papperdelle, this might be the best food I ordered here. It tastes a bit like Bolognaise, but the sauce is thicker. It also has some bits of cheddar. (8/10)

Putanesca Rigatoni, this is a little more tomato-ish. Very similar to Papperdelle, the only difference is this is more red which means the tomato is stronger and there's more sauce on this. For those who don't really like tomatoes, I wouldn't recommend this. (6/10)

More cute coasters!

Sweet Potato Caramel, the sweet potato tastes ordinary. The ice cream was vanilla, it was okay, not my favorite. (4/10)

Overall, I was really disappointed with the whole experience. Bad food, overpriced (obviously), and bad service. The only thing I like about this restaurant is probably the interior, sure it was inviting, but it was so not worth it. I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Potato Head Garage
Jalan Jendral Sudirman Kav 52-53
Jakarta Selatan 12190
Jakarta, Indonesia
(021) 57973330
WEB

Bucket List

Inspired by Wanderbites' Wanderlist, I would want to make my own list of places to go & blog.

Jakarta, Indonesia:
1. Tak Kie Kopitiam
2. Potato Head Garage
3. Bakmi Loncat
4. Ragusa
5. Colette & Lola
6. Nasi Goreng Gila
7. Kaihomaru
8. Ayam Suharti
9. Sarang Oci
10. Bubur Sanki
11. Bakmi Kadut
12. Pisa Cafe
13. Altitude Enmaru
14. Altitude Salt Grill
15. Ninotchka
16. Sop Konro Karebosi
17. E&O
18. Gado Gado Taman Sari
19.

Indonesia:
1. Bebek Bengil, Bali
2. Naughty Nuri's, Bali
3. Jimbaran, Bali
4. Batagor Kingsley, Bandung
5. Bumi Aki, Puncak
6. Mirasa, Puncak
7. ?

Portland, Oregon:
1. Pine State Biscuits
2. Nong's Khao Man Gai
3. Yuzu
4. Pok Pok
5. Voodoo Doughnuts
6. Screen Door
7. Ned Ludd
8. Tasty & Sons
9. Salt & Straw Ice Cream
10. Podnah's
11. Biwa
12. Du Kuh Bee
13. Five Guys
14. Papa Haydn
15.

USA:
1. Tapioca Express
2. Facing East, Seattle
3. Piroshky, Seattle
4. Gino's, Chicago
5. Pike Place Chowder, Seattle
6. Sprinkles
7. Paseo
8. ?

Others:

1. Jamie Oliver's, Singapore

2. Ippudo ichi

3. Wild Honey

Comment below for recommendations of places I should go.

Kenny & Zuke's: Pastrami Heaven

Last year, I used to come here to eat the Pastrami Burger, almost every Thursday for a few months. Not so much anymore, but it is definitely still my favorite place to eat. After months of not eating here, their meals tastes better and I got the chance to try different dishes. The first time I came here, I never heard such thing as "PASTRAMI", probably because I grew up in Asia.

Kenny and Zuke's is a Delicatessen owned by Nick Zukin and Ken Gordon. They felt that there were not that much Jewish food and more particularly Pastrami in Portland, OR. They started their business at a little farmer's market in Hillsdale, then got popular and was expanded to a standing room for brunch only at Ken's old restaurant, Ken's Place. And finally, not long after that, they finally decided to open a proper Delicatessen that bears the name Kenny and Zuke's.

Du Kuh Bee: Eat-out at Late Night

I haven't had the chance to eat proper restaurant's meals lately. Portland, Oregon is famous for their culinary (foodcarts) but, there aren't a lot of places or dine-in restaurants that opens late at night. Du Kuh Bee is one of my favorite places to eat when most restaurants are already closed. This place is in Beaverton, Oregon which is on Southwest Portland.

They open until 12am on Monday to Thursday and closes at 1am on Friday and Saturday. Their special dish is 'Pork Noodle' the noodle is freshly handmade. You can choose the level of spiciness, usually I go with the medium spicy, trust me it's not even that hot.

Du Kuh Bee is rather small, sometimes you have to wait for a while because it can get quite packed at times. The restaurant itself can hold around 30-40 people.

Appetizers from the kitchen!

Chinese Herbal Pork Hock, this was probably the most disgusting edible dish I've ever eaten. I'm not a pork fan and so this was not my favorite. It was chewy, quite similar to jellyfish and very oily. At first I thought it was pig's ears, but it doesn't look like it, turns out it's their feet. (3/10)

Close up pic of the Pork Hock

Shrimp Fried Rice, THIS WAS MINE! :') I'm not sure why, but to me this tastes perfect. Though it looks simple and plain, but it somehow tastes really good. It contains prawn, green peas, scrambled egg, and thin cuts of leeks. The prawn tasted fresh and the whole meal was evenly seasoned. Yum! If you don't eat seafood, they also offer 'Kimchee Fried Rice', 'Egg Fried Rice', or 'Chicken Fried Rice' (8/10)

Close up pic of the Shrimp Fried Rice

Du Kuh Bee's Special Pork Noodle (Medium Spicy) People usually come here to eat this. I remember ordering this dish with zero spicy and it tasted bland. The spicy seasoning is what makes this dish tastes really good. It contains cabbage, FRESH HANDMADE noodles, blocks of pork meat, and thin cuts of leeks. If you don't like pork, they also have 'Vegetarian Noodle', 'Chicken Noodle', 'Shrimp Noodle', or 'Squid Noodle'. (8/10)

The price person is around $15-$20/person for all these dishes. Here's a review from Oregonlive that I found online.

Du Kuh Bee
12590 SW 1st St
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 643-5388

Hours:
Monday to Thursday
16:00 - 00:00

Friday and Saturday
16:00 - 1:00