Month: September 2024

The Rise of Kid Cities

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A surprising insight into the inception and politics of kid cities, which explains a lot of how KidZania became what it is.

Sizzling Picanha @ Urban Wagyu

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Suspicious about how legitimate the “wagyu” is when looking at the menu here., but this is actually super tender, and the garlic with chilli oil just adds a “zing” to the rich meat.

Rujak Cingur

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A Surabaya specialty, a “cow nose” salad is probably the closest English translation. It tastes a lot like the more ubiquitous “gado gado” with the same peanut sauce and accompaniments, but the addition of a cow’s snout is a measure to use as much of the animal as possible in the midst of hardship during colonial-era Indonesia. Ironic to be eating this at a fancy hotel. For those wondering, the nose itself tastes jelly-like and not gamey thanks to the peanut sauce, but overall I would not have this again.

Reliving My Childhood @ KidZania Jakarta

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Forget Disneyland, this is hands down my favorite amusement park as a kid. If there’s a bright side to the pandemic, it’s that KidZania is forced to get creative and start accepting older people in. I am very thankful to KidZania Jakarta for the opportunity to revisit this place in my adult days and actually do the jobs, albeit being limited due to certain weight and height restrictions. For the kids (and the kid inside) visiting KidZanias in the future, click through to the photos for my perspective, and a pro tip!

Tutti Frutti Ice Cream @ Zangrandi

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I haven’t visited Surabaya in many years, and even then never tried this ice cream shop, which had apparently been standing since 1930. Come for the colonial-era decor and old-style ice cream (not my personal favorite, but worth trying at least once), stay for the steamed peanuts you get from the sidewalk.

Gotta Be Aggressive

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Had to deal with an airline screwing up a flight ticket yesterday. Had to toe the line between aggressive and polite in getting the mistake fixed. Reminded me of this funny Family Guy cutaway.

Padang Feast @ Pagi Sore

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Padang restaurants in Indonesia are known for their “feast” style of serving, with small plates of side dishes stretching wide and/or piled high. Fortunately, you only pay for what you actually eat. While Pagi Sore is definitely the more upscale as far as Padang restaurant chains go, I still managed to grab a whole feast of ayam pop, rendang, empal, perkedel, cassava leaves, jackfruit, rice and sambal for just over $10 per person. Plenty of other chain and individual Padang restaurants across Indonesia offering the same large fare, usually for even less.

Marina Bay Sands

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Some say it’s just a place for the high-net-worth people, but between the ArtScience exhibits, beautiful gardens and beautiful architecture, I’d say it’s worth a stop for tourists of all budgets. The Apple Store looks impressive here.

Butterman Pastries

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They’re definitely hotter than your man, and have the taste to match. The queues are definitely crazy in their main store in Canggu, but fortunately they’ve opened up branches in other places and Indonesian cities – can’t say whether those are good though, I haven’t tried the other branches.