Given my interest in collecting anime figurines, it should hardly be a surprise that I have a soft spot for gacha/capsule collectibles too. With that said, I mainly have an interest in miniature items/furniture when it comes to gacha toys. The mofusand cat figure just happened to go really well with a recently completed school item collection.
This place caught my attention when an Instagram reel tagged this as “the best butter chicken in Melbourne”. Between the curry that isn’t overpoweringly sweet and the very generous serving of chicken, I was not disappointed. Their mac and cheese croquettes weren’t bad either.
While I didn’t partake, booze was also available at the drinks stand, a rarity for food courts in Indonesia.
It doesn’t look like much, but this does jog memories of my childhood, especially for the Siomay (shu mai). I used to take Kumon maths classes (I hated it) after school, and I remember the Siomay stand being a mainstay right in front of the Kumon building as I waited to go home. Can’t remember the price, but it was definitely crazy cheap, and you get a plastic bag of fresh steamed Siomay, doused in spicy peanut sauce. You press the bag to push a piece up to the bag’s opening and munch away. It’s something that’s quite unique, one that I haven’t seen served at any restaurant while living overseas.
The kway teow was less about the taste (it’s delicious), though I did miss eating out being super cheap. I’m pretty sure this huge portion cost less than 5 US dollars, while a menu I’m looking at as I type this bills the Char Kway Teow at 16 US dollars. I guess in at least this way, I do miss living in Indonesia.
For those who are wondering, this was at a food court at Pluit Village Mall. They also have an awesome Cow Play Cow Moo arcade, albeit not having any Taiko no Tatsujin machines.
Lunch SpreadMediterranean Salad and Mushroom SoupAfrican Chicken with Caramelized Bananas and Special Sauce, served with Garlic BreadBaked Tilapia with Roasted Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes and Green Beans I was in the area when the Gabon restaurant opened just last week, so I decided to have lunch here. Their virality may have worked a little too well, as I faced a 2-hour queue to get in, with no reservations available to get around. The buy-one-get-one-free opening special turned out to be a a buy-one-get-half free (as you get an extra quarter chicken for buying a half chicken), and they seem to have tripped the circuit breaker multiple times, which plunged the restaurant into darkness for a few minutes.
The food is definitely tasty, but I do find myself wanting more in terms of portions, particularly for the mushroom soup and quarter chicken. Might consider visiting again once the hype dies down, but in the meantime, I’ve had similarly good African grill without the hassle of waiting an eternity, or the (in my opinion) mismatched French bistro aesthetic.
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.
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