Surly's, Surry Hills

American bbq? Sydney still can't get enough. The newly opened Surly's combines a laidback American bar - complete with neon beer signs, bar stools and widescreen TVs - with a hearty rib-sticking bbq menu of smoked brisket, cornbread and fried chicken.

Surly's is the latest venture by the Parlour Group, the same group behind Riley Street Garage and The Stuffed Beaver. In the kitchen is Brendhan

Mr Bing jianbing pancakes, Chippendale

Who said Sydney doesn't do street food? The jianbing is a streetside snack you'll find all over Beijing and Taipei, a thin pancake or crepe cooked to order and eaten hot and fresh off the griddle. They come with all kinds of fillings, but a cracked egg is mandatory, the egg yolk and egg white swirled across the top so you get an omelette and pancake all-in-one.

Mr Bing, a self-declared Asian

PUNGOPANG PANTAI INDAH KAPUK - JAKARTA

If people ask me what is the current biggest food trend in Jakarta, and as this post written, it must be the dessert scene. In a single month, several brands could easily came and propose their ideas to the public hoping to be liked and one of them is this newly opened dessert house in Pantai Indah Kapuk: PUNGOPANG!

Pungopang is a word curated from the word “Pungo” which means “fish” and “Pang” which means “bread”, and the naming reflected on the “main” product they’re selling here which is sort of like “taiyaki” just like this:

Mouthwatering enough which thick and rich homemade chocolate ice cream.

I came on their soft-opening days (actually just last night) so this place is really-really new. Pungopang is located above D’llyst cafe (which is sort of funny to be honest) and I have no idea if Pungopang is also owned by the same owner as D’llyst, but anyway, the interior was this medium sized space with very catchy (majorly) orange and some pastel color splash all over the room, boat-inspired seatings. It honestly felt a little childish, but anyway, it could be just the right place for kids to come along (hey kids love ice creams!), well unfortunately, I didn’t take any picture of the interior as I forgot to charge my camera’s battery and it went off moments after I took the photo of the last dessert (keep reading).

Pungopang might be the highlight here but they also have pretty good range of other desserts such as Bingsoo, Fondue, Coconut Island, Parfait and Smoothies! The price range starts from IDR 30k – IDR 78k, still reasonable as it’s the pricing we all see lately in other outlets.

Pungopang

IDR 38k

I love the fact that the fish cake was made from waffle batter instead of mochi as I’ve tried several brands and eventually never liking the mochi ones. I mean when you have waffle batter mixed with ice cream, the flavor and texture of the dessert popped up and when the ice cream actually melt and absorp in the cake it’s just dayum. As for their ice creams, I think they’re mostly pretty decent, but only slightly milky for my liking, but in terms of flavor, it’s quite there yet: rich chocolate, tasty taro, bold green tea and unique horlicks, and my favorites has got to be the taro! If they can tone down the milk flavor I would be even more delighted!

Dark Chocolate Fondue

IDR 78k

Their Dark Chocolate fondue actually surpassed my standard as the dark chocolate felt premium, tasty, beautiful balance of sweetness and quite generous condiments to dip in, it’s surely a worth it deal for 78k.

Coconut Island

All IDR 45k

Hands down, my favorite has got to be their Coconut Island! Your choice of ice cream (taro, green tea, horlicks and dark chocolate) served in coconut with coconut water, coconut jelly and fruit loops. Tried the dark chocolate ice cream as the ice cream topping and somehow the flavor blend was beautiful, the coconut water and jelly really washed out everything and sort of balancing your palate, that again until the last scoop. Really enjoyed this one!

Melon Bingsoo

IDR 68k

The Melon Bingsoo was pretty shocking when it’s served on the table as it’s actually BIG, but actually as I dig in, it’s not exactly a lot and if you’re really empty, you could finish this all by yourself, but as I was exploring their menus, I need help with this one. The Melon Bingsoo came with condensed milk if you like the milkier, creamier  version (which I didn’t), but the freshness of the melon really spoke for itself: it’s all together a sweet, (in a sense) fulfilling and fresh dessert!

Parfait

IDR 37k

Available in four flavors: Nok Cha (green tea), Guk-mul (red bean), Toreo and Chocovo

My favorite is still the taro parfait!

Had a great time at Pungopang, pretty sure the dessert was quite decent, but what made the moment even more enjoyable was the company! Went here with a lot of beloved friends and share everything! Ah moments like this <3. Anyway, welcome Pungopang to the scene and best of luck!

Pungopang
Jl. Marina Indah
Pantai Indah Kapuk
Rukan Crown Golf Boulevard Blok B No. 57-58
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 12 PM - 11 PM
Fri-Sat: 12 PM - 1 AM
Sunday: 11 AM - 11 PM
INSTAGRAM

Map for Jl. Marina Indah

VSCOCAM "THE ALCHEMY COLLECTION" REVIEW

Hello everyone! How are you guys doing?

I love writing posts like this and trust me when I write this kind of entry, it takes me way shorter, less thinking required and I can be a little more expressive! I am not sure why but most of the times writing the restaurant review posts could be pretty tiring and needed extra effort, especially when I am NOT in the mood.

First and upmost, no I am not getting paid by VSCO to blog about this, it’s just that I think it’s nice to add in something different to refresh this blog, shortly, I am just bored of the restaurant reviews post, and I wouldn’t tolerate negative comments as this post is very personal, it’s how I see it with my personal point of view so it’s my way.

So VSCO just released their newest filter set named “The Alchemy Collection” and since I am an avid VSCO user, I obviously downloaded the set for $2.99 hoping it could add in something more unique and in a way, the more high fashion crushed colors and cross-processed that I just love love LOVE.

VSCO is just so good at using the right pictures on their advertorials, but hey, everyone does that and that’s actually the idea: TO PUT THE FILTERS ON THE PHOTOS THAT SUITED THE FILTERS BEST TO GET THE BETTER PUSH & RESULT. I think most of you know that my feed focuses heavily on food and food pictures can be pretty tricky considering the appearance and the surrounding. That’s why I released this post to have fun with your food pictures and not to stuck with the plain and *ahem* boring stereotypes of how food pictures should be. It’s your account, your way. Let the birds chirp until they tired (eh do birds get tired?)

I don’t know how to say it in the most proper way but I found that for me, VSCO’s Alchemy collection is a little rich, quirky with a touch of vintage but also industrial. Okay it's getting complicated now, but one thing I am sure enough: not the best for food pictures, unfortunately.

I could easily spent hours having fun trying on filters on various photos and after trying this and that, I found that the Alchemy collection fits perfectly on outdoor shootings, especially street photography and nature. I’ve compared the filters on DSLR camera and iPhone camera pictures and as I’ve mentioned before, VSCO is indeed made for iPhone cameras and the result seemed to more beautifully set on iPhone pictures.

Enough yakking, let’s do the little overview.

PS: I set the filters to maximum (12) without further editing (except grains) to give you the real look of the combination, and no it's not perfect, but it's "real".

Q1

For me, Q1 is one of the “safe” filters here. It tends to give you this warm vintage look and it enhances the warm colors in your photo like “yellow”, desaturated and "film" the blue & green. It’s quite applicable on food pictures like the one that I tried here.

Q2
You might find Q2 a little strong in shadow and over-contrast when you set it on the maximum, color wise, it desaturated your photo just a little and give you that cross-processed look (mostly on the blue and green)! You probably won’t set the strength on its max very often, but with further adjustment it could easily become the “it” filter.

Q3
Q3 happens to be one of my favorite filters of this set. I love that it gives your picture the blue highlight with a little mix of warm feeling and overall contrast, rich saturation, but still pretty subtle.

Q4
Q4 will give your photo the blue feel, and after trying it to several pictures, I think it works well on minimalist building pictures and street photography.

Q5
Q5 is another save filter, for some reasons, it reminds me of the J2/J5 filter (if you know), it will desaturate your photo a little bit, enchance the contrast & shadow and give you that cross-processed film look, but still pretty much giving you that mild feel.

Q6
Q6 is for me the most "cross-processed", google "cross processing" if you don't know any. Or I can do another "free curve sunday?"

Works beautifully on sunset pictures, giving the blue shadow tint!

Q7
Short to say, Q7 is quite safe, it had that good green, blue and yellow process, resulting this “film” and retro highlight!

Q8
Q8 is actually pretty different comparing to the rest of the presets in the pack, but I just love colors like this with instense green shadows, sort of faded and very “film”, this preset is very fun to explore!

Q9
Q9 works beautifully and perfectly balanced on beach pictures with blue sky and blue water. Faded and soft blue is dominant on this preset and I found that quite pleasing for portraits as well. I also love applying the filter on buiding and architecture pictures!

 Q10
If you’re willing to explore, Q10 is also fun to explore and I’ve been experimenting with this particular filter. There’s something very gorgeous about the rich & saturated colors, something film-ish and classic about it, but still pretty much fun! It’s like the warmer and more industrial version of Q3 with a little fade that works perfectly on outdoor pictures, garden, field, sky and sunsets!

Up until now, I still constantly use VSCO’s classics like “The Legacy collection”, the Monochrome collection (especially A6) , Hypebeast HB2 and the "E" filters, judging from my need, I think I am going to stick with them . I still never use the “H”, som eof "J"s and “N” filters on my photos as I don’t think they fit my photo character. My personal favorites of this serie must be the Q5 and Q8, I just love the instant, greenish, cross-processed colors!

In a nutshell, VSCO’s Alchemy Collection consist of good cross-processed & industrial feel presets, and personally, judging from my pictures habit, most of the filters don’t fit instantly and I tend to stuck at the Q1, Q5 and Q7 for food pictures (and sometimes Q2) and I can’t really set it on the maximum effect, but if you’re into street photography, unique street findings, free-spirited, industrial and architecture photography, this would be quite groundbreaking.

So what’s your favorite filter of this set? Share share!

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¿POR QUÉ NO? JAKARTA

¿Por Que No? just opened for public two days ago (as this post is written) and it’s the newest addition to the list of Tapas restaurants in Jakarta. Locating on the 5th floor of De Ritz building in Menteng, this restaurant is surely a unique one. Why is that? Keep on reading.

I attended their pre-opening dinner invitation last week, but rest assure as the opinions stated here remains my own. First of all, you’ll be greeted by this huge signboard made of colored pencils crafting the word “POR QUE NO”, for those who don’t know, Por Que No? is actually the spanish for “why not?”. If I knew on the first place that the space would be that minimalist & chicly designed, I think, it’s indeed “¿Por Que No?”. I just love the simplicity of the dining area as it’s covered in glass but well air-conditioned making it just the perfect venue to have your lunch (and that red chairs OMG). The sky was actually getting moody on my visit and for some reasons, I love the ambiance even more! I think glass architecture's always win-win. There’s just something sexy and lovely about it.

I think they’re building a little outdoor area with mini bar, but as I visited, it’s not 100% ready.

Their main feast focus is actually “tapas” and when you say “tapas”, it’s going to be appetizers, snacks and shared cuisine, almost like Izakaya, only it’s Spanish style. I don’t know if they keep it there but on my visit, they actually wrote the menu on the wall and the range was actually pretty good, although I don’t really understand most of it as it’s written in Spanish </3. They categorize the range to several groups like Aperitivos (snacks), Del Campo (from the land), De La Huerta (from the garden), Del Mar (from the sea), Quesos (cheese), Embutidos (cold cuts), Ensaladas (salads), Platos Grandes (big plates to share), Croquettas (croquettes) and desserts. ¿Por Que No? actually consulted with a real Spanish cuisine expert and they’re brave enough to claim that the menu they’re having will reflect the authentic Spanish flavor, but uh will it be my kind of “dayum”?

APERITIVOS

Arbol de Aceitunas Alinadas

IDR 30k

Aside from its complicated name “Arbol de Aceitunas Alinadas” actually means “olive tree”. Presentation wise, it’s very beautiful and in a sense, quirky, but it’s technically black and green olives placed on the branches of the tree so I guess you can imagine how olive tastes like, personally I prefer the black olive more as I found that a little milder and subtle for my taste bud.

Cucurucho de Foie con Jamón

IDR 75k

Another beautiful presentation and this time is three mini cones of Foie Gras mousse with ham slices on top. The impression that I initially expected was the thicker cream mousse with rich flavor, but unexpectedly, the mousse had this buttercream texture and kinda stay around your taste bud for a while and the flavor was actually very mild.

Manchego en Aceite 

IDR 40k                                 

I didn’t try this one as this was cheese, but what I can tell you: good presentation, sliced Manchego cheese marinated in rosemary, it’s just a traditional Spanish cheese made of sheeps’ milk.

Fried Asparagus & Fried Eggplant (Berenjanas Fritas)

IDR 40k                                                                         

If I am not mistaken, it was probably the first time that I’ve had fried asparagus! I love the bigger chunks comparing to the thin sliced and crispier ones as it’s a little harder to digest and at certain part it was quite bitter. The Aioli sauce gave that extra tasty flavor that complement very well with the fried asparagus. However, if I have to choose, I’d go with the fried eggplant as the sauce was exactly what I expected to be paired with: honey truffle sauce.

ENSALADAS

Ensalada con Tartar de Salmon

IDR 75k

Salmon salad served in jar, you can pour the sauce in and shake or stir to mix. The sauce was tad sour (it was lemon vinaigratte sauce), but it’s such a good match to the more neutral salmon. The greens were fresh and the portion was shareable for two or three.

Ensalada Champioñones

IDR 75k

This one was their mushroom salad, also served in jar. The dressing was the orange mustard sauce, everything was fresh but I found it a little too common hence it’s not my favorite.

Ensalada con Fresas y Queso de Cabra

IDR 75k

Now my favorite was this one! The baby spinach basil salad (trust me the greens were fantastic) with strawberries and goat cheese. Of course I didn’t have it with the goat cheese and proceed to take some for me first, but since the character of this salad was “sweet”, the goat cheese could contribute in giving that little hint of saltiness.

Trilogia de Gazpacho

IDR 60k

Chilled soup served in test tubes, I never actually am a big fan of chilled soup as I am an avid hot food lover, but it’s actually not bad, the one in the orange color actually tasted like a more refreshing tomato soup.

DE LA HUERTA

Tortilla Espanola

IDR 35k

Ingredient wise, this couldn’t go wrong: potato and egg and boy indeed wasn’t! It’s like having a well seasoned yummy potato layer cake covered in egg.

CROQUETTAS

Croquetas de Queso Azul (Blue Cheese Croquette)

IDR 55k

¿Por Que No? offered a few selections for the croquettes such as the beef and the blue cheese, again, since this was cheese, I skipped it but my friend told me the flavor was very cheesy with a little savory and salty flavor to it and the aftertaste was decent.

DEL CAMPO

Solomillo de Terner

IDR 110k

This is the case of simplicity at its best! Fresh and premium meat, lightly seasoned but resulting this tasty and ultra tender & juicy medium beef.

Hueso de Cana

IDR 70k

This is their take on the classic bone marrow. I’ve never been the biggest fan nor someone who hates bone marrow. I just always find myself to always feel a little bloated after finishing the whole portion by my self since the texture’s very silky and fatty, but I must say that theirs was quite tasty, especially when you pair it with the crispy butter bread to add in a little texture.

DEL MAR

Gambas as Ajillo

85k

This was also another simple dish but executed just perfectly. The shrimp was cooked perfectly with white wine resulting this soft, tender & juicy texture but it’s the seasoning that did most of the talking! It actually reminded of the turmeric shrimp you’ve probably had somewhere and then proceed to make me think of my mom’s signature shrimp.

Adobo Fiesta

IDR 60k

Deep fried dory in traditional Spanish marinade, I feel like on the state where I had too much food that this didn’t ring a bell, I think I expected the dory to be softer, but the seasoning was tasty enough and there’s a moderate herb flavor and aroma to it.

PAELLA

Arroz Negro Paella

IDR 240k

Wouldn’t comment much on the naming *mouth zipped*, but this black paella was surely pretty tasty, if you wonder, the black coloring came from the squid ink. Special for this one, a pre-booking is required to ensure the freshness of the ingredients and flavor, since they’ve been creative with the presentation, they also “equipped” the customer with spray bottles filled with lemon juice (forgot to take the pic). You NEED to use this to enhance the flavor of the dish, especially since most of the condiments are seafood, some of you might find this a little fishy.

DESSERTS

Torrijas

You know I sometimes have this scary thoughts whenever I see desserts in ivory or yellow color as I started to imagine that there will be cheese, butter and those dairy products that I really don’t like, yeah I know it sounds a little ridiculous considering most desserts USE DAIRY PRODUCTS, but I draw the line at cheese, I could really vomit. Despite its “scary” look (for me), this was actually NOT that milky, it’s the classic French toast dessert topped with vanilla ice cream and dressed with honey. The toast was very fluffy and the overall dessert was pretty yum, sweet without overpowering one’s palate.

Natillas       

Natillas is their version of the egg custard dessert with biscuit crumbs and caramel sauce. I found it a little too milky for my liking but the sweetness was on the perfect balance.

Chocolate con Chile

This is their take on the good old chocolate molten cake but with a little hint of spicy from the chili flakes. This was one of my personal favorites in overall and particularly, my most favorite on the dessert served that night. The cake was perfectly cooked with soft gooey texture and runny chocolate batter inside. It wasn’t overpowering sweet and in a sense, altogether dayum.

Holy shit that was A LOT OF food!

I honestly think ¿Por Que No? serves good food, some were outstanding like the beef steak, shrimp and chocolate lava cake with chili flakes, some might needed work here and there but that’s competely ok. Short to say: I wasn’t disappointed.

Looking forward for their outdoor area to be completely finished, it could easily be the hot spot for rooftop dining enthusiast. FYI THEY CURRENTLY OPEN AT 5PM SO DON'T COME TOO EARLY.

Por Que No
De Ritz Building 5th fl.
Jalan HOS. Cokroaminoto No. 91, Menteng
Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10350
021 - 3901 950
Opening Hours: 5 PM - 12 AM
Pricing: $$ - IDR 250k for two
Dresscode: casual

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Map for Jalan HOS. Cokroaminoto