Review: Samarra Pasar Sate and Wine, Jakarta, Java, Indonesia

Entering Samarra you feel transported to another world with the dim lighting, seductive colours and textures, exotic elephant and camel sculptures, tantalising aromas of sate and spices, and the complimentary Middle Eastern music.

Named after the beautiful ancient city of Samarra in Iraq this atmospheric restaurant and bar were established by the Tugu Hotel group in order to ‘bring back to life the beauty and glory of the ancient city of Samarra during the times of Mesopotamia, Babylon, Syriana, and Persia.’

This distinctive location with different rooms and roof-top split level bar provides the perfect backdrop for a memorable dining experience.  However, it won’t be just the gorgeous surroundings and welcoming staff that you remember…oh no, the food is exquisite and will leave you lusting for more!  The sate really is out of this world – perfectly cooked and marinated meat is served on charcoal in stylish clay pots. Beware though, the menu here is vast and bursting with appetising options which will be difficult to choose between!
 

Review: Ming, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

It was our last night in Bali when we discovered Ming restaurant.  It is definitely more pricey but it really was outstandingly exceptional food.  With a varied menu of cuisine styles overall I would describe it as international with an Indonesian twist!  To begin with we were brought a complimentary small drink and some gorgeous dips and bread which were a good sign of what was to come!

I ordered the salmon wrapped in parma ham, which was served with a creamy mascarpone sauce on top and a 'sauce vierge' on the side which is a french accompaniment typically made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil.  Wow, this dish was truly mouth-wateringly yummy! Every element of the meal was perfectly cooked and all the flavours and textures complimented each other wonderfully.

Also on our table were a beautifully cooked steak and wonderful array of satay’s served sizzling on a hot plate.  Everyone in our party was more than happy with their meal and we were made to feel very welcome by the friendly staff.  The restaurant is very cosy and warm and there is a beautiful bathroom!You may think this sounds silly but when you are travelling to so many varied countries good toilets become a bit of a conversation point!

So to conclude, if you are looking for a treat whilst staying in Sanur, Bali then do head to Ming…I am confident that you will not be disappointed.

Food Glossary: Gado-gado

Gado-gado is one of Indonesia’s most famous dishes which consists of vegetables and salad with peanut – sate sauce.  It is cuisine from the Betawi – the original inhabitants of the Jakarta region on Java island.  The dish can really vary in how it is served but usually consists of green beans, boiled egg, tofu, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage and potato.  When I tried it I did not overly enjoy it.  I found the sate very strong and harsh against the bland vegetables and not very complimentary.  Traditionally the sate coats the salad/vegetables rather than being on the side.  However, don't take my word as many people we met love this dish.

Review: Scallywags, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia!

Imagine crystal turquoise and deep blue seas, fine white sand beaches, chilled out sounds of reggae music, the tinkle of a bicycle bell, the sound of horse hooves trotting along, the laughter of playing children and the smells of sate and sambal….welcome to the Gili Islands!

The Gili Islands were our first stop in Indonesia and they were a fantastic choice to relax and prepare for our adventures in Asia.  To get to the islands you have to fly to Bali and then take a taxi and boat over. The taxi from the airport to Padangbai port takes about 2 – 4 hours depending on the time of day and the traffic.From Padangbai you can take a ‘fast boat’ which takes an hour to the Gili’s and arrive in 2 hours! There are 3 islands making up the Gili’s – Air, Meno and Trawangan and the boat stops the Air and the latter.  If you want to go to Meno you need to charter a boat or take the taxi boat from one of the larger two islands.

Picture from Wikitravel; Gili Islands

Gili Trawangan receives the most tourist traffic currently, but don’t let this put you off as when we arrived we were surprised that is was not overrun and had a great feel to it.  If you wonder to the left when you leave the boat you will come across the ‘noisy’ area of the island, where the bars are as well as guesthouses.  The luxury hotels are also at the far end when walking in this direction.  If you walk right as we happened to it’s a bit more relaxed and quiet and there aren’t really bars that come alive at night. There are more day time beach bars and cafes with cushions on the beach serving smoothies and beers.

We found a great little place to stay for under $5 and it was perfect.  From there we chilled out, could wonder over to the beach and snorkel off the beach which was idyllic, and walk and explore the island. The snorkelling here is stunning and I can't recommend it enough…you can swim with turtles if you are patient to find them, but definitely are guaranteed to see hundreds of beautiful brightly coloured fish.

As you are surely now picturing – it’s a hard life here!!  So after all this activity you will find yourself hungry, and when you do there are plenty of options.  We tried out a café called ‘Scallywags’ which looked really inviting and had some good reviews.  This was a good decision as it is comfortable, had a great menu and the food and service were brilliant.  I tried my first nasi goreng here and instantly fell in love with the dish.  As we discovered throughout Indonesia it is hard to find a truly bad nasi goring in Indonesia….however, you can find a few that are really exceptional and stand out and looking back I think this was one of those!  James sampled a more ‘international’ dish of chicken in mushroom and white wine sauce which although was very tasty, was very rich and a large portion so he struggled to finish the whole thing!

However, I would definitely recommend this café for a nice meal and if you need to get onto the internet you can also use wi-fi here whilst enjoying your meal or just drinks.

Food Glossary: Nasi Goreng

Rice is a staple of the Indonesian diet due to the abundance of the crop which you can see growing in beautiful vast rice paddies across its fertile landscape.  Nasi Goreng is actually the national dish of Indonesia and is by far the most popular rice dish available with people eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

It consists of fried rice with spices, sambal, egg, chicken or shrimps, and is usually accompanied by krupuk, sate, and a fried egg.  It really is a great meal, tasty, satisfying and affordable.  There are always slight variations from place to place on how it is served, as well as different degrees of spiciness to keep you on your toes.