Top Shelf Congee: Bubur Kwang Tung

By Crivenica

Chicken congee, thousand years egg, & Chinese crullers
I'm salivating again...

“Can we get some bubur this weekend?” That was the first thing that my husband asked me after being away in the US for three weeks.

Bubur is Indonesian for rice porridge and there are a few types of rice porridge in Indonesia. There is the very popular Bubur Ayam, breakfast rice porridge served with shredded chicken meat and topped off with green onion, crispy fried shallot, fried soybeans, cakwe (Chinese crullers), soy sauce (both salty and sweet), yellow chicken broth and kerupuk (Indonesian crackers). It’s very yummy, but it’s not what David was after. He was craving the Cantonese style bubur that many know as Chinese congee.

Pretty random for a white American to ask for a meal, right? But he loves bubur or congee or juk in Cantonese. So, I called up my parents and asked if they wanted to go to Bubur Kwang Tung - our favorite bubur place in Pecenongan, Central Jakarta. And even though we hadn’t been there for a long time, the congee there never disappoints.

Congee is basically white rice boiled with a lot more amount of water than if you’re cooking it for steamed rice. And it’s cooked for a long time until the rice breaks down and meets the consistency of porridge, though in some area in China, the congee tends to be a bit more watery. However, the congee in Kwan Tung has just the right thickness consistency and the rich flavor that we like, without the help of any MSG.

Unlike most congee places in Jakarta that usually just serve chicken congee, Kwan Tung has quite a large options of congee flavors, from chicken, beef, to all kinds of seafood. We, of course, like the always safe chicken congee, but I also like the crab congee, while my dad prefers the fish congee and the frog leg congee. And don’t get me wrong when I say flavors - they actually cook and serve the congee with chunks of chicken meat, fish, frog legs and whole crabs.

As if the thousand egg wasn't enough, mom ordered more egg!

Tonight, since it was only the four of us, we kept the order fairly small with a bowl of chicken congee and fish congee. However, we did not forget the Chinese crullers. Chinese crullers or youtiao or we Indonesians call cakwe are basically fried bread dough - it looks like a long fluffy bread stick, which then can be cut into smaller bite size. These crullers are just a must for us when it comes to consuming congee - most importantly, it’s David’s favorite. I think he likes the crullers more than the congee. And I don’t blame him. It is actually what I miss when eating congee outside of  Indonesia. Though, the congee itself should be good on its own, but I think this extras condiment really makes the meal. My cousin who lives in Singapore once brought me some congee when I was there and got sick. It did not come with crullers and personally for me, it just did not taste as good as it could be. Though, I really appreciate my cousin’s thoughtfulness.

Aside from the Chinese crullers, congee can also be served with other condiments like salted duck eggs, fried peanuts, bamboo shoots, pickled tofu and the thousand years egg.

I think I’m not exaggerating if I say Bubur Kwang Tung is one of the best congee places in Jakarta. You can see all types of people eating at the two-story restaurant, from the Chinese-descendants, native Indonesians and even foreigners like my husband. People like their congee so much, that Kwang Tung’s walls are lined with pictures of Indonesian stars who have dined there. So, don’t you think if you haven’t tried it, it’s worth a visit? Definitely!

Bubur Kwang Tung is located on Jl. Pecenongan No. 67 I, Central Jakarta.

Markethouse Restaurant, Chicago, IL

By Lu

Sweet Corn Risotto at Market House

It has been proven tough for both me and Ri to keep up with our writing schedule. Our days have been quite different compared to let's say six months ago. Ri has recently moved back to Jakarta, and assumed a new demanding job. My workload has also been increased at work. Adding to that mix is going to school, as well as baking and cooking gigs here and there. I really need to be creative in maximizing my 24.

However, not to fret. I love this blog and I love writing for you all, especially if you're reading it. I quizzed my friend, Marilou, the other day to see if she's reading it religiously. She didn't disappoint me! She actually answered correctly to some of my questions about things I have written recently, which meant she did her reading. I was so happy. My friend, Tina, on the other hand, she's fired from being the "unofficial" Marketing Director of Thingsonmytopshelf.com.

Just kidding. She's not fired. She better gets in shape and starts reading again however! Talking about Tina actually made a good segway onto our article topic - Markethouse.

Tina was the one that recommended the restaurant to me. She asked me to go there numerous times, but we couldn't find a good time to go until recently. She kept on raving about the food there but somehow it didn't really prick my interest that much.

I did say maybe because of the name of the restaurant is not that catchy? Also, it is not one of the the talked about Chicago eateries. I mean every body always talks about places like The Girl and The Goat by Stephanie Izzard, or L2O, or Next. People don't really talk about Markethouse. Not that I have ever heard except from Tina.  However, after trying them, they really should talk about Markethouse. I am.

I really love the underdog, the small mom and pops, the sleeping giant, you get my drift. I am not here to talk about all the good popular restaurants that the whole world populations know. I'm sure there are tons of food critics better than me who are doing a fine job writing about those places. Me, I just write about what I like and what I found to be exceeding my quite high expectation of a suburbia girl. It doesn't matter that I don't see myself as a sophisticated pain in the ass metropolitan girl with the obvious expectations. I love being the unassuming easy going simple girl with a punch of surprises of Rihanna's good girl gone bad attitude. Lol. What am I talking about again? Yeah, again..I love the don't judge the book by its cover phrase or even better, "don't judge the book by its movie." The underdogs at times are the better ones. The sleeping giant.

One more thing - if I have a MINI Coooper, I would name my car, Ajax, after the mythological character the huge Thelemacus Ajax, one of the warriors of the Trojan War on the Greek side. The dude is huge. So I name the small MINI with a giant name. Get it?

Anyway - Markethouse, to me is sorta like that. It is unassuming yet, fantastic. Tina said she thought at first the place was an art gallery. I didn't think much of it because of the name, and also maybe because of its location, being in a Double Tree Hotel. My bad for never thinking much about hotel restaurants though yes, I agree, there are more and more great restaurants in a hotel nowadays.

First time I went with Tina, I had a blast. It was rainy on a sunday afternoon after a long day of photography class. I was tired and I just wanted to chill out. Tina and I had a great meal. She had this huge burger tower and I had the English pea risotto with morel mushrooms. It was just a great experience, so good I yelped about it almost immediately. Click here if you want to read my yelp review.

What I loved about that first visit was it was just perfect - from service, seating, and food quality. I was satisfied. Our waiter, Scott, was cool and he was keeping Tina entertained with the Cubs talk which I usually couldn't contribute to. We also had this banter about Carpaccio. He was introducing the appetizer special as not your ordinary shrimp cocktail as the shrimps were pounded down thinly. I was like..Oh..like..mh..mh...I couldn't think of the word. When I finally did remember, he said..."Exactly!" So he used the term the next time he made the introduction.

One thing that really got to me however was their signature dessert, the Butterscotch bread pudding. I loved it! I usually am not a bread pudding fan, but I am becoming one. I actually just finished another bread pudding dessert I shared with Sabrina at Labriola. I thought I only would like the Markethouse's bread pudding, but I think because of the Markethouse's bread pudding, the profile of a bread pudding became something I enjoy.

Butterscotch Bread Pudding

This Butterscotch bread pudding was so delicious. It was served really warm, with a vanilla ice cream on top. It was served in a cast-iron individual pan, and you could see the nice golden brown crust glistening with butterscotch sauce. Once you dipped your spoon into it, you would feel the soft inside. Once you put the spoon in your mouth, you could taste that polar opposites of crusty and creamy soft bread custardy pudding. It was just nicely textured and it made me a fan.

Because of that, not even a month later (yesterday), I came back there with Tina. We also brought along two friends, Nate and Evi. Evi loves bread pudding and she was raving about this croissant bread pudding she had in Charleston, South Carolina. I told her she needed to come with me to Markethouse. She did. Again, talking about unassuming, Nate thought we were going to some type of a grocery store to get the bread pudding. Apparently all he heard was the word "market."

At first, we were just going for the bread pudding since we were super full from partying with Brode, Sandrine's baby boy, who just turned one year old. However, when we got there, looking at the new seasonal menu, we changed our mind.

Markethouse believes in serving fresh ingredients. They buy locally and also use some produce items that they grow at their garden on the roof top. Pretty cool, right? When you look at the menu, you could feel this freshness calling at you. I love the idea of changing menu based on your ingredients too. It gives challenges to whomever running the kitchen to be super creative. Yeah, maybe the chef there is not somebody I would know just by hearing the name, yet, I like what I eat there.

We got the same guy, Scott, to service our table. I was like, "Hey Scott." He was like.."hey, lady in a striped shirt.." confused on how I knew his name. So Tina said "Carpaccio." Then it clicked. "OOOH."

He then thanked me for writing nice things about him and the restaurant on Yelp. It was my pleasure. I'd do it again  - right now. Good service and good food always worth praising.

They served us homemade pickles with whole mustard seeds and sweet potato breads. Evi was excited when she got the bread as it was soft and warm. She's like me that she appreciates any restaurants that serve warm bread. That's why Morton's over Gibson's anyday for me. 

My heart set on the new risotto - a sweet corn risotto, with chanterelle mushrooms, as well as black truffle shavings. Mhhh..what's not to like. The appetizer was lobster chunks with again the sweet corn, and black truffle. Tina got their signature mac and cheese with bacon, and Nate actually went for a lighter choice of Anjou Pear salad with frisee and blue cheese.

Anjou Pear Salad

Lobster Appetizer

We shared everything and we went ooh and aahing when the foods were brought to our table. They were just picture perfect. Pretty fresh food to eat. Risotto was so creamy and perfectly made al dente with no crunch. I usually hate ordering risotto as it is always a hit or miss. But I ordered it twice here and happy both times!

The Mac and cheese was delicious and creamy. My only complaint is that they used big pasta almost like a penne size or maybe it was penne. I like my small elbow macaroni for mac and cheese. But again, it was just my own personal preference.

Then, the bread pudding...... drum rolls!

I love it. I simply love it. Nothing more to say except get your butt over there and try it for yourself.

It was another great visit. The service was great and Scott entertained the whole table with some jokes in between visits. Got my friends Tina and Nate to think for a second to find the answer to his joke.

We all liked what we ate though we were rather full. Nate said he wants to come back when he isn't so full so he could really enjoy the food. It tasted heavy to him a little but he was full and he had a creamy mac and cheese and lobster. Yeah, I'd say it would be pretty rich. Hope they really will come back.

I know I will. So should you.

To close, talking about the unassuming restaurant that happened to be banging, here's one of Scott's jokes. "What do you call a fish without an eye?"

It's a fsh. Well, I butchered it - not what you think right? Fish without an "i." Some jokes can only be told, not written. With that, I should stop writing.

Markethouse
611 N Fairbanks Ct.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 224-2200
http://www.markethousechicago.com/

Indonesian Delights

By Crivenica

I’ve been back in Jakarta for almost two months now. I’ve been back to work for a month, getting together with friends and family, and getting back into the groove of a cosmopolitan city. Though my days are filled with work and fun time with friends and family, I can’t wait until I get that peaceful feeling when we’re settled in our new home. I’m hoping with our belongings arriving in a week or so, we’ll get to that soon.

In the meantime, since I can’t really cook in the apartment yet, David and I have been going out a lot for meals. We tried new restaurants that didn’t exist when we left in 2008 and we went back to those that we love. Sure we got italian places, french bistros and some other western fare places in Jakarta, but what I love the most is that I got unlimited access to Indonesian food again!

There are just so many simple humble places serving delicious food that I can talk about. However, most of the time, I got too excited about the food, I forgot to take any pictures to show you. My bad! But here are some samples of those places that I’ve been visiting and revisiting that I think are worth recommending.

Beautika

We weren't kidding around when we ordered!

I think most Jakartans know about this Manadonese restaurant. I was never really that big of a fan of the place a couple of years ago because their dishes are just so damn spicy! Look, it’s a given that most Manadonese dishes are spicy hot, but man, this restaurant’s standard of hotness is way beyond my league. However, hanging out with gal pal Shilla who is a Manadonese-Makassarian and whose tolerance for spicy food is beyond atomic, going to Beautika for lunch is sometimes unavoidable. Plus, my husband just loves Manadonese food, so strike two for me. But you know what, after a few lunches, I found some of their dishes with level of spiciness that my tongue can relish and those few not-spicy ones that I came to love.

For those of you who don’t know Indonesia and its food, here’s a little background. Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi, a province in one of Indonesia’s five big islands called Sulawesi that looks like the letter ‘K’. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard from those who have, it is a very beautiful spot and a good place for scuba diving. I might not have visited the place yet, but at least I know enough to say that their food is awesome. If you get a chance to go to Manado and sample the food there, great! However, if you’re in Jakarta and Manado seems a bit far to go to, Beautika is a good place to have a taste. There are tons of fresh tasting dishes with varying spiciness to pick from: seafood dishes, chicken dishes, veggie dishes and even for those hardcore Manadonese, a bat dish. Yes, I wrote BAT, as in the first syllable in Batman. To my Manadonese friends, bat, also known as Paniki in Manadonese, is a delicacy, but I will stick with my favorites: the skewered squid, corn fritters, and beef Brenebon (kidney bean) soup.

Beautika has three locations in Jakarta: in Jl. Abdul Muis No. 70A, Tanah Abang; Jl. Hang Lekir No. 1 near Plaza Senayan and Senayan City malls, and in the SCBD area.

Warung Tekko

The mouth-watering ribs on top of hot chili paste

Next to the SCBD area’s Beautika, stands a new favorite of mine, Warung Tekko. You can find a Warung Tekko in several locations in Jakarta because they are so popular. Their specialty is Iga Penyet, which is fried ribs served in sambal (freshly made hot pepper paste) and eaten with rice. They also served other ribs dishes like grilled ribs and ribs soup along with vegetable dishes and fish dishes. However, ever since the first time I ate there, I only wanted to focus on the ribs.

The first time I stepped inside a Warung Tekko, I actually didn’t eat. I was only keeping my friend, Hanny, company as she ate because she missed lunch and I already had mine. Being a good girl that I am now, I restrained myself from ordering a portion even though I was drooling the whole time Hanny was eating. The ribs just looked so yummy and though I’m not much a sambal eater, I really really wanted to try it. So soon after, I did get to try it and I was not disappointed. The meat was so tender and the sambal actually tasted really good and I could ask them to make it really mild or really spicy.  This past week alone, I’ve gone back twice to have my Iga Penyet, white rice and Coconut water drink. I better watch it or the numbers will go up on the scale! But do try this place if you haven’t yet.

Queen

The picture didn't do this yummy crab soup justice...

Well, Queen is really a Chinese restaurant, but it is an Indonesian Chinese restaurant; an old style Indonesian Chinese restaurant that I love. There are a bunch of newer Chinese places opened up in malls all over Jakarta with a modern twist, but I’ve always loved the old style Chinese food because those were what I grew up with. I remember how I used to look forward to some special occasions that would take us to restaurants like Angke or Queen. Well, Angke has changed, but I think Queen stayed the same in term of the food they serve and how they serve it. Unfortunately, Queen is in Bandung, an hour and a half hours drive away from Jakarta. And whenever my family and I drove to Bandung, we always made a point to have dinner there. So, we were so happy when they opened a branch in China town of Jakarta, called Queen Palace.

My parents and I went there last Saturday and we ordered dishes from my childhood that I love to these days: my favorite and a must, crab meat soup, then fried frog legs in butter sauce, sweet and sour fish, and Queen’s specialty, seafood Ifumie. I savored that crab meat soup with each spoonful of savory liquid laden with huge crab meat chunks. And when I took a really big frog leg, I thought of my sisters in Chicago and Norway, and how they would envy me right then. It was a trip!

Sweet & Sour Fish; Frog Legs in butter sauce

Stuffed Crab Claws or Cingkong Kepiting in Indonesian

I remember just before I was moving to Nepal in 2008, my girlfriends, Indri and Shilla, joined me and my family to a day trip to Bandung and of course we took them to Queen for dinner. They loved them. And when I told Shilla about the branch in China Town (Kota), she said we should go there soon. I can’t agree more and I would definitely urge any of you who love good Chinese food to try Queen soon!

Queen in Bandung is located at Jl. Dalem Kaum No. 79, and Queen Palace in Jakarta is at Jl. Roa Malaka Utara No. 49.