Bandung, Indonesia 2011 and my Crab Pasta

Just when you thought owls come out only at night.... LOL! Owls on sale, RP30 000 each..


Posing with our new shades...


Mum and I strolling along Cihampelas Street...

This year's trip was dedicated to my mum, with the itinerary entirely based on her interests. So most of the activities include shopping, eating and simply relaxing - it was awesome!. Bandung was great, just like my first visit in 2009. In fact, this time it was even better. I went to most of those "aunty's favourite" places! LOL!

Hotel

We stayed at the Aston Tropicana Cihampelas, located along the busy Cihampelas Street. Personally, the hotel is so strategically located - everything is just around the corner.

Enjoying the view of Cihampelas Street from the hotel window...


The street at 12 midnight... just as busy...


The breakfast buffet was awesome, with lots of choices and super friendly waiting staff. My most favourite from the buffet spread was the porridge. I had it almost every morning for starter - that's how yummy it was!

I rate this hotel "Excellent". Their staff were very helpful and friendly, while the hotel was generally very clean, and they threw in free shuttle transfers, too.

Food
I asked a friend in Bandung on how to differentiate halal food there. He said it's easy. Almost 95% of restaurants in Bandung are halal, unless u see a piggy sign at the shop entrance. So I put aside my health-conscious diet and went ahead to enjoy the food as much as I wanted! Here are some of my favourites...

Dinner at Sapu Lidi.


My favourite dish was Sapu Lidi's Nasi set and fish soup. Chicken grilled perfectly, tempe (fermented soy cake) fried exotically! I simply love the herbs-fried tempe!


Sapu Lidi from the outside. Luckily, it was just a 5-minute walk from our hotel. We walked into an empty restaurant only to find it packed to the brim half an hour later!


Cihampelas Walk.


Lovely tree at Cihempelas Walk. Below are some of my favourite dishes at Cihampelas Walk:


Nasi Bakar set. Luv the strong aroma of daun salam...


Nasi Ambeng Bali... extremely hot! Love it!


Srabi Polos... yum!


Otak-otak - so puffy!


Lamb Satay... these were perfectly grilled and so juicy! And the sauce was so heavenly!


One of my favourite spots at Cihampelas Walk.


A friend of mine sells Somay Bandung at the cafe at Rumah Mode... so I gave it a try... No regrets!!


The must-have Durian Coffee at Rumah Mode...


Fried chicken at Raja Nasi Padang...




Freshly fried kerepek tempe at Cihempelas Street


Another of my favourites - Banana Chips with cheese, and Spinach Chips.


Mum waiting to skype, as we enjoyed some hot muffins at Cihempelas Walk's Starbucks.
( I forgot to take the pictures of the muffins - gone too soon!)

Hair Cut

As usual, I must have my haircut at my vacation location. So during this trip, I had one at Rudy Hadisurwarno's. Service was great, and the hairdresser was genuinely nice. Plus, they charged me only Rp 30, 000.00 (about RM10) for the haircut and wash!






At the lobby after my haircut. Love it!

Pasar Baru

Before we left the hotel for Pasar Baru, mum said she didn't know what to buy there. But once there, she spent almost all her Rupiahs in 15 minutes! So cute!




Busy with her day's purchases from Pasar Baru to pack home. While accompanying my mum shopping at Pasar Baru, I bought some pretty Japanese cotton pieces as food photography props. So here we go... Presenting my Crab Pasta and Lala Tempoyak!


My crab pasta!


Same cotton piece used for a shot of my lala cili api with tempoyak. More cottons to come!

For the Crab Pasta:
1. Cook pasta in a large kettle of boiling water until al dente.
2. Drain well and place on a warm platter. Keep warm.
3. In heavy skillet over medium heat, place butter and oil. Add green onions, garlic, black pepper, bay leave and cream. Cook, stirring until mixture boils gently for 2 minutes.
4. Mix in lemon juice, crab meat and parsley. Cook, stirring just until crab is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over pasta. Lift and mix pasta gently with grilled cherry brinjal.