Amausaan Uji Matcha

Better late than nothing? I guessed it’s a YES. Being a fan of both dessert and matcha, there’s no doubt that I would feel excited to give this place a try as they’re offering the combination of both. 

Despite the outlet was kinda petite, they’re quite smart in playing with the interior. It could flawlessly deliver the ambiance of a traditional matcha cafe in Japan especially Kyoto, the city which was most famous for green tea. They were so committed that the entrance was even decorated with those orange gates just like the ones you met in Kyoto’s temples or the well-known Fushimi Inari. Next to it the visitors could hang their wishes, exactly mimicking the wishing board in those worship places. 

Orders had to be placed prior to enter the dining spot. They also secured you had had your seat before making your order. I was pretty impressed by how speedy they were in serving the customers despite the cafe was actually pretty crowded and seemed like people’s orders were various as far as my sight could catch. The fortune belonged to me on my visit timing as I got the very last vacant table, making it finally full-house once I took my seat. 

All the menu offered were sweets, with the range of cakes, hot and warm drinks, and certainly the ice cream! The ice cream even gave the choices of soft-serve and gelato. My choices went to mostly the recommended ones, being a first-timer here. 

Matcha Gradient Cheesecake (IDR 52k)

The presentation deserved thumbs-up in my view as the gradient looked so perfect. Knowing the texture was extremely moist like typical light-creamy Japanese cheesecake, it’s wonderful that they’re able to make those neat layers lining up impeccably. The play of texture was another great combination as the base was using crunchy oreo layer. Neither the cheese nor the green tea flavor stood strong in this cake as both were kinda light for my palate. I honestly thought it might be more delectable to have both going bolder. 

Ishida - White Jade Matcha Story (IDR 62k)

When this dessert firstly landed on the table, I could recall those Kyoto dessert hoping memories, when I could have matcha for breakfast lunch and dinner (yep, don’t judge my dessert addiction please). Ishida featured Uji Matcha soft-serve as the base, with extra happiness coming from milk pudding, smashed waffle cone, whipped cream, glutinous rice balls, red bean paste, and rice cereals. The combination was actually kinda mainstream when you met any matcha parfait but I could admit that Amausaan’s version was pleasant as every single ingredient tasted yummy! The highlight for me would be the red bean paste, for which I was usually pretty demanding as I loved the thick one yet with smooth texture meaning the red bean needed to be perfectly smashed. Having said so, theirs was able to suit my liking very well!

Matsukawa - Raw Matcha Bowl (IDR 62k)

If you’re the one who loved stronger matcha taste, go for this! This was definitely my favorite being the lover of bold matcha <3. If earlier one was soft-serve, this was serving gelato so expect thicker texture in your bowl. The toppings were similar with the duo of glutinous rice balls and red bean paste still loyally accompanied you. However, this time your other toppings were substituted by raw matcha jelly, which for me played the balancer role to the sweetness from the gelato. 

Enjoying my initial experience having dessert here, I would quickly give a nod to the next visit. So if you’re a green tea lover, you now have another one to add into your list ;)

Taste: 7.5/10

Place: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7/10

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AMAUSAAN UJI MATCHA

Address: Central Park Mall LG L-214A, Jakarta

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm

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Visit Belitung - A Brand New Holiday Experience (Part 2)

The ‘beach-and-island-hoping’ day of the trip! Yeah it literally represented how the day looked like as we’re moving from one beach to another, one island to another. 

Pantai Tanjung Kelayang

Starting from this beach called Tanjung Kelayang, which was also the place everyone parked their car and kicked off the exciting experience! People rented the boat here to go across the sea, traveling to another island desired. We’re pretty lucky the day was sunny and bright, unlike past few ones which were gloomy and rainy. There were limited times in life I wasn’t complaining about the how the sun heat stung, and I would say today I was even grateful of it because that would mean I got most number of spots to visit. The guide told me that best timing to visit Belitung would be March or April, the dry season when even some islands which weren’t available during the rainy season, would be there as the sea level went lower. The well-known one would probably be Pulau Pasir, which was sunk under the sea at my visit time. 

Batu Garuda

First stop, where we actually had no option to step out of the boat and had a tour in the island since it was mainly gigantic rocks. Visitors could only take pictures in front of it. In case you’re more adventurous, you could land at the closest island then swam here. Called as Batu Garuda, for sure it meant something and this one had the literal reflection of the name as the stone shaped like the beak of an eagle. 

Pulau Lengkuas

Another well-known pitstop, Lengkuas island which was one of most favorite spots for beach hoping and simply chilling by the beach. You would spot it quite often in any pictures of island displayed in Belitung, since its mercusuar being kinda iconic. No wonder why, white sand and clear water under the beautiful blue sky. Even the guide said that what I called as clear now, wasn’t its best since this type of season it’s usually pretty dirty as the water from anywhere else mostly flew here due to the rain. They also offered a naturally-shaped pool called as Angel Pool. Said as naturally made, it’s actually surrounded by giant stones shaping a kind of dam where people could enjoy the ‘nature-made’ pool. 

Not far from there, my family went to the point where we finally snorkel. It might not be the most clear view due to the season, but still it's super fascinating! Beautiful corals with tons of fishes swimming around. They seemed to be as excited as myself since we brought foods to be shared to them. This was indeed my premiere snorkeling time, and I enjoyed it way too much that I couldn't wait for the next!

Pulau Kepayang

While enjoying the moment of ‘doing-nothing-and-staying-close-to-the-nature’, the tummy usually wanted to get satisfied as well. Simple tips, pre-ordered your lunch at any restaurant before going there, and asked the restaurant to deliver your foods to be enjoyed in the island, for which usually Kepayang Island being the chosen one as it had the dedicated dining spot. There were some restaurants recommended by our tour guide, who had their special package offered for lunch in the island and I guessed all were offering seafood. Apparently they have been used to this kind of service so we didn’t need to give much brief as they completely understood what and how to prepare the foods. The dining spot was super crowded but it didn’t take too long to get the foods served. No worries, all facilities like toilets and places to wash hands were abundant so you needn’t expect extremely-long queue. Besides, my sweet tooth did get spoiled there as they served side dishes like banana fritters with choices of toppings! You could even refresh yourself with drinks like whole coconut water, sugarcane water, orange juice, and many more! If you wanted to get  warm beverages, you’re fully served by the free-flow hot coffee and tea. I knew it’s not like most clean or most fancy place to dine in, but totally remarkable experience and the foods were surely not bad!

Pulau Kelayang

Having full belly, we continued our trip to the next island (well, told ya it’s island hoping day so more and more to come *wink* ). Kelayang Island might not look that special when you just reached there, but wait till you visited the cave. Beware that it’s bit steep and slippery, but the view surely worth the effort reaching the center of the cave. The water under the cave was so clear and you could enjoy peculiar view which not all beach could offer. Actually if you’re brave enough, you could try going out of the cave not via the entrance but by swimming through the narrow gap between the cave gates, which did provide the route to the sea. 

Pantai Tanjung Tinggi

Then finally the last stop and perhaps even you, who’re not familiar to beaches in Belitung, have ever got exposed to this one. It’s Tanjung Tinggi beach or known more as Laskar Pelangi beach since it’s used as one of the setting in the movie scene. This beach was famous for its sunset view, which was indeed amazing! It’s like you could enjoy tri-tone in a single landscape, making it perfect spot for sunset photoshoots. You needn’t a professional photographer to capture awesome pictures here! Bluntly speaking, it successfully crafted a perfect ‘closing-bow’ to the island-and-beach show of Belitung <3

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Visit Belitung - A Brand New Holiday Experience (Part 1)

If last year’s Christmas holiday we were in the mood of shopping, strolling down the Orchard Road enjoying magnificent lights, and doing the New Year countdowns at Gardens by the Bay, this year could be called as totally different one. The plan started only 2 weeks ago when our family gathered at Surabaya for a wedding, then dad (as always) came up with his sudden idea to go to Belitung. Yep, it’s just popped out when we thought about where to spend Christmas this year. OK, cut it short, all tickets and hotels were booked (as usual definitely by me the family’s all-time travel planner), and we’re ready for the trip! Well perhaps bit revision, the city tour was actually just booked less than 24-hour before our flight!

Arriving at the city, apparently the hotel we booked, Santika Premiere, residing at the Northern area - quite far from the airport which was at the heart of the city. There’s no such thing like public transportation in Belitung (thankfully it meant no traffic jam as well!), but fortunately it’s not hard to grab a taxi in the airport. Online taxi was however not allowed in the airport area, so in case you wanna go for it, you might need to walk out the airport gate to get them. Somehow worth the walk though as they did cost half!

The distance from airport to hotel was around 32km, but the time taken wasn’t bad as it’s only around 40 minutes. Thanks to the smooth road of Belitung and the fact that this city had less than 10 traffic lights (can’t believe if Jakarta had that few traffic lights)! At night it might be quite scary especially in the area around our hotel since there were very limited street lights and one house was located quite far from another. If only I didn’t know I was going to such city, I might have thought there’s such thing like zombie invasion as in movies. Nonetheless, honestly speaking I was so grateful able to experience the ZEN moments, being away for awhile from the hectic metropolitan city. 

RM Batu Garuda

Not far from the hotel, we tried to find place for late lunch. It might be best to rent car especially if you stayed in this particular area as it’s kinda out of the taxi radar (including online one). Going from the city center to here was easy, but the opposite direction wasn’t. Being resourceful and getting helped by uncle Google, I found this restaurant by the beach where we could dine while enjoying the view of Batu Garuda island, the island made of giant stones shaped like Garuda’s beak. 

It’s very humble open-air setting, with the choices of Belitung’s signature seafood dishes. Recommended options were their Gangan Ikan Ketarap and Ikan Bakar Bumbu Belitung. The first was fish soup with turmeric and pineapple as the main ingredients, combining delectable sweet and sour taste. Whereas the second was grilled fish cooked with the mix of exotic spices featuring turmeric, galangal, candlenut, chili, lime, and many more. Not to forget, fresh coconut water as the thirst-quencher!

Warung Kopi Ake

In the evening, to warm up yourself while strolling around the city area, try Kopi Ake, one of the oldest classic coffee shop of Belitung. The current owner, who was also the third generation, said that they didn’t have any branch in the city as he didn’t want to open any franchise to maintain the quality of the coffee they served. If you went for Milk Coffee, they would mix their signature blend with a little doze of instant coffee and condensed milk. My parents loved this one best as it’s quite light compared to the other Belitung coffee we tried. They did serve some light bites to be paired up with your coffee. 

Starting the second day, I took local tour which I could easily find by browsing. I found several options, but I was delighted by the fact that this Belitong Enjoy gave me uber fast response. Moreover, the itinerary was extremely complete, and all the crews were so friendly and responsive. (Find out more by clicking on this link or contacting this number - 082282419388)

Mie Belitung Atep + Es Jeruk Kunci

My family and I were picked even way earlier than the agreed timing, and throughout the journey the driver was very informative. The trip was started with having breakfast at the local gem, which was also known as the first one to popularize Mie Belitung. Basically for those who didn’t know, it’s noodles in thick prawn broth, with the toppings of tofu and crispy diced-cut prawns. A simple decent combination, though I wouldn’t say it’s so stand-out that I would miss having it. The all-time pair to this for Belitung people was Key-Lime juice. I initially thought it would be a sour drink, while it turned out it’s mixed with sugar so it tasted more like orange juice just with extra water. Not that special for my palate, but refreshing enough. 

SD Muhammadiyah Laskar Pelangi

The journey continued to the iconic replica of Muhammadiyah elementary school or what’s known as Laskar Pelangi school. Yes, the one in that hype movie from Andrea Hirata’s novel. It’s just a replica since the real one was no longer there besides the area was quite hard to be accessed. I found it a mix of fun and touched, being able to witness the extremely-limited facilities of the school despite it's just a replica. 

Museum Kata Andrea Hirata

Still the legacy of Andrea Hirata, the next place was the word museum or ‘’Museum Kata’, which was claimed as the first and the only literature museum in Indonesia. Used to be free of charge, now the visitor had to buy Andrea’s book of Laskar Pelangi which worth IDR 50k. He simply wanted to ensure those coming in were indeed the ones interested in literature and wanted to take care of the museum, as earlier some items were found missing and it became dirty when people could enter freely. 

Great news, though you didn’t enter, you could enjoy taking pictures at some iconic spots in front, as well as enjoying hot coffee at Kuli coffee shop right next to the museum. I loved the traditional boiled coffee mixed with condensed milk and paired with banana fritters! Paying to enter was surely worthy for me as there were tons of inspiring quotes, gorgeous paintings from the movie, and instagenic corners to get some memorable snaps. Personally I thought Andrea was such an inspiration for the young generation that Indonesian could definitely nail awesome achievements and made the country proud!

Kampung Ahok

Another inspiring Indonesian guy, Basuki Tjahaya Purnama - ex Jakarta Governor, who was also famous as Ahok. The next spot visited was his hometown located at Gantong area - East Belitung. The place displayed the traditional house of Belitung, where they opened a shop selling handicrafts and traditional snacks. Right across that house, there resided the house of Ahok’s family. Visitors were welcome to enter the front yard, but the house was said to only be opened occasionally if his mother was around. In the area nearby, there’s also the Minister of Tourism and Culture office, where visitors got the explanation from the local guide about Belitung’s culture and their iconic ceremonies. 

Vihara Dewi Khuan In

The trip continued to the temple of Khuan In. It’s not a gigantic one, but quite touristy perhaps because there wasn’t that much religious spots in the town. For those who wanna pray there, they did provide the spots. 

Dynasty Restaurant 

Having travelled for awhile, it’s another time to fill in the tummy. Trying to find another recommended spot, this fusion Chinese-Seafood restaurant popped up. The signature dish of the house was Kepiting Saos Padang so without any doubt we went for it. Despite I still loved my hometown (Makassar) version more, this was surely not bad. The crab was fresh and the sauce was well-seasoned. 

Their other seafood dishes like the fried fish was another yummy one to opt for. If you’re bit lazy to have your hands dirty, go for their Kepiting Isi, which was another iconic dish of Belitung, basically serving the mix of crab and fish meat, fried in the crab shell. Not only way easier to eat, the taste suited my palate way better! Furthermore, don't miss their Avocado Ice, which just costed IDR 15k but super refreshing and palatable.

Kong Djie Coffee 

Last stop, another favorite spot for coffee both by the locals and the tourists. Different from the first one, this was open for franchise and hence had tons of outlets spread across Belitung (even available in Jakarta and Serpong)! I went to the very first one, very casual old-style coffee shop which was packed with people. No wonder, being that well-known, they offered both snacks and drinks at very affordable price. I tried the ‘main actor of the stage’, Belitung milk coffee in both hot and warm version. I loved both and I guessed it’s just a matter of preference and it also depend on the weather. I personally liked Kong Djie’s version of milk coffee than the other Belitung coffee I tried as the coffee taste was bold, while it’s not acidic at all - perfectly suited my liking! For me, I felt it’s different to the one I tried earlier in Jakarta since that one was so sour. 

Another highlight I recommended you to try was the snacks they served, ranging from banana fritters, instant noodle, up to sponge cake. Actually the one I loved most was the  traditional sponge cake which was so fluffy and not overly sweet. Unfortunately, it might be available only in this specific outlet since it’s just side dishes which I guessed not part of the Kong Djie menu which got franchised (PS below wasn't the picture as this was the more dense one. Kinda lovely but I loved the fluffy version packed in plastic better)

This kinda lengthy list was just part of the trip which could be the reference for those who’re up for Belitung culinary. However, you might notice that I haven’t shared about the beach and island parts, which I believe is another mesmerizing one many of you are looking for. Stay tune for the next update ;) 

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