Kamis, 13 September 2018

JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Fall Foliage at Minoo Park and Quick Visit to Kuromon Ichiba Market


Okay, I hope it's not too late to share about my autumn experience in Osaka. That day, my travel companions were going to Universal Studios, and since I already went there before, I looked for a place where I could enjoy some fall foliage in Osaka. When I googled about fall in Osaka, Minoo Park kept appearing on the result, so I did some research and went there.


From where I stay, it took around one and a half hour to reach Mino-o Station and extra 15-20 minutes walk to reach the park.


The walk to the park was pleasant, the weather was cool, the trees were surrounding me, and the sound of the stream were accompanying me.


Actually, I expected that fall would be totally yellow, orange, and red, but at the time, many of the trees were still green. But I could still witnessed the beautiful autumn foliage there. You could see the scenery I enjoyed through the pictures below.











And as it was my first autumn trip, a picture with reddish and yellowish trees is a must. I asked a stranger to take this picture.




Trying fried momiji (maple leaf) is a must when you visit Mino-o Park. So I bought a small bag of fried momiji.

Fried Momiji - JPY 200 / pack

Actually I could hardly feel the taste of the leaf itself since the flour coating was thick and a bit hard, but you could see the dried leaf inside when you bite it.


I still had half day to spend after my visit to Minoo Park. So then I headed to Kuromon Ichiba Market. It was quite near to Dotonbori. This market is only around 3 minutes walk from Nippombashi Station.


It was Sunday noon, some of the shops were closed, but many food stalls were open.


Here you could find many tempting food from fresh seafood to Kobe beef.


Or maybe you would like to try these fugu fish.





There were too many food I wanted to try, but since I was alone, I just tried a few. I need to go back to this place someday. These were the food I tried. And yes, everything were good!

Scallop - JPY 500

Scallop - JPY 750

Gyutan - JPY 1,000


So getting ready for an Autumn trip to Osaka? You might want to visit these places.
See you next post!

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Minoo Park


Kuromon Ichiba Market


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JAPAN TRIP SERIES 2019
Furano-Biei Day Trip: Farm Tomita, Shikisai No Oka, Blue Pond
Sapporo: The Food Journal
Sapporo: The Vibrant City of Hokkaido (And Where to Stay)
Falling in Love with Yokohama's Charm
Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo
Reasons to Stay Around Asakusa (or not)
My Third Japan Trip - The Intro

JAPAN TRIP SERIES 2017
Konnichiwa! I'm back!
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Preparation and Cost
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Back to Dotonbori
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Fall Foliage at Minoo Park and Quick Visit to Kuromon Market
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Autumn in Kyoto
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: A Day In Takayama
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: November Snow at Shirakawa-Go

JAPAN TRIP SERIES 2015
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Minggu, 03 Juni 2018

Ramen Craving Satisfied at Marutama Ramen (Traveloka Eats)


Gara-gara balik nulis lagi soal trip ke Jepang, saya jadi kangen sama Jepang dan segala jenis makanan Jepang. Iseng-iseng deh ngecek apps Traveloka di smartphone buat sekedar liat-liat tiket, dan ternyata di apps traveloka ada fitur baru yaitu Kuliner! Ya udah deh, jadi salah fokus buat liat-liat apa sih yang ditawarkan fitur kuliner ini. Rupanya fitur kuliner ini semacam direktori restoran-restoran yang ada di sekitar saya. Terus apa bedanya sama apps direktori restoran serupa, nah ini nih yang saya mau share di post kali ini.

Jadi saya iseng-iseng nyoba masukin keyword 'ramen' di search bar, karena memang lagi ngidam ramen, lalu seperti direktori lainnya, muncullah beberapa restoran ramen di Jakarta, salah satunya Marutama Ramen. Udah lama juga nih ga mampir ke sana, lalu saya kliklah Marutama Ramen, sekalian ingin melihat apa sih keunikan fitur apps direktori kuliner Traveloka ini. 


Dan ternyata saudara-saudara! Ada tulisan special offer di Marutama Ramen ini. Yah namanya special offer kan bikin penasaran yah, jadilah saya scroll isi special offernya.


Rupanya, special offer set meal di Marutama Ramen ini, bisa saya dapatkan kalau beli vouchernya via apps. Wah lucu juga nih pikir saya, dulu-dulu sih saya lumayan suka beli voucher diskon makanan. Cuma karena sudah kebanyakan apps di smartphone, jadinya saya uninstall aplikasinya. Nah kalau gini kan enak, dari apps yang sama, selain saya bisa booking tiket pesawat, kereta, hotel, dan lainnya untuk travelling, saya juga bisa nemu voucher makan enak yang pastinya lebih hemat. Jadilah saya beli voucher di atas buat saya dan teman saya. Lumayan banget, dengan harga IDR 89,751 nett, saya bisa makan ramen, dessert, dan sudah termasuk minuman juga.


Marutama Ramen tentunya sudah tidak asing buat saya sebagai seorang pecinta ramen. Pertama kali saya mencoba brand ramen ini mungkin sekitar 5 tahun lalu, dan dulu saya suka mampir di outlet EX lalu Plaza Indonesia yang sekarang sudah tidak ada. Terakhir saya mampir ke Marutama Ramen - Sentral Senayan ini kalau tidak salah sekitar 2 tahun lalu, dan ternyata masih ramai sampai sekarang. Berarti Marutama Ramen ini masih menjadi salah satu pilihan utama bagi pecinta ramen di Jakarta yah. 

Sesampainya di sini saya bilang ke waitress kalau saya pakai voucher dari Traveloka dan langsung dibantu untuk redeem. Ternyata paket Set Meal ini juga memang bisa dipesan di Marutama Ramen tanpa menggunakan voucher, tapi yang pasti jadi rugi kalau gak beli vouchernya di Traveloka, karena kalau pesan tanpa voucher harganya IDR 99,000 ++, jadi kira-kira nettnya IDR 120,000 sedangkan harga promo di Traveloka IDR 89,751 nett!


Untuk menu utamanya saya pilih Marutama Ramen yang spicy. Ramen-nya gak usah ditanya lagi lah yah rasanya. Masih konsisten dari dulu sampai sekarang. Walau saya pesan yang spicy, rasanya tidak terlalu spicy sih, masih harus saya tambahkan chili oil lagi baru rasanya pedasnya pas dengan standar lidah saya.


Yaki Gyoza-nya juga masih sama enaknya dari dulu sampai sekarang. Juicy fillings, crispy thin skin.
Menu ini gak termasuk set meal yah, tapi menurut saya wajib coba juga.

Untuk pilihan minuman dari set meal ini ada hot dan cold ocha. 
Kalau buat kalian ramen dan ocha belum cukup memuaskan tenang, masih ada dessert!


Untuk pilihan dessert dari set meal ini ada Matcha Parfait, Matcha Brulee dan Mochi. Saya memilih Matcha Brulee dan teman saya memilih Matcha Parfait, tapi karena ice-cream matchanya kosong jadinya diganti dengan vanilla ice cream. Dulu saya sudah pernah coba parfaitnya, oleh karena itu kali ini saya memilih untuk nyobain Matcha Brulee.


Dan pilihan saya gak salah, Matcha Brulee-nya Marutama Ramen enak banget! Bitter dari matcha-nya terasa, manisnya pas, gak terlalu manis sesuai selera saya, dan tekstur creamynya pas banget, gak terlalu keras ataupun lembek. Kalau kalian matcha lovers, wajib  banget nyobain dessert satu ini.

Mau makan enak dan hemat juga di Marutama Ramen? Langsung saja beli vouchernya di https://m.traveloka.com/restaurants/indonesia/detail/marutama-ramen-sentral-senayan-57211 (4 Juni-18 Juni 2018). Jangan lupa cek juga special offer lainnya di Traveloka Eats.
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Selasa, 29 Mei 2018

JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Back to Dotonbori


Amidst of the hustle and bustle of this area, Dotonbori is still my favourite spot to go back and forth in Osaka. Well who can resist the lines of shops and great eateries here? Let me list down a few great eateries to enjoy around this area through this post.


I visited Dotonbori on Saturday and Sunday, and it was surely packed with people, locals and tourists were buzzing around this spot. I visited this place on weekdays back in 2015, still it was crowded with tourists especially. This time since it was mid November, the weather was quite chilly and windy - around 15°C as I remember - so more food is good to warm the body (well it's just me reasoning with my big appetite actually). I always love the colourful neon signage around the area. It's so lively!

Me and my friends, waiting for a while to be captured by this LED camera.

So, these are a few eateries that I think worth trying when you are around Dotonbori. I believe there are a lot more to try, but since I was only there for a day or two, these were a few those I could recommend.

1. Ichiran (一蘭)

JPY 790

Back in 2015, I went to Ichiran in Kyoto, this time I went to the Dotonbori shop. There was a queue, but not too long. Many said that Ichiran is not the best tonkotsu ramen ever, and yes I believe that. I prefer ramen with thicker broth. But still it was overall delicious.

2. Rikuro Ojisan No Mise (りくろーおじさんの店)


I knew this place through my friend's recommendation. I've been a fan of Pablo since the first bite, but she said I should try Rikuro's cheesecake. So there I was, having an afternoon tea time at Rikuro's.


If you want to dine in, you could head to the second floor of the shop where you can sit and have a peaceful teatime while watching the chef baking his pastry and the barista brewing her coffee.


I actually plan to buy the whole cheesecake for JPY 685, but since my friends said it was too much for them to finish, we opt for the teatime set.

Set (1 slice of cheesecake with tea) - JPY 440

Rikuro's cheesecake is the fluffy jiggly kind of cheesecake - you know, the super soft and light one. It was good, really, but still, I love Pablo's kind of cheesecake better. And that's why I went back to Pablo, though they already have several stores in Jakarta.

3. Pablo

JPY 350

I went here not for cheesecake actually. I went to Pablo to buy some biscuits to take home. Their ice-cream was tempting, so I decided to treat myself a cone of their cheese-infused ice cream.

Zoom-zoom!

The perk of eating ice-cream on a chilly day is - your ice cream doesn't get to melt so fast! And yes, I love their ice-cream, just the right amount of balanced saltiness, sweetness and creaminess.

4. Gyukatsu Motomura (牛かつ もと村)


Don't expect to find the signage written with GYUKATSU MOTOMURA on it, instead, find the signage with the kanji letter written like above - there you find the Dotonbori branch of Gyukatsu Motomura. I've been hearing about this place here and there, and it seems like it is one of the must visit restaurant in Japan. Yes, they have a branch here in Osaka other than the other Tokyo branches.

Well, it's no good food when you don't have to queue in Japan. So there ware me and my friends, queueing on one chilly night in Dotonbori for this piece of meat. We waited for around 45 minutes - an hour to get our seats.

130 gr set (No Yam) - JPY 1,300

Each of us ordered this set, with 130 gr of breaded meat, rice, salad, and soup.


You need to grill the meat yourself on this mini teppan. Tips - just grill your meat for a little while for a piece of juicy heavenly meat.


I must say Gyukatsu Motomura is really worth trying. I was heavenly good! Other than the meat itself, the salad, the soup, the rice were all good. When I went to Tokyo days later, I went back to Gyukatsu Motomura, and I must say the meat was slightly different in texture, the one I had in Osaka was better.

5. Acchichi Honpo Takoyaki (あっちち本舗)


You'll find this place easily. It is located just two or three buildings away from Ichiran, right on the river walk. Why I tried the takoyaki here? Well just because we went through this place several times, and since Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki are must eats in Osaka, we tried a portion to share.

JPY 500

Chewy octopus inside covered with the not to thick takoyaki skin. Something good if you wanna chew something while walking around the area. You could dine in also, the have several seats in their basements. Free water available also.

6.  Mizuno Okonomiyaki (お好み焼「美津の」)


The problem of finding the eateries here is, sometimes their English name is not written, or if written, the size is super small that you could hardly spot it when your eyes are wandering around trying to find it. Trying to find Mizuno? Try to find the signage above with the small Mizuno name on the bottom right of it. Actually the easier way to find the famous eateries is by the queue of people in front of it. So yes, we were queueing (again) for a plate of okonomiyaki.


Why this place is so famous? Michelin, Michelin, and more Michelin.


What to order here? Well actually we only picked the one listed on the TOP 5. I ordered myself this Mizuno-Yaki with pork, minced meat, scallop, shrimp, octopus and squid. Sit still and wait until they finished cooking on the teppan on your table.

Mizuno-Yaki JPY 1,405

Tadaa! My Mizuno -Yaki was finished! It was tasty and fulfilling. If you have a big belly like me, you might be able to finish one by yourself, but if you don't, go share.

Modan-Yaki - JPY 1,135

Not in the mood for okonomiyaki, you could opt for their Modan-Yaki. We just finished eating for a while and the waiter tell us there were still a long queue - yeah, you cannot sit for a long time here, you need to quickly move after the eating business is finished.

Worth trying? Yes! Will go back? Don't think so - okonomiyaki is not really my thing.

7. Mel's Coffee Roaster


I was longing for a good coffee and quietness after strolling around Dotonbori for hours. So I decided to find a good coffee shop around, and Mel's was listed. Actually this spot was not really in Dotonbori area. It was around 10-15 minutes walk from Dotonbori. It was a humble coffee shop in a quiet area, just coffee beans, coffee machines and baristas inside, so if you want to sit, you could sit in front of the shop.

JPY 380

It took quite awhile for me to get my cappuccino, but thank God it was wonderful! Though I'm not a coffee expert, I just knew that they use fresh roasted beans. 

That was all for this post. Until I see you again Dotonbori!


Ichiran (一蘭)

Rikuro Ojisan No Mise (りくろーおじさんの店)

Pablo

Gyukatsu Motomura (牛かつ もと村)

Acchichi Honpo Takoyaki (あっちち本舗)

Mizuno Okonomiyaki (お好み焼「美津の」)

Mel's Coffee Roaster

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JAPAN TRIP SERIES 2019
Furano-Biei Day Trip: Farm Tomita, Shikisai No Oka, Blue Pond
Sapporo: The Food Journal
Sapporo: The Vibrant City of Hokkaido (And Where to Stay)
Falling in Love with Yokohama's Charm
Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo
Reasons to Stay Around Asakusa (or not)
My Third Japan Trip - The Intro

JAPAN TRIP SERIES 2017
Konnichiwa! I'm back!
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Preparation and Cost
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Back to Dotonbori
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Fall Foliage at Minoo Park and Quick Visit to Kuromon Market
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: Autumn in Kyoto
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: A Day In Takayama
JAPAN AUTUMN TRIP 2017: November Snow at Shirakawa-Go

JAPAN TRIP SERIES 2015
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Lokasi: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Sabtu, 10 Maret 2018

Bucket List: Raja Ampat

Selama saya memang banyak ngebahas tentang pengalaman travelling saya ke negara-negara di luar Indonesia (walau masih di sekitaran Asia). Karena belakangan banyak banget tiket murah, manusia-manusia milenial macam saya jadi gemar hunting tiket baik online atau juga di berbagai travel fair yang lumayan bahaya buat keselamatan isi tabungan. Tapi kalau ditanya, ada gak tempat-tempat di Indonesia yang pengen saya kunjungi? Jawabannya: ada banget! Karena saya lebih ke anak pantai daripada anak gunung, ada beberapa tempat dan pulau di Indonesia yang pengen banget saya kunjungi, yang paling utama adalah Raja Ampat yang dikenal sebagai surganya snorkeling di ujung Timur Indonesia sana.


Kenapa Raja Ampat? Simply karena saya jatuh cinta setelah melihat foto-foto Raja Ampat di berbagai website dan akun social media yang saya ikuti. Awalnya saya mikir, beneran nih ada tempat kayak gini di Indonesia? Keren dan luar biasa indah banget! Selain itu saya juga belum pernah menjajakan kaki ke Indonesia bagian Timur. Sejak itu saya memasukkan Raja Ampat menjadi salah satu destinasi yang wajib saya kunjungi suatu hari nanti.

Kalau biasa saya nulis tentang review tempat yang udah saya kunjungin, kali ini saya mau nulis tentang hasil cek sana-sini saya tentang apa saja yang perlu dipersiapkan kalau mau ke Raja Ampat sana dan kegiatan apa saja yang bisa kita lakuin selama ada di Raja Ampat. Yah, segala sesuatu dimulai dari sebuah angan-angan kan.

Dari hasil baca-baca, untuk menuju ke Raja Ampat saya harus naik pesawat dari Jakarta ke Sorong terlebih dahulu. Saya cek di tiket.com, harga normal tiket pulang pergi Jakarta-Sorong adalah sekitar IDR 2,500,000 - 4,500,000 rupiah, tergantung maskapai yang dipilih. Untuk maskapai dengan budget yang lebih rendah, ada beberapa pilihan seperi NAM Air ataupun Sriwijaya Air. Jika budgetnya tidak terlalu ketat bisa memilih Garuda Indonesia. Dari Sorong, nantinya saya harus lanjut lagi naik taksi ke pelabuhan dan melanjutkan perjalanan dengan naik kapal feri selama 2 jam menuju Waisai, Raja Ampat.

Untuk akomodasi, ada beberapa pilihan penginapan di Raja Ampat, mulai dari homestay di rumah penduduk yang pastinya akan pengalaman yang menarik dan otentik, atau juga bisa menginap di hotel ataupun resort. Kira-kira budget yang dibutuhkan untuk menginap dimulai dari IDR 350,000 - 3,000,000, tergantung jadi jenis akomodasi yang dipilih.

Nah, bisa ngapain aja nih di Raja Ampat? Setelah browsing sana-sini, ini adalah beberapa kegiatan wajib versi saya jika suatu hari berhasil plesiran ke Raja Ampat.

Snorkeling
Walaupun Raja Ampat ini merupakan salah satu tempat impian para diver, berhubung saya bukan penyelam bersertifikasi, jadinya saya mulai dulu aja dari snorkeling. Konon Raja Ampat ini merupakan rumah dari 1400 spesies ikan dan 75% spesies karang yang dikenal di dunia. Wow! Kebayang kan betapa kerennya pemandangan bawah laut yang bisa kita lihat sambil snorkeling di sana.

Maapkeun poto yang rada halu ini. Kira-kira begitulah ekspresi bahagia saya nanti saat nyemplung ke laut di sana.
Pic Source

Foto di Piaynemo
Pernah donk liat foto-foto dengan lokasi seperti di bawah ini? Foto-foto tersebut berlokasi di salah satu tempat yang wajib dikunjungi di Raja Ampat yaitu Piaynemo. Dari puncak Piaynemo kita bisa melihat gugusan pulau dan karang yang luar biasa indah, tentu saja foto dengan latar belakang pulau-pulau tersebut adalah wajib hukumnya.

Ceritanya kalau sampai ke Piaynemo mau foto di spot ini.
Pic Source

Island hopping
Saya baca ada banyak pulau dengan spesies karang dan makhluk laut yang berbeda-beda di setiap pulau. Terus mau ngapain aja di pulau-pulau? Saya tipikal orang yang suka duduk diam, mandangin alam sambil menghirup udara segar. Walaupun saya anak kota, kegiatan seperti ini merupakan kegiatan yang bikin pikiran saya tenang dan santai. Moment of serenity kalau istilah bahasa kerennya. Selain menikmati keindahan alam, sudah pasti saya mau main pasir, main air di laut, dan snorkeling di tiap pulau kalau memungkinkan.

Cita-cita: Beach Girl
Pic Source

Udah itu aja? Yah banyak lagi sih, kalau udah sampai sana pastinya kepengen nyobain makanan lokal, juga mandangin bintang di malam hari (maklum anak Jakarta jarang nemu bintang). Sisanya tergantung kemana angin membawa. Biar seru harus ada elemen spontan kan di setiap perjalanan. Nanti kalau udah berhasil ke sana, baru saya lanjutin lagi nulisnya.

Jadi siapin dari mana dulu? Yang pasti nabung dulu. Semoga impian saya ke Raja Ampat dapat terwujud dalam waktu dekat. Amin!

Tulisan ini dibuat untuk program  #TiketKemanapun kerja sama dari DetikTravel & tiket.com. 
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