Ya Udah Bistro - Quality is Understatement

Saya pikir tidak ada salahnya mencicipi semangkuk wurst kase salat yang berisi potongan german bratwurst, daun selada segar, ditaburi parutan keju cheddar yang memutih di suatu malam di penghujung minggu.

Saya kira saraf lidah dan tubuh saya sedang meradang untuk sebongkah daging dan lemak hewani yang saripatinya bisa meluncar dalam mulut dan lidah lalu serta merta melepaskan endorphin dan menggantikannya dengan kesenangan saat itu, dan memori yang akan dijadikan acuan nanti.

Sebab bagaimanapun juga ekspektasi sedang bermain main nakal dengan sejumput kenangan yang menyenangkan. Di masanya, pernah saya mendapati sepiring steak lengkap dengan siraman mushroom sauce yang sungguh menggelitik lidah. Belum terhitung sarapan pagi yang mengenyangkan dan menggembirakan. Hash brown dan scramble egg yang hangat ditemani foccacia bread yang menguarkan harum dedaunan segar, dilengkapi dengan secangkir kopi atau teh panas.

Lalu, apakah semua itu ingin membuat saya kembali?

Saya lebih rindu akan deru ceiling fan berdebu dan kursi rotan anyam yang ringan sebab rangkanya cukup dari besi tirus saja. Saya lebih nyaman duduk di tengah pengunjung yang juga bersantai dan sibuk dengan urusannya masing masing, lalu saya bisa mengamati mereka dari sudut dimana saya duduk. Dengan para pelayan yang terlatih dan bersahabat dengan tamu tamunya. Saya mengira waktu bisa berkompromi untuk berhenti sejenak lalu membekukannya dalam kesenangan.

Jika kini ia bermetamorfosa di sebuah tempat yang lebih luas dengan inner courtyard, kursi dan meja yang sama, seragam yang sama, lalu pantaskah saya berceloteh tentang terampasnya suasana dan kenangan yang pernah hadir dulu? Jika kini bongkahan daging yang hadir di depan mata ternyata terlalu kering dan asam, apa yang bisa digugat dari semua itu?

Saya pikir sejumput kenangan bisa tinggal tetap walau hanya secuil...

#Reason num 27 why you should visit Ya Udah#

The Search for Coffee Siphon is Over

Its all started from my first patronage to La Tazza Coffee Shop, just across my office few years back. Among the coffee shop, they are the only one using the antique coffee making tools, which looks like an hourglass. Later on I know that it is called Coffee Siphon. It extract the best part of coffee, resulting in the thin light nice bodied cup of coffee, with the original taste of the bean.

Since then, I've been been wandering not only in the country, but also across the ocean, to find a place that sell the Siphon. I've been to the local kitchenware close to home, Ikea in Singapore and Hongkong, patronizing Kitchen Magic in Hongkong and Jakarta with no luck. Then on one evening in Bandung, Indonesia, after a nice coffee evening, we stroll along Jalan Braga when we came across the shop: House of Culinary.

Then I stroll to the coffee making isle, and amazed with the completeness of their coffee making tools. Espresso Machine (Saeco), Vietnam Drip, Plunger, Moka Pot, and..... YES.... the Coffee Siphon. My search is finally over......


One week since the Bandung trip, we were at home, 3pm int he evening. The Coffee Siphon is brewing a cup of Excelso coffee, freshly grind. The fire is out, and the black liquid has started sipping back to the lower chamber. I took a piece of Strawberry Cheese Cake as a company, and took a sip of Coffee. Thin, light cup of coffee, with unmistakable acidity of Kalosi Toraja....

Caterpillar Roll

If I worked at Japanese restaurant, I would be fired immediately for making this dishes. This thing was never been a favorite dish, even in form of Sushi. Well, my intention is to make another attempt for Dragon Roll, but I can't argue when my friend came up with the name: Ulet Roll, or in English: Caterpillar Roll


Learning from previous experience, I bought a relatively large Udang Pancet (Black Tiger Butterfly Prawn) for the tempura fillings. Cutting the tail of the first one, I arrange 2 of them in one roll, so that the head of the first prawn, and the tail of the second prawn will extrude from sushi roll.

It would be easier to use Tobiko, but inspired from Sushi Cooking Book I read few days ago, I decided to experiement with Ainori, crushed form of Nori sheet. We bought a ready-to-use one, which is not crushed, but shreded. Rolling the sticky sushi roll on top of the Shredded Nori.... there we got the Caterpillar Roll.

Well, at least we are successfull in making the head and tail of the Dragon, and it was a good experiment as well.....

(Suppose to be) Dragon Roll

We're not really in the mood for sushi actually. I strolled through old photos, among them are the Sushi Photo Session several years back. Then it came, a very inviting dragon roll. Tempted, I propose to make one to Kiko, which she agreed.

Rice were prepared as usual, but the Prawn was not. The recipe books make it easy to straighten a prawn for Tempura: using a toothpick. We only find out latter that toothpick was too short. Nevertheless, out of 10 prawn, we manage to fry 3-4 prawn, straight enough to be rolled in sushi. The rest of it goes with a traditional chili sauce :D.

Kiko laugh when I told my idea of using half tobiko, half sesame to cover the reversed sushi. "Martabak?", she said, referring to traditional food, where we can order different fillings for each half. I wasn't moved, and goes through with the plan....


OK, it wasn't look like a proper Dragon Roll. The prawn wasn't long enough for its tail and head to pops beyond the sushi. But as we chew it in, the taste made us happy enough. The white sesame is not a perfect match, black sesame might do better. The prawn, fried with a ready-made tempura flour, was great.

We still have another plate of Gyoza after that, plus some tempura prawn....

Scarcity of Nori

It might not makes the headline on the news, but the scarcity of Nori sheet last January has made us a little bit panic on one evening. We have Salmon and Chu Toro Sashimi freshly cut from our favorite sushi shop, and fresh Tobiko in hand, all might be wasted without Nori.

But this Japanese food are proven to be the most versatile food. Using a small leftover sushi, we made a small hand-rolled, topped with mix of Tobiko and Mayonnaise. When all Nori has been used, we made Nigiri Sushi - not the best Nigiri, but well, practice make perfect.


Kiko even make a hearted-shape Nigiri sushi, from the rice leftover :D. At the end of the day, we happily finish the plate.