Biertje

A man was passing by a Popeye cartoon figure lifting a glass and saying "biertje" - the Dutch word for beer - in front of a closed bar on Jalan Braga.

One of Bandung's icons for its historic past, Jalan Braga (Braga Steet) and its vicinities have a number of bars that mostly serve foreign visitors (tourists). Most of them only open at night.

Beer is called by different names in different places. It's biertje in Dutch, bir in Indonesian, Malay and Arabic, la biere in French, and birra in Italian. It's called serbesa in Filipino, serveza in Spanish, and serveja in Portuguese. What is it called in your language?

Banana Caramel

Thank God it's Friday evening! Time to stretch legs, enjoy a personal time with a cup of coffee and a good book. And this delectable banana caramel served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is an extra treat. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Nasi Lemak and Teh Poci

A few weeks ago, I went to Katjapiring, a restaurant at Paris van Java specializing in peranakan cuisine, and had nasi lemak and Teh Poci.

Peranakan is the term used to refer to the descendants of the 15th - 16th century Chinese immigrants to Nusantara (what is now the Indonesian archipelago, Malaysia, and Singapore).

Nasi lemak is a Malay rice dish consisting of fried anchovy, chicken or beef curry, etc. (See the top picture and check the link above.)

Teh poci is fragrant Javanese jasmine tea served hot with lump sugar in a small clay teapot (called poci). Teh poci is originally from the areas of Tegal, Pemalang, and Pekalongan in the northern coast of Central Java.

The nasi lemak I had was not as good as the one I once tasted in Malaysia, but the the teh poci was as good as I had expected.