Puncak, Indonesia

It is about a two-and-a-half hour's journey driving from central Jakarta to Puncak, up in the mountains in the Bogor-Cianjur region in West Java. Expect it to be longer if it's on a weekend, when traffic can be very heavy on the narrow road.

Arriving at the Kota Bunga resort in Cipanas, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a beautiful place, with bungalows and chalets featuring architecture from different parts of the world. But because it was Ramadan, the place was almost deserted.

Club Bali Suites is a resort and spa deep inside Kota Bunga, on top of a rise in the area. It is a really very lovely hotel with a garden setting, with rooms surrounding the swimming pool. Nice quiet getaway from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

My room was adequately furnished and very comfortable, it even had a little pantry area where you can cook. The is a stove, a refrigerator and even a water cooler. The view was beautiful, looking out over the valley, and facing the morning rising sun. What a beautiful dawn, watching the sunrise right from the balcony outside my room.

The spa was also good, giving a 50% discount for hotel guests. My first time going for a massage at the spa. It was a wonderful experience, so comfortable and relaxing.

One disadvantage in Kota Bunga is that there is no restaurant or food available. However, you can book a motorcycle or a car to bring you out to find food. And one of the best restaurants in the mountains is Rindu Alam. It is a must try. There are 2 branches, but I would recommend the one along the road up to the resort.

The restaurant is overlooking the deep valley and perched on a cliff. Excellent view even at night. The food is very good as well and very reasonably priced.

As for places to visit in the highlands, my newfound friend Fahmi recommended that I go to the waterfalls, or Air Tejun as they called it. It was a 10 minute drive from the resort, but what they did not tell me was, to reach the waterfalls, it was a 2-hour trek up the mountain along a rocky path. I was glad I went there in the morning, when the sun was not so hot. Do bring lots of water with you, as I lost almost 2 kg at the end of the  trek.

And it was all worth it, because the view from up in the mountains was amazing. Although the waterfall is not a huge one, it was still a great feeling to be so closed to the thunderous rushing water. The cold sprays from the waterfall was also very refreshing. Absolutely no regrets climbing for 2 hours.

Coming down from the waterfall, which took much less time than climbing up, there is a row of stalls along the road that sells souvenirs and fried tapioca/yam crackers.

Riding out to eat, another place recommended is Sate Shinta, near the Cipanas market. They serve chicken, mutton and beef sate and other cooked food. However, I am not a big fan of Indonesian sate, so I found the food there edible at best.

When in Puncak, you must visit the fresh vegetable markets. The green vegetables are so succulent and fresh, quite irresistable. Even the fruits like pineapples, soursops and bananas look so inviting. And I could not help but to buy the delicious avocados. They are so inexpensive, that I am limited only by the weight I can carry back on the plane.

All in all, it was a wonderful couple of days in Puncak, and I am very glad that I made the trip there. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wishes to get away from the rat race and recharge. I will definitely return for another visit.
   

Food Hits 'N Misses

Recently visited 3 different restaurants that serve similar type of food. Here is just what I think of them.

Jack's Place at West Coast Recreation Centre. The food there was mediocre at best. The Potato Skins had too much potato on them, making it abit soggy instead of being crisp and fragrant. The Mushrooms With Slipper Lobster And Crab Meat did not fare well either. Could not taste the lobster or crab meat, and the cheese completely overwhelmed any taste of the mushrooms.

The Jack's Seafood Spaghetti was better. Quite a large serving of noodles topped with a tomato-based sauce and pieces of seafood. Too bad the dish did not come with grated Parmesan cheese.

I found the Chef's Salad alittle too meaty, with roast beef, chicken, ham, cheese, hard-boiled egg, and too little vegetables. It was filling though, and is a meal in itself. The roast beef was too thickly sliced and tough to the bite.

The Fillet Mignon accompanied by a baked potato and some steamed vegetables was ordinary. The steak was well-done but the chicken bacon was not crisp enough for my liking. And the steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots lacked imagination. Quite disappointing.

Mariner's Corner is located at the Maritime House along Cantonment Road. I have noticed it for some time, driving past frequently, but never had the chance to step in till couple of months ago. It was like stepping into the past. The restaurant gave me a feeling of being in the 80s, where it was hip to be seen in such a steak house.

The food here is slightly above average for the prices we paid. The biggest surprise is that they still have a salad bar, where you can help yourself to. Such a practice have since faded with the turn of the century. I especially liked the beetroot and the pasta salad. They even have cubed croutons and raisins to top your salad with.

The oxtail stew I had was not what I had expected. It came in a claypot and there were no vegetables in the stew, just plain meat. The accompanying vegetables came on a separate plate. As such the sweetness of the vegetable was missing in the stew. The meat was tender though.

The T-bone Steak faired better. It was a large cut topped with black pepper sauce, which filled the entire hot-plate. The baked potato and vegetables has to be served on a side plate as there was not enough space on the hot-plate. The meat was tender and cooked as requested. However, the dessert that came with the meal was quite miserable. A small piece on a plate that was too big.

Another restaurant that I visited in February this year was a much better find than the other two. It was located at Tanjong Katong Road, along a row of shophouses beside Goodman Road.

The food there was creatively presented, like the cute Hawaii Seafood Cakes, the Norwegian Salmon Fillet and the French Chicken Breast. The food was quite good too. Especially the chicken breast meat, it was so tender and so succulent and juicy, so unlike the normal meat that we get at chicken rice stalls.

But what is the most memorable were their desserts. The Red Wine Pear with Honey was tempting. I would have loved it to be a tad sweeter for a dessert though. However, the dessert that I would like to rave about is the Molten Chocolate Cake.

So far, it is the best molten chocolate cake I have eaten, and to top it off, it is made with Valrhona Chocolate. The dish took alittle longer to arrive, but the handsome manager Alex explained that they needed to bake it just right. When it came, the cake was still warm. I poked my fork into it and the melted chocolate just flowed out like lava from a volcano. Absolutely stunning and totally delicious.

Too bad, when I wanted to return for a second helping of the wonderful Molten Chocolate Cake a month later, the restaurant Figo's Grail had closed. Such a pity!