Halo Niko! - When Greek Blends Perfectly with Javanese

Last Saturday, I was invited by Zomato (Kak Shabrina & friends) to have Zomato Meet Up that includes lunch + cooking workshop together with another zomato foodies. The venue itself is at Halo Niko! It’s my first Zomato Meet Up ever, and I’m so excited to join in! 

THE INTRODUCTION 

The name of Halo Niko! is implying to the Chef / the owner of Halo Niko!, which is Niko. It is a Greek combined with Javanese restaurants that is owned by a couple. The chef, Niko, is originally come from Greece and his wife, Mbak Kika is from Java, Indonesia. The one who design the super cute, cozy, plus homey interior of Halo Niko! is Mbak Kika. There are a lot of favorite spots that I super love here.

This one is totally my fave!

Besides Halo Niko! they actually have another place just right next to it, which is Kembang Kencur plus a clothing store. The place in Kembang Kencur is bigger than Halo Niko! So if there’s customer who wants to held some events, they can use Kembang Kencur rather than Halo Niko! Just for example, The Zomato Meet Up is held in Kembang Kencur.

Kembang Kencur Wall Ornament

If you take a look carefully, Halo Niko! use the “Teko” ornament, hanging on the wall as a lamp. Besides the function which is a water storage, “Teko” in Javanese languange means “Come” so they believe that more people will come to the restaurant.

Niko, he's preparing the food for us!! 

THE STARTERS

Banana Chocochips Cake

When the foodies ask Niko, “what is the name of this dish?” Chef Niko said “Roti Pisang” and we all just laugh! Well, it’s more than just “Roti Pisang”, believe me! It’s really flavorful, I can feel the banana and the chocochips just make it perfect. It doesn’t use any egg and butter, so it’s kinda healthy and no guilty feeling! *wink

THE MAIN COURSE

There are 3 kind of menus that is provided by Halo Niko! for us

1. Souvlaki Chicken

Caution: BIG PORTION!! 

Believe me, it’s totally huge! It’s like a Kebab, but very much larger and it uses prata bread to wrap the fillings and the prata is not fried. 

The fillings itself consist of Chicken (slices, just like Kebab Meat), vegetables (Tomatoes,etc), mayonnaise. The taste is super delicious! Even though I’m not a veggie, but I eat all the vegetables inside it! Just imagine, the taste must be so incredible, LOL.

2. Greek Salad

The real Greek Salad!

Unfortunately, I don’t try this one because I’m not a fan of salad and vegetables. Yeah, I’m rarely eat vegetables *the blame is on me, I know* 

3. Mama Moussaka

This is so damn good!

The Sweet Cassava

I think this dish is THE WINNER! It’s similar to a lasagna, but it’s much more delicious than lasagna, believe me. With the cheese covering the super tender beef and other stuffs inside, it’s really mouth watering. You can eat it with the sweet casava. Again, even though I’m not a veggie, I eat the eggplant inside the moussaka! Yes, it is my first time ever to eat an eggplant, can you believe that? I’m also so proud of myself right now, hahaha!

THE DRINK

Vanilla Lime

This drink taste like a melted pudding. Even there’s lime in it, you can barely taste it, which is really nice for me! Totally a refreshing one.

THE COOKING WORKSHOP

Bugatsa

Niko show us how to make the Bugatsa and I even had a chance to make it (not from 0 of course, they already provide the dough and the fillings, I just need to combine it together)

FYI, Bugatsa is a greek milk cream pie that is fried and then served with cinnamon and sugar. The skin is so crispy! On the contrary, the fillings is so smooth and soft even after the frying process. Yum Yum! Serve it with hot tea and your day is perfect!

The preparation

The Demo

Tara!! This is it! The Bugatsa!

What I really love here is that the food doesn’t use MSG at all. It’s all home made, so be patient while waiting for the food, okay? Just relax and enjoy your time here like you’re home! The owner is super friendly too, feel free to chit chat with them!

P.S : I really love the slogan, Halo Niko! Banyak Makan, Banyak Teman ! :)) 

I just can’t wait for another zomato foodies meet up event(s) ;p

Halo Niko!

The Promenade, Lantai Basement 2

Jl. Buncit Raya No. 98, Pasar Minggu

Jakarta Selatan

Phone: 021 - 29704981 ext. 151

More information? VISIT HERE

Thanks, reader(s)!
[Megan Faustine]

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Ambarawa: Candi Gedong Songo, Temples on The Mountain!

After circling around Semarang, I don’t feel it’s enough and therefore, I’m continuing my journey to Ambarawa. Anyway, I haven’t talk to you about the culinary in Semarang right? Let me finish my journey first in Ambarawa, and then I’ll give you spoiler about what to eat in Semarang ! ;)

Setelah berkeliling di Semarang, aku rasa nggak cukup hanya sampai disini saja. Oleh karena itulah, aku meneruskan perjalanan ke Ambarawa. Ngomong-ngomong, aku belum bercerita seputar kuliner di Semarang, ya? Biarkan aku menceritakan seluruh perjalanan dulu, lalu aku akan memberikan bocoran tentang kuliner Semarang yang wajib kamu coba!

Ambarawa can be reached for about 2 hours from Semarang by car. The road to Ambarawa is kinda small and it’s really curvy (like mountain - curvy) because the location of Ambarawa itself is near the mountain. 

Ambarawa dapat ditempuh dalam perjalanan lebih kurang 2 jam dari Semarang. Jalan menuju Ambarawa agak sempit serta berkelok-kelok seperti jalan menuju kawasan pegunungan. Kawasan Ambarawa sendiri memang berada di gunung, sehingga tidak heran kalau perjalanannya seperti itu. 

If you go to Ambarawa, then you shouldn’t and mustn’t miss GEDONG SONGO TEMPLE, one of the tourist attractions that is really gorgeous in here. It is located almost at the very top, so just continue driving your car until you see the big sign “Candi Gedong Songo”. There are plenty local people in front of the gate, so you wouldn’t miss the sign. If you worried / confused, then ask the local about the location, they all know where it is.

Kalau pergi ke Ambarawa, kamu nggak boleh melupakan CANDI GEDONG SONGO, salah satu atraksi atau tempat wisata yang sangat mengagumkan disini. Lokasinya hampir berada di puncak, jadi terus saja berkendara dengan mobil sampai kamu melihat sebuah tulisan “Candi Gedong Songo”. Terdapat banyak orang lokal menunggu didepan gerbang, jadi nggak mungkin kamu melewatinya. Kalau bingung / khawatir tersesat, cobalah bertanya pada orang sekitar, mereka semua tau kok dimana lokasinya.

Pintu Masuk

Hungry? There are several choices of food too!

As usual, before going in, you need to pay for the entrance fee. Then, you can go inside the place. Inside, you will found a “Horse-Tour Package” to go around Ambarawa. My suggestion is you take the tour.

Seperti biasanya, kamu perlu membeli tiket masuk. Kemudian, barulah bisa masuk ke dalam tempat wisata ini. Didalam, kamu akan menemukan sebuah paket keliling candi dengan kuda. Saranku, lebih baik ambillah paket tur tersebut. 

WHY TAKE THE HORSE-TOUR?

One reason, The place is just too damn big

Gedong Songo Temple is really huge! If you want to take a walk, it will be a total of 4 kilos, not to mention the climbing part, the forest, the unknown part, and others. If you ride a horse + there’s someone to guide you around, it’ll be nicer, right? 

Besides, In my opinion, the price of the horse-tour is really affordable & it’s a new experience. You’ll also be taught on how to ride a horse.

Satu alasannya, tempat ini terlalu besar.

Candi Gedong Songo sangat luas! Kalau kamu ingin berjalan, total yang harus ditempuh adalah 4 kilo, belum lagi kamu harus mendaki lembah-lembah, menyusuri hutan, tempat lain yang tak ada petunjuknya, dan lain sebagainya. Kalau kamu menaiki kuda dan terdapat seorang “Guide” yang akan menemanimu berkeliling, akan lebih baik bukan?

Lagipula, menurutku ongkos untuk naik berkuda sangat terjangkau & ini adalah pengalaman yang baru. Kamu juga akan diajari bagaimana cara menaiki kuda.

THE TOUR AROUND AMBARAWA

The tour takes about 1 hour in total. This is assuming that you won’t take pictures around - which is absolutely impossible - If you take photos, then it depends on how fast you take it. 

Perjalanan ini memakan waktu 1 jam, dengan asumsi kamu tidak akan mengambil foto sepanjang perjalanan, yang mana hal ini pasti mustahil, hahaha! Kalau kamu mengambil foto disekeliling, maka tergantung seberapa cepat kamu mengambil foto tersebut.

Horse riding!

Semarang: Sam Poo Kong, Feeling Like in China!

The Entrance

Semarang also famous for its temple, which is Sam Poo Kong. My recommendation is for you to visit Lawang Sewu (read about it here) first in the morning, then move on to Sam Poo Kong temple. Why is that? Because the location is not that far, only about 10 minutes from Lawang Sewu.

Semarang juga dikenal dengan kuilnya yang bernama Sam Poo Kong. Rekomendasi dariku, kamu bisa berkunjung terlebih dahulu ke Lawang Sewu (baca lebih lengkap disini) pada pagi hari, kemudian baru berkunjung ke kuil Sam Poo Kong. Mengapa? karena jarak kedua tempat ini tidak jauh, sekitar 10 menit saja dari Lawang Sewu. 

GETTING AROUND

I can guarantee that Sam Poo Kong will be super crowded. I park my car outside the parking area - it’s okay, there are some people who look after your car - and trust me, wear sunglasses or a hat in the afternoon, it’s super hot! 

Aku berani menjamin tempat ini pasti akan sangat ramai. Aku bahkan harus memarkirkan mobil diluar area parkir - tenang saja, terdapat tukang parkir yang akan menjaga mobil kalian. Kemudian, jangan lupa menggunakan kacamata pelindung sinar matahari atau topi pada siang hari. Cuacanya sangat panas dan matahari begitu terik.

It's super hot here!

You need to pay the admission fee before entering the place. You can even hire a guide if you want to. Unfortunately, at that time the guide isn’t there at all, so I can’t hire one… But still, I’m so excited to look around Sam Poo Kong!

Kamu wajib membeli tiket masuk di depan pintu, dan mereka juga menyediakan seorang guide disini. Sayangnya, ketika itu tidak ada guide sama sekali, sehingga aku tidak memakai guide. Tetap saja, aku sangat bersemangat untuk berkeliling Sam Poo Kong!

The Entrance

ABOUT SAM POO KONG

Hey there! Yes it's me posing on the wall ;)

I can’t tell you much of the history since I don’t really know what is the story behind Sam Poo Kong. I guess it will be better if I had a guide, showing me around :’( 

Aku tidak bisa bercerita banyak seputar sejarah Sam Poo Kong karena aku tidak mengetahui cerita lengkap mengenai Sam Poo Kong. Akan lebih baik kalau seandainya ada seorang guard yang bisa menemaniku selama disana :’(

But I still can tell you how beautiful and large Sam Poo Kong is! You’ll feel like you’re in China or Hongkong or even Taiwan when you step into the temple. The paint is all bright red, and it’s really shiny under the sun. 

Tetapi, aku masih bisa bercerita bagaimana indah serta besarnya area Sam Poo Kong! Kamu akan merasa berada di China, Hongkong, bahkan di Taiwan saat melangkah masuk ke sekitar area. Keseluruhan catnya bewarna merah membara, dan begitu berkilauan dibawah sinar matahari.

Feeling like in China, right?

Posing with mom and dad

Sam Poo Kong is really crowded with people, and it’s so hard to have a great landscape photos there. I hope through my photos, I can tell you how awesome it is! 

Sam Poo Kong sangat penuh dengan orang didalamnya, sehingga sangat sulit untuk mendapatkan foto pemandangan yang baik. Semoga saja lewat foto-foto ini, aku dapat menceritakan kepada kalian semua tentang betapa mengagumkannya Sam Poo Kong!

It's super crowded!

No need to go to China or Hongkong or Taiwan to look for beautiful temples, you just need to go to Semarang and visit Sam Poo Kong! 

Nggak perlu jauh-jauh ke China atau Hongkong atau Taiwan untuk melihat-lihat kuil yang indah. Cukup pergi ke Semarang dan kunjungilah Sam Poo Kong!

So beautiful, isn't it?

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Thanks, reader(s)!

[Megan Faustine]

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