Had lunch at the Lotus Cantonese Szechuan Restaurant in Hilton Hotel, Jakarta today. Took their dim sum buffet at 58,000Rp. My two bottles of sparkling water came to around the same price as the buffet! Food was only average and service was terrible. I chose to sit near the window, outside the main dining hall, and the dim sum carts just kept going round inside the dining hall, and stayed there even when they weren't serving anyone. I complained and the service turned better after that.

Had dinner tonight at the ground floor restaurant of Furama, Jakarta. This is the place in Jakarta to get teochew porridge with all kinds of dishes, including char siew (BBQ pork) and steamed chicken. I was missing these food items after being away from Singapore for 2 weeks. The price is reasonable. I paid around 40,000Rp for a bowl of porridge, a plate of char siew, a plate of steamed chicken, two pieces of braised beancurd, and a small pot of coffee.

Goku (Setiabudi Building, Lantai, Blok C-4, Jln. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 62, Jakarta 12920) is a shabu-shabu restaurant in a zen setting, complete with a waterfall. Both Australian and USDA beef are available. Simple and nice.

Sanur Restaurant (Jl. IR. H. Juanda III No.31, Jakarta) is a very famous Chinese restaurant in Indonesia serving very special Chinese food. The squid, cooked in sweet black source, is done so tenderly there's not a slight rubbery texture. The crabmeat and asparagus soup is also very good. There's also clam, sliced and steamed with soy sauce in their own shell that is delicious.

The food at Sedap Malam is very similar to that of Aroma Laut. I prefer the BBQ prawns at Sedap Malam and the deep fried gurame fish at Aroma Laut. Sedap Malam is a lot bigger than Aroma Laut and seems to be in a more easily accessible neighbourhood. We had a meal for 8 with fish, prawns, crabs, and mussels which came up to only about S$160.

Pondok Aroma Laut is an interesting BBQ seafood restaurant in Jakarta. Somewhat similar to Sedap Malam but the shop is small and the kitchen is out in the open, at the front of the shop. I especially like their gurame goreng, which is very crispy, and udang bakar (grilled prawns). The prawns are really huge! Another interesting dish is grilled squid stuffed with squid roe. This is the first time I had eaten squid roe.

Although not exceptional, OK Chinese food can be found at Wang Palace, Redtop Hotel, Jakarta. The prawn dishes are quite cheap, starting at 65,000Rp for small ones.

I stayed at the Redtop Hotel, Jakarta. This is a business class hotel with good value. You can get a clean good size room equipped with a work desk for about US$40 per night, including complimentary breakfast. Location of the hotel is quite good, close to the National Monument.

I've been in Jakarta, Indonesia since 12 Jun. Haven't had time to pen this until now. I had been in Jakarta 3 times before this, but under less stable situations. Those trips were made between 1998 and 1999. Business activities seem to be reasonable. Safety has also improved although I still wouldn't walk the streets at night. Things are generally cheaper compared to Singapore but some are surprisingly expensive.

Had a bottle of Frescobaldi Brunello di Montalcino 1996 with dinner at Dragon City Sichuan Restaurant tonight. This wine is deep ruby red and has intense aromas of berries. On the palate it is well structured and has a spicy note. This wine received a rating of 90 points from Winespectator in June 2001.

Had dinner at Dragon City Sichuan Restaurant (Copthorne Orchid Singapore, 214 Dunearn Road, Singapore 299526) tonight. Their appetizer, century egg with smoke hot sauce, is very special and one of my all time favourites, as is their smoke duck. We had a bottle of Frescobaldi Brunello di Montalcino 1996 (reviewed here) with our dinner.

I had a glass of Frescobaldi Remole Chianti Toscana 1998 with my dinner last nite at OGGI. This is a blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a light red with plum and oak undertones. Smooth with soft tannins. Winespectator gave this wine a rating of 82 points in November 1999.

I just found my favourite Italian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur! I had dinner at OGGI, located in The Regent Kuala Lumpur, last night. I had only been there once previously and had the Dessert Extravaganza, a sampler of the chef's desserts. The decor was chic with an open-concept kitchen.

I started with an order of Frescobaldi Remole 1998 (reviewed here). The captain brought me the 2001 vintage instead. I had a taste and found that it couldn't be a 1998 Sangiovese, it was too acidic and lacked complexity. That's when I checked the label and found it to be the 2001 vintage. I alerted the captain who promptly apologized for the mistake and served me the 1998 vintage instead.

I had the Pizza Misto Mare (seafood pizza) for dinner. It is a well-done thin-crust pizza. I thought I couldn't finish it when it was brought to the table but I managed at the end. The crust was delightfully light.

The service was impeccable with the two captains every so often checking on me to see if everything was fine.

OGGI also offers a four-course set dinner at RM90. It looks kind of heavy, but I would try it when I'm hungrier the next time.