5th Chronicle: New York City, NY

I have always be amazed by New York City since I was 5 years old. To me, NYC was a majestic city that will let you conquer your dreams with its broadway entertainment and amazing fine dining places. When I moved to New Jersey 2 years ago, I went to NYC at least once a month. It is a place that is full of surprises and unlimited fine dining, a place that provides endless opportunities for me to embrace on culinary and travel expeditions.

Since I know NYC very well, I've been dragging my parents every time they visit me. I've always take in charge of the places that we go to, especially fine dining places. However, through this post, I really want to share the perfect day in NYC that you can spend with your family.

The first thing that I want to clarify is that I don't like going to museums with my parents, because my parents hate museums. Therefore, this one day expedition will not include any museums.

So, one of the best thing that I love to do with my parents when we're at NYC is to go to Central Park. It's always a lovely experience to walk down the Central Park with my parents especially during the spring season. My parents and I usually go to Central Park in the morning to run around the jogging trails located around the river in Central Park. It is amazing, because for once we can spend time together while exercising. You can also rent a bicycle if you prefer to bike around the trails. Or maybe, you and your parents can play frisbee or throw footballs to each other at the park. After exercising, my parents and I usually go back to our hotel and get ready for yet another amazing day at NYC.

After a morning exercise at Central Park, you and your parents must be starving. It's time to go on a culinary tour of New York City. Every time we go to NYC, we've always joined "foods of New York" tours because you can really embrace culinary experiences at different areas. The best area that I've been is Chelsea Market and Meatpacking District Food and Culture walking tour. I had the chance to explore NYC's urban indoor food market that is 112 year old. In here, you will get a chance to taste 7 different foods that are so unique such as a simple yet delicious italian cold soup, Gazpacho and Vichyssoise. You will also visit the famous Amy's Bread bakery near the Chelsea Market. It features sandwiches, cookies, morning parties and hearth-baked breads that are crusty, chewy yet a moist crumb texture inside.

After filling your stomach with those sweet treats, you will have a chance to step outside to the new "high line" elevated outdoor park for great views on the Hudson River. However, your culinary journey has not ended yet. Instead, you will sit-down on a food tasting fine dining restaurant in the Meatpacking District. Meatpacking District is all about trendy restaurants and actually the hottest destination for nightlife. In here, you can go to Iron Chef Restaurants such as Morimoto's restaurant or Mario Batali's Del Posto. Both undoubtedly offers amazing food and you will be surprised by the types of food they create. Morimoto offers authentic japanese food while Del Posto is the ultimate symbol of what an Italian restaurant should be.

Upon completing this 3-4 hours culinary tour, I recommend that you visit time square or other popular NYC landmarks such as the Empire State building or Rockefeller center if this is your first time visiting NYC. This is because you need to let yourself take a break before you go to Gordon Ramsay's top restaurant, The Maze at The London Hotel. I've always been a big fan of Gordon Ramsay since he is such an inspirational chef for me. I love his food, and I recommend you to go to his restaurant at Manhattan.

When you make your reservation, there will be two options to dine in, The Maze and Gordon Ramsay at the London. I recommend that you dine in the maze because it is a much more casual fine dining atmosphere compared to Gordon Ramsay. Being a teenager, I prefer to dine in at The Maze because Gordon Ramsay is too sophisticated and high-class for a teenager like me. Make sure not to confused between the two places because Gordon Ramsay is a dining room within The Maze. They also have different types of menu.

When you go to the maze, you will be welcomed by the friendly staff into the main dining room. Your staff will explain about the background of the maze and also the types of food that they offer. It doesn't matter, because if this is your first time to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, you need to order his beef wellington. This restaurant is where you will find the greatest beef wellington in the world. It took chef Gordon Ramsay 18 years to perfect his beef wellington recipe. Beef wellington is a traditional English beef tenderloin coated with a crispy puff pastry. I also recommend making your beef wellington medium or medium well because well done will make your meat dry and tough.

For appetizer, I recommend the baked beetroots and seared see scallops with butternut squash puree and pumpkin seed. If you know Gordon Ramsay, you know that he is well-known for his seared scallops and beetroots. They are simply amazing. The only thing that needs to be fixed is the price and the small portion. And lastly, as a teenager, I'm a big fan of sweets and desserts. Even though the Maze doesn't have a lot of choices for desserts, I recommend ordering the chocolate fondant and coconut mousse. The chocolate fondant is accompanied by a salted almond ice cream topped with green cardamom caramel. It is unbelievable. I know that the last time I was there, I finished two portions by myself. If your parents are not a big fan of chocolate, I recommend ordering the meyer lemon curd with pistachio ice cream and mascarpone mousse. It is a refreshing dessert that is perfect to end your dining experience at The Maze. And that is it, the perfect culinary expedition that you can experience at NYC.

Morimoto at Meatpacking District

Cheesecake at Amy's Bread

Amy's Bread

Chelsea Market

Cookies at Amy's Bread

Inside of Chelsea Market

Central Park

Jogging Trails at Central Park 

Chelsea Market

The Maze Dining Room

Central Park

Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington

Additional Links:
http://www.thelondonnyc.com

http://www.foodsofny.com/index.php

4th Chronicle: Negev, Jakarta, Indonesia

The chronicle continues as I reminisce one of the happiest moments in my life, when I turned 17 years old. I celebrated my birthday in the most unique restaurant in Jakarta, Negev.

Negev itself is a desert in the region of southern Israel. The interesting property of this desert is that it's not suitable for any trees to grow here. However, mystically, one huge tree grew and eventually became the symbol of strength and hope. Against all odds, this tree called Acacia grew in the highest region of Negev.

Negev is the place where you want to recommend your parents to go after a long exhausting day in Jakarta. It is located in the metropolitan area of Jakarta at City Plaza, Wisma Mulia. Negev is a casual dining restaurant and a gallery bar inspired by great artisanal designs. It has an imaginative yet remarkable surrounding of art, sculpture and carvings including a rare masterpiece from one of the legendary artist in Indonesia, Nyoman Nuarta. As soon as you enter, you can see the multi-faceted walls carved to tell you a story behind the name "Negev." You are surrounded by sculptures, carvings and paintings that hang from the extremely high ceilings facing down on you. While you and your parents are waiting for your oder, you can keep yourself busy looking at the unique masterpieces located all over the restaurant. Don't forget to see the large attention-grabbing wall carving behind the cocktail bar titled "Evolution." You can even ask one of the bartender to explain the story behind that sculpture!

Lets start with the appetizer. I recommend ordering the spicy samosas and seared foie gras with pear and apple compote on brown butter brioche. The spicy samosas are crispy on the outside with bold flavors in the inside. The foie gras is fresh, cleansing your pallets with those acidic fruity ingredients on top that prepares you perfectly to go on to the main course. Your dining experience will be wasted if you don't oder their specialty infused beers. Their lemon & lime tequila infused beer is ranked number 1 in the country. It is a mix of lemon sorbet fresh lime juice, tequila and beer. This is a very rejuvenating and fresh cocktail that you won't get anywhere else. They also have other infused beer such as raspberry rum beer, elderflower gin infused beer float and strawberry vodka infused beer float. If you insist not to drink any alcoholic beverages, I recommend ordering their healthy juices & cocktails. Their well-known cocktail is "moody blues", it is a calming mix of strawberries, beetroot and pineapple juice.

Going on to the main course, you need to order their specialty lamb chops. This is where you will be transported into the Mediterranean through a succulent lamb chops seasoned with Mediterranean herbs and spices. Simply put, it's delicious. They also have amazing pastas such as the classic carbonara fettucine and the spinach and ricotta tortellini. Your dining experience is not complete without their ultimate dessert. Their desserts are the reason why you need to book at least 2 weeks ahead. They have the best desserts in the country, hiring a French pastry chef who's in charge of creating their magnificent desserts. If you and your parents are dessert lovers and you guys don't care about your weight at all, then I recommend to order all of the dessert on the menu. They only have 10 specialty desserts in the menu, and I truly believe that you and your parents can finish them all. However, if you and your parents are on a weight-loss program, then I recommend ordering the Negev Chocolate Bar, White Wine Sabayon served with Fresh Fruit and the Hot Exotic Coconut Soufflé. Without any additional descriptions needed, you will be transported into heaven with these desserts.

After having a lovely dinner with your family, it's time for you, young people, to go to the authentic Negev Bar. In here, you can have fun socializing with other young teenagers, even the bartender himself. When I was there, I had an amazing time talking with the bartender, and even making my own cocktail. Surprisingly, you can order any cocktails that you want, as long as Negev has the ingredients and alcohol to produce the cocktail. The bartenders are so friendly and they'll let you shake your own cocktail.

Your night isn't over yet. This restaurant is actually owned by a popular Indonesian actor, Mike Lewis. Mike Lewis usually hangs around his restaurant every night starting from 9 PM. When I was there, I had the opportunity to talk to him and even drink a couple of shots with him. He's such an amazing and humble person to be around with. He even came to my parents and talked with them for a couple of minutes!

Last but not least, after all the alcohol that you consumed, it's time for you to go party and go to Blowfish. Blowfish is located right next to Negev, and it is a modern club. There are so many young people (16-21 years old) and I guarantee you will have an awesome night there. Just make sure that you have a permission from your parents!

Main Dining Room 

Seared Bass

Lamb Chop 

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Chilled Chocolate Parfait

Saphire Martini, Rising Sun, Kir Royal

Seafood Linguine

Blowfish Lounge

Healthy Juices

Dining Room 

Blowfish 

Sculptures at Negev

Negev Chocolate Bar

Sculptures at Negev

Sculptures at Negev

Tequila Shots

"Evolution" Carved-Wall

Blowfish

Beer Infusions

Additional Links:

www.negevresto.com

3rd Chronicle: elBulli, Spain

The journey continues as I talk about the greatest restaurant in this world. It is elBulli, a Michelin 3-star restaurant located near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by the #1 ranked chef in the world, Ferran Adria. I went there 4 years ago and I can still remember the flavors of the food that are beyond words. My parents brought me to elBulli to celebrate my 13th birthday, and I actually insisted them to book 2 years ahead.

elBulli never fail to amaze people with its unique twist on their culinary experiences. This restaurant is the home of molecular gastronomy. Those of you out there who is obsessed with chemistry and food, this is your heaven and paradise. The food that are offered here will leave you with a lasting impression. I promise.

This best travel experience of my life started with a taxi drive along a dark and windy sea cliff road that leads me to the restaurant overlooking a small cove on the Mediterranean. It is simply majestic. If I can have my last supper, it will definitely be in that restaurant overlooking the sea. At 7.30 PM precisely, my parents and I were given a host who led us through the kitchen to see the chefs at work and met with Ferran Adria himself. After that, the host brought us to the table that we request 2 years ago, right outside the patio overlooking the magnificent view of the Mediterranean. And then, the experience of being in the food paradise began.

This is the place where I had the best family dinner with my parents. We had the 35-course taster's menu that offers a grand experience of tastes, textures and wonder. The creations are majestically designed to surprise you in every single way. Imagine a simple Lollipop that is enhanced with liquid nitrogen that creates a flavor of web of white chocolate, lemon and coffee candy. Next, imagine rabbit meat with hot apple jelly that is topped with liquid nitrogen liquid bubbles that are filled with lime jelly flavor. There's also the spherification, the shaping of a liquid into spheres, of chocolate and eucalyptus with pear sorbet. Then there's "couscous" of cauliflower with solid aromatic salsa, "quince paste" of red fruits with curd, hot and cold trout roe tempura, bread with oil and chocolate, white asparagus with hot mayonnaise, and the list goes on.

However, I still remember it crystal clear on that 25th course. It is called "Pillow like a cocktail." It is a styrofoam-like hot-dog bun with a garish green center. As soon as it touched my tongue, it liquified in my mouth to create the perfect burst of pina colada. Then there's the olive oil chip which was very playful and fun. Next, there's the tomato tartare looking like a perfect tuna tartare. I was expecting to taste the tuna, but it blew my expectations away and I experienced the most delicious tomatoes I've ver tasted. The last course was a lavish dessert box filled with at least 75 chocolates, the box even had drawers which include directions from our server on how to best eat it: such as
"Eat it now" to "take two bites" to "smell the truffle bag first, then eat the food, then rub the truffle bag to your food and smell it again." This experience was truly magical, words can't simply describe how amazing it was. Ferran Adria totally played with my expectations, blowing them away, making myself question exactly what food is and why we like what we eat. I questioned myself over and over again what I just ate, and the taste was completely different in each course.

Our dinner last over four hours as we were being served with six different servers. After the amazing experience, we went to the edge of the patio to fully enjoy the view of Spain. It was truly amazing, because the restaurant was built on the highest part of the town of Roses. And finally, when I walked through the gate of the restaurants into my taxi, I turned back and stared at elBulli asking myself, "Did tonight really happen? Was it a dream?"

Razor-Shell Clam Sushi with Ginger Spray

Beet in Textures

El Bulli 

Spherical Egg of White Asparagus with False Truffle

Rose of Beet with Mandarin & Almond Sherbet

Mango & Vanilla Ice Cream Roll

Spiral (Lavender) 

Sorbet of Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries with Campari & Orange Confit

Bread with Tomato

"Quince Paste" of Red Fruits with Curd

Chocolate & Eucalyptus with Pear Sorbet

Bread with oil and Chocolate

Hot & Cold Trout Roe Tempura

Lollipop of White Chocolate & Lemon and Coffee Candy

Rabbit with Hot Apple Jelly

Patio Dining Room 

Oysters with Smoked Iberian Pancetta

"Gran Creu Negra"

Letter Soup 

Additional Links:

http://www.elbulli.com/