MUST EAT in Paris Van Jawa: BreadLife Green Tea Ice- cream, Fruity Juice & Mochi Mochi

OMG. I was about to blog about Penang then I realised that I have one more Bandung post to write! To think that I declared that my previous blog post is my last blog post, it's embarrasing LOL Anyway, this wouldn't be a long post, just to tie up some loose ends. 

BreadLife

Paris Van Jawa, Bandung

BreadLife entrance

I'm hoping that we can only find BreadLife in Bandung because somehow it really looks very familiar. If I could find this bakery in Malaysia I'd not blog about it already haha I'm also very lazy to do a quick google on whether you can find it in Malaysia so I'm assuming that we can only find this in Bandung okay!

I was there in the bakery for ice- cream. Yup, you heard me correctly. Not buns but ice- cream!! Talking about buns, it reminds me of my new friend Suba who LOVES buns! Gaya would pack buns home for her when we were out.

Array of buns

I though that I should have a picture of buns since it's after all a bakery. By the time I was there, around 7pm there weren't many buns left so I didn't buy any. I think when buns, or in fact any products, are finishing they look kinda sad:S

And that's why Magnum Cafe Malaysia always tops up their toppings frequently, not leaving any half empty. This makes their shop's products look alive and happy! 

Ice- cream w Gaya

Green Tea ice- cream before dinner! Noms!

If I've not mistaken they are rather popular for their ice- cream despite the fact that they are bakery. I had to queue for the ice- cream! They have green tea ice- cream, vanilla ice- cream or you would request for a swirl of green tea and vanilla! 

Obviously I asked for the green tea swirl because I wanted the best of both worlds LOL The ice- cream was as good as the green tea ice- cream that they sell here in Malaysia but for a fraction of it's price! 

The soft cream green tea ice- cream here cost about RM4.50 to RM6!! But I think I paid about RM2 for my ice- cream at BreadLife and it tasted very Matcha natural.

Deviating a little, here are some pictures of the selection of juices that can be found in Indonesia!

Juice aisle 1

Juice aisle 2

Talking about juice, I've quickly deviate from the ice- cream topic to the juice topic :P Also at Paris Van Jawa, I saw this ice blended juice stall in the mall but I did not try it till the second last day there in Bandung because it looks like something that I could easily get back home.

Thank God I decided to give it a shot on the second last day there because I would mad regret if I didn't! 

The juice was absolutely yummy!!! I've no idea what these Indonesian people put in their food and drink but they make the ordinary extraordinary!!

Fruity 

Paris Van Jawa, Bandung

This is the stall! It welcomes you with 7 hardcore fruit blender!

Initially, the plan was for me to get more avocado juice before I leave Bandung because the avacado juice in Bandung is super delicious yet super cheap!!! It's probably half of the price in Malaysia! 

But unfortunately (or fortunately) the lady said that she ran out of Avacado. That, or the avacado hasn't arrived, I forgot. So I asked her to recommend me a drink from the menu since there were so many!

Menu

So she recommended Vanilla Wildberries! According to her lots of people like it so I'm like okay, let's give it a shot! The drink wasn't priced as cheap as I thought it would be, about RM7 I think. Maybe because it's in Paris Van Jawa but after having my first slurp I was like.. TAKE ALL MY MONEYYYYY lmao

Vanilla Wildberries (Strawberry, Blackberry, Vanilla & Konyaku Jelly) 

I thought it will turn out sourish because there were two types of berries involved. I also thought that it would turn out like Juice Work's Water Berry texture (Like water-ish instead of creamy). 

But...

WTF! It was so vanilla- ish creamy with this very fragrant berry scent! And when you slurp it down, got something to munch on one (jelly!). How come so yummy???? *Mindfucked

Down it within 5 minutes LOL

Also, also... if you're at Paris Van Jawa you should try out their Mochi!!!! It's also sold in a stall/ cart at the same area as that Fruity Juice stall.

Again, I didn't want to buy it at first because we have so many mochi shops back in Malaysia but Gaya told me that this was the best and when I just couldn't be bothered to buy, she bought some for me HAHAHHAA

Mochi Mochi

Paris Van Jawa, Bandung

Mochi Mochi

Selection of Mochi

Gaya's treat! 

OMFG. This is really good!! The dough is so soft like baby's butt! And when you chew on it, it's very easily eaten unlike some that has too chewy dough. Plus! They are very generous with the fillings! I think mine was pandan!

Nothing like I've eaten before! Ohhhh, sooo gooood I tell you! Good thing Gaya bought it for me despite my stubbornness! Moral of the story- Trust locals!

Okay, that's all! Off to my Penang post!

p.s. I miss you Bandung food, if not for my US trip I'd buy a flight ticket back to Bandung early next year before Gaya comes back to Malaysia for good!

4DX Movie Experience @ Blitzmegaplex, PVJ

Life is treating me well in November! I'm feeling the Christmas mood already. Also, it's now the season for holiday so I'm very sure lots of you are clearing your leaves for a beach vacation of some sort! 

I'm too clearing my leave, lmao. Not quite actually, but I'm on leave till next Monday:O Yikes! Good time passes so fast!

This is probably my last post on my Bandung trip back in June earlier this year. I actually have one more restaurant to review but then the pictures are not with me so until and unless I get them, I won't be writing :P

If you haven't, and are curious read also about:

Jl. Cihampelas, CiWalk, Pasar Baru

Very cheap hair treatment at Anata Saloon

Paris Van Jawa, The freaking awesome Richeese & Local products

Harvest Bakery

Tangkuban Perahu & Strawberry Farm

Humming Bird Eatery

Sindang Reret for they yummy avacado juice!

Warung Telaga, PVJ

The fat stuffed sotong at Pak Chi Met

Dang cheap foot massage at Zen

Cakes as souvenirs from Kartika Sari

Back in Bandung, I had my first experience of watching a 4D movie at  Blitzmegaplex, Paris Van Java.

A glimpse of Blitzmegaplex

First 4DX movie!

First movie in 4DX was The Transformers!

Gaya buying our tickets online using Blitz Card

Blitz Card is a smart card. You reload money into it to purchase tickets and collect points. It's like Touch n Go + BonusLink LOL

Online Ticketing but somehow buying from the booth failed so Gaya got the person in charge to help with the transaction.

Cafe outside the Cinema

My 4DX ticket cost IDR240,000, equivalent to about RM73!!! The most expensive movie ticket that I've ever spent on in my entire 24 years of life!

I was hoping that they gave me prettier ticket stubs so that I could keep it as memento but even for RM73 per ticket they gave us flimsy paper as tickets, ughh. How to keep? All crumpled up and soggy by the time I came back home.

It was quite thrilling to watch Transformers in 4DX because since it's an action movie I felt that I was actually in the movie with all the chair shaking, chair drop, water splashing, dang high velocity wind blowing, so much smoke that the cinema hall looked like it was on fire!

But after an hour I got bored HAHAHAHA

The vigourous chair movement then started to feel a little uncomfortable and queasy because it strained my neck and my back (All the moving, shaking, sliding off the chair.. yes, you could slide off the chair!). 

Then In the next hour I nearly fell asleep because the movie was getting boring even with all the physical enhancement of the 4DX.

But all in all I still think that paying RM73 is worth it if you haven't experienced watching a good movie in 4DX before. But now that I've tried I don't think I'll be spending that much again for a 4D movie.

That's why I haven't been very interested in the D-Box offered by GSC. I think for me watching real good movies in IMAX 3D is more than enough:)

Thank you Gaya once again! I'd never enjoy Bandung as much if it weren't for you!

p.s. One thing that I like about the 4DX movie experience is that their chair is looks freaking awesome! It's big and bulky that you would need to step up to climb into your seat. When I was seated, I felt like I've just climbed into some robot LOL Quite cool!

Zen Reflexology, Bandung

I'm like superrr bored and very easily triggered these days. Just now, when I was told that I could only have dinner at 8.30 (the earliest) my temper flared.

Probably because I started off my October rather badly. Or maybe I'm just too free. So for the past 2 months I've been working 18 hours a week, teaching that is, so 18 hours of teaching for a part timer is crazy lots. My supervisors were shocked when they knew about it.

Anyway, this month I'm only teaching for 6 hours per week so I have a lot of time to spare which is good but also bad because I'm so bored. Though I'm in KL, I can't go out shopping or going out for high- tea or stuff because I'm saving money.

Another reason why I can't go out this month, well thanks to the late payment that I'd only received by the end of this month. So I have about 3 more weeks to suffer.

Zen Reflexology

Jl. Sukajadi, Bandung

Website

Back in Bandung, where I could live without worrying that I'd overspent!

Zen Foot Reflexology Centre

Main Entrance

It was the second last day in Bandung so in the morning I took the Angkut and drop off at Zen Reflexology! While there are many massage centres, I read online from reviews and blog post that Zen is one of the famous ones to go to because of their good service and cheap pricing!

I came really early that morning, once they were opened at 10am I was already at their doorstep. One of the reasons that there so early is that I don't have an appointment. Usually the place will be pretty packed so you might want to make a reservation if you're coming any later than noon.

Btw, you can choose whether you would like a male or a female masseur. I'm okay with any, so she allocated me with a male masseur.

First off, changed off my walking shoes into Zen slippers.

Zen slippers

I was asked to wait till my number got called out if I've not mistaken. So there I was at the waiting room. Snapped a few pictures of the interior just if you're interested. 

Walkway from the front desk to the waiting area

Changing rooms on my left

Me in slippers ready to be called for some feet pampering service

They have a coffee machine at the waiting area but since no one was there I didn't go make my own coffee LOL

I waited for about 5 minutes then my number was called. The thing is I don't remember them giving me a number but when I traded my shoes for my slippers, I remember the guy writing my name on a number slot. So when they called that number I assumed that it was me. Also, the fact that I was the only customer there made it easier and less embarrassing just if it wasn't my number :P

Before foot massage, as usual I was asked to cleanse my feet. They soaked my feet in warm water, I think they didn't add in salt like what they do here in Malaysia (or maybe they did but I forgot). The masseur is very nice and attentive. He will check with you if the water is too hot, if the soap of okay etc etc

After the foot wash and the foot scrub, the masseur will give you a back massage at the washing feet area. I was a little surprise because I only paid for foot massage how come so good got additional back massage one? LOL

So that back/ shoulder massage was the pre- foot massage. For the real foot massage, I was led to a nearby area which was very dim. Their chair was huge! And the chairs, more like sofa, could be adjusted both the back (can incline the back) and the foot holder. So canggih!

I selected the Foot Relaxing 90 and it cost me IDR 64,000 (Around RM19)! SO CHEAP!! Where to find 1.5 hours of foot massage for RM19 here?

After the foot massage, they will give you this head and shoulder massage. I told them I don't want to twist my head. Scared I tense then they twist, then my head senget:|

Then after, they will wrap your feet in hot towels and bring you this yummy ginger tea to drink. The ginger tea tasted sooooo good, I wanted another cup but then it was so concentrated and I'm afraid that later when I meet up with Gaya I'd fart so I didn't ask for a second helping of tea LOL

I used their bathroom after the foot massage. Oh, I asked them "WC (pronounced as Waysir) di mana?" Hehehehhe Gaya taught me WC means toilet:P

Toilet Sink

Bamboo faucet!

Stated on my recepit "Nama Customer: Micell" LOL

And... back to reality. Okay, at least I'm feeling much better now. I'll endure the month of October!!!

Sindang Reret, Bandung

A quick post for this week since I've missed my blogging session last week. Finally, its Friday! The asses are now on the way up as I'm typing away. 

I've been blogging about my trip to Bandung, Indonesia chronologically but I skipped this post and blogged about The Harvest, Bandung because I misplaced Sindang Reret's restaurant's receipt. And no, I have not found the receipt so I'm assuming that it got lost:(

Anyway, this was day 3 in Bandung! I started my day early with a trip to Tangkuban Perahu & Strawberry Farm. I also made a trip to the Floating Market in Lembang but I'm still deciding whether to blog about it since the only food involved was the free hot chocolate (which was delicious!).

Sindang Reret

Jl Surapati, Bandung

More info

Sindang Reret delivery truck

I forgot why I did not take a picture at the entrance of the restaurant. I usually would, but I guess I was just too hungry during that time. It's no surprise since I used a lot of energy doing touristy things in the morning.

Ironically, it's surprising though that I felt hungry because while I was in Bandung I was constantly trying out new food/ drinks/ snacks that there wasn't a chance for me to "feel hungry". 

Getting seated

The restaurant has modern seats where you get seated on chairs like all other restaurants but there is also a more traditional seating area where you will be seated on the floor (cushion provided).

Of course, Gaya wanted to infused me with the local culture so we headed to the traditional seating. If I've not mistaken this restaurant's specialty is Sundanese food. I'm still a bit confused with the type of food in Indonesia because I generally know Indonesian food as Indonesian food.

Menu

No time to make my face look skinnier. So as you can see the menu also has a traditional touch by having that piece of batik stick onto the cover of the menu. 

Oh ya, I forgot to mentioned that if you decide to sit at the traditional seating area there are NO FANS. No aircons also. Nevertheless, it was cooling! I didn't even sweat.

Lamp as table deco

Teh manis (I think) and my Alpukat (Avacado) jus!

I had avacado juice with chocolate that day. It wasn't on the menu, I mean they had avocado juice on the menu but without chocolate. But when Gaya requested to add chocolate, the waiter was more than happy to comply. Really nice people over there.

I think my avocado and chocolate juice was about RM7.

The following are pictures of my lunch. Sadly, without the recepit I'm not able to tell you specifically the name of the dish but I'd still be able to describe it to you:)

Lunch came in a set of steam rice, fried chicken, tahu tempeh and sambal.

Choose the set with soup

Gaya's fried rice, about RM7 also I think

I had a set meal that came complete with steam rice wrapped in banana leaf (very fragrant!), fried chicken, fried tahu and tempeh, kerepek, vegetables and the awesomesauce sambal! I opted for a set set meal which came with an additional soup!

The soup was very sweet!! See what I told you about Bandung people liking sweet food. I'm guessing that the corn and the tomato in the soup gave it this very sweet flavour. Not really a soup person nor a sweet tooth person but I manage to finish up the whole bowl of soup!

If I've not mistaken the price for my complete set (inclusive of soup) would be something around RM18.

Another picture of my beautiful lunch

I remember Gaya telling me that the chickens served here are very tiny because they are authentic natural chicken- chickens that runs around in the open field village ground without any antibiotic/ chemical substance to fluff them up.

Ended our meal with Es Campur! This is very much like our Cendol back in Malaysia but they have more ingredients in it such as my favouriteeeee avocado and jelly (not the green cendol, I'm referring to those pink jelly).

How can they be so generous with the expensive fruit? Ah, Bandung food *dreamy.

Es Campur, about RM5

Sindang Reret is definitely a food place to dine at! It was the fasting month when I was there so despite the lack of customer eating at the restaurant they did not lack in business! I saw the workers working very diligently packing lots and lots of take away food.

Those should be orders for breaking fast! Omg, those lucky people. Nothing beats yummy rice for breaking fast:D

Actually for my wedding (in the future) I'd be the happiest bride if I manage to find such delicious yet relatively cheap food for catering! Es campur with avocados as Michelle's wedding dessert~ swoons!

Bandung Day 1: Paris Van Java, Richeese Factory, Jco Donuts, 2Tang + Local products

I'm actually so surprised with myself for writing about my Bandung trip so quickly! Haha 

A little background of why I decided to go for a holiday was that the journey of my Honours program was really very much like living hell- You're not allowed to die, but living is just plain torture. That was how it was for the entire year. While the rest of my friends got to have their summer holiday (November 2013- February 2014), I was working my ass off collecting data for my study.

So I reached I breaking point where I thought I deserved a good long holiday without breaking my bank of course. One day I was out eating Ayam Penyet for dinner and we were talking about holiday experiences. Then it just strucked me "I have to visit Indonesia!".

First, I contacted Gaya my long 'lost' high school friend who is in her final year in Bandung. Once she told me that she could accommodate me on the dates I proposed, I immediately purchased an air flight ticket!

Air flight tics RM360, 20kg baggage to Bandung RM55, 20kg baggage back to KL RM55.

(I will tell you the kecoh baggage story later prolly on the last day in Bandung post)

My 6 days 5 night holiday to Bandung, Indonesia started off really well! I slept through the 2 hours flight which made the travel duration seem short. Reached Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung, and woah! It's a small airport- with only one counter to collect your baggage and they even needed man power to go inside and get it for you.

So happy to see Gaya waiting for me at the exit of the airport!! Thank you Gaya!!

I was very fortunate because she told me she didn't had a chance to pick her mum nor her tutor from the airport when they came. Luckily, she could when it was my turn hehehe

First stop was to her place obviously. Its really close to the airport, I think it took about 20 minutes. 

Once reached, it was lunch time!!! Btw, Gaya (and her housemates) has a maid in the house! So all the cleaning, cooking, washing are done by the maid :O

Indonesian milk

One of the first question was whether Indonesia produce their own milk because I would love to try it. Gaya immediately took out her stash from the fridge and I had a try. Well, it tasted very much like our milk here in Malaysia. So I wasn't all excited and jumpy like how I was with Kave in Sydney, lol.

Indonesian milk used in Starbucks, Indonesia

This brand of milk on the other hand is used in Starbucks, Indonesia to produce their beverages. I didn't try it because I assumed it wouldn't taste much different and Gaya haven't opened this carton of milk yet.

Day 1 lunch

For lunch, I had free meal cooked by Gaya's maid. We call her 'ibu', initially it felt weird because I don't like calling people mother other than my mum because my mum is the only female on earth that I would call mum LOL I wonder what will I call my mother- in- law next time? :X

But anyway, everyone addresses an older lady by ibu and an older man by pak. So the free meal cooked by ibu was tempeh sambal (spicy fermented soybean), sayur masak lemak (vege cooked w coconut milk), terung kicap (dark soy sauce brinjal) and some steam egg kinda dish.

My favourite was the tempeh and brinjal! Yums!

Day 1 free lunch

I also met Gaya's crazy awesome friends- Suba and Darshini. They are all med students. I was very chill when I planned for this holiday even if it's in Bandung because I knew that I will be staying with a house full of doctors, right in front of Bandung's big hospital. So even if I get like diarrhea or some kinda illness I know I'm in good hands, lol. 

I suppose it was teatime for Darsh because she was making coffee, I stole a picture of her coffee and tried some too. It's also made in Indonesia:

Good Day Cappuccino

Instant Cappuccino 

It comes with an extra chocolate packet that you can sprinkle on top of your drink but I think Darsh sprinkled and stirred them in already. It tasted okay, but too sweet for me so decided to buy Tora Bika's Cappuccino back instead.

After lunch, we just hung out in the house a while talking to my new friends. Then when it was dinner time, we went to Bandung's famous mall Paris Van Jawa or commonly known as PVJ. Located at Jl. Sukajadi it was just an Angkut (cheap taxi- like) away!

Though PVJ is considered their most posh mall, it (the shops) is considered a fraction of what we have to offer here in KL. Oh, but they have Diary Queens and we don't, lol.

PVJ at night

Exterior of PVJ, morning

PVJ morning

PVJ w Gaya and Darsh (back most)

Pretty lights in PVJ

Dairy Queen

Now I remember why Dairy Queen is so familiar. I tried it in Singapore before! LOL Wanted to treat Gaya to come ice- cream or milkshake from here on the last day in Bandung because she had been so nice to me throught my stay but when that day came it was all a rush and the 4D movie ended at 11.30pm so all shops were closed:(

Before dinner, I had Jco donuts for pre- dinner snack. I know we have Jco back in Malaysia too but I'm sure we don't have the Cronut! Oh do we? lol Anyway, Jco donuts originated from Indonesia so it is a must try for me. Wanted to compare how it tasted back at the place of origin and here in Malaysia. 

Jco Donuts

Paris Van Jawa, Ground Floor

Delivery: (022) 82063698

Cronuts from Jco

Oh, and my Cronut & donut were free because Gaya bought them for me:D

Jco donuts in the making

Donut/ Cronut box

I took a picture of the donut box because I was impressed that they gave me a box even if I only bought two pieces! Back here in Malaysia, you would only get your donuts in the box if you buy at least half a dozen. If you were to buy one or two pieces then they would just give it to you in that paper holder thingy. Very hard to bring back without disfiguring your donuts.

My picks were:

• Jcronut Original, IDR16,600 (Apprx. RM5)
• Durio Dela Creme donut,  IDR6,500 (Appx. RM2)

Cinnamon Kiss was so flaky, light and yummy!

Then we proceeded to real dinner! They brought me to a fast food restaurant call Richeese Factory. Obviously by the name itself you would know they they serve food with cheeeeeese!

Richeese Factory

Paris Van Java, Sky Level

022- 82063857

Richeese counter

Say Cheese!

BBQ Chicken with cheese

This is how you do it :D

Richeese serves really good BBQ chicken! They come with cheese dips as well. The cheese dips are similar to the cheese used on KFC's cheesy wedges. Who knew that cheese would go so well with BBQ Chicken!

Also you can pick your level of spiciness for the chicken. I choose Level 1 which is the lowest on the hot scale. I was being careful because I didn't know what to expect of Indonesian's definition of spiciness. According to Darsh, the level 2 BBQ sauce for the chicken is already very spicy for her.

They also have potato wedges. Served with BBQ sauce at the bottom and cheese sauce on top of the potato. For the wedges, Gaya said you could either choose Level 1 (spicy) or non- spicy. She choose Level 1 for the wedges and Oh Gosh! It was spicy!!

Somehow the Level 1 for wedges and the Level 1 spiciness for chicken is different.

Cheesy potato wedges.

Love their wedges because it tasted like real fresh potatoes. Didn't really fancy the BBQ sauce that came together with the potato though.

By the way, if you want more cheese sauce you can request for it for FREE! No extra charge! In KFC I think you will need to pay extra RM1 for extra cheese sauce right? So eat your cheesy hearts out in Richeese!

Price list:

• Fire Wings 6 pcs BBQ      IDR 29,545 ( appx RM9.50)
• Mirinda drink                    IDR 11,364  (appx RM3.50)
• BBQ Cheesy Wedges       IDR 41,818  (appx RM12)

Dinner was free also! Thank Gaya!

After dinner, Darsh bought jasmine tea from 2Tang which was located right outside Richeese Factory. Yummy tea, not too sweet and has that right amount of jasmine hint! Not too sure about the price, but I think the picture with the banner would give you a clue to how much it will cost.

Tea tasting

Price banner

That marks the end of Day 1 in Bandung!

FYI, for those who are travelling to Indonesia I think it would be good to get a local SIM cad. I got my friend to help me buy my SIM card. I only needed data package so I got the 600mb one. I think it cost about RM11 but it made my life so convinient! I could whatsapp my love ones on a regular basis and I could also Facebook/ Instagram picture!

SimPATI- The Maxis of Indonesia

I'm ending my Day 1 post with a few snacks that I have tried during my stay in Indonesia. Obviously there is more to it because Indomaret (24 hours convinient store) was situated a few doors away from where I stayed LOL

My favourite out of the whole stash was the Sponge Crunch and the Richeese Wafer

Yes! Richeese also produces other snacks that you could buy off supermarket shelves! Very yummy Richeese cheese wafer snacks (appx RM2) I stashed some home. The Sponge Crunch (appx RM4) was very yummy too! It was so chocolatey depsite it looking like some cheap chocolate snack.  Too bad they didn't had chocolate flavour when I wanted to purchase some back home:(

Ron88 mineral water

I read blogs before and they mentioned this water. I think Darsh mentioned that this cute 250ml of mineral water cost approximately RM0.30. I tried the water but nah, don't really like it. Too sharp for tasting. Actually it tasted a bit like distilled water.

Nevertheless, I'd still buy it for the cute bottle!

Luwak White coffee, RM0.30 per sachet | ABC coffee RM0.30 per sachet

I loved the Luwak White coffee! So I bought one pack back for my dad and mum. Really good! Gaya told me its their pioneer coffee. On the other hand, do NOT go near buying that ABC coffee. It was horrible! They had coffee bits floating everywhere when you pour in hot water. 

The good thing is that you could actually buy one sachet of coffee by the roadside stalls for IDR 1,000 so you get to try them before deciding which to buy back home. 

Banana milk RM1.50 | Buavita Mix Berries Juice RM3 | Teh Gelas RM2

Banana milk didn't taste as good as the Korean banana milk but its half the price of the Korean banana milk so for that it tasted relatively okay.

Buavita juice was rather good, a bit on the sweeter side but it tasted like real juice. Teh Gelas sucks! So sweet and tasted so chemical-ish! I couldn't finish that pack of tea.

My ultimate favourite is the Teh Botol. Teh Kotak taste similar to Teh Botol but on the sweeter side.

The end, stay tune for Day 2 Bandung!