Fausta Cream Puffs at Mal Ambassador

Have you ever had a cream puff that is big, light, stuffed with filling and absolutely delicious? If you haven't then you really need to drop into Ambassador mall in Kuningan and instead of buying your array of electronics, go all the way down to the basement. Don't stop! For there you will find a little stall with a green sign saying Fausta. Stop there! Gaze in awe at the selection of empty puffs - either plain or topped with chocolate and decorations. Choose the one or two or three that you want from the display case then look at the list of fillings. Yes life is really all about the choices you make. I like the simple thins in life so I always go for the plain puff with vanilla filling. And boy do they fill your puff to the brim! Carrying them home becomes a minor mission impossible as I aim not to let anyone touch, bump or bang into my bag of puffs otherwise a smidgen of filling might squeeze out and escape. At Rp. 8,000 each there a steal. However, the joy of eating them...priceless! Each bite like a mouthful of vanilla heaven and because they are rather big you get a whole lot of heaven!

Ketjil Kitchen at Gandaria

Ketjil Kitchen has a real charm to it. It's an unexpected little eatery situated on Jalan Gandaria 1 and is conveniently a short stroll away from Cozy, my favourite massage spot. So needless to say after a relaxing bout in the spa, a stop in here to fill any hunger pangs can become quite a regular habit.

The interior is delightful with its mix of eclectic furnishings and trinkets on shelves. I live the light firings which are made from kettles, pots and pans. Genius! 

The menu consists of pastas, salads, burgers and other western dishes. I went for the bolognese fries and the spaghetti aglio olio with tuna. I also ordered an iced chocolate.

The fries were delicious. Loved the sauce on top and there was just enough so that the fries weren't smothered and lost underneath. The pasta was tasty without being overpowering with any particular flavour. The addition of the tuna made me wonder whether I, personally, like the combination but I know others do, so maybe it's just me! My ice chocolate came in a huge jar/mug...you know, the ones that look like a jar with a place to screw on the lid but also have a handle? Yeah that! It was delicious! I just wanted to fall right into it and drown in it's delicious chocolatey-ness!

The quaint and cosy feeling in this restaurant makes it a definite hit and worthy of a return visit.

Dull days and gloomy skies...

So I'm back in Jakarta after a month in Dublin where I thoroughly enjoyed lungfuls of fresh air and many days of beautiful blue uninterrupted skies. I can't deny how much I have missed that. And now, on my return here, I am faced with the fact that monsoon season is in full swing and most days I awake to overcast skies and torrential downpours. My best friends at the moment are my rain poncho and my Wellies! For all the good they do...the rain here has a knack of finding it's way into every slightly unprotected nook and cranny so that ultimately when you arrive where you want to go there is some part of you sopping wet and uncomfortable until it dries out. Last Friday, it happened to be my crotch! My old raincoat set had developed a hole in the most inconvenient of spots and I ended up walking around for a few hours looking like I had pee'd myself! Oh the joys of rainy season...my heart goes out to all those trying to keep the flood waters out of their homes and I am thankful that I live on the 17th floor. However, believe it or not, the water managed to find it's way in here too! Such is the audacity of these downpours. Roll on a bit of sunshine...