Part 2 of my Bromo-Ijen adventure!
Surabaya wasn't on my list of countries to visit, but it is a good place to stop over if you are planning to visit some of the volcanoes near by. In fact, there are so many good cafes and restaurants so these below are the ones I tried while in Surabaya.
Surabaya wasn't on my list of countries to visit, but it is a good place to stop over if you are planning to visit some of the volcanoes near by. In fact, there are so many good cafes and restaurants so these below are the ones I tried while in Surabaya.
Cafes
Cafes in Indonesia are cheaper than Singapore, but the difference isn't that huge. However, the cafes that we went to are really good and I guess that's the most important thing, isn't it?
Common Grounds
Do not mistake this with the "Common Ground" cafe we have in Singapore. This cafe has numerous outlets in Indonesia. Apparently the champion for Barista competition was at the outlet we went to that day and we could request for any kind of coffee art. Lucky us!
Various outlets, but the one we went to was at
Galaxy Mall, Lantai 2, No 280
Jl. Dr. Ir. H. Soekarno, No 35-39, Surabaya
We ordered 2 cakes and 2 cups of coffee.
*paid IDR 180k in total, approx. SGD 17.
Fukudon Coffee n Eatery
This is one cafe that I would definitely recommend to anyone going to Surabaya. The food and service were top notch! I liked almost everything about the food we had there, except that the coffee was a tad too sweet. From the name itself, you would have guessed that the cafe sells fusion Japanese food don, aka rice bowl. The rice bowl I had was simply too good!
San Antonio shopping street N1-130, Pakuwon City, 60112 Surabaya
We had 5 mains and 3 cups of coffee.
*paid IDR 430k in total, approx SGD 40
Konig Coffee and Bar
This was another popular cafe and we hung out at this place during our last night in Surabaya. I liked my Red Velvet drink as this is not something you find readily available everywhere.
Kertajaya Indah Tengah G 411 A, Surabaya
*paid less than IDR 90k for 3 drinks, approx. SGD 8.
Restaurants
You should totally visit some of their restaurants for the authentic Indonesian food so as to have a glimpse into the local culture. Seriously, I am not a fan of Indonesian food in general but there were some food that resonated with my taste buds.
Marung Leko
This is a really popular place and we came here for the famed beef ribs. Some of the meat we had were really tough though and I felt like my jaw was tired and sore from trying to bite into the meat. The sauce however, was much to my liking. You can also choose the spicy level for the chilli and I chose the least spicy one, which to my surprise, was sweet.
I also liked the Indonesian drinks Teh Botol and that seemingly strange looking drink called Es Blewah.
Various outlets, but the one we went to was at
Jl. Manyar Kertoarjo V No.9, Surabaya
*paid IDR 50k for my share, which is less than SGD 5.
Layar Seafood Restaurant
This is one popular restaurant where I saw lots of tourists. The crab was cooked in a special Indonesian sauce which you can dip with the mantou; similar to how we eat our chilli crab in Singapore. I especially liked the fish and vegetables. The sauce for the fish was kinda sweet and had that grilled taste, which I love.
Various outlets, but the one we went to was at
Manyar Kertoarjo 62-64 Surabaya
*paid IDR 505k in total, which is less than SGD 47 for 4 pax. Quite a steal considering we had crab and fish, which are normally expensive items in Singapore.
Night Market and Hawker food
We visited night markets and food courts on days when we visited some of the shopping malls. I guess it was where you could taste different local food at one go, albeit them not being famous stalls. Some of them were really good though.
Hawker food from Pakuwon Food Festival
The Pakuwon Food Festival is somewhat like a night market in East Surabaya where you can find lots of food, drinks, and even carnival games. Of course we ate the usual food like Nasi Goreng and Nasi Campur, but I will only mention some of the ones that I actually liked and feel that it's worth mentioning.Rangin
This was one special food that I have never seen before. Apparently it is made from rice flour and coconut. The ones we bought are topped with chocolate and cheese. I actually love this a lot and it's one of the best street snacks ever!
Tahu Pong
This is fried tofu, and you dip it into the shrimp sauce for that flavourful taste. I liked how the tofu blended well with the sauce and cannot stop eating one after another.
Satay
Because satay in Indonesia (or Malaysia) is always better than the ones in Singapore.
Food Court of Pasar Atum Mall
We went to the Pasar Atum Mall for some cheap clothes shopping. But seriously it wasn't that cheap, so we didn't really end up buying a lot of things. What stood out was the food we had at the food court instead. hahaha.
Gado Gado
I love Gado Gado and so far, I have not tried a bad one. How bad can this dish get anyway?
So that's all for the food part of my Surabaya trip.
Click here for the Bromo-Ijen Adventure!
