Ever since I started BLACK&INK, I never thought I would have time to actually travel. So the opportunity came during our National Day where it was a long weekend and hence we decided to rest during this period as we reckon many people would have left the country. So I quickly booked my tickets from Jetstar, booked a hotel at random and then off I flew to Medan on National Day itself. I was fortunate to have foodie friends in Medan to bring me around as Medan is totally non-accessible by public transport. Thanks to Wiwi (@zhoueats) and friends Leo, Tahbar and Mimi for your kind hospitality!
As usual I will post pics and describe below every pic what I experienced throughout the trip, day to day manner. Every pic was shot with my iPhone 5S. So let’s start.
Boarding planeLanding Medan. Many farms.Landed MedanMedan airport. Very new.Decor around the airport.Gents hahaaMy driver heheRoads of Medan outskirtsArrived at hotel Swiss Bellin.Dusting will be helluva job man!BedroomLong walkway to bathroom and small windowShowerBathroomRoom from the other side.I hand carried all these on board… don’t ask me how. ;PFirst stop. Satay with more than 40 years of history!Satay or Sate spelt in Indon. Check out the pot of peanut sauce! Damn awesome!No fine dining tables lah but street food is what I dig y’all!Ok maybe not this street food on a hot day…. This is cockles sate or Sata Kerang… gulp! LS galore on first meal? SKIP!!!Ordered chicken and mutton sates and one stick of intestines. Mutton was tough like hell but chicken and intestine were good. Love the sauce and fried shallots on top. Yums!I dunno what went through my mind when I ordered this float from the roadside. But I survived. So can order!The stall ownerProceeding to 2nd stopBPK Olakisat. BPK is Babi Panggang Karo which means BBQ Pig House and Olakisat is basically the name of the shop or area.2pm+… so crowded… almost couldn’t get a table. Oh and one thing in Medan… no one shares table! You might get stares if you ask to share table hahahaBBQ pork… tough like shit… Even bak kwa is more tender.Pigs’ blood sauce to go with your rice. Taste very spicy and sour. Can try for one time. Indonesians fav.Mashed Cassava Leaves. How come SG don’t have leh? Maybe it’s a little rougher than sweet potato leaves but it’s still full of nutrients!Rice was uncooked. Quite bad. I had to add soup and hope it softened. No, it didn’t.Damage around S$5.90. Not too bad but food wasn’t up to expectations.3rd stop. Pilastro Cafe (@pilastro_mdn). One of the pioneers in specialty coffee in Medan and it was a great honour to visit this place.Boss Benny is at the counterOrdered a pour over. Pretty decent, something different from the regular dark roasts.Deep fried cassava sticks. Quite yummy.Wefie with Wiwi and me.Enjoying my second cuppa of their in house ESP Blend espresso.Ambience of Pilastro. Nice and chill. Leo and Mimi on the left.Benny and me.4th stop is an interval from all that eating and basically checking out this orpahange recommended to me by Leo.Care takers are Pastor and his wife. Not much funding from the government.Now they have about 90+ orphans and growing still.Facade.Incomplete building cos lack of funding. This is proposed for the less than 3 year olds so they don’t fall down easily cos of the high steps.There are bricks and cement but somehow still insufficient to complete the building. Seems like they need help in construction also.Rain came down like my heavy heart.Worship placeKids, some can tell not normal.So many of themAll the young ones the older orphans help to take care.Wiwi cuddling an orphan who was left at the doorstep of the orphanageWith some of the kids5th stop. Garuda Nasi Padang for dinner. SG also have one branch but not as good as this original one.So many dishes to choose from.Fried chicken on the spot is a MUST-ORDER!Avocado juice with chocolate!Some choose packet style cos they feel it’s more tasty.Packet style… really damn good lah…While others chose the share style and those you don’t eat they put back… When eating there, don’t consider any hygiene lah, just whack!The beef rendang is da bomb man! Very very good!Awesome fried chicken!!! Total damage came up to around S$25 which is considered expensive in Medan!6th stop. Famous Poh Piah Jose Rizal. Located at Jalan Jose Rizal, for 40 years already!Managed to find some seats but need to wait. Many orders!Preparation in progressFried or steamed, each S$0.70. About 10cm long.Steamed ones are really nice.Drove around to see the other eating places. This is the famous Nasi Goreng place which is on Youtube. But didn’t get to try cos reserving stomach for next stop.Famous restaurant for local food. Skip. ;P7th stop. Ucok (pronounced as Wu Chock) Durian. You see the amount of durian, you know they are the monopoly. If you wanna eat durian in Medan, Ucok is the only place locals will recommend. And this place opens 24hrs!!! 3am you feel like some durians, take a drive and whack one your own or have some durian pancakes!With the Durian King Ucok himself!Durians are a cross between XO durian and D24. Bittersweet and texture is not bad. Only set back is that their seeds are big. And here, only 2 prices. S$3.50 for small or S$5.00 for big ones. So don’t complain lah, cravings satisfied. My first Medan durian!Frozen durian and durian pancakes wrapped nicely for bringing home.Wefie with Wiwi, Tahbar and Mimi.
Ok that ended my Day 1 in Medan. Gimme some time to write on Day 2, which is another day full of FOOD!!!
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