To be fair, shopping malls are my last go-to option when I need entertainment. There is little activity to do other than window shopping, playing at the arcade games or watching a movie. But there's a more legit reason for me to visit shopping malls, it’s the food. Inside Indonesia's mall, generally there are food courts, chain restaurants, and even a fine dining experience. The food comes from various places in Indonesia and it’s actually one of the ways to sample Indonesian cuisine or other countries cuisine. Like a few days ago, I spent an entire day inside the shopping malls just to eat. I ate from the main course to ending up the day with a smooth nutty gelato. So keep on reading if you want to know each of the names from the picture in the thumbnail, I will reveal it one by one.

First Stop, Ichiban Sushi

3 PM : I went to the shopping mall with a friend. It is more fun to go together than alone but either way, I am fine. After checking out some places, we decided to eat at Ichiban sushi, an Indonesian sushi chain. I tried the food from there a couple of times because I enjoy their sushi and bento. The portion during delivery was fine. So, I wanted to know what it was like eating inside the place.

The restaurant atmosphere was decorated in a japanese-like style with low-lighting. The seating is separated by a wood separator that creates a sense of privacy. I like this type of seating because I won’t be distracted by others' conversation or anything. I can peacefully enjoy my food without being distracted at all.

The menu book in this place is quite thick. I had a hard time picking the food because there are many to choose from. Not only sushi, there were bento, ramen, soups and snacks. So, if you want a Japanese mukbang theme, this is probably the place. Here are some of the pictures from the menu book.

My friend picked a hot plate with noodles and chicken katsu while I picked a full set of chicken teriyaki bento and also tuna temaki. The food came one by one and it was started with the cutlery set and the ocha which is free to refill. Then, the salmon sushi set came along with the free miso soup. My friend also got the miso soup which was on the house. The last one that came is our main course.

We were shocked by the portion size. The rice was more than the one I got during the delivery. It was the same with the noodles, the portion was enough to be eaten for two people instead of one. And the plating was fine. This is where the dining experience is more superior than delivery. Basically, during the dining experience, we get to appreciate the plating that is done by the cooks or the chefs. This adds more value to the meal compared to the delivery. Well, in terms of delivery it can be seen through the packaging. Though personally, nothing tops the dine in experience.

The taste of each meal on these plates aren’t that bad. I would not say they are outstanding but it was satisfactory. It was the kind of experience that you get to taste something and be happy but not overjoyed or thoroughly impressed. So, by the way, the green food on the thumbnail is called temakizushi, which is hand rolled Japanese sushi.

As you can see, in this picture I ordered tuna temaki. Inside this temakizushi, there’s tuna, cucumber and also rice, hand rolled with seaweed. It tasted quite fine and the tuna was okay. I would suggest adding soyu or if you like spicy, add wasabi inside this temakizushi.

We spent about an hour in this place trying to finish all this food. We felt so full after and decided to walk around to burn some calories. Then, it was around 5 PM when I felt like I needed some caffeine fix. So, we went to Starbucks and I won’t be telling in details how it was. But here’s a picture of Green Tea that my friend ordered. If you want to know the incident that happened inside the Starbucks, here’s the story. The Starbucks Incident

Second Stop, Balcony

6 PM : it was time for me to take the meds. So, I had to eat something light before we went back home. Inside starbucks, I was browsing some places inside the mall that we can try. We ended up going to a restaurant called “ Balcony” which is located inside the mall. This place is like a mini bistro serving western dishes and some Indonesian menu. I thought this place was going to be pricey but it ended up to be the best meal I had in the entire day and worth every penny.

My friend didn’t want to eat because the noodles made her full. So, I went ahead and ordered kale salad and a snack which was very interesting. The roasted baby corn is something I’d recommend for anyone to try. It’s sweet, savory, roasted corn with katsuobushi and the fried skin of seafood. I forgot to actually note down the name but it was the most interesting meal I’ve eaten in a while. In this place, I also ordered fresher and high quality water. It was called aqua selection that costs almost 2$/bottle compared to many bottled aqua which cost around a few cents. Overall, our experience in that place was pleasant. I would say that the price was up to par with the quality of the food.

Final Stop, La Moda Gelato

7: 30 PM : It was around 7:30 when we’re about to leave the mall. I was not full yet and I feel the need to complete the day with something sweet. So, we searched for a gelato place inside the mall. We found this Gelato in the corner next to JCO donuts. This place is called La Moda and sells various Gelato flavors. The flavors are more than what I normally see in gelato places. For 2 scoops it cost us about 2$. Since I love something nutty and savory, I was choosing the pistachio flavor. I can’t eat something too sweet alone so my friend picked some vanilla and chocolate with it. I couldn’t remember what the name was but it was too sweet for my tooth.

We headed back home at around 8 PM and felt too full. I think in my next visit, I would only visit the balcony restaurant again and ordered only the roasted baby corn. That's all from my food adventure today. See you in the next one.

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An Entire Day Of Food Adventure

First Stop, Ichiban Sushi

Second Stop, Balcony

Final Stop, La Moda Gelato