Guilty Pleasure: The Story of a Sweet Assasin

A box-ful of cardiac specials

My palate has a savory preference, no doubt about that. Tempt me with pavlova, cheese cakes, tiramisu, apple strudel, chocolate cakes, macaroons, and I won't even sweat when I said, "No, I'll take a rain check". Whenever someone asks what is my guilty pleasure, I am always at a lost. Until that fateful day when I was offered martabak manis: Indonesian style sweet pancake. As I wait for the package to be delivered to my house that night, I could not stop fantasize about the smell, texture, flavor and that ultimate first bite.

Martabak Manis: Check out the layers of chopped nuts, chocolate sprinkles and cheese.

Butter and condensed milk are there too,

just cause you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there...

Martabak manis is sweet pancake Indonesian style, highly addictive and the fact that it is only available after sundown only makes it more desirable. I always love watching the guys making martabak at their make shifts kitchens that are dismantled every morning. The dough cooking at the pan. The guys slapping it on the huge cutting table once its cooked. Chunks of butter slabbed and smothered into every inch of the fluffy steaming surface. Before the butter even gets a chance to settle, condensed milk are oozing all over and mixing with the butter. Chopped peanuts soon covered the pancake, followed by the chocolate sprinkles then grated Kraft cheese and condensed milk to glue it all together. The guys would then proceed to fold the pancake, slabbed some more butter on top, cut it into square pieces and pack it into a box for you to take home. Click here to see a youtube video. During the ride all the way home, its scents torments you even further as pleasure is so close and yet so far. Unless you forgo the plates and cutleries to just dig in.

Close up: don' t you just wanna bite it?

As you bite into the squared piece, butter is oozing out and your palate is filled with heavenly flavors: sweet, savory, buttery and nutty. The sweet sweet asassin slowly torturing your cholestrol and your waistline. Aware of this fact you are helpless to turn away and gladly take a second, third, fourth, fifth bite till you finish it out of sight. But not out of mind. Guilt came and stayed. Euphoria came too from the sweetness. Who win? It's a different outcome for different people. For me, as sinful as it is, I can never resist...

Dapur Martabak 

Jl. Pecenongan Raya No. 65A

Jakarta Pusat 10120

+62 21 3504081

Operating hours: 16.00-00.00

"The" Usual?

Han's: The Tasty Town

For the past month and a half, I have been stopping by Han's on my way to work to get my breakfast: fried egg and ham sandwich on toasted bread. Everyday, religiously I entered, walked to the counter and ordered my breakfast, day in day out. The lady behind the counter knew my face and my order by heart. These days even before I open my lips to order she shouted a fried egg order to her kitchen staff. So all I have to do is approach her, listened to her confirming my daily order, nod and pay. The only thing that changes is the type of bread: white or wholemeal. Then I'd step aside and watch the ladies assemble my sandwich, layer by layer: ham, tomato and cucumber and reminding them not slap the butter to my bread but to give it a light gentle touch of butter. Once assembled the sandwich is cut diagonally and wrapped before given to me.

Fried egg and ham sandwich

Clutching it close to me like a lifesaver I walked the final steps to the office, taking the elevator, walked to my desk and settling for the morning. I log into my computer, wait for it to load and devour the sandwich while reading my inbox. The sandwich is such a simple sandwich that you just can't go wrong. The fried egg reminded me of the days when my mom would give me fried egg and rice for breakfast. It gave me a sense of nostalgic and comfort which perhaps explain my daily attachment of this sandwich. Sometimes I wish that the ham is slightly thicker, that the tomato slice would always be just the right ripeness or that the cucumber slice would always be slightly sweet instead of being bitter some days. But for the price, the nostalgia of fried egg and the humility of such simple sandwich its a good bargain.

It suddenly dawn on me that now I am a regular. I had always wanted to go into a restaurant and have the waiter knows what I'm going to order like when you go to those boutique hotels where they know exactly how to fold your towel and where you would like your pijama to be placed. Well, this ain't a boutique hotel, but they know my order. And that is good enough for now.

Han's Cafe - The Tasty Town
1 Pickering Street
#01-03 Great Eastern Centre
Phone: 64383959
Singapore
Mon - Sat: 7am - 10pm
Sun & PH: 7am - 10pm