Campus canteen usually open around 9 A.M. in average, which is way too late for breakfast time when I have a morning quiz or exam. I need fuel to burn especially to do the exam right. That meant I had to find a proper breakfast spot before 8 AM WHICH didn't take me to pass Pasupati intersection either (Soto Seger Boyolali, I'm talking about you 😂)—the red traffic light waiting time is so long that I thought it is almost the same as Harmoni intersection's. A once warned me that me that Imah might not be for me. He was referring to the Kebon Bibit branch which he never got to try with his friends due to the packed place. Thankfully, the Tamansari branch was much more pleasant 😌. Checking their weekly menu every Friday morning (almost religiously) on their Instagram story became a habit that I and my friends develop 😂. My go to orders? nasi goreng kampung +telur, nasi balakutak, nasi goreng cumi sambel ijo. 

And the star of the place would be: pisang goreng. Whenever I felt under the weather, I ordered kimlo—it was once weekly menu but became permanent due to popular demand (the same goes with nasi balakutak).

it was always the three of us, the 'Teris' girls

2. Seliter Dago

This the closest stall from my place, and honestly, a week never passed without me stopping by. Whenever I felt defeated after class, I’d grab a drink, finish it while watching vehicles pass by, mentally reset my mood 😁. Just like how the famous Indomaret iron chair do for some people. Or simply I would have a take out after having my meal at Pak Tono (details about it below). I always brought my stojo tumbler along just because. My top picks would be their and Stroberi Histeri (both less sweet and no condensed milk). After trying Alpukat Melekat, I refuse to buy jus alpukat anywhere else, it is that good but no one seemed to not talk about it on social media—too bad I don't have the pic.

 

3. Takoburanko

 This was my go to post Saturday class snack, especially after pulling an all nighter to finish a report. I still can't decide between the takoyaki or okonomiyaki, since both are insanely good (with reasonable price!!). 

Mind you to be patient during the order because the line is always long. It is not available online so here's the trick: get to the register and pay first, and then walk around the area where you can visit Sari-sari, Oseebo matcha, Wanda's club, or any viral food around Trunojoyo or Gempol while waiting your oder to be made.

4. Warung Dalaraos

I discovered this place thanks to one of my cohort after she realized Saraga canteen just wasn’t for me.

Veggies? check.

Wide variety of proteins? check.

All you can eat lalapan? check.

3 choices of sambal? check.

To be honest, I would never get bored of the menu they offered, even though the sautee broccoli and gepuk were always my go to. Their terong raos is another level too. There's a saying: if Ibu-ibu PNS in sportwear flock there on Friday morning, the food must be legit. It is though, a solid 10 I must say 😆. The only downside of this place is the parking fee; Rp 5000 for motorbike, like, you guys for real?! thank God they eventually opened at the campus canteen but only for me to enjoy on my last month there 😢

 5. Gado-gado Teuku Angkasa

Hands down this is the best gado-gado I've ever had—and the closest one, in terms of taste, to the one from my hometown. It is on the pricier side, but the portion is HUGE. Another bonus point is I could stop by at es kelapa murni berkah near Fitness Park afterward.

6. Roasted Bar

To be honest I got inspired by my friend who pursue graduate school at Australia. I was simply curious on how he managed to be able to eat decent food while its almost impossible to do take outs or dine outside frequently, yet it would be a bother to cook every meal time either. His solution was that he bought rotisserie chicken at nearby store, stored it in the fridge so it could last for days. So I copied him—I bought a whole chicken at Roasted Bar (which, divided into 4 pieces), move it to a lock n lock container and store it in the fridge. I paired it with steamed bokcoy/broccolli that I bought on morning walk at Pasar Dago earlier 😏. They have a wide variety of dips, and it was cheaper online. Both Cimbeuleuit and Cilaki branch were relatively near to my place.

7. Wanda's Club

It is the sister brand of roasted bar. This started as A's favorite, but I don't know exactly when my friends grew to like it too. I ordered it so often it showed up as my no. 1 grab food menu order of the year (followed by roasted bar).

The packaging is convenient enough for me to eat on the way home. Most of the time I brought my stainless steel spoon along with me since the plastic cutlery is easily broke. Also, this dish is my opportunity cost payment to A for picking me up late at night from Jackal Holiday's Pool. Not to mention, he never skips to buy it whenever he was in Bandung. But mostly I had it with my friends during our study session at "belakang aer" communal space. My personal favorite would be Philly chicken rice to keep me full. Chili oil is not my thing, so I always ordered one which they didn't dip the chicken into chili oil.

Before I discovered all I mention above.. I indulge my appetite with this:

8. Dendeng Batokok Dago

9. Pecel Kediri Pak Tono

I used to be a regular to the point Pak Tono remembered my order: pecel telur dadar + mendoan. The downside? it open from 8 AM and sometimes it randomly closed. Also, I feared for my gout level too. It is also available on online delivery but I prefer to dine.

10. Sei Sapi Lamalera

Cheaper via online delivery—but once I learned that smoked beef wasn’t great to consume regularly, I stopped.

11. Anen Chinese Food, GOR Padjajaran

For someone who draw towards chinese food on daily basis, I once struggled to find one. MCCF located in Tubagus Ismail was one of the option, but it opens at 10 A.M and I have to take a farther turn to get back to my place if I stopped by there first. So I figured out this Anen Chinese Food at grabfood. I ordered this quite often through grabfood but at some point I felt my stomach start complaining—I couldn't take a large amount of flour + oil anymore. My favorites are mi tek-tek nyemek and mie goreng.

Honorable Mention: Kantin Dago

This is my life savior throughout my campus life journey. This humble place is run by Bu Chusnul and his husband that sells nasi pecel and nasi kuning in the morning, and various kind of home cooked meals after 10 A.M. Sometimes rawon is on the menu too. Located only one building beside Seliter Dago, I thought they only sell breakfast meal. One day Bu Chusnul said that she remained open throughout the day. Although I am more fond of Pecel Pak Tono, the nasi kuning is quite decent. I had to go here before 12 P.M. or else sayur bayam would be quickly sold out.

On his 3D2N visit at Bandung to bring me home for good, A can't skip visiting Makmur Jaya Soka every single day, along with two other spots that I'll tell later. I guess we're hitting the age where we are no longer excited to try out new restaurants. This is their newest branch which provides the largest, yet posh and cozy indoor seating area inside of a seemingly cultural heritage building. While in here, I beg you to not order the kopi susu makmur (I know they are kinda hard to resist); Why bother joining the queue when you can always have them kopsus makmur on takeaway or online delivery? Instead, try their signature drinks that exclusively sold here: Dirty Latte, Mont Blanc, or Not Latte.

The crews are friendly and the overall hospitality is better, compared to the Sawunggaling branch. The waiter is willing to explain further to my curiosity on their V60s menu and selected beans (I did not try their pour over coffee due to yesterday visit to campus clinic where the doctor said I should not drink coffee for a while yet I ended up in here #TMI). In addition, there's a mini bar where the visitors can see the barista make the pour over coffee.

They sold merch like t-shirts, keychain, and all but I fancied their coaster that sadly isn't available for sale.

It is better to go here early in the morning to avoid long queue. Use a motorcycle or online taxi to get here as it is located in a narrow alley, with limited parking available. A said the mushala and the toilet are kept clean, so consider it as a bonus.

Dirty Latte (right): served in chilled clear glass cup, now I get why people said it is the star of the show 💫. The first layer on the surface is the espresso, followed by the steamed milk; and just like that. It is BOMB 💣💥. There's no ice at all so you don't have to worry for the coffee to go watery anytime soon.

Not Latte (left): I think this is an option for those who did not like a certain level of kick on their coffee, if you know what I mean. I could notice a hint of savory aftertaste from the drink which I am not sure whether it is from the cacao or the coconut milk, but the whole presentation is so pretty 💕.

Montblanc (left): cold brew served with a lemon infused foam on top. So refreshing yet a little too sweet to my liking.

The tiramisu is okay, but the way it serves look like a sad food (considering the price, though). I guess when it comes to tiramisu, I would turn to yarraallday or maiku.

During our last visit to the dentist, the dentist mentioned that A's teeth was stained from excessive coffee consumption. Therefore on our recent trip to MakJay, he said, "I would allow myself to drink coffee only for Makmur Jaya, nothing else deserves the sacrifice." I can't 😂😂

This post is written to cherish my days spent at Bandung. Sadly the end of this month marks the date where I officially move out (sob), therefore allow me to write a memorable, ups and downs during my stay here.

Moving to another city was never been this exciting. At first I thought the journey in finding the right rent room wasn't this hard. I'm gonna take you back on my experience in choosing rent room. My very first experience about moving away to my family was when I move to Jakarta for work. The rent room I chose when I lived in Central Jakarta was all recommended by my seniors, and I never had any complaint about that—they are perfectly fine. My bad experience about a rent room is when I rent one in Cipete. A friend of mine survived in that building for more than four years (in the upper level) yet at that time the room upstairs is full-booked and so I got the first floor, which is horrible. Beforehand, A has asked me multiple times, to make sure whether I was confident with my choice. At the very beginning, he knew that this place wouldn't be the best fit for me, but I was running out of time and apparently on the edge and extremely exhausted due to overwork late—man, I have no other choice. The building was located right on the back of a restaurant, which, I should have realise that I would get cockroach and other random insects crawling on the floor at night, or the funky smell came out from the drainage 😖. I guess renters upstairs didn't get the same issue as the ones who lives downstairs. And what really drive me nuts was the endless beeping coming from one of the electrical box's renter that the housekeeper refuse to shut. Somehow the room isn't really soundproof since I could heard street singers and vehicles passing the busy Cipete Raya road. All in all, I could sleep better in KRL or TJ bus rather than this place 😂😂

This time, I was so sure that this particular room I found in Bandung was meant for me. However, it didn't take long for insomnia to strikes back. In October 2023 to be exact, I struggled to fall asleep. I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but the sleepless nights took a toll on my overall well-being. I was confused that my sleep difficulties partly due to:

1. The nonexistent air cooler in my room (to my friends who once convinced me that I don't need aircon when I live here, please try to remember when exactly the last time you spent your bachelor study here—Bandung is not that cold, yeorobun), 
2. Intense light exposure—my room still got light exposure from the aisle of the dorm through the vents. Somehow, I love having a pitch dark room during bed time.
3. Sound—I still could hear the girl next door's night activities. The room is not wholly soundproof either because of the vents for airflow circulation.
4. Stress—due to the never ending assignments,
5. or all of it.

I never think that assignments and exams and all would burdened me that much, though. I barely survived the scorching October heat since my rent room wasn’t designed for hot weather. I have considered to move out to a room with aircon, but each option (that I found both online or offline) came with its own drawbacks—cramped access, ridiculously high prices (compared to my previous places in Central Jakarta), or busy neighborhoods. Those reasons made me hesitate to move out. Somehow the aircon isn't the only one that affect my sleep. When the heat is present, the fly and mosquito season is finally arrived—something I didn't sign up for 😢. I begged the house keeper to allow me to install aircon, which, he undoubtedly rejected 😂.

What really matters to me in order to have a good quality of sleep, aside from the reasons I mentioned above, was the bed. Later, I figured that the bed I used was so old and it wasn't in its ideal form.

During the heatwave around October the next year, God had another plan. I caught a cold, and the whole situation forced me to take medication for a week just so I could sleep soundly, unbothered by the heat. The heat and insomnia led me to drink coconut water every single day, so that I could get a good quality rest. Recently I found out that consuming almond and cashew gave a good quality sleep too.

Anyway, what makes me decide to finally stay in this room until the end of the period, is my discovery of this warteg near my place during the third semester—disguised as a pecel stall in the morning, but serves decent home meals during the day til noon. And around that time, there were a soft opening of roasted chicken stall near where I live. That reminded me of those dark moments I've been through; coming back from work with growling empty stomach, feeling defeated, and decided to have a late chicken dinner and sobbing at the same time, at the same franchise roasted chicken in Cipete Raya. I knew it's silly, but I consider it as a sign to put up a little longer.

I feel bad for ended up writing an unpleasant experience to commemorate my stay in Bandung; I used to feel as if I wasn't allowed to share my good moments with anyone through anything because I am afraid it would make me sound too braggy. However, I felt like I have healed from everything that the universe threw at me few years ago. I  am filled with gratitude—for the clear and chilled air, the supportive lecturers and lovely friends, and all the good foods I devour. Even my baby Thai Constellation Monstera is thriving here. It used to take months just to grow a new leaf, but here, it only takes 2-3 weeks for the new pup to emerge 💕

Back when I was a corporate employee, I had business trips at Bandung more than twice a year. I went there with bosses who some of them were in their 40s. The destination were always the same; after the business was done during one sleepless night, more often than not, we went to buy snacks at Primarasa Paskal. After that, we had late lunch at Bebek Kaleyo (although, the bapak-bapak tend to drew us to Padang Sederhana instead) right on the corner of the street before we went home. Pandanwangi? Bu Imas? Never heard any of that 😢.

But this time is different. I was pretty much well-literate than before *cough*, and considering I went back and forth to home quite often, I find cheaper alternatives on what to bring home. I felt like I was obliged to bring something along with me to make up for my absence to A 😜. and I don't feel like to prepare munchies the first day at home either (lol), so these lists were very personal but might help me in the future when I have biztrip at Bandung again someday *fingercrossed* 

I find it hard to choose a word that properly describe "oleh-oleh" in English so I use Japanese term お土産instead: (read: omiyage—local specialties that someone bought during business trip for family/coworkers). Credits to B who recommend all of this to me:

1. Bolu Pisang Bu Wita

It is available online delivery and their outlets are pretty much everywhere, so it takes one click away until it arrives at the doorstep. The bolu is decent and comforting; I can't help but to think that it gave the nostalgic feeling to the bolu that mum brought home when I was a kid. I should mention here that the taste was incomparable than the currently viral bolu pisang at Cilaki (not that I have tried it)—it gave off the 'tempoe doeloe' vibe compared to modernized banana cake at Cilaki's, if you know what I mean. Pricewise, it was fourth times cheaper than Cilaki's 😂. The only drawback is it doesn't come with a plastic knife, so it is not suitable to be enjoyed on the way back.

Pro tip: once I arrived home, I slice and store it to the fridge inside a secure lock n lock to prolong its shelf life and reheat it for 30 seconds with microwave. It is important to note that the longer you reheat it, the more it released weird smell (is it due to the heated butter or something (?)—dear home baker please enlighten me).

2. Bolen Lilit

While most visitors go to Primarasa or Kartika Sari for omiyage, I prefer this place.

It is less crowded, the pastries are fresher, and it's conveniently near Soto Boyolali and Takoburanko (okay this is very subjective indeed). They are available at Bandung train station too (with limited stocks, I think).

My favorite is the almond pastry—flakier and cheaper than the shop next door. The last time I bought one from the P shop, the flake were all over the place on the bottom of the packaging. Besides, my family prefer Bolit's version of almond pastry to the shop next door's, which, almost twice the price of the bolit's (although the gramation is different but still). Another favorite of this place is the springlee. I used to buy this springlee snack at Rezeki Freshmart, but in here they offered larger size! Also, my choice would not drift over their cheese bolen lilit—banana rolled in crisp buttery pastry. Yumm.

The keju lilit, on the other hand, isn't my cup of tea.

3. Roti Sisir Toko Liza

Another jadoel delicacies that shouldn't be missed. For the record, I never tasted the pia or other products. I come here just for their roti sisir—A's ultimate favorite. The waitress mentioned that ovomaltine flavour is the favorite among customer but I personally prefer the classic one like cheese and chocolate sprinkles. Since A is more of a savory person, I bought him the smoke beef and baso ayam (chicken meatball). According to their instagram, the roti sisir is sold on the train as well. Some people hesitate to buy due to the nonexistent halal-certified on it. As for me, I don't fuss about it as long as they stated that they don't use non-halal ingredients 😛 

4. Sarae Bakery

This is my personal favorite. Calling it a trending sourdough specialized bakery is an understatement. What I love the most about this shop is they opened at 6 a.m. in the morning—perfect for early riser like me 😜.

The buns are my go to for suhoor during Ramadhan. They are convenient to have—no need to cook or reheat anything, and it didn't seem to give me the insulin spike in the morning. I'd rather get enough sleep rather than prep a full meal for suhoor, so sarae's bun is the perfect choice for it #TMI.

Pro tip: If you're heading to the Dago branch, make sure to let the parking guy know in advance that you are going Sarae—not Jabarano—so you don't get charged higher parking fee 😂

One night, I came across a post on twitter from @Blood4LifeID, an account that connects people in need of blood transfusions with voluntary donors. They were urgently looking for donors with a specific blood type in Bandung—one that happened to match mine. I couldn’t help but to think back to a few years ago when my own family was in a similar situation due to my (late) sister’s illness. Another memory surfaced—my visit to PMI with colleagues. Due to shortage in PMI caused by the outbreak, we decided to donate afterwork. I remember seeing a woman in her 40s waiting near the register desk and asked each visitor their blood type. When she heard mine, she immediately asked if I would donate for her child with thalassemia.

Enough with the flashback.

Without thinking much, I reached out to the contact listed and decided to donate my blood the next morning before class. What I didn’t expect was how memorable this visit would be. Compared to my previous visit to PMI Pusat Kramat Raya in December 2023, the branch I visited this time felt much more well-organized and welcoming. Instead of receiving a bag filled with sugary, low-nutrient supermarket snacks, I was served a proper meal—a boiled egg, sweet mung bean porridge (bubur kacang hijau), and hot milk—served on porcelain plates at the canteen, right after the blood donation process. It was a small but thoughtful move that made the whole experience even more meaningful.

During my bachelor degree, I was rejected multiple times from donating blood due to low hemoglobin levels. Looking back, I realize I was probably malnourished due to all those sleepless nights and unhealthy diets 😅 I guess good health isn’t just a personal privilege; it’s a shared responsibility that allows us to help others in need.

me hurried back to morning class

I had plan to grab coffee ice cream at Wheels afterward, but I was worried I was gonna miss maghrib prayer so I skipped it.

Got back to the kos at 7 PM, only to find my phone ringing nonstop and scolded by A 🤣 he was worried as hell since crime tend to rise during Ramadhan. I reassured him that the streets were crowded and relatively safe—he had nothing to worry about.

“It’s the way you react that concerns me," he replied. "If you were robbed, instead of giving up your belongings, you would probably fight back or do something reckless. It runs in your blood.”

🤣🤣🤣

I guess you really can’t hide your true color from your spouse 😌

These are a few things I'd be sharing with you :

1.  Couvee is coming to town! big YAY.

I used to buy a 1-liter bottle of Tukucur  just for myself every time I was home (finishing it in three days!), but I don’t think I could finish another liter from a different brand. Here’s why: I once made a mistake of buying a full liter of milk coffee I hadn’t tried before. It was from a well-known Bandung brand that opened a branch in Cipete in 2023 👀 #iykyk. I couldn’t finish it because it was too sweet for my taste—even though I requested it “less sweet” in my order. My alternative was to get a 500ml bottle, which, as far as I knew, only Roti Macan offered, though it meant spending extra money due to faraway location. But now, I’ve discovered that Couvee also sells 500ml bottles!

2. As a learner, I am a strong believer that both the reference book and the teacher who deliver the material was the key factor for the student to understand the subject very well, despite the self-learning process. I have rant about this in this post. Some subjects that well known as a difficult one, but delivered by the right teacher, might be a game changer. Some subjects that might seem difficult to digest, but once reading the well written, systematical book, would help a lot.

I experienced this when I was in high school. Chemistry was by far the most frightening subject among others. The teacher was not much of help, he liked to pick on students who did not perform well in front of the class. But I won't give up; I approached the brightest student in chem at the moment, and she gave me this book that I have to copy. The first time I read it, I got fever for a solid 3 days 😂 and the rest is history. The book was well-structured and easy to digest, in result I survived the class.

3. I read somewhere that listening to music—especially songs you enjoyed during teenage years—might boost your performance while studying or working. So here I am, adding more and more old tracks to my playlist that might be older than most of the kids in the class. 😄

listening to this on loop 😅

4. Finally hiking with the girls at Taman Hutan Raya! and enjoying the famous perkedel Bu Kokom as well 💖

5. It's heartbreaking to know that this is our last study session at M Coffee Bengawan, as they will be closing this branch permanently😭. This cafe has undoubtedly been the ideal setting for our group study sessions. We’ve made the second floor our usual spot, where we could either study quietly or dive into lively discussions 😆. 

They serve decent lattes and good foods. The toilet is well-maintained and never run out of tissues. Although the prayer room is located outside the cafe, it is kept clean. Don't worry, we're not that one of rojali students (rombongan jarang beli). We used to have 2 main courses and drinks each person since we've spent a pretty long hours in here 😂However, on the next semester we tend to utilize 'belakang aer' communal space near our campus building instead of this place. 

6. This is my current go-to fragrance—I have one at home and another that I brought to Bandung.

I realise that the TBS one is not suitable for humid condition, so I left it at home. Being a student keeps me outdoor longer than being an employee does 😅 I might swipe it into another local brand once I finished this. As for the Alchemist one, it is surprisingly great for outdoor activities (praised by A himself, who is exceptionally fussy when it comes to my taste in scents 😅). Honestly, I didn’t think much about fragrance at first; I only became aware of it when a trending topic on Twitter discussed how some people on the KRL wore certain fragrances that bothered other passengers😮

7. An unexpected commotion happened on Thursday while we were waiting for the next class: the fire alarm went off several times, followed by unpleasant smell of smoke coming from the 6th floor. The class was then canceled, even though the fire handled quickly by the professionals.

That white thing in the sky was not the cloud. That was actually the smoke 😅Unrelated to that, this is an eerie sighting I encountered last year.