Shabby chic ambiance in local hue

Wak Nur’s Coffee House

I went to Roemah Kopi Wak Nur (roemah = house, but it’s more like a cafe) at Uskup Agung street, Medan, North Sumatera a few months ago.

The coffee quite okay, nothing special for my preference, so did the food. They do have house brand coffee, The Wak Nur’s brand that got good reviews from coffee enthusiast. But the waitress didn’t share any information about it to us, never promote or gave suggestions of the house specialities. I learn about it when I wandered around the cafe and browsing from the internet.

It’s the ambiance that remind me of it, unfortunately, not the menus. I like it a lot. Like Melayu meet Western or Baju Kurung paired with Cowboy boots or when Siti Nurbaya hooked up with John Wayne to decor this place.

Tables and chairs from worn woods met checker-boards floor toned down with pastel earth tones

Love that old window, oddly, it didn’t seem out of place and function like art works

The house brand

My drink; I think it was Iced Cappuccinno

Otak-otak, light finger foods from fish paste grilled in banana leaf. It didn’t go very well with my coffee.

Mira & Kiky, my cheeky cousin in law that brought me there

For more information about cafes and coffee shops/ house; Kopibrik is one of the better reference.

Less successful attempt, remaking old school beverages: Kolak Pisang

Does your family has an old school beverages? One dish that we would make it exactly in the same way every time?

Well during Ramadhan, one typical beverages that every house hold will make at least ones on this month is Kolak.

Kolak is a coconut milk based beverages, sweetened with palm sugar as the “broth”. You can add steamed banana, boiled sweet potatoes, boiled cassavas even steamed corn.

I prefer eat it as a cold beverages, but it taste addictive served warm. The sweet and deep taste from palm sugar, married with creamy coconut milk will blow your taste buds away.

Well, I don’t quite like it. I mean, one cup is enough for a month.

Since I stumble into funny taste of ice cream, I’m thinking about making a deconstructed Kolak Pisang. My take on it was, turning the coconut milk into jelly, then caramelized the banana with palm sugar and add Coconut (or purple sticky rice) flavored ice cream.

It didn’t look too bad, isn’t it? But I miss the luscious and deep flavor from the regular Kolak. The banana became too dry after a while. Well, at least it still eatable.

Another day in cooking with no recipes, sometimes wing it takes a toll.

a deconstructed Kolak Pisang (jelly coconut milk, caramelized banana and purple sticky rice ice cream)

the ice cream saves the day. its creaminess, sourness cuts the flat flavor of the rest.

the heroes, a purple sticky rice flavored ice cream and young coconut ice cream.

Cooking while sleeping, use the leftovers

Although my spirit are high welcoming this year’s Ramadhan, me being my self, rolling back to my nature self. Only in two days!

Either I got up too early or too late, I just loosing power to cook something complicated. Besides, I had a huge pile of cold rice leftovers from the last 2 days my husband didn’t eat at home. I have to use that as soon as possible, or I’ll get headache seeing it in my fridge all the time.

Well the fool proof cooking while sleeping, or just feeling really really want to crawl back to my soft and smooth bed with warm fluffy blanket on cold room, are fried rice. My version of spicy and sweet fried rice. It’s a one pot wonder with just about everything I can find at my fridge. Either just eggs and rice, or chicken and anchovies, or bean sprout and eggs and mushroom. Anything is acceptable. So, this was how I did.

Garlic-chili fried rice: Sahur day two (and three)

Mayang style garlic-chili fried rice: Steamy, spicy, extra crunchy.

Another version of my fried rice: extra garlic, extra chili

Ramadhan has come ….

The holy month for moslems, when we do mandatory fasting for a month. Before I started mine, please accept my sincere apology for any mistakes and flaw before. Fasting will make me appreciate food even more. Nothing taken for granted.