Nakanari

Author: Nakanari

  • Spiki’s Java Adventure 2014 (Day 5) – Popcon Day 3

    Spiki’s Java Adventure 2014 (Day 5) – Popcon Day 3

    This is the third day of Popcon Asia.  Thank you to all my friends who came to see me and show their support.

    My biggest challenge was getting the 20-inch munny custom, finished.  Normally, it would take me 2 weeks to complete it but doing the custom live, I was on a time crunch.

    Thank you to Joe for translating this family’s questions for while I was working on the custom.

    Time for some sketches and meeting new friends.

    Finally, the 2o-inch thunder Mickey is done!  Thank you to Dewi and friends who helped me finish up this work.

    Dewi is the first person to ever learn my paint style.  Without her, I may not have been able to finish this job in 3 days. Now I have some free time to see my friends and chat with them.

    Here I am with Budi.  He is so cool and like my brother, always taking care of me when I visit Indonesia.  Much love to him and his family.

    Here I am with Alin, one of the most talented artists I had the pleasure of meeting on this trip.  Thanks for the cool customs!  Be sure to check out his work on his IG @aallliinn.

    This is Hoki.  He stopped by to visit me and gave me batiks for my first Indonesian gift.  He is truly an awesome dude.

    It was such an honor to have met Mr.KumKum.  He even made a cool Spiki sketch for me!

    Meeting more new friends.

    Thanks Nadya for coming to meet with me for her personal blog.

    Thanks to Agung Lu, who took a long train ride to Jakarta to meet me.

    I also had the chance to meet local brand owner, LEKKA.  Lekka is a local skate brand.  It was an honor to meet him.  He gave me a special edition shoe design by Addy.  So awesome!

    This gentleman was security and we were able to chat a bit.  He told me that he worked in Taiwan for a few years.  What a cool and friendly dude.

    My friend, Kong Andri, came with his son!

    Happy Birthday to Joshua!  We surprised him with a cake.

    At the end of the day, we were able to take a photo, all together.

    The Spiki Crew!  This wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without them.

     

    The artists’s jam painting was the most valued piece at this event.

    It was hard to say goodbye.  The 3-day event was fun and I will always have great memories of meeting many awesome people.

    Now it’s time for dinner — fish chips!  We checked out this place called PIK!

    It had amazing BBQ!

    I will never forget my first trip to Indonesia.  There is so much to be learned from traveling.  My dream is to see as much of the world as I can.

    Photo By: Budi Tandiono

     

    Edited by Larnna Thompson

  • Halo Halo in Nipa Hut Bar & Restaurant – Kissimmee, FL

    Halo Halo in Nipa Hut Bar & Restaurant – Kissimmee, FL

    I asked my friend, Jody Johan, if he was interested in trying the Filipino dessert, “halo halo.”

    We ended up driving to Kissimmee to check out this local Filipino restaurant. The place is well known for their halo halo and other traditional Filipino dishes.

    If you prefer, you can just order the dessert for $6.99 each. The portion is great for one person and the ingredients can vary widely, depending on the restaurant.

    Most of the ingredients include jack fruit, beans, other sweets, and my favorite — ube ice cream.

    Thanks Jody, for coming with me to check out this local spot.

     

    Nipa Hut Bar & Restaurant

     

    Address: 5565 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746

    Hours: Opens at 11AM

    Menu: nipahutfl.com

    Order: doordash.com

    Phone: (407) 507-3826

     

    Edited by Larnna Thompson

  • Spiki’s Java Adventure 2014 (Day 4) – Popcon Day 2

    Spiki’s Java Adventure 2014 (Day 4) – Popcon Day 2

    I was super excited for my second day at Popcon.  I had really bad jet lag but my body was full of energy to meet everyone!

    Just showing off my Lucky Cat Spiki tee.

    My 20-inch ninja Spiki dunny is in Jakarta with a nice family.

    The Spiki crew, all hand-painted.

    Time to finish my 20-inch mega munny!

    I planned to make it cute with a retro vibe.

    The hair dryer  helped the progress move along faster.

    I called on Dewi for a little bit of help.

    For lunch, we found a food spot just outside of the venue.  Josh was worried I wouldn’t be able to handle the food but I tried as much as I could.  It’s not every day you’re in Indonesia.

    The chicken tasted very good.

    Now, back to work.

    Hoki came to hang out with me for a few minutes.

    Thank you to Grace for inviting me!

    Meeting new friends.

    Spiki’s new friends.

    The work is  halfway done.

    One of the most nerve-racking moments happened when I met Mari Pangestu, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.

    Time to call it a day and rest to save some energy for tomorrow.

    Photo credits By

    Eric Wirjanata – http://www.thespacewanderer.com/

    Budi Tandiono

     

    Edited by Larnna Thompson

  • Spiki’s Java Adventure 2014 – Martabak Pecenongan 43

    Spiki’s Java Adventure 2014 – Martabak Pecenongan 43

    After Popcon one night, Joshua wanted to take me to have some local street food.  I’ve been told that The Martabak is the King of Indonesian Street Food.  They offer sweet or savory — two types dessert.  I was able to witness how it’s made.

    Everything is hand-made.  It looks like cake but the process doesn’t include any baking.

    The ingredients they use include cheese, butter, and more.  When they flip it halfway, you can see the cake start to form.

     

    Edited by Larnna Thompson

  • Grand Floridian’s Garden View Tea Room – Orlando, Florida

    Grand Floridian’s Garden View Tea Room – Orlando, Florida

    My coworkers and I have been talking about Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian’s Garden View Tea Room so we finally locked down a date for a reservation.

    This location is a Disney venue with an airy British vibe and traditional tea, which means it’s very similar to English-style afternoon tea.

    Inside, the lobby is beautiful.  It’s one of the top wedding spots in Florida.

    Gigi is ready for tea time!

    They also offer a princess-themed tea party.

    I loved the traditional English tea set.

     

    Wendy and Chi with their little princess, Olivia.

    I ordered the Oolong tea.

    Each teapot was brought out with a cover to keep them warm.

    We ordered The Bedfordshire Tea ($35.00).  The first course had a medley of finger sandwiches accompanied with berries, cheese, and lavosh; the second course came with a buttery Scone and jam tart; the finale had a selection of delicate house-made pastries, strawberries and creme, or English trifle accompanied with your choice of tea (extra charge for additional pots of tea).

     

    As an added touch of magic for the little ones, Cinderella and her Prince Charming were in the lobby for a meet and greet. 

    Location: Grand Floridian Cafe

    Address: 4401 Floridian Way, Orlando, FL 32830

    Hours: Opens 9AM

    Phone #: (407) 939-3463

     

     

    Edited by Larnna Thompson

     

  • Magical Dining Month at Jack’s Place – Orlando, Florida

    Magical Dining Month at Jack’s Place – Orlando, Florida

    It’s one of my favorite times of the year — MAGICAL DINING MONTH!!!  It’s during this month that everyone can enjoy three-course meals, typically at high-end restaurants, for a great deal.  Not only is the price affordable but it’s also a great way to support your local community.

    This year we will try to experience new places so we can share our thoughts.  One of the first restaurants we went to was Jack’s Place, located in the Rosen Plaza Hotel near International Drive.

    Thanks Gigi, Wendy and Chi join us tonight dinner.

    They offered 2 kinds of bread, which I personally loved the raisin bread.

    I had the caesar salad with heart of romaine, Jack’s Caesar dressing, fresh shaved parmesan reggiano, and herbed focaccia croutons.

    The lobster bisque with roasted lobster stock, sherry wine, brandy spiced tomato, and lobster relish had really great flavor.

    The filet mignon was a grilled filet of beef with truffle mushroom sauce, boursin polenta, and Jack’s vegetable.  It was delicious and melted in my mouth.  Each bite was soft and flavorful with the truffle mushroom sauce.

    The pan seared sea bass with roasted sweet potato mash, sauteed concord grape, and grilled endive if you like fish.  I highly recommend it.  The sea bass had a crispy outside and was soft inside.

    One of the added perk of eating at Jack’s Place was the cartoon artist they had, who hand-doodles a picture for each table.  He was so quick that you didn’t even realize he had drawn your picture until after it was already done.

    We also ordered Jack’s Citrus Pie with fresh berries and whipped cream.

    As well as Jack’s Cheese Cake with caramel brûlée and fresh berries.

    Overall, we all really enjoyed our meals.

    Location: Rosen Plaza Hotel

    Address: 9700 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819

    Hours: Opens 5:30PM

    Website: jacksplacerestaurant.com

    Reservations: opentable.com

    Phone #: (407) 996-1787

     

     

    Edited by Larnna Thompson

  • Woodpecker Coffee Panglima Polim – Jakarta, Indonesia

    Woodpecker Coffee Panglima Polim – Jakarta, Indonesia

    While checking out some local boutiques in Jakarta, Budi recommended this cool cafe joint.

    While we were enjoying our coffee, a patron recognized Budi and the Plastic Culture! This is Jeffry Lu and he gave me the honor of doodling in his sketch book!

    Photo credits: Jeffrylu / http://instagram.com/jeffrylu
    Woodpecker Coffee
    Jl. Panglima Polim V No. 23
    Jakarta Selatan 12160
    Opening Hours: 
    Mon-Sun 10.00 – 22.00
  • Maihiro x Levvv Bag collections

    Maihiro x Levvv Bag collections

    Model: Kaitlin Jones @kaitlinjonez

    Photographer: Jason Cordoba/@jcordobaphotos

       

  • Bocas Grill Orlando – Orlando, Florida

    Bocas Grill Orlando – Orlando, Florida

    My friend and editor, Larnna, mentioned this new spot so we thought we’d give it a try.

    I checked their IG to see what some of their dishes looked like and to get an idea of what to order.

    Bocas Grill has Spanish and Latin American food so if you like that type of food, this is right up your alley.

    I ordered the Special Cappuccino with Nutella and Pirulín all around the rim ($6.00).

    Larnna’s husband ordered the Levin Truffle Burger which was 10 ounces of hand-cut Picanha, 100% Wagyu, breaded fried cheese, Romaine lettuce tomato, truffle oil, bacon, and truffle mayonnaise on a homemade black bun ($16.99).

    Larnna ordered the Arepas.

    I ordered the Lomo Encebollado with beef tenderloin, onions, and sauce ($11.99).

    My wife ordered the Wok Smoked Lomo Steak with mashed potatoes.

    For dessert, we ordered the Dulce de Leche Churro Milkshake with vanilla ice cream, churros blancos, and a dulce de leche shell topping ($14.00). It was massive and is definitely enough to share among 4 people.

    I would recommend checking out this place!

    Located in: Marketplace At Dr Phillips Address: #22, 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819

    Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 10AM

    Phone: (407) 723-8351

    Menu: places.singleplatform.com

    Edited by Larnna Thompson