Belly Buddy, Surabaya
Today I'm going to do a short review of a relatively new spot in town called Belly Buddy. It is located on Jl. Raya Ngagel, not far from Novotel Hotel. The parking lot is rather spacious, I think it can fit 8 to 10 cars. Belly Buddy is situated on the highest floor of the shophouse - no worries, you can take lift to there! It has indoor section with aircon and open-air section, which gets stiflingly hot in the afternoon.
Banyu Got - IDR25,000
It literally means 'ditch water'. Lol seriously, I did not know what to expect. The staff just briefly described this drink as something refreshing with a touch of sourness. It turned out to be something like iced tea with mint leaves, plus a weird coke taste (according to my sense of taste).
Oreo Blended - IDR29,500
Initially I was attracted to try their Unicorn Blended, but when the staff informed me that the drink was bubblegum-flavored, I changed my order to Oreo one (I was not really into bubblegum). The ice is blended with Oreo and poured into a glass that looked like a vase, topped with pink (so cute!) whipped cream, choco crunch and yet another Oreo. The whipped cream given was a lot! I think I enjoyed the whipped cream more than the drink lol.
The Green Curry - IDR25,000
The curry was decent but it was a little watery. A generous portion of tender chicken meat was present in this dish, which paired well with the fried egg. The rice was a bit hard though.
Find the Dory - IDR42,000
The presentation is definitely a no to me. Judging from that sauce that looks like spillover, I guess they were in a rush. Taste-wise, the dory was lacking in flavor when eaten on its own, but the chimichurri sauce managed to elevate the flavor. I particularly like the sauce - it tasted sourish, garlicky and fresh at once. The mashed potato was nice too. Although the texture was rough, it was flavorful.
The Ketan Hitam - IDR13,500
Bubur ketan hitam (black glutinous rice or pulut hitam) is my favorite local dessert. I was so happy to find this dessert upgraded to a new level here. The black glutinous rice is served with coconut milk and coconut ice cream, but it somehow lacked fragrance. I wish it was served chilled though.
I don't mean to (in fact, I hate to) badmouth a particular business but here I want to point out some concerns that I feel they really have to take into account. When I came here, there was a so-called 72% national day discount and I knew this place would be packed for sure. In anticipation of this, I came early at around their opening time. Apparently the flow of guests was too heavy and there were 2 big groups coming, causing my order to be neglected. And there were only 3 in-charge staffs that even the owners had to step in and serve the guests (seriously?!)! I needed to wait for 1.5 hours for my food and drink to arrive, but what made me furious was that the other table coming after me got their food first! When I asked the staff she asked me back what my order was (no she was not kidding). Actually I got no problem with their service - the staffs were friendly and polite but they seemed to have no idea of what was going on. The management should really work on this matter to smoother the operational flow and of course to increase guest satisfaction. Once again, this post is not made to vilify the business, but rather to provide them the feedback they need to improve and succeed in this F&B venture.
On the bright side, the place was very Instagenic, food was decent and affordably-priced (even without discount). I would not mind coming back for another chill-out sesh (they got beer tower aye), only after the management has been amended. Cheers!
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Jl. Raya Ngagel 209
Surabaya, Indonesia 60246
+6281331837771
IG: belly.buddy
Opening hours: 11.30am - 1am
It literally means 'ditch water'. Lol seriously, I did not know what to expect. The staff just briefly described this drink as something refreshing with a touch of sourness. It turned out to be something like iced tea with mint leaves, plus a weird coke taste (according to my sense of taste).
Initially I was attracted to try their Unicorn Blended, but when the staff informed me that the drink was bubblegum-flavored, I changed my order to Oreo one (I was not really into bubblegum). The ice is blended with Oreo and poured into a glass that looked like a vase, topped with pink (so cute!) whipped cream, choco crunch and yet another Oreo. The whipped cream given was a lot! I think I enjoyed the whipped cream more than the drink lol.
The curry was decent but it was a little watery. A generous portion of tender chicken meat was present in this dish, which paired well with the fried egg. The rice was a bit hard though.
The presentation is definitely a no to me. Judging from that sauce that looks like spillover, I guess they were in a rush. Taste-wise, the dory was lacking in flavor when eaten on its own, but the chimichurri sauce managed to elevate the flavor. I particularly like the sauce - it tasted sourish, garlicky and fresh at once. The mashed potato was nice too. Although the texture was rough, it was flavorful.
Bubur ketan hitam (black glutinous rice or pulut hitam) is my favorite local dessert. I was so happy to find this dessert upgraded to a new level here. The black glutinous rice is served with coconut milk and coconut ice cream, but it somehow lacked fragrance. I wish it was served chilled though.
I don't mean to (in fact, I hate to) badmouth a particular business but here I want to point out some concerns that I feel they really have to take into account. When I came here, there was a so-called 72% national day discount and I knew this place would be packed for sure. In anticipation of this, I came early at around their opening time. Apparently the flow of guests was too heavy and there were 2 big groups coming, causing my order to be neglected. And there were only 3 in-charge staffs that even the owners had to step in and serve the guests (seriously?!)! I needed to wait for 1.5 hours for my food and drink to arrive, but what made me furious was that the other table coming after me got their food first! When I asked the staff she asked me back what my order was (no she was not kidding). Actually I got no problem with their service - the staffs were friendly and polite but they seemed to have no idea of what was going on. The management should really work on this matter to smoother the operational flow and of course to increase guest satisfaction. Once again, this post is not made to vilify the business, but rather to provide them the feedback they need to improve and succeed in this F&B venture.
-
Jl. Raya Ngagel 209
Surabaya, Indonesia 60246
+6281331837771
IG: belly.buddy
Opening hours: 11.30am - 1am
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