LIVE, LOVE & LOU: January 2016

Budget Eats: Tofu & Cake Indonesian Restaurant

Tofu & Cake, a small, unassuming eatery in The Center, is where you get to try tofu-related Indonesian food. I've read somewhere that most of the items on their menu are food stall regulars in Indonesia. I didn't know what to expect since I haven't tried Indonesian food ever, but I do like tofu and soya. They also have Indonesian sweets available at a take away shelf inside the restaurant.

There are only a dozen items on the menu so it was not that hard to make a choice. At the same time, I was thinking "specialty" - I have this strange theory in my head that the lesser the items are on the menu, the better they taste since they are restaurant specialties. And I was proven right here at Tofu & Cake. And did I mention, almost everything is at 12QR? Yes, almost everything, there was only 1 item priced 15QR (which is not available.)

We ordered Tahu Goreng (Fried Tofu) but asked for the sauce to served separately. We were not sure we could take on the level of its spiciness.

Bakso Tahu Goreng (Meatballs with Fried Soya Dumplings served in Beef Broth)

Bakso Tahu Kering (Meatballs with Fried Tofu served Beef Broth and Noodles)

Both soups were satisfactory, served hot and very perfect for the weather here in Doha this moment. I loved the fried dumplings in my Bakso Tahu Goreng.

We also took home some sweets which, I must admit, I didn't get the names. All I know is that they are very similar to Filipino meryendas (snacks). One looks almost like a cuchinta (sticky rice cake) but with chocolate sprinkles on top, but when I took a bite, I noticed that there seems to be some pudding at the bottom. The other is very similar to a puto (rice cake) except the top part seems to have cracked from the baking/steaming.

And our favorite among our take home orders was the Keripik Tempe (Soya Chips.) It was a hit even in our office. We will surely visit again just to buy more of this.

The eatery itself is dimly lit and furnishing seems to be out of date. Although, this doesn't bother me so much. I'm not sure why because its one of my pet peeves, an orderly space planned and furnished interior. The inside is just basically the kitchen, 2 dining tables and a counter where you can order and pay. There are more seating at the atrium of the building but I doubt that it's properly ventilated especially during the summer season.

They are located at one of the old shopping buildings near The Center, the same building as Great Wall Chinese Restaurant. It's somewhat at the back of Radisson Blu and parking is not a problem in this area.

Tofu & Cake

Ground Floor, Bldg. of Great Wall Chinese Restaurant

The Center, Al Muntazah

Tel: +974-55442471

Times: 10am - 10pm

You can check out their menu here: Tofu & Cake menu

This is not a sponsored post.

Friday, January 08, 2016
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26th Doha International Bookfair Haul

Books

Last Dec 5 to 12, the 26th Doha International Book Fair was held at QNCC. Here's my little haul from the said fair. (I know I still have a lot of TBRs but I just couldn't help myself.)

CARRY ON - Rainbow Rowell

You have got to have this book if you've read Fangirl, and I have. So I grabbed a copy as soon I saw it on the shelves. Rainbow Rowell has been a favorite ever since I read Eleanor and Park & Attachments. This book is about a fictional character who is the subject of fascination of another fictional character in Fangirl, (I'm thinking Inception here.)

SHARP OBJECTS - Gillian Flynn

DARK PLACES - Gillian Flynn

And because I enjoyed Gone Girl so much, I just had to get the two other thrillers from Gillian Flynn. I'm just a little disappointed they didn't have the original covers, especially for Dark Places, because I really don't like movie covers in my books.

COMMITTED - Elizabeth Gilbert

A sequel to the memoir Eat, Pray, Love - which I'm sure everyone who's read has loved. Elizabeth Gilbert takes us deeper into her un-married life of being committed to Felipe, a Brazilian-born Australian citizen she met in Indonesia. But they face a challenge in the form of the American government when Felipe is refused entry to the United States. They must make a choice of whether to get married or not. Of course, having both been divorced once, it was quite a hard choice to make.

US - David Nicholls

Another love story from the renowned author of One Day, a very heart-breaking story of love and friendship. Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves - at times achingly optimistic - and learning hoe to get closer to a son who's always felt like a stranger. Of course, I'll need to be ready to cry while reading this.

ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS - Hanan Al-Shaykh

I've been always amused with books written from a different cultural viewpoint. I love reading about different traditions especially those from coutries with different traditions and rituals in marraige and love. One Thousand and One Nights takes me step closer to the stories from India, Persia and the Arab empire.

WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON - John Green & David Levithan

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES - John Green

In true John Green fashion, we are once again faced with teenage feelings and emotions. I'm not really sure why I keep on reading John Green novels but, let's face it, we do pick up a few pointers from them.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about two exact opposite teenagers who ran on different circles but have one thing in common, they are both named Will Grayson. What do we know, maybe they might something else in common with each other.

An Abundance of Katherines is about a guy who has a thing for girls named Katherine, might seem creepy, I'm going find out if it is. All I know is that of the 19 Katherines that he's liked, evryone of them dumped him and he's out to prove to evryone that there's a Katherine out there that's meant for him.

Please excuse the textured covers, I mistakenly picked up the wrong roll from the bookstore. I must admit, most of the books in this list were bought based on previous works of the author (except for One Thousand and One Nights.) What can I say, when I loved a book, I expect so much from the author.

Most of the books ranges from 40-60QR, which is similar to their cost in Jarir Bookstore or Virgin Megastore. The only upside here is that there's a wide range of titles you can choose from.