Where to buy kitchenware?

(Lynn) Your blog is great and very helpful for people relocating to Jakarta. I have a question about buying household stuff - I'm moving from Singapore and wondering if I should just ship kitchenware (pots/pans/wine glasses/silverware/baking pans etc) from here or buy them in Jakarta. Where are some good places to get these things? I have seen some ceramic shops along Jl Fatmawati - are those any good for plates/cups etc? Thanks

(Miree) Hi Lynn, there is an abundance of kitchenware available in Jakarta with a range of different prices & quality. The ceramic places in Jl Fatmawati are good for basic sturdy everyday ware and ACE Hardware stores have a variety of different types of kitchen & cookware, the malls, Matahari stores etc… also offer these items. Happy searching, regards.

About Maids Pay in Jakarta

(Lee) Dear Miree, I move to Jakarta three weeks ago and am looking for a part time maid to help out mainly with ironing and simple cleaning two to three half days per week. I have a prospect who lives in the same apartment building as me but I have no idea what the going rate is. Can you help? Thank you very much in advance for your kind assistance. Wish you and your family a great Xmas and a Happy New Year.

(Miree) Hi Lee, I would suggest to bargain with the maid, you can ask her if 300,000 or 500,000 its OK?
The full time maid for speaking English 700,000 - 1 million. Its all depend on
their experiences.

And for both types every year you have to give Idul Fitri bonus (THR-Tunjangan Hari Raya) and normally they would ask raise the salary too. Raise 50,000 - 100,000 /month.

You can always start with smaller rate and told her that you would raise the
salary if you happy with the job within 2/3 months. Good luck!

Toiletries

(BSD) Hi Miree, Googled where to buy tampons in Jakarta and your blog page popped up, was just wondering, I'm hoping to go snorkelling over xmas but will have my dreaded period so obviously conventional "pads" are out of the question, do you know of anywhere I can buy them? Much appreciated!

(Miree) Hi BSD, Ranch Market in Buncit Raya, Chemist upstairs inside Hero Kemang & Grand Lucky in Sudirman currently they have a stock of Tampons, but I

would advise to buy a.s.a.p. as have noticed stocks are quite low, as are for many imported items. Also, try in the Food Court in the basement of Pondok Indah 2 and Gourmet Garage in Kemang Raya, as they had a few still on their shelves late last week. Regards.

Good radio station

(Amilia) Hi Miree,
Do you know what is a good radio station in Jakarta? Good music, english speaking radio, most expats living in Jakarta would listen to? It seems like every radio is in Bahasa. Pls help! Thanks.

(Miree) Hi Amilia try tunning into KISSFM - 95.1. Cheers!

Christmas Dinner 2008

(Michael) Dear Miree, We plan to stay at the Ritz Carlton Jakarta for Christmas this year and Iwas wondering if you can recommend some good restaurants with authenticChristmas menu and a nice atmosphere? Thank you very much.

(Miree) Dear Michael, I would suggest you try to book Riva restaurant at the Parklane Jakarta hotel. They have are famous for their fine dining and they have very nice atmosphere too. The hotel close to Ritz maybe just 10 mins by car to get there if no traffic. You can check the details at this link http://www.whatsnewjakarta.com/web2/event/SpecialEventDetail.php?hdnID=Vm10YWIyUXlTblJXYTFwT1ZsVndVbFpyVWtKUFVUMDk=&cboGroup=-4 Or if you just want walk distance then Ritz Carlton and JW Marriot can be good choice too. You can keep check http://www.whatsnewjakarta.com/ for upcoming Christmas special offers, they update events everyday. Cheers and Merry Christmas!

Shirts for men

(Eduardo) Hi Miree, Do you have any recomendations for a good shirt taylor for men in Jakarta, I normally pay up to 50 USD for a shirt in HK. I tried posting the question on your blog but could not get my way around. Thanks for the help.

(Miree) Dear Eduardo, for top quality business shirts, Laxmi Taylor in Kemang Raya No.6D, ph:719-8789 would be the pick of the bunch. Shirts dependingon material are priced between Rp700,000 - Rp900,000 each.
Another one would be New Gentleman Tailor in Jl Melawai IX No.8, owner Pak Eddie speaks English & prices are good, ph:739-5140, also you could try Melawai Tailor in Jl Melawai IV No.45, ph:739-6743.
To posting questions just simply send me an email at anytime. Regards.

Catering for Thanksgiving Dinner

(Sisca) Dear Miree, Do you know a place where I can cater for the Thanksgiving dinner which can deliver turkey, apple pie, etc? :) Thanks much!

(Miree) Hi Sisca, you can contact my friend Mary Ann Wiley. She is normally send out newsletter for the catering offers.
Mary Ann Wiley
The Upper Crust
Sekolah Duta I, No. 15-A Pondok Indah Jakarta 765-4476 0818-168-710
mary.a.wiley@gmail.com
This is her latest newsletter -
12-lb. Turkey = Rp 420,000
17-lb. Turkey = Rp 595,000
If you would rather have The Upper Crust bake the turkey, we'll be happy to do that!
12-lb. Baked Turkey with Stuffing & Gravy * Rp 700,00017-lb.
Baked Turkey with Stuffing & Gravy * Rp 1,000,000,-
Another option:
We will prepare your entire Thanksgiving Dinner!
Absolutely NO stress for you!Rp 120,000 per servingor Dinner For Four PeopleRp 480,000 Our famous Traditional Thanksgiving Feast! Turkey, StuffingMashed Potatoes, GravyCranberry SauceGreen Beans AmandineCreamed CornSweet PotatoesDinner RollsApple Pie or Pumpkin Pie For the Ham Lovers:
Baked Ham with Pineapple & Cherry SauceScalloped PotatoesGreen Beans Amandine Creamed CornDinner RollsApple Pie or Pumpkin Pie. Place your order today!
Push Reply, give your address, phone number, and time you would like delivery.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Furnitures and hiking shoes

(Cecile) Hi Miree, thankyou for the good feedback on the blog site. First, thank you for this blog where I have found lots of informations Ineeded since we arrived in Jakarta (2 months ago). The website is excellent! But I still have 2 questions :- we are looking for a sofa-bed; where do you think we can find one ? I have visited different places but didn't find one.Is there a shop that look likes ikea (design and good prices) ?We would like to find nice lamps for living room as well but cheap ones. And shops i went too are expensive (1.7 million rp for a lamp!) I know we have to bargain but I am not very good at it yet... but learning
- we are looking for good hiking shoes to climb mountains and dotrekking in NZ for christmas. We could wait to be there but I am afraidof the pain because of new shoes so want to try it first... Do you know some specialised shops ?
Many thanks in advance.

(Miree) Hi Cecile, For a sofa bed have you been into Arbor & Troy, as they have a nice range of furniture, you could also take a drive down Ciputat Raya asthere is an abundance of furniture stores there, is one of my favourite areas. For lamps, there are a lot of shops around, Blok A in Fatmawati has a lot of lighting shops and that stock a lot of different styles and their prices are very reasonable. Last but not least, Hiking Shoes, try Rhino Outdoor on Jl Fatmawati, Ph: 021 -65-3280 / 766-4454 alsoTimberland which you will find in the high end shopping plaza's. Enjoyyour Kiwi adventure, regards.

Butter milk

(Michael) Dear Miree, do you have any idea where in Jakarta I could buy BUTTERMILK? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk) I would like to prepare one of my favourite dishes from my grandma which requires buttermilk, but I haven't been able to find any in Jakarta so far.

(Miree) Hi Michael, I can't recall seeing it anywhere, but I would start looking in places like Caswells, Gourmet Garage, Kemchicks & the Ranch Markets or anywhere else that stocks American Products. Happy searching. Regards.

A question about birthday party

(Mina) Hi miree,Thank you for your useful blog. I am looking for kids birthday party goodie bags and decorations.We live in Jl.puricasablanca, kuningan. Chould you please Help me to find them?regards

(Miree) Hi Mina, Supermarkets like Ranch Market , Grand Lucky in Sudirman have a selection of party hats, balloons, lollie bage etc... another one that has a pretty good selection is the Hero Supermarket in Kemang, plus some of the larger shopping centers like Sogo & Metro. But if you are looking for something a bit more special contact Lani at Balloon World, Ph:7590-5980, e-mail: balloon@cbn.net.id, they are located in Cipete, theymake Pinata's to theme of the party and fill them with litle toys andsweets etc... Lots of fun for the Kids, also the 'Lolly Pop Man', who makes beautiful Lolly Pop's as you watch, he is located in Kebayoran Baru, Ph: 726-5977. Cheers