"Hello Asia" -- Taste of Indonesia (Halal!) in Changwon (창원)

The entrance and sign

A word about the meat . . .

It's all halal. No pork--but they do have seafood!

It all started with a random meeting in an elevator.

I had just returned to Korea. I walked down memory lane as I went through Emart's aisles, LotteMart's crowds, and LotteMall's escalators in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. I had enough and wanted to rest a bit in my Namsun Hotel room about 4 or 5 blocks away. Said hotel was on the 4th - 6th floors of a building that has several other businesses occupying its other floors.

A lady and I enter the elevator. She starts speaking to me in English. Not so strange. I'm obviously not Korean/Asian, so by default I must be an English-speaking foreigner--which just happens to be true.

She told me about her restaurant and that I should check it out. I had other dinner plans that day, so I couldn't. However, I did tell her I would visit her restaurant. I had already seen the sign. Just the fact that it was in English was enough to make me consider it further--even become curious.

Fast-forward over a month later, and I finally get to follow through with my word. I must have come in at the perfect time. It was empty. I don't like crowds, so for me, this is a good thing. I was told this place gets busier on the weekends and was relatively active during the week as well--just that day/moment when I entered, it just happened to be empty. Perfect timing, if you ask me.

180 degrees from my seat.

My table

The tables right beside the door.

She gave me a menu to browse and told me about the drinks. One drink, in particular, caught my eye. Let me show you the picture.

Guess which one made me do a double-take...

Did the drink that caught my eye catch yours?

If you were quasi-startled with "Avocodo juice," then yes.

I've never heard of this before--and we eat a lot of avocados in my family. I had to try this. Those of you who know me, know I'm an overall explorer--with countries as well as food.

My glass of avocado juice!

At first, it was a little weird. Then again, with each sip, it got better and better. There was a bit of chocolate in it, which helped with the sweetness (as well as other ingredients I couldn't taste). My sense of taste is not that good, so I would be a pathetic food critic. However, I did enjoy it.

Positive reviews from me!

While I waited for my dish, I took pictures of the decoration. I thought it was well done. Let me show you what I mean...

I liked this map of Indonesia (with a few other countries)

Felt somewhat rich, in a not-so-rich way.

Game of pool, anyone?

So you know what time it is in these countries.

Some of the loveliest flowers are the hidden ones.

Oh, I didn't expect this.

Adds to the already exotic atmosphere.

Colorful wall lamp from up-close.

More of the same clocks with a TV, if that's your thing.

And behold, my dinner!

Nasi Goreng + Sate Kambing for less than $10!

Close-ups!

Skewered lamb (spicy)

Fried rice with vegetables and beef.

So "Before."

Food and juice

And "After."

Clean-up, Joann-style.

I was happy with my meal. I'll definitely come back to explore the menu some more--while sipping on another glass of avocado juice.

The address to this place and where it is can be found here (some of the pictures must be a bit old, or my menu looked different, just to let you know).

I hope you get the chance to check it out!

One more look, as I leave.