Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Odeon Taiwanese Cafe

Yeaa, I know it's very late for this post but here you go.. This was our first dinner in Hong Kong..


We were wandering in Causeway Bay area and had no clue where to dine, so we just randomly picked this Odeon Taiwanese Cafe.. E had eaten here several times when he was in Hong Kong..



Simply, clean, and spacious dining area..

For the drinks..


E ordered this Sweet Pumpkin Juice (HKD 23/IDR 30K), quite refreshing..


And Hot Chrysanthemum Tea (HKD 35/IDR 45.5K), the tea is a mixture of chrysanthemums and Chinese wolfberries.. The tea had a light and pleasant fragrance..


I didn't have anything fancy here, but something that could warmth my hungry belly.. I had a Minced Pork Noodle Soup (HKD 38/IDR 49.5K), Taiwanese noodle in soup topped with minced pork.. The noodle was not too bad, not the usual taste that you get though..


The noodle was not springy but it has a chewy texture, quite nice and pipping hot..


And E ordered this Beef Bamboo Rice (HKD 45/IDR 58.5K), steamed rice topped with sauteed beef served in bamboo tube.. The beef was tender and well marinated..

All in all, it was quite enjoyable eventhough we thought it's not really cheap eat in Hong Kong


Odeon Taiwanese Cafe
22-36 Paterson Street
Shop 6, 1/F Pearl City Mansion, JP Plaza
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel. 28056638

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Pancious - revisit

Seems like I visit Pancious quite often.. This time I went back with my mom, bro, and E..


Almost every time I'm back to Pancious, I always order my fave pancake here.. I never get bored with their Blueberry Cheese Pancake - Single Stack (27K), a fluffy pancake came with blueberry sauce, cheese fudge on top and served with a scoop vanilla ice cream.. The pancake really goes well with these toppings..


Next, we ordered Waffle Burger (37K), its such a big dish, even bigger than a usual burger with buns hehe..


Stuffed with beef patty, cheese, and lettuce in two waffles.. The burger had a reasonably well made beef patty which quite marinated and juicy on the inside..


The other my fave dish here is Fettuccine Mushroom (42K), fettuccine with sauteed mushroom in cream sauce topped with deep fried mushrooms.. The cream sauce is just right for my liking, not too thick and I loved the mushrooms, and they're generous with it..


And we also shared this Smoked Beef Spaghetti (41.5K), spaghetti sauteed with smoked beef and mushroom in aglio olio style.. Simply but tasty..


Pancious Pancake House
Plaza Indonesia
Level 5, unit E06-E08
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3906817

Other Branches;
Permata Hijau (1st Branch)
Jl. Permata Hijau Block A No. 12
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5304325

Pacific Place Mall
Level 5, unit 39
SCBD, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 57973360

Friday, October 23, 2009

Ocean Empire

Back to more photos of Hong Kong, I’m still not done yet! When we in Hong Kong, surely we won't miss one of Hong Kong's popular and local delicacies, congee.. Lighter than rice make the congee easier to stomach, such a humble dish.. Here's one of famous eatery for local taste congee, Ocean Empire..


The shop is decorated in simple way, tidy, and clean.. It may not be easy to get the seat during peak hours..


She was making a rice rolls, and they maintain the hygiene and cleanness in the kitchen.. That's really good..

So far, in Jakarta we only familiar with a savory kinds of congee, but this local eatery serves not only the savory one but there some kinds of sweet congee, they put pumpkin and sweet corn on it.. I saw many local people loved this dish, but we still opted the savory one. They cook congees with many different choices healthy and fresh ingredients..



E ordered this Sotong/Cuttlefish Congee, they put a lot sotong/cuttlefish on it.. Its tasted really good, and E loved it, he said he hasn't found out kind of congee in Jakarta so far..


And I choose this Fish Congee, looked nothing different with the cuttlefish congee yaa hehe..


But dig it you'll find out generous fresh fish slices.. The porridge was smooth and tasty..


This was so crispy... Fried Cruller/Chinese Doughnut, always have a fried cruller to dip into the congee.. Its really nice, crunchy but soft on the inside, really goes well with the congee..


We also ordered this Rice Rolls with Chinese Doughnut, we drizzled it with soy sauce.. The rice rolls was smooth, thin, and as always the Chinese Doughnut was crispy..



Not only congees, they also famous with their local Cantonese snacks, deep fried Chinese doughnut/crullers, twisted doughnut, fried sesame ball, and ricesheet roll/chee zhong fun..

Ocean Empire provides the good traditional Cantonese dishes at the least price.. I'm always come here when I'm in Hong Kong, they really have a Cantonese local taste.. This eatery also quite familiar to Indonesian tourist, you'll find many Indonesian tourist eat here..


Ocean Empire
Shop No. 4-5, Excelsior Plaza
24-26 East Point Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Puro Ristorante e Bar

Explored something new again. This time, we tried Puro Ristorante, Italian Restaurant in City Plaza which is the same place and still under the same management too with Blowfish..


I heard before from my friends that food here is really expensive, but now they have launched their new "Recession Bailout Menu", which is come with more affordable price..


The place is spacious and the interior is so white, they set up with an open kitchen concept..


The decor is elegant but not overdone, making this place stylist with a hint of coziness at the same time.. A nice place to hang out with friends or for your romantic dinner..


I love their complimentary Italian bread, the bread goes well with all their dips.. Nice texture of bread and absorbs the dip very well.. Mmm so delicate, nice starter..


The description on menu really tantalized me, and I confused to choose what is the best.. So the waiter suggested us this Salsiccia Bitz Pizza (65K), sauteed bell peppers, mushroom, beef sausage, and spicy salami on it.. This is one of their fave pizza.. The topping was complete enough and tasted good too..


Get bored with spaghetti and fettuccine, so we ordered this Tortellini Panna Piselli e Tacchino (49K), it's a turkey tortellini with peas and bacon in creamy sauce.. It was delicious, the sauce was nice and mild.. If you like creamy pasta, try this one..

Definitely a good place to dine in for Italian cuisine.. Their service was fine too, with the waitress very attentive to your every need.. And for the price is reasonable and more affordable now.. We wouldn't mind coming here again, to try their other dishes next time..


Puro Ristorante e Bar
City Plaza at Wisma Mulia, Suite UG 06
Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto No. 42
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 52971234


Saturday, October 17, 2009

Penang Bistro

When we headed to EX to watch a movie, we were stuck with a terrible traffic in Thamrin, yup its really unpleasant.. And we were hungry at that time, so when we near to Kebon Sirih area, I just remembered to this bistro..



Penang Bistro, it's not a new restaurant in J-town but still quite popular till now and they are under the same management with Seribu Rasa..


The place is really spacious.. The interior was designed in minimalist style..


A bistro with a welcoming ambiance, cozy, and lovely..


From its name, of course Penang Malaysian food is on the menu and some seafood selections..

Let's indulge in some of Penang Bistro's dishes..


Roti Canai Beef Curry (27K) to start.. Fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside.. As I am not a huge fan of curry, but it was delicious.. It was very flavorsome without being overpowering, the canai really goes well with it..


Malay Mee Goreng - Malaysian-style fried noodle (38K), yellow egg noodle fried with seafood, tofu, eggs in spicy based sauce.. The dish was pretty good, it's not wet but not dry, it's just right and flavorsome..



Sapo Tofu (43K), stir-fried mixed vegetables with Japanese tofu and seafood in gravy sauce.. This just an average dish, but with its gravy sauce it was really palatable..

If you're craving for some Penang style nyonya food at affordable prices, this Penang Bistro is not to be missed!


Penang Bistro
Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 59
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31906000


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Marmalade Pantry


OK The Marmalade Pantry this time.. It's a restaurant with a franchise concept originated from Singapore, and this is their first branch in Jakarta.. They're offer a modern concept bistro for casual dining..


Stepping into The Marmalade Pantry, is like walking into the simply elegant kitchen pantry.. It brings you such a homey ambiance, really a good place to relax..

The food here is not quite wide selections.. They offer Western Europe dishes and use only fresh ingredients and with no MSG.. So, let's give it a try..


Our drinks, Coca Cola (20K) and Hot Lemon Tea (25K)..


We started off with an order of Pesto Chicken Wrap (65K), pan fried pesto chicken wrap served with vegetable chips and salads. The dish is quite similar like I had in Canteen, but the different here is it's a pan fried wrap and they put a mashed sweet potato (if I'm not mistaken) on it.. The mashed sweet potato give a unique taste on it, nice though.. But the portion is quite light, since they used vegetable chips instead of french fries, but it's more healthy rite? hehe..


Looking for bigger portion? Try their Club Sandwich (65K), three stacks of toast filled with grilled chicken and crispy turkey bacon, topped with a perfect sunny side egg, and also served with vegetables chips and salad.. It was too big for me, I can't finished it all by myself.. But it was delicate, all fresh ingredients on it..

Even though both dish didn't exactly wow for me, but I will come back next time to try their selection of desserts.. For the price, I think it's a slightly higher.. But I love this classy place to hang out..


The Marmalade Pantry
Plaza Indonesia 1st Floor, unit E18, E19T
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3154374

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Canteen

Hey guys.. I think I'll postponed my review about Hong Kong foodies, coz I still have many local restaurants to review.. Hehe

So, what's new in Plaza Indonesia Extension? When we came to PI Extension, we found out that two new stylish restaurants, Canteen and Marmalade Pantry just opened.. Which one better? Let's check it out..


We gave it a try first to Canteen.. Canteen is a restaurant/cafe affiliated to Aksara bookstore, and they opened side by side with the bookstore..



The place should be some kind of cozy and comfortable if it is not too packed.. It was Saturday nite when we came, and it was really packed.. Even though we've booked already by phone, we still being seated in an uncomfortable spot, the table is too small to dine and the space between the tables too close.. It was not nice, we can't really enjoyed the ambiance..

Take a look, what's on the menu..


The menu is vary from Asian, sandwich, pizza...


Western, and pasta..


For the drinks, we ordered..


Iced Coffee (16K)


Hot Chamomile Tea (20K)

And what's for dinner...


Here I opted from sandwich selection, Pesto Chicken Wrap (45K).. Grilled pesto chicken breast and lettuce wrapped with tortilla skin served with french fries and salad.. It's good, the chicken was tender..


The side dish can be changed and actually I already asked the waiter to change it with grilled baby potato.. But it still came up with french fries, and when I complaint to them, they gave me this free grilled baby potato for their mistake.. I liked the grilled baby potato, it just tasted right to my liking..


And this is it, Crispy Chicken Roll (55K) that we've waited sooo long.. E ordered it, it's a deep fried chicken breast roll stuffed with mushroom on top of mashed potato and drenched with mushroom sauce.. It was tasty and savory..


The manager knew that E was really pissed off since his order took time sooo long.. So the manager gave us this free dessert Cream Puffs with Chocolate Sauce (30K), six pieces of mini vanilla cream puffs dusted with powder sugar and served with a cup of chocolate sauce.. Hmm yummyyy..

The food here is OK, the price is also OK, and the place is nice.. Perhaps because they had just opened it, so it's normal when there are some lacks, but the important is they have to work harder to fix it and getting better soon.. I'm still wanna try their other foods and enjoy their cozy ambiance and I hope the next time I go there, they'll be better in services and timing..


Canteen
Plaza Indonesia Extension
5th Floor #E02, E10
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3156537