Taste Buds to Share

Moved

2010-06-29T08:36:00.002+07:00

Dear Friends,

After my email has been hacked, finally Gmail has been re-enabling my email and allow me to reset the password.. But I've moved my blog already.. Here's the link to my new blog:
http://lolo-appetite.blogspot.com

So, see you guys there!!

Cheers,
Lolo

Toscana

2010-06-21T19:36:00.002+07:00

Do you all miss an Italian? It's been quite long time I didn't post any Italian food.. When I said an Italian here, I mean a TRUE Italian cuisine:).. And finally we found one, Toscana in Kemang..

An Italian cuisine = expensive? We've been here twice and trust me guys, you can enjoy a fine dining experience with an affordable price.. This is the best deal for a true Italian cuisine.. Let's check it out...

The inside of the restaurant looks pretty fancy, with its high ceiling and beautiful brick walls, the place is perfect for romantic or casual dining..

The restaurant was modest and cozy with dim lighting, this really gives an unpretentious and warm ambiance..

The bar area is filled with bottles of the restaurant's extensive wine collection..

Like any other Italian restaurant, basket of bread was served after we've been seated.. Fresh and warm Italian breads, nice..

On the 1st visit, E was in the mood for some soup so he tried their Zuppa Di Fungi (16K), a mushroom cream soup.. The soup was not overly creamy and this was a hearty start for our dinner..

For the pasta we shared Spaghetti Matriciana (37K), spaghetti stirred in matriciana sauce with a choice of smoked beef or bacon.. For this we choosed bacon, the mixture of bacon with spaghetti always worked so well..

We didn't forget the pizza, we opted their signature one Toscana Pizza (65K), topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, olives, smoked chicken, egg.. We completely satisfied with this one..

There are still a few dishes on the menu which we wanted to try out, so we made it the second visit..

This time we ordered two pastas, E opted Fettuccine Con Sugo Di Polpette (40K). Huaahh complicated name yaa.. Basically it's a fettuccine with duck and chicken meatballs stirred in tomato base sauce and mozarella.. The pasta was cooked just right and the sauce was sweet, tangy, and spicy..

As for me, I ordered Ravioli Di Carne Al Pomodoro (46K), a meat stuffing ravioli in tomato and basilicium sauce topped with cheese.. They serve a generous dollop of the meat filling on each ravioli, and it goes well with tangy tomato sauce..

And we're tempted to try their new pizza menu, Diavola (65K), it's a pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, cooked ham, peperoni salami, and hot jalapeno.. And I asked to add some mushrooms on it.. They are really good with the pizza, it's a wood baked pizza so no wonder the texture is soft and moist..

Aaahhh we're very satisfied for both our dinners.. Here we can enjoy a good authentic Italian cuisine, friendly service, superb ambiance, and most importantly the prices are not cut-throat.. Toscana totally win our heart hehe..

Toscana
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 120
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7181216/17

Tony Romas'

2010-06-17T19:25:00.000+07:00

OK from the east to the west now.. I guess most of food goers familiar already with this one.. So, here it is, we arrived at Tony Romas', an American styled restaurant where you can find the best ribs in town..

The restaurant was modest and cozy with dim lighting..

As soon as we've ordered, we were served with this french baguette on wood chopping board served with margarine and herb butter as a compliment.. Mmm so nice..

E started with the Baked Potato Soup (28K), a cream based soup loaded with baked potatoes, garnished with cheddar cheese & bacon bits, and served with crackers.. I didn't order it, but I tried some sips the soup was totally creamy and taste was really delightful and delicious..

Next to the main course, E ordered a Half Slab St. Louis Style Ribs with Carolina Honey Sauce (150K), half pork ribs marinated in their special sauce, grilled to perfection, it came with coleslaw and baked potato.. The ribs were juicy, succulent, flavourful, and the carolina honey sauce was lip-smackingly good! This is recommended definitely..

I got this Marinated Boneless Breast of Chicken (70K), a well seasoned grilled chicken breast served on yellow rice and baked potato.. Pretty appetizing and attractive, don't you think? The chicken was tender, it was a fully meal and quite a worthy order..

For what it is, the price here might be on the high side but indeed they have the best ribs in town.. We were satisfied with our dinner, and would still recommended it to anybody as the food is good..

Tony Roma's
Panin Bank Center, Ground Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 11
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7202735/36

Thamrin Nine Podium
Mezzanine Floor, Unit C
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 10
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 30006723/32

Mr. Curry

2010-06-14T08:09:00.002+07:00

It doesn't take a long time for Ismaya Group to launch their another new brand restaurant after the Kitchenette @ Plaza Indonesia.. This time they are introducing Mr. Curry (Japanese Curry & Sweet House), a franchise restaurant from Singapore..

The exterior is wise, very attractive with some plastic mock-ups of the different type of dishes were magnificently displayed with bright lighting to attract patrons over.. This reminded me of some restaurant like Pasta de Waraku and Waraku, which I think is still under the same company in Singapore, you can check it out in their site..

And the interior is also had an interesting concept, it designed like a country kitchen decorated with some kitchen utensils..

Dominated with wooden tables and chairs, the place was comfy, neat, and bright..

The menu is all about curry.. But surely not just an ordinary curry dish.. So what's makes this so special? Let's check it out.. Various fusion dishes they serve here.. Japanese curry with ramen, Japanese curry with spaghetti, even some various Indian naan served here..

For the starter, we tried Indian selection Tandoori Chicken Naan (48K), a freshly baked cheese flat bread/naan topped with sliced tandoori chicken.. The bread was soft, a bit fluffy, and chewy..

As a tofu and noodle lover, of course I choosed a fusion Chinese and Japanese dish Mapo Tofu Curry Ramen (58K), a ramen in spicy curry gravy with tofu cubes, minced beef, sliced tofu skin puff, half boiled egg, and be careful with that chili padi hehe..

The noodle might look like an instant noodle, but trust me it didn't taste like it though.. I love their skin tofu puff, nyumzz..

E got Chicken Mushroom Omelette Curry Rice (58K), steamed rice wrapped in an omelette of chicken and mushroom with original curry sauce served separately on the side and a bowl of salad.. For omelette curry rice dish, we can choose from among 4 kinds of curry; original, red sauce, black sauce, and white sauce with different sauce base and also the level of spiciness.. The original one is a recommended one and it was good, but we'll try another sauce next time..

Mr. Curry has wide variety of curry dishes and dessert to choose from, really left us spoilt for choice.. Browse their dessert selections, stick cakes and dorayaki ice cream both are so attractive and really tempting.. We would return again to try it and other curry dishes..

Mr. Curry
Grand Indonesia
West Mall, Level 3A
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Central Jakarta

Radja Ketjil

2010-06-10T18:44:00.000+07:00

Rambling around Pondok Indah Mall, we were looking something new for us for the dinner, and we stumbled upon this Radja Ketjil, they serve Peranakan cuisine/Nyonya cuisine..

The restaurant was packed when we arrived, the place was pretty small..

There are something antique items found to be used as decoration..

Started from appertizer, we ordered Lumpia Tauke (29.5K), it's a deep fried chicken and shrimp spring roll.. Try this, one bite and you wanna have more of it.. Another kicking factor is its sauce, with a hint of spiciness and sweetness, it added the extra taste..

Next, we had Tahu Hujin Tje Lie Rina (33.5K), a deep fried spinach tofu poured with minced chicken gravy .. The tofu was very good, it had a golden exterior both crisp and delicate with silky smooth centre..

And Chicken Ifumie (22K), a deep fried crispy noodle poured with mixed chicken and veggies gravy..

The crispy noodle was well-accompanied by the tasty chicken gravy and it really made you want to keep digging for more

Not only the unique restaurant name, the food name here is also quite quirky.. And for the taste, I must say the food here is nice and it's quite value for money.. Good to try..

Radja Ketjil
Pondok Indah Mall 2, 3rd floor Restaurant Row
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 75920468

Bandar Djakarta

2010-06-06T17:40:00.001+07:00

Yeaahh seafood time, most people love seafood very much and so does E.. But I don't really like seafood, when I came to seafood restaurant I can only eat their side dishes.. Poor E, he must be missed the seafood so much since we rarely eat seafood.. This time E opted Bandar Djakarta in Ancol to satisfy his craving..

Bandar Djakarta on weekend is always crowded.. With an open air dining area, dine by the beach, its really a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy the seafood..

For the drink, a fresh Coconut Fruit.. Sweet, refreshing, and the flesh was also soft and tender..

To start with we ordered their Tahu Ondel, its a stuffed fried tofu.. This is my only fave here, we ordered two portions haha.. It's fried tofu stuffed with assortment of veggies..

Generous with the filling, there are carrot cubes, potato cubes, and mushroom.. Eat with its chili, oohh it's so nice.. The deep fried crust was very crispy and it create an extra crunch to each mouthful..

Grilled Kuwe Fish, we opted sweet and spicy sauce for the grilling.. The fish was just perfectly cooked..

Fried Squid, chewy inside and crunchy outside.. E finished it all..

Lastly, for the green we ordered Kangkung Belacan/Shrimp Paste Water spinach.. It cooked very well with the shrimp paste, it tasted spicy and tangy..

Sorry I'm not tell you about the price, I forgot to take the receipt.. I'm quite sure most of seafood lover is already familiar with Bandar Djakarta, they serve a fresh and live seafood with affordable price..

Bandar Djakarta
East Gate
Taman Impian Jaya Ancol
North Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 6455472/6554

Tamnak Thai

2010-06-03T16:27:00.001+07:00

It s not easy to find out a Thai Restaurant which has an authentic taste yet affordable around Jakarta.. Till we found Tamnak Thai in Menteng area..

The interior of the restaurant tries to create Thailand ambiance and I think with such ornaments they have successfully to recreate it..

Spacious and comfy enough to enjoy our meals..

The reason we're here is to try their Green Chicken Curry (38K) which is E's fave.. It's chicken chunks and some veggies stewed in green curry gravy.. E has been looking for the best Thai green curry, and apparently E was pleased with this one.. It was so flavourful and it's good to eat with a Thai fragrant rice..

And I opted Pad Thai (38K), stir-fried Thai rice noodle with egg, seafood, tofu, and veggies.. It's sourish and spicy mixed with crushed peanut, aaahh I loved it.. And the seafood inside was fresh too..

To share with, we ordered Pandan Fried Chicken (38K), a deep fried chicken wrapped in pandan/screwpine leaves.. The chicken meat was tender, juicy, and soo fragrant.. Nyum..

We enjoyed our experience here, most importantly the taste, the good pricing, and the cozy & soothing dining ambiance.. So, are you craving for some hot and spicy Thai food, give this place a visit and let's spice up your taste bud.. This is a real good for Thai cuisine..

Tamnak Thai
Jl. H.O.S. Cokroaminoto No. 78
Menteng - Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3923000

Nanny's Pavillon - revisit

2010-05-30T16:24:00.000+07:00

Does anyone crave for pancake? Or do you miss your fave one in Bandung? Here's Nanny's Pavilon comes nearer to us in Jakarta.. They just opened their new branch in Citywalk Sudirman.. Yippiieee..

Located near to the main entrance, the Nanny's Pavillon here is decorated in a living room theme..

Checking out the decor of the room, we're stunned by the amount of care that went into the interior design.. It looks amazing, a little dainty and very much welcoming.. And there is more intricate decorative detail in the back room..

What a cute and lovely outfit for the waiters..

I had my favorite one here, Peach Pancake (29K).. Sliced peaches on pancake with vanilla ice cream separated.. It tasted the same like I had in Bandung..

E tried the new menu, Grandma Chicken Pesto Waffle (24K), hot fluffy waffle covered with chicken chunks, pesto sauce and lots of melted cheese.. So creamy and tasty.. Nyumz..

I think that pancake and waffle is more for woman foods, for man it's may not full enough just had pancake or waffle.. So does E, he also ordered Chicken Mushroom Sandwich (30K), small thick white toast stuffed with grilled chicken, sliced cheese, and veggies served with french fries..

I love Nanny's Pavillon has opened their branch in Jakarta, it easier for me to satisfy my craving.. Yeaayy (^_^)v

Nanny's Pavillon
Citiwalk Sudirman, Ground Floor #21
Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur No. 121
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 25556779

South Beauty

2010-05-27T18:51:00.000+07:00

Do you love a hot and spicy food? And also a fan of Chinese food? Here is one recommended restaurant serving authentic Sichuan Chinese food that guarantees to spice up your taste buds.. South Beauty is a Beijing based chain restaurant and here's in Jakarta is their first overseas branch..

We're surprise by the amount of care that went into the space and interior design, the color schemes and the furniture were also chosen carefully to create Chinese modern theme..

Checking out the decor of the main dining room, we were stunned by their sealing which is gorgeously decorated with flying dragon.. It looks amazing..
In the main dining room, the sealing is gorgeously decorated with flying dragon..

Yes I am a noodle fan, so I won't miss it to try their Sichuan Style Noodle (18K), it came in very personal portion.. The noodle is smooth and go well with hot spicy Sichuan soup..

E ordered Fried Rice Seafood Fu Chien Style - personal size (38K), white fried rice poured with seafood gravy.. The seafood was fresh and the gravy goes very well with fried rice, such a hearty meal for a dinner..

We also tried their main dish, Water Caltrop and Bean Curd Casserole (48K), it is served in hot plate.. The bean curd had a burnished, golden exterior both crisp and delicate with a spicy spice all over it..

If you're into spicy food, this dish is a must try! Stir Fried Chicken with Sichuan Sprouts (58K) served with steamed mini pao.. It's spicy and filled with flavors bursting with aromatic appeal, nice to eat with plain mini pao..

Up next on the table was Pan Fried Chicken and Shrimp Bun with Scallion and Sesame (38K), pan fried bun stuffed with minced chicken and shrimp.. Oh no, we're too greedy.. How can we finish all the dish? Weww (-_-)

Be hold and be prepared for the ultimate spicy experience where you'll be sweating all over consuming the delicious hot and spicy Sichuan cuisines.. South Beauty is kinda a fancy Chinese restaurant, so no wonder the price is on the high side.. But definitely worth it due to the excellent service and great food using quality ingredients

South Beauty
Thamrin Nine Podium (UOB Tower)
Upper Ground unit E, F
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 10
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 29937227

Goemon

2010-05-23T22:29:00.006+07:00

The authentic Japanese restaurant in the Jakarta office building area? Yup I didn't expect at the first time to find the Japanese restaurant in this area, especially the authentic one.. Usually we can easily find the authentic Japanese restaurant in Melawai and surrounding areas..

Can anyone read Japanese kanji? Whether that means Goemon?hehe.. We asked the waiter, and yup this is it, Goemon..

When you step into the dining area, you'll be asked to put off your shoes.. Relax, they'll keep your shoes safe and the carpet is clean.. See the place, so Japanese yaa..

Even though the place is hidden far from the crowd,but when we came the place was crowded, we only got the seat in the bar area..

It's quite interested seated in bar area, watching the chef prepare the meals from here..

The place is so Japanese..

The opening compliment was a Japanese pickles with pork chunks, salty and tasty..

Started with Okonomiyaki Butatama (33K), Japanese savory pancake with pork on it covered with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, and bonito flakes..

Crave something soupy and light, I opted Nabeyaki Udon (50K), udon soup with chicken chunks, egg, fish cake, veggies in hot pot and it came with two mushroom tempura.. The soup was just rite, not too salty and not too bland..

While E ordered Katsu Curry (58K), steamed rice served with pork katsu and poured with mild curry gravy.. The set came with miso soup and salad, a complete meal..

Really generous with the gravy, nice..

Fruit cuts to close our dinner, this also a compliment.. Really nice yaa..

Are you a Japanese food lover? And looking for an authentic one with an affordable price? The answer is Goemon, worth trying.. You can see the authenticity of the restaurant from the patron itself, almost all patron here is Japanese..

Goemon
Kyoei Prince Building
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 3
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5723343

De'Excelso

2010-05-20T09:04:00.002+07:00

This is not something new, and I guess all of you familiar with Excelso Cafe or De' Excelso, since they have many branches spread all over malls in Jakarta.. As their name is familiar with a coffee brand, so I think this is only a coffee shop.. Well I was wrong about it, it is not just an ordinary coffee shop..

The first time I visited De' Excelso is in Plaza Indonesia with my fam, we were here just for the drinks and had some snacks..

I had this refreshing Summer Splash (37.5K), blueberry juice with blueberry sorbet.. It's perfectly cold and refreshing..

My bro love something creamy and milky, he ordered Floating Island (37.5K).. This is their signature drink, an avocado juice blended with coffee served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate shavings.. You can ask whether to put coffee or not to blend with it.. Mmm soo nice..

As for the snack, we opted Banana Wrap Cheese & Chocolate (25K), sweet crunchy fried banana topped with a lot of cheese, chocolate and condensed sweet milk..

The next visit, I was back with E.. We went to De' Excelso in Senayan City to had a dinner this time..

The place here is bigger than in Plaza Indonesia, with a separation smoking area behind the glass, nice..

Dominated with dark furniture and open kitchen concept..

E tried D'Amour (57.5K) for the drink, as I remembered it's a blend of coffee and vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream.. I don't know what makes this drink so expensive, it tasted just OK..

We had the De' Excelso Nachos (42.5K), tortilla chips covered with melted cheese, beef chili sauce, and Mexican jalapenos chili to kickstart our appetite..

I choosed Triple Decker Sandwich (50K), three layer whole wheat breads with quite a lot of smoked beef, grilled chicken, egg, veggies, and french fries on the side.. It's nice that we can choose our bread preference, it's really a filling meal..

E ordered Lemon Butter Dory (50K), pan fried dory fish served with fettuccine drizzled with lemon butter sauce.. It's tasted nice and not fishy at all, but the portion was a bit small for E..

We really had a complete dinner that nite, we finished off with Crispy Cassava with Chocolate Ice Cream (31K), fried cassava spring roll covered with cheese, chocolate, and sweet milk.. I swear I am not exaggerating here, but it was lip-smackingly good! I certainly had not expected it to be that good..

We're really really full, can't finished it all.. Overall we're satisfied enough, the foods meet our expectation and for the price is still a value for money dish.. And fortunately we got 50% disc from Standard Chatered Bank promotion, good deal yaa :).. I've been to this place for couple of times and I don't mind going back again sometimes

De' Excelso
Plaza Indonesia
Basement #61 A
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31927059

Senayan City
Lower Ground Floor #L-20
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot. 19
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 72781187

Red Tomato

2010-05-15T14:47:00.000+07:00

We often walk passed this Red Tomato in Plaza Indonesia, but had never try it before.. We were curious to try as they claimed to serve a low cholesterol dish and use olive oil only.. Here it is, a healthy Italian food..

The inside of the restaurant looks pretty colorful yet minimalist, with tomatoes decor on roof..

With an open kitchen concept, we can watch the chef prepare our meals..

We were not in the mood for pizza that nite, so we got pasta for dinner..

I was into spicy food mood, so I ordered Penne Arabiata (41K). It's pretty simple, but the mix of mushroom and pasta always worked so well for me, with the fresh and hot tomato sauce made the dish turned out tasting good..

While E opted Pollo Spaghetti Cream Sauce (49K), pan fried breast chicken served with spaghetti tossed in creamy sauce.. The cream sauce was just right and the chicken was freshly fried.. This dish was good but not fantastic..

It was a simple dinner, and the food here was decent but "nothing to shout about'..

Red Tomato
Plaza Indonesia Unit LB #61
Jl. M. H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31900386

Tokio Joe

2010-05-12T17:10:00.001+07:00

I had always wanted to try this place out but didn't have the chance as I had always dine somewhere else at the end of the day.. Located in Nikko Hotel, Tokio Joe serves a various of Japanese food..

Dominated by the wood, it has a modern Japanese style dining area..

I like the decoration here, they use lots of sake bottles on the rack as a decoration..

Let's into the food part..

We had a fusion sushi Handsome Joe (80K) for our entree, which consisted of tempura shrimp in the middle and the rice wrap topped with a generous crunchy tobiko.. It was fresh, delicious, and satisfying..

I am so into udon recently that I get craving for it now, I ordered a Beef Curry Udon (120K), thinly sliced beef simmered with potatoes and veggies in curry gravy poured over udon.. The sliced beef was so soft and generous.. The portion was too big for me, so I shared it with E..

The udon had a nice chewy texture.. It's such a hearty, comforting, and delicious hot meal in a bowl.. I just love this thick, flavoursome curry gravy..

And yup I know the price here is pricey, I would say quality comes with a price.. But, back at that time when we came here, we were lucky to get 50% off from RBS promotion, such a good deal yaa hehe.. Overall, Tokio Joe is a good place to dine for a fine Japanese cuisine..

Tokio Joe
Nikko Hotel
Lobby Mezzanine 2nd floor
Jl. M. H. Thamrin 59
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3918993

Le Seminyak

2010-05-09T06:48:00.001+07:00

Back to local now.. Do you miss a Balinese foods? You no need to travel around Bali to satisfy your cravings, some Balinese restaurant already opened their branch in Jakarta one of them is Le Seminyak..

This restaurant is situated in Pacific Place, the restaurant located in the corner and tastefully decorated with simple and elegant Balinese theme..

The place looks so shady with some artificial trees inside of it.. Feels a homeliness and coziness ambiance..

Decorated with a Modern Balinese interior design..

They put a touch of Bali through elements such as woods, drapes, and art works on wall..

This Satay/Skewers Sampler (39.8K) was really nice as a starter.. Consist of 6 skewers, a combination of minced seafood skewers, minced chicken skewers, and tempeh (soybean cake) skewers served with shallots chili sauce.. The satay was so flavourful & burst with smoky taste..

Tahu Telur - Bean Curd Omelette (32.8K), fried tofu on omelette egg drenched in sweet soy sauce..I'm not sure does this dish actually originated from Java or Bali, but I don't care coz this is my fave.. The deep-fried egg crust was crispy, the egg fluffs were quite delightfully delicious, the tofu was well accompanied by the sweet soy sauce as well.. And not leaving out the beansprout and nuts were added to create an extra crunch to each mouthful..

Nasi Bali Kuning - Balinese Yellow Rice (44.8K), it's like a Balinese mixed rice but served with fragrant yellow rice (rice is cooked with coconut milk and turmeric) and other condiments like; stir fry long bean, sauteed shredded chicken, minced seafood skewer, prawn fritters, chili egg, and crackers.. Nice and a complete meal to satisfy your Balinese food craving.. This is become E's fave dish among the Balinese delicacies..

We enjoyed this Balinese meal and also the ambiance here, definitely will drop by again sometime.. If you want to bring back your memory about Bali delicacies, you definitely won't miss it..

Le Seminyak
Pacific Place 5th Floor Unit 38
SCBD, Jl Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 51400610

Sinou Kaffee Hausen

2010-05-05T16:17:00.001+07:00

After read some recommendation on magazine and several reviews on blogs about the unique interior and good foods from this place, we were curious to visit it.. Sinou Kaffee Hausen is a chic and unique cafe located in Panglima Polim area..

The place is full of vintage style furniture.. As their unique name, the place really designed in different ways from others cafe we usually visit..

With a wire fence as a separator, I felt like eating in the under-construction industrial warehouse.. A cool place to hang out, but unfortunately there are no separation for smoking and non-smoking area.. I felt suffocated with the smoke..

And this is their best spot, as stated by one of magazine that we read.. Seems like it's true, it's reserved when we arrived.. You can enjoy the atmosphere on the sidewalk in Paris here..

When it comes to the food, we tried all their best dishes, marked with two stars on the menu..

Started with a Cheese Stuffed Mushroom (27K), baked portobello mushrooms stuffed with minced beef and covered with cream cheese.. Hmm it looks yummy, and so does it tasted..

I ordered a Peach French Toast (27K), two slices of homemade toast served with peach sauce, peach cubes and vanilla ice cream.. The golden crusty toast was crispy on outside, soft and fluffy inside, it really went well with peach and ice cream.. Yummy..

As for E, he ordered a Club Sandwich (39K), the smoked beef topped with fried egg, sliced cheese, melted cheese, and lot of veggies stuffed into two thick breads served with french fries.. What a filling meal, very generous with the ingredients on it and their bread really has a nice texture, fluffy and soft..

I reckon the prices here were pretty reasonable with the taste of food being served, worth every cent.. If you are curious with this place, do drop by..

Sinou Kaffee Hausen
Jl. Panglima Polim V No. 26
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7258568

Rive Gauche

2010-05-02T08:37:00.001+07:00

This time is absolutely new, yup this is our first experience with a French cuisine.. Feel bored with some cuisine we usually eat like Italian, Japanese, Asian, Indonesian, and others, so we came up with this idea to try French this time.. It's kinda difficult to find French restaurant in Jakarta especially the authentic one, they're still rare..

The inside of the restaurant looks pretty romantic at nite.. The dim light is precisely enhanced a romantic mood here..

Occupied in an old colonial building with a simple and fine decorations, the place really offer a nostalgic tranquility..

The dinner started with a basket of bread and butter dip as a compliment.. Nice..

We have no idea what to eat here, so we asked the waiter for his recommends..

For the appetizer, he recommend us to try French Onion Soup (20K), a sauteed onion is simmered in soup and served with toast bread baked with garlic and cheese.. The taste was really delightful and delicious..

I had Spinach Pasta Fish (75K), a homemade spinach pasta tossed in a light creamy sauce served with pan fried fish.. I forgot the kind of the fish, but it had a nice texture, fresh and not fishy at all.. And the pasta was also great, it has a mild spinach flavor..

And for E, a Chicken Sicily (75K), a grilled chicken poured with sweet and sour Sicilian sauce served with baked potato.. The chicken was braised well and turned out to be tender and juicy.. This was a delicious, filling, and healthy dish..

Finish off the meal with a very refreshing mango liqueur sorbet, the liquid sugar contained a hint of alcohol on it, this is also their compliment..

We both enjoyed the dinner at Rive Gauche.. The price might be on the high side, but worth the bill definitely due to the excellent service, nice ambiance, and great food using quality ingredients.. Really a good place to impress your date..

Rive Gauche
Jl. Veteran I No. 21-22
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 34831458/9

Fisherman

2010-04-28T16:41:00.001+07:00

Fisherman, from its name you can guess this is a seafood restaurant yaa?.. But not only a seafood, they also serve a halal Chinese food including Hong Kong porridge and dim sum till midnite..

The place is just like others Chinese restaurant, spacious, modern, and simple..

It's certainly cozy and comfy enough to enjoy your meal..

For the dim sum we opted Siew Mai (12.8K), it's a chicken and shrimp siew mai.. So-so only..

Beef Porridge (25.8K) and Fried Cruller (7.8K).. It's plain and simple but tasty! The porridge was pretty good, it was thick and smooth, and there were plenty of sliced beef inside too.. Never forget the crispy crullers to go with..

Still not enough, we ordered Tom Yum Kway Teow (29.8K), kway teow stirred with seafood in gravy tom yum sauce.. It seems like a black pepper gravy yaa..

I didn't taste any tom yum flavour on it, but the kway teow has a nice chewy texture and had generous fresh seafood ingredients.. It kinda nice if you are those who likes gravy stuff like me hehe..

If it's a Chinese food you're looking for while wandering around Kelapa Gading area, you should probably think of checking out Fisherman located in Kelapa Gading Boulevard and easily spotted from Mall Kelapa Gading..

Fisherman
Boulevard Raya Block LB3 No.1-2
Kelapa Gading
North Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 4500393

Canteen - revisit

2010-04-24T14:50:00.001+07:00

Sunday brunch is a lovely moment for relaxing and enjoying a pleasant meal to start a lazy weekend day for us.. E took me out to have a brunch in Canteen Plaza Indonesia.. Yup, we revisit Canteen to try their brunch menus..

We found that the ambiance here is more comfy and relaxed in the midday than at nite.. Since we didn't enjoyed the ambiance here on our last visit, the place was so packed and all people seemed so busy.. It was not comfy at all..

My brother told me that their Spaghetti aglio olio is so nice, so E tempted to give it a try.. Spaghetti Chicken Aglio Olio (45K), sauteed spaghetti with chicken chunks and chili padi in olive oil.. Loved the simplicity of the dish and how it could end up being so delicate.. The chicken cooked nice and the spaghetti was just done so rite..

I had this Big Breakfast (65K), a complete set of eggs (scrambled, poached, or sunny side up, mine is scrambled obviously), crispy bacon, German sausage, sauteed mushroom, roasted potatoes, baked beans, and hot toasty buttered breads.. Everything was good about this, except the scrambled egg was a bit dry for my liking, and I especially like juicy sausage.. Really a fulfilling meal..

We enjoyed the brunch here and Canteen has become one of our fave brunch spot now.. hehe..

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

Kitchenette

2010-04-21T08:04:00.001+07:00

OK guys this is absolutely new.. Kitchenette finally opened its door recently in Plaza Indonesia, and we visited right away.. Kitchenette is a part of Ismaya Group, as you know their project always satisfy the food lovers..

Like their name Kitchenette, they designed the place resembles a homey country kitchen.. This cute little kitchenette in the corner is nice yaa..

And their actual kitchen in the middle, it's quite amusing to see the chef prepare the meals while waiting for our foods..

This concept restaurant is doing pretty well.. It's really a lovely spot to hang out..

Looks what they have here, pancake? waffle? Nooo, that's not special anymore, but here they offer something rare we can find around Jakarta.. Crepes and Galettes (a savoury crepes made from buckwheat flour).. They have various kinds of crepes and galettes, oh my God we wanted to try everything..

Surely we here to try their specialties, I ordered Edouard Galette (59K), savoury buckwheat crepe filled with sauteed mushroom, mozarella cheese, and a choice of pork or turkey ham, topped with salads mayonnaise.. I opted the turkey one.. It's thin but they put generous turkey ham and cheese on it.. Love it..

E ordered this Baked Crespelle (55K), it's a lasagna like dish, they create this lasagna using crepes instead of pasta and baked with chicken chunks with a hint of pesto sauce..

Seems like the portion is small for E, so he also ordered Spaghetti Carbonara (55K), spaghetti with bacon stirred in their special carbonara sauce.. The creamy smooth sauce all over the pasta, Mmm yummy..

When you're trying a new place, it's always good to try what's best on their menu, it'd be the safe and best bet rite? Those dishes we ordered are some of their recommended dish on menu..

Oh I love this place.. I like the ambiance and the food here, though the prices are a little on the high side, but worth it due to the excellent service and great food using quality ingredients.. We consider Kitchenette still affordable and not excessively expensive.. There are still some foods that I like to try and some coming soon menus, definitely will come back in real soon..

Kitchenette
Plaza Indonesia L1 #E16
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30
Central Jakarta

Kiyadon Central Park - revisit

2010-04-18T08:53:00.001+07:00

Well, this time our sushi craze was kicks in again while we were wandering around in Central Park, a newly opened mall in Jakarta.. The mall is really nice, different from other malls we ever visited in Jakarta.. The mall has a great outdoor park and also designed in a unique way. That nite we decide to had a dinner in Kiyadon.. Seems like we visit Kiyadon quite often yaa, we've tried in different branch in FX and Grand Indonesia.. But, this Central Park branch caught my attention for sure..

I really like this place, it was decorated differently from others usual Japanese restaurant..

The entrance.. Greeted by two big elephants hehe..

Checking out the decor of the restaurant, we were stunned by their interior concept.. The restaurant is sooo spacious, maybe it's the biggest Kiyadon branched in Jakarta with a very different concept from other branches.. The place was especially designed in natural style like a tropical forest to create a serene atmosphere to give the patrons a relaxing and enjoyable ambiance..

You also can choose to seat in gazebos.. Decorated with white drapes these gazebos offer a very peaceful spot for you to relax and had a great companion..

Being seated near to sushi bar is the most fun part here, we can directly choose varieties of sushi in the unique sushi conveyor..

Instead of using a machine sushi conveyor, they use a streaming water and little boats to carry a sushi on it..

Back to the food.. We're here for sushi..

To started with, we picked the small DIG Rolls (35K), kani/crab stick rolled in sushi rice and topped with torched salmon, floss, and tobiko.. It's fresh, delicious, and satisfying..

And this Chicken Katsu Sushi (25K). I didn't know the exact name of it, but it's a sushi rice topped with fried chicken kastu.. Simple yet tasty..

Next, Tuna Salad Inari Maki (45K), sushi rolls stuffed with tuna salad and covered with inari/sweet tofu skin.. Mmm the sweet of tofu skin and tasty tuna really melt into your mouth..

A Fried Spicy Salmon (25K), spicy salmon maki fried with tempura batter and drizzled with its special sauce.. I Like its crunchy batter..

Lastly, something special and recommended by the waitress there, Spider Cheese Roll (45K), huge sushi balls filled with soft shell crab, melted cheese, cucumber, and capsicum/paprika fried in tempura batter, drizzled with teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise.. Strawberry on sushi? soo nice.. Tasted soo cheesy, a good choice for cheese lover..

And we ended with this free compliment dessert, fresh fruits cut..

My brother said that they have opened their latest branch in Emporium Pluit, and I haven't check it out.. Is that latest branch's interior more sophisticated than this one? We should find out later hehe.. Well, we really had a good time here.. We enjoyed the food and also the ambiance.. Give it a chance, and you maybe surprised as I was..

Kiyadon
Central Park
UG Floor #120-125
Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28
West Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 56985268

Foood Kulture

2010-04-14T18:19:00.000+07:00

It is not a restaurant and it is not a typical food courts that we used to find in malls.. So what is it? Foood Kulture is a boutique food court concept that have mushroomed all over Jakarta lately, they offering a nice and comfy atmosphere with various dishes to choose..

This boutique food court was set up not only for the patrons to enjoy the meal, but they also arranged a comfy place to hang out.. That's the reason why they designed the place so special..

The place is spacious with an industrial design and dominated by the woody colors and furniture.. So nice..

This is their dining area near the main entrance, but there is also a the lounge and bar area completed with cozy sofa in the back which is an ideal spot to get cozy and lay down...

Back to the food, this place has so many to offer, raging from local Indonesian and Asian to American dishes.. You'll be spoilt for the choices..

Ice Tea Tarik (14K)

So, what we had here.. We're in the mood for Asian cuisine, I ordered Curry Ramen (45K) from Ramen Sanpachi 38.. Yup this is the same Ramen Sanpachi like I used to eat in Pacific Place.. The ramen came in very thick gravy beef curry broth and I asked for level 2 of spiciness..

The whole bowl of noodles was so aromatic rich, so nice and really spicy..

E ordered Javanese Fried Noodle (28K) from Bakmi Aliong stall which serves many kinds of noodles.. It's a wok-tossed noodle with veggies, chicken, and topped with hard boiled egg.. It's spicy with a tint of sweetness..

The noodle texture is like lamian, so it is not an authentic Javanese noodle..

And for the dessert, we had Salted Egg Custard Bun (17.8K) from MayStar, it's a steamed bun filled with sweet egg custard.. A salted egg for a dessert? Trust me at the first I also doubted about its taste, but surprisingly it tasted delicate, sweet, soft, and tasty, it didn't smell like an egg at all..

Look at the filling, it was delicious! You have to eat it warm and be careful of how you bite it, one bite and the hot custard just oozed out.. Yummy..

Foood Kulture is the rite place when you are still don't know what your mood for food and when you come in you will be spoilt for choice that can arouse your appetite.. And for the price is on a high side if you compare with other ordinary food courts.. I can't complaint much about it, as we know the ambiance plays the important part..

Foood Kulture
Plaza Indonesia Extension 5th Floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta

Izzi Pizza

2010-04-10T16:30:00.001+07:00

I love pizza.. I love pasta.. Basically I love Italian foods.. This Italian food chains restaurant has opened in Jakarta quite long, but this is my first visit it to try haha.. Izzi Pizza..

The menu here offers pizzas, pastas, and there is an extensive range of Asian foods such as; tom yum soup, fried rice, kway teow, and others .. A glimpse through the menu, we were impressed with their some choice of east meets west dishes..

The restaurant is beautifully decorated with a modern contemporary feel..

The bright colour and comfy seating make it easy to relax a while and enjoy the meals.. Seems like we were early for dinner, the place still empty..

The ambiance is simple accompanied with stylist opened kitchen..

For the appetizer, we ordered Izzi Dough Balls (18K), 6 pieces of small balls of dough served with a dollop of garlic butter.. The dough balls were soft and chewy when they're still warm, and it's getting harder when it cold..

We decided to go with something lite and healthy for the pasta, Fettuccine with Caysim Mushroom (48K), the fettuccine was nicely tossed with olive oil, garlic, fresh caysim, and mushroom.. It looks like a mess, but it tasted not bad tho and it's very good for you who want to keep your diet hehe..

As for the pizza, we opted the Obama Pizza - regular (66K) and this is what we called east meets west menu, it came up with the topping of chicken rendang, mozarella cheese, red capsicum, and sauteed onions on it.. Haha yup the name is picked up from Obama as in US President, because this Izzi Pizza located in Menteng area where President Obama spent his childhood..

I though the food was only alright, but if you a fan of thin crust pizza and love an Asian taste, you can try out this place..

Izzi Pizza
Jl. HOS. Cokroaminoto 122
Menteng
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3147220

Kampus

2010-04-07T16:20:00.000+07:00

The dinner was happen to celebrate our Valentine's day this year.. Yaa I know, I'm so late.. E brought me out for Valentine's dinner a week after the actual date, as you know that V-day and CNY fell on the same day this year.. And we celebrated the CNY first with fam on that day..

E set up our Valentine dinner @ Kampus in Menara Imperium.. He knew that I had always wanted to go to this Menara Imperium which is the only one revolving building in Jakarta.. So thanks to E, for this lovely dinner..

Checking out the decor of the place, we were stunned by the amount of care that went into the space and interior design.. It looks elegant..

The restaurant is modest and cozy with a dim lighting, it's giving a warm ambiance.. The seats are arranged to enable patrons to enjoy a panoramic view without leaving their seats.. I love this casual and comfy setting..

Not only the nice ambiance that we enjoyed here, but also this splendid view which accompany our lovely dinner..

As for the food, they serve international dishes even you also can find an Indonesian food here..

Upon the ordering we were served with their fresh baked buns with three kinds of dip.. Never judge the book by it's cover.. The buns might look plain but it's quite soft ad still warm too..

For the drink, E opted Strawberry Mermaid (35K), strawberry milkshake topped with whipped cream.. Sweet and refreshing..

We started off with Roasted Potato with Herbs (35), the potato was perfectly roasted and simply seasoned with fresh rosemary, salt, and some pepper.. The potato cubes was nice, it's crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and have the slightest hint of rosemary..

I ordered Spaghetti Aglio Olio (75K), a stir-fried spaghetti with olive oil.. I found this aglio olio pasta a bit different than I used to eat, they put a mozzarella cheese on it.. Yes, it's tasty but I still prefer the usual style of aglio olio..

E had this Pan Seared Dory (65K), a pan fried sliced dory, potatoes, and zucchinis in butter lemon sauce.. It's simple yet such a delicious fish, the fish was fresh and tastefully cooked and the sauce was a good paired with the wonderful natural flavours of the fish..

I did feel that the portions here were on the small side, it is quite a pricey dinner.. We can't complaint much since we realized we're paying part of it for the ambiance and splendid view.. But overall, we had a wonderful dinner in Kampus..

Kampus
Menara Imperium 35th Floor
Jl. Rasuna Said Kav. 1, Kuningan
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 83786008

Torigen

2010-04-03T17:14:00.002+07:00

I know I've done many articles about Japanese cuisines and I'm still not done yet.. I'm still have several Japanese restaurants to review, hope you not get bored =)..

This time we headed to Torigen Japanese restaurant located in Wijaya.. See from the outside this place is sooo Japanese..

Not only from the outside, once you step into the restaurant, you can really feel the environment here is very much like the Japanese style.. The whole place was decorated with Japanese ornaments..

The place is decorated with raw decor materials dominated by Japanese wood furniture which project a homey and comfy feeling..

The place is also spacious.. In the side of restaurant, you can see the traditional Japanese bar displays several sake selections and the teppanyaki bar..

You can see the authenticity of the restaurant from their patrons.. The restaurant is also frequented by the Japanese.. So, I'm quite sure the food taste here certainly authentic..

We started with Tamagoyaki (18K), a Japanese rolled omelette.. Yup, I know it's just simply an egg, but I love this thick tamagoyaki a lot, I can really taste the mix of sweetness and savoury and also the fluffy texture..

Next came Niratama (33K).. Basically it's like a okonomiyaki/Japanese pancake with chives and seafood on it drizzled with generous mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce.. Tasty..

They have several ramen selections, we didn't know what to choose but the waiter suggested us to try Chanko Miso Ramen (47K) and it came with corn, slices of pork belly, half an egg, and the usual other stuff..

I quite like it, the soup was salty but not too salty.. The noodle looks plain but it has a good chewy texture..

The portion is fine with me, but it's not enough for E so he decided to ordered Curry Udon (55K).. The dish was pretty good, and there were plenty of beef and curry sauce on top too..

And for the udon itself was thick and chewy blended very well with the smooth, savory, thick and mild curry sauce.. Yum!

After the dinner finished, they gave us this fruit and jelly on vanilla custard as a compliment.. It was a nice finish tho..

I really felt like I was in Japan, Torigen is really an authentic Japanese restaurant with a good taste of Japanese foods, the service was prompt and friendly as well.. If you are a Japanese food lover, do give this place a visit.. It's worth a try..

Torigen
Jl. Wijaya I No. 53
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7233977

Penang Place

2010-03-31T18:47:00.004+07:00

I passed by this restaurant several times in Plaza Indonesia, and never had a chance to try it yet.. One nite, we decided to pay this restaurant a visit.. Surely like its name, Penang Place they're introducing a Penang Nyonya style cuisine..

The place is nicely decorated with somewhat modern and simplistic furniture..

The interior of the place exudes a soothing, classy, and modern ambiance, complete with dim lighting..

The menu is quite extensive with an excellent selections of Penang/Malaysia dishes.. They also try to expand their menu to some Indonesian foods..

First up was Tempe & Teri Orek (8.8K), a stir-fried tempe and anchovies with sambal belacan/spicy prawn paste and peanuts.. This is one of their Indonesian dishes, the sambal wasn't to spicy but it went well with the crunchy anchovies..

Next came the Fried Fish Lemon Sauce (29.8K), a deep fried fish fillet sauteed with lemon sauce.. It's nice, the fish was fresh and not fishy..

I was craved for something gravy, so I ordered a Kway Teow in Fish Gravy - Kway Teow Siram Ikan (20.8K), a stir-fried rice noodle topped with mixed fish and veggies gravy.. The gravy was yummy, generous with ingredients, and very flavourful..

Last but not least, E ordered Indian-style Fried Noodle (26.8K), haha looks nice yaa with fried wonton crackers on it.. It's a fried yellow egg noodle with beansprouts, tofu, potato, tomato, egg, and seafood. And the best part was their slightly pungent sambal/chili makes great condiment to the already tasty ensemble.. It's sour, spicy, sweet, and tangy come through in this dish.. The meal was satisfactory

The food was pretty good here, and the serves are decent for the price.. Nice to try tho..

Penang Place
Plaza Indonesia 3rd Fl. F-12
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3107620/651

Kafe Victoria

2010-03-27T13:32:00.001+07:00

Here just a quick review from our simple dinner @ Kafe Victoria in Plaza Senayan..

Located in the corner of the mall, the design of the cafe tries to replicate that of a bistro in Paris, I think they quite successfully recreated that ambiance and get us attracted to visit..

Like its name, the place has a Victorian style.. The deco style included a touch of Victorian wallpaper and sofa, is an atmosphere enhancer..

Decorated with some beautiful chandeliers make this place quite fancy and a bit quite romantic for a dinner..

About the food here is nothing different like others cafe, international dish is on menu.. We opted pasta for the dinner..

I loved tuna so I ordered Tuna Chili Spaghetti (51.5K), just an ordinary aglio olio spaghetti stirred with tuna chunks and cut chili padi served with two pieces garlic breads.. Tasted OK not too oily, but the pasta was a bit soggy for me.. And please be careful with the chili hehe..

And E was craved something creamy, he had Fettucinne Alfredo (49.5K).. I'm sorry for the awful picture, the light kinda ruined it.. It's a fettuccine tossed with parmesan cheese, smoked beef, and butter, it also came with garlic breads.. Classic but it's delicate, the cheese coated in every strand pasta, E liked it..

Well, if you're looking for nice place to relax while shopping in Plaza Senayan, you should probably think of checking out this place.. Kafe Victoria offers a decent foods with a comfy ambiance to enjoy..

Kafe Victoria
Plaza Senayan 1st Fl. No. 168C, 170C, 172C
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5725108

Bebek Bengil

2010-03-24T16:13:00.000+07:00

This time I would be introducing the Balinese-style local foods.. We decided to try Bebek Bengil restaurant which is very famous in Bali.. Yup, almost everyone who has been to Bali knew this restaurant, and now they are here in Jakarta situated in The Ubud building in Menteng area..

It's a semi open air dining area with several gazebos in outdoor dining area, nice and really enjoyable..

The place is spacious decorated with wooden furnitures to bring up the Balinese ambiance and I think they have successfully recreated that feeling.. It's a very much welcoming atmosphere here..

This was the first time we had a Balinese food, we didn't have any idea what to order.. The menu is quite various, you also can find some Western influenced dishes here like sandwiches, pastas, and more, but that's not what we looking for..

We started with Sate Lilit Palette (53K), fish, chicken, and beef minced meat on skewers with a strong hint of lemongrass and spices.. Delicious with a taste of smokiness that was delightfully pleasing to the palate.. I did feel that the portion was on the small side, making the price of this dish seem high in comparison, but it tasted good though..

E ordered off their regular menu Nasi Campur Bali - Balinese Mixed Rice (35K), he thought it's the most complete Balinese meal, has every Balinese dishes on it.. Yes he right, it's a steamed white rice with an assortment of Balinese dishes such as slices of marinated shredded chicken, half an egg with chili, fish sate lilit, fried shrimps, peanuts, and shrimp crackers.. Such a filling meal, all dishes tasted great and goes well with steamed rice..

And I ordered Gado-Gado (31K), a mixed vegetables, tofu, and potato with peanut sauce dressing.. The serving was quite a let-down, the peanut sauce is a bit diluted and not tasty enough to my liking.. And I think carrots on gado-gado is a bit weird.. Maybe this is a Balinese style gado-gado, but i still prefer the usual or Betawi style gado-gado hehe..

And this is that you shouldn't miss it, their signature chili Sambal Matah (left) which is the traditional sambal/chili from Bali and made with finely chopped raw shallots, cut chili padi and lemongrass it's really good to eat with all Balinese dishes.. It was fresh and has a spicy bite..

I'm not a fan of duck, so I didn't order their signature dishes which is Bebek Bengil.. But I'm sure this dishes is all customers favorite, since I saw almost every table ordered this bebek bengil.. Bebek bengil is a duck marinated in their special authentic spices and deep fried to crispy perfection.. This is a must order dish here..

Although we didn't try the bebek bengil, but we had a decent experience with Balinese cuisine here.. Definitely a good place where you can taste the authenticity of Balinese cuisine..

Bebek Bengil
The Ubud Building
Jl. H. Agus Salim No. 132
Menteng, Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3918016/3918091

Takigawa Resto

2010-03-20T15:39:00.000+07:00

Wandering around Panglima Polim area we found this Japanese restaurant on the corner of the street, Takigawa.. Yup, it is the same Takigawa that you can find in some malls.. But I had always wanted to try this Takigawa in Panglima Polim (their 1st branch), coz from the outside their place looks quite unique and attractive for me (sorry I forgot to take the picture)..

Checking out the decor here, they set up the place in minimalist modern style.. The first floor is not spacious enough, but they had three floors here..

They have small sushi bar where you can see the chef prepared it..

The food here is a fusion Japanese cuisine.. Let's give it a try..

Upon the ordering we're served with this compliment, Mashed Potato Salad.. It's quite appetizing for the starter..

We ordered a small portion of Crunch Crunch Roll (39K), sushi rolls stuffed with fried crunch tempura and cucumber topped with grilled unagi/eel.. Like its name "crunch crunch", the crunchy was great, it's so crunchy that you can hear the crackly bite..

I love the fusion sushi combined with a floss, it's a fabulous combination like this Fufu Fafa Rolls (47K), kani sushi roll topped with grilled salmon, floss and tobiko.. We also ordered the small portion, it's simple and that's a generous floss on it.. I loved it.. I think the sushi name here is quite funny yaa..

For those who like spicy as I much as I do, you can have a try at this Tan-Tan Men (55K), Japanese noodle/ramen with sliced chicken and veggies in spicy broth..

The broth was rich and divine, and the ramen was cooked to perfection.. Another kicking factor is the sesame oil, it just added the extra fragrance to the piping hot soup..

Finish? Not yet, we still had this Chicken Okonomiyaki (49K), a savoury Japanese style pancake that is made with a batter, shredded cabbage, other grated veggies, and minced chicken on it.. It's served with a generous dollop of okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes, seaweed, and mayonnaise is drizzled above.. Yummyy..

For the dessert, they give us this fruits and vanilla ice cream as a compliment.. How nice yaa, they served the customer with two compliments..

If you are a Japanese food lover, I think Takigawa is worth to try.. The food is good, the price is still affordable, the place and the service is also pleased..

Takigawa Resto
Jl. Panglima Polim X No. 10
Melawai - Kebayoran Baru
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7265010

Cork&Screw

2010-03-17T09:02:00.002+07:00

Looking for a place where you can enjoy the view of the heart of Jakarta city? Cork&Screw will be a great choice, situated in the Plaza Indonesia facing the Bundaran HI.. Actually we've been to this place several times, but I haven't posted it on my blog yet..

The view that you can enjoy it..

The place is not really spacious, they had the elongated dining room.. It is always crowd especially in the weekend, so I suggest you to make a reservation first..

It's a simple and minimalist decor with some wine racks as a partition..

Their refreshing Lychee Ice Tea (30K), tasted just right not too sweet tho..

The food here is quite various, they had International and Asian selections..

E opted the Asian selection, Special Fried Rice (45K), a seafood fried rice laced with vegetables and topped with shrimp cracker.. Simple but it delicious with its moist, flavorful,well seasoned, and good sized portion..

And I ordered Spaghetti Tuna (60K), spaghetti with tuna chunks cooked in aglio olio style and sprinkled with fresh parsley.. It's so yummy, it had a generous tuna chunks and the pasta was cooked in a perfect texture.. For those who like tuna, this is your definitely choice..

We also tried their Phad Thai (40K) from our previous visit.. It's a Thai style stir-fried rice noodle with seafood, but for the rice noodle seems like they used usual kway teow.. But the taste hit a perfect balance between sweet and sour, the shrimp were fresh and tasty..

And last but not least here is their signature dessert and we never miss it every time we visit, a 3 Flavor Chocolate Melted Cake (35K).. It's a three flavors (dark, milk, and white) warm melted cake.. It's warm with a molten custard lava melted in our mouths, hmm such a scrumptious dessert..

Great place, good food, and nice view.. So what else? Surely you need a wine to complete your lovely dinner.. And this is it guys, the place where you can enjoy all of it.. With a great spot, Cork&Screw is really a good place to escape from the busy traffic of life and enjoying a quite dinner with friends and loved one.. And for the price for me its worth it given the quality of food and the nice ambiance they offered.. We enjoyed the dinner and the view very well here..

Cork&Screw
Plaza Indonesia 1st Fl. Unit 127A-D
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31996659

Jade Imperial Sichuan

2010-03-13T07:50:00.003+07:00

I've posted Italian, Japanese, Indonesian, and Thai cuisine lately.. Do you guys miss a Chinese food now? Here it is, I found a recently opened a Chinese restaurant.. Jade Imperial Sichuan which serves one type of authentic Chinese cuisine that most of people branded it as one of the spiciest Chinese food around, Sichuan style food..

Yup, Sichuan cuisine is well-known for pungency and spiciness flavor.. See they decorate the whole wall with chili picture..

The dining area is just like an ordinary Chinese restaurant and quite spacious.. Do you need a more private area for your own occasion, easy they also have some private dining rooms..

Boiled peanut.. Is it a compliment? No, it's not free.. I checked the bill it costs 5K..

We can ordered the dim sum here for lunch and dinner.. We tried Xiao Long Bao (18K), a porky filled steamed xiao long bao.. It's just OK..

I almost always order a tofu dish when I eat Chinese food, coz I think it's one of the most versatile dishes to prepare.. So this time I ordered a Mapo Beancurd with Beef (38K), stir-fried tofu and minced beef cooked in Sichuan spicy bean paste..

E ordered this Sichuan Tan Tan Noodle (32K), a bowl of noodle in the rich and spicy stock which enhanced by the fragrance of sesame..

Hearty, robust, with really good noodle.. The noodle texture is smooth and this is a must-try especially for those who love spicy food..

Fancy something soupy and not spicy? I opted this Braised Noodle Soup with Chicken (35K).. This may look simple, but the broth was really comforting.. The noodle is different from what E had, this noodle is cut into short strands..

Apparently we are not fond of Sichuan style food very well, but overall the food here is OK.. If you are ever wandering in Plaza Indonesia and you adore a spicy Sichuan cuisine, you can give this place a shot..

Jade Imperial Sichuan
Plaza Indonesia Extension
3rd Floor, Unit E03A-E
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 29923515

Rempah Rempah

2010-03-10T07:52:00.001+07:00

We went to this place called Rempah Rempah in Plaza Senayan.. Well, from its name maybe you can guess what cuisine they served.. Yup, they serve a local Indonesian foods..

The place is decorated with some ornaments made of several spices.. Creative yaa..

Entering the dining area, you will find the decor that is subtle.. It's simple but quite elegant too..

This is a very cozy and cooling place to have business talk, discussion, or chit-chatting.. I love the sofas hidden inside, that seems really comfy..

For the starters, we had the Fried Spring Roll (23K), it filled with minced chicken, mushroom, shredded carrot, and vermicelli.. Dipped into their sweet chili, Mmm it's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, but it's a bit oily thou..

Next, I had Mie Kangkung - Water Spinach Noodle Soup (35K), yellow egg noodle stewed with water spinach, bean sprout, sheered chicken in sweet tasty broth.. The broth was full of spices, it had a kind of sweetish, tangy (from the lime juice), and spicy.. Tasted so flavourful..

The noodle was not too soggy and not too hard, it's cooked very well..

And Betawi Laksa (33K) for E, a vermicelli with shredded chicken in a thick yellowish coconut milk based soup.. It tasted just right and also fragrant..

The food is wise, nothing to shout about.. The price is a little on the high side, coz I think we're paying part of it for the ambiance too hehe.. But still nice to try..

Rempah Rempah
Plaza Senayan, level P4
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5725813/31

Tartine

2010-03-06T08:22:00.002+07:00

Back to an early 2010, we had this lovely dinner at Tartine in FX with some of our friends.. Yeaah I know it's quite late, but it's better late than never rite?

I love the rustic ambiance here, the wooden floor with red bricks wall.. Dimply lit romantic environment and Tartine was decorated with bits of X'mas ornaments that nite..

This is such a classy place with a perfect ambiance to sit and enjoy the meal accompany with the live band..

E ordered Farm Roasted Chicken (69.5K) served with aglio olio spaghetti and baked potato.. The chicken was freshly baked, juicy and tender as he liked.. It was really generous serving size and trust me it's quite filling at the end of the dish, this was actually quite worthy order..

I love pasta, so I had this Penne Chicken Pesto (45.5K) for dinner.. Penne pasta stirred in pesto sauce topped with grilled chicken breast and parmesan cheese.. It wasn't too bad, the chicken was quite fragrant & juicy and the pasta was well coated with enough basil inside to please me..

Next, my friend ordered Spaghetti Seafood (55.5K), spaghetti tossed with clams, prawns, and squids in tomato based sauce.. The pasta was not overcooked and there was a whole lot of seafood and it was fresh and juicy..

Rib Eye Steak (145.5K) was grilled and seasoned to perfection served with salad, their special sauce, and also the side dish.. My friend opted mashed potato for the side dish and I think the steak was quite good, coz I heard no complaint from him..

And the last is an Indonesian selection, Fried Oxtail Soup (59.5K) served with steamed rice.. It tasted just nice..

Yes.. We did enjoy the dinner and had a great companion that nite.. Turned out Tartine is a great place to hang out with your friends or for your romantic dinner with a decent dish and nice ambiance..

Tartine
FX Lifestyle Xenter, FB Unit 02a-03
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Pintu I Senayan
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 25554222

Sushi Groove

2010-03-03T08:31:00.002+07:00

Looking for something groovy? You can't be wrong to visit Sushi Groove.. Well, we have been to Sushi Groove several times, but we haven't taken a camera there before.. Surely, there are some classic Japanese dishes but there are also some groovy and unique dishes that you won't find in other Japanese restaurants..

The place is very stylish, modern & funky.. It's beautified with dimmed green lights and this greenish theme creates a restful and comfy environment while enjoying the meals.. We totally enjoyed the ambiance..

So, sushi for dinner?.. Yeahh.. Let's go get sushi!!

For the starter, we ordered Tokyo Crispy Mushroom Omelette (20K), a deep fried omelette filled with mushroom.. It's an omelette but crispy, unique and tasty.. Loved it..

This is TNT (25K), a spicy mayo dish filled with assorted seafood baked in a seashell.. I'm not fancy this dish, but E loved it very much.. He said it's creamy, light, and tasty, he cleaned both seashell very well.. hehe..

I love mushroom, so I'm tempted to try this Angry Mushroom Roll (25K), a sauteed mushroom rolled in togarashi.. Be careful with this one, this really spicy..

Krakatau Roll (29K), a deep fried sushi filled with gindara and asparagus drenched with their special mayo sauce.. Nice food appearance, it was stacked up to resemble a volcano with its lava sauce flowing down.. Nice look with a great taste..

I just fell in love with this Firecracker Roll (35K) straight away.. It's a deep fried roll stuffed with salmon marinated with their special sauce.. It's crunchy, tasty, and juicy inside..

Last but not least, the Flying Geisha (38K) also caught my taste bud's attention.. Not only its funky name, but the taste is also unique and groovy.. It's a deep fried inari stuffed wit spicy tuna and cream cheese..

Most of our sushi that nite was a fried sushi.. Yup, I like it coz it has a unique taste and crunchy bite hehe.. they really have the groove sushi which is unique in presentation and flavor.. Are you confuse in ordering the dish her? Don't worry.. They put a flayer recommending the top 10 selling dishes of the month on each table, it's very helpful though..

Sushi Groove is definitely a nice and relaxing place for enjoying fusion sushi.. Will always back to Sushi Groove again for sure when my sushi craze kicks in again..

Sushi Groove
Grand Indonesia - West Mall 3A Fl. ED 1 - #02
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 23580687

Another Branches;
Pondok Indah Mall 2
Mall Taman Anggrek
Setiabudi One
Citiwalk Sudirman
Mall Kelapa Gading 3

Loewy - revisit

2010-02-27T07:20:00.001+07:00

We've been to Loewy before for a dinner, but we never try their brunch.. Yup.. It was a lovely brunch @ Loewy.. We are not always have a time for brunch, but we really enjoy the brunch menu sometime..

The interior of the bistro with its high ceiling and beautiful white brick walls was designed to bring a New York style bistro atmosphere.. Such a nice ambiance to enjoy your meals..

We promptly seated at this gorgeous little terrace by overlooking the building's front yard..

It was really refreshing to start your day with a glass of fresh juice.. This was a Guava Juice (20K), this is the real 100% juice made from guava..

I was prefer something sweets for my brunch, so this Pancake (65K) would be a great choice, I choosed blueberry pancakes which came with maple syrup, sausage and fresh fruits.. There are three choices of pancakes that you can choose; plain, blueberry, or dark chocolate chips.. Not only that, you also can choose either sausage or bacon.. It was simple and such an enjoyable meal..

And E opted a complete 2 Eggs Any Style Breakfast Menu (40K), 2 scrambled organic eggs comes with sausage, hash brown, and whole wheat toast.. Yup, you can choose any style of egg you like; fried sunny side up, hard boiled or soft, scrambled or poached.. And do you like sausage or beef bacon? It's all your choice.. The dish was fulfilling, E said the sausage was great and he enjoyed the rest as well..

Maybe some people would say that the price here is pricey, but we would say, quality comes with a price rite? hehe..I definitely recommend the brunch lovers to check out this place..

LOEWY
Shopping Arcade @ Oakwood
Premier Cozmo Ground Floor North
Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 25542378

The Taste Resto

2010-02-24T17:28:00.000+07:00

This time I would be introducing the local food which I had a last week at Grand Indonesia.. Again?? Yup, Grand Indonesia has been one of my fave mall in Jakarta.. The Taste Resto serves an Indonesian cuisine and it's originated from Bandung..

The place is so simple, bright and comfy enough to enjoy your meals..

We very excited to try this Indo Sushi (27K), five pieces of sushi that comes with different Indonesian dish on it.. There are sushi with tempe, sushi with floss and topped with kremesan/crispy batter, and sushi with spicy chicken liver.. We never find a sushi with an Indonesian taste before.. Apparently, the taste is not as special as it looked.. It was so so only, the sushi was made from ordinary rice..

Tempeh Penyet - Smashed Tempeh (9K), two pieces of deep fried tempeh/soybean cake flatten and topped with some chili..

I ordered Mie Tek Tek Rebus (28K), an Indonesian noodle with tomato, veggies, shredded chicken stewed in some spices topped with tapioca crackers and fried shallots served on mini wok pan.. The dish was slightly soupy, a bit spicy with a hint of sweetness, it brought out the best of both flavors..

And E was craved for rice dishes.. So he ordered Nasi Langgi (35K), a warm rice packed in small cone shape served with empal (fried beef), tempeh orek, shredded omelette, beef floss, chili potato chips, and belacan/shrimp paste chili.. It looked nice yaa and the tasted good too..

The foods here is pretty palatable and the price is also affordable.. It's quite a decent place to satisfy your Indonesian foods cravings..

The Taste Resto
Grand Indonesia - West Mall 5th Fl. MD 2 No. 3
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 23580513

WARAKU Japanese Casual Dining

2010-02-21T08:12:00.000+07:00

We were walking around in Grand Indonesia and found this newly opened Japanese restaurant Waraku.. Watching how people streamed in this restaurant, we couldn't help it but curious..

Attractive food replicas display in front of the restaurant.. Really makes me droll.. ^_^

The interior is casual and it gives a warm & friendly ambiance here..

The other side of restaurant..

There is a wide array of Japanese foods here, So many different dishes to sample..

So what we ordered here..

We got Potato Mochi Cheese (33K).. The name itself tempted us to try, you can taste the cheese in every bite of deep-fried potato.. It had a delicious crispy outside but the inside remained moist and chewy, tasted nice but the only fall back is too oily..

Tonpei-yaki (29.8K), stir-fried sliced beef with shredded Japanese white cabbage covered in soft golden omelette and dressed in generous okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise.. It's a mix of subtle sweetness and saltiness, and the portions was enough for sharing..

What a generous filling.. Mixed all shredded fresh cabbage with all ingredients.. Nyum nyum..

And decided to try the large potion of Mapo Tofu Udon (57.8K).. Mmm the aroma was absolutely captivating.. The bowl is real big, though the noodles only filled half of it, but it quite fulfilling dish..

It was not spicy enough for me so just put a dash of chili powder to boost the taste..

Feel satisfied with our first visit and still curious to try their other dishes.. So here it is, our second visit..

We started with Dashimaki (22.8K), it's a thick tamagoyaki or Japanese type omelette.. It had a soft texture which blended in the saltiness and sweetness of dashi stock..

That nite we decided to order two types udon dish in small portion..

E ordered Hotate Cream Udon (57K), a creamy soup udon with hotate (scallops).. I gave it a few sips.. Mmm the cream cheese sauce is light but it's very cheesy & tasty and the succulent scallops are also fresh..

We savoured every thick chewy stand of udon covered with a luscious creamy cheese sauce.. Yummy..

As for me, I ordered Tori Tamagotoji Udon (38.8K), the thick and smooth udon noodles comes with eggs poured in clear soup.. Ever so ordinary looking, the soup was pleasant.. The ingredients were simple but fresh..

And it was a comforting slurp for me..

This Waraku restaurant is different from Pasta de Waraku.. If you looking for regular Japanese cuisines this Waraku is the best choice, but if you like a fusion Italian-Japanese cuisines go with Pasta de Waraku.. Yup there are still a few dishes on the menu like okonomiyaki and takoyaki which we want to try, but unfortunately they run out of stock that nite.. So maybe on our next visit hehe.. We've been to this place for two times and we don't mind going back again..^_^

WARAKU Japanese Casual Dining
Grand Indonesia - Sky Bridge 3A Floor FD 1-10
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Tel. (62 21) 23581188

FJ Bistro

2010-02-17T07:45:00.002+07:00

We're really satisfied with our dinner a couple months ago in FJ Brasserie and after the visit we found out that they have two others restaurant one is FJ Rotisserie in Dharmawangsa area and the other is FJ Bistro in Kemang area.. This time we tried FJ Bistro first and FJ Rotisserie maybe in some other time..

The restaurant is placed behind their boutique, unfortunately the boutique was closed already when we arrived.. The concept is really very simple, a cozy restaurant with a minimalist approach..

The interior is stark, spacious and lofty dominated by white and... Tables are arranged in a good distance apart for dining and your conversation privacy.. With an open kitchen concept we can see their pizza grill, which I believe it's actually not a wood fire but it still can baked a perfect pizza crust..

They also have a sizeable and nice outdoor seating area to enjoy your tea time and indulge yourself with some cakes and pastry from their deli..

And here it is their deli, they serve assorted homemade cakes, breads, and cookies which is really nice to go with your tea..

This cozy restaurant serves a contemporary Italian cuisine..

Of course the Italian meal always begin with a basket of breads served with butter..

We always has a pasta and pizza for Italian dinner, so no different this time..

When we had a dinner in FJ Bistro, we really like their spicy cajun sausage on pizza, so this time we try it on pasta.. We ordered Spicy Cajun Beef Sausage Fettuccine (90K), a homemade fettuccine sauteed with spicy cajun beef sausage and chili pickles in a light olive oil and white wine.. Tasted like we expected, the cajun sausage is crunchy, juicy, and full of spice.. The dish was light and flavourful, and the fettuccine was cooked to a perfect bite.. Mmm loved it..

On the menu they have several toppings for pizza that we interested to and we can't decide which one the most delicate pizza topping.. So we asked the waiter to combine all four topping that we like to try hehe.. So here it is we had the Mixed Pizza (90K), it's a combined of four toppings; Hawaiian Pizza, Pollo Con Fruitti di Fungi Pizza, Jalapenos Pizza which is come with a really spicy jalapenos chili, and Prosciutto & Cherry Tomato Pizza.. It's really nice, each topping came with two slices.. I liked the pizza crust was thin but not too cracker-like and they quite generous with the topping.. The cheese and tomato was in perfect balance..

It was a very satisfactory dinner, the pasta and pizza were beyond our expectation.. The price might be on the high side, but I think its worth it due to the excellent service and great food taste using quality ingredients.. And the place is really perfect to impress your dates..

FJ Bistro & Deli
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 25
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7182736

Hacienda

2010-02-13T23:10:00.004+07:00

Yeayy something new here.. This is the first time we try an authentic Mexican cuisine in Jakarta, because it's quite rare to find a Mexican restaurant here..

Hacienda is the most authentic Mexican restaurant I found in Jakarta, located in Plaza Senayan Arcadia..

The ambiance here is really outstanding.. It was dimly lit and the layout was nice.. Once you step into this restaurant, you can really feel the warm Mexican ambiance..

The bar is a good place to enjoy your fave Mexican drink and to wait while waiting for your table..

And small lounge area right in front the bar.. Its decorated with some Mexican paintings hanging on the wall..

Move to their dining area.. The decoration is simple yet elegant, surrounded by glasses all over the dining area with wooden dining tables, comfortable sofas, and romantic dimmed lightnings really make the place suitable for just hanging out with friends or romantic couple dinners too..

Back to the food, so what we had here..

This was a one nice compliment, a big basket of Tortilla Chips that were accompanied by salsa dip to kick start our taste buds.. How can you eat in a Mexican restaurant without trying their salsa rite?

A non-alcoholic Shirley Temple (25K) for the drink.. It's a mix of lemon-lime, soda, grenadine with a touch of touch of cherry.. Tasted sweet and refreshing..

E had a Beef Burritos (79K), it's a huge burrito filled with lots of beef, cheese, rice, bean and salsa, then covered with tomato sauce and melted cheese.. The filling was well seasoned, the rice was subtly flavored, while the salsa and bean was just right.. I must say that this burrito was quite fulfilling dish, packed with flavor and delicious.. The filling was well seasoned..

I went with a much more simpler dish, a Chicken Quesadillas (59K), a grilled flour tortilla filled it up with cheese and grilled chicken breast served with trio of dips, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.. It grilled until the cheese has melt and glued the tortilla together in a supremely rich taste.. I love the tortilla's texture and the chicken meat was tender and tasty, it's very nice..

I think Hacienda has made us impress, they are success in serving a good authentic Mexican foods with a great taste and a high quality ingredients..We were very satisfied with the foods, services, and of course the ambiance here.. It's not a usual ambiance you can get in every restaurant in Jakarta.. Really a nice place to visit..

Hacienda Mexican Bar and Grill
Plaza Senayan Arcadia Unit X-105
Jl. New Delhi No. 9 Pintu I Senayan
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 57901444

Blue Elephant

2010-02-08T06:36:00.023+07:00

Looking for a spicy food, we decided to go for Thai cuisine this time.. We stopped by at The Blue Elephant restaurant in FX.. Since we haven't try this restaurant yet, so we decided to check this place out..

The place is small yet comfy, and they also have an outdoor balcony dining area..

We ordered a Kratong Thong (19.5K) to start our dinner.. It is a lightly crispy golden shells filled with savory minced beef fillings.. The shells was so crunchy that you can hear the crackly bite and the filling was quite tasty.. This dish is one of popular Thai appetizer, it's like a kueh pie tee we ate in peranakan dishes..

And surely I opted Pad Thai (39.5K), my fave Thai food.. It's a Thai stir fried rice noodle with bean sprout, egg, tofu, and ground peanut.. Tasted decent, it has a sweet, spicy, and tangy flavor on it.. Like it..

E craved something soupy that nite, so he ordered Spicy Beef Noodle (39.5K), a smooth, slippery fine rice noodle/kway teow served with meat balls and sliced beef in savory beef soup..

It's a simple dish but flavourful soup..At first, E thought the portion moght not be enough, but turned out to be just nice..

Overall the dinner was quite fulfilling, the food here is just OK.. Blue Elephant serves a decent Thai cuisine at reasonable price..

Blue Elephant
Plaza FX, F2 No.3
Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Pintu 1 Senayan
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 25554021

Tian Xi

2010-02-07T10:20:00.001+07:00

Tian Xi is a Chinese restaurant situated in Senayan City shopping mall, and this restaurant is run by the same management like The Red Duck Restaurant in FX..

The place was a typical Chinese restaurant, spacious yet comfy dining area..

Simple and modern interior style..

The food here is quite various, they have some dim sum selections, single dish menu, and also complimentary dishes.. But that nite I was not really in the mood for dim sum..

But E was curious with this Otak-otak Fried Cheong Fun with XO Sauce (16K) from their dim sum selections.. It's a pan fried cheong fun filled with otak-otak and topped with fried salty fish.. Otak-otak is like a fish cake with a mix of spices.. Actually the dish came out pretty well, the otak-otak was a bit spicy and fragrant..

Not to forget the greens.. We ordered Belacan Water Spinach - Kangkung Terasi (35K), water spinach stir-fried with a shrimp paste/belacan.. It was a slightly spicy, pungent, and fragrant, the water spinach was also crunchy and fresh..

Hmm What is this? Haha it looks nice yaa.. It's a Tian Xi Fried Tofu (42K), a homemade tofu bowl stuffed with stirred seafood and braised in starch thickened oyster sauce.. I think this is one of their special menu, and the dish has a unique appearance..

Open up and see a generous ingredients inside the tofu bowl.. It's a stirred mix seafood and mushroom and carrot.. The tofu has a very smooth texture, and the seafood inside was nicely stir-fried and fresh.. Definitely, the best dish of the dinner this time..

We also shared Sliced Beef and Fish Congee (45K) and of course what's best to match it with is a Fried Cruller/Cakwe (5K).. The congee was boiled till soft and fine, the beef and fish was cooked with congee gives a sweet and flavorsome dish..

All in all, we had a nice dinner in Tian Xi.. Tian Xi restaurant serves a decent range of dim sum and Chinese foods for fairly decent price.. It's good to try..

Tian Xi
Senayan City, LG Floor #06-08
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot. 19
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 72781532

Mochi Creamery

2010-02-04T16:18:00.002+07:00

Yeaah finally I'm finish posting about Singapore's food review from my trip last year.. And the last post is about Singaporean dessert, Mochi Creamery.. Mochi Creamery is another product line from Beard Papa's Cream Puffs, and they haven't opened any branch yet in Jakarta, I'm so excited to try it..

The store is located adjacent to the Beard Papa's stall, Mochi Creamery has 20 various flavors of mochi ice cream with attractive different colors..

The store display these realistic and colorful mochi ice cream dummies on glass panel and look each model was dusted with artificial white powder, just like a real mochi and so attractive.. So many flavors to choose, make me hard to choose which flavor to eat.. But finally we tried only these several flavors..

The Green Tea Mochi, the mochi skin was evenly dusted with green tea powder, soft, and chewy.. The green tea ice cream had a red bean bits and really blend well with ice cream.. Yummyy..

The Pistachio Mochi, a pale green pistachio flavored ice cream with lovely crushed of pistachio nuts..

E opted the Tiramisu Mochi, the mochi filled with tiramisu flavored coffee ice cream, and dusted with cocoa power..

Next is the Blueberry Mochi, a blueberry ice cream stuffed in chewy mochi.. The ice cream tasted creamy and fruit but not too sweet, it was really refreshing..

We also bought 1 box of it to enjoy it in our hotel, it contains 6 pcs mochi and the box they used is specially design to keep the dry ice on it, so that the ice cream will still be cold for at least 2 hours.. See they also packed it neatly one by one.. And the best way to enjoy your mochi ice cream is to let it thaw for about 5-6 minutes in room temperature before eat it..

All mochi flavors costs SGD 2.00, yup a bit expensive yaa but its really good.. I haven't try all flavors but I'm sure other flavors will taste just as good as I've tried.. The mochi skin has a nice texture and the flavored ice cream is creamy enough, really combined well to give a unique and delicious taste.. So, this post will mark the end of my Singapore's foods post from my trip last year.. Really such a great trip!!

Mochi Creamery
Takashimaya
Unit B2-07-9-1 Food Hall
391 Orchard Road
Tel. (65) 62388819
Singapore

Bugis Junction
Unit B1-12A Food Hall
230 Victoria Street
Tel. (65) 63360800
Singapore

Ichiban Sushi

2010-02-01T07:31:00.000+07:00

Thinking of what to eat in Mall Kelapa Gading (MKG) has always been a headache with the overwhelming choices of restaurants.. Wandered around in MKG and finally we find this new restaurant that we have not explored, Ichiban Sushi..

From their name, I assume that they are good in sushi dish.. They served not only a fusion sushi but there also some Japanese dishes.. The menu here is quite various and attractive, it takes some time for us to decide what to order..

The interior is modern with an open kitchen concept and dominated by red color, but it still has a Japanese style and you also can choose to seat in their tatami tables..

Here we go, we started with this fried sushi Cosmoplotitan (25K), a fried sushi filled with beef teriyaki and mozzarella cheese.. This is not a usual sushi I've eaten, but it turn out to be good.. It's crispy outside and the melted cheese goes well with the chewy rice..

And another one is Tiger Fire (32K), a sushi filled with prawn tempura and coated with tuna floss.. The prawn tempura was fresh and crisp, the rice roll was quite thick, and the fish floss was added the sweetish taste.. Such a pretty decent roll..

Not only the sushi we also tried Katsu Yakiudon (27K), fried udon served with deep fried chicken cutlet.. The fried udon was good and the chicken cutlet also crispy, but I think that the portion was on the small side..

Actually we also ordered the Chicken Teppanyaki (30K) but I forgot to take the picture, E finished it so fast haha.. The chicken teppanyaki tasted so so only..

I can say that their Japanese dishes was just ok, their sushi was great, they really creative in their fusion style sushi.. The sushi was various, fresh, and tasty.. And for the price, I think it's still a value for money dish (tax include already in the price).. I will return for their other sushi variations...

Ichiban Sushi
Mall Kelapa Gading II, 2nd floor #314
Jl. Boulevard Kelapa Gading Blok M
Sentra Kelapa Gading
North Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 45842708

Aji-Tei @ Singapore

2010-01-28T16:43:00.000+07:00

Yup.. I haven't done with Singapore's food post yet.. So, let's we continue shall we? As I said before there are many Japanese restaurants around Singapore, and these restaurants not only specialized in Japanese foods but also in Japanese desserts.. When it come to the desserts, Japanese really has a passion of it.. They create the dessert so fancy, delicate, colorful, and also healthy way..

So when I still in Singapore, why don't I give it a try? And this time I took my mom to try it in Aji-Tei Japanese Cuisine & Dessert House in Takashimaya..

We were looking at the menu and we can't decide what to eat, it's hard to choose.. All is good, so colorful, and look delicious.. The pictures on menu really tempt us to try everything! haha..

Aji-Tei has a pleasant environment with the minimalist black furniture..

My mom ordered this Matcha Parfait (SGD 7.80), it includes the yummy goodness of red bean paste, cornflakes, jelly, whipped cream, matcha ice cream, and mochi.. The ice cream itself is very creamy, smooth, and light.. It's a blend of bitter green tea and sweet milk.. This parfait had a rich matcha flavor and was very delicious, I love anything matcha flavor haha.. Trust me it tasted good as it looked!

Next is my Anmitsu (SGD 4.80), is a Japanese traditional dessert made of small cubes of translucent jelly and served with red bean paste, mochi, glutinous rice balls, and slices fruits of peach and orange poured with sweet sauce..

This restaurant is not only serve Japanese desserts but also varies Japanese cuisine, so we also try their Ebi Prawn Tempura (SGD 10.80), deep fried prawn in tempura batter..
The tempura was pretty good, the prawn was sweet and fresh.. In fact it was so crunchy that you can hear the crackly bite..

I think Aji-Tei is a decent place to enjoy a wide variety of Japanese dessert and cuisine in Singapore.. I just wonder whether this Aji-Tei is the same as Aji-Tei Restaurant in Pacific Place? Hmm I'll find out later when I visit Aji-Tei in Pacific Place hehe..

Aji-Tei
Japanese Cuisine & Dessert House
Takashimaya #B2-02
Singapore

Beard Papa's

2010-01-26T14:08:00.001+07:00

When it comes snack cravings.. E really love this cream puff, Beard Papa's.. I think Beard Papa 's is the most delicate cream puff (or simply we called it kue sus) I found in Jakarta..

One of their outlet in EX.. At Beard Papa's, you have a choice of cream filling like chocolate, vanilla, cappucino, and green tea flavors.. Our fave is the green tea one, but it's so difficult to get it.. The green tea flavor is not always available everyday..

Like this time E still can't get the green tea one, so he goes for the Cappuccino Cream Puff (11K), a crispy puff pastry filled with a generous cappuccino cream filling.. The puff pastry has a consistent and most appealing filling that is pumped into it and freshly prepared as you order..

The puff pastry was light and airy with delightfully crispy crackly crust, the cappuccino cream filling was delicate flavored.. It was a bit messy to eat but sooo good.. Mmm..

And this is one of the Beard Papa's stations in Hong Kong.. It's all about freshness, they bakes cream puffs and fills it immediately..

Looks in Hong Kong they have many varies menu much different with their menu in Jakarta, looks so tempting and tastes delicate..

Surely, we choosed the Choux a La Creme - Original with Green Tea filling (HKD 12).. It always available everyday there.. Looks the oozed green tea cream filling, it was excellent and it tasted wonderfully smooth, delicate, and not too sweet.. Love it..

Really this is the most delicate cream puff I ever eat.. Nyummm..

Beard Papa's
Entertainment X'nter L2 # B-03
Jl. M. H. Thamrin Kav. 13
Cental Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31900787

Mall Artha Gading Ground Floor #B1-1
Jl. Boulevard Artha Gading Selatan No. 1
North Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 45863852

Kembang Goela

2010-01-23T15:22:00.000+07:00

Back to Jakarta, so what we have here.. Hmm do you miss an Indonesian dish? Here it is, we have a fine Indonesian cuisine in Kembang Goela.. Actually the dish served here is not purely Indonesian, it's a fusion between Indonesian and Dutch cuisine..

Located in Sudirman area in Plaza Sentral, this restaurant is situated in the back of Plaza Sentral office building..

The restaurant is set up in a collaboration of minimalist colonial of Dutch style and old Java style with some old photographs hung on its wall and several antique wooden furniture set as a dining area components.. The place is very clean, bright, and has a pleasant ambiance to enjoy our meals..

The pianist to serenade the guest with some classical tunes the whole night long..

After we sat down, they served us with this deep fried spaghetti stick as a complimentary..

I found something unusual here with their Ice Tea (15K), it is just an ordinary ice tea but with a stick of fresh pineapple.. I don't know why the put a pineapple on it, but it's nice though.. hehe

Not long after the waiter took our order, our appetizer came up..

Wow looks unique yaa.. This is Sosis Om Yance - Uncle Yance's Sausage (75K), the one metre long boiled chicken sausage in a long wooden plate and served with mustard and tomato sauce.. It's quite a big appetizer for two people yaa hehe..

The sausages was cooked with some spices which you can taste it gently in every bite and it's juicy though.. Nice..

Next is Tahoe Telor Bledek - Bledek Tofu Omelette (27.5K), is an deep fried Indonesian tofu omelette with shredded cabbage, carrot, and bean sprouts served with sweet soy dressing.. It tasted wise, the omelette was nicely crispy on the outside yet still had a soft texture of tofu in the inside and the sweetness of the soy dressing really a good complement to the overall taste.. But I still have no idea why it called bledek hehe..

Mie Goreng Bang Doel - Doel's Fried Noodle (35K), is a Javanese-style fried egg noodle in sweet soy sauce served with shrimp crackers..

I loved they way they cooked this noodle, it was not too dry nor too wet with a simply sweet and savory taste.. This was pretty good, much better than I expected..

All in all, even though it was quite a pricey dinner, but definitely worth it due to the excellent service and great food using quality ingredients.. Worth a try for sure

Kembang Goela
Plaza Sentral
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 47-48
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5205025

Din Tai Fung @ Singapore

2010-01-21T07:47:00.002+07:00

Still in Singapore and here's a lunch I had with my family.. We had a lunch in Din Tai Fung.. Hmm Din Tai Fung? At the first I think it's better for us to try a new restaurant that we haven't tasted before in Jakarta.. However, my brother always claim that Din Tai Fung in Singapore is more delicious than in Jakarta.. So what's make the difference?

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant known for their famous Xiao Long Bao.. I'm sure most of foodies familiar with this restaurant.. I've posted about Din Tai Fung in Jakarta before, and here's all about Din Tai Fung in Singapore.. Let's find out what's the difference..

Every time I passed Din Tai Fung in Paragon Singapore, I always see a long queue.. It's no difference this time, we need to wait for at least 15-20 mins to get a table there, it's always packed!

The interior is just like a typical Chinese restaurant interior, simple and modern minimalist.. The dining room dominated by wood furniture..

Here's some of their new menu and some chef's recommendation..

We started with Stewed Beancurd Cubes with Honey Sauce (SGD 4.30).. It did not seem so appetizing, but it turned out to be a really good appetizer, everybody loves it.. The beancurd had a spongy texture and tasted sweet..

This is what we and everyone come for, a basket of juicy and delicate Xiao Long Bao - Steamed Pork Dumplings (SGD 9.00), a Chinese dumplings filled with sweet minced pork and fragrant soup.. Their Xiao Long Bao here is standout, one of the best and it is expertly prepared.. Looks its translucent and smooth skin, it strong enough to keep all its soupy juices inside.. And the broth inside was sweet and flavorful..

Their Shrimp and Pork Siew Mai (SGD 9.30) was also interesting.. Larger than the usual pork filled siew mai, and it is made with minced pork filling topped with fresh shrimp..

Next, Steamed Shrimp and Pork Dumplings (SGD 9.80), also made of minced pork and a whole shrimp in each dumpling.. It's tasted good and it's quite similar like xiao long bao with an addition of a shrimp, but these weren't as soupy as xiao long bao..

Another of their specialties is the Taiwanese noodle, the texture is just like hand-pulled noodle..

My father ordered this Chicken Noodle Soup (SGD 10.80), a bowl of plain noodle served with steamed chicken soup.. Looked so plain but don't let its appearance fool you, this steamed chicken soup was really good, the soup was bursting with the original sweetness of fresh chicken.. This clear soup was light but energizing/good for your body and the chicken was really tender.. This soup is also one of Din Tai Fung's specialty..

My brother want to try this Fried Pork Chop Noodle (SGD 8.80), a fried pork chop served inside the noodle soup.. The pork chop was breaded, salted, peppered, and fried for a savory-sweet meat..

Then, I and my mom shared this Zha Jiang Noodle - Spicy Pork Minced Noodle (SGD 7.00), noodles topped with stir-fried minced pork and tofu in salty beans sauce.. This noodle is also known as meat sauce noodle, the sauce goes well with the noodle and it's tasty..

We ended our lunch with this sweet Steamed Mashed Yam Buns (SGD 5.80), sweet xiao long bao version filled with mashed yam/taro.. It's really nice, the sweet was just right..

So, have you notice the difference between Din Tai Fung in Jakarta and Singapore? For me their taste is more or less the same, but in Jakarta they serve halal (no pork) version.. Surely, my brother as a pork lover will prefer Din Tai Fung in Singapore, for him the dish is more tasty there.. Overall, there's no doubt about the food in Din Tai Fung, they always maintain the high standard of the food, the dishes is obviously prepared with quality ingredients.. That's the reason make their prices in high side, but it's reasonable and still affordable..

Din Tai Fung
Paragon #B1-03/06
290 Orchard Road
Singapore
Tel. (65) 68368336

Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar

2010-01-19T00:55:00.000+07:00

Back from Singapore, I just found that how Singaporean fancy the Japanese foods.. There are many Japanese restaurant in Singapore, you always can find Japanese restaurant in every mall in Singapore.. It varies from the ramen house, traditional Japanese restaurant, and the fancy Japanese restaurant.. We were tempting to try them all, but of course we can only try some.. And this is one that attracts us the most, because of its uniqueness and we haven't it in Jakarta yet.. Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar..

Located at the basement extension of Raffles City Shopping Centre, Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar is not a usual restaurant that you imagined, it's more like food court but not exactly.. Hmm so what is it? It's a self-service Japanese Restaurant.. If you familiar with Marche Restaurant concept in Plaza Senayan or Food Kulture in Plaza Indonesia, so here's another version of it.. Shokudo shares the similar concept like Marche, having several cooking stations, barcode card payment system, and themed dining area..

The colorful entrance.. Upon entering, you will be given a barcode card (just like Marche did), which is used to swap when you ordered the food and it used to calculate the bill on cashier when you are going out..

Let's see what is inside..How they looked like?

The place is like a Japanese market with several stalls sell different Japanese foods..

The oden cooking station.. Oden is Japanese one-pot dish which is consisting of several ingredients slowly simmered in light sweet soy sauce based soup.. Oden is known as Japanese winter dish.. You can choose what ingredients you like, it varies from processed fish cake, tofu, vegetables, konyaku, and many more.. It's fresh and has many varieties..

Japanese-style omelette station..

Seems Singaporean really enjoy dine here, and so do we hehe..

So how about the food? In here you can taste all the Japanese food like sashimi, sushi, oden, teppanyaki, udon, ramen, bento, Japanese dessert, and many more.. In addition to traditional Japanese food, the foods also varies to some fusion Western-Japanese food like Japanese pizza, burger, pasta, and more..

We were wandering through some melange of various cooking stations, and we didn't know what to eat.. We're really spoilt for choice..

Finally, we decided what to eat for dinner..

I ordered this Salmon Onion Omelette (SGD 5.80), salmon wrapped in Japanese omelette with delicious mayonnaise drizzled generously over it and topped with bonito flakes.. The omelette was very rich in flavor, it tasted a little sweet, a little salty, and its smooth.. I'm not exaggerating here, but it was really good! Although its just an ordinary omelette but the mayo really blended well with the egg, it was a lip smackingly good!

This was what E opted for, Chicken & Ham Okonomiyaki (SGD 8.90), a Japanese-style pan-fried batter cake with chicken, ham, and shredded cabbage drenched with Japanese mayonnaise and sweet brown sauce.. I found that it was a good choice, with a mix of sweet and savory flavors also the soft textures of the batter..

Tako Ball (SGD 3.50), a grilled octopus flour balls/takoyaki.. These takoyaki was served hot from the pan, they're still heavenly taste and succulent.. The bonito flakes added a touch of savoriness to the soft takoyaki, a tasty snacks indeed..

If you are in the mood for something more conventional, go for their Japanese Sukiyaki.. My friend ordered Sukiyaki Beef (SGD 9.80), a mixed veggies, tofu, sliced beef, and shirataki/Japanese konyaku noodle in a light soy sauce based soup served in little hot pot to keep it warm.. This is a light, warm, and savory soup with a wonderfully delicate ingredients, the ingredients were cooked evenly in the sauce, the thinly sliced beef was also quite tender. Its really a good dish to keep your body warm..

Chukka Kurage (SGD 2.50), a seasoned jellyfish.. I'm not fancy eating jellyfish, but my friend said it's a little spicy, a little sweet, and the texture is crunchy, the bits of sesame add some taste to it.. It totally thrilled her hehe..

If you are a fan of Japanese food, you should give it a visit and you may like it here.. You can really enjoy the wide array of Japanese food here, it gives you so many choices for what to eat, and its taste delicate.. E gives 5 out of 5 for his own rating haha, so we definitely looking forward for our next visit when we come to Singapore again..

Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar
Raffles City Shopping Centre #B1-44E
252 North Bridge Road
Singapore
Tel. (65) 68373793

Decanter

2010-01-16T08:40:00.001+07:00

Are you planning for your romantic dinner or looking a place just to chill out with your friends? I think this is it, Decanter.. Located in Kuningan area, Decanter is a wine house to enjoy the comfort of good wine..

The ambiance is no doubt, one of the pulling factor here.. With a full of plants decor, spacious area, this wine house really gives a comfy and homey feeling.. They design some area with hundred small light bulbs to resemble a starry sky which give a romantic atmosphere.. The place is perfect for romantic dining or wine lounging..

They have an open-concept kitchen where we could see directly how the chefs prepare our dish from the dining area..

The beverages, Lemon Juice (20K) and Pineapple Juice (20K) for E.. It's quite refreshing but I didn't sure it is a real fresh juice fruit.. What a small serving size..

The food here is served in large portion, indeed they emphasized the spirit of sharing and togetherness here..

So we just ordered this Tagliatelle Lamb (130K), a homemade spinach tagliatelle pasta braised well in seasoned lamb bolognese ragu sauce.. This was good, the pasta was fresh and cooked in al-dente texture.. And the sauce also cooked well with all the spices..

And Alsatian Choice - single size (55K), bratwursts and sliced pork legs served with finely shredded sauerkraut/sour fermented cabbage and mustard.. It is a traditional Alsace food.. The bratwurst/pork sausages had a nice crunchy skin when u bite and it's really juicy inside.. I didn't eat that pork leg, but E said its nice, tender and tasty.. A good option for meat lovers hehe..

Decanter is a nice place to chill out, the service was good, and the most important thing is that I am happy with the ambiance here.. Even though I think that the food here is less varied and a bit expensive.. For me, as this place is a wine house so it's more appropriate for wine lounging than the dinner..

Decanter
Plaza Kuningan - Menara Utara GF
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. C11-14
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 52963888

Nannini Grill

2010-01-09T14:20:00.000+07:00

I chanced upon this Nannini Grill in Plaza Senayan and decided to try it..

The place has very bright and clean look, neat with white walls..

Quite cozy here to chat and hang around with friends..

I ordered this Tuna Sandwich (49.5K), simply tuna mayonnaise stuffed in toasted white breads served with french fries.. I like the way they blended the tuna so well not merely mayo-creamy.. This was just a simple bread, but it's quite tasty.. Crispy outside and soft inside..

And E opted pasta dish for his dinner, actually this wasn't what E has ordered.. The waiter wrongly brought him this Fettuccine Mushroom (59.5K), sauteed fettuccine with mushrooms in light creamy sauce and served with deep fried mushrooms and a garlic bread .. It looks and tastes decent, so he didn't complaint it..

The food here is very good in general, nothing mind-blowing, but a good place to gather a few friends to have a decent meal..

Nannini Grill
Plaza Senayan 3rd level No. 317
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5725411

Ah Chew Desserts

2010-01-06T15:12:00.001+07:00

When it comes to a desserts in Singapore, this Ah Chew Dessert shouldn't be missed.. Located in Liang Seah Street, near to Bugis Junction.. This place is quite popular in Singapore..

Nothing fancy about the place, just like a traditional Chinese eatery..

They serve quite variety of desserts, from hot to cold dessert, and it reminds me of some desserts found in Hong Kong.. Ah Chew Dessert serves desserts in a traditional and healthy way.. Using a real fruits, fresh ingredients and not too sugary sweet..Unfortunately we're too full to try their other popular desserts like steamed milk pudding, peanut/black sesame paste, and many more.

I ordered Aloe Vera with Strawberry and Lime (SGD 3.80), sweet aloe vera chunks served with fresh cubes strawberry and lime served in cold.. First, you can taste the sourish lime and strawberry and later the sweet & crunchy aloe vera.. This kinda light, refreshing, and good for your body. Aloe vera is believed has a good nutritious for your skin..

E had this Pulut Hitam - Black Glutinous Rice Desserts (SGD 2.00), a sticky sweet hot black glutinous rice porridge topped with a swirl thick & creamy coconut milk.. This is a very filling dessert, mixed with coconut milk it simply gives a subtle creamy taste.. I loved its texture.. This dessert is delicious yet healthy, some studies say black glutinous rice has both fiber and loads of antioxidants which is very good for our body.

Add three Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball (SGD 1.00), and it's just perfect.. If you don't like black sesame, they have peanut filling glutinous rice ball..

I always love the healthy sweet desserts.. When you visit Singapore, come and give it a try.. Let's your taste buds experience it..

Ah Chew Desserts
1 Liang Seah Street. #01-11
Liang Seah Place
Singapore - Bugis
Tel. (65) 63398198

Operating Hours:
Tue - Fri, 12.30pm - 11.30pm
Sat - Sun, 1.30pm - 11.30pm
Closed on Monday

May Star Restaurant

2010-01-02T14:15:00.000+07:00

It's 2010!! Another year has gone, cheers to year 2010 peeps! Happy New Year.. Let's we continue our food journey in 2010 (^_^)..

May Star is one of a must-go restaurants for dim sum lovers.. It was a Sunday noon, I was invited by E's family for dim sum.. For me having a dim sum on Sunday is like a brunch in Chinese tradition hehe..

The restaurant was bustling and full.. Actually, the place is spacious, but it seems too crowd there..

The place was packed with families, having a dim sum is really a nice moment for family gathering.. The restaurant is always crowd on Sunday noon, so if you want to get the table soon just come early or you will end up in long waiting list..

So, what we have here..

Pigeon Soup (22K), a double boiled pigeon soup served in bamboo tube.. The pigeon meat was minced well into smooth texture and the soup was very light..

Snake Soup (38K).. What a scary things to eat yaa.. But don't worry, the snake meat was processed well so we won't see the whole snake meat.. I tried a sip and it was hard to really taste the snake meat since the meat was minced well and the soup was cooked well with overpowered flavor of all the other ingredients.. For me its tasted a little like shark fin soup with a bit sweet taste hehe..

Baked Char Siew Pau (14.8K), the char siew bun was baked with perfection to give its golden yellow color..

The sweet char siew filling was delectable..

Fried Chicken Curry Pau (14.8K), pan fried bun with chicken and potato curry filling.. Tasted so so only..

Fried Fish Siew mai (19.8K), a deep fried and crunchy fish siew may.. Tasted so so only..

Baked Char Siew Sou/BBQ Pork Pastry (14.8K), Chinese flaky pastry with char siew filling, with fragrant white sesame seeds on top and crispy at the bottom.. The char siew fillings were extremely juicy, succulent and delightful..

Hakau (16.8K), a springy and succulent shrimp in transparent & thin hakau skin, the freshness of the shrimps were commendable.. The thickness of hakau skin was just nice..

Siew Mai (16.8K), a typical Chinese pork siew mai.. It was delicious and juicy..

Chicken Feet (14.8K), a typical Chinese braised chicken feet with black pepper sauce.. I'm not fancy eating chicken feet, but E said its cooked well with a great flavor..

Minced Pork Cheong Fun (14.8K), rice flour rolls filled with minced pork served with its soy sauce.. Again, the ingredients were fresh which we appreciated and the rolls skin was nicely thin..

We finished off with some cold and sweet desserts..

Mango Pudding (18.8K). Such a silky-smooth mango pudding..

Coffee Pudding (18.8K). Have a nice coffee flavor..

Coconut Pudding, a smooth coconut pudding served on fresh young coconut.. We got this coconut pudding by promotions, every 200K spending on bill you can get one coconut pudding for free, so I'm sorry didn't know its price..

Gui Ling Kao, a Chinese herbal jelly, it tasted bitter and usually served with some liquid sugar or honey.. This herbal jelly is really good for your body, it helps cool your body.. We also got this for free, actually we got two free coconut puddings, but we asked to change one with this Gui Ling Kao..

Having dim sum at May Star Restaurant was a definitely a pleasant and satisfying experience.. They serve the food with guarantee fine quality of ingredients, a good dim sum makes a great brunch.. It's really a great place for dim sum.. I guess its worth the experience..

May Star Restaurant
Hotel Le Grandeur - 3rd Floor.
Jl. Mangga Dua Raya
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 6127880

Prive Bakery & Cafe

2009-12-31T12:52:00.000+07:00

Oops, it's 31th Dec already!! Is it too late to say Merry X'mas and Happy Holiday peeps? I'm sorry, I just got back from my trip to Singapore.. But I think it's better late than never rite? hehe.. So Merry X'mas and Happy New Year yaa, hope you have a wonderful X'mas holiday.. Let's back to our trip, here's our first food reports there (^_^)v..

Our first stop was this nice cafe in Marina at Keppel Bay, Prive Cafe located on the ground level of the Marina facing the waterfront, and has a fantastic view with overlook the beautiful yachts and breeze..

Keppel Bay is a waterfront area in Singapore near to Harbourfront and Vivo City.. It's a perfect getaway for boat lovers.. It's a nice spot where you can experience an "out of Singapore city feel".. We just fell in love with this place instantaneously!

The bright and spacious interior seating area in modern style with some X'mas decorations, this cafe really has a nice spot to enjoy the view and relax on Marina edge..

The Prive Bakery & Cafe serves some selections of breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, waffles, cakes, desserts, coffee and fresh juices.. And we're here just to grab a small bites..

E ordered Iced Cappucino (SGD 6.00), the coffee tasted quite strong and nice blended with the milk..

My Fresh Fruit Juice (SGD 8.00), we can mix the fruit we want.. I opted apple and orange, it's really refreshing.. They didn't put any sugar on it..

And for the sweet treat, we try one of their cake selections.. The waiter recommended this Sliced Carrot Cake (SGD 6.80).. I never tasted the carrot cake before, carrot is a vegetable how come it can be used in sweet cake? Hmm I'm so curious..

Oh my.. this cake was huge! Let's dig in and find what's inside.. There are a walnut, shredded carrots, cinnamon, and cream cheese spread over the cake.. The cake was really moist and has a soft & dense texture.. The creamy cream cheese frosting was really smooth, it's a nice combination with the cake itself..

The price here is really expensive if you convert to Rupiah, I think we pay more for the nice ambiance here hehe.. Now how do we get there? It's better for you to just grab taxi from Vivo City, and ask the driver to Marina @ Keppel Bay.. It's not far from there..

Prive Bakery & Cafe
2 Keppel Bay Vista
Marina @ Keppel Bay, Ground Floor
Tel. (65) 67760777

FJ Brasserie [Closed]

2009-12-28T13:29:00.002+07:00

It's almost a year since our last visit to FJ Brasserie.. FJ Brasserie is not a formal restaurant but a casual sort of restaurant.. And as I remembered they only serve Italian foods, but now I notice some Asian foods in their menu..

Although it's been so long since our last visit, but the decor remained roughly the same, which is clean, white, minimalist with some simple chandeliers..

The tables are spaced well apart so there is much privacy which make this place ideal for romantic dinner..

After browsing through the menu, we decided to share one homemade pasta and one pizza..

Although it's only several selections of pizza, but it make us confused to choose between Cajun Sausage or Pepperoni one.. Luckily, the waiter said we can combine those two flavors in one pizza with the same price..

Yeaahh so we got this Mixed Cajun Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza (76K), cajun sausage on the left side and pepperoni on the right.. These two flavors are nice, but I really love their cajun sausage.. And the pizza base also thin and soft, perfecto!

Next, we opted Cannelloni (81K), a stuffed chicken and mushroom in cannelloni shell served with white sauce and delicate tomato sauce..

They're generous with the filling and the homemade cannelloni shell was thin.. This really a great combination of tomato sauce, white sauce, and cheese.. Mmm yummy..

Well, I enjoyed the dinner and very satisfied with the foods.. Although the price may be on the high side, but it's worthed for me since they have a real good Italian foods here..

FJ Brasserie
Menara Rajawali, Ground Floor
Jl. Mega Kuningan Lot #5-1
Kawasan Mega Kuningan
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 5761601

Brussels Spring

2009-12-26T14:17:00.002+07:00

There are so many good places to eat in Bandung, and everytime I visit Bandung there's always has another new restaurant sets up and open up for business.. It attracts me to visit..

Our next stop in Bandung was Brussels Spring situated in Sumatra Street.. It's a nice place to hang out in Bandung..I've been curious to this place since our last visit to Bandung, and now my curiosity was paid off..

Check out their menu, the food varies from the small bites food like sliced cakes..

Waffles and pancakes.. We like their menu, which has colorful pictures hehe..

Ice Cream.. They not only served the sweet dishes, they also served the main course like pasta, steak, fried rice, and many more..

Simple and minimalist indoor dining area.. Or you prefer to seat outside..

Nice place, we seated in their balcony.. A good spot to enjoy the Bandung fresh air..

Surely, we ordered their specialty here.. Waffles.. We tried the savory waffles, Milanesse Cheese Waffle (35K), crispy waffle topped with minced meat, spinach, mozzarella cheese, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.. It's so cheesyyy.. Yummy!! The waffle was crispy outside but soft inside.. the topping also a perfect match with the waffle.

And had their Coccain (17.5K).. Haha relax peeps it's not a cocaine as an illegal drug in a real meaning, Coccain in here is a suckao.. "Suckao" compound of two words 'suck' and 'cocoa' , its a small thick & smooth hot chocolate drink.. The suckao serves in a suckao cup with a tea light candle pot and also comes with a special spoon which at the end of the spoon serves as straw, you can sip your chocolate from it..

This is a DIY (Do It Yourself) drink, so you prepare, decide the proportion of chocolate vs milk suit to your liking, and drink it.. You can choose what chocolate you like; dark, white, or milk one.. We went for the dark one.. Mmm this is a must for chocolate lover..

The two dishes we ordered above are their recommended menu, and all of them turn out to be delicate.. Brussels Spring is a nice place to enjoy small bites or main course with a cozy place at affordable price in Bandung.. We heard from the waiter that they will open their branch in Jakarta soon.. Waa can't wait to visit it to try their other menus..

Brussels Spring
Jl. Sumatra No. 30
Bandung
Tel. (62 22) 4264104

Macau Chejian

2009-12-24T06:55:00.004+07:00

Wandered around Grand Indonesia, this new restaurant Macau Chejian attracts us to try.. As the name goes, they are selling Macau's local cuisine..

Let's find out what they got..

They have an interesting menu, the pictures really make you drool..

The spacious place with modern design.. Cozy, comfortable, yet stylist..

Hot Lemon Tea (12K) and Ice Tea (10K)

E ordered Macau Baked Rice in Seasonal Sauce - Chicken (40K), a cooked rice stirred with chicken chunks, then baked in jacket of three kinds of sauce; macau, tomato, and cheese.. This is a typical Macau dish..

The rice was very nice, the macau sauce tasted a bit like curry mixed with the cheese and tomato but not too spicy.. A great dish with a wonderful combination..

And I had this "Macau-Style" Spicy HK Noodle (46K), Hongkong noodle topped with minced spicy chicken.. The noodle was a bit soggy for my liking.. The portion was moderate but accommodating..

Overall the dinner was alright, nothing over the top but not too disappointing..

Macau Chejian
Grand Indonesia - West Mall 3A Fl. Unit ED1-1
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 23580844

Warung Kopi Purnama

2009-12-17T07:41:00.001+07:00

Old and classic, it reminds you in the old times sipping a good cup of hot tea or coffee and munching your favorite toast.. Yum..yum.. Who says old-style food is not nice?

Here's what we got when we're in our short trip to Bandung.. The first stop in Bandung, we began with having a light breakfast in this old-style coffee shop/kopitiam, Warung Kopi Purnama - Purnama Coffee Stall..

Stepping into this coffee stall, make me feel like if I've traveled backwards in time.. The owner has retained the stall original antique furniture.. The place is far from modern concept, with wood panel style building..

The place served a variety of drinks and old-style breads with various toppings as their main menu, but you also can find heavier meal like fried rice and some local foods from various street vendors outside the stall..

Since we were too early that day, we only can find this one Kembang Tahu (Bean curd Soup) street vendor.. Ok we gave it a try, Kembang Tahu - Bean curd Soup (6K).. The texture was not really soft but we really liked the ginger soup, it's good to warm up your stomach..

Need something sweet in the morning, we ordered Roti Srikaya - Srikaya Jam Bread (9K).. This old-style bread was so soft and fluffy, but i think it wasn't a toast bread, it spread with homemade srikaya/coconut milk jam.. I think they made it using palm sugar.. Tasted soo delicate

Not only tasted the sweet bread but we tried the savory one, Roti Dadar Ham - Egg and Ham Bread (13.5K), it's just an omelette egg with pork ham on it.. Although it was just an ordinary foods but it still pleases me.. It sure did bring back my childhood memories

Warung Kopi Purnama
Jl. Alkateri No 22
Bandung

Shanghai Blue 1920

2009-12-13T06:42:00.001+07:00

Searching for some local 'Baba-Nyonya' (Peranakan) Cuisine in Jakarta? Not only a local taste, Shanghai Blue which owned by Tugu Group also offer a fine cuisine combined with a cozy place..

I was struck by this ambiance, its unique and romantic accompanied with a Jazz music performance every weekend.. The interior is just stunning..

When I stepped into the restaurant, the ambiance was enhanced with the lightly dimmed lighting and the arrangements of the antique & unique furniture really made the exquisite 'Baba and Nyonya' style interior..

There is some old pictures hanged on the red contrast wall, which gave you a feel of nostalgic.. All antique arts here is the owner private collection..

The menu also wrote in old Indonesian spelling, and you'll be surprised with the unique dish names they've created it..

A unique pot of Hot Jasmine Tea (20K), this kind of pot really hard to find here yaa..

Hot Lemon Tea (22K)

Let's go with the foods..

For the appetizer, we ordered Kuotie Tiga Macam - Three Flavors Fried Dumplings (28K), deep fried dumplings with three variants filling; vegetables, chicken, and beef.. But we asked only for the chicken and beef.. It's tasty and delicate, nice starter..

Still with the appetizer, we got Tahu Tabur Teri - Tofu with Anchovies (29K), deep fried battered soft tofu topped with sauteed veggies and anchovies.. The tofu was really soft..

For the next course, we had Burung Dara Goreng - Fried Pigeons (58K).. I didn't taste it coz I don't like pigeons, but others said the pigeon was fried too dry for their liking..

Tjwiemei Tugu - (39K) is a Malangnese style of chicken noodle.. It's a homemade noodle with lettuce topped with minced chicken, fried wonton, and boiled egg.. Its quite similar to ordinary chicken noodle, but tjwiemie (cwie mie) style is drier.. Not bad..

And Tahu Telor Dowager - Dowager Egg Tofu (40K).. I didn't expect this dish came out like ordinary fried tofu, but guess what its turned out to be the best dish that nite.. Everyone loved it..

To sum up my experience I must say that the dinner at Shanghai Blue was just great.. The foods is excellent, the service is fine too, but surely the price here is on the high side.. But the most important thing is that we were happy with the ambiance here.. Definitely a good place to dine in for fine 'Baba-Nyonya' fusion cuisine.. Worth a try for sure!!

Shanghai Blue 1920
Jl. Kebon Sirih Raya No. 77-79
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3918690/3920384
www.tuguhotels.com

Nan Xiang Steamed Bun Restaurant

2009-12-09T15:57:00.000+07:00

Being a La Mian (pulled noodle) and Xiao Long Bao (steamed bun) fans, I was excited to try Nan Xiang Restaurant which is the most famous Xiao Long Bao eatery from Shanghai..

The menu looks promising.. They have many variation of La Mian, and beside this La Mian menu they also have Chinese ala carte and several dim sum menu..

Situated in Senayan City lower ground opposite to Oh La La Cafe, and the interior is modern style dominated in black colors..

Spacious and casual dining area..

We were served a Glazed Nuts (8K) while waiting for our food after the ordering.. Nothing is free here, I thought it was a complimentary at the first time hehe..

Firstly, we ordered Chicken and Shrimp Xiao Long Bao (28.5K), steamed xiao long bao stuffed with minced chicken and shrimp.. It tasted so so only nothing good or bad..

I was craving for something soupy so I ordered Rica-Rica Chicken La Mian (36K), la mian soup topped with chunks of spicy rica-rica chicken.. The soup was mildly spicy.. I think this la mian variation is already adapted to Indonesian taste, I'm not sure I can find this la mian in Shanghai hehe..

While E opted Lamian Pak Pao (36K), stated as eight treasures la mian which came with a generous mixed of ingredients; tofu, nut, shrimp, minced chicken in gravy sauce ..

For me the noodle are delectable soft but not springy.. The gravy was enough to coat every single strand of la mian.. The saucy noodle was just so enticing..

The food was pretty decent but nothing is really remarkable, but I think that is still a value for money dish.. Nice to try..

Nan Xiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
Senayan City - LG L10B
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot 19
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 72781621

Gourmet Garage

2009-12-05T16:13:00.001+07:00

When we were craving for sandwich, the one place we remembered is Gourmet Garage.. Their sandwich really suit to our liking, and they also have our fave quesadillas.. That nite we planned to have a dinner @ Gourmet Garage in Kemang area..

As the name goes, they are selling gourmet foods.. Gourmet Garage is a marketplace which offer a great selections of quality gourmet foods, they come with two restaurants with different food concept, Saba with international foods and Hiro with Japanese foods..

It's been so long since our last visit, and that time they were under renovation.. You can notice the renovation area behind the big screen.. Although the place became a bit smaller, but patrons can still feel homey when hanging out here..

We asked for non-smoking area, the ambiance is cozy and very casual..

Our main agenda here was to order our fave sandwich and quesadillas, but unfortunately because of their renovation, they must limit their food range temporarily.. So we were looking for the others menu that nite..

For an appetizer, we ordered their Japanese dish, Crispy Gindara Maki (80K), deep friend gindara rolled in sushi rice and topped with mayo and tobiko.. It's nice but nothing outstanding, and we thought its too pricey..

E ordered Fish & Chips (78K), deep fried fish with french fries underneath.. The fish meat was extremely tender and fresh, nicely crispy though.. And their fries are really awesome, the straight cut fries with the right amount of seasoning, crispy, and freshly fried on order..

And I ordered this Linguine Passion Lovers (55K) with an extra Grilled Chicken (17K), it's a linguine pasta with grilled chicken strips in pesto sauce.. It's good..

Even though we didn't get what we want that nite, but we still had a great dinner.. And yup we still crave for their sandwich and quesadillas, so after a few months later we went back to Gourmet Garage.. But this time we made a call first to make sure that their menu already back to normal..

Finally, they're done with the renovation.. The Ranch Market opened already in the first floor and surely their menu already back to normal..

And this is their new area.. Much bigger than before.. The place is wonderful mix of deli and easy casual dining..

The dining area has a very relaxed and clean look ambiance.. Tables are spaced out a distance away, so you can have your own privacy..

Here's the Tuna Melt Sandwich (60K), tuna salad and cheese stuffed within farmers bread.. I particularly like the way they blended the tuna so well, it won't be too fishy nor merely creamy.. The best part was that it is served with fries on the side.. Truly a mouth watering dish to eat..

Next, Chicken Quesadillas (65K), it's a grilled tortilla stuffed with shredded chicken, salsa, and melted cheese topped with salads and guacamole.. Yum! My mouth waters now just thinking about it! Even though its not an authentic Mexican quesadillas, but its suit our taste buds perfectly..

Overall, although it is quite a pricey dinner, but definitely worth it coz the great food using quality ingredients.. And we really satisfied, we got what we craved hehe..

Gourmet Garage (Gourmet World)
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 66
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7190875

MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee

2009-12-02T08:04:00.000+07:00

When it comes to desserts, everybody would be excited even after a filling main meal.. We were not any different.. So who doesn't like desserts? Last week I found MOF Japanese Desserts has opened their first branch in Jakarta @ Plaza Indonesia Extension, so we've been curious to try it..

We've been there twice in a week since they opened, coz they served a large variety of Japanese desserts and when we were looking at the menu, we can't decide what to eat!! We want to try everything!! So we gave it another visit and here's all dishes that we've tried..

Situated in Plaza Indonesia Extension on 2nd floor, the open concept do not give any form of privacy. People wandering around, can see what you eat, how you eat.. But the place is quite comfy to chit chat..

With a colorful furniture is attracting patrons, while the sofas letting customers to sit back, relax, and enjoy their sweet desserts..

Started with a cup of Hot Tea (10K)..

Matcha Zen (33K), red bean soup with a dollop green tea ice cream and some glutinous balls topped with almond flakes.. A sweet red bean balanced with a bitter green tea ice cream, such a perfect match and soo Japanese.. This is recommended definitely..

We also shared their hot dessert Abekawa (45K), it's an oven baked mochi sprinkled with soybean flour and with read bean paste underneath.. This kind a new to my tasting experience, I never had baked mochi before.. We loved the outer layer of baked mochi which is crispy and light where else the inside is chewy and springy, but the read bean was too sweet for our liking.. I think its best to eat while its still hot as once its get cold, the inside mochi become kinda hard to chew..

Next is Shiraan (29.5K), a mixed of fresh peach, strawberry, kanteen jelly, glutinous balls, mochi, and red bean paste drizzled with some honey.. The jelly was really bland, but its went well with the honey poured over it..

E wanted to try Gelato Mini Black Sesame (29.5K), a scoop black sesame gelato with glutinous balls and drizzled with black sesame sauce.. Mmm yummy, I lurve their gelato, its no sugar added, free preservatives and food colours.. Oh ya I'm also enjoy their glutinous balls, it has a nice texture and so chewy..

And we have this Matcha Sundae (32.5K), a waffle served with matcha gelato and vanilla soft ice cream drizzled with matca sauce.. The waffle wasn't that large but it tasted ok..

From their main course, we tried this Egg & Tonkatsu Salmon Sandwich (35K), egg and fried salmon filled in toasted whole wheat breads served with chips and fruit salad.. This is just a simple toast, but it's quite tasty.. The portion was moderate but I think its better to use french fries instead of chips..

All I like here is every desserts and main courses are prepared by fresh real fruits and ingredients.. I really enjoy the wide array of Japanese desserts here.. A little pricey but definitely worth every cent you pay for.. Will definitely come back again trying other stuffs! So guys, go satisfy your sweet tooth and let your taste buds experience it..

MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee
Plaza Indonesia Extension # L2 - E24, E24T
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta