dr. B's Journal

Madeleine Bistro

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Hellooo patients :) I'm in the mood for writing soooo say hello to... Madeleine Bistro
Madeleine Bistro is a French Bistro located in an art gallery in Kemang. I read about this quite a while ago but hesitated because of the price (yeah yeah... it's all about the money) Then.. Suddenly Disdus is offering a huge bargain voucher of Madeleine Bistro :) Yipppeeeee, let's go mamah :)

The place is awesome! Artsy, Modern and very cozy. Lots of natural lighting from the huge windows and high ceilings, very nice decor :) The waitresses are dressed in a French maid uniform, so cute. One thing I noticed was that the waitresses must have gone a good training because they can memorize that hard-to-spell menu very fast.

The food:
1. Escargots a la Madeleine (Rp. 75.000)
Garlicky buttered snail with duxelle, chanterelle mushroom and sundried tomato tamponade. Okay... Even the description is complicated. I admit, I am clueless in terms of french cuisine. Since all the french place are pricey, I seldom go to those places. But... I 've tried escargots a couple of times and this is the best I've ever had. A bit different from the usual escargots, Madeleine Bistro's is very rich in flavor. I think it will go very well with hot steam rice :p

2. Bread Basket (Complimentary)

The sliced baguette is yummy! Soft in the inside, crunchy in the outside. Served with herb butter, perfect appetizer.

3. Lemon Sorbet (Complimentary)

Before the main course, we are given a shot of lemon sorbet. Super sour yet refreshing. This is to cleanse our taste buds in order to enjoy the main course :)

4. Filet de Boeuf au Porto (Rp. 185.000)
Yummy!!!!!! The meat resembles fillet mignon, don't know what part of a cow is that but this is one yummy dish. The beef is a bit overcooked. I asked for medium, it came medium well. The waitresses did asked whether the beef is cooked the way I want it but I didn't check it thoroughly. Besides, if it overcooked and they replaced it with a new one, it will take a long time.

Although it was overcooked, the beef was tender and flavorful. Balanced seasoning, a nice wine reduction sauce and those shallots are just amazing. Served with what seems to be potato chips, the dish is far from enough for me. Yeah the chips are beautiful but people need carbs. Who cares if the chips are carefully shaped like that.

5. Ballotine de Vollailec aux Cepes

Porcini mushroom stuffed in chicken leg served with baby carrot, baby potato and tarragon sauce. Again.. another yummy dish! I first heard of ballotine in Masterchef so this is the first time having this kind of food. The chicken was well cooked and also flavorful. The sauce is light but accentuate the meat perfectly.

6. Trio de Gateaux Madeleine (Rp. 40.000)

Three of their signature madeleine which are raspberry filling, macademia nut and chocolate madeleine served with a bread stick and chocolate sauce. Sorry to say, not that good. The texture is too coarse. The raspberry is too little. I don't know there's a raspberry in those 3 until I read the menu.

7. Chocolate Cheese Cake

I forgot the name of this dessert but it's basically chocolate cheesecake with oreo crust. Served with a shot of some weird berry jelly, it's very enticing. The bright orange jelly is a perfect match for the sweetness of the chocolate cheese cake.

8. Ghnochis Fait Masison (Rp. 85.000)

Yuck... The gnocchis are overcooked! Almost taste like eating a big "upil" Weird food....

A great place for dating and have dinner with your loved ones

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Kemang, Jakarta

Dimana-mana Makanan

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 20 May 2012 06:28:00 +0000

Sumpah ya, lagi malessssssssssssssssssssssss banget ngeblog. Makan-makan sih sering tapi digicam nya suka lupa dibawa. Uda gitu, kalo uda ada fotonya kadang males nulis juga hahaha

Karena alasan di atas, post kali ini dirapel aja yaaaaaaaaa, jd campur-campur deh :)

Okayyy, yang pertama adalah pisang bakar coklat keju dari drink barnya Urban Kitchen Plaza Indonesia. Seinget gw, ini bisa dipaket sama teh poci yang harga sepaket nya 20 ribu an. Rasanya.... Biasa aja sih ya. Masi enakkan kalo beli di warung pinggir jalan :p

This one is from Ya Udah Bistro... Ya Udah Bistro itu resto yang jual makanan barat di jl. Johar, Jakarta Pusat. Daera-daera jl. Jaksa gitu deh... Makanannya ala bule banget tapi harga sangat ekonomis. Menu di atas gw lupa nama nya apa yang jelas itu ada 3 pcs pork cutlet dengan ukuran yang lumayan gede disirem creamy mushroom sauce, yummy :). Side dish nya simple salad with thousand island dressing and german potato. Harganya kalo ga sala 40 ribu an, murah kannnnn. Rasa nya lumayan enak apalagi harganya murah :p Untuk side dish sih kurang ya, saladnya ga jelas banget sedangkan si german potato nya kurang seasoning. Jau bener dah dibandingin sama punya nya Paulaner (ya eyalahhhh Paulaner mahal bener gitu)

Ini adalah cajun chicken wing dari Ya Udah Bistro. Harga nya lupa kalo ga salah 20 ribuan. Yummylicious! Ayam nya di grill dengan saus yang lengket lengket dan angus dikit2, rasa nya pedes en gurih. Catet, pedes! Gede, murah, enak!!!!!

Ini Pork Wienerschnitzel dari Ya Udah Bistro, again harganya sekitar 40 ribu an. Untuk schinitzel nya sih yummy ya tapi kok kurang rame? Itu gw pilih pake hash brown (yang hasilnya kaya rosti bukan kaya hash brown) en saladnya seperti biasa ga niat. Tapi untuk daging nya sih yummy :) What can I say? I'm addicted to pork.

Kedua kue diatas adalah kue dari Hongkong Cafe Sarinah dan 2 2 nya kaga enak. Yang merah itu red velvet dan yang ijo green tea cake. Sponge cake nya terlalu padet, frosting nya kaga enak en serutan kelapa di atas red velvet nya is such a huge turn off. Emank price don't lie ya, tu kue harganya sepotong ga sampe 20 ribu, diskon pula 30% karena gw makannya malem -_______-"

Untuk yang terakhir, ini adalah pizza dari Pan and Barrel, Pantai Indah Kapuk. Harganya sekitar 50 ribu dengan rasa yang lumayan. Tempat ini adalah one of the first in PIK. Untuk nongkrong sih enak banget lah.. Makanannya juga not bad but that's it. Kalo buat wisata kuliner, gw sih belom menemukan yang bener bener mantap di PIK. Ada beberapa yang stand out, mungkin besok besok gw baru kasi full report ya :)

Anyway, see ya patientssss. Take a good care of yourself by indulging into sinfully delicious bites :)

Stevan Meat Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Beberapa bulan terakhir ini, daera PIK semakin menggila. Yang nama nya restoran en tempat nongkrong kayanya tiap bulan nambah. Sampe kaga keburu nyobainnya! Dari yang kaki lima sampe yang wine lounge, komplitttt.

Nah salah satu diantaranya adalah si Stevan Meat Shop. Setau gw sih ini cabang dari daera Puri, cuma gw emank blom perna makan. Hmm karena gw punya keteratarikan aneh sama yang namanya supermarket, makin napsu pengen nyobain resto yang konsepnya meat market ini. Jadiiii pas lagi kelaperan malem malem, gw tarik aja si Asmet nemenin gw makan :p

The food:
1. Australian Angus Beef Rib Eye (Rp. 42.000/ 100 gr)

Menurut waiternya, mendingan yang Aus daripada yang US (harga Aus lebi mahal dikit) Katanya seh lebi juicy ye... Nah yang bingung itu, bukannya dimana mana US beef itu lebi mahal ya???????

Anyway... Rib Eye nya agak alot menurut gw, ga seempuk rib eye di Chili's atau Outback ato expensive steak place laennya. Lalu kalo diliat dari penampilannya, kayanya sih ga di grill ya tapi di press pake hot pan gitu. Soal juicy emank sih, juicy banget. Cuma kayanya bukan gara2 dagingnya deh tapi gara2 metode memasaknya... Gw pakein combo paket (mushroom sauce, grilled rosemary potato and vegetables) Mushroom sauce nya enak sih tp ada bau obat gitu. Kentang nya yummy tapi veggie nya standar banget, agak mahal ye paketnya..

2. US Pork Baby Ribs (Rp. 35.000/100 gr)

Hmm... Satu piece (5 tulang) itu sekitar 350 gr jadinya seporsi itu Rp. 120.000 Yah masi tergolong murah kalo dibandingin sama Tony Roma's sih. Yummy :) Bumbunya ngeresep dan dagingnya empuk. Saus BBQ nya juga enak, asem asem gurih gitu. Sayangnya, kalo di compare sama jawara Pork BBQ di PIK which is Smokey Ribs (Tunggu kehadirannya di dr. B's Journal) masi kalah enak....

3. Pork Bockwurst Sausage (Rp. 14.200/100 gr)

Satu sosis itu kira2 100 gr... Hmm rasanya sih gitu ya, sosis babi yang lumayan mahal. Garing, juicy en gurih. Enaknya kalo pesen sosis itu tidak perlu pake sauce segala jadi kan murah tuh ga perlu pesen paket *pelit*.

Hmm.... Gw agak bingung nih, menurut gw sih rasanya not bad dan ga tau kenapa gw pengen aja balik makan disana...Tapiiiiiiii kok agak ga worth it ya menurut gw. Jadi bikin dillema tiap kali ngelewatin :p

Rating: 6.5/10
PIK, Around Waterbom Area

Tin Pan Alley

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:15:00 +0000

Back with me patients! Sekarang kayanya jadwal ngeblog sebulan sekali nih but i'll try to post more yummy food for you patients and we'll drool together *ngelap iler*

A couple weeks ago, me and mamah went to Tin Pan Alley for dinner. Nah... Secara si Tin Pan ini kan eksis nya uda lama ya, kok knapa skrg baru gw cobain... Karena.. MAHAL. Berdasarkan riset, harganya lumayan mahal jadi gw rada males gitu, takut mahal dan mengecewakan :) Tapii karena ada promo Disdus, jadi dehhhh akirnya gw makan disitu *jogedjoged*

Tempat nya lumayan asik buat nongkrong. Decor ala amrik zaman mafia 1940's gitu deh... With big leather couches and industrial look bar, pas bener dahhhh. Suasananya yang gelap gelap gimana gitu menurut gw lumayan romantis sih xixix

The food:
1 Seared Barramundi with Papaya Mango Salsa (Rp. 99.000)

I would say this one is very very close to being yummy. For me, there's something missing from this dish that makes it not yummy. Barramundi ini bisa diartikan sebagai kakap putih kali ya. Konsistensinya mirip sama snapper atau kakap merah tapi menurut gw sih lebi flaky. Gw agak ngerasa sedikit amis ya. Pas gw rasa rasain en cium cium sih engga tapi kalo lagi dikunyah tuh ada sedikit rasa amis. Yah secara ini ikan laut, gw anggep masi wajar lah...

Presentation keren abis. Barramundi cooked perfectly. Papaya mango salsa.. can do better. Buat orang Indonesia yang uda terbiasa sama tropical fruits en spices, rasa nya menurut gw cenderung bland alias hambar. Mungkin kalo salsa nya lebih nendang, perpaduan rasanya bisa mantep banget. Satu hal yang buat gw agak menganggu adalah porsinya menurut gw kurang gede. Fries nya kurang banyak (atau gw emank terlalu rakus kali ya) dan green saladnya kurang dressing. Well gitu deh, sebenernya enak tapi kurang dikit di sana sini.

2. Pork Chop with Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Rp. 105.000)

Again... Enak sih enak tapi diikiitttt lagi baru jadi yummy. Pork chop nya kurang gede menurut gw dan sedikit keras. Ada a hint of pork smell in there (and this comes from a pork addict) yang seharusnya bisa tercover oleh saus nya.

Untuk cranberry sauce... Well for me, rasanya sih unik ya tapi karena ini pork dan rasa pork yang kuat agak ga balance sama cranberry jam yang rasa nya light. Mashed potato yummy, vegetables is also yummy. Porsi... Yah kurang sih mashed potato nya, dikit benr tuh kentang nya :(

3. Garlic Bread (Rp.10.000)

Kalo mesen entree, kita bisa add on garlic bread dengan harga yang cukup murah. Garlic bread nya yummy! Garing, freshly made dan rasanya nendang. Me likey!!!

4. Apple Crumble

Too bad gw lupa harga apple crumble nya (ato apple pie ya namanya) Seinget gw sih lumayan mahal tapi blm sampe 50k. I LOVE the apple crumble!!!! Yummylicious!!!!! The best apple crumble I ever had in J town so far. Crumble nya garing garing gimanaaa gtu. Uda gitu apple nya manis trus padet. Pie crust nya juga mantep, ga ancur tp kalo digigit ga alot. Es krimnya juga enal (kayanya sih haagen dasz). A perfect ending for a near perfect dinner

Overall, gw masi rekomen sih. Untuk food need improvement. Untuk tempat uda mantep banget deh :)

Rating: 7/10
UOB Building, Jakarta

The Baked Goods

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:27:00 +0000

I heard about this place quite some time ago, maybe from a magazine or sthing. Knowing that this place is owned by the wife of Erwin Parengkuan, Jana, I was immediately attracted. Celebrity owned restaurant is certainly sthing fun to bitch off *evil grin*

The article mentioned that Jana is part Czech and the cakes was her grandma's recipe. Hmm... I dunno if this is only a marketing jargon but u got me there :p Soooo, one lazy afternoon, I dragged Asmet to try this place. Apparently, it is located next to Kopitiam Oey, so u know where to find it right?

The food:
1. Bublanina (Rp. 15.000)

This is my first time trying this cake. The waiter said that this is a traditional Czech Dessert. Me... Love it!! It's yummmmyyyyy. The cake's consistency is somehow soft yet chewy. It's like the bread part of a bread pudding. The chopped strawberries add sour kicks upon this sweet crumbly-moist cake :)

2. Cheese Cake (Rp. 19.500)

Yummy!! Another spot on yummy-ness. The cheese cake is light and creamy with crumbly biscuit on the base. Not too sweet and not too sour, just the right amount of everything. Such a devilish temptation and I just surrender...

3. Carrot Cake (Rp. 19.000)
Yummy!!! I'm a huge fans of heavy cake (muffin, pound cake, doughnuts, carrot cake, pie etc) The Baked Goods carrot cake is simply one of the best I had so far. The cream cheese topping makes it more irresistable.. Not too sweet with the perfect texture :) *happy happy happy*

4. Lemon Poppyseeds (Rp. 19.000)

A vanilla cake with lemon glaze on top and sprinkled poppy seed. Hmm the taste is rather unique.The cake is basically sweet but the lemon glaze is a tad to sour for my liking. BUT the sour glaze actually balances the taste and makes us rather guilt-free when devouring this cake.

5. Cocochoco

A chocolate cake with layers of chocolate cream and chocolate sponge cake. The cream will melt down after a while, leaving us with liquid oily cream. My advice, eat it right out of fridge.. A bit too buttery for me and do not eat it with chocolate drink.

6. Fruit Knedliky (Rp. 25.000)

Another Czech specialty! YUMMY!!!!! Steamed bread dumpling with strawberry filling, cream cheese and sprinkling of sugar on top. Oh my heaven... The combination of bakpau like bread, cream cheese, sour strawberry and sugar makes one of the best dessert combo of all time. It's hot, it's creamy, it's sour and sweet at the same time. *standing o*

7. Hot Cokolada

A pot of hot chocolate (real melted chocolate). A perfect pair for desserts. Drink when hot is a must since the chocolate will thicken if it's getting colder.

The place is just perfect for an afternoon tea or a late night date. Cozy place with breezy winds, total relaxation :)

ps: the price is VERY reasonable, what a bargain!

Rating: 8/10
Location: Jl. Sabang, Jakarta

The Duel (Chung Gi Wa VS Sooracheong)

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:39:00 +0000

It's another duel!!!!!!!!! Watchout patients, it's gonna be super dangerous...!!!!!

Tema duel hari ini adalah... Korean Food!!! First contestant... Chung Gi Wa

Chung Gi Wa bisa dianggep the mother of korean grill di Jakarta. Secara dia uda lama en sangat terkenal akan kualitas grill nya gitu... Gw en Asmet pergi ke tempatnya yg di Grand Wijaya, setau gw sih ada tempat laen ya (en berdekatan lokasinya) tp berhubung gw nyampenya kesini, ya sudah lah ya Lantai 1 nya berupa tempat jualan daging mentah gitu. Ga tralu mahal bgt kok, kan dia jualan nya organic meat gitu and I got to say, the meat quality is great :)

Tempatnya sih jadul berat ya, dengan interior full kayu. Ada tempat buat lesehan tapi ada juga yg meja makan gitu. Yg lesehan sempit deh... Agak nyesel juga milih lesehan tp kan biat authentic korean feel gitu :p

The food:
1. Banchan
Seperti layaknya resto korea otentik, kita dikasi banchan yang gratis, ajubile banyaknya en bole refill! Hmm.... Menurut gw sih kualitas banchan nya biasa saja... Semua nya sayur en kimchi. Bukannya kaga enak ya cuma std banget deh.

2. Grilled Pork
Untuk grilled meat nya, kita pilih pork. Kenapa? Because we love pork en harga beef nya mahal -_- Kita mlih moksal (Rp. 59.000) pork neck en Ogyopsal (Rp. 59.000) skin on pork belly. Versi mentah nya sih mantep dah, nice fat layers with thin pork skin... Tapi setelah dipanggang, agak sedikit alot, terutama yg Ogyopsal. Ingat, pesen pork belly nya yg skinless aja, kulitnya alottttt. Yang gw suka adalah tidak ada baunya! Menandakan kalo kualitas pork nya bagus banget.

Untuk grilled meat, kan dikasi sayur en condiments laennya buat makan tu daging. Nah... Sayurnya itu sih yg agak shocking, masa cuma dikasi selada doank? Pelit bener ya... Emank sih harga menu dagingnya murah tp mbok ya jangan semacem doank.. Rasa dipping sauce nya sih std ya, ga beda sama resto laen :)

3. Jap Chae (Rp. 65.000)

Jap Chae is a must menu in every Korean resto I visited. Pada dasarnya kan ini bihun medan goreng (apa soun ya?) Tapi kalo korean style gini tuh enakkk. Wangi wijen dengan tingkat manis/asin yang pas. Chung Gi Wa's is nice :) Porsinya tidak terlalu besar dengan rasa yang ga tralu medok tp tetep enak, me likey.

4. Sundubu Chige (Rp. 48.000)

Sup tahu kimchi dengan telur ceplok di atasnya. Hmm.... Again, standard dish yang tidak mengecewakan sih tapi juga tidak memuaskan.

Overall, kualitas rasa di Chung Gi Wa menurut gw biasa saja... Tapi.. MURAH! Harganya bisa 30% lebi murah dari resto korea laen... I still got to try the beef (yang kata orang orang enak bener) jadi mungkin bakal ada second visit :) For the mean time, I'll stick on buying the fresh pork there, enak bener kalo mami masak pake daging itu diruma hehehe

Rating: 6.5/10
Location: Grand Wijaya Blok A/15

Next Contestant... Sooracheong!

We went there for Mami's Bday dinner :) Happy bday mom... Soorcheong ini juga salah satu resto korea yang cukup populer. Agak lucu ni restonya... Jadi bentuknya rumah tinggal gitu en masi berbentuk rumha tinggal. Jadi bisa aja makan di dalem ruangan yang bentuknya kamar gitu... Kenapa juga ya ga direnov biar mirip restoran gitu, well cuma si enci enci korea yang tau deh ya

The food:
1. Banchan

Untuk banchan, it's not bad. Variatif en banyak but still I prefer Arang 22. Yang enak tuh korean pancake nya en tim telur nya.. Untuk kimchi nya sih biasa aja ya en ikan asinnya alotttt

2. Grilled Pork
Again... Kita milih pork.. Kenapa? Karena papi en mami ga makan sapi... Nahhh untuk daging gw mesen Doiji Kalbi (Rp. 85.000) pork ribs dan Samgyopsal (Rp. 85.000) pork belly. Untuk pork belly nya milih 2 macem, yang thin slices en thick slices... Untuk kalbi nya yummy :) manis manis gimanaaa gitu tapi yang pork belly agak alot. Tapi untung nya milih yang irisan tipis jadi ga tralu alot dibanding yg irisan tebel.

Untuk sayur en condimentsnya, jau lebi mantep daripada Chung Gi Hwa, macem macem daunnya, jadi enak banget! Tu daging kalo dimakan dagingnya doank kan ga enak tapi kalo uda dibungkus sama daun en dikasi bawang putih, yummy!!! Dipping sauce nya agak pelit jadi gw minta lagi haha namba terusss

3. Jap Chae (Rp. 130.000)

Porsinya gede bangettt!!!!! Buset deh gw ampe shock pas ngeliat tu makanan, ampe dikasi capitan buat ngambilnya.. Yummy :) dibalik porsinya yang banyak rasanya juga enak. Tapi tetep masi enakkan di Arang 22 hehehe Ada irisan sayur en daging yang lumayan generous :)

4. Sundubu Chige (Rp. 70.000)

Yummy... Kuah nya berkaldu, spicy en toppingnya banyak banget. Satu porsi itu, kita bagi buat ber 5 en cukup lho! Gede juga porsinya. Kalo penasaran sama rasanya sundubu chige tp males makan ke korean resto, saran gw sih beli aja instant noodle korea seperti Shin Ramyun gitu di supermarket. Ya... 70% mirip lahhhh

5. Dolsot Bibimbap (Rp. 70.000)

Ini ni nasi campur ala korea. Gw milih yang pake hot stone jadi agak angus2 gitu nasinya. Nah isinya ada sayur, kecambah, daging, telur en saus merah merah gitu. Ini juga enak :) Banyakkkkk, gw bagi 2 sama si yusi en masi sisa lho. Trus yang gw suka sih saus merah2 nya itu, bikin nasi nya jd spicy.

Setelah makan, kita dikasi buah gitu, it's free of charge of course ahahah *hidup gratisan*

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Jl. Senopati No. 49

And now... The winner is.... Sooracheong!!!!!!!!!

Untuk rasa, Sooracheong lebi enak. Ya emank sih Sooracheong lebi mahal tapi porsinya lebih gede juga kan? Variasi makanan di Sooracheong juga lebi banyak... Anyway, Satu hal yg gw suka dari makan di resto Korea adalah servicenya. Waiternya selalu attentive dan cepet! Beda banget kalo kita makan di resto indo ato chinese food, suka lelet en lemot gitu....

Okay patients, see u againnnn :)

Rendezvous

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:47:00 +0000

Wassup patientssssss, long time no see :) Work has been super busy but now here I am, with another yummy dishes to parade

A while ago, Asmet and I went to this old fave place of my family... Rendezvous

Rendezvous is a Chinese restaurant located in Central Jakarta. A bit different from Chinese restaurants in Central Jakarta, the food here is somehow more Indonesian/Western infused. The patrons here is not only chinese but also old bule bule en Pribumi. Therefore, it's doesn't feel as Cina as Restoran Angke for example.

The place is clean but old... Needs renovation ASAP. But.... That gives an authentic feeling, as if we're back in the 80's (got that same feeling in Miranda, another Central Jakarta yummy spot) The owner/cashier is your regular curly old chinese granny with waiters in black and white which reminded me of Warkop movies :)

The food:
1. Special Sliced Pork Ham Fried Rice (Rp. 47.500)

Okay.... I know this is an expensive plate of fried rice but trust me, worth every dime! HUGE portion with generous toppings. I don't need to describe this further, one of the best fried rice ever. It's fragrant, it's dry, it's meaty, it's soooo comforting :) YUMMYLICIOUS!!!!

2. Pork Steak in Butter Sauce (Rp. 70.000)

Again... Another expensive yet yummy dish. Don't underestimate the picture, it can feed at least 4 people! The meat was tender, not a hint of weird smell anywhere. The sauce is buttery (although I'm sure the appropriate word is margarine-y) and complement the fried mince meat perfectly. I like lots of peas in my bistik and the potato is not crunchy. Maybe if it's sliced more thinly, it would be perfect.

3. Prawn Spring Rolls in Tomato Sauce (Rp. 65.000)

YUMMYLICIOUS!!!!! Another spot on deliciousness.This meaty spring roll is just perfect.. With the tomato dip, the crunchy skin and the savory filling, this spring roll is best paired with hot steamed rice

Recommended place for anyone! If u love Indonesian style Chinese food, this is a must try :)

Rating: 8/10
Location: Jl. Johar, Jakarta

A Tavola

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:14:00 +0000

A Tavola is an Italian restaurant located in Kemang Area. I remembered reading a review of this place, stating that this place serves authentic Italian cuisine with affordable price. So... Me and Asmet visited this place a while ago when we were confused of getting what to eat :)

The place is quite small. Mediterranean style decor but a bit rusty here and there. The place looks a bit dated and got that "kantin" feel. Personally, I don't like the place but that's what you get with that kind of price right?

The food:
1. La Voglia (Rp. 70.000)

Cheese platter served with foccacia, black olives and olive oil on a wooden cutting board. Presentation was good :) Love it. The cheese served are Bel Paese, Asiago and Fresh Mozzarella. Bel Paese is the round white one. Similar texture with brie but a bit harder. The Mozzarella is a not as chewy as I expected, maybe because of the "fresh" factor. The Asiago is quite salty but goes very well with the olive oil. Let me remind you that I am no cheese expert but I do LOVE cheese. For me, this platter is good but not great. Oh I forgot, hate the foccacia... Too dry!

2. Zuppa Ai Funghi (Rp. 18.000)

A plate of cream mushroom soup. Made of champignon and porcini mushroom, this soup is quite yummy. Not the best I ever had but not bad. The soup is not creamy enough for me but the texture is perfect. The bread is crunchy, love it :) I can't stop wondering why they put shredded cheddar on top of the soup.. Cheddar makes every dish tastes cheap!

3. Ravioli Con Funghi (Rp. 38.000)

This dish made me confused. The ravioli texture is okay but tastes a bit sweet. I dunno what they use to make that orange ravioli but that certainly not goes well with the creamy sauce. The sauce is a do-it-yourself cream sauce, I can cook better cream sauce than that. The shredded cheese on top, total turn off. The mushroom bits helped a bit but I didn't enjoy that ravioli as much as I expected.

4. Fettuccine Alla Norcina (Rp. 50.000)

Fettuccine is not al dente. Again with the cream sauce... Disappointed. The fresh chopped tomato is confusing. They serve the fettuccine with a nice italian sausage but it can't help the confusing pasta, too bad.

For me, no good. Yeah it's cheap but that is not an excuse for some weirdness in my pasta. As a place that serves cheese platter, I expect more. Authentic? Hmm... In some ways yeah but in many ways, I don't think so. Good value for money but doesn't entertain the palate much.

Rating: 6/10
Location: Kemang, South Jakarta

Chef's Table by Din Tai Fung

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:46:00 +0000

Hellooo patients! :) Wadduppp

Just yesterday, I went to Emporium Pluit Mal with Mami en Ai Foing.. Since work has been crazy this last couple of weeks, I decided to atone my sins from ignoring my family for a while. Mami wanted to try this recently opened Chef's Table restaurant. Hmm.. One thing that got me interested is the tagline "by Din Tai Fung" also known as the world's best xiao long bao. So.... Let the story begins...

Hmm... Tempat nya sih biasa banget. Dibilang mewah kaga, dibilang jelek juga kaga. Yang jelas PANAS! Ga ngerti deh ya, apa AC nya rusak ato gimana tapi yang jelas menurut gw tempatnya agak panas. Mereka bahkan menaruh 2 buah Oxone bladeless fan (yang gw kaga ngerti ngaruh ato engga) tepat di belakang mami en ie ie. Decor nya standar chinese food restaurant dengan tableware yang juga standard. Mungkin ini versi ekonomis dari Din Tai Fung kali ya... Semacam Imperial Chef nya The Duck King gitu...

Perlu gw tambahkan disini, service sangat buruk!!!!!! Tragedi pertama terjadi ketika dia menawarkan kalau ada promo dengan BRI kalo ga salah. Nah berhubung kita ga punya, si Ai Foing nanya, kalo kartu laen ada promo ga? Si waiter nya dengan gelagapan bengong, trus dia sibuk nanya dulu ga tau kemana, kemudian balik lagi buat ngasi tau kalo tidak ada promo dengan credit card laen. Is it hard to memorize what promo u have in the place?

Tragedi lain yang terjadi adalah mengenai sup. Jadi Ai Foing pengen makan semacem sup ayam gitu, nah dia tanya "ini sup nya pake ayam kampung bukan?" Trus si waiternya bingung. Lalu dia bilang bukan. Karena dia ragu2, ngacir lah dia dan kembali dengan membawa kabar kalau mereka pake ayam kampung. Is it sooo hard for Chef's Table/Din Tai Fung to train their waiter's knowledge about their own menu? Isn't that why u pay them for? FYI patients,menu nya tuh minim dibanding resto chinese laen yang uda kaya buku pelajaran menu nya.. I didn't blame the waiters secara mereka juga gw yakin kaga perna makan tu makanan di dalem menu tp masa ga dikasi tau sih...

The food:
1. Xiao Long Bao Kepiting dan Babi (Rp. 46.000/4 pcs)

Komentar dulu soal menu nya... Masa English nya jadi Crab Meat and Pork Dumpling... Cape dehhh, makanya gw tulis indo nya aja, biar kaga membingungkan. Untuk soal rasa, this is the best Xiao Long Bao in Jakarta. I've tried more than 10 version of Xiao Long Bao in Jakarta and not a single one can beat Din Tai Fung's. Denger denger sih dapet 1 Michelin Star ya tapi gw lupa Din Tai Fung yang dimana... Kunci kelezatannya menurut gw terletak di kulit nya. Kulitnya itu mulus, kaga gampang pecah lembut en kekenyalannya perfect. Ditambah lagi isi daging nya yang mantap dengan kaldu yang gurih. Yummylicious!!!!

2. Pink Diamond (Seafood) and Emerald Green (Salad) Xiao Long Bao ( Rp. 38.000/4 pcs)

Ini adalah produk baru dalam dunia per Xiao Long Bao an. Lucu ga sih warna warni gitu kan jadi nya. Hmm... Gw ga nyoba yang emerald green... Tapi yang pink diamond sih not bad lah.. Seafood nya berasa banget kaldu udang dan kepiting. Tinggal cocol dikit ke kecap asin en cuka item, tambahin jahe, nom nom nom :)

3. Jiao Ze Sayuran dan Babi (Rp. 28.000/pcs)

Ini kuo tie tapi di steam dengan isi sayuran yang gw asumsikan kucai dan daging babi cincang. For me, the skin is perfect but the filling is a bit bland. Dip in soy sauce if u want to get a decent taste. Filling nya emank padet banget tapi sayang terlalu banyak sayur sehingga daging nya kurang berasa ya.

4. Mie Saus Cha Jiang (Rp. 43.000)

Cha Jiang Mien ini kan salah satu menu favorit di Cina sono ya tapi gw emank kaga gitu demen sih... Gw lebi demen mie yang kuah ada wantan nya ato ga mie hongkong gitu. Berhubung ini yang di rekomen sama waiternya, gw pilih yang ini. Porsinya kecillll (ato perut gw yang kegedean?) Dibandingkan dengan di tempat laen, menurut gw di sini rasanya lumayan enak. Tapi sayang mie nya kelembekan (sesuatu yang tidak berubah dari ketika pertama kali gw makan Din Tai Fung bertahun-tahun yang lalu di Arcadia Senayan) Kalo uda diaduk-aduk, rasanya jd mirip spaghetti bolognese gitu hehe

5. Udon Udang Saus Spesial (Rp. 60.000)

According to Ai Foing, this one sucks. Hmm menurut gw seh ga sampe sucks lah... Emank agak kemanisan dan ga ada pedes2nya ni udon tapi yang agak mengecewakan adalah udangnya. Kecil bener ya... Lebi gede udang di kwetiaw medan di sepanjang jalan Muara Karang. Oya, porsinya juga kecillll, buset deh..

6. Tahu Telur Asin (Rp. 55.000)

Okay... Yummylicious!!! Tahu telur goreng yang langsung pecah di mulut dan diselimuti dengan telur asin yang passss banget. Duh... Melts in your mouth deh pokoknya. Mantep abisss

7. Mango Fantasy (Rp. 58.000/L)

Yummylicious!!!! I'm a sucker for dessert and this one is just irresistable.... Shaved iced yang dibentuk kaya menara, dikasi Mango Ice Cream Haagen Dasz, dilumuri mango sauce and evaporated milk kemudian banyak banget mango cubesnya... Gw sampe brain freeze makan ni dessert and I can't stop wanting more and more :)

The food is good. Ada kekurangan sedikit di sana sini but overall gw cukup puas bahkan sangat puas dengan Xiao Long Bao nya... Yang sangat menyebalkan adalahhhh service nya! Seperti sudah gw tulis di atas, uda 2 tragedi. Nah ini berikutnya..

Setelah makan, Ai Foing mau bungkus buat ngasi Kung Kung dirumah. Beberapa saat kemudian, datang waiter berbaju item putih yang ngebawain pesenan kita.. buat dine in! Si Ai uda bengong nih, tp tu waiter sebelum sampe meja kita uda diberentiin sama temennya yang nyuru dia balik. Jadi tu makanan blm sampe meja kita. Gw uda bingung kan, kok begini sih, jelas2 kita uda ngabisin dessert terus dia masi mau nganterin main course? Logika nya aja deh...

Ehhhh beberapa saat kemudian, tiba2 datanglah satu orang waiter lagi buat nganterin pesenan kita yang lagi lagi buat dine in!!!!!!!!!! Gw kesel banget kan, gw uda ngomel2, boro2 ada yang ngomong maaf pak, yang ada waiternya langsung kabur. Terus, disono ada supervisor mereka 2 orang, cewe. Ngeliatin kita terus dan gw yang lagi ngomel. You know what, mereka cuma diem aja sok sibuk nuang teh! Gw blg sama waiternya, panggil manajer kamu, 2 kali en tidak ada yang nongol. Satu orang malah bilang dengen gelagapan, manajernya ga ada! Gila ga sih tu restoran???!!!!! Service macam apa itu????

Pas gw keluar, ada seorang bapak2 dengan baju bebas yang berdiri mengucapkan terima kasih. Langsung aja gw ngomong "bapak manajernya?" trus dia bilang "iya pak" uda aja gw ngomong dengan suara kenceng "bagaimana sih take away bisa dateng sebagai dine in setelah saya makan dessert! Bagaimana sih kitchen kamu?!! Apa bedanya makan disini sama pecel lele di depan?!!!" Dia cuma bisa "o iya, maaf pak, maaf pak" Uda aja gw tinggal langsung.

Sebagai sebuah restoran yang bisa gw kategorikan mahal, service disini PARAH BANGET!!!!

Rating: 5/10
Location: Emporium Pluit Mall, F5

Bakmi Wewe

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:04:00 +0000

Ga tau kenapa, belakangan ini ngidam bakmiiiiiiiii terusssss. Padahal kita ketahui bersama, makan mie itu kan musuh besar nya diet yeeee. Secara gw bercita-cita biar ga semakin melar, makan mie harusnya jadi pantangan donk... Tapi apa daya... I surrender to the temptation of noodle..

On one Sunday morning, gw en Asmet lagi di daerah Kota. Tiba-tiba aja gw keinget sama Bakmi Wewe. Gw tau nya ini dari postingan orang juga yang nulis kalo ini masuk salah satu mie favoritnya.

The food:
1. Bakso Goreng (Rp. 5.000)

Kualitas bakso gorengnya sih... lumayan saja. Not the best but definitely appetizing. Kadar kegaringannya pas, crunchy luarnya en agak alot dalemnya. Sebenernya sih paling mantep kalo bakso goreng itu panas tapi berhubung disini ga bisa dipanasin, ya mau diapain.

2. Bakmi Kriting

Lupa harganyaaaaaaaaaa :( Tapi ga mahal2 amat kok, less thank 20K per bowl, so it's quite affordable. Bakmi yang di Mie Wewe adalah jenis bakmi keriting. Buat patients yang doyannya mie keriting,this is recommended! One of the best I ever had in Jakarta. Rasanya gurih, porsinya cukup dengan daging yang engga pelit. Gw liat daging cha siu nya bikin sendiri jadi rasanya juga lebi enak daripada yang cha siu nya suka keras ga jelas karena uda lama. Gw sendiri kurang begitu demen sama mie keriting, gw lebi suka yang lurus gitu. Itu aja menurut gw mie nya lumayan yummy, karena bumbu nya berasa. Kadang mie keriting karena mengandalkan topping nya yang daging banget jadi suka ngelupain ngasi rasa yang mantep buat mie nya, padahal kan kalo makan kita makan mie en dagingnya ga bersamaan ya...

Gw lumayan suka ni mie :) Untuk mie keriting, Bakmi Wewe is definitely on my list!p

Rating: 7/10
Location: Ketapang Jakarta

Deltoro's BBQ Ribs and Steak

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:55:00 +0000

Deltoro's in Grand Indonesia has tickled my curiosity for a while. I've been passing through this ribs and steak for several times and this place always offers some sort of credit card discount. Finally, I gave in to my carnivorous desire and dragged Asmet with me to have a Flintstone session *grin*

The place is a generic mall resto. Wooden interior with several sofa cubicle and square tables. The decor is really standard, a bit disappointed considering they put a high price on their menu. The waiters are attentive and understand the menu so that's a plus from me.

The food:
1. Deltoro's US Pork Spare Rib (Rp. 200.000/Full Slab)

YUMMY!!!! The us ribs are sooo tender. I'm not a big fan of that pricey rib place so for me finding this affordable ribs with good quality is a blessing :) Only available in BBQ sauce despite the 3 options available in the menu, this is a must try. Humongous ribs in a huge plate that can satisfy my gigantic appetite, nicee :) The BBQ sauce has a tangy flavor layered with sweetness that seeps through the ribs. The bones the spare ribs is so tender, you can eat it if u want. The meat is marinated nicely, juicy and tender. The mashed potato is just okay, slightly above average :)

2. Balinese Original Local Pork Baby Back Ribs (Rp. 184.000/Full Slab)

Another giant piece of meat landed on our table and again satisfying. Although I prefer the spare ribs, this one is also yummy. The meat is not as tender as the US ribs but the traditional feel is a very interesting. Resembling those traditional ribs joined, the sweetness from sweet soy sauce dominates this dish. With hints of spiciness and the sambal available, all we need is a plate of hot rice to make this dish unforgetable.

A recommended place for u carnivores!

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Grand Indonesia, Jakarta

Arang 22

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:08:00 +0000

Annyeong haseo...!!!!!!

It's Korea timeeeeee :) Makanan Korea adalah salah satu favorit gw tapi emank agak jarang sih makan korea.. Yah.. Secara kalo makan korea minimal 150k, kan sakit ati tuh.. Jadinya jarangggggggggg banget makan korea. Masalah nya makan korea tuh seru!

Kali ini gw sama Asmet nyobain Arang 22! Penasaran sih uda lama banget pengen nyoba resto ini... Seperti layak nya restoran korea di daerah Kebayoran Baru, dari luar keliatan kaya rumah biasa gitu, palingan cuma rame sama tulisan-tulisan korea gitu. Dalem nya juga typikal, meja biasa en lesehan style dengan dekor serasa di rumah yang tidak terkesan mewah tapi meja nya gede en biasa nya dilengkapin tv (mungkin buat karoke kale ya)

The food:
1. The appetizers (complimentary)

Ada 11 macam appetizer yang disediain buat kita, gratis en bisa reffill!!! Yang gw suka tentu saja kimchi nya, yummy banget :) Terus... Kerang dara nya juga yummmmm!!!! Sayang sekali appetizer laennya sih biasa aja... Telur tim nya kaga enak en kentang-kentangan nya biasa banget..

2. Jab Che (Rp. 95.000)

Jab Che adalah soun goreng ala korea yang enak banget! Gw tau sih, sangat menggelikan kalo kita bayar segitu mahalnya buat sepiring soun goreng dengan topping seadanya tapi tetep aja, tidak menyesal sama sekali!!! Every korean place serves Jab Che and IMO Arang has the best Jab Che I ever had. Rasanya berani, asin en gurih. Porsi nya besar en tingkat kematangan soun nya passss. YUMMYLICIOUS!!!!

3. Gun Mandu (Rp. 59.000)

Gun Mandu itu sebenernya kuo tie ato ada yang bilang pangsit shanghai. Bentuk nya seperti suikiaw tapi kulitnya lebih tebel en di pan-fried atau deep fried. Hmm... Standar banget deh.. Tapi bole lah untuk variasi dari makanan korea yang cenderung pedes en garlicky itu. Apa mungkin si Arang 22 punya kurang enak, gw juga ga ngerti.. Tapi yang jelas, kalo untuk kuotie, gw milih versi chinesenya aja deh.

4. Daeji Kalbi (Rp. 85.000)
Let's move on to BBQ!!! Yang bikin bon makan membludak kalo makan korea adalah makanan BBQ nya.. Dilema sih, kalo mesen bangkrut, ga mesen ga mantep. Kmrn ini sebenernya mau mesen beef tapi berhubung harganya di atas 200k per porsi, kita makan pork aja yaaaa. Anyway, right decision! The pork was tender and grilled perfectly. Empuk en ga ada bau bau nya... Untuk makan BBQ gini, disediain pelengkap berupa selada, bawang putih en saus nya. Di tempat laen, untuk daun pembungkus BBQ nya ada sebuah daun yang cuma perna gw liat di resto korea, di Arang cuma pake lettuce doank. Hmm.... Ga tralu beda jau sih cuma berasanya ada yang kurang aja.

Buat yang bingung gimana makannya... Jadi kita ambil sehelai daun, taro daging yg sudah dicocolin ke saus nya lalu taro di atas daun. Tambahkan potongan bawang putih mentah en pelengkap lainnya. Lipet daunnya lalu makan!!!!

Rasanya... YUMMYY!!! It's something that u got to try urself. Bawang putihnya ngasi rasa pedes yang gimanaaa gitu, mantep dahh

Authentic korean cuisine worth a visit :)

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Tulodong Bawah 1A, Kebayoran Baru. Jakarta

Playground

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Last week, in the middle of Plaza Indonesia, Me and Asmet stumbled upon this new place while wandering around trying to figure out what to eat. I've noticed for a while that there's a place called Playground under construction but I thought it was gonna be a real playground. Apparently it's a resto/cafe/bar/lounge, another one in Plaza Indonesia :)

The place is... Awesome! Despite people passing by the middle section, Playground's design successfully bring it's patron to another dimension. I forgot I was in Plaza Indonesia for a while. The sleek and posh design, the cool house music by the DJ and the fun attitude of the servers are just what I expected from a place called Playground.

The food:
1. Good Ol' American Fried Chicken (Rp.58.000)

Grrrr.. Thanks to the advice of our waiter, I picked the wrong dish. I expected the fried chicken resembles the one at Chili's.. Crispy and spicy. Instead I got this bland tasting fried chicken with rice and fries. The rice is great IF u served it with Japanese food, It's too soft to my liking :( The fries is just ok, could've done better. One thing I have to say, good presentation.

2. Katsutti (Rp. 65.000)

Our waiter said that this was THE recommended menu of Playground. Without any further explanation, Asmet ordered it expecting it to be good. It turned out.. Great!!! Yummyyyy. After this dish, I noticed that Playground serves fusion food!!! Katsutti is what you called hicken katsu tamago toji don in Sushi Tei or chicken katsu nabe in Katsusei. The difference is instead of rice, they served it with spaghetti in cream sauce. The combination of the flavor is stunning. I was amazed on how this super weird combo turned out to be yummy :) The creaminess of the pasta accentuates the saltiness of the katsu's sauce. Even though the portion is not that big, Asmet seeemed full, maybe coz the flavor is very intense.

3. Berry Go Round (Rp. 40.000)

It's a smoothies made of strawberry juice, blueberry jam, cranberry juice, fresh milk and mango syrup. The taste is refreshing but too bad the glass is so smallll

4. Iced Tea (Rp, 20.000)

Nothing special bout this but the presentation is oh so cool :)

5. Zabaglione (Rp. 35.000)

According to the description, it's a deconstructed mille feuille. Hmm... I can't say much except that the custard taste nice athough a bit too thin, the sliced pastry is tasteless and they put a lot of fresh strawberries. Very very nice presentation but not that yummy....

A great place to hang out on a Saturday night

Rating: 7/10
Location: Plaza Indonesia Extension F4, Jakarta

The Duel (Ebisu Curry VS Go! Curry)

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 06:53:00 +0000

Today we're gonna have a duel!!!!! *excited*

The theme is... Curry! First, please welcome, Ebisu Curry....!!!

Ebisu Curry ini gw ketahui dari salah satu postingan fellow foodie blogger, actually gw lupa sih yg mana but thanks for the info :) Si Ebisu Curry yang terletak di Kamome Building Melawai (same one as Ramen 38) merupakan resto japanese curry yang authentic. Kalo gw ga salah liat di resto nya, ada foto Ebisu Curry yg di Jepang so I assume it's good.

Tempat nya sebelas dua belas ya sama si Ramen 38, kecil abis en sempit! Tapi gpp seh, dirasa rasain serasa makan di warung di Tokyo aja ya hehe.. Dekorasi minim abis dengan bangku en meja seadanya, ruangan nya agak panas dan kurang nyaman sih menurut gw tapi ya we come for the food right?

The food:
1. Original Curry Bi size with Pork Katsu (Rp. 71.000)

Jadi begini.... Kenapa nama menu nya aneh? Karena cara pemesanan curry nya agak unik. Pertama kita musti mulih mau saus curry jenis apa, ada yg halal en non halal. Kemudian pilih ukuran nya, e (small) bi (medium) atau su (large). Berikutnya kita pilig topping nya, toppingnya komplit dari pork katsu, pork fillet, ebi fry, yasai, ajitama dan sebagainya dengan harga yg berbeda beda :)

Curry sauce nya... Menurut gw sih biasa aja ya... It's good but not great. Tentu saja better dibandingin sama saus curry di japanese resto jadi jadian yang tersebar di berbagai mal ibu kota tapi kalo dicompare sama high end japanese resto laen menurut gw nothing special ya. Keunggulan nya adalah saus nya itu smooth banget dan kental sehingga pas banget dimakan sama nasi.

Kekurangan nya itu kok ga ada topping seperti wortel atau kentang gitu ya. I love big chunks of carrot in my japanese curry :( Nasi nya juga kurang ok, ga kaya japanese resto rice tapi kaya nasi dir rumah aja. Pork katsu yang daging nya sirloin itu juga kurang maksimal.. Agak sedikit overcooked trus rada alot gitu, tidak seempuk yang gw harapkan dari sebuah curry dish seharga 70 ribu sekian

2. Original Curry Bi Size with Buta Shabu (Rp. 64.000)

Okay... I got tricked by the menu! Di menu nya tertulis kalo topping buta shabu cocok untuk pencinta daging babi.... Hasilnya adalah beberapa slice daging babi tipis yang sangat amat ga nyambung sama curry nyaaaaa :( Bete banget deh... Mustinya nyoba pake ebi fry ato apa gitu ya.. Gara2 salah pilih topping, gw agak bete gitu tapi untung nya bisa ngembat pork katsu nya asmet hehehe Dia lagi ribut mau diet kecilin perut jd karena gw baik hati dengan sangat terpaksa gw nerima limpahan pork katsu punya dia *joged joged*

3. Caesar Salad (Rp. 15.000)

The best bargain for caesar salad ever! Porsi besar, fresh veggies and nice dressing. IMO, the best dish of the night. Sedikit beda sama caesar yg biasa, di sini dikasi telor rebus en potongan tomat juga. Rame banget ni caesar hehehe yummy :)

Untuk dessert nya kita dikasi blackberry jelly gratis! The jelly was yummyyy, a perfect ending for the heavily spiced dinner.

Rating: 6/10
Location: Kamome Building, Melawai, Jakarta

Now the opponent... Go! Curry...!!!!!!!

Gw tau Go! Curry dari blog nya fellow foodie jugaaaa, the one and only Jenz :) Thank you Queen of Foodie Blogger hehehe

Go! Curry adalah sebuah resto yang semua aspect nya tereak "casuallllll" Dari nama, decor dan pilihan menu nya keliatan banget kalo dia bermaksud jadi tempat hip en asik buat makan curry yang notabene makanan "repot".

Tempat nya sih kecil tapi rapih dan nicely decorated. Dengan gaya super minimalis dan cuma modal beberapa hiasan dinding, tempat ini lumayan pewe buat nongkrong nongkrong pas wiken baik sama temen-temen maupun keluarga

The food:
1. Hot Rogan Josh Curry with Cilantro Butter Rice and Australian Oxtail (Rp. 75.000)
Ni ga kalah serunya dari Ebisu Curry dalam pemesanan. Jadiii pertama kita pilih dulu curry nya, red, green, rogan josh, yellow and brown curry. Lalu tentukan tingkat kepedasan nya dari mild sampe insanely hot. Then... Pilih nasi nya en terakhir pilih topping nya. Topping nya komplit dari chicken, beef sampe seafood but unfortunately no pork :(

Yummy :) Pilihan rogan josh curry yang dicombine sama oxtail pas banget!! Harus diakui kalo dicompare sama curry di Indian resto sih masi jauh lah tapi disini curry nya surprisingly spicy dan pedesss. Saran gw, jangan songong! Pas mesen, si mbak nya uda bilangin kalo yg medium itu uda cukup pedes tapi karena kita pikir ah resto gini kan suka ga pedes tuh, uda aja pesen hot. Tau nya puedes banget hot nya, buset deh... Si oxtail nya ini juga daging nya banyakkkk dan empukkk. Too bad, nasi nya mengecewakan....Walaupun judulnya cilantro butter rice but I didn't taste cilantro nor butter, put some more please.

2. Medium Yellow Curry with Aromatic Yellow Rice and Zesty Cheese Chicken (Rp. 56.000)

Another spot on combination! Yummyyy :) The yellow curry is just beautiful... Thick bright yellow liquid with cream on top that made my palate went crazy. Again, nice spicy curry with yummy chicken (don't know where the zest nor the cheese go) and the not so good rice. Dear Go! Curry, please make better rice. The yellow rice comes with nuts on top, my suggestion, throw it away. It destroys the smoothness and creaminess of the curry.

3. Cheese Naan (Rp. 23.000)

Okay... Ni naan gede banget dan sangat amat mengenyangkan! Kalo naan nya dimakan buat appetizer menurut gw seh mantep ya, it's super cheesy! Tapi... Kalo makan buat temen nya curry menurut gw ga cocok. Terlalu tebel en terlalu banyak keju nya.

4. Strawberry Lassi (Rp. 28.000)

YUMMY!!! A perfect companion for the curry. It's thick, not too sweet and very very refreshing :)

Rating: 7/10
Location: Cilandak Town Square, Jakarta

Both places are a bit overpriced but Go! Curry obviously has better ambiance, more varieties and spicier curry.

So the winner is.. Go! Curry

De Luca

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:11:00 +0000

Back to Italian :)

As I said in my Pesto post earlier, Italian restaurant is flourishing in Jakata. De Luca is one of the latest addition. Opened head to head to Monolog ( I think they belong to the same group) it's one of Jakarta's it place right now. Located in Plaza Senayan, De Luca is one of the alternative for a place to eat (fiuhhhh, finally... I kinda hate going to PS coz it's eateries are pricey yet not yummy)

The decor is simple, subtle light brown wooden chairs and tables with wooden panels along it's walls. Decorated with some metal-covered yellow light bulbs, De Luca is a warm, welcoming and cozy place to chat and hang out with friends and families. Some of the tables are located at the street side, giving a bistro like feeling. +1

The food:
1. Ice Peach Tea (Rp. 30.000)

I like the peach tea here for some reasons. Firstly, it's not too sweet. The glass is quite big and they put slices of peach in it. Love it :)

2. Sparkling Mango (Rp. 30.000)

Same like the peach tea, it's not overly sweet. A balanced drink to quench your thirst after shopping all day long, a mango garnish would be nice though. The two mini cherries at the bottom of the glass are a treat!!! :D

3. Bread Basket (Complimentary/Rp. 10.000)

It's a complimentary but we asked for more, they charged is for the additional basket. The bread... is yummy :) The basket consists of baguettes, focaccia and bread sticks. All of the breads are warm, I think they heated it before serving it to us. The baguettes have crunchy texture in the outside and fluffy in the inside. The focaccia is thick and heavy but exceptionally yummy, my fave! The bread sticks are different than Pepenero's heavy sticks. It's light, crunchy and hollow. Asmet really liked it.

4. Spaghetti with wood-smoked salmon, mushroom and spinach in cream sauce (Rp. 78.000)

YUMMY!!!! The pasta is cooked perfectly!!!!!! I loveeee the texture of the pasta. It's like undercooked pasta but it's cooked. You still need to chew it instead of just sliding it into ur stomach like some lame pasta from a fast food joint. The cream sauce tastes a bit like Pasta de Waraku's. It's thick and covered the pasta completely. You won't find any liquid in your plate. It's very creamy but not 'that' creamy u feel bloated afterwards. The combination of the 3 toppings (IMO those 3 are my fave toppings for creamy pasta) are just right. Not too much salmon, strands of spinach here and there plus those yummy mushrooms... Yum Yum Yum :) This dish go straight to my top ten pasta in Jakarta hehehe

5. Linguine with minced beef an asparagus in pesto genovese (Rp. 68.000)

Pesto genovese is one of my fave pasta style (the others are cream and aglio olio) but it's not a common dish. Many Italian resto didn't serve this kind of pasta. My favorite pesto is Pizza Marzano's but this is a tough competitor. Just like the spaghetti, the linguine is cooked to perfection. I'm a bit confused with the size of the linguine, it's too wide to be linguine. I had linguine a lot and usually it's a bit thinner but I still love it hehe. The linguine is covered in green oily sauce with lots of minced beef and small cuts of asparagus. I think they need to put more asparagus and less beef. The flavor of the beef is quite strong and it's like the beef and pesto are battling in my mouth. Strangely, their battle is my pleasure :p Yummy!!! The minced beef gives a slight creaminess which is a good balancing act for the heavy herb-infused pasta. The asparagus serves as tiny crunchy surprises in every bite. Another yummy pasta for the day!! *grin*

I love this place! The decor, the ambience and most of all the food. The service is a bit disappointing. The girl that waited on us had a very sour face and stood impatiently while I was reading the menu.

dr. B: Yang enak apa ya mbak?

girl: Wagyu nya pak, enak lho pak

dr. B: Ga pengen makan wagyu mbak, yg laen apa?

girl: (diem) (ngelipet tangan) (nyender ke meja) (berdiri dengan bertumpu ke meja) (goyang-goyang ga jelas kaya cacing kepanasan)

beberapa saat kemudian...

girl: coba wagyu nya aja pak

dr. B: (jutek mode on) uda dibilang saya ga mau wagyu!

I know they're having a wagyu promotion (for that price, it's not promo yaaaaaaa) but that doesn't give them permission to shove that wagyu up my face. Thank God the food was great, less than that, this entry would've been filled with foul words here and there. Additional info, the service tax is 10% :(

Narsis time

Rating: 7.8/10
Location: Plaza Senayan, P1

Central

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 09:58:00 +0000

This is old skool :) Uda lamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa banget sejak trakir gw makan disini. Bukannya karena ga doyan tapi masalah lokasi nya aja sih.... Central sebener nya salah satu chinese food old skool yang kualitas makanannya di atas rata rata. Nah skrg si Central ini buka di Seasons City yang cukup deket dari ruma! Plus ada opening promo 20% pula, jadi mami napsu banget ngajak makan disini. Alhasil, a few days ago, gw mami en papi makan deh disini, si Yuu en Biebie lagi pergi ga tau kmana jadi cuma gw yang diajak :p

Decor nya standar chinese resto, meja bulet dengan ornamen chinese disana sini. Tempat nya kaga gede2 banget tp rapih, bersih en dinginnnn. Service nya cukup ok, ramah en niat bener ngelayanin nya. Oh ya, ice tea nya refill *yayyyyy*

The food:
1. Tom Yam Goong (Rp. 20.000/pax)

Agak aneh sih kok chinese resto ada tom yam goong... But anyway as long as its good, who cares? Mami sih yang ngidam, tiba2 pengen mesen ini, gw cuma nyicip doank. Tom yam goong nya surprisingly yummy. Asem asem pedes mantep gitu deh. Ada udang 2 biji yang ukuran nya lumayan gede en kata si mami enak. It's a bargain then :)

2. Cakar Ayam Tim Tausi (Rp. 11.000)

Isenk pengen nyoba dimsum nya jadi mesen kaki ayam. Hmm... It's good but not great. I prefer my kaki ayam a bit tender. Yang ini cukup empuk tapi kurang empuk menurut gw. Rasa nya kurang gurih, trus kurang lada. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice dish but it can do better.

3. Kuo Tie (Rp. 13.000)

Another dimsum. Me no likey! Daging nya gendut2 en padet..... Trus kurang rasa gitu, not good not goof.

4. Tahu Nenek Moyang (Rp. 40.000)

Yummy.... Sejenis sapo tahu tapi tahu nya bukan pake tahu jepang kemudian di atas nya tahu ada selapis rumput laut gitu. Dimasak dengan saos tiram style dish, pake brokoli and macem macem jamur. Love it :) Simple and comforting dish

5. Udang Goreng Gandum (Rp. 65.000)

YUMMY!! Udang yang cukup gede, digoreng kering tanpa tepung dengan kulitnya. Kemudian byk gandum (havermut) yang rasa nya gurih dan sedikit manis, ditaburi pula kemanggi goreng kering. Nice one Central :)

6. Babi Hong (Rp. 60.000)

Hmm ini agak confusing nih... Rasa yummy tekstur minus. Untuk rasa nya babi hong versi Central di atas rata, bahkan menurut gw lumayan enak. Sayang nya daging nya kering dan keras. Gw tau sih ini karena daging babi nya itu dipilih yang lemak nya dikit. Jadi tu babi hong daging banget (yang lebih sehat pastinya) tapi plis deh... Babi hong tanpa lemak ya kaya sayur tanpa garam. Harusnya tekstur nya babi hong yang lembut itu jadi dry banget...

I think this is one good chinese food alternative for people living around Jelambar, Angke and Pluit Area. Ga usa kena macet kaya mau ke restoran Angke atau bayar mahal stega mampus di Maystar, still u got quality chinese food to dine with your beloved family :)

Rating: 7/10
Location: Seasons City, The Glow Tower

Kuppa

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Uda lama banget gw pengen nyobain Thai resto yang namanya Kuppa ini. Kayanya ampir tiap kali gw ngelawatin Kuppa, gw penasaran gitu makanannya enak ga ya... Secara di PI cuma ada2 Thai resto dan gw selalu makan di King of Thai, jadi nya ampe sekarang blom perna nyoba. Nahhhh kmrn ini gara2 si Asmet ribut mau ke atm ngecek gaji, ngelewatin lah si Kuppa ini. Tiba2 ada tulisan disc 50% pake Mandiri, langsung napsu deh gw hahaha :p

Dari luar seh tampilan nya lumayan keren ya. Dark interior yang bikin ni resto posh banget gitu dahhhh. Gw bingung pas masuk, kok dari luar keren tp begitu di dalem memble gini. Menurut gw berantakan, decor nya ga jelas tema nya apa en keliatan worn out gitu. Not good

The food:
1. Tom Yum Goong (Rp. 68.500)

First impression, SAYUR ASEM!!! Sumpa ni rasa nya 90% sayur asem... Sejak kapan yang namanya Tom Yam Goong tuh rasa nya manis en banyak cabe mengambang di kuah nya, persis sayur asem. Udang nya medium size yang agak overcook 2 biji dengan jamur yang cukup banyak. Agak kecewa sih gw, kurang pedes en kurang seger layak nya Tom Yam Goong biasa nya.

2. Crispy Gurame Sweet and Sour Sauce (Rp. 62.500)

Begitu dateng gw uda ilfil berat, kok letoy gini nih si crispy nya. Kalo emank ga mampu bikin gurame goreng kering yang dagingnya bisa ngaceng gitu ya at least diakalin napa... Potong2 aja daging nya kecil kecil, kan keliatan nya lebi appetizing. Ini ga jelas banget, kaya ngasi ikan goreng stega mateng gitu. Dari soal rasa juga minus. Ga asem, ga pedes, ga seger jadi cuma manis doank. Trus di saos nya banyak bener bawang putih, aneh aja gitu saos nya bertaburan bawang putih cincang...

3. Chicken Pandan (Rp. 45.500)

Finally something good. Walopun begitu, chicken pandan nya juga kurang enak. Pertama, dia pake daging dada untuk semua chicken pandan nya. Tau donk karakteristik dada ayam yang kalo dimasak lama jadi batu itu? Kering en bikin nyangkut di gigi... Untungnya rasa nya cukup enak dan saus nya enak! I dipped that chicken a lot during the whole time I dined, simply because it's the only flavorful dish that night.

Servis nya jelek banget, agak kesel gw cuma karena laper ya sudah lah. Pertama muka nya jutek semua. Dari manager sampe waiter, semua nya jutek! Mau pake alesan puasa ato cape ato rame ato apa lah, pantang yang nama nya kerja di restoran pasang muka jutek! Bikin napsu makan ilang aja. Uda gitu, ordernya ketuker sama meja sebelah, grrrrr. Yang tamba parah, selama terjadi chaos akibat ketuker nya tu makanan, mereka tereak2an di tengah2 kita makan, nyebelin kan. Gw ga peduli deh salah siapa but bring me my food ASAP!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5/10
Location: Plaza Indonesia F3

Hakata Ikkousha

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:36:00 +0000

Hakata Ikkousha adalah sebuah resto ramen di Muara Karang yang dengan terang-terangan mengklaim kalau mereka menjual ramen autentik Jepang. Ga tau kebetulan ato engga tapi kayanya daera Muara Karang-Pluit lagi kena ramen invasion. Setelah Marutama dan Sanpachi buka, skrg giliran Ikkousha.

3 minggu yang lalu, gw, Asmet en Salim nyobain tempat ini. Kita dateng jem 11 pagi ennnn tempat nya uda ampir penuh. Pas uda jem 12, orang uda waiting list di depan. Dahsyat benerrrr!!! Emank sih, kayanya ni tempat lagi hits banget, secara rame abis dan ngantri mulu. Dan antrian nya bukan marketing strategy tapi emank karena kapasitas tempat nya cuma segitu (yang di dalem uda cukup sempit dimasukin kursi en meja) sementara peminatnya bejibun.

Dari luar seh sebenernya menurut gw kurang menarik, kaya resto biasa aja deh. Dalam bayangan gw, mungkin kaya begitu ya restoran biasa di Jepang (not the upscale one maksudnya). Dengan memajang kompor di depan, ada panci gede gede diatasnya, kita bisa ngeliat langsung kalo they do cook the broth, not using some magical instant soup. Interior dalem biasa banget deh, nothing fancy. Cuma meja en kursi kayu dengan exhaust di atas nya buat nyedot asep. Dalem nya ada open kitchen plus waiter yang jumlah nya puluhan. Banyak benerrr. Oya, ada chef en manager nya orang Jepang pula, so it is authentic :) servicenya top notch! Fast, efficient, good knowledge of menu and attentive. Kapan ya resto indo bisa kaya gitu... Buktinya cuma gara2 si Jepang ngasi instruksi bisa kok bagus kerjanya, brati no excuse buat resto laen yang jelek servicenya :)

The food:
1. Pork Ramen (Rp. 38.000)

YUMMYLICIOUS!!! IMHO, the best ramen in Jakarta. Gila mantep banget tu kuah nya... Kalo ga salah denger, broth nya itu dibuat dari ikan dan ayam kemudian dimasak 72 jam (lupa lupa inget gw) Kuah nya agak sedikit kental, sangat sangat meaty rasanya dan super gurih. Karena broth nya intense banget jadi agak berminyak.. Tapi karena bahan dasar nya ayam i think it's relatively less dangerous daripada pork atau beef based soup. Mie nya sendiri sih menurut gw biasa saja, nice consistency and cooked perfectly. Gw benci banget makan ramen yang mie nya lembek gitu tapi disini mie nya masi ngelawan dikit pas digigit. Untuk topping nya dikasi sliced pork yang empuk dan gurih, taburan daun bawang, wijen dannnn telur!!! Telur nya itu lho astaga.. Masaknya pas bangetttt!!! Just the way I like it :) Ga tau sih istilah nya apa tp gw ngomong nya 3/4 matang. Masi ada elemen kuning telur yang kental cair tapi sekilas uda agak keras gitu, enak banget. Laluuuu untuk menyempurnakan nya, mereka menyediakan fresh garlic dan garlic press nya. Setelah dikasi garlic, it's YUMMYFUCKINGLICIOUS!!! Ada a hint of garlic that gives extra kick and a nice aftertaste to the ramen :D

2. Pork Gyoza (Around 20k)

Now the gyoza... Yummy :) Gyoza nya sendiri berisi minced pork yang tidak terlalu padat sehingga pas digigit ga daging banget. Yang gw kurang suka adalah gyoza nya nempel semua... Untung aja pas dipisahin, kulitnya ga robek (sign of good quality gyoza) Rasanya balanced dan pas banget buat jadi appetizer.

3. Tamago (Around 20k)

Another yummy dish!!!! Gw lupa sih namanya apa soalnya bon nya ilang tapi basically it's japanese omelette. Japanese style omelette kan biasanya itu telor goreng tipis dengan rasa cenderung manis yang diroll kemudian dipotong, disajikan pake japanese mayo and ketchup. Nah Ikkousha beda, dia ngasi abon ikan kaya yang biasa jadi topping okonomiyaki di dalem nya kemudian disajikan panas2. Damn... It's like a party in my mouth. Telur nya kan pasti agak creamy gitu sedangkan abonnya tuh asin asin gimanaaa gitu. Trus dicocol pake mayo yang sedikit asam, wah mantap!!!

We were really satisfied with the food here!!! Ini merupakan contoh nyata dimana makanan berkualitas tidak berati harus disajikan di restoran upscale yang mahal gila dengan dekorasi super keren. Restaurant sells food and Ikkousha is doing it marvelously.

Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Muara Karang Raya

Old Town

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:43:00 +0000

Uda lamaaaaaaaaa banget gw ga ke Emporium Pluit. Trakir kali ksini mungkin 1-2 bulan yang lalu dan ksini cuma buat ngopi di Starbucks. Padahal denger2 kan skrg banyak banget tuh resto resto baru yang buka disini. Nahhhh, minggu lalu gw sama Asmet ke Empo buat nonton Fast Five. Pas masuk lewat pintu belakang, ehhh ngeliat si Old Town ini. Katanya nyokap sih kwetiaw goreng nya enak. Uda gitu, di depan nya ada promo buat buka yang murah meriah berat. Gw uda napsu aja nih :D Eehhh tau nya pas kita makan, belom jem nya tu promo buka puasa ( -__________- " )

Dari luar seh just another kopi tiam style resto lah. Decor agak jadul dengan wooden chair dan foto2 jadul di dinding. Kelebihan nya dibanding tempat sejenis adalah cukup spacious. Biasanya kopi tiam style place gitu kan sempit banget, mau duduk susa, pesen makanan banyak dikit meja nya jadi sempit en yang paling nyebelin tuh rame bangettttt en berisik. Nah si Old Town ini cukup luas dengan smoking area yang terpisah cukup jauh dari non smoking dan suasanya cukup nyaman. Pas kita dateng itu blm jem makan malam (sekitar jem 5) dan uda lumayan rame sih.Waiter nya cukup attentive padahal baru trainee dan menguasai menu. +1 buat Old Town. I really hate it when a waiter doesn't understand about the menu they serve!

The food
1. Supreme Rendang Chicken Rice (Rp. 39.000)

Yummy!!!! Simply one of the best nasi lemak ever! Nasi disediakan dengan porsi cukup besar sehingga cukup untuk menemani makan lauk nya yang macem2 itu dan nasi nya wangi :) Kemudian ayam rendang nya... Hmmm untuk ayam nya sih biasa aja, enak tp yah ada gitu rendang yang ga enak? Lalu teri kacang nya... Yummm... Teri nya asin en garing! Trus disajikan terpisah dengan kacang nya. Sangat membantu buat orang yang ga suka kacang tapi doyan teri kaya Asmet. Trus ada juga stegah telor rebus. Misteri Ilahi sih kenapa ni telor cuma dipotong doank trus ditaro di piring, knapa juga ga dikasi apa gitu, sambel kek, bumbu apa kek ato apa lahhh. Ini telor nya bener2 cuma direbus. Yah mungkin kalo dikasi macem2 jadi over powering banget. Lalu bintang dari piring ini adalah sambal sotong nya!!!!

2. Sambal Sotong (Rp. 9.000)

Untuk pertama kali nya gw memakan makanan yang bernama sambal sotong ini. YUMMY!!!! I got to say, this sambal sotong is probably one of the best nonya cuisine I ever had in my life. Let's start with the sambal. Seperti biasa nya, uda ketebak donk kalo sambel ini dari cabe. Nahhh pedesnya ini agak aneh, pas dimakan pertama kali, yang dominan adalah rasa terasi nya. Kemudian ada pedes2 cabe yang tingkatnya medium lah. Tapiiii beberapa saat kemudian, tingkat kepedasannya naik jadi hot! This is one spicy dish!!!! Dimakan sama nasi uduk ato digadoin sama nikmat nya. Sotong nya sendiri empukk banget en masuk banget sama sambel nya. What a beautiful ensemble :D

3. Supreme Prawn Meehon-Mee (Rp. 35.000)

Ribet bener ye namanya. Bilang aja mie udang gituuuuu. Rasanya sih agak standard mie udang dan gw emank ga doyan makan mie udang. Yang agak unik adalah selaen pake mie, dia juga ngasi bihun. Jadi teksturnya kan ada crunchy nya dari bihun, it's something different aja. Kalo ngomongin soal mie udang sih ini tergolong yang enak, terasi nya berasa, bumbu nya juga berani . Well balanced banget. Kualitas udang nya juga bagus dengan tingkat kematangan yang pas. Sering banget menu kuah dengan udang tuh jd kacau karena udang nya over cooked tapi yang ini sih pas mantep.

4. Kaya and Butter Toast Double (Rp. 15.000)

For u guys that worship Yakun's toast, U guys really shud try other places. There are lots of places that serves toast much better than Yakun including this one. Menurut gw, toast nya Yummy!!! Roti nya roti gandum, tipis dan crunchy. Yang membuat roti ini stand out adalah perbedaan sensasi ketika makannya. Biasanya, dalam sebuah butter kaya toast, roti dioles pake kaya jam uda gitu ditaro butter berbentuk segi empat di tengah nya. Hasil nya ketika digigit, kita akan ngerasa lapisan roti, butter, kaya lalu roti lagi. Tapiiiiiiiii, disini beda! Dia menaruh butter nya dalam bentuk persegi panjang di 2 tempat berbeda di atas kayanya. Gampang nya, kalo roti laen itu kaos dengan motif kotak di tengah sedangkan Old Town punya itu kaos garis garis. Jadi ketika digigit itu tiap gigitan sensasinya beda beda.

5.Old Town White Coffee Hot (Rp. 15.000)

Old Town is famous for it's coffee so although we were already full, we decided to try the coffee. Nothing much to say, the coffee taste the same as the one they sold in supermarkets. Slightly thicker and creamier than the sachet ones but nothing special. Since it's quite cheap for a cup of coffee, I won't complain much. U got what you pay for right?

6. Honey Lemon Juice Cold (Rp. 18.000)

Hmm... Compared to Lau Kopitiam's this one is pale in comparison. Tawar menurut gw, honey nya ga berasa, lemon nya juga nanggung. Kaya minum lemon jus keenceran gitu.

7. Old Town Enriched Chocolate Cold (Rp. 19.000)

Yumm... Chocolate never fails. Compared to Killiney's, Killiney's is better. But for those who prefer a lighter version of ice chocolate, this one is a must. Light choco taste but yummy creamy taste :)

Overall, this is a must try spot if u happen to be in Emporium. Quality food, affordable price and nice service.

Rating: 7.3/10
Location: Emporium Pluit Mal GF, Jakarta

Pesto

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:18:00 +0000

As a foodie, Italian food is one of my favorite. In my opinion, the yummyness of Italian food is unmatched by other western cuisine including french cuisine For me, French is too pretty and pretentious. For the last 2 years, Italian restaurant had been flourishing like mushrooms in the rainy season. We can find all sort of Italian food everywhere. Pesto is one of them. Located in the center of Jakarta, this place is swarmed by expatriates and people who works in Thamrin-Sudirman area.

I went there with Asmet a few months ago for lunch. The place is not that crowded but when we finished, it was full.I kinda like the place. It's simple with industrial touch here and there. It's kinda similar to Loewy actually. Service... Hmm... The guy waited us knows literally nothing about the menu. OMG! I asked bout the specialty and the answer is "ummm, ammmm" I ended of telling him to go and let me contemplate myself about what I'm gonna order.

The food:
1. Bread Basket (Complimentary)

One of the reason I like going to an authentic Italian restaurant is because the bread basket. I'm a huge fan of bread and usually those bread basket is a treat. Pesto's is quite disappointing. We got 3 kinds of bread. A soft roll, a sliced soft baguette and a cheese focaccia. The focaccia is yummy but the rest sucks. Is it that hard to serve freshly baked breadsticks?

2. Rustica (Rp. 59.000)

An Italian style pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarela, cooked ham and mushrooms. The pizza is very very runny. The topping fell of the pizza while I was trying to put it in my mouth, such a turn off. The taste is rather bland, the tomato sauce is a bit to sour for me, not enough mozzarella and the ham tastes like paper. The only good thing is they put quite a generous amount of mushrooms, otherwise that pizza is not worth paying for. The crust is not bad but I had better.

3. Saltimboca Alla Romana (Rp. 72.000)

According to the menu, it's escallops in parma ham, sage blackpepper sauce with spinach and potato gratin. Another disaster!! I don't understand this dish actually. The presentation is good but the sauce ruins everything. When I think of sage blackpepper sauce, I think of a juicy blackpepper sauce with a nice scent of sage. Instead, the pork and ham is drenched in some sort of reddish liquid resembling a thin tomato sauce with blackpepper on top. The spinach is just ok but the potato gratin is nice. A big plate of pork dish and the outstanding element is the potato gratin? *sigh*

4. Papardelle al Ragu (Rp. 69.000)

Finally!!!! There's something worth mentioning here. The papardelle has nice consistency. Blended very well with the tangy tomato sauce. The pork ribs are yummy!!! Tender and juicy, combined with the tomato sauce, it leaves a fresh yet carnivor-ish taste in my mouth. I dunno how to explain the sauce but it was very very yummy, love it.

One thing I hate in upscale places is the price of beverages. They don't sell local brand of mineral water here, instead they serve this Italian imported bottled water for Rp. 28.000. I don't mind paying high price for food but for 500 ml of water, Rp. 28.000 is outrageous. Serve a bottle of nestle for Rp. 10.000 has given your restaurant 600% profit, so why so greedy? The table next to us is an expatriate and he asked the waiter to serve Aqua and not this Lurisia brand. So it's not just me then :p

I don't think I'm coming back here anytime soon unless someone plans to treat me :D For the price they charge, there are lots of places in Jakarta that serves better Italian than that.

Rating: 5.5/10
Location: ANZ Square Building, Jakarta

The Duel (Roppan VS Magnum Cafe)

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sat, 28 May 2011 09:32:00 +0000

Hallooooo, back with me dr B :)
Untuk The Duel kali ini temanya ada dessert!!!! Kontestan nya adalah 2 dessert place yang lagi happening banget di Jakarta yaitu Magnum Cafe dan Roppan. Let The Duel begins...

Magnum Cafe

Magnum Cafe merupakan produk terbaru dari Ismaya. Walaupun restoran Ismaya itu selalu banjir pengunjung, gw termasuk salah satu yang tidak terlalau suka restoran-restoran Ismaya. Dari sekian banyak restoran nya Ismaya yang menurut gw enak paling cuma 1 2 gitu... BUT in terms of ambiance, Ismaya jagonya. That's why, tiap kali ada resto baru by Ismaya, gw pasti pengen nyoba. After all, dining is not always bout the food, it's all about the experience :)

Terletak di Grand Indonesia, Magnum Cafe merupakan salah satu go to spot disono. Antriannya selalu panjang menjijikan. Kenapa bisa ngantri ampe kaya gitu, gw sendiri juga ga ngerti. Sebenernya sih males banget ngantri tapi ya sudah lah, demi mencoba hehe

Tempat nya seh asik menurut gw. Nyaman, rapih, detail oriented dan yang paling penting adalah punya WOW factor. This is what Ismaya do best after all. Tamu nya semua dianggap sebagai bangsawan disana, dipanggil nya bukan pake "Pak" atau "Bu" tapi pake "My Lord". Emank sih ga penting tapi it's something different right? Nice service though, attentive and fast. Suasana resto nya kaya di ruang makan kerajaan lengkap dengan hiasan ala kerajaan , patung kuda, bahkan singgasana yang bole dipake buat foto dengan minimal pembelanjann Rp. 150.000. Semua menu yang disajikan memiliki nama ala kerajaan pula, agak mabok sih bacanya tapi seru juga hahaha

The food:
1. Summer Tango (Rp. 29.000)

YUMMY!!! Basically ini mango smoothies with choco chip. Jadi ini jus mangga tapi dikasi magnum vanilla. It's sweet with a hint of sour, ada terasa choco chip yang uda di blender jadi alus alus gitu dan rasa mangga nya jd agak creamy. Love it :D

2. Waffle de Regalia Queen Size (Rp. 45.000)

Sebagai orang yang sangat sangat menyukai dessert, ice cream, roti including waffle, makanan ini merupakan sebuah penghinaan terhadap waffle!!!!!!!! OMG, this is the worst waffle ever deh. Mana ada waffle kenyellll, gw uda kaya makan mochi aje. Parah banget... Gw tau sih ini tempat jualan es krim tp ya mbok dicari toh resep waffle yang layak... Gw ampe bingung, ini bos bos ismaya nyobain dulu ga sih menu nya sebelum di launch ke publik? Sama waffle nya A&W aja masi kalah jauh deh, kacau abis. Ditambah lagi strawberry nya yang asam dan tidak juicy, strawberry sauce nya yang kaya sirup beli jadi en kemudian Magnum nya yang cuma asal ditaro aja di atas nya. It looks amazing but tastes like ****. Very disappointing!!!!

Gw cukup kecewa seh dengan kualitas waffle nya... Gw tau kadang gw suka bawel kalo soal dessert tapi kalo ini sih bukan gw yang bawel, emank kualitas nya aja buruk. Kalo Pancious gw kasi 8 untuk waffle nya, ini gw kasi 3 deh.... Walopun tempat nya menyenangkan buat nongkrong2 tp kalo kualitas makanannya kaya gini seh engga deh makasih. Gw mau nyoba menu laen nya jadi males...

Rating: 5.5/10
Location: Grand Indonesia F5, Jakarta

Roppan

Pertama kali gw ngeliat Roppan tuh di Pejaten Village kalo ga sala. Dari luar reklame nya catchy banget. Very anime and kawaii hehe Secara dari namanya aja uda roti, gw uda napsu nih. I'm Aris and I'm a bread addict :p Tapiiii gw makannya bukan di Pejaten, gw makan ini di Gandaria City :)

The place is nice! Dibagi 2 area, area take away en area dine in. Di tempat take away itu bisa milih2 bermacam2 roti panggang yang sangat sangat sangat menarik. Kemudian decor nya didominasi light brown wooden furniture with a touch red. Very eye catching and cozy.

The food:
1. Matcha Honey Toast with Matcha and Ogura Ice Cream (Rp.27.273)

Gw pesen salah satu menu spesial nya... This kind of toast is not common. The best one is by En Dining and their's was really really good. Toast nya sendiri menurut gw enak! Garing tp ga kering... Kemudian kulit luar nya roti yang berbentuk kotak itu juga garing. Sebenernya gw malah lebi suka makan kulitnya hehe Sayang sekali isi nya yang menurut gw kurang maksimal. Alasannya? Simpel... Pelit bener eskrimnya!!!! Kayanya pake scoop yang gedean juga masi untung gede deh -_- Rasa eskrim nya dicampur honey en roti nya seh pas ya. Ogura ice cream nya kurang ok, ato mungkin terlalu dikit kali ya. Karena rasa ogura ga se mencolok rasa matcha jadi kalo dimakan sama rotinya jd kurang berasa gitu.

Overall I like this place... Of course the menu could do some improvements but this is not a high end eatery. Harganya terjangkau, tempat nya bagus dan kualitas makanannya cukup lumayan. Buat tempat nongkrong-nongkrong gitu pas banget :)

Partner in Crime, Asmet :)

Rating: 6.5/10
Location: Gandaria City, Jakarta

So... It's time for the verdict... The winner is... Roppan!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I said, dining is about the experience. Magnum Cafe maybe an eight in terms of ambiance but Roppan is a well rounded place with affordable price :)

Dimana-mana Makanan

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Sun, 22 May 2011 05:49:00 +0000

Chicken Noodle by dr. B

Mie Kadut Pertama (Hayam Wuruk, Jakarta)

Yummy!!! Clean taste, not too oily. Perfect noodle texture, super pricey....

Nasi Galung (Muara Karang, Jakarta)

A plate of rice with cabbage, stir fried bee-hon, potatoes and salted fish. Yummy :) Spicy and refreshing without that "eneg" flavor like in Nasi Padang.

The rendang is also good, tender and juicy. Yummyyyy

Katsusei

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Fri, 20 May 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Hellllloooooooooooooo patients!!!!! It's been a while :)

I've been sooo busy the last couple of months.Moved to Depok, stayed in Jogjakarta and finishing my med study :) Things are better now, at least not as hectic as it used to be. I apologized patients for the lack of yummy updates but rest assured there will be lots and lots yummy food ahead :D

For the first review, dr. B gives u.... Katsusei!

I believe many of u had heard bout this place before... Located in Grand Indonesia, next to Toranomon, it's a place that specializes in Katsu food a.k.a Japanese fried food. Just like many many many Jakartans my age, we were raised basically on KFC and Hoka Hoka Bento. Both of them are on the top 3 of my favorite fast food chain. I remembered how I used to LOVE chicken katsu by HokBen (not anymore though, moved on to spring roll!! :p)

When I browsed the menu for the first time in front of the restaurant a couple of years ago, I was shocked! Damn... This place is like PRICEY. So I decided, no Katsusei for me unless they give 50% discount. Finally, God answered my prayer and give 50% discount using Mandiri Card (the one I borrowed from my dear Uncle Apau hehehe)

The outer part of the restaurant radiates a calming, mysterious yet posh charm that lures every passerby. Once you enter the restaurant, you'll see a very neat seating placements, divided by glass wall decorated by ceramic bowls. The decor is your garden variety minimalist and dark ambiance. For me, it's just ok. Nothing special here. The ceramic bowl on glass wall is... tacky. The open kitchen is too close to the dining area and they kinda miss the japanese details on the table.

After u order , u will be given some pots of dressing. There are two types of dressings I remembered, the sour one (imagine italian dressing japanese style) and the savoury one (thousand island with japanese touch). Besides the dressing, they also give a big pot of sauce for the katsu. I dunno the name but they sure taste yummy! U will also be given a bowl of tare (sesame seed) to be mixed with the katsu sauce. U are supposed to ground the sesame seed according to ur liking. Cute huh? I love that part for sure hehehehe

Move on to the main course....

1. Shrimp and Pork Sirloin Katsu Set (Rp. 195.000)

Two giant Shrimp Katsu and a big chunk of pork sirloin katsu. The presentation, Love it! Served on a tray filled with japanese rice, some sort of japanese pickles, japanese salad, and miso soup. The rice, perfect! Pour the dressing and just finish it!!! The cabbage was fresh and crisp. I prefer the savoury/salty dressing but I suggest u mix it and find ur perfect dressing. Now the soup... The waiter offered two soups. The first one being miso soup and the other is a different miso style soup but with pork bits and carrots. I tried both of them and loved them both. The miso is yummy, a bit salty but I do love salty food. The pork soup is heaven. Period. YUMMY!!!!!! The soup was brothy, meaty and sweet. Love, love, love it.

Next the katsu. After the first bite, I made my judgement. The best katsu I ever had in my life. The prawn katsu consists of two prawns each. The prawns were fresh and sweet, I didn't get any rash (I'm allergic to non fresh prawns) so I think it's very good. The pork sirloin... Just melted in my mouth. It was tender, it was juicy, fried to perfection. Yummylicious!! Dip it into the tare sauce and u'll have another salty kick to ur already awesome katsu. *drooling while writing this*

2. Chicken Katsu Nabe Set (Rp. 130.000)

I opted for chicken to try how the chicken dish tastes like. The katsu nabe set is served on a tray, similar to the katsu set. The nabe was placed on a hot plate so it maintained it's hotness. The chicken katsu is drenched is some brown liquid and topped with egg. Oh geez.... It's an oyako-don but minus the don. Another cooked to perfection chicken katsu. I love how the sauce didn't take the excitement away from the chicken. After all, it's a chicken dish, not an egg + sauce dish. The portion is big enough for two girls I think, especially since it's quite salty so u need rice to eat it with. Yummy :)

We were given some sort of japanese tea after the meal to wash the oil. Well the taste is... tea. But it actually wash the oil at my throat :)

Love the food here!! Definitely wanna go back.... Too bad it's really really overpriced. I know it's a high-end restaurant but come on... 130k for a chicken dish... It's too expensive...Aside from the high price and the tacky decor, I have nothing to complain. The food is yummyyyyy :)

Meet Asmet, he's the one that order extra rice to finish those katsu hehe

Rating: 8/10

Location: Grand Indonesia, Jakarta

Shabuya (Sukiyaki)

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 07:24:00 +0000

Hey patients!!! How u doin :) Today dr. B is gonna bring u to one of my fave place in Central Park, Shabuya

I have posted a review bout their shabu-shabu menu a few months ago and I love it. Now I got the chance to try their sukiyaki menu, thanks to Goorme and Shabuya :D I'm gonna cut this short and go straight babbling bout the food, ok patients?

The food:
First the appetizers... I LOVE them all. This time I got 3 kinds of korean appetizers. Forgive me for not knowing the name, at the time I totally forgot to ask for the names and went straight to take a bite hehe

This one is caramelized sweet potato with sesame seeds.Yummy :) Love the smooth sweetness and the fragrant sesame. A perfect appetizer to tingle your tastebuds

This kimchi is good... Well, not the best Kimchi I ever had but not bad. I don't like the messy appearance tho.. Usually kimchi is like a pile of mustard (sawi putih) cuts in small pieces, this one is like mashed mustard.

Now... This one is like japanese beef burger.Yummy!!! I think they should be careful with this dish, people might think this place sells beef burger. I like the consistency, the salty/sweet sauce, the fragrant meat. Love love love it! :)

Now move on to the main course. In shabu-shabu, we were given a plain soup to cook our meat and then dip them in ponzu (the sauce). In the ponzu, we can add daikon (raddish), finely chopped garlic, chopped scallion and chopped chili. In Sukiyaki, the soup/broth given has taste. It's a light brown water with a hint of sweetness. I like how the sweetness of the soup doesn't overpower the meat so we can enjoy the goodness of the meat. We can add those condiments above but I don't think it's gonna suit the sukiyaki soup... At first, the soup was just ok but after u cook the meat, the sukiyaki soup becomes brothy and taste really really good!!! Yum...

The meat served was angus beef, thinly sliced and served on a big plate. I don't really understand about beef grading and stuff but one thing I do know is Shabuya's meat was great. The manager told me that customers can ask about what kind of meat the prefer. We can ask if we want out meat lean or with marbling. I prefer the one with lots of fat but afraid of getting high cholesterol hehehe

Besides beef, Shabuya also offers seafood. I don't recommend seafood with sukiyaki based soup but well, depends on how u like it. I personally don't like seafood in Sukiyaki, prefer it with ponzu :)

They give a bowl of veggies, mushrooms and udon to accompany our meat. The veggies go well with the sukiyaki soup but the udon is not. Tastes weird.. I like my udon salty not sweet :(

For Rp. 125.000/pax all u can eat, it's a bargain!! High quality meat, great service and nice ambiance, this is a must visit spot :)

Rating: 8/10

Location: Central Park, Jakarta

Life As We Know It

noreply@blogger.com (Aris Munandar) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:16:00 +0000

Life As We Know It merupakan romantic comedy terakhir yang masuk ke Indonesia. I watched this a few weeks ago but forgot to review bout it :p At first, I heard bad review bout this from a friend, saying that although funny and nice at the beginning but the movie is getting boring in the end. As an avid rom-com/Heigl fans, I decided to watch it :p

Cerita nya tentang Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) seorang pemilik bakery cantik tp sedikit neurotik yang ga laku laku. Nahh dikenalin lah dia sama Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel), seorang playboy slengean. Secara mereka berdua bertolak belakang, gagal lah mereka berkencan... Tapi perjalanan nasib berkata lain, mereka terpaksa mengasuh anak teman mereka BERSAMA. Trus apa jadinya tu anak?????

Kedua pemeran utamanya seh ga usa diragukan lagi... Katherine Heigl is now the reigning queen of romantic comedy!! I love her, love love her. She's pretty, she's funny and she is the strongest contender to be the next Sandra Bullock. Josh Duhamel sebenernya punya segala potensi jadi rom-com star tapi kok gw ga tralu demen ya. Kayanya dia lebi cocok jadi aktor serius daripada rom-com gitu... Yah disini seh dia jauh lebih baik daripada di When in Rome tapi tetep aja, kurang bisa ngimbangin Heigl menurut gw.

Dari segi cerita, walopun agak cliche (neurotic pretty chic meets handsome bad boy) tapi karena dikasi twist ada baby jadi nya lebi fresh. One thing I like about it is the movie is not how Holly and Messer fall in love but about how they become a family. Si baby nya disini bukan tempelan doank, jadi bagian penting dari ceritanya. Untuk hal-hal lainnya seh seperti layaknya rom-com, sweet and romantic in several scenes, boring and cliche in more scenes.

It's a good movie but not great. A nice date movie or to hang out with friends :)

Like a bowl of vanilla sundae, you already know how it tastes (sweet and comforting but boring) yet u still crave for it :)

Rating:7/10