Showing posts with label food blogger jakarta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food blogger jakarta. Show all posts

Saturday, November 29, 2014

IKAN BAKAR CIANJUR - ALAM SUTERA

It's not often that I blog about something that's already very famous, popular and reputable, if restaurant is a celebrity, then this following name is definitely Mariah Carey famous, so when I do, it's either because it's very good, very legendary or simply to show you guys how much I love it.

Ikan Bakar Cianjur is a legend. Ever since it served its first customers back in 1989 and after 19 outlets later, it's still going very strong. My family (and I am talking about my big big family) has always been enthusiast about IBC and especially the queen of the big family (my grandmom): she's an avid fan of their Nasi Liwet! But trust me, their Nasi Liwet is just that little piece of them that you're gonna love, many more to come.

Living in the western part of Jakarta easen up the access for me to fulfill my IBC craving, I could easily chose their outlet in Pecenongan but this post is going to be talking about their particular outlet in Alam Sutera which I found very beautiful and in a sense, earthy. To be completely honest, I had something to take care in my university which located not too far from Alam Sutera and I usually go with both my parents and my grandmom (for some reasons they love the ambiance of Tangerang) and right after finished dealing with some administration thingy fast forward here we were!
This particular outlet wasn't hard to reach, it's located just across Living World and near Flavor Bliss Alam Sutera.
I honestly liked the design of this particular outlet, from the usage of materials, coloring and design, I felt like I was actually in a colonial themed building, only with more food, more people and more fun! Another good point about this particular outlet was the fact that they have a little green area on the side allowing natural sunlight and in a way, sense of refreshment! The first floor could accommodate up to 250 people and it was packed when I went there (as usual)!
The second floor looked even more colonial with the semi-outdoor concept, and it's also where the VIP rooms (the green door) and the al-fresco dining area are located.



Now we better move to the fun part: FOOD! I'm gonna start with what they're MOST FAMOUS for: NASI LIWET! It's surprising but won't be a surprise that they manage to constantly sell 300 POTS (yes 300 freaking pots) of Nasi Liwet every single day (probably more on the weekends). I mentioned earlier that my grandmom is a die-hard fan of their Nasi Liwet, well, in this case: ME ALSO! The secret to have such delicious fragrant tasty rice is to basically soak the rice for 2 hours in their own homemade signature broth before it's slowly cooked in low heat and finally topped with Medanese sauteed anchovies!

Tahu Goreng
Fried Tofu
Tumis Kangkung (Stir Fried Water Spinach)
IDR 22k
There's something about water spinach that's so simple but very special and believe it or not, it has the power to convert those who dislike vegetables to like (and I mean only like) this particular vegetable and I've seen so many! The water spinach was stir fried in light seasoning and along Terasi (some kind of shrimp paste product), shallots and garlic! FYI they only use the water spinach brought from Lombok (according to them the stem's bigger and hence, crunchier). I love how they executed the cooking process and clearly on a decent temperature because it's still crunchy and fresh!

Sayur Asam (Sweet-Sour Mixed Vegetable Soup)
IDR 15k
Their Sayur Asam was one of my favorites that day because it was very refreshing with decent balance flavor and generous condiments. I love when Sayur Asam is perfectly balance because when it gets either too sweet or too sour, it could be a total fail, big time and luckily this wasn't the issue!

Nasi Goreng IBC (IBC Fried Rice)
IDR 32k
The fried rice might look standard and simple but it's actually quite nice! I love the seasoning of the fried rice and especially that hei wok smoky flavor (always love when stir-fried food had that smoky flavor to it!). If they could make a more beautiful sunny side up (just for the sake of aesthetic value) that would be even better, but that's just my personal preference and not the up-most important actually!

Ayam Bakar (Grilled Chicken)
IDR 18k
Grilled Chicken is cliche but this one was a total yum! I bet you can see how the generous sweet soy-sauce glazed on the tender chicken and in this case, what you see is what you get! It's sweet but not overpoweringly sweet and still had that savory touch to it which is mandatory.

Gurame Pesmol
IDR 75k
This was the deep fried Carp which then processed with the dipping in IBC Homemade Pesmol Sauce and then topped with sliced tomatoes, green chili and fried shallots. This was their signature dish along with Nila Pesmol (Tilapia fish) and as well as one of their best sellers. I had no wonder because this was really good with really rich seasoning, nicely executed fish (smooth, soft, tasty) and incredibly flavorful and I don't mean it in the most hyperbolic way but it is damn it! Having this with the Nasi Liwet was like a burst of flavor in the mouth. Dayum!
Kambing Oven (Oven Cooked Mutton)
IDR 48k
If you read my blog, I bet you know how much I rave about my dislike towards mutton and lambs, well it's not hate hate but it's just that I get traumatized because of how often I got the stinky mutton and lambs *barf* but this one has got to be that little part of the exception because this was good! The mutton was marinated in their homemade sauce before actually getting to the oven and processed. The meat was tender and tasty, the portion came with their homemade nut sauce and pickles, I loved having it with the nut sauce but as simple as "just the meat", I was happy enough.

Sop Iga IBC (IBC Rib Soup)
IDR 48k
This one got into my recommendation list and one of the must order for some reasons: First, because it was really good, second: it's the only dish with soup on the lunch and it's just me who believes that soup is mandatory on the set! The soup was actually beef bone stock and seasoned beautifully resulting this tasty and fragrant beef based broth, even more with you have it with generous fried shallots and spring onion. The ribs were actually quite tender and tasty, not a surprise when you know they're being slow cooked for three hours and pre-seasoned with local herbs and spices.

Left: Es Cianjur Right: Es Campur Tempo Doeloe
As always, my motto is to start with something savory and ends with something sweet (and refreshing of course) and these ice desserts could be just that! If you ask me, I think both of them were nice, equally using the coconut milk, condensed milk and various topping but still, in a way, different, but I am rooting for the Es Campur Tempo Doeloe more! Just because it's more fragrant and sweet <3.

I didn't manage to capture a decent shot because I realized the focus was on the glass (so I better not upload) but for the drinks, you have to order their Carrot juice, it was the winner!

So far, Ikan Bakar Cianjur is still one of my family's favorite when it comes to a decent place for family dinner and gathering! Most importantly, good food without eventually feeling ripped off! The range price for the food starts at IDR 10k - IDR 80k and the drinks starts at IDR 5k - IDR 20k! It gets a little packed during lunch time, no actually almost all the time, but if you want to bond with the communal, you are more than welcome, but if you want a more quiet ambiance, you can come in between the lunch time and dinner (est. 3 PM - 5 PM). I love going here on the dinner time, this might sound corny but I think that's the peak of the family time: it's night and having a lovely dinner with your family, sometimes it's nothing better than that!

Ikan Bakar Cianjur - Alam Sutera
Jl. Alam Sutera Utama Kav. 20
Alam Sutera, Tangerang
021 - 2921 1600
Opening Hours: 10 AM - 10 PM
Pricing: $$ IDR 200k for two
WEBSITE 


FIND ME HERE

Map for Ikan Bakar Cianjur Alam Sutera

Monday, November 24, 2014

CHRONICLE JAKARTA - COFFEE AND COCKTAILS

Went to this newly opened cafe yesterday for lunch with Cindy and since we both had good experience, I wanted to blog this asap, well not really, it's because I am those people who manage to go here earlier hence I want to blog about it before everyone else does HAHAHA! No lah joking, probably half true, it's just that I am always excited when it comes to visiting new places and be the one who promotes them at the early stage, that's probably certain percentage of happiness there is for me. Before I start, I just want to tell you that it doesn't matter if you blog something fast or not, make sure you make a bloody good post and you can tell when it's good, it's like you can feel the writer's passion on the writing and not ONLY for the sake of reviewing, not to mention, take freaking good photos and chill on the editing, don't hurt someone else's eyes.


Chronicle is located in Jalan Wijaya 2 around Dharmawangsa neighborhood, the venue wasn't as spacious as Common Grounds or anywhere fancier looking like Common Grounds, it's more humble, simple and proper, but I won't give you a lot of interior shots because they're still on their soft-opening days and some furniture are still pretty much temporary, their grand opening will (hopefully) falls on the next two weeks and I am so coming back for the final appearance! But so far, just like the coffee shop nowadays: wood materials majority, simple design and clean.


I learned that Chronicle is actually the sister of Common Grounds and that's why you're going to find a lot of Common Grounds cups and actually sip their coffee when you order some, so what is it that makes this coffee shop and cafe different from Common Grounds? Well here's the thing, you can say that it's the daughter of Wilshire and Common Grounds since it's the owners' (Yoshi and Hanna) venture together so there is not only going to be coffee but also food, but different from both Wilshire since it's concentrating on the casual fine dining cuisine, and Common Grounds since it's concentrating more on the all day breakfast menu and here's something to highlight: Chronicle is actually a coffee shop and cocktail bar! Again, COCKTAIL BAR - I even "bold" and underlined it for you so you can remember -, so you won't only experience the "common grounds" but also their own cocktail creations, especially the coffee cocktails.

 Not only the coffee, you can also experience special brewed tea here by Jing Artisan Tea.
Hibiscus and Blackcurrant Tea
IDR 30k
First of all, this tea was very fragrant and had this intense hibiscus scent but nowhere near sweet floral, this was Cindy's order and she actually liked it, it had this quite rich blackcurrant flavor (and natural of course) and in a way quite light, the thing about hibiscus is that the flavor can be subtle, but enjoyable.

Iced Cappuccino
IDR 30k
I had no further comment about this since Common Grounds is currently one of my favorite coffee shop in town and I always order this one whenever I am visiting. I love it! And oh, since I just came back from Oz, my standard for coffee is now pretty high! Common Grounds is actually quite there yet.


Belitung Noodle
IDR 45k
Uh oh I am so excited when it comes to this one! It's probably not your everyday thing to have local or Asian cuisine in a coffee shop but I was glad that Chronicle decided to follow their gut because this was very delicious! It happened to be Hanna's mom recipe and it has been the family's "signature dish" on events like family gathering. First and up most important: the broth! The broth had this medium consistency (not too thick and loose) and flavor wise: beautiful, you'll experience delicate flavors in one: sweet, tangy, savory, well I love prawn based broth but there are times when it gets too thick and disgusting you just want to throw it away but thankfully that's not the case here. Secondly, the noodle, it was actually not noodle noodle, but they're using spaghetti and glad they cooked it al-dente! As the topping, you're going to find fried tofu, homemade prawn fritters. If you love adding a little 'heat' on your meal, you're going to love their homemade chili, so damn good and really lived up the whole flavor!!! I'd be happy to pay for more than 45k for this one beautiful dish. Recommended!



Buttermilk Chicken Burger
IDR 70k
I have always been a fan of buttermilk chicken and decided to give it a try and boy didn't I regret my option! As simple as the buns were executed awesomely, wasn't sure about this one but I bet they're using good butter because the bun had this beautiful combination of sweet and salty with a little smoky flavor in it from the cooking process. The buttermilk chicken was perfect. Big big cuts-deep fried, ultra tender and juicy and lovely seasoned. The portion came with fresh lettuce and adorable fries and yes the fries were really good, something about the seasoning that screamed!



Lobster Roll
IDR 95k
So far if you think we eat like crazy, YOU ARE RIGHT. When we looked at the "lobster roll" written on the menu, we went crazy and decided to order one! As you can see on the pic below, you can tell how generous they are with the filling and toppings. The beautifully seasoned lobster was accompanied by diced tomatoes, avocado and all together tossed in mayonaisse sauce.  I love how they added this citrus flavor to the meal resulting different refreshing twist and flavor. The bun was semi-crunchy just how I like it



Since it was raining and we both stuck inside, we didn't realize that we've spent 4 hours in Chronicle and got hungry again, another bowl of the beautiful Belitung Noodle was what we had in mind and we re-ordered it! I was happy that they still manage to be consistent with everything. Nice!

FYI I AM TYPING THIS ON LUNCH TIME BUT WITH ME HAVING NO MEAL SINCE THE MORNING NOW I AM FUCKING HUNGRY!!! I think I should go back for their Belitung Noodle!

Even though their grand opening will be in two weeks but I still highly recommend you to go here and try what they have in store. Based on my experience, I wasn't disappointed, everything was up to my standard and the pricing was good. The range here starts at IDR 25k-95k for beverages and IDR 40k-IDR 95k for food, good deal it is!

Chronicle
Jl. Wijaya 2 No. 73
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12160
0821 8888 1538
Opening Hours: 10:30 AM - 11:30 PM
Pricing: $$

FIND ME HERE

Map for Jalan Wijaya II

Saturday, November 1, 2014

SWEETHUT PANTAI INDAH KAPUK JAKARTA

Went to this newly opened cafe in Pantai Indah Kapuk just yesterday just because I couldn't stand the cuteness when I saw their pics on my friend's Instagram! Sweet Hut is a Malaysia-franchise joint and brought up by the group that managed some of PIK's most favorite ventures such as Agantea, Broaster's Chicken, Karaoke PIK and Sinsin. They're only 1 week old and still on their grand opening days, but from what I see, I think they already have some loving customers, or at least curious hungry people! PS: their outlet was very easy because of its eye-catching appearance! Red and white color, almost festive. It's located just beside the PIK Karaoke in the Ruko Cordoba area.

Yes, congratulations for the opening!

They have indoor and outdoor seating, but sitting outdoor during the day won't be on my list because it's freaking hot, but frankly speaking, I think this is the first time I fell in love with how simple a restaurant's outdoor setting (referring to the restaurants in PIK), I just love the arrangement of the red umbrellas! The indoor area was surrounded with glass, hence it's such a champ when it comes to taking pics here during the day!


I came yesterday and that means: HALLOWEEN DAY! All the staffs were transformed into these villains and zombies and they personally hired a make up artist for the customer who desired a make-over! Bet the MUA needed a freaking hand massage.


Realistic scar

Sweethut's menu was mostly dominated by the desserts, but they also had quite a decent range of beverages and savory selections but mostly rice bowls and comfort food, but since I didn't try out their savory items, I only tried their desserts. The price range for the dessert ranges from IDR 35k-IDR 50k

Coconut Pudding with Caramel Pudding (A6)
IDR 50k
This is the dessert for the milk lovers, I personally am not a big fan of this dessert because it's milky, well it's a very cheesy judgement but at least I give out my POV, but according to my friend (whose sense I believe in), the flavor was milky, but the texture of the caramel pudding was silky, smooth with creamy flavor. FYI, I love the usage of fruits in the dessert because it kinda added that fruitiness which I found interesting.

Fresh Mango Sago Pomelo Soup with Mango Ice Cream and Coconut Pudding (H1)
IDR 45k
To be honest, the real serving portion was smaller than what I expected, especially after looking at their menu, but along the way, I found the portion reasonable. I like this dessert, well truth be told, lately I have been very into the not-overwhelming-sweet stuff and slowly I am converting to healthy indulgences. Not sure if you can categorize this as "healthy indulgence" but from what I tasted, it indeed still had that natural sense to it. The owner claimed that they're using very low amount of sugar and complement it with the good quality fruits with their natural sweet flavor, which somehow reflected. I bloody love their Mango ice cream and the fruit itself, they're just yum!

Baked Maquis Chocolate Pudding with Cookies Ice-cream (B4)
IDR 50k
This was basically a Chocolate Lava Cake, the texture was nice and the chocolate flavor was rich and dark, but again, this is another common menu, everybody likes it, but this is getting a little Justin Bieber famous.


Fresh Milk Oreo Snow Ice with Caramel Pudding (Z1)
IDR 45k
If you love heavy milk flavor then you're gonna love this! Well, you know me, I have major issue with milk and cheese. I personally couldn't stand this because my palate ain't belong to milk, but Cindy told me this was very good, the texture of the ice cream was light but the flavor's indeed rich. The caramel pudding also had this rich creamy flavor, light silky texture (bet you can see) and melt in your mouth.
They're having a promotion for every purchase of IDR 100k, free bowl of dessert (number F4). Basically it's the same as the the Mango Pomelo Sago dessert (H1), only different toppings with soft grass jelly, I obviously liked the H!
What I love about their dessert is the fact that they're not very sweet, this might be a downside for those sweet-tooth enthusiasts who're craving for a certain level of sweetness (meaning high), because I'm going to warn you that their kind of sweet is the natural fruit sweetness, so it comes with the territory I guess, some might love it, some might hate it, but when it comes to me, I liked it.

Will I go back? Of course! Simply because I haven't tried their savory selections and their mouthwatering drinks (FYI the menu had great photos they're almost like 3D!), and I won't bother coming back for more of their mango desserts.

SWEETHUT
Rukan Cordoba Blok E/12
Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta Utara 14470
0817 9098 489
Pricing: $, IDR 150k/two
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM


FIND ME HERE

Map for Karaoke PIK (located just beside)

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Kosenda Hotel Jakarta - Hotel Review

For some, the idea of staycation is a little insane and fortune-wasting. I have friends asking me why I love to splurge by staying at hotels in town while you have your own home. I honestly don't know the the exact reason why I love it but I know enough I don't need one, it's just that I like it and I love trying new places which I'll eventually take as "experience". I have been doing quite a few staycations lately but I haven't gotten the chance to blog everything due to the lack of time and I am super duper busy lately, but for you my lovely readers I'm sitting in front of the lappy while becoming a night owl and doing this post! Can I be more dedicated I deserve an award!

Now this hotel might be petite but I must say this hotel's one of the coolest there is when it comes to the design. Located around the Sarinah Thamrin area, this hotel's relatively attractive with its quirky architecture design and illustrations all over the wall making it almost impossible not to look over. Getting here was really easy (aside from the fact that this hotel is near my house and I pass this hotel almost everyday), it's just across the well known Sarinah Mall and if you took the street from Tanah Abang, you just have to turn left from Tanah Abang (but you shouldn't take the underground pass), if you go here using TransJakarta, stop at the Sarinah station and took 5 minutes walk to Wahid Hasyim road.

I have been wanting to stay here ever since it's being introduced to public last year, especially when I hear they're using my favorite brand for bath amenities *.*, keep reading to know which one.

Even the sign board is cool.
Wouldn't call it a "gate" but this one's "gate-like"
Too much shadow porn <3.


Obsessed with the plants located just in front of the lobby entrance, couldn't stop taking pictures, do you think I have weird interest? ;p. - PS: these photo was actually taken the next day.



Even the inside is still very quirky but so bloody cool! The right photo below was on their lobby area.
This was taken near the toilet, the lighting was awesome!
Spiders on the wall! Coolness overload.
The check in was smooth and easy and since I stayed here only for one night I didn't bring so many stuff (what for?). Don't expect that there will be a staff greeting you and escorting you to your room, remember, this is a boutique hotel, not those glamorous luxury city hotels so I was totally aware of that even before actually coming here, but I was glad enough that during my stay, the staffs I met were polite and smiley.

Decided to go with the "COMFORTA" room, it's the second grade room in this hotel and I was occupied on the 7th floor.
My first impression of the room: it was a little more petite that I expected (it was like half of my room at home), especially after I saw the pictures from their website (first world's problems) but despite the space issue, I still found the room to be quite comfortable. I have been staying at several boutique hotels before and so far I have been admiring The Hoxton Hotel in London, the room was petite (but clearly bigger than this one) but graciously proper, super duper comfortable, just how my ideal boutique hotel should look like.

Love the hangers, so cute!

This 18 sqm room basically consist of Lady Americana queen bed, 32 inch LED TV, bathroom space (which I put special love but with very minimum coverage), desk with stationery - I love the fact that they prepared stationery such as ruler, corrector, eraser, scissors -, vintage looking phone, iPhone/iPod deck to charge and amplify the music through the speaker and some other basics like lamps, hair dryers and toiletries. I looked at their website before that people who are staying at the COMFORTA room would receive free complimentary from their very own 127 Cafe but for some reasons, I didn't get one.
Another thing I love about Kosenda, gloriously fast freaking WiFi!!!


It was very nice of them for being generous with the mineral water. They gave each room 4 free complimentaries of 600ml.


Now I love this part. I have been a huge fan of this product and I was beyond happy that Kosenda's using...
KIEHL'S!!!
I am a big fan of Kiehl's and has been using their products forever...but I never tried this variant before and I love that they're using this Vanilla & Cedarwood variant for the shower gel, shampoo and body lotion, smells so freaking goooood! It had that caramelish scent, a little musky and of course dominated by vanilla but in the most pleasant way. A 65ml is more than enough for a day, especially the shower gel: a little goes along the way!
As in for the toilet, it had very minimum coverage and lotsa exposure so I guess if you came here with someone you truly call "friends", I guess you guys should really figure a way out LOL!
- - -
Hungry as hell and went to the Waha Kitchen to have my super late dinner. Oh I checked in around 9 and had my dinner around 9.30-ish, fatso! I am not going to say much about the food as I will tell you in a different post, it's just that I don't like to do a combined review, separated dining post is mandatory!!! Generally I would say I have mixed impression about the food here.
Waha Kitchen was located on the lobby level and just beside the 127 Cafe. Waha might not be big, remember the hotel's not big on the first place but it was really comfortable. It's just the way they design and layout the whole area to this space where I could be comfortable in enjoying whatever that I was doing and I have to give my thumbs up for them.



Again, as quirky as they could be.

AWAN LOUNGE
Finally, after being super curious about this place, right after dinner, I proceeded to Awan Lounge, not to sit and had drinks but at least to look at this place because so many people have come and gave mixed thoughts about this. When it comes to me, I must say that I wasn't entirely impressed with Awan Lounge based on what I saw. First, I was expecting this magnificent Jakarta view from this spot but since Kosenda was not exactly high and it's not exactly located in the heart of Jakarta like Monas or HI so the view that I got was kind of minimum, just lights, rooftops and quite a few buildings. There weren't many people when I came in which then made me assume that this place should be a good spot if you want to have a relaxed time with friends or lovers (I did see quite a few couples). My favorite seating gotta be the one next to the bar (photo below) as I think it offered the best view and felt less-isolated. However, since I didn't try any of their food and beverage, I would love to come back for more of what Awan Lounge had to surprise me.

The best seating, the one with the best view!

- - -
GOOD MORNING! I always have amazing sleeps during staycations. FYI I am typing this at 2 AM I couldn't freaking sleep but during staycations I managed to sleep earlier and had quality sleeps FML.

Love the morning light boosting through the window. Instagram material.
They provided the guest with the comment card for us to rate the whole thing.
Adorable ceiling lamps not too far from my room.
 Can't be anymore hipster.
Breakfast at Waha Kitchen, same as the dinner, the details will be on another post. What I could tell you is that I was quite impressed with their coffee, heard they're using Morph.
Right after having my breakfast, I proceeded back to my room and repacking stuff because the check out time was 12 PM. The checkout was even easier and took less than the check in which was good.

You'll be pleaded guilty for not taking the money shots! Look at that shadows <3.
I might sound like a freaking narcissistic but I humbly admit I love my photos on this post but the place itself was such an effortless beauty already.
Okay, let's recap the whole thing. In a nutshell I had a lovely stay lah! Had amazing sleep in their petite room, amazing shower LOL, quite decent food (upcoming), casual polite staffs. Kosenda hotel is a one cool hispter hotel. It literally rings hipster so much I could hear.

I wouldn't say staying here is considered cheap but it's certainly cheaper than most city hotels in town. I spent around IDR 1,7 mil (including the dinner at Waha), the room itself was around IDR 1,3 mil alone (including 21% tax and service). Did I get what I pay for? I would say 85% but I had no regrets, I love the idea of trying and experiencing... again, TRYING and EXPERIENCING. If I was an expat, this is a kind of hotel that I would go along work trip because of its strategic location and decent quality. I heard they also have a gym station but I didn't look around but I actually wonder how would the gym look like.

In the hotel industry, the rates changes through time so you better click here for any rate updates.

Staying at Shangri-La would cost you around IDR 1,8 mil/night for their standard deluxe room with way more things to offer: way more spacious room, delicious buffet breakfast (at Satoo for goodness sake) and for those I would love to spend extra $50 to for Shangri-La, but it's not fair to actually compare this as they're on a completely different class and market, for some reasons just wanted to point this out for consideration.

Stay tuned for the second part of this post and for more staycation experience. Had others but haven't gotten the chance and diligence to blog about them. Okay, getting sleepy now till the next post kthxbye!!! 

Kosenda Hotel
Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim No. 127
Tanah Abang, Jakarta Pusat 10240
021 - 3193 6868
Price: $$

FIND ME HERE

Map for Kosenda Hotel