Restaurant Mandala - Revisited

Do cross read my post on 15th July 2012 for my first experience with Restaurant Mandala. Thus, making this post my second trip and on this trip FW and I ordered a different course of menu. The two of us had 3 dish as follows :

Menu : Sup Kepiting Asparagus

Price : RP 75,000 ++

Score : 8.0 / 10

>> On this trip, FW and I realized that there's a 'half portion' bowl available. The previous trip we came (go to post 15 July 2012) we had the full portion of Sup Mun Tahu and we were over bloated by the end of the meal. This 1/2 portion order was definitely a smart move made. I'm not sure which one is better, Sup Mun Tahu or this, both are good but this one is definitely more pricey; twice the price. But I guess it's value for money, because I can notice the chunks of crab meat and asparagus floating and swimming all around.

Coming back to the taste, good seasoning, viscosity is just right, quite generous on the fillings inside.  Overall, it is a good big bowl of soup. Half portion is enough for 2 to 3 people to share.

Menu : Bistik Sapi

Price : RP 77,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> The same menu we ordered with 'Bistik Ayam' on post dated 15th July 2012. But instead of chicken, we had beef this time. I would say this taste better. The meat is tender and neither chewy or overcooked. It also comes on a sizzling hot plate, served with potato wedges at the side.

After all the sizzling effect is gone, there will be a layer of sticky sauce lying at the bottom of the hot plate, that is all the goodness!! Combine it with the potato wedges or simply scoop it and have it with steam rice !

Menu : Nasi Goreng Seafood
Price : Rp 46,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> The portion was actually slightly smaller that I had anticipated. I expect it to be a 'porsi kuli' dish but instead a decent portion. For a quite pricey fried rice, I expect a lot of meat fillings and they lived up to it. Chunks of crab prawns, fish bits, squids are thrown into quite generously.

As for the taste, it was good but rather ordinary, my taste buds surely did not scream "TO DIE FOR". I might order the 'Nasi Goreng Ikan Asin' the next time I'm here but as for the time being, I have no complains whatsoever. A happy customer :)

Restaurant Mandala

Jl. Woltermonginsidi No 80 Blok Q Jakarta Selatan

Phone : 021 - 9389 9597

Fat Witch Brownies

David bought me a brownies cookbook last week and I was extremely inspired by it. The author of the book was "Patrica Helding" who lived in New York City. She baked brownies for her love of passion and started to experiment with all sorts of different brands of chocolate chips, butter, flour, etc. She is very particular with her measurements and experimented batch after batch until she found her ultimate precise recipe. She first sells the brownies to her friends, colleagues and friends. Until finally, people praise and encourage her enough that she found the confidence to open her brownies store called 'Fat Witch Brownies'. For 12 years she kept her recipe an absolute secret until she wrote this book, that she let spreads her brownies recipe with the world.

I always wanted to open a cake store or a bakery but has no culinary or pastry background what so ever. Patricia has none too but her passion drove her, and actually to begin with; brownies is a simple desert yet decadently delicious. In her book, she gives advices as to pair the assortments of her brownies with different ice creams, sauces and accessories.

I felt encouraged and inspired by her book in many different ways. Maybe it was her narration, maybe it was her personal experiences, maybe it was her own personal recipe but above all I understood that her passion and confidence reigns above all culinary degrees that other pastry chefs have. Lastly but not least, I've decided that I should one day open a brownies store and called it "Big Bite Brownies" (what do you think of the name?). It may come true 5 years or even 10 years from now but I'll always have it in my mind. Watch it coming guys!