Manimga

Manimga is situated in one of the most densely populated area where Korean influence are felt; Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara. Countless Korean restaurants can be found in Jakarta but I've never ever eaten 'duck' in a Korean eatery. Instead, I always have the common type of meat; beef and pork (sometimes chicken) cooked in all sorts of way - BBQ, grilled, stir fried, boiled in soup, etc, with all sorts of sauces and traditional condiments - gochujang, bean paste, etc. Not only I was actually surprise that I found a Korean duck dish, but even more that it was the house specialty !!! Goooood stuff :')

Before I go into the details with the menu that I ordered, I have to inform you all that this is by far the MOST value for money Korean food I have ever eaten in Jakarta. Yes, I must say the place wasn't the most prestigious Ruko in Kelapa Gading area (but easy to locate). Yes, the place was rather small and rather run down and gloomy looking. Yes, the restaurant wasn't the best decor compared to other Korean eatery, but let me repeat it once again "Manimga is the most value for money Korean food I have ever eaten in Jakarta".

Buffet centre side dishes is a common thing in all Korean restaurants, but the distance of generosity that Manimga goes is by far the furthest I've known. Below are the pictures of items that two of us got for free. (Bear in mind that the 2 of us only ordered two meat dishes and one bowl of steam rice). Left : Sundubu (others usually charged for around Rp 50,000. Middle : Papingsu & Ice Coffee (ps : free flow rice green tea too). Right : Unlimited centre side dish (the only let down was the super sour kimchi).

Menu : Hunje Ori

Price : Rp 125,000 ++

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> This duck doesn't taste like duck at all. It taste like cured pork sausage and ham. I loooove this stuff. To begin, the portion is BIG. For two person, we ordered the smallest size plate and I was smiling for ear to ear when I saw the portion. Korean dish is famous for tiny weeny meat portion (I guess that is how they earn more money). The duck meat has the right amount of fat, nothing like the one I ate in Chinese restaurant (thick fat layer). This dish has the right amount of fat layer and when wrapped with fresh green leaves, cut chilies, kimchi and dipped into mustard and Korean soy sauce...my taste buds dances! Definitely two thumbs and two toes up! MUST TRY !!!

Menu : Gochujang Jumulruk

Price : Rp 90,000 ++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This dish comes after Hunje Ori and with the complimentary Sundubu and endless side dishes my tummy was 3/4 filled. I was again amazed by the portion of meat. My gosh! By far the largest BBQ pork dish served in Korean restaurant I have ever eaten in Jakarta for the price of Rp 90,000. I couldn't help but to think how much profit the other Korean restaurants made when they charged Rp 200,000 and sometimes even smaller portion that this.

However sadly, the taste didn't live up to my expectation and definitely outshined by 'Hunje Ori'. I didn't like the taste, it's too acidic and I couldn't smell the slight burnt taste that BBQ grilling usually gave. The cook might marinated the pork for too long or the helper might grilled it for too short. If only the taste can live up, then my lunch on that particular day was truly heaven. Nevertheless, a good size to share for those people who are not picky about their food. If you are then choose the duck dish instead!

Overall I must say that this restaurant left a big impression on me. Not only the service was very generous, the food portion were certainly satisfying but also not many of Indonesian actually notice this place and therefore NO queue. Bliss isn't it ??

Total Cost for the meal of two : Rp 240,000 (inclusive tax)

Manimga - Korean Barbeque Restaurant

7 Boulevard Barat Kelapa Gading
Phone : 021 - 4526 136

Restaurant Mandala

This restaurant is apparently a famous one in the Selatan area, but being a clueless me about the food in that area, I'm a truly a late bloomer. This run down restaurant has been established for quite sometime and had earn a lot of recognition by words of mouth across not only the Chinese, but also the Muslims community in Jakarta. They definitely serve good food, but be surprised on the interior. I think the owner is an extreme clutter but hey! Those weird looking ornaments made this place even more unique!

In addition, be sure to come slightly early from the 'peak dinner time' to avoid waiting for seats while smelling and staring at the rest of others eating and munching in front of you. It's a torture!!!

Menu : Sup Mun Tahu
Price : Rp 66,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Don't look down on this rather 'unappealing' looking kind of 'egg drop soup'. One of the best Mun Tahu soup I had for a long long time. The soup consist of the typical ingredients, tofu, minced beef, eggs, tiny prawns with scallions on top. But the secrets is definitely in the broth! Suddenly, this soup makes expensive ingredients seems trivial and not important at all. Cheap ingredients can certainly makes a print on your tongue. Perfect consistency and seasoning is what makes this soup shines!

Be careful when drinking it, don't get your tongue burn of you'll have a hard time enjoying the rest of the meal. A great portion to share for 3 to 4 person.

Menu : Bistik Ayam

Price : Rp 67,000 ++

Score ; 7.0 / 10

>> Be careful of staining your white clothing from the sizzling hot sauce and by that means you need to be slightly patience to let it cool down for a few minutes or else, you'll definitely burnt your tongue.

As of the above, this dish is a good size to share for 3 to 4 person. It comes with potato wedges on the side that compliments the dish even more if you drench it with the sauce. This dish might be a little bit too salty when you eat it on it's own, but steam rice will balance it extremely well. Chili sauce will be a good condiment to go along with this dish.

Total Cost for the meal of two : Rp 170,000 (inclusive tax)

Restoran Mandala

Address : Jl. Wolter Monginsidi No. 80 Blok Q Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

Phone : 021 -9389 9597

Porter House

I did talk about the transformation that Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) had become in a short period of time. And so... the next time you're making your way down to the stretch of cafes that PIK has to offer and confuse on picking which one to check out, you might remember this post. 

Porter House is one of the busiest cafe that you'll notice. Three units of shop houses (Ruko) were combined to become a two level restaurant / cafe / hang-out place. They offer an indoor and outdoor separate place, both smoking and non-smoking areas, private rooms are available too on the second level.

Even though parking might be a slight hassle, I'm guaranteed a table every time I'm there to visit. Availability is a very important thing to me, I'm definitely a kind of person that wouldn't want to queue for an hour just to get a seat, unless the world is ending tomorrow and I must eat my last meal at a specific place, hahahaha ...

Menu : Hungarian Beef Goulash

Price : Rp 28,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> A warm hearty and a rather good size bowl of soup. The fillings inside were generous; diced beef, bell peppers, capsicum and all the typical ingredients you expect to find in a goulash were there. I like the balance of flavor, a good kick of tomatoes to the tongue. This soup reminds me of a cross between a marinara and a bolognaise sauce. Good stuff!

Menu : Scallop de Horenzo

Price : Rp 25,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> When the dish arrived on the table, I was slightly disappointed on the size of the scallop. I expect it to be like the ones served on Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, but when I was reminded on the price tag that this rather perceived as 'expensive' seafood is a mere Rp 25,000 (for 3 pc), I shouldn't complain much. The well cooked scallop were place on a bed of buttery spinach with melted cheese and cream glazed on top.

Menu : Escargot Bourguignon

Price : Rp 55,000++

Score : 7.5 / 10

>> This time, I was surprised by the amount of escargot they serve on the tin plate. I usually find restaurants serving it on a much smaller quantity and charging with a much higher price tag. I love the generous amount of garlic, buttery, olive oil sauce served on the bottom layer. They definitely should serve this with more slices of toast. One of my favourites on the menu!

Menu : Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Price : Rp 45,000++

Score : 5.0 / 10

>> If you're hungry then you shouldn't order this dish. The size was a let down! It couldn't satisfy me, let alone if you're an adult male. You probably end up ordering two main courses. For the taste, I'd say I had better ones. This was a little bland, I couldn't find the typical strong garlic and spicy taste that Aglio Olio need to offer. But don't get me wrong, it didn't taste bad or disgusting; still fit for human consumption as long you are not picky about your pasta.

Menu : Penne Carbonara

Price : Rp 47,000++

Score : 8.5 / 10

>> A very big difference in terms of taste with the 'Aglio Olio'. I'm not a big fan of creamy pastas, but the next time I'm at Port'er House, I'll order this again. This is not the typical tasting Carbonara that I've ever tasted anywhere else. A generous hand of bacon over a rather 'garlic' tasting cream sauce. I'm forgetting about Aglio Olio and changing to this instead!

Menu : Beef Mignoettes ala Pizziola

Price : Rp 55,000++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Size is again an issue here. The beef was very well cooked, perfectly medium just how I usually like mine. However, the fact that it is only a 3 slice beef medallion dish couldn't satisfy my hungry tummy made it a slight let down. They served it with two types of salad; a potato salad and a spinach salad on each ends. A super small portion of penne were placed on the bottom of the beef and a beef reduction glaze was poured over tying the dish together.

Menu : Oreo Thousand Layer Cake

Price : Rp 30,000++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I know the fact that Port'er House get their 'thousand layer cake' for a local vendor in PIK. They have two flavours; original vanilla and oreo. To be honest, I like both and doesn't mind which one to have. Be quick to order it early because they usually ran out of it before they close.

Note : First Love Patisserie in Plaza Indonesia is better than this by a mile! 

Porter House

Rukan Crown Golf Blok B No 38 Pantai Indah Kapuk
Phone : 021 - 44632017
Mon - Thu : 11 am - 12 am
Fri - Sun : 11am - 2 am 

Fat Burger

- The Original Fat Burger -

Man Vs. Fat Burger

I would have to admit that my first time having a burger at 'Fat Burger' was bad. I felt it was too oily at all level. Trust me, I handle greasy food very very well and have no issues about it depositing along my waistline but the amount that drips out while biting onto it, is quite horrifying. That 'first time' was close to about 1.5 years ago I think.

Last weekend, FW was craving for it, apparently it was his staple diet back in college days in the states. I agreed on giving this fast food joint a second chance. I visited their 2nd branch in Plaza Indonesia, Basement floor. For a fast food joint, I felt their service was too slow, however I must say this time round it was better than my first. Don't get me wrong, the burger is still FAT, is still high in calorie + cholesterol and all that but definitely a big improvement on the grease. You can have a single, double, triple, quadruple meat stacks in between your buns. (Go figure on how you're gonna bite into the burger) Additional eggs, cheese and bacon are also options. I like their 'fat chips', a good size for chewing and for those who like normal size fries, don't worry as 'skinny fries' are available too. For drinks, I tried their 'strawberry milkshake' but honestly, it wasn't that good. I'll stick to coke to sprite next time.

Overall, it wasn't a nightmare. Surely a better experience than my first. But is it a better burger than Burger King or Carl's Junior... that I don't think so ! I'm definitely sticking to my regular, unless FW is having his cravings again.

FAT BURGER

- Plaza Indonesia, Basement Floor (Next to Lada Merah)

- Plaza Indonesia, Extension (Across Ak'sara)

Red Velvet Cake

Starbucks - Red Velvet Cake ( Score : 5.5 / 10)

I simply do not understand what is the big deal about 'Red Velvet'. We, Indonesians are a bunch of typical followers. You get a 'hip' hangout place to serve you an attractive looking piece of cake with mediocre taste and an expensive tag and suddenly BOOM ! They're starting a trend on cakes.

Red Velvet is basically a normal sponge cake with butter cream in between the layers. Different bakers do it differently, some uses cream cheese fillings instead of butter cream and instead of biscuit crumbles, some might use sweetened mixed nuts to line the outer most part of the cake. I've seen places starting to be different and alter the food coloring. Instead of red, they opt for blue, a smurf color kind of blue. It's a turn off for me as I felt those food dyes might somehow be harmful to our body.

Oh well, I pray that the next trend or craze that we Indonesians going to have will be at least something that makes your pallet dance. Lastly, just to humor myself I've copied and paste a link that might come in handy to some of you out there who are looking to bake one yourself; food network's red velvet cake recipe collection

Sengoku Ramen

- Tonkatsu Ramen -

Menu : Tonkatsu Ramen

Price : Rp 38,000 ++

Score : 7.5 / 10

Put your hands up in the air if you have been noticing the big changes that Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) had recently become in the past one year. The stretch of shop houses is nearly filled with all sorts of hangouts, cafes, pubs, karaoke, small eateries, big eateries. You name it, PIK has it. Those of you are 'slightly late' should do yourself some justice and visit there more often.

With new cafes and restaurants opening every few weeks, there is a new Ramen shop that just opened. Just for your information in PIK there are only 3 places that sells ramen :

1. Hachimaki Ramen (not good, don't bother trying)
2. Sengoku Ramen (Exactly next to Stevan's Meat Shop)
3. Ikkudo Ramen (opening soon in a couple of weeks)

Sengoku Ramen serves two kind of broths with every type of soup, the waitresses called it number 1 and number 2. Number 1 is slightly less thin and obviously number 2 is more thick and strong compare to the first. In addition, they serve three types of ramen; normal, firm and extra - firm. I had the 'Tonkatsu Ramen', number 2 with firm noodles. I like that they're generous with their spring onions, garlic and chillies when you asked for extra. Because I've ate in other Ramen places and they actually charge money when you want more onions, they consider it as 'toppings'. Personally, it doesn't cost any money for them to give their customers the basics, it's not asking for free slices of chasiu. Thus, I felt it's ridiculous when they charge for every single things.

Anyways, the service was fine, the soup is good !! I liked the firm ramen, love the extra crunchy mushroom bits. The only let down would be the chasiu slices are overly soft. There is no real bite to it. I'd love to have some firmness on the meat next time please. But overall, a thumbs up and would definitely come back and the others on the menu.

I MISS YOU . . .

To my dearest blog...

A friend of mine BBm me in the morning as it goes something like this :

Friend : yuliannnnn !!!

Me : yuppppp :)

Friend : I read your blog

Me : trythismenu?? Oyaah...hahahaha

Friend : It was good, very detail... bla bla etc etc

Me : *goes into guilty mode* ummm yaa...i've been absence for like 1 year :p

Friend : You should definitely continue writing it...bla bla

That conversation above really took place this morning on my way to the office which lead to this post. I know the previous post before this said that " I, yulian suwandri hereby promise and swore under the blogger oath that will continue writing this blog." hahahaha but umm...apparently 'other excuses' got the better part of me. But surely, I'm allowed to be granted another chance ya? Lets refresh my oath :

" I, Ms. Yulian Suwandri, the daughter of Mulia**** Set***** hereby is sitting down in my office alone, typing and staring at the computer screen; promising that I will regain my love for food writing (*during my absence, my love for food is still very very much intact hahahaha) and sincerely wanting to discipline myself to have a commitment with my food blog. I promise, through good times and bad ones, in sickness or in health, regardless of my wealth or during my poor period when my monthly income has been depleted, that I, Ms. Yulian Suwandri will continue and will not abandon this blog. "

Is that good enough? I assume it is !!

So, here are some updates about me. After nearly another 7 months since my last blog, I : 

• got a slight teeny weeny rise on my pay check
• loose nearly 7 kilograms
• got myself a loving boyfriend *blush blush*
• then start to put on my old weight back (increased 1.5 kilograms)
• got myself two brand new posh bags..loooveee it
• made chilled tiramisu from scratch a few weeks back
• played a lot of board games
• played a lot of card games
• learned to play 'Omaha Poker'
• won a couple of bucks from Marina Bay Sands *enough to cover my 5 day trip there
• discover a different perspective about architecture, interior and design
• tried almost every hangouts along Pantai Indah Kapuk busy stretch of eateries
• lost my blackberry and bought another one in the same hour

7 months of absence

Dear My Blog,

I realised it's been slightly over 7 months since my last post and okay I know I went back on my so called 'promise' or 'commitment' that I'll be loyal to my blog. I'm sorry! Even though I know the fact that not many people care whether this blog exist or not, but it's just I wanna come back to here!

So please forgive me for 'being away' for 7 months and let's start fresh. I truly want to start pouring my hearts out of what had happen in between this 7 months but again, who cares right? If any one of you out there wanna know, email me. I'll bitch about the cause of my absence with you. I'm a changed person now, much fatter (gained 4 kilos) and had more pimples on my forehead hahahaha (due to many many many sleepless nights) but other than that I'm still in love with food.

So, here is the latest picture of me and I promise you all, the next blog I post will be on FOOD and will have NO picture of my face whatsoever. 

Yours sincerely,

Yulian Suwandri
- The author of this blog -

Ocha & Bella

Something about the name that sounds so romantic and when I was there the place was soooo cozy and I love their outdoor theme. Ocha & Bella is situated at the lobby of Hotel Citadine and not only it was beautiful and the fact they're not crazily booked or packed, made it all even better. You don't need to shout while talking and you don't feel the pressure to walk off after dinner as the waiters are not waiting to turnover your seats. The place is well decor and a great place to 'date' too :)

Well, I have to admit, the food and drinks are slightly pricey as the portion was relatively small but hey! you need to pay for the service and ambiance for sure and forking out more cash on the weekends certainly won't hurt.

Menu : Tagliata (Sirloin 180 grams)

Price : Rp 180,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Cooked 180 grams of beef is not massive and actually looked like an appetizer to me haha! I realised the price was rather expensive but certainly worth it. I asked for a medium and they give me medium. Nothing worst when you ask for a medium and they give you well done of overcooked meat. The meat is tender, well seasoned, beautifully plate and the cheese shavings was a great combination. LOVE THS !

Menu : Sea Bass with Cockles Stew

Price : Not noted down

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> The ingredients are all fresh and nothing fishy at all. The sea bass and cockles were perfectly cooked but I felt it was slightly under seasoned. Maybe a good stew doesn't need to much seasonings, I don't know but I certainly will sprinkle more salt and pepper on top of this dish.

Menu : Risotto al Granchio

Price : Rp 90,000++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I LOVE A GOOD RISOTTO and this is a good one! The rice was cooked perfectly, not soggy and certainly not raw. The crab seafood infused broth was totally absorbed by the rice thus making it a delightful meal ! The only downside was the portion, tooooo little as the plate was extremely shallow in depth.

Menu : Papardelle Salscia

Price : Rp 70,000++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> It has been ages since I ate a good pasta and this is surely a top notch dish. The pasta is freshly made in the kitchen, the cream sauce was at a right consistency; not too heavy or thin. Very well seasoned and I can certainly taste some herbs in the dish. The only down side is once again; the small portion!

Menu : Tiramisu

Price : Rp 50,000++
Score : 4.0 / 10

>> This was a let down unfortunately. I think I can make a better Tiramisu because this was just not sweet enough, can't taste the coffee or rum liquor, the cream was too heavy and wasn't chilled enough. Well basically wasn't up to standard with their main courses. This time since a very very long long time, I didn't finish my desert. You hear that? I didn't finish my desert.

Velpa

Seven of us tried this for dinner on Saturday night. What lured us was the board sign saying "50% off on Food only" and that was eye catching for sure! With their discounted price tag, great cozy ambiance, no queue, quick service, flat TV screen (which was important at that time because there was soccer match on Man Utd vs. Everton), soothing live band playing easy listening songs and also beautiful acoustic voice the main lead vocal had, we all enjoyed our time there and finger crossed might be going back there again.

Menu : Alaska Short Ribs

Price : Rp 132,000 ++ (50% off)

Score : 6.25 / 10

>> The sauce actually tasted like 'rendan' which wasn't actually bad or disgusting. I liked it actually. The meat was tender and slips off easily the bone. However I'm concerned with the 'apple side dish' it tasted just wrong and honestly awful. I personally think they should have changed it with just some simple greens.

Menu : Steak with Pasta

Price : Rp 150,000++ (50% off)

Score : 6.75 / 10

>> The hero of the dish is the steak! Wonderfully seasoned, the meat is also tender and of the right serving size. The pasta was just to bland and dry. It was supposed to be aglio olio but I taste nothing but olive oil.

Menu : Panini Chicken Sandwich

Price : Rp 54,000++ (50% off)

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> It was alright for me. Nothing really stood out, it accomplish on the basic thing you asked for a sandwich but as I said, it is ordinary. I like the thinly mandolin cut fried chips though, it doesn't stuff you stomach even further due to the relatively big sandwich portion.

Menu : Dallas Burger

Price : Rp 66,000++ (50% off)

Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Love their BBQ sauce. It is spicy, salty, tangy, zesty, definitely great balanced sauce! Their home made fatty wagyu patties is not only thick but most importantly juicy and on top of that melted Swiss cheese with BBQ mushroom combined wonderfully together.

Menu : The Original Cowboys Steak

Price : Rp 152,000++  (50% off)

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Even though David asked for a well done the meat wasn't tough as hell. It still retains the moisture and their "Jack Daniels" sauce was certainly different from the normal mushroom or black pepper sauce. Oh, I need to mention their mashed potatoes, soft and silky that just melts on yout tongue! YUMM!

VELPA
GANDARIA CITY GROUND FLOOR

Roppan

It has been 30 hectic days since my last post. I have been bombarded with work as the tax report submission deadline is due on 30th April. My company have yet to finish it --___-- and yes my 'panic button' is definitely blinking BRIGHT RED ! Nevertheless I steal somet lunch hour today and update this blog of mine. I missed writing, I missed sharing, I missed posting...aahhh love and passion for food :)

There is a new mall just opened recently; "Gandaria City", it's situated slightly off the central of Jakarta but the selection of food is just marvelous! I had a go of snacking at this cute cafe called "ROPPAN" it sounds Japanese and yes the food served is definitely Japan inspired. Here are some variants I tried on my first trip here, enjoy!

Menu : Motto Choco

Price : Rp 11,000++

Score : 7.5  / 10

>> This dish is actually relatively very very simple. Chocolate spread with chocolate shavings on top of slightly toasted white bread. But the strong and well balanced chocolate spread is to die for! Not to mention, the soft bread that just melts in you mouth...hmm...yum!!

Menu : Ike Banana

Price : Rp 11,000 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> I liked Motto Choco slightly more than this because it is rather more simple with nothing standing out. I love the generous grated cheese though, to die for!

Menu : Godzilla Burger

Price : Rp 18,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> I love this, good stuff! The home made beef patties is well harmonies with their home made mayo and the melted cheese oozes on your tongue. A great company to have while enjoying their "lychee beer".

Menu : Roppan Udon

Price : Rp 33,000 ++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> Their 'udon' is a let down, in compare to their bread stuffs. I can't forgive restaurants that serves bland food or under seasoned. I think it is the most basic skill anyone should have before entering the kitchen. The cook might have forgotten to taste before plating because this sure taste salt-less.

ROPPAN

GANDARIA CITY GROUND FLOOR

021 - 2900 7942