Ninety - Nine

There was a midnight sale from 7pm - 1am in Grand Indonesia last weekend and I made my way there with a couple of friends for dinner before doing some shopping therapy. We had dinner at the Ninety - Nine, Ranch Market. I like the design and layout of the place. It is very 'open' and comfy. The selection of desert is just abundantly amazing; they even have a store specially catered for french pastry. The main course selections were well priced and on top of that delicious! Every one's dish tastes really good and everyone left the place feeling satisfied and will be coming back soon for more!

 

Half Roasted Chicken Rp 69,000++ & Australian Grain Fed Beef Burger Rp 79,000++

Menu : Tenderloin Steak
Price : Rp 129,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Very very very tender! Every cut of this meat screams "EAT ME"!!! The mushroom sauce was beautiful and salad at the side were crunchy too! On top of that, look that thickness of the meat. Good stuff :)

Menu : Sop Buntut Sembilan Sembilan
Price : Rp 79,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» I personally think what makes a good oxtail soup is the broth. That is the most important factor of the dish; the make it or break it element. And this definitely has a great broth!!! Serves quite a big portion and satisfying indeed.

Menu : The Ultimate Beef Eater
Price : Rp 79,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> The base was the right thickness for my liking, it wasn't too thin yet not thick at all. The meat was generous and well sauced and spiced. But if you don't like black olives, then you shouldn't order this, or you'll have to fork them out all over.

Menu : Chili Fries with Cheddar jalapeno Sauce
Price : Rp 39,000++
Score : 6.25 / 10

>> This was actually a side dish to the tenderloin steak main course. Though I had to pay extra money for the side dish but I think it's worth it. The fries served was generous and the dipping was yummy! The meat and bean gravy may look disgusting but don't be mistaken, it's good!!

Menu : " Bonjour French Pastry" : Chocolate mousse
Price : Rp 32,000
Score: 7.0/10

>> This cake reminds me that I can always eat dessert NO MATTER how full I am. I can feel the genuine goodness of the cocoa coming out hahaha!



Menu : Strawberry Mousse
Price : Rp 30,000++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Soft and Sweet just the way I like it. It would have been much much better if the crust was crispy. The use a sweet bread instead. However, the fresh strawberry made up for it.




NINETY - NINE, RANCH MARKET
Address : Grand Indonesia, East Mall Lower Ground Floor
Phone : 021 - 2358 1199

May Star

I had a pleasant Thursday lunch at Maystar, Emporium Pluit Mall. I love Maystar's lunch menu, because of the "Dim Sum" they served and rice set dishes. If you go there during dinner time, you only get to order the main dishes which are also very yummy too. But however, lunch menu has more variety!!

Menu : Double Boiled Minced Pigeon in Mini Bamboo
Price : Rp 28,000 ++
Score : 6.25 / 10

>> Very calming soup and the pigeon meat is very tender and easy to chew. Ideal soup for the elders. The soup gave me an impression taste of 'tonic'. The herbs was not too strong.

Menu : Nasi Iga Babi Pedas Panggang
Price : Rp 32,800 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> The honey pork is yummy, but sadly too much bones and they should provide more vegetables on the side too. The hainam rice is good and wants you to have more :)

Menu : Hakkau, Steamed Beef Ball Hong Kong Style & Siu Mai
Price : Hakkau Rp 17,800 ++, Steamed Beef Ball Rp 16,800++ & Siu Mai Rp 17,800++
Score : Average 7.5 / 10

>> All of the dim sum were very fresh; the prawns in the Hakkau & Siu Mai were succulent. The beef ball were very tender and has an unique taste too.

Menu : Steamed Scallop Clam with Minced Garlic
Price : Rp 18,000++ / piece
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Good stuff here! I love the minced garlic sauce, even though it is a little bit over oily, I simply just love it. The scallop were fresh and very well cooked.

Menu : Shrimp and Mushroom Dumpling with Spicy Vinegar
Price : Rp 16,800++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> I was surprised when I saw the price. I thought this was quite cheap. Apart from the good price tag, this is a definite order every time I visit Maystar at lunch time. The vinegar sauce is strong and spicy thus, I wouldn't recommend this for people who has mild pallet.

Menu : Coconut Pudding
Price : Rp 42,800 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> One of the best coconut pudding in town, even better their rival Duck King's. The sweetness and the tender pudding simply melts in your mouth! Heavenly soft :)

Menu : Avocado Cream with Ice Cream
Price : Rp 18,800 ++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> The avocado cream was actually nice, the only short coming was that, they should serve coffee ice cream instead of chocolate ice cream.




MAY STAR CHINESE RESTAURANT
Address : Emporium Pluit Mall 4th Floor

Warung Tekko

My brother (RS) had his birthday last Saturday and he invited around 20 of the office staffs to get together to have dinner at "Warung Tekko". Just to give a background 'gossip' that I've heard before. If you ever wonder are Tekko and Lekko the same restaurant? The answer is no! Lekko is the original restaurant established in Surabaya and Tekko stole their secret recipe and open their own store with extremely similar name. Turned out unhappy, Lekko then opened their store just 10 meters beside Tekko. Both are fairly busy but as time passes, I heard more buzz about Tekko, eaters think it's better than Lekko.

Menu : Gulai Ikan Kakap (Fish Head Curry)
Price : Rp 46,000++
Score : 6.8 / 10

» It might be the low photo skill that I got (:p hahaha) or the fact that I took pictures from my Blackberry and thus this dish doesn't look appealing at all. But nevertheless, I like the curry. The fish itself was alright but the curry was abundant and good!

Menu : Bakso Sapi Penyet
Price : Rp 20,000++ (Not Sure)
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Okay, I didn't took serious notice of the price on the menu and thus sorry about that. This meatball was pretty much the same with the typical meatballs but the chili sambal sauce really gave this a much needed kick.

Menu : Iga Sapi Penyet
Price : Rp 25,000++
Score : 6.2 / 10

>> This is how Indonesians cook their ribs. They boil the ribs for a period of time, until their meat is tender and able to flake off easily from the bones. Next, marinate them with secret spices for a long time and next grilled them until they're brown and cooked! Remember the very very important chili to go along with them too :)

Warung TEKKO
Address : Ruko Cordoba Blok F No. 11 Pantai Indah Kapuk - Jakarta Utara
Phone : (021) 5699-3499, 9223-2621
Monday till Sunday : 1pm -10pm

Gyu Kaku

Gyu Kaku is a restaurant that previously never caught my eye. I'm not sure why but maybe it didn't have enough buzz about it. My cousin came back from Singapore and he wanted to try Gyu Kaku's  "Ox tongue", thus ending up having a dinner there. The Tofu Kimchi Chigae Soup completely took me by surprise and since then, I came back there quite often. Personally, I reckon' they have the best kimchi soup in J-Town. I might be exaggerating, but I simply LOVE it. Truly heavenly! Gyu Kaku is located at Plaza Indonesia, ground floor just across to Cork and Screw.

Menu : Tofu Kimchi Chigae Soup

Price : Rp 68,000++

Score : 8.5 / 10

» My goodnes this is SO GOOD! I loveeee the soup ohhh my lord yummy. Even though the stuffing was pretty much the same with normal kimchi soup, the soup is fragrant and thicker than normally. I can even taste the egg and chili plus the spices was heavenly good!!! A MUST have :) 

Menu : Wagyu Rum Cap
Price : Rp 229,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» It is a bit pricey for 11 pieces of beef. Even though it's premium beef but I can't seem to appreciate beef too much. However I remembered someone said premium beef has marbled fats within the meat and if that statement is true then these meat slices are definitely premium!


Menu : Wagyu Nakaoshi
Price : Rp 176,000++ (Large = 140 grams)
Score : 7.0 / 10

» This premium beef was juicy and if you like meat with thick fats, then you'll like this for sure. I'm not a big fan of fatty meat but people who like those really enjoy this dish!


Menu : Beef Tounge (Gyu Tan)
Price : Rp 112,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10
» The gyu tan are actually fresh and nice. But somehow I always compare gyu tan I ate in Indo with the ones in Melbourne (Melbourne Central, Oishi : Gyu Tan Don). If only any restaurant can steal the recipe for the sauce Oishi uses ..nyuum! Someone please franchise that restaurant!

Menu : Assorted Grilled Sausage
Price : Rp 56,000++ (Small)
Score : 6.0 / 10

» This was not anything fancy or special. But I guess it was okay. A variety of sausages, some beef, some chicken. There's even one type with cheese in it.




GYU KAKU
Address: Plaza Indonesia 1st Floor #173, Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30 Jakarta 10350,
Phone : (62-21)310 7196
Monday till Sunday : 11am - 10pm

Social House

Social House (SOHO) is one of the many Isamaya Group chain of restaurants. And what I love about Soho is that they have beautiful brunch menu which I always tend to order nearly every time I'm there. Definitely my Sunday late lunch favorite place to hang out and eat! The food are well priced and the decor were comfy with great selection of wine to order too. For those who don't drink, order their great selection of mocktail, they're girly and very very yummy! PS : Lily of the valley is my favourite.

Menu : Eggs Benedict Breakfast with Chicken Sausage
Price : Rp 65,000++ (Chicken Sausage Additional Rp 20,000++)
Score : 7.0 / 10

» Reminds me of being overseas, having big brunch style. I like everything about this dish, from the garlic toast, poach eggs till the turkey ham, except for the vege leaves at the side. It was very bitter :( But I have to admit that overall, I enjoy this very much. I wished the chicken sausage would had been bigger. The pork sausage my friend ordered was much bigger.

Social House opens till late in the wee hours during weekends but make sure you have your bookings reserved prior or you'll be disappointed.

SOCIAL HOUSE
Address : Grand Indonesia, East Mall. 1st Floor

Phone : +62-21 2358 1818, 2358 0450

Monday - Sunday : 8:00 am - 1:00 am

Balinese food escape!

This trip to Bali was actually a couple of months back during Lebaran Holidays! I ate so much great food that I came back to Jakarta about 3 Kilo heavier. Nevertheless, it was freakin' worth it!

Venue : The Ayana Rock Bar - Jimbaran, Bali
Menu : Chicken Popcorn
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 6 / 10

>> Visit Ayana Rock Bar for the beautiful view but not the food. The menu has a great selection of alcoholic beverages but not ideal for meal. Nevertheless, the place was a great place to hang out!

Venue : The Ayana Rock Bar - Jimbaran, Bali Menu : Virgin Lavender & Virgin Tropical
Price : Rp 80,000 ++ (each)
Score : Lavender 5 / 10 & Tropical 7 / 10

>> The tropical drink is very refreshing, very citrus! The lavender is more of a fragrant and soothing drink.

Venue : Ibu Andika - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Nasi Pedes
Price : Rp 17,000
Score : 7 / 10

» Don't count on the surrounding, it's just hawker food along the street. The dishes are actually plain, but the chili is crazily superb !!! I'm a sucker for chili and my tongue definitely dance with sensation!

Venue : Ifiori - Across Discovery Mall Kuta, Bali
Menu : Australian Sirloin Steak
Price : Rp 155,000 ++
Score : 7 /10
» Simply one word ; JUICY !! Very well cooked and tender indeed.

Venue : Ifiori - Across Discovery Mall Kuta, Bali
Menu : Asian Chicken Springroll
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 5 / 10

» It is too oily and reckoned overpriced for spring rolls. Order something else if you happen to be there.

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Grilled Barramundi with Lemon Olive Oil Juice
Price : Rp 68,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10
» Very very suitable for a light lunch.

PS : Scenery view of across the paddy field.

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Le Steak Frites with Garlic Butter
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Juicy and I like the garlic butter sauce a lot... YUMMY !!!!

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Bali Fruit Fantasy & Banana Frosty
Price : Rp 50,000 ++ (each)
Score : Fruit Fantasy 5.5 / 10 & Banana Frosty 7.5 / 10

» Fruit Fantasy is okay but the banana is yummmy!!! They added expresso and chocolate bits blended with vanilla ice cream. Drooling yet???

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Chocolate Dream
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 7.7 / 10

» You never ever go wrong with Chocolate! This devil consist of Mini Chocolate Moelleux and Brownies, Chocolate Pot de Creme and Sauce !!!

Venue : Nuris's Ribs - Ubud, Bali
Menu : Pork Ribs
Price : Rp 78,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

» For the mere price this is good stuff! Ask for more lime squeeze and lots of their home made sambal. Definitely two thumbs up for this. Pig out mode : ON !!!

Venue :  Warung Made - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Sate Lilit Ikan
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Delicious !!! Spicy Tuna fish satay that can only be found in Bali :) Heavenly good!

Venue : Warung Made - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Nasi Campur ala Made
Price : Rp 50,000 ++
Score : 7 / 10

» Generously big portion and satisfying !! I like the sate lilit and the sambal chili :)

Venue : Coco Coffee Bali - Nusa Dua, Bali
Menu : Nasi Goreng Sari Nusa
Price : Rp 45,000 ++
Score : 5.75 / 10

» I wanna give this a six but the service bad -_-". Took such a long freakin time to get this dish out and yet they're not packed.

Venue : Bubba Gump - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Boat Bucket of Trash
Price : Rp 220,000 ++
Score : 6 / 10

» Deep fried shrimp, slipper lobster tail and mahi mahi seasoned with Cajun spices and french fries. But however, i think this dish is OVERPRICED for fried finger food.

Venue : Bubba Gump
Menu : Cajun Shrimp
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Sauteed in a spicy Cajun butter sauce, served with garlic bread for dippin'. I like garlic bread super super muachhhh!

Venue : Bubba Gump
Menu : I'm Stuffed! Shrimp
Price : Rp 190,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Large shrimp stuffed with crab cake, baked in garlic butter and topped with mozzarella cheese. Served with rice! The crab cake is gooddddddddd me likey :)))