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

Bakmi Orpa (Jln Kopi)

Wonton Soup Rp 30,000 (5 pieces)

Bakmi Orpa (Pork or Chicken) : Rp 25,000

Have you heard about Bakmi Orpa? If you are a Chinese Indonesia living in Jakarta, most probably your parents have eaten here before. Bakmi Orpa is situated on Jalan Kopi and don't judge by it's modest and messy interior of the eatery. The noodles there is damn good! Their home made noodles are silky and has a slight 'bouncy' chew to it. There is a choice between chicken and pork. If you aren't a Muslim then I'll advice you all to try the one with pork, remember to add soya sauce and chili before tucking it. It will elevate the taste !!

To add on, besides the noodle I'm completely in love with their boiled wonton soup. The soup is purposely served bland, all you can taste is the pure chicken stock. Thus remember to season youself with the soya sauce and pepper on the table. The wonton wrapping is simply just magical! It is paper thin, soft and silky! I dislike those restaurants serving wonton with thick wrappings (all you can taste are all the dough in your mouth). In here, you can really taste the meat fillings inside! It usually a bowl of 10 wonton, but you can have it 5 wontons instead; just remember to request on it.

Don't order ice tea when you are in here, remember to try their "ice coffee". It is strong and sweet at the same time. They brew their fresh coffee on site and with the correct proportion of condensed milk, this is simply heavenly good !! Besides their noodle and wonton, they have wonderful selections of small dishes like; bola ubi, siomay, bakso goreng, etc. All of them are delicious, trust me!!!

Last but not least, I'd just want to let all of you know that even though this is a modest eatery, the price tag isn't modest at all. They do charge the eaters with quite a bill. But life is too short to eat bad food isn't it?

Bihun Bebek 78

Bihun Bebek 78    ( Price : Rp 25,000 )

 I made a special trip to Pluit Selatan for this bowl of duck vermicelli. To come to this place "Bihun Bebek 78", it's easy, you'll just need to go straight past the red light at the Emporium Mall cross road junction. When you see the second red light, turn left and 50 meters from turning left you'll see the sign board.

I heard that the owners came from Medan and brought with them this recipe and since then, they have been established and well known. The vermicelli were soft and silky, I'm not sure whether they made it themselves but sure are slightly thicker than the normal "Jakarta's Bihun". The generous sliced duck meat was tender and not oily at all. They have cut all the fatty part and with what was left were the trim tender meat. Make sure you pour a generous amount of their chili and with the help of the spice kicking into your taste buds, you'll love the dish even more. Lastly, I have to mention the bowl of soup that they serve this with, it was clear and the taste was really unique. Surely they have added some tonic herbs because it tasted like a tonic soup instead of a normal chicken broth with spring onions.

Old Town White Coffee

Emporium Pluit Mall has a newcomer; Old Town White Coffee. It claim to have overseas branches in Malaysia but it was my first time seeing it. Even though it was in the middle of the afternoon (around 4pm) the crowd there was quite a handful with mostly old age people hanging out drinking coffee. Nevertheless, I decided to have a try.

Menu : Curry Potato with Thick Toast

Price : Rp 22,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I enjoyed it! I like the fact that the curry wasn't too strong and all of the spices and herbs at the right amount. The potatoes were soft and the thick toast was a perfect combination to dip into the gravy. 

Menu : Old Town Hot White Coffee

Price : Rp 15,000 ++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Definitely better than your supermarket instant coffee mix hahaha! This coffee is suitable for those who do not like strong black coffee. The proportion of milk is definitely more than the espresso. However, I'm more of a 'frappuccino' type of gal !

Menu : Old Town Ipoh Chicken Hor Fun

Price : Rp 28,000 ++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> I don't really like this dish because of two critical factors. It has too little fillings (besides the obvious noodle) and the chicken broth / soup was slightly on the bland side. Thus bottom line, I wouldn't advice all of you blog walkers to try this. Pass on this one!

Platinum

The first time I tried "Platinum" is at Mall Ciputra which was then a hip trendy mall that had deteriorated in quality and image. I remembered the restaurant as a place that serves cheap steak. I forgotten all about the taste or anything that got to do with the place but when I visit Mall Karawaci the other day I wanted to try it; remembering the good old days.

Surprisingly, I wasn't disappointed at all and bearing in mind their very reasonable and leaning to cheap price tag, I was actually impressed. I ordered the Chicken Mozzarella and David ordered the Combo Tepanyaki that comes with steam white rice. I had 'Strawjelly' (Rp 12,000++) for drinks which was yummy too! Strawjelly is a mixed of fresh strawberry, strawberry jelly and fresh milk blended into one with ice! I reckon it tasted straw-licious!! For two grown ups our bill came down to Rp 83,000 (included tax) which was a good value for money!! I'll definitely come back here again in the near future.

Menu : Chicken Mozzarella
Price : Rp 32,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> For the mere price of 32K, I personally think 'Platinum' hit the ball out of the park! with this fried chicken dish! A home run indeed! Crispy chicken skin on the outside, still tender and juicy in the inside.  With a good swap of barbeque sauce in between the fried chicken and melted mozzarella cheese was awesome. The portion is perfect in size with all the extra vegetables on the side to make your bowel smile :)

Menu  : Combo Tepanyaki
Price : Rp 24,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I can't complain about the pricing that comes together with a bowl of steam rice. The sauce is well seasoned, vegetables were not soggy, chicken and the sausages were well cooked too. However maybe due to the 'hot plate' that still cooks the beef even until the dish is in front of me for a good 10 minutes made the beef overcooked and thus chewy. Apart from that, well done! and definitely coming back there!

Bon Ami - Surabaya

15 of us went to Surabaya last Friday for our very good friend; Budi's wedding. We had a blast and were honored to witness him achieve his happiness with Dewi. Nevertheless, I managed to remember my blog among all those parties there in Surabaya and below is a restaurant called "Bon Ami". The decor of the eatery was alright, nothing fancy just simple with 'homey' tones.

It is a well known place among the locals and that they have a 'sister' restaurant named "Bon Cafe" which is renown for their steak dishes. I trust my dishes to my friend Luci who is a local and definitely had came there many many times. I liked "Lontong Cap Go Meh" best, the ketupat is so extremely delicate and easy to chew unlike some nasty ones that I usually get in Jakarta (very dry and tough to chew).

Main Course : Galantine Rp 42K,   Lontong Cap Go Meh Rp 32K,   Nasi Uduk Jakarta Rp 26K

    
Appetizer : Lumpia Basah Rp 17K,   Rujak Cingur Rp 29K,   Lumpia Goreng Kecil Rp 21K

      

Deserts : Es Campur,   Es Avocado,   Es Teler

 

Little Penang

The first time I ate "Asam Laksa" in Jakarta was at this restaurant but the one in "Taman Anggrek Mall" branch. I thought it was amazingly delicious and fell in love with the sour and tangy flavor of the tuna broth that all Asam Laksa typically will taste. I often come back there often for that particular dish. When I start working full time, I go there much lesser and when I made an unplanned trip to "Pluit Village" (previously known as Mega Mall Pluit) and saw that restaurant, I knew what I'll have for lunch. 

I didn't order their "Asam Laksa" because their menu had certainly grew in variety and that sort of lured me away from my initial intention. David and I order  three ala - carte courses and my overall experience went down slightly as to compare before I went in. Maybe it was the dishes that I choose but still it is no excuse for them to execute the dishes so poorly.

Menu : Tahu Goreng Penang

Price : Rp 24,800 ++
Score : 4.0 / 10

>> The menu said minced seafood stuffed in tofu and covered with bread crumbs and fried till golden brown. The tofu and bread crumbs I can taste, but seafood??? I see none, I taste none and disappointingly tasteless too.

Menu : Kerang Putih Asam Manis Chili

Price : Rp 39,800++

Score : 3.0 / 10

>> The sauce was pretty good, a typical sweet and sour sauce but the clams was disgusting. It smells of fishy and screams to me 'NOT FRESH'. I hate eating not fresh seafood, because the smell will be just way too bearable ! BAD BAD BAD !

Menu : Iga Sapi Steak Sauce

Price : Rp 59,800 ++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> This is was a pleasant change from the previous 2 dishes. The meat is very tender and slip off easily from the bones. The black pepper sauce is of the right amount of seasoning and overall I think this save my overall experience of this trip to the restaurant.

Nan Xiang

Out for group dinner on Saturday night at Senayan City with 15 people is a mess. We can't decide on which food to have and make matter worse having to find a restaurant that can fit 15 of us without having to queue narrows the selection down. Finally after 30 minutes of futile discussion we head down to Nan Xiang. No queue is definitely a big plus point that drew us all to there. I was still full from the afternoon snack I had earlier on and thus ate a little. The food was alright, nothing was disgustingly bad nor none was superbly delicious.

Menu : Sup Asam Pedas

Price : Rp 39,800++
Score : 4.0 / 10

>> I don't think this is better than Maystar's or Duck King's. I had 2 spoon full and passed it entirely to David to finish it. It wasn't sour enough nor able to taste the hotness. For the price and claiming as a Chinese Restaurant, soup is the fundamental skill they should be able to master.

Menu : Hak Kao

Price : Rp 19,500 ++

Score : 4.0 / 10

>> I love Hak Kao and often order this dish if you notice my old posts. However this was below my standard and scored only a four pointer. It was just boring and bland! I expect so much more from this restaurant.

Menu : Sapo Tahu Ayam Ikan Asin

Price : Rp 58,000 ++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> Personally I felt this is slightly expensive for a tofu dish. It taste alright, the portion was medium and the meat slices was pretty generous but the sauce was too thick. I would prefer it to be less viscous.

Menu : Xiao Long Bao - Prawn & Chicken

Price : Rp 48,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> The stuffing was good and tasty and the temperature when served was steaming hot (which is correct). But the problem lies with the skin wrapping, it is too thick and doughy! Din Tai Fung has better ones !

Menu : Mie Cha Chiang - Ayam & Jamur

Price : Rp 42,000 ++
Score : 6.75 / 10

>> This noodle dish saved my experience. Right pricing, right portion, right seasoning, right noodle texture, right sauce. Simply fine ! With cut chili soaked in soy sauce and sprinkled generously onto, made this a seven pointer dish. Yumm !!!