First Love Patisserie - Blueberry Flavor

I had a dinner with my friends, celebrating my 27th birthday!! Or I should say nine days post my birthday date dinner. They brought me cake and guess what!! First Love Patisseries' Thousand Layer Cake in blueberry flavor! I never had their blueberry one, well I never had any other bakeries' blueberry ones. I did tried the original and oreo but blueberry was certainly new.

Somehow I can still fit in 2 big slices of it into my super tight tummy at the end of a huge dinner. Very very satisfying but yet guilty feeling crept in and fear strikes when I thought about my weighing scale at home, hahahaha...oh well...diet can always start tomorrow :p

Bottom line with regards to the blueberry flavor; I like it ! Original flavor is less sweet than this one but a good change to what may be perceived as 'boring' flavor. Regardless of any flavor, I should say that till date "First Love Patisserie" serves the best thousand layer cake!  

PS : I'm not paid to advertise nor free cakes were sponsored to me, but certainly welcome :)

First Love Patisserie

Plaza Indonesia Level 3 #E 01 - i

Phone : 021 - 3623 2828 (call / sms)

Mobile : 0818 08843 888

Blackberry Pin : 22687290

Nannini

                      









I had a lot of good Aglio Olios at Nannini in Plaza Indonesia but a virgin with their branch in Plaza Senayan. With that saying, their first branch was actually Plaza Senayan and the second was Plaza Indonesia. After a good twenty minutes debating on what to have, what not to have for dinner, where and where not to eat, FW and I landed ourselves here. I must say for a Thursday dinner crowd, their tables were around 90% seated but then again it's the Muslims' fasting season and when comes dinner time people swarm cafes and restaurants. The taste becomes secondary and instead to have their empty tummy filled is a primary thing! So beware of this season, crowded restaurants during peak hour may not equate to good tasting dish!

Menu : Caesar Salad with additional Salmon

Price : Rp 50,000 ++ (Additional salmon Rp 20,000++)

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Okay, I have to admit that I screamed 'overpriceeee' for the small bowl of Caesar salad. I mean if you want to price your salad the same with your main course then please serve a main course size instead of an appetizer portion. Their portion is a fail for me but the taste is somehow satisfying. If only their portioning is correct...if only...

Menu : Roasted Chicken

Price : Rp 75,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> This time the portion is amazingly correct, I was disappointed with the salad's but I forgave them on this. Good size portion with steam vegetables and mashed potatoes on the side. I like the ginger garlic rub and herbs infused into the chicken. I must say it's a little bit dry on the 'breast' side but still chewable. The BBQ sauce served together was a good combination too. Tangy, sweet and sour BBQ sauce is exactly what a roasted chicken need. FW made a good choice of menu on this.

Menu : Fettucine Carbonara

Price : Rp 63,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> From the first bite, I knew I should've stick with their Aglio Olio instead. First, let's talk about the portion; good size just enough for me. Second, seasoning; too bland for me, I added some extra salt, pepper and a ton lot of chili flakes on my plate. Third, the fillings; pretty generous and thus always a good thing. Fourth, pasta and sauce; a little bit too dry, a drizzle of olive oil at the end might be a good thing to do here. Fifth, presentation; I'm not a big fan of it. Overall, wasn't too bad, but definitely having Aglio Olio next time !

There is a promotion for BNI credit card holders, a good cut of 25% from the food only. The total bill came down to Rp 240,818 for two person, around Rp 120,000 per person.

Nannini

Plaza Senayan, 3rd Level No 317 A

Phone : 021 - 572 5411

Bangi Kopitiam

The rate of new cafes and restaurants opening up in Pantai Indah Kapuk is almost too damn fast to be true. Bangi Kopitiam is a newbie in PIK area and situated near the entrance of Tol PIK, exactly across Hops n' Malt. I had a quick bite with a girlfriend, catching up and stuffs like that on a wednesday afternoon. The traffic wasn't that bad, there were quite a few tables on a down time but remains the same until peak dinner time. Maybe words of mouth hasn't spread too wide about this particular 'kopitiam'.

However overall, I quite like the food they served, I pretty enjoyed my bowl of tom yum and tasted my friend's bowl of curry laksa. But the service and the way the waitresses were trained was rather irritating. They were blur as hell, clueless, slow and ignorance when comes to serving and taking orders. Maybe the fact that the place had just opened and thus the flow wasn't yet smooth sailing as they should be.

Menu : Tom Yam Mee Hoon Soup

Price : RP 37,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> They served me raw vegetables, not even blanched in any way. That point was rather a turn off, it shows ignorance in the kitchen. However that was compensated by the tom yam soup itself. They fillings and the add-ons were all very ordinary but the soup really brought the dish alive. A good balance of sour, sweet and spicy. Ask for their 'sambal' too, they serve 2 kinds (besides cabe rawit); sambal bilis & sambal udang. I prefer sambal bilis to be added into this dish. You can have a choice of 'bihun' or 'bakmie' to go with this menu.

Menu : Ipoh Noodle Curry Laksa Soup

Price : RP 32,000 ++
Score : 7.25 / 10

>> I'm not trying to be stingy by giving quarter of ratings but that is what I felt. Just a quarter fraction better than the above tom yum soup. The fillings were again ordinary, just what any other curry laksa would have and once again their soup saved the day! Good kick of heat! Add bird's eye chili and sambal bilis into this and your tongue will go 'gaga' over the hot sun :) Spicy hot I mean and thus beware :p Bottom line, I wasn't disappointed by neither of the dish and will come back in the near future.

Bangi Kopitiam

Ruko Crown, Pantai Indah Kapuk (Close to TOL PIK entrance / Across Hops n' Malt)

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

Seribu Rasa

 

I gathered some of my friends on Saturday and had a birthday dinner at 'Seribu Rasa', which means literally "Thousand Flavor". It is an establishment in Menteng area (right behind Deutsch Bank) that serves posh Indonesian food. The ambiance of the place was alright, just ordinarily pleasant; dim lighting, parquet flooring, high ceiling, spacious dining area, separate smoking and non-smoking area available. The only 2 big thing that turned me off were; a lot of mosquitoes and only one female toilet !!!!!! It took a long time just to take a piss ---__--- geezz !

Anyways, back to the focus attention; FOOD. It wasn't my first time there, but on this occasion I made sure I ordered the dishes that I haven't tried before (except for the dendeng balado). I liked the dishes on a general scale, it came out on a pretty decent lead time, the service was pleasant and quick too. Bottom line, I'm not too fussy about anything (which is a positive note).

Menu : Kerabu Mangga Melayu
Price : RP 35,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This mango salad dish is slightly different from the normal ones. This has an extra kick of spiciness which I very very much welcome. Sweetness from the sugar, sourness from the green mango and the spicy punch from the chili..hmmm...yummmm !!! Reminds me of Thai food actually.

Menu : Chicken Satay

Price : Rp 35,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Like the chicken, like the complete condiments, like the temperature when the food came out. Like it, all except the portion :( Tooooo little, toooo small, simply not enough :'( A mere five sticks for a portion and the meat are just too skinny and small !

Menu : Dendeng Balado

Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> This is a spicy beef dish, sliced into medallions. Well it's not spicy for me at all but hey...my threshold for chili is above ordinary and so this was child's play for me hahaha :p There's two types of chili, green and red chili paste. I like the green one better due to the fact it has this slight more fragrance to it. The meat was tender and not chewy with a little bit of veins to it. For those who can't handle chili, just simply scrape it off to the side and pass it to you 'hot' friend.

Menu : Pineapple Fried Rice

Price : Rp 56,000 ++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> The presentation was good, it has this half sliced mini pineapple on the plate, but the taste was ordinary. Nothing too special about it, taste the way it was supposed to taste. One of the turn off point was the squid were very much overcooked, chewy like hell !

Menu : Nanking Beef

Price : Rp 85.000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Portion is an issue here again -__- gosh, why are restaurants trying to earn sooo much profit?? I like the flavor though, slightly too sweet but when eaten with steam rice it is compatible ! The beef was cooked well, tender and juicy.

Menu : Fried Chicken with Mango Sauce

Price : RP 63,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Wasn't a disappointment. Even though the chicken was fried, it maintained it's juiciness, tenderness and flavorings was on the spot! I can taste the sweet and sour taste of what the name of the dish had promised to me.

Menu : Ko Samui Red Beef Curry

Price : RP 85,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> My favorite dish of the night. It has this coconut pungent curry base paste and yet didn't overpower the meat. The beef was cooked well, the temperature was right. It wasn't chewy or tough in anyway. The bread containing all the goodness was heavenly too. It was slightly thick but has this crispy crunch to it. Hmmm...good stuff :) Don't miss out on this when you're ordering your dish here.

Menu : Kangkung Balachan

Price : RP 45,000 ++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This was alright, no mistakes whatsoever. Didn't leave me a memorable taste though. This just came out and taste like what other proper Indonesian restaurants can provide, except with a higher price tag!

Menu : Ketan Durian Malaka

Price : RP 33,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> I looooove this one! The 'ketan' is sticky enough but not too sticky or tough that you cannot chew. The durian is definitely noticeable, it tastes super ripe and sweet. And lastly the brown sugar sauce was on the spot !! Love the balance of the texture and the sweetness. Yummmyy !!!

Seribu Rasa

Jl. H. Agus Salim 128 Menteng Jakarta

Phone : 021 - 392 8892

Kitchenette

Before I start this post, I'll have to inform you guys that my brain was scattered around and thus a lot of the basic details that I usually provide are missing. Forgive me for that :p

I was busy chatting, replying my work emails, eating, tasting and drinking (not forgetting I left the table early for a friend's birthday dinner). Therefore, do pardon me :p Other than that, please read and feed your eyes :)

Menu : Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Price : To be advised

Score : 3.0 / 10

>> The reason  why I gave this a score of 3 wasn't the fact that it taste bad but the fact this doesn't taste like Aglio Olio AT ALL. We, J-towners eats a lot of fusion food but this dish is 'fusionized' soooo much that it actually taste like a good 'mie goreng' instead of aglio olio. I kid you not ! 

Look at the picture and you'll realized that Aglio Olio doesn't have tomatoes in them. In here, there are some chunky ones. This taste sweet as if a good dollop of sweet soy (kecap manis) is added into. So, dear Kitchenette; please fix on this menu. I really think you serve relatively some good food for a shopping mall standard but if I wanted a bowl of Aglio Olio I'll never ever order it from you again. * Unless you write me an email informing me that you have switch recipe :) hahahaha

Menu : Beef Burger Steak with eggs on rice
Price : To be advise
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Yummmehh !!!! Reminds me of college food I had in Chinatown back in the old days when I was still in Melbourne. A piece of meat, additional fried egg resting on a mountain of steam rice with some funky gravy all around. This taste 'homey' but better in many level. To begin with, the rice portion is BIG and thus if a female is having it, either you literally have a big stomach (just like me hahaha) or you just get out of the female prison, if not then you better share with another friend rather than wasting it. This definitely taste fusion but correct in all the taste department :)

Menu : Marie - Lou

Price : RP 55,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> This is basically a sweet crepe. Whole baked banana, a good dollop of nuttela, a little bit of whipped cream on the side, grated cheese & a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Lastly, drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce to finish off. This screams "CALORIIIIIEESSSS" in so many level, especially after having half Aglio Olio and half portion of the Beef steak on rice. But my mouth is just too itchy, it can't stop until I have dessert to wash my main course off. Nevertheless, satisfying and a happy tummy is a happy me !!!!

Kitchenette

Plaza Indonesia Extension 1st Floor

(Across Baron Bistro or Louis Vuitton)

Phone : 021 - 2992 3580

First Love Patisserie - Original Flavor

Thursday, 19th July 2012 was my birthday and to those who didn't know it, shame on you !!! hahaha, oh well anyways, I received a cake from my dear friend S.M. Sound weird enough, I was thinking about this particular cake during lunch time and when I got back from work, thaaa da!!! S.M sent it to me :'), very very lucky girl indeed. 

First love patisserie concentrates on making only one type of cake; 'Hokkaido Thousand Layer Cake'. They claimed to sent their chef to Japan and uses imported natural ingredients (they use natural vanilla beans which cost 20 times more than vanilla essence). Each thousand layer cakes are made fresh without preservatives and can be stored up to 3 days only. If you freeze it, it'll last up to 7 days and put it at room temperature for 15 minutes before eating it.

Menu : Original Thousand Layer Cake

Price : Rp 280,000 for 20cm or Rp 320,000 for 24cm

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> My favourite thousand layer cake. First Love Patisserie only sells whole cake, if you want to have it per slice, you'll have to visit Kitchenette (Plaza Indonesia) or Social House (Grand Indonesia). Besides original flavor, they have : Oreo, Green Tea and Coffee (Rp 295,000 for 20 cm & Rp 360,000 for 24 cm). Remember to order 2 days in advance to ensure availability. Emergency orders will subject to cake availability.

First Love Patisserie

Plaza Indonesia Level 3 #E 01 - i

Phone : 021 - 3623 2828 (call / sms)

Mobile : 0818 08843 888

Blackberry Pin : 22687290

Starbucks

Menu : Bolognaise Chicken Sandwich

Price : Rp 29,000
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> Who likes cafeteria sandwiches? Well, I don't! But I usually have my 'Rustica Chicken Sandwich' on my way to 'Tangerang'. I'll usually stop by the gas station and have a quick breakfast. And I stick to that menu until yesterday I had my first 'Bolognaise Chicken Sandwich' and I was truly taken by surprise! 

A super duper tasty Bolognaise gravy, good amount of minced meat, compatible tasting cheddar cheese. The only downside was the white bun was too thick. The gravy is really good and with that, actually made me wanna have it with a good bowl of spaghetti.

So...to you all Starbucks' drinkers, the next time you queuing up for your lattes, cappuccinos and frappucinos, do remember to peek at their display counter. If you see this, hopefully it'll remind you of my post. Grab and try it for yourself. Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did !

Vietopia

My experiences with Vietnamese cuisine are rather shallow and my best ones were certainly a few years back when I made a trip around Vietnam. I'd say the food taste like Thai. Strong in lime, lemon, vinegar and can be spicy sometimes. Definitely my kind of food!!

F.W brought me to this Vietnamese restaurant in Cikini Raya. If you are unfamiliar with the area (just like me) then I assure you that 'Vietopia' will easily passes you by going unnoticed. The restaurant looked gloomy, unkempt and not inviting from the outside. I arrived there around 9 pm and there were only 3 tables occupied on a Sunday night. Maybe it was due to the fact that it is after dinner service peak hour.

Menu : Cha Gio

Price : Rp 26,000++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> The number one rule : you can never skip spring rolls as your starter in all Vietnamese restaurants and I delightfully obeyed. This is basically a fried spring roll with minced chicken inside. The fillings inside were alright but what made this a delicious dish was the fried skin. It has this gooey slight chewy on the inner side and yet still crispy on the outside of the skin. Yumm - ooh !!!

Menu : Pho Bo

Price : Rp 45,000 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Pho is a Vietnamese renowned beef noodle soup is served with hand cut rice noodle, generous amount of sliced beef, beef brisket, Vietnamese basil, scallions, coriander, beansprout, lime and chilies to taste. I definitely seasoned my soup very well to adjust my palate. 5 wedge of lime and a few spoonful of cut green chilies. The warmth of the broth definitely warmed my heart.

Menu : Ca Mu Chien Voi Gung

Price : Rp 48,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Resembles 'Gurame Asam Manis' but brought up to a few notch higher. This is a one portion dish of fried grouper served with mushrooms and poured with "Noucmam" sauce. Best eaten with steam white rice. Love the sweet and sour taste!

Menu : Ca Phe Sua Da

Price : Rp 22,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Served in the Vietnamese traditional way of drinking coffee. The coffee potion will slowly drip from the miniature pot on top of the glass filled with sweet condensed milk at the bottom. This might take 10 minutes for all the coffee to be filtered all the way through. You can have this in both hot and iced! Order their 'Ice lemon grass tea' (Rp 15,000) instead if you are extremely thirsty and couldn't wait for 10 minutes.

Total Cost for the meal of two : Rp 180,000 (inclusive tax)

Vietopia

Jl. Cikini Raya No 33, Jakarta Selatan

Phone : 021 - 3915893