Lyon

Do you know the city Lyon is famous for it's culinary standard? There have to be a reason why French are snobbish, well besides their taste for fashion and architecture, food is an addition to the column in their resume 'things to brag about'. Anyways, thousands of kilometers away from France, I was celebrating a special day and decided to head to Lyon in Mandarin Oriental Hotel situated at the heart of the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia. It was a dinner on a weekday and thus I wasn't expecting a large crowd. The concept of the place was pretty much straight forward; French fine dining. Price tag is definitely on the heavier side of the scale but I believe in you get what you pay for.

The decor of the place screams 'clean, spotless and professional'. It has elegant and subtle colors of ivory and wood tones. I wouldn't suggest you taking your kids to a lunch or dinner there. It's more for couples and corporate people who wants good food and doesn't mind paying. The service was spot on, attentive yet not bothersome. As for the most important part; the food, two of us tried a few of their dishes and how did my verdict turns out?

Menu : Fresh Bread

Price : Complimentary

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I supposed this is an 'Artisan bread'. Good thick solid crust with a soft inner part. Resembles a smaller version of a sourdough. The bread itself is good, nothing wrong with it. But I would like a garlic or truffle spread to go with it. Besides the normal unsalted butter, garlic or truffle butter would definitely been much much better.

Menu : Escargots

Price : Rp 108,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Delish !! I would love to a full dozen of these all by myself. The escargots weren't over cooked. Juicy, chewable and definitely not 'gummy'. The abundance of olive oil and the ever good garlic and other herbs was totally infused into the escargots. Love the generosity of the herbs and garlic in the dish. I took the complimentary bread and soaked it into the olive and garlic concoction just to make sure I finished every bit there is left. Good stuff !!!

Menu : Tomato Soup

Price : Rp 78,000 ++

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> The best tomato soup I had ever have. I loveeeee everything the Chef put into this. The texture was spot on, flavor was wonderful, the viscosity was perfect and even the orange color was beautiful. What can I ask for more? Well maybe besides another huge bowl of this beauty. This tomato soup has a creamy side that is not overpowering, it is subtle trying to lift the soup as a more 'fuller' dish. Imagine a watery soup and I bet you'll won't be fanatic about it. By the way, the small looking pastry bread at the side was delish. It's a garlic and herb pastry bread; definitely needed to go along with the tomato soup. Yummm and I bet you'll love it too.

Menu : Seared Duck Foie Gras on Risotto

Price : Rp 288,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Consider me weird but I don't like foie gras. Whether it was the animal cruelty facts that goes behind the scene or the mushy texture, bottom line I'm not a fan. It would be a little bit biased talking about this dish. I didn't taste the foie gras but the rest of the dish definitely tasted great. When was the last time you had the perfect cooked risotto? It's not an easy job cooking risotto, much more difficult than cooking your ordinary white rice with the comfort of your rice cooker. Their risotto was top notch and I'm not sure what type of cheese they grated on top, but it completely matched the dish. Next time, I'll re-order this but with seafood or red meat instead of foie gras.

Menu : Steak Frites

Price : Rp 258,000 ++

Score : 8.5 / 10

>> A big portioned and a well done steak. I asked for medium and got exactly that (super crucial for me). The steak has the perfect balance of fats and meat, thus making it juicy and at the same time to my liking. I got to compliment on the fries on the side too. It was of course much better than Mc'Donald's hahahaha and just to make things better, the garlic mayonnaise on the side hit it a home run. My tummy was 70% full from the escargot and the tomato soup but did I manage to finish this? Hell yeah I did, but a little bit left over on the french fries.

Will I go back again? Truly yes. Now a taste of France is only 30 kilometers away from my home and I'm a sucker for their addictive tomato soup !!

Lyon

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Jl. MH Thamrin. Jakarta Pusat 10310.

Phone : +62 21 - 2993 8888

Potato Head Garage

So much buzz about this place was generated before the beginning of Ramadan season, and I finally brought myself there last Sunday for a  late lunch. I've seen the pictures posted by my friends all over Facebook and Instagram. It looked pretty in the pictures and the real life was a photo copy of those pictures ^_^. 

The decor was very modern, sleek with a touch of opulence. Dominated with a lot of white color and beautiful chandeliers hanging from the sky high attic ceiling. The place resembles an old badminton court or a warehouse and thus spaciously opened without pillars blocking your view. I must say it's a good venue for events and parties. Firstly because of the location, then the layout and lastly you'll end up with pretty pretty pictures ^_^ And oh I forgot to mention, this eatery has a definite connection with the 'Potato Head' in Pacific Place Shopping Mall; across the street.

Menu : Wholemeal & White Bread with Butter
Price : Rp 0.- (complementary, free)
Score : 2.0 / 10

>> Sad, sad, sad.. The bread are free but they need to remember that this is the first dish that customers consume. The bread are not only tough, it's cold and completely tasteless. What's so difficult with warming the bread, simply just place them in an oven for 2 minutes, and the butter is not good at all. I really think that this complementary bread is desperate for garlic butter or even a simple supermarket bought salted butter will be very much welcomed.

Menu : Wood Fire Grilled Beef Salad
Price : Appetizer ; Set Menu
(Rp 350,000 ++ : Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert)
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Very very refreshing and the perfect way to open up your taste buds after that bad complementary bread on top. The salad were crisp and fresh, while the beef was cooked well. The seasonings were right in all sorts of way. The amount of salt, sugar and the tangy taste from the chili and lemon were balanced harmoniously !

Menu : Wagyu Strip Loin 200gr
Price : Main Course ; Set Menu
(Rp 350,000 ++ : Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert)
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Beautifully cooked. Asked for a medium and that's what you'll get. The steak is place on top of a hot stone, thus helps in maintaining the temperature of the meat at all time. Comes the choice of sauce and butter that is served separately are quite a selection. I would recommend the 'Bearnaise Sauce' with 'Cafe De Paris Butter' it is subtle thus you'll still taste the sweetness of the beef itself. Assorted seasonal vegetables with a dollop of mashed potato are served separately.

Menu : Valhorna Flour-less Chocolate Cake
Price : Dessert ; Set Menu
(Rp 350,000 ++ : Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert)
Score : 8. 0 / 10

>> YUMM ! (In capital letters). Carb-less chocolate cake!! LOVE the idea of a flour-less cake, thus gave that 'less guilty & more pleasure' feeling. A good real dense chocolate cake and the Valhorna cocoa powder really made the difference. The coffee ice cream on the side is lovely too. Not too overly sweet when have together with the cake. Saw the passion fruit smear in the picture beside? That is super super sour which balance off the sugar level, it cuts through the sweetness of the cake and the ice cream. Overall a dessert that I'll order again and again !!

Menu : Blue Swimmer Crab Cake
Price : To Be Advised
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Perfectly crumbed crab cake! When I tore apart the crab cake, I can really see the amount of crab meat was generous. A well balanced mixture of starch and crab, shallow fried and served with home made green curry sauce at the bottom. At first, I thought the green curry was going to overthrow the crab cake with it's pungent smell and dense herb taste but in fact, it was complementing the dish! They manage to keep it subtle and yet you can still taste the essence of the curry. A lovely dish!

Menu : Wood Fired Organic Baby Chicken
Price : Rp 130,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> The sauce they used were delicious!! Mustard and curry oil is the bomb! Tangy and yet slightly sourish too. But I have to compliment the baby chicken the most! Beautifully cooked with crispy skin part, yet still juicy and served in the right temperature. Just like the above steak served on a hot stone, this baby chicken was served on top of a grill stone. Thus the temperature is being maintained along during our course. But if I may give a little advise, is to provide a side dish to this menu. The baby chicken is indeed a baby. Small in portion and I will be still hungry if I were to only order this. A baked potato or a generous amount of greens and mash potato will definitely be welcome.

Overall, it's a promising venue and has the potential to last. I'd still come back and try out their other dishes. But a bigger portioning of the main course will definitely be helpful. Cheers!

Potato Head Garage
SCBD Lot 14 (Ex Bengkel Kafe)
Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 52 - 55 Lot 14 
Jakarta Selatan 12190
Phone : 021 - 57973330
Website : www.ptthead.com

Angus House

Got beef? I had some last week and a real good plate of it! It was FW's 31st birthday and as a celebration, Angus House was opted. We had an early dinner at around 6pm and thus the crowd wasn't busy. Just a couple of tables occupied. Well, the interior of the restaurant wasn't fancy at all. It was rather too plain for a fine dining restaurant. The color scheme were mainly white and black with a rather cheesy pink table cloths spread all over. But hey!! The steak is one of the best I've eaten by far. Worth the every bit of the splurge ^_^

If I may comment about the service, it was clearly that the staffs were well trained. Ask them about the entire menu and they all had memorized it very well. Table manners were a specific thing that they all performed while serving, pouring and even while clearing our plates. Well, you're spending an easy Rp 500,000 a head, thus immaculate manners  make sense. Therefore, I wouldn't complain any bit about the waitress but this way, rather gave a 'cold' feeling towards the customers.

Menu : Entree - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ Set Menu
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> A succulent piece of prawns with a grilled white fish at the bottom. Served with a sauteed water spinach at the side. How does it taste? Love the prawns and the fish !!! The veges, well not so much. It was a plain well sauteed veges. The sauce was complementing too! It has the tangy taste and a hint of sweet chilli with it.

Menu : Mushroom Soup - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ Set Menu
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Yummmmm, but sadly too small of a portion. I'd love a big bowl of it. This mushroom soup is very creamy and yet doesn't give you that 'sick' feeling that you get after a big bowl of creamy pasta. Maybe it's the small portion, maybe it's the type of cream they use, or maybe it's just me and my tongue. But regardless, a solid 8 pointer from me !

Menu : Salad - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ Set Menu
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This salad is no question fresh and crisp. But as for the dressing, rather too plain for me. It's not a cream nor a mayo base dressing. It was a vinegar base. FW lovesss balsamic and thus he'll probably gave an eight. But it all comes down to a matter of taste. It was an okay for me.

Menu : Tenderloin 200 gram - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ (Set Menu)
Score : 9.5 / 10

>> I regret of not ordering the 300 grams. This is sooo good. Well, to begin with, my fav part of a cow's is the tenderloin. It has the right amount of fat for my taste and the way the chef cooked it was perfect! I asked for a medium and I got a medium. Do you know how many times other steak chef gets the temperature of a meat wrong??!!! You asked for a medium and a medium well comes out, or worst destroy the meat by cooking a well done! But hey! yummmness is all in this plate. Steak cooked to perfection and would ordered the 300 grams one next time. Worth your money !!

Just to mention a few of other dishes that was ordered ala - carte (not included in the set menu)

Top Left : Abalone & Sea Urchin Pasta
Price : RP 160,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

Top Right : Scallop Salad
Price : RP 110,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

Right : Espanole Soup
Price : RP 50,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

Well, last but not least, happy birhday F !! You're getting bald :p

ANGUS HOUSE 
Senayan City 4th Floor No : 48
Phone : 021 - 7278 1588

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 

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.