Coco Curry

 

If us Indonesians have our rendang then the Japanese promote their distinctive curry sauce. Thick consistency with the great fragrant is a factor, sweet with a touch of heat is another trait. A franchisee came into the action at Grand Indonesia, goes with the name of 'Coco Curry'. If I am not mistaken, the original store was obviously in Japan and made it's way down to Singapore and then here Jakarta.

Do I like it? Umm...not so much actually. I am quite a big fan of Japanese curry but this was pretty ordinary. Nothing out of box; taste wise. I wouldn't say don't try it but it didn't made me crave for a second helping. I might come back here maybe in another 6 months time though...hehehe...

Coco Curry

Grand Indonesia, West Mall

( Across Fook Yew )

Marugame Udon

Marugame Udon, a new entry hitting the Japanese food cuisine dance floor and this actually resembles 'Yoshinoya' in some way. 'Yoshinoya' gives you beef bowl done in a fast food manner. While Marugame Udon serves you Udon done in a fast food manner.

You start the queue with a choice from the menu (8 udon dishes and 4 rice dishes), then choose your additional hot food and then move on to the fried food station. The hot food consist of kakedashi soup, beef sukiyaki, tori ball, mentaiko and tamago while the fried food ranges from inari sushi, fried prawn and vegetables tempura, to beef potato croquette.

I would say the concept is pretty original, even though as mentioned above that it resembles the franchised Yoshinoya food retail chain from Japan. Marugame has an open kitchen which makes the entire floor plan bigger. You'll be able to see all the action happening behind the scene. From the udon making, tempura frying to the selection of extra side dishes that are available for your preference. The main course consist of udon and rice dishes, fried food ranges from prawn tempura to sweet potato fritter, while the hot food includes tori balls, beef sukiyaki, etc. The pricing are reasonable. I would say Rp 150,000 (include tax) for 2 person should be enough. Well, unless you've been fasting for 2 days and this is the first meal you ate after that hahaha!

Menu : Mentai Kamatama Udon
Price : Rp 50,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> The udon itself is well done but I think I choose the wrong udon dish. I knew myself isn't a big fan of raw egg but the topping consist of very very very soft boiled egg. The minute you gently mix and stir the bowl, you'll break the egg yolk and it'll oozes all over. Mentaiko and the egg is what all of this dish is about. Very pretty color I must say but I'll opt for the 'beef curry udon, niku udon or the tori baitang udon' next time. But if you like raw egg, then by all means I think you'll enjoy this menu!

Menu : Beef Sukiyaki
Price : Rp 30,000 ++
Score : 7.25 / 10

>> I will hands down say it is better than what Yoshinoya has to provide. First, the portion is much much bigger than what you'll get for Rp 30,000 compare to Yoshinoya. Second, because it is an open kitchen, you'll be able to ask for extra onions!! Which I loveee, a big sauteed sweet onion eater here ^_^. The beef is well cooked, wasn't chewy nor overcooked at all. The sauce was well balanced, with the sweet and salty soy sauce kicking into action upon landing on your palate. Overall, something that I'll re order again and again from time to time.

Menu : Tori Ball
Price : Rp 11,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Texture of the chicken tori balls were little bit on the soft side. Definitely not mushy nor stone hard but the right word to describe would be 'easy to chew, friendly for the elderly too'. Hahahaha...well regardless how I may seem to describe, the texture was well to my liking. What I like more was the soup. It has a strong salty taste but still pleasant on the tongue and definitely not overpowering the whole dish. Remember the 'tori baitang udon' dish that I mention above, that menu has this beautiful babies as the topping! So, that choice of the udon is definitely on my 're visit' meal list.

Menu : Inari Sushi (top) & Beef Potato Croquette (below)
Price : Inari Sushi RP 6,400 ++ & Beef Croquette Rp 10,900 ++
Score : Inari Sushi 6.0 / 10 & Beef Croquette 7.0 / 10

>> What can go wrong with fried food? Well, almost nothing. Let's talk about their inari sushi first. I'd say it's mediocre. Nothing special, nothing fancy, nothing out of the box. Just a simple tofu skin wrap over sushi rice. Done well for the reasonable price tag.

>> Beef croquette; crispy outer layer checked, generous fillings checked, tasty tempura sauce checked, too much potato instead of beef checked too. Well, many good points about this piece but except the proportion combination of the croquette is not right. Too much potato and can't taste the beef at all. But overall, I'll come and order this.

Overall a good solid addition into the so called 'Japanese fast food' in Jakarta. And I'm sure to be seeing this in more and more big malls in and around Jakarta. Itada kimas !!


Marugame Udon
Gandaria City Mall, Upper Ground Floor  #16 - 17
Mall Taman Anggrek, 3rd Floor

Tabona

From the head sign it's pretty obvious about the menu that Tabona has to offer. The menu only consist of 'Rice & Thin Vermicelli with Chicken & Beef Curry'. Their menu is very simple, straight to point, no mucking around with fancy menu books, nor fancy menu titles. But their cooking were serious! They're really good with their house name curry. I got to the place on a Sunday at slightly off peak lunch hours; somewhere around 2 pm and the crowd was still buzzing in and out. A very very simple establishment, nothing glamorous, your typical food stalls in Pluit area that serves good Medan food.

Menu : Rice with Beef Curry
Price : RP 33,000
Score : 8.5 / 10

>>  I brought FW to this place and he claimed that this might be one of the best food Muara Karang & Pluit has to offer. As I had mentioned before, this place only serves gooooood curry. The consistency wasn't too thick, thus even with the coconut milk and all the pungent spices and herbs inside the broth, you won't feel sick after having this. I have to mention the smart move taken by the owner to serve the rice is a smaller portion than usual. This actually helps in leaving your tummy less bloated after all the magical broth you had just consumed.

Both the beef and the chicken meat was just as good. Not too tough, well cooked and it merely acts as an 'accessory' in comparison to the broth. The broth is the bomb !

Tabona 
Jl. Pluit Sakti Raya No. 65
Phone : 021 - 6691559 / 6621956

Tokyo Belly

Another subsidiary restaurant branch by Ismaya Group. Just to let you know, Ismaya is a holding company of a handful successful restaurants & lounges such as ; Social House, Kitchenette, Ismaya Catering, D'Journal, Pizza e'birra, Fook Yew, Skye, Sushi Groove, Pasta de Waraku, Blowfish, and a couple more of others. So anyways, this fusion Japanese eatery is an exchange of the previous place called 'Mr. Curry'. I'm not sure what happen to Mr. Curry but I guess business wasn't doing well and thus they refurbished and changed the concept to this 'Tokyo Belly'. Will it be doing well, or follow the declined footsteps of Mr. Curry? Hmm....let the food do the talking. After all, the taste buds never lies.

Menu : Blossom Belly

Price : RP 55,000 ++

Score : 3.0 / 10

>> I don't like the food. The waitress recommended on this but not my taste! The salmon in the middle was a mush, and the cheese in the middle only became an additional mush. The crunchy bit on the outer layer was okay but hey come on, for Rp 55,000?? The sauce drizzled over wasn't great either. To add on it's overpriced but the only positive note is the fact; it didn't contain any rice. So maybe those who are doing Atkin's diet can have this hahaha. And lastly just for your info, there was 6 slices to this dish and not just 3 (only in the picture).

Menu : Beef Kimchi Ramen

Price : RP 58,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This was better than the appetizer and thank God for that. The soup was slightly too thick but it became less viscous as the temperature cools off. The ramen was still al dente and the seasoning was well balanced. I got the kimchi kick and the chili punch (I ordered extra spicy), thus a much welcome change after the above ' Blossom Belly '. But to talk about the toppings inside?! It's pretty much empty! There's two half sliced egg, a single piece of seaweed, a few strands of kimchi cabbage and maybe two very very thinly sliced beef. Bottom line for sixty thousand, you're getting plain noodle in a fairly good broth. 

Menu : Beef Steak Rice

Price : RP 68,000 ++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> Issues with a couple of thing. Number one the salad. Very much over dressed in a mango flavored mayonnaise. How hard is it to proper dress a salad? Light dressing equally spread is not that difficult I suppose? Number two, when you read 'Beef Steak', I was hoping for a decent piece of meat, yet what came out was a very very very over cooked chunks of beef. It was like chewing a rubber tire. Utter disappointment. What give this a mere pass is only the curry sauce. I like the taste, slightly sweet but could still settle well on the taste buds. 

Over all, faced with the ultimate question of 'Will I come back'? Hmm...sadly the answer is a 'No'. Don't get wrong, Ismaya cooks great food at Kitchenette and Social House, I go there regularly but this branch over here was a surprise for me, definitely needs additional help in the cooking department. Nevertheless, do visit and tell me your thoughts. I might be seriously wrong. Cheers !!

Tokyo Belly

Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall

West Mall, Level 3 A.

Thai Alley

Saturday night and I head down to one of the mall that I 'less visit' in Jakarta; Pacific Place Mall. I like the size of the mall, a huge selection of shopping stores (real expensive ones), a range of restaurants yet to be tried. But hate the parking space, it's just such a squeeze and don't really like the cinema there, not a big fan of 'rocking chair' while glued to the movie screen. Nevertheless, I'm here because of the food and nothing else but that.  I chose 'Thai Alley' and FW went along with me. I had an early dinner, around 5.30 pm and when we were first there, the place was pretty much empty but half way through our meal, the crowd starts to fill in the place.

Menu : Yam Som O, Gai
Price : RP 35,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This appetizer dish is basically a fresh citrus salad, pomelo salad with minced chicken to be exact. The portion is good, enough for 2 person and in addition, I like the texture of the ingredients taking action on this plate. You have the soft popping texture of the pomelo fruits, crunchy peanuts and the juicy meaty minced chicken. The only issue I had was the seasoning, a little bit more of fish sauce and chili would bump the score higher than a 6.5 !

Menu : Somboon Pong Kari, Poo Nim
Price : RP 69,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This is a Thai stir fried yellow curry, egg, onion with soft shell crab. (There is a choice of seafood to go along; squid, shrimp, crab and soft shell crab). We went for the soft shell crab! The sauce is fairly mild and it needed a good punch of additional spice and herbs. I rather like the texture of the soft shell crab, well cooked and still maintained the crispiness of the batter, not too soggy and has a good bite into it. If only the chef can twitch a little bit of the seasonings of the yellow curry, I'll definitely come back for this again!

Menu : Khao Ohb Nam Liab
Price : RP 49,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> This dish is basically a fried rice with Chinese black olives and chicken served with fresh chili, lime, shallots and chashew nuts. Nothing went wrong; the portion is right and the seasoning was spot on! What stood out for me was truly the black olives by itself. I was able to smell and taste the olives in the rice, nothing too overpowering but rather a pleasant fragrance instead of the normal 'Thai Fried Rice' that I usually have; definitely a good alternative to try!

Menu : Tom Yam Goong
Price : RP 42,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> I never give an easy 'eight' points for any dish but this dish was a genuine surprise! The powerful punch of flavors was a party on my taste buds! The lemon grass was fragrant, the chili was spicy, the sourness was taste-able and the soup's portion was rather generous (even though the ingredients inside was little, at least the soup was enough for 2 person to share). I looooove this and next time I'm here, this will be a must order dish for me (finger crossed nothing will change from the Chef).

Thai Alley

Pacific Place Mall, 5th Floor. Jakarta

Phone : +6221 - 579 73 600

Chill Out - Gili Air (Lebaran'12)

This place was very much recommended by the staffs at Omah Gili. Chill out has the capacity of around 50 to 70 pax indoor but you can lay down outside facing directly to the beach, sipping ice cold beer while sun bathing under the scorching sunlight. I wouldn't know where or what to compare Gilir Air's super laid back and breathtaking serenity. It wasn't only Chill Out that provide such spectacular view, but it goes the same for many other restaurants and cafe.

Menu : Chicken Curry

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

>> The curry came in pipping hot with steam still ashing out from the bowl. What I love best about this curry was the consistency! Exactly how I like my curry, not too viscous, not watery either. The portion is excellent! This comes with steam white rice and in addition, the fillings inside were generous. Mountains of vegetables and big chunks of chicken were in there. I wanted to give this a 7.5 pointer but the fact that this is a 'mild' curry turn this to a 6.5 dish. I personally thought it was lacking a 'kick' on the taste buds, again..too mild for my liking. Lack of curry spices and most importantly chili. But then again, adjusted to the main target consumers, the 'Bules'. Therefore, fully understandable :)

Note : This dish has a lot of potential !! A little more of this and that will make your taste buds go ' WOWWW' !!

Menu : Beef Burger

Price : RP 45,000 ++

Score : 7.5 / 10

>> I ordered Fried Rice and switched to this menu over here upon seeing another customer's beef burger sent over to their table. If wouldn't for that moment of 'laper mata' I don't think I'd order a burger. Nevertheless, this was good stuff! I would never expect to find such chunky and crispy and salty french fries over here. I thought it would be thin, greasy and soggy :p The beef patty was alright, nothing too special about it, but their home made mayonnaise was a star! The mayo sauce made the burger alive, add chili into and between each bun layers and you'll go eat in silence *not wanting anyone to interrupt your meal*. Thumbs up :)
Chill Out Bungalows and Bar

Gili Air, Lombok Indonesia

Phone : +6281999364607

Email : chilloutbungalows@yahoo.com

Ikkudo Ichi - Revisit

I ate the food reviewed below back in late August but hasn't find the mood to write about the revisit post, maybe too close to my first Ikkudo Ichi post (3 August '12). Anyways, after my first trip there and after a handful of comments recommending me to try their meat slices which I really appreciate, I came back and tried those recommendations. Bottom line, I'm not disappointed :)

Menu : Fried Chicken Katsu Curry

Price : RP 46,500 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Good plate of curry, definitely suited to the Indonesian tongue and taste. However, I might be having too much expectation for the fried chicken (Tori Karage) and fall slightly short of 'damn bloody tasty'. The chicken batter is good, crunchy and all that, maybe it's just me, my expectation and my head :p hehehehe. As for the curry, it is exactly the same with the 'Pork Chasu Curry' which I already commented on the first Ikkudo Ichi review post on 03/08/12. A decent curry rice and  remember to sprinkle those cut chilis to 'spark' those taste buds of yours.

Menu : Buta Chasu Aburi

Price : RP 48,000 ++

Score : 7.25 / 10

>> This pork slices are the exact cut of meat found in the buta signature ramen, but upon eating this. I learn that it is due to the hot ramen soup that makes the chasu flimsy and lack of bite. However, these pork chasu here are grilled and thus has a better texture in the mouth. It is firmer and gives a better bite too. 

As for the thickness of the chasu, I think it should be improved. Still too thin for my liking. I didn't pay too much attention on the condiments they spread on top but certainly a matching combination. I know a lot of you guys love the fatty part of pork meat, but I'm not that into it so much. I like it but prefer mine to be less fatty and more meat instead. 

Menu : Premium Pork Cheek

Price : RP 58,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> I was slightly reluctant to give this a try initially, the imagination of 'pork cheek' scares me. However, I'm glad I gave this a go and the verdict; very yummy! The price is slightly pricey, remembering the venue. But who cares if it is justified by the taste. I like this way better than the Chasu. Surprisingly, the meat is more firm than the Chasu, not sure why...as I imagine the cheek to be all fatty and oily. Certainly not the case here!! Do order this the next time you guys are here!

In addition to the three dishes mentioned above, I had a dish called 'Gyu Chasu Aburi' (RP 48,000++). It is similar to the 'Buta Chasu Aburi' but beef instead of pork. I was too busy focusing on the speed my chopsticks and mouth hahahaha that I forget to snap a picture of it. I like the beef better than the pork, it has a better bite, more firm and less fatty part. If I must give it a score, it's a 8.75 / 10. The next time I'm at Ikkudo Ichi, I will have a plate of 'Gyu Chasu Aburi', a plate of 'Premium Pork Cheek' and a bowl of steam rice with lots of chilies. That is all ^_^ v !!!

Ramen Ikkudo Ichi
Rukan Crown Golf Blok D No 2 - 3 Pantai Indah Kapuk
Phone : 021 - 966 28677

Ikkudo Ichi

Finally! I had my share of the new ramen in PIK; Ikkudo Ichi. Some of you guys might already have tried this before I did. I hear quite a good buzz about this new eatery and before I start to blab, I'd just like to mention one point that I like about Ikkudo that we are allowed to cuztomized our ramen to our tongue and liking. Three choice for each categories; noodle firmness, flavour strength, richness (the amount of oil filtered from the soup). My favourite combination is three B's (normal for all three categories). I think it has the best balance for all taste.

Buta Signature (RP 39,800++) Score : 8.5 / 10

Ikkudo's Buta Kara (RP 39,800++) Score 8.5 / 10

Seasoned with cut chili, chili paste & garlic (Score : 9.0 / 10)

Buta Signature Soup - Before Seasoned

If you noticed the two picture at the top, there is a price difference of Rp 4,800 and that lies in the what they claim to be their ' special red sauce '. After tasting both bowl, I have to be honest that I cannot differentiate anything and that both taste equally GOOD ! Note : Order Buta Signature (it's cheaper hahaha).

I have agree with the crowd, that they serve good ramen. Better than Sengoku, even better than Santouka, rather similar to Ikkousha's but I have to revisit Ikkousha to confirm who won the battle at the end of the day. I  like their full set of condiments on the table. The unlimited cloves of garlic, fresh cut red chilis, and also grounded chili paste that when I mixed and poured in abundant into my bowl of ramen (bottom right), I knew I will be coming back to revisit this place!!

The only factor that Ikkudo need to work on is their 'slice pork' or better known as 'Chasu'. Their cut is overly thin and has no bite into it. I had a difficult time finding the meager slice of pork somewhere in my soup. Give the customers a decent cut of good pork and that will certainly win the heart of pork lovers. In addition to the ramen, I noticed their specially designed plastic spoon, love it! It has a certain angle cut at the neck of the spoon thus helping it to be attached to the rim of the bowl.

Menu : Mini Chasu Don

Price : RP 10,800 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> You cannot order this on its own. You can if you have already ordered a bowl of ramen and add this as an additional combo. Good pricing for the rather medium sized bowl. If you're not feeling too hungry, have this instead. Well seasoned minced pork chasu on top of steam white rice. Have it with spring onions, cut chilis and chili paste together and your mood will definitely be lightened up :)

 

Menu : Pork Chasu Curry

Price : RP 49,500 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I don't like their Chasu, tasteless, soggy and too thinly cut. They serve 5 slices on top the steam rice but quantity cannot compensate for quality. Their curry sauce was rather fine but brings back the memory that I had with regards to that famous instant curry paste that can be bought from up scale supermarket. The taste was exactly like this! So bottom line, this didn't taste bad in any way but just simply too ordinary. I like the mini chasu don (top) better than this and it cost only one third of the price. So...go figure!

Menu : Yaki Buta Gyoza Ebi Iri

Price : RP 35,000 ++ (Same for grill and fried)

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> My favourite Gyoza in town and I mean it. I prayed that Ikkudo will never change the kitchen staff that are behind this dish. I love every bit of this and here are why :

1. The skin is thin, not chewy at all. 

2. Filling is generous

3. Love the crunchy bit inside (not sure what, but I don't care)

4. Pork is good, pork and prawn combination is even better

5. Love the spicy condiments that goes well together with all noodle, rice and gyoza!!

6. A big possibility that their gyoza are better than their ramen...hmmmm

Overall, a must try for those ramen lovers! Stay the same and just fix those chasu meat (a constructive advice to the owners) Cheers!

Ramen Ikkudo Ichi
Rukan Crown Golf Blok D No 2 - 3 Pantai Indah Kapuk
Phone : 021 - 966 28677