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 !!!

Tea Garden @ Gading Serpong

David and I drove quite a distance of 32 Kilometers from my house to Gading Serpong. Serpong is a large residential and commercial estate with all the necessities you can find there. Two of us were house hunting and for a late lunch we hit this restaurant called "Tea Garden". Both of us overheard the house brokers saying that the place has good food. The place was very easy to locate because it is situated on the main boulevard road; as long you take notice of your surroundings, you won't missed it.

At a Sunday 2.30 pm, the place was still busy and busy means good business and thus good food I have in mind. But honestly, I was confused when I first enter the eatery. The decoration was very weird, they have Chinese red lanterns all over and also Malay signature green window panes. I'm very sure that the owners didn't hire an interior designer to do the place. When I opened the menu, I was even more confused. The variety of food was abundance! There was way too much choices and it spread from Western, Chinese, Malay, Deserts, etc. I couldn't decide promptly and asked what was the house signature dish; Hainan Chicken Rice.

Last but not least, I have to praise them for the rather cheap price they charge. For two grown up who eats big portion (all the menu below) we spend Rp 160,000 (include tax) that is approximately around USD 17. Good value for money don't you think?

Menu : Hak Kau

Price : Rp 15,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> David's favorite and thus we need to order this every time any restaurant has it on their menu. This particular Hak Kau has super fresh shrimp, when I bite into it, I can feel the meat is still firm and springy; not mushy at all.

Menu : Baked BBQ Pork Puff

Price : Rp 12,000++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Whenever I give at least a 6.5 / 10, you really need to have a go at it and this you have to try! The sweet pastry was a perfect combination with the savory pork fillings inside. I wanted to have a second plate but ordered too many other dishes and thus, next time I'll have to come back here !!

Menu : Crab Siu May

Price : Rp 14,000++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> The taste was rather typical but I have to give an extra point for the fresh ingredients. The crab and shrimp fillings inside were so fresh that I can feel it coming back alive, hahaha.

Menu : Fried BBQ Pork Bun

Price : Rp 12,000++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> This is a cross between fried "Man Tou" and a steamed BBQ Pork Bun. The goodness of each dish were all combine into one! Great crispy skin outside and splendid savory pork inside. Most importantly, NOT too oily at all.

Menu : Hot & Sour Sze Chuan Soup

Price : Rp 10,000++
Score : 3.5 / 10

>> I know the price is cheap (even crab meat is added into) for a bowl of hot and sour soup but the taste is confusing. Meaning, it is neither hot, sour, sweet nor salty. The taste is just weird. I have to point out here that the soup is not bland, seasonings were definitely remembered but it is just the taste that I don't like.

Menu : Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (Tauco)

Price : Rp 11,000++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> I was surprised at the portion of this menu. But when look closer I realised it was only 3 feet (normal serving) but it was  huge feet and the fact they didn't cut into smaller portions was rather a turn off for presentation. At all level , regardless of taste, portion, presentation Din Tai Fung's is still better.

Menu : Dumpling Soup

Price : Rp 16,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This is a satisfying bowl for my standard. The broth is not only clear but also has a calming taste. The dumplings were plump with shrimp and chicken stuffing. I can really feel that the kitchen were generous with their portions in relative to the price they charge.

Menu : Hainan Chicken Rice

Price : Rp 18,500++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I'm not sure why I got served white rice when they stated "Hainan Rice" and the stupid part was that I didn't asked the waiter about that. Nevertheless, the steam chicken with the soy seasoning was delicious and the chicken broth at the side was heavenly good! I might sound exaggerating for just a bowl of soup but I mean it. You have to try it and decide it whether I have good taste buds or not. The chili and ginger condiments were beautiful too. I would have given this a 7.5 / 10 if only they serve me Hainan Rice instead of white rice.

Menu : Egg Tart

Price : Rp 5,000 ++ (per piece)

Score : 8.5 / 10

>> I was head over heels for this tiny thing. I went "WOW" at my first bite and I reckon Tea Garden might serve the best egg tart in Jakarta. The texture was silky smooth, the sweetness was prefect and I can taste the intensity of the curd filling. Heavenly good !!

Menu : Durian Pancake

Price : Rp 26,000++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> If you notice, this is the most expensive dish on today's lunch table (even more expensive than the Hainan Chicken Rice Set). Thus for that, I have a high expectation. However sadly, it was disappointing. The durian fillings were too little, the egg roll wrapping was slightly too thick and thus I can taste the doughy texture in my mouth. I rather have 5 egg tarts in exchange for this.

Duck King

This was an unexpected trip to Duck King. David and I wanted to eat "Shabuya" at Central Park; a place that serves grade 9 Wagyu beef hot pot in buffet style for a mere Rp 120,000 per person. However, unpredictably the restaurant was fully booked and we were have to wait for 45 minutes for our seat; thus we canceled our initial plan! We turn our back and the first restaurant I saw on the right was this; "Duck King". The place was fairly packed with Chinese families sitting down on a round table having dinner but luckily no queue (hooray !!).

On the left was the initial dishes that they'll place on the table, it varies from place to place (I got served crispy fish skin this time) and the thing that bothers me the most is that the restaurant always make the eaters pay for this. On the right is my all time favorite condiment; bird's eye chili with garlic in soy sauce. No chili sauce in the world can beat the taste of biting into real fresh birds eye chili !!

Menu : Steamed Chicken Feet

Price : Rp 14,800 ++

Score : 5.75 / 10

>> I noticed I have been eating quite a sum of chicken feet every time I come to a Chinese restaurant. Mainly because since my glorious experience with Din Tai Fung, I'm actually fond of the menu. Duck King's wasn't too bad, even though it was certainly not as great.

Menu : Hak Kau

Price : Rp 16,800 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Fresh Hak Kau is David's all time favorite Dim Sum. He loved this a lot but personally for me it was good but not damn good. The shrimp meat were fresh, the food was served steaming hot but I'm sure I had better ones.

Menu : Tom Yam Seafood Soup

Price : Rp 38,000 ++

Score : 7.0  / 10

>> I usually have Szechuan Wonton Soup when I hit Duck King but this time I had a different one. Their Tom Yam was good, they had the level of sourness just right and balanced it well with the chili too ! Good stuff !!

Menu : Garlic Steamed Scallop

Price : Rp 19,800 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> My goodness, one of the most fresh scallop I had ever consume in my life. I may sound exaggerating but this was better than the Duck King's in Emporium Pluit branch. This was succulent, firm, scallop big in size and most importantly the garlic and the soy sauce was heavenly good as ever with white rice!

Menu : BBQ Double Combination

Price : Rp 78,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This is a double combination of BBQ chicken and duck. I liked the chicken better because it was more fragrant and seasoned better. While the duck has a little bit too much bones and the layer of fats was slightly too much for my taste.

Menu : Deep Fried Squid with Chili and Pepper

Pirce : Rp 52,000 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I don't particularly like squid, octopus, calamari or anything of the same species. But this I quite enjoy the seasoning. I like anything with fried garlic and abundance was poured on top of this dish; together with chili and pepper. I would also like to praise about the bite size portion, you'll be able to easily pop one entire piece into your mouth.

Menu : Watercress in spicy shrimp paste (Kangkung Terasi)

Price : Rp 34,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> This may look like a humble dish, but this is the star of the night. The portion was generous, the vegetable was really fresh and crispy but most importantly the taste was really good. You can taste the shrimp paste without overpowering your entire pallet, great seasoning !!

Menu : Glutinous Rice with Durian Ice Cream

Price : Rp 25,000 ++
Score : 3.0  / 10

>> Bad dessert and was extremely disappointed! The glutinous rice was so bland that I thought water has more taste. The durian ice cream was also a joke, it was too tasteless and just doesn't taste good at all.

Imperial Kitchen

I went to Supermall Karawaci last Saturday Afternoon, a very different and rather far destination than my normal routine but because of several reasons I was there. David was craving for Dim Sum and had been nagging for it for the past few days. I wanted it less badly but when pretty excited when we choose this for our Saturday brunch menu.

Apparently at the end of the meal, I was not blown away. The price was not expensive, it was rather reasonable but I'll prefer to pay slightly more money and have Dim Sum at 'Din Tai Fung' (January 2011's post). I felt no body even come close to Din Tai Fung's chicken feet. It was so damn good !

Menu : Steamed Beef Balls

Price : Rp 13,900 ++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Seasoned well and served pipping hot which is great. But it would have scored a higher point if the meat wasn't too mushy. I'd like it to be more tighter and firm. This slightly feels like a baby food.

Menu : Chicken Feet with Black Pepper Sauce

Price : Rp 12,900 ++
Score : 3.5 / 10

>> If you have tasted Din Tai Fung's then any chicken feet dish you tasted later after that would be extremely difficult to beat. This is lacking in taste, seasoning and texture in comparison. But if it was to be judged by itself, I'd say it is still pleasantly edible.

Menu : Crab Xiao Long Bao

Price : Rp 13,900 ++

Score : 5.0 / 10

>> Lacking of the 'soup' inside the steamed bun. Xiao Long Bao should be bursting with hot broth that actually made the signature way of eating (biting a small hole and slurp the broth). This particular dish was ordinary and nothing to be missed or praised about.

Menu : Hak Kau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling)

Price : Rp 13,900++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Hak Kau is one of the most common dish ordered during any "Dim Sum" session. I have rather nice things to say this time; thin translucent wrapping, big satisfying shrimp meat inside and when dipped into soy sauce, it taste good!

Menu : Siu Mai 

Price : Rp 13,900 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Fresh meat, succulent taste and great seasoning. The next time I come to Imperial Kitchen in Supermall Karawaci, I'll probably only re-order the Hak Kau and Siu Mai.

Menu : Hainan Chicken Rice

Price : Rp 27,900 ++
Score : 3.0 / 10

>> BAD ! The rice is not fragrant at all, the chicken is super dry, the vegetables were soggy and tasteless. Everything about this dish is just a nightmare !

Menu : Sunkist Pudding

Price : Rp 14,900 ++
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> I wanted the coconut pudding but they do not have it in their menu (shame!) but instead they have this interesting looking Sunkist Pudding. The flesh of the orange is forked out and filled with real Sunkist tasting pudding. The taste was pretty good and it was a good first time experience having "Sunkist Pudding". Very creative I might say !!

Din Tai Fung

Today I signed up for my first tax accounting tutor class at Mall of Indonesia and I decided to hit the mall for lunch. I entered from 'Lobby 4' and the first restaurant I saw on the left was 'Din Tai Fung' It has been ages since I had dim sum and looking from the half - packed restaurant floor I made up my choice of lunch for today!

The food was beautiful and seriously didn't let me down one single bit!! I want to eat there more often and try all the dishes in the menu. When I realize they have several branches all over Jakarta, I was relieved I wouldn't have to always come back to Mall of Indonesia.

The price was reasonable and the service was quick and smooth. I love every single menu I had today, even though some was much better than the others but the overall lunch experience left me with a good image. The only sad part was that, their desert selection was not complete, I ordered for a mango pudding desert (mango covers 60% of their desert selection) but the waitress said they ran out of mangoes -__- ....

Menu : Chicken's Feet
Price : Rp 15,000++
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> The best chicken feet I had ever eaten in my entire life! The chicken feet was tender, light, very very tasty, the skin and meat slip off easily off from the bones. The sauce was gorgeous and made me want to pour it all over steam white rice. One small serving of this is not enough!

Menu : Soft Shell Crab with Beef Floss
Price : Rp 40,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Very crispy but not too oily. The dish was pleasantly seasoned and actually surprised me that beef floss actually goes well with soft shell crab. Even though the crab was rather small, I enjoyed it very much when eaten together with their home made chili oil. Remember to put a generous amount of it :)

Menu : Shrim & Chicken Won Ton Tossed with Spicy Sauce
Price : Rp 28,000++ (6 pieces)
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Very very yummy!! I want to keep on eating this with their great tasting home made noodles! The vinegar sauce blew me away, the sourness, the tartness, the spiciness were combined together at the right portion and made this a scoring dish. The won ton skin were thin and nearly translucent, thus concentrating on the meat fillings inside.

Menu : Tom Yum Seafood Noodle Soup
Price : Rp 52,000++
Score : 7.8 / 10

>> Omg! Lovee this! The soup is just simply delicious, the spiciness and the sourness is not overpowering. The coconut milk was very well balanced, not too strong. The noodle was very very smooth and delicate, great texture!! The fillings inside was little but the soup and the noodle made me forget those factors! I will come back for more, definitely!

DIN TAI FUNG

BRANCHES : 

                    - Pondok Indah Mall 2

                    - Plaza Senayan Arcadia

                    - Plaza Indonesia 

                    - Pacific Place

                    - Mall of Indonesia (Ground Floor, in front of lobby 4)

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