Mango Tree Bistro Bar

A newbie has just join the Plaza Senayan scene. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, I just got off from a shopping spree and was hungry for some food. I was on my way to Marche when I spot 'Mango Tree' at the corner of my eye. The location is situated exactly across the XXI Cinema, right beside Paradise Dynasty. I hesitated initially but I was in the mood for something having a go at something new and hence here.

The amount of space area this eatery covered was pretty big. It has a very open layout with no elaborate design whatsoever. It's pretty much a wooden flooring with sittings.  I must say that I'm not impressed with the decor, it was too plain and definitely deserve a little bit more vibe to it. It was almost too empty, too plain and too boring. Then it struck my mind that this was suppose to be a 'Bistro Bar' ! Why should a 'Bar' look like this? Well, there you go on the decor but what about the food?

Menu : Vegetarian Tom Yum Soup
Price : Rp 48,000 ++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> There was a choice of seafood, beef, chicken and I opt for Vegetarian instead. The veges fillings was alright with the generosity and the broth itself was on the border line. I don't think it was very far from over the top delicious, which made me slightly disappointed. I felt if the dish is meant to be sour and spicy then by all means have the kick and power to it! This was mildly sour thus didn't favor me too much.

Menu : Pad Thai
Price : Rp 47,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Oh goodness gracious this place has hope! Hahahaha, I was twitching my mouth and feeling a hint of slight remorse but I was glad I ordered this. Pad Thai was more than fine. Portion was well, taste was above average and the entire taste was well combined into. I shared this between two people but can easily finish this by myself.

Menu : Thai Beef Basil
Price : Rp 58,000 ++
Score : 4.5 / 10

>> My emotion was mixed in giving this a 4 or a 5. I couldn't be sure and thus a 4.5 over 10. Beef Basil is supposedly a simple dish but they got it all wrong. I did scent the basil but that's it. The fish sauce seems odd tasting. Bottom line a disappointment. I was pleased with the Pad Thai but now a twitched sour puss lips. A fail -__-''

Menu : Penang Duck Curry
Price : Rp 58,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Good solid curry dish. I truly wasn't expecting much while nibbling on the beef basil but I was re assured in my faith after a spoonful of this. Duck was perfectly well cooked and the curry sauce was a spot on for me. I love the sweetness from the canned lychees and somehow helped to cut through the thick feeling of the coconut milk. I definitely have this again but maybe just this and the pad thai. Nothing else besides that :p

Menu : Tapioca with Coconut Milk
Price : Rp 30,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> I did enjoyed the dessert at the end of the meal. The tapioca was soft in a chewable manner but still maintain the integrity in each bite. The coconut milk was perfect to along side. Slightly sweetened with a slight sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds to give a slight variety of texture. A classic Thai dessert nailed and done reasonably well .





If you ask me 'Will I come back'? Ummm...I'm not sure, but I might again because of the life saving Curry & Pad Thai. As I think the food is not a complete 'hopeless case' but maybe in 6 months time? I'm not that eager and surely hope the Boga Management Group might want to re evaluate the decor and their dishes in the menu. Cheers!

Mango Tree
Plaza Senayan 5th Floor
Phone : +6221 - 29941303

Yo' Panino

So here is a story ... a big pig and a somewhat smaller pig was caught in a dilemma. Two of them had lunch around 2 hours ago and it's still 3 hours to dinner time. Both trying to loose weight, both even skip on dessert after lunch meal, they also managed to not have rice during lunch! But as mentioned, they're pigs! So both of those pigs did what they do best, snack up and eat. Well, that smaller pig is me :p hahaha. We're waiting for dinner time in Plaza Indonesia and after much contemplation, we gave up to ourselves and surrender to Yo' Panino! I must be honest, it was one of the most satisfying sandwich ever !! Felt guilty but who cares ... diet starts tomorrow... or never ... hahahaha ! 

 

So the concept here pretty much simple. You choose on the filling and then craft your own sandwich. There is 21 types to choose from and divided into 4 pricing. Rp 35.000, Rp 43.000, Rp 53.000, Rp 63.000 ++. After deciding your kind of sandwich, you choose your type of bread. A selection of 4 ; Multigrain, Turkish Pide, Brioche, Framhouse White. Next station would be on the extra fillings (extra cost), you can have more chicken, or beef, additional bacon bits or egg and cheese. Then, you may go crazy on the unlimited veggies and toppings. The selection of veggies and toppings is massive and thus be smart when constructing your masterpiece. Don't try to have everything, too much may turn out to be a disaster. And to finish off, choose your sauces! Upon that, go take a sit while they stuff everything in and toast your sandwich to perfection. In around 10 minutes, they'll be serving it to you.

Note : They have vegetarian selection.

BBQ Chicken Club : Rp 53.000 ++ (Score : 8.5 / 10)

 >> As mentioned above, I wasn't experiencing great hunger and thus I was in my choosy and picky mode on food. Anyways, I had the BBQ Chicken Club, which originally consist of hickory smoked chicken, turkey bacon, Monterrey cheese and their very own Yo' Barbie-O sauce (which I'm sure is BBQ sauce).  I opt for the Turkish Pide, had no extra fillings. Then I choose paprika, lettuce, cucumber and onions for the veggies. I had extra spicy sauce slabbed in between too. Nothing too hot about the sauce, everything just seemed right.

It was DELICIOUS !! I didn't expect it to be good at all and honestly this is what people mean by 'do not judge a book by it's cover'. The place has simple decor, the seating area wasn't great either, in fact they're situated below escalator (superstitious Chinese people thinks it's bad luck, because people are trampling over you). But hey, the taste buds never lie. I will definitely be a regular. The pricing was reasonable, the service was pleasant, the ingredients were fresh and the end product was certainly yummy !!

Yo' Panino

Plaza Indonesia Extension, 4th Floor (Replacing Dante Coffee)

Phone : +62 21 2992 4019

Starbucks

Menu : Beef Felone
Price : RP 26,000++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> I was waiting for my manicurist at Plaza Senayan as I arrived 40 minutes early for my appointment. So I head for Starbucks and I placed an order and had my afternoon coffee plus snack there. Neither both of my all time favourite Bolognaise Sandwich or Chicken Rustica were on the display and thus I had a gamble on this beef sandwich instead.

The beef fillings with the complete cheese and mayo were all there but it was just too ordinary for me. It was decent but wouldn't choose this over my old favourites. Definitely missing on taste and seasonings. The bread was the same with the rest of the sandwich on display but probably the meat was dry and tasted bland. The packet chili sauce didn't do any much justice in addition to the taste.

Starbucks

Plaza Senayan

Union

Menu : Praline Chocolate Cake
Price : RP 50,000 ++

Score : 8.0 / 10

 

>> My first encounter with a super tasting praline chocolate cake was during my college days back in Melbourne. I have this love / hate relationship with "Laurent", not a human but a bakery in Little Collin Street in the heart of Melbourne City. I gained 10 kilos during my 1st year there (I swear I'm not being exaggerating, literally 10 freakin kilos) and I'd like to share 30% of the cause to 'Laurent'. Anyways enough of the stories, let's get down to this cake instead.

I must say Laurent's is much better but Union's isn't lousy at all. I gave an 8 pointer and it's not difficult to justify why. I got that strong chocolate punch from the very first spoon inside my mouth. I loooove the gooey, sweet, sticky and the crunchy bit at the bottom of the cake which adds up to my conclusion to the 'best praline chocolate cake eaten so far in Jakarta'. Have it with a glass of unsweetened latte to balance the sugar but for a sugarcoated teeth like mine, this was just nice! A good chocolate cake is personal to me, it's like knowing no matter how bad your day had been, there's always comfort here.

The thing about Union is that they seemed to rush you out of your seat, they have a time limit as in how long you're allowed to take the seat. They usually gives you 1.5 to 2 hours max and that is a slight bother to me. So next time you got a seat at Union, skip all of Union's super duper over rated 'Red Velvet Cake' (nothing compare to this) and opt for this classic praline choc cake instead.

Classics lives through time while trends might be temporary.

Union

Plaza Senaya Ground Floor 

(Entrance from Sogo Department Store)

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

Tesate

Last Sunday I forced myself to get out of my bed to go to Plaza Senayan with a couple of my Melbourne friends. I was actually very very sick, I was having bad fever, body was shivering, entire body was listless. But one thing that was still working alright; my taste buds and sense of smell was still working fine. We had "Tesate" for dinner, Indonesian cuisine that is cooked onto a higher level.

Menu : Nasi Lemak Ijo Royo - Royo
Price : Rp 74,000++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Savory coconut rice, intensely flavored with green herbs, served with minced duck wrapped onto lemon grass. Salad and crackers were served at the side too.

Menu : Nasi Goreng Kambing
Price : Rp 59,000++ Score : 6.0 / 10

» Aromatic lamb fried rice, infused with curry flavor served with salad and crackers. This dish would have obtain a score of 6.5 but unfortunately the lamb was too pungent; in a way "stinks"! The salad on the other hand was brilliant, the photo may look 'ugly' but the taste speaks otherwise.