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

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

Kuppa

I had Kuppa exactly at 6pm in Plaza Indonesia. The parking was crazily super insanely crazy and I was expecting all restaurants in the mall to be full due to the Muslims breaking their fasting 'schedule', but amazingly Kuppa was half empty. I'm not sure where did all those people who parked their cars went but definitely not Kuppa.

Menu : Pineapple Fried Rice

Price : Rp 59,500++

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> Service was fast!! 6 minutes upon ordering, boom!! Pineapple fried rice is in front of me. It comes in a half sliced pineapple fruit presentation and I sincerely hope they're not going to re use the fruit for the next customer --___--. I would say it taste a little bit odd. I'm sure what was the cause, whether it's the super sweet raisins, or the nearly raw (very very crunchy) capsicum and carrots. The rice itself was pretty okay but the "accessories" just didn't settle quite right in my mouth. Just an okay dish, you might not ever try this dish and not missed a thing. Have Kuppa's tom yum fried rice instead of this one, much much better in all ways !!

Menu : Tom Yum Oxtail Soup
Price : RP 67,500 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Tom Yum Lovers out there!!! Hoollaaa!!! You gotta try this!! Piping hot, so watch out for the tongue cause you're going to finsih every single spoon you can get from this bowl. The oxtail itself was okay, not brilliant but just okay. The soup was otherwise!! It was damn good, seasonings and herbs were all in harmony. Perfect balance of chili, lemongrass, coriander and lime. What I call a good tom yum soup is the fact you can taste the 'kick' upon sipping the first spoon. Have it with a simple bowl of plain white rice and you'll be guaranteed to a revisit. If you're willing to share, this dish is enough for two person to enjoy.

Kuppa

Plaza Indonesia 3rd Floor

(Next to The Soup or Taichan)

Chandara

I decided on a Thai night of feasting and chose the Chandara in Plaza Senayan initially. Due to booking numbers and space issue, I cancelled on that branch and switched to their second branch that just opened in Plaza Indonesia. I had so much food ordered that I couldn't keep track of everything. Unfortunately I had several dishes slipped away, not having them taken picture or tasted. So a revisit is confirmed.

I would say for a busy weekend dinner time, their service were surprisingly quick. I didn't expect food to flow out of the kitchen that fast and that everything tasted pretty awesome. I wouldn't the best of everything but on a scale of one to ten base on overall experience. A good solid 7.5. Rather pricey but a splurge every now and then is definitely a must. It makes the economy goes around.

Menu : Pomelo Salad

Price : RP 55,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> I usually have the normal Thai Mango Salad or Papaya Salad, but Chandara serves additional different selection. 'Jeruk Bali' or known as 'Pomelo' became the base of this dish. Just imagine shredded pomelo bits mixed together with lime, chili, small dried shrimp. I think what was missing was the balance of sweetness. This dish has potential if only the pomelo fruit was ripe and sweet enough.

Menu : Gai Takrai

Price : RP 40,000 ++
Score : 5.5 /10

>> This is basically a fried chicken. Good flavorings, but the issue here is the chicken was too dry. A good fried chicken should still able to maintain the moisture and juiciness of the meat. This is a small portion and thus omit on this one if you're super hungry.

Menu : Olive Fried Rice

Price : RP 60,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Even though I can't taste any olive inside, I love this dish. Good portion, great seasoning, generous fillings, has a combination of texture; crunch from the nuts, well cooked rice. I like the kick of cut red and green chili, red onions and the sourness of the lime when you catch them by surprise while chewing. 

Menu : Thai Beef Basil
Price : RP 65,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> You all might think I'm bullshi*ing but I made quite a few times of this dish back during my Melbourne Uni days and I would say mine was better than this. Not that this tasted wrong in anyway, I gave this a 7 pointer but just that mine was simply better, hahahahahaha !!!!!

Menu : Chicken Green Curry
Price : RP 65,000 ++
Score : To Be Advised

>> I am truly sorry. I took a picture of this but then realised I didn't get a bite. None of my friend said this was bad and thus I assume, an average green curry dish. Next time, I'll pay more attention and write a revisit post.

Menu : Phad Thay
Price : RP 60,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> One of my favorite dish of the night. When this plate came, I pour the entirely small bowl of sweet and sour dipping and properly mixed it with the beansprout, chili and peanuts and gave a good squeeze of lime given at the side. I end up with a yummehhh phad thay! Good portion too ^_^ PS : Chandara serves a choice of Vermicelli Phad Thay or Rice Noodle Phad Thay.

Menu : Mad Ke Yao Pad La

Price : RP 45,000 ++
Score : 2.0 / 10

>> Okay, to begin with I don't like egg plant at all and this was specially ordered by FW. Well, I did put it into my mouth and gave a quick chew and swallow it with a gulp of tea. Bottom line, an egg plant will always taste and look like an egg plant regardless how the chef would cook it in any way. After this dish, I'm still not a fan in anyway and might not ever will. I don't like mushy texture, just yucky in all way when chewing inside my mouth.

Menu : Neua Yang

Price : RP 86,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> My favorite beef dish in almost all Thai restaurant. A good cut of tenderized beef, perfectly grilled to well done (not chewy at all), comes with a sour and slightly smokey dipping condiment. This is not spicy at all and thus those afraid of chili will love this as they can't eat much variety in a Thai restaurant. Almost all the dish under a Thai menu involves chili in one way or another.

Menu : Poh Piah Tod

Price : RP 30,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Minced chicken mixed with vegetables wrapped inside a spring roll paper skin, then deep fried to absolute crisp. Like the crispiness but rather lacking in flavor on its own. The sweet and sour Thai Sweet Chili Sauce was a savior to this,  a good combination. Take out the dipping and the score would dropped to a 5.0 / 10.

18 pax and the bill comes down to RP 2,850,000. Around RP 160,000 for one person and remembering the amount of food and the free flow of drinks, I personally think the price tag rather make sense :)

Chandara
Plaza Indonesia 1st Floor # E.18
Phone : 021 - 299 23775

Jittlada

My friend; Caroline came by Jakarta last weekend and we had dinner together. It has been ages since I last saw her. She's getting married this March and that was a much needed get together session! I choose Jittlada for dinner because David was so crankily hungry and Thai food seems very appealing to him at that moment. 

I ate here quite often, has been repeating myself for multiples of time. To describe the decor, it was some how leaning towards 'modern traditional Thailand' and strangely enough there is an odd looking wedding cake stand / shop at the back of the restaurant floor. Even though the ambiance was alright, the service was rather annoying especially they got packed during dinner time. They forgot one of our dishes, it came out like one hour later. Overall, I like the food there on average and will come back repeatedly for future to come.

Menu : Shrimp Cake with Bread
Price : Rp 23,500++
Score : 6.25 / 10

» Slightly too oily for me but the bread was really crispy and the sweet chili dipping goes hand in hand very well. The fillings should be 'richer' Some additional vegetables should be mixed inside instead of just plain prawn fillings.

 Menu : Poh Piah Tod
Price : Rp 23,500++
Score : 5.0 / 10

>> My friend Ratna likes this very much however I don't. The rolls are stuffed with chicken, vegetable, mushrooms, onions, shrimp and glass noodle. But the taste didn't really stood out., it was just bland. Only the sweet chili, I thought it gave a very nice additional kick to the spring rolls!

Menu : Tom Yam Kung
Price : Rp 34,500++
Score : 7.25 / 10

>> Even though for the price, the size was rather miniature, the taste was a perfect balance of sour sweet and hot. I LOVE THIS SOUP. The broth was just delicious but the fillings should have been more creative, instead of 2 pieces of prawns and some mushroom slices floating on top.

Menu  : Green Curry Beef
Price : Rp 45,500++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> I am not a big fan of dish containing coconut milk. But every time I swing by this restaurant, I'll order this soup. The soup is some how calming in a way the coconut is not too pungent and doesn't give you a feeling of uneasiness in your tummy or throat after dinner.

Menu : House Special Claypot Prawn with Glass Noodle
Price : Rp 65,500++
Score : 2.0 / 10

» Good God! This is atrocious! The food was cold, the glass noodle were all broken into small pieces, the taste was just too plain but the most disgusting thing is the "licorice spice" they mixed all in and over the dish. I hate licorice so damn much and can't ever understand why you'd want it in your food --___--". Will the chef that made this recipe get a grip of his tongue???

Menu : Soft Shell Crab, Garlic Pepper & Salt
Score : 7 / 10

» Jittlada captured my taste for Thai food. This dish is good good good, slightly too salty actually but when ate together with steaming white rice it was party in your mouth.

Menu : Beef Nah Yang
Score : 8.25 / 10

» I love this beef, tastes like bbq beef jerky. It's sweet and tangy with a splash of sourness. The entire table agree this is the best tasting dish of the evening and all of u should try this!

Menu : Soft Shell Crab with Black Pepper
Price : Rp 75,500++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> This is GOOD stuff! The sauce, the spice and the soft shell crab just mixed together into a dish is simply a God sent.

Menu : Minced Beef with Crispy Basil
Price : Rp 48,500++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This dish is quite confusing. Meaning the restaurant cook this inconsistently. Some occasion this can taste really superb and I'll give a 7.5 in a heart beat. But today...not that 'great'. The chef might be having a fight with his Thai girlfriend in Bangkok haha!

Menu : Baby Kailan with Sliced Beef
Price : Rp 37,500++
Score : 6.25 / 10

>> The oyster sauce is good. I don't like sauce that are too thick and they are of the right consistency here. One of the downside here is the portion. It is too small or am I just too greedy ?

Menu : Man Cham
Price : Rp 17,500++
Score : 3.5 / 10

>> Not good. Do not bother to order. They have this watery slime at the bottom of the sweet tapioca. Maybe the food is turning bad? Well I do not think it was that extreme. But definitely not good, however better than the horrifying glass noodle (above) ;p

JITTLADA THAI RESTAURANT

GRAND INDONESIA, EAST MALL FLOOR 3A

Yummy Sydney Part 2

This is the second part of the blog. During my trip to Sydney, I remembered I ate a lot of Korean and Thai food. Not sure why I stumble upon that kind of food but nevertheless I was satisfied eating them. Desserts; cakes, tim tams, ice creams and gelatos was never missing from my 'what to eat today' lists. I try to consume as much ice creams and cakes as much as possible as I learn from my Melbourne days that Australia has one of the best dairy and confectionery products!

YUMMY FUSION BBQ

 

This restaurant is situated in "Castle Tower" in the Baulkham Hills area. It is about 40 minutes drive from the city area. We did some shopping therapy in this mall and had lunch here. I ordered the "Chili Pork" AUD 10.90 and DH ordered "Grilled Pork Belly" AUD 12.50. The food was quite tasty and the big portion sufficiently powered me to walk and shop even further.

WATERS EDGE

The main reason why I came to Sydney was to attend DH sister's wedding. It was a beautiful setting and venue. The Waters Edge was situated at the quay of Darling Harbor and thus the view was surely splendid to the eye. Everyone dressed up to the occasion and the food was simply mouth watering. The day begins with everyone busy preparing getting ready and the night ends with people partying on the dance floor!!!

 

IN CHAN

This is the Thai Restaurant that I bragged about in the previous post (part 1). "In Chan" is situated on the Kingsford Street, just along Kingsford Chinese Restaurant. One of the most things that amazed me was that the cook in the kitchen were very young. Probably in the late 20's. I also assume that this is a family run restaurant, because almost all of the worker there looked alike. The next time I come back to Sydney, I'll definitely pop myself back in here again and order more dishes for sure!

> Tom Yum Goong AUD 7.00

> Yum Ped yang AUD 16.90

> BBQ Beef Crying Tiger AUD 15.90

THAI FOON
That day, a few of us went to the Star City Casino and try out our luck and as it turns out, we had good luck on our side! I won AUD 1200 and DH's dad won even much much more. Thus as for dinner, we decided to splurge more because in a way it was complimentary from Star City. We had exotic Kangaroo's meat, duck salad, tom yum soup, curry seafood soup (turns out to be the star of the meal) and many others.

PHO PASTEUR

I wanted to eat at "CHAT THAI" in the city but the queue was just crazy to be true. Instead we went for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup at "PHO PASTEUR". The restaurant was pretty busy when we were there during the peak dinner hour. I had a "Grilled Pork With Vermicelli AUD 9.00" and DH had "Special Beef Rice Noodle Soup AUD 11.00" and as for our starter, we choose to have fried spring rolls to share.