Pesto Autentico

Pesto Autentico is a quite popular Italian eatery in Jakarta.. located in the strategic Thamrin Nine building, Central Jakarta.. I have been willing to try this restaurant since a while ago, but have no chance until I found the deal from disdus.. oh how I love discounted food :) I have made my reservation for a lunch on 31st of December 2011.. I know it's been like a month ago, but please do forgive me, I have loads of work to do.. once we arrived, I was amazed by the beautiful indoor.. high ceilings with very neat arranged dining table.. I directly fell in love with this place.. 

upon arrival, we were given the free bread.. typical Italian restaurant, which makes me even more in love with Italian food.. the bread was soft and warm.. I usually add a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make it a nice appetizers.. 

it was one hot afternoon and looking at the drink menu, I was attracted to have pesto signature tea (Rp35,000) while my brother picked the usual iced cappucinno (Rp35,000).. pesto signature tea was such a perfect choice.. it was cold and refreshing with mixed fruits in it.. I love it so much.. my bro's ice cappucinno was just okay, I mean, nothing could go wrong with cappucinno..

to start our meal, my bro wanted to have salad, and to be safe, we picked the usual caesar salad (Rp43,000).. to our surprise, it came in a really small portion.. I was expecting some more for such price.. a few romaine lettuce leaves, boiled egg, bread crumbs, bacon bits topped with cheese and mixed with caesar dressing.. it tasted good, but I was disappointed with the portion..

the disdus voucher allowed us to have one pizza, one pasta and one salad/dessert.. there are several type of pizzas that we can choose and we decided to have rustica pizza (Rp59,000).. a combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella, cooked ham and mushrooms.. the pizza crust was thin and crunchy while the toppings were generous.. I always like this kind of thin crust pizza and I can't complain about the toppings.. it was a nice pizza, but not extraordinarily great..

for pasta, we were allowed to pick any type under Rp100k.. this time, my bro made his choice of fettucinne alla pescatora (Rp85,000).. home-made pasta served with béchamel sauce, shrimps and squids.. I believed it was my first time eating fresh pasta and I'm loving it.. moreover, the pasta was al dente.. my tongue really like what it tasted.. combined with the light white sauce which was just perfect combined with the generous shrimps and squids.. I was definitely in love with the pasta..

to complete our lunch, we asked for our pannacotta (Rp40,000).. an Italian dessert made from mixing cream, milk and sugar with gelantine.. it was my first time trying it and I love it.. the texture was very soft and gooey.. I can taste a little rum in it and when mixed with chocolate sauce, I've just found a joy for my tongue..

overall, I had a great lunch at Pesto Autentico.. the service was satisfying.. the atmosphere, ambiance and interior was top-notch.. the pasta was great.. I love this place and I love disdus for having the voucher :)

Pesto Autentico

Thamrin Nine UG Floor

Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 10

Ph.: 6221 299 37230

www.pesto.co.id

Siam Garden

it was a lunch date with my very best friend.. lately, we have a lot of things to share that we always find a way to meet.. thanks a lot for accompanying me yaa :) it was almost new year, and we wanted to have a small talk over lunch.. looking around our neighborhood turn into a restaurant alley, we decided to have some thai cuisine and when he mentioned Siam Garden, I basically just agreed.. it was located in home/office lane in Green Garden area.. not too crowded when we arrived, just the way we like, so we can have a chat without being disturbed by noisy crowd.. 

Thai Iced Tea (Rp15,000) - Thai Iced Coffee (Rp15,000)

he picked Thai Ice Tea (Rp15,000) and I picked Thai Ice Coffee (Rp15,000).. both tasted nice and not overly sweet.. it was milky and I just love them :) for me, the minus point was it was such a small portion haha.. me want more of those..

asparagus with dried shrimps (Rp55,000)

Tom Yam Kai (Rp42,000)

Chicken in Pandan Leaves (Rp40,000)

Pad Thai (Rp36,000)

yes, there was just the two of us, but we somehow ordered so many menus haha.. apparently we're just too greedy.. first to come is asparagus with dried shrimps which tasted really nice.. the asparagus was nicely cooked, tasted crunchy and went really well with the shrimp paste and dried shrimps.. the tom yam kai was another great choice, we picked chicken as our meat.. the tom yum soup tasted sourly refreshing and the fillings was very generous.. I love the cilantro leaves inside.. yum yum..

another must-order food in a Thai restaurant is fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves.. the chicken was tender but it wasn't well-seasoned, in my opinion.. it was just okay.. lastly, we had pad thai.. it came in a huge portion with generous fillings and tasted really nice.. I have always been a fan of pad thai and this one was no exception.. I love it..

overall, I had a great dining experience at Siam Garden.. good food, nice service combined with a cozy atmosphere shared with best friend was such a perfect day for me :)

Siam Garden
Ruko Green Garden ZII/32
West Jakarta 
Ph.: 6221 581 4085

Paulaner Bräuhaus

girlfriends time!!! it was December 29, 2011 and I have a date with my 3 girlfriends.. we wanted to have dinner in style then continue to enjoy Jakarta's night life.. actually, I don't know whether having dinner at Paulaner Bräuhaus should be considered fancy or stylish.. but whatever, I don't even care haha.. joining us were our two male friends so it was a party of six.. a friend of mine had made a reservation so we have our table directly after we arrived.. it was Thursday night and the place was full but not too crowded.. anyway, I like the uniforms of the waiters and waitresses which really made me feel like in Germany.. no, I haven't been there, just to describe how much I like it :P

located in East Mall of Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, the restaurant is quite large, dominated in wooden furniture and dimmed light.. I love the atmosphere here, it was cozy, relaxing and comfortable.. they even have a live band that night with jazz songs.. lucky for us, on Thursday, Paulaner Bräuhaus have a promotion of Lady's Night where girls can order food with free drinks.. YAY to free stuffs haha.. those are the plus points which officially make me a fan of Paulaner Bräuhaus.. 

Lychee Mint Elixir - Love Potion No. 9

as a part of the Thursday promotion, we are given two free drinks for any platter ordered.. so we picked Lychee Mint Elixir (Rp81,818) and Love Potion No. 9 (Rp81,818).. our lychee mint elixir tasted just like a cherry cough syrup haha.. none of us like it.. it has this bitter-sweet weird taste.. on the other hand, love potion no. 9  is simply my favorite.. it has a little sweet and sour hint, which was very refreshing, with just a little alcohol.. I have to say I don't drink alcohol.. not that I'm against it, it just they don't fit my taste buds..

De Bortolli Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot

a friend of mine has decided to not drink any alcohol other than wine, so she asked whether we wanted to share a bottle, since the price of one glass was just ridiculous.. all of us agreed, including me, since I haven't tried wine before.. yes, I'm that girl next door who don't drink alcohol and have never tried wine haha.. looking at the wine menu, she decided to pick De Bortolli Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot (Rp650,000 per bottle or Rp180,000 per glass).. it's a red wine type and just as I expected, I don't like it haha.. it's a little sourish bitter and tasted really warm in my throat.. as most of us were new to wine, my friend gave a "Wine 101" class that night when I learn about how to hold a wine glass and how to drink wine properly haha.. thank you :)

Knusprige Schweinshaxe mit Sauerkraut, Serviettenknödel und Bratensoss

first dish to arrive is schweinshaxe or crispy pork knuckle (Rp220,000) served with sauerkraut, bread dumplings and gravy ordered by one of our male friend.. and it was HUGE.. I have never seen such a huge pork knuckle.. it was roasted until the skin was very crunchy while the meat inside was very tender.. let me tell you that it was really delicious.. not surprising since this dish is one of the best Germany dish.. I know the huge amount of fat going in my body while tasting it, but it was just irresistible.. I LOVE IT..

Paulaner Platter
(Kassler, eine Thüringer, Leberkäse, Wiener Würstchen,
Stück Nürnberger und Schweinshaxe mit Sauerkraut und Kartoffelpüre)

as for the four girls, we decided to share Paulaner Platter (Rp250,000) consisted of smoked pork chop, three types of sausages (Thueringer, Vienna and Nuremberger), meatloaf and crispy pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and mashed potato.. as you can all guess, I love those meaty, fatty porks meat haha.. my favorite other than the pork knuckle, would be the sausage but I'm not quite sure which one is which.. the mashed potato has a very mushy texture with a hint of sweetness, and the sauerkraut was just too sour for me.. 

Thüringer Bratwürste mit Sauerkraut

the latest dish to arrive was  gegrillte Thüringer Bratwürste mit Sauerkraut or grilled Thueringer sausage served with sauerkraut (Rp90,000).. it finally arrived after all of us had finished our dinner and made complains.. Thueringer sausages was made of fine minced pork blended with other ingredients then filled into pork intestine.. well, tasted just as good as the ones in our paulaner platter only took a lot longer to arrive.. 

overall, I had a great night at Paulaner Bräuhaus.. a lot of laughter and stories were shared.. great food, great atmosphere and great friends.. what could be better?

Paulaner Bräuhaus
Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
Ground Level East Mall
Jl. M.H Thamrin No. 1
Central Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 2358 3871
www.paulaner-brauhaus.com/jakarta

QQ Kopitiam

another kopitiam post.. this business is surely growing like mushrooms in Jakarta.. this time I visit QQ Kopitiam located in Plaza Indonesia.. it was decorated nicely in an old Chinese style with wooden chairs and marble tables.. I love their table number, by the way.. I have heard about this place for a while and I heard they serve good food and drinks with affordable price.. I guessed, that's the main reason it was very packed during lunch hour..

as my brother is back in town, there were three of us hanging out.. my mom, as usual, go with her hot coffee choice and she decided to have hot kopi tarik (Rp15,000) while I picked iced kopi tarik (Rp17,000).. my brother decided to have yin yang peng (Rp17,000) which was a combination of tea and coffee with milk.. first impression, the coffee smells really good.. and they taste just as good as they smell.. I love my coffee so much.. a good composition of coffee, cream and sugar.. my mom and brother also love their drinks.. thumbs up :)

it was lunch time and I was really hungry.. the food menu was not too various.. the choices were only between noodles, vermicelli, rice noodles or rice dishes.. I decided to have mie kangkung terasi (Rp28,000).. it didn't take long for it to come out and it came in a sizzling hot stone pot.. noodle and water spinach cooked in terasi and egg broth complimented with squids and shrimps.. the portion was not too big, which was just perfect for my stomach.. so how did it taste? well, it was very tasty and delicious.. I love everything about this dish, actually.. me want more..

my mom picked horfun daging kepiting (Rp28,000).. it was rice noodle cooked in thick egg and crab meat broth then served with shrimps and fish balls.. it  also came in a hot stone pot but unlike my noodle, this one didn't look too appetizing.. it tasted quite good but a little too bland for my tongue.. it was just an okay dish, in my opinion..

overall, I think I had a great experience eating here.. good food, great coffee and affordable price.. it's kinda hard to find such a price for food in Plaza Indonesia.. I will definitely come back for more..

QQ Kopitiam

Plaza Indonesia 4th Fl. #E03-03A

Jl. M.H Thamrin Kav. 28-30

Central Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 2992 3699

Killiney Kopitiam

my mom and I have our regular mother-daughter shopping time on weekends.. and during that hectic activities, we usually pick a place for us to rest our feet and treat ourselves drinks.. last week, as we were in Senayan City, we noticed Killiney Kopitiam on the 5th floor.. it was quite catchy and so we decided to give it a try.. it is said that this coffee shop has opened its first store in Singapore since 1919.. well, such a long history for a kopitiam.. 

I ordered ice coffee tariek (Rp22,272).. it is available in a regular size and a larger size called mammoth ice coffee tariek (Rp27,272).. it came in a tall glass and even the regular portion is quite large.. it tasted really nice and not overly sweet, just the way I like.. it took me only ten minutes to finish my drink.. that's how much I love it..

my mom always love hot coffee, so she decided to order hot coffee c (Rp18,181).. unfortunately, it was not hot enough for her standard and a bit too sweet for her liking.. in her opinion, the coffee tasted a bit sour, typical Arabica cofee.. it was just okay in her opinion..

to accompany our coffee time, we ordered wheat kaya butter (Rp17,272).. toasted wheat bread filled with kaya jam and butter.. in my opinion, it tasted really good.. a little healthier option because of the wheat bread.. and the kaya jam, again, not overly sweet.. too bad, it was not too hot that the butter didn't melt..


overall, I think Killiney Kopitiam is just another kopitiam.. nothing was really special.. but luckily, their coffee tariek has got me addicted.. will I come back? perhaps, only for their coffee tariek.. 

Killiney Kopitiam

Senayan City 4th Fl.
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 19
Ph.: 6221 7278 1218
www.killineyindonesia.com

Naughty Nuri's Warung, Jakarta

Greenville area has grown resembling Muara Karang where you can find almost any type of food around here.. Naughty Nuri's Warung, which was very famous in Bali, has opened their branch.. it was a house turned into restaurant, decorated in Balinese ornaments here and there.. as we arrived, we were welcomed by the main entrance gate in Balinese style.. going further inside, a lot of Bali paintings and piggies ornaments are found around the restaurant.. the restaurant was quite humble with simple wooden chair and tables.. their menu is embedded to a chop board, making a nice, cute touch.. 

it was their pork ribs (Rp95,000) which became my main reason to visit.. it was one full slab of ribs marinated in sweet sauce.. a little lime juice to enhance the taste and you are set.. it came in quite a huge portion, luckily it was a shared menu.. the meat were very tender as it easily cut from the bones.. grilled well done, but not too much to make it dry, the meat was juicy  and addictive.. the sauce was a bit too sweet for me, but doesn't really influence the whole eating experience.. 

overall, I guess I have to thank God for letting Naughty Nuri's Warung opened near my neighborhood.. or, perhaps I should regret for it will definitely ruin my diet? :P

Naughty Nuri's Warung

Jl. Greenville Raya BK No. 8

West Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 565 6336

www.naughtynurisbali.com

2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

wishing you the happiest new year ahead.. lots of luck, joy and success

may your days be filled with love and happiness

God bless you abundantly :)

well, I guess time does fly.. I just can't believe that it's 2012 already.. so many great things happen during 2011 and I'm truly thankful for that.. I have been really blessed throughout the year.. a great God who has been guiding me all year long.. great family and friends to hang out with.. a great job to earn some money.. well, of course, there were some rocky road along my journey.. but overall 2011 has been really great.. thank You, Lord :)

during Christmas and New Year holiday, my mom's habit is to prepare cookies as both her children have the year-end holiday.. her favorite cookies to make would be nastaart and kaasstengels.. nastaart is cookies filled with pineapple jam while kaasstengels is Dutch cheese sticks.. and last year, she added raisin oatmeal cookies to accompany the other two.. how did they taste? well, they are all great.. another thing to be thankful for, a great baker mother..

well, how about your new year? hope it was great.. and your favorite home-made cookies? share with me :)