Godiva Chocolatier

Godiva is one of the most recognized chocolate brand, famous for its premium chocolates. Opening their first Indonesia store in Plaza Indonesia, Godiva Chocolatier definitely have made all the chocolate lovers spoiled. A gallery of curated chocolate tucked in the corner of 1st floor. It's something you definitely do not want to miss. Plus, the employees were so helpful and hospitable, you'll feel like you're in some best friend's house.

The minute I walked in the store, it almost felt like a wonderland. A bright white store full of chocolates! I must be in heaven! Pralines, truffes, carres, chocolate bars, the heavenly Godiva biscuits and.. the infamous chocolixir. I am one blessed girl. So that night I was accompanied by the lovely, cheerful Ms. Fredericka Rendy who was very kind to introduce me to the world of Godiva. Come and join me.

First, let me introduce you to chocolixir, chocolate-base drinks made of the premium Godiva chocolate. The chocolixir series consisted of the classic dark chocolate decadence, milk chocolate decadence, dark chocolate mint, dark chocolate raspberry and the new white chocolate matcha. All ready upon your orders. Priced on a stunning 70k each does not impact the enthusiasm of loyal customers.

I was given the privilege to taste one of the classic series, and I wasn't quite sure whether to pick the classic dark chocolate decadence, or the attractive dark chocolate raspberry. Somehow I fell for the charm of dark chocolate raspberry and there I was, sucking the most delicious combination of the holy 72% dark chocolate and fresh raspberry sauce. It was really surprising to taste just how good the combination could be. Definitely one of a kind taste, which should go to your must-try list.

Godiva keeps innovate and finally introduce the latest innovation called, White Chocolate Matcha Chocolixir. This one is a white chocolate base drink with a touch of green tea. I was quite skeptical when hearing the name of white chocolate. Well, white chocolate is not my favorite, as it often taste too sweet and too creamy. But a blogger got to do what a blogger got to do. A nice, greenish and very appealing chocolixir appeared before me and I had my first sip... then my second, and third, and I just couldn't stop. It was one of the most delicious drink I have ever tasted. Surprisingly light and not overly sweet, with a strong kick of matcha. It successfully exceeds my expectation. I even finished my cup, until the last drop. That's how much I love it! Not exaggerating.

Of course, it's not official to visit Godiva Chocolatier before having their famous curated chocolate, right? On top of their famous truffes, praline and carres collection, Godiva continues to innovate by introducing new flavors. All these to satisfy your craving, chocolate die-hard fans! And again, I was so lucky given the chance to try their latest addition to the truffes collection.. These babies will cost you Rp300,000/100gr.. Now, let's meet the gorgeous Godiva's babies..

Truffe Praliné Brésilienne

Truffe Praliné Brésilienne is my favorite of the latest collection. Milk chocolate filled with hazelnut praline then coated with crispy caramelized hazelnut. It was sweet-nutty burst in your mouth. What not to love. 

Truffe Mousse Matcha

Attention all green tea lovers! This is not to be missed! Green tea custard inside Godiva's dark chocolate, dipped in green tea powders. It was so good. A bit bitter due to the dark chocolate and green tea powder definitely kick you tongue to taste and welcome the new addiction.

Truffe Caramel Salé

This is dark chocolate-milk chocolate filled with rich liquid salted caramel. See the oozing liquid caramel coming out after the first bite? Yeah, it's sexy! Loving this till the last drop!

Truffe Mousse Vanille Mieal

Lastly I tried Truffe Mousse Vanille Mieal, wildflower honey infused ganache with light vanilla mousse, wrapped in dark chocolate and dipped into the creamy white chocolate flakes. This was too vanilla-ey and too sweet for my taste buds. Actually there is another new truffe addition, the Truffe Speculoos which is filled with cinnamon speculoos biscuit mousse, famous from Europe, but it was sold out and I didn't get the chance to try.

After trying their truffes, Ms Fredericka was kind enough to show me how to differentiate good from bad chocolate. And I'm sharing this little secret with you.

1. See. The surface of a good chocolate is slightly oily but very clean.

2. Touch. A good chocolate has the smooth, clean texture, not too dry and rocky but not easily melt

3. Smell. Of course, you have to be able to smell strong cocoa from a good chocolate.

4. Hear. Try breaking the chocolate next to your ear and hear the sound which should be just right, not to loud (means too dry) and not without sound (means too much milk).

5. Lastly, my favorite part.. Taste. A good chocolate should not be leaving any trace on your mouth, tongue or throat.

50% dark chocolate carres

Godiva Chocolatier
Plaza Indonesia, Level 1 Unit 114

Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30
Jakarta 15350
Ph.: 6221 2992 3972
www.godiva.co.id

Elicxir Nitrogen Gelato

It doesn't really matter what the weather is, for me everyday is a good day to have some ice cream. I am one blessed girl knowing that Jakarta is flooded with the new, uprising liquid nitrogen gelato. So what is this infamous liquid nitrogen gelato? Well, apparently science, through this chemical thing called liquid nitrogen, has made it possible to froze ice cream from 4-5 hours previously to less than a minute. This has made it possible to have the so-called freshly made ice cream. And you can watch the science take their place as the ice cream/gelato is made upon your orders. Exciting, eh? 

Elicxir Nitrogen Gelato, a home to various delicious gelato, are releasing their latest innovation. And I was so lucky having a chance trying them.. Prepare to drool, people! Elicxir Nitrogen Gelato introduced the Classic Hand-Blended, which differs from the Classic Gelato in the way of making, as the toppings are blended by hand to keep the good, crunchy shape.. It will cost Rp 60k per 5 oz cup..

wait a minute, your gelato will be ready shortly

Nitrogen Gelato in the making

from Ambon to Netherlands

This one instantly became my favorite. Banana cream gelato made from fresh Ambon bananas, served with Hollan honey gingerbread cookies. Oh, how I love the smooth texture of the gelato, and the Ambon banana taste really stood out. The gingberbread cookies were pure joy. Never thought I would fall in love so easily to Ambon banana, but this surely not to be missed! 

everything about Marie

It's something that we all have been familiar about, our classic Marie Regal biscuit made into gelato. What's not to love? The slight sweetness from the old, classic Marie Regal biscuits meet the smooth gelato texture then topped with real Marie Regal biscuits. Talking about a child's favorite.

toast my jam

This is Elicxir's flavor of February. French toast gelato with a shot of srikaya jam. Love it to the max! It's like having your favorite breakfast in a gelato form. The sweetness level was just right, which made me able to finish the whole bowl all by myself. Yes, I'm quite stingy when it comes to food. The srikaya jam was a darling, and together, they are all you need to survive a bad day :)

love on top

Celebrate the Valentine's day with your loved ones with red rum gelato topped with strawberry milk gelato (heart shaped on top), cream cheese foam and love velvet cookies. Feel the love, already? Do not be afraid as the rum has been flambe to remove the alcohol. Love the red rum gelato though I think I'll go only without the strawberry milk gelato. The appearance of this cup is definitely full of love. I love you too, dear Elicxir.

a closer look of gelato texture

So overall, it was a pleasant experience in Elicxir. I love the place so much, the decoration and wall paintings. I enjoyed watching those guys prepare our gelato. Science rocks! Moreover, I fell in love with the smooth texture of the gelato. Thank God for liquid nitrogen gelato!

Elicxir Nitrogen Gelato

Plaza Indonesia Extension Lv5#019

Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30
Jakarta 15350

Ph.: 6221 2992 3717

www.elicxirgelato.com

Beyond Oysters and Champagne

oysters and champagne are match made in heaven.. they are classic food-beverage pairing.. the experts said that the smooth taste of champagne marries perfectly with the rich flavor of oysters, especially when both are served chilled.. I guessed that's the main idea of 'Beyond Oysters and Champagne' brought to you by Keraton Lounge.. every Friday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Keraton brought you the finest, freshest and most succulent imported oysters, served alongside Alaskan King Crabs and Jumbo Shrimps, accompanied by an endless pour of Billecart-Salmon Champagne.. the menu set options are available between 6 pcs or 12 pcs, with or without endless pour of Champagne..

• 6 pcs of seafood combination without unlimited Champagne at Rp250,000++
• 6 pcs of seafood combination with unlimited Champagne at Rp850,000++
• 12 pcs of seafood combination without unlimited Champagne at Rp395,000++
• 12 pcs of seafood combination with unlimited Champagne at Rp995,000++

'Beyond Oysters and Champagne' is held in the Keraton Lounge, beautifully decorated in modern and ethnic furniture.. I found this place was very cozy and heart-warming.. loving every details of the lounge.. anyway, let's start our journey with Keraton as our host.. started with the non-alcoholic luxury collection cocktail, java tai (Rp110,000).. a mix of black pepper syrup, lychee, fresh lime juice and local pineapple juice.. personally, I think the fresh lime juice overpower the other ingredients, creating a strong bitter-sour taste.. fortunately, I can still taste a hint of pineapple juice though I found not black pepper taste at all.. imho, it was refreshing though I wish to have a more balanced taste..

as the night grew older, we were served our champagne, Billecart-Salmon Champagne, originated from a champagne house in France, founded in 1818 after the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon.. acknowledged to be a few to remained family-owned (source: Wikipedia).. I'm not an expert, so forgive me for being an amateur.. in my opinion, the champagne was nice.. not too bitter with a strong fruity flavor.. I actually loved it.. though I cannot drink much remembering I drive home all alone.. remember that the champagne here is served free-flow, so you can actually have as much as you wanted.. 

then comes the seafood parade.. let the star comes in first, the fresh Fine de Claire oysters, specially brought to you from French.. the oysters were still alive, as I can hear their sounds when I was taking pictures.. the oysters were graded based on their sizes, grade 1 are the largest.. and what we were having that night were grade 2, just perfect bite-size for me.. it was my first time having fresh oysters, and it was great! really, I would have never thought that I would fall for these creatures, but I did.. they were served chilled and really fresh, not fishy at all.. I learned from Natasha to eat it with lemon juice and tabasco.. guessed what? it was awesome.. loved the mix of oysters' freshness and spicy-sour condiments.. thank God for oysters :)

Keraton does not only serves the fresh oysters, but also baked oysters.. this is an option for those of you who just cannot stand eating fresh seafood.. the oysters were baked with spinach and cheese, or known as gratin.. it was the best dish of the night.. I love every bit of this dish.. again, the oysters are fresh and perfectly matched with the baked spinach and cheese.. I would recommend this dish to everyone of you..

other seafood you can choose for your plate includes Alaskan King Crab and Jumbo Shrimps.. both are served chilled and fresh.. nothing is better than crunchy, juicy and sweet taste of fresh seafood.. one thing I can assure you, the size of these seafood are huge.. of course, you do not have to mess your hands opening these seafood, as they will be served to you at your most convenient way.. I prefer to eat those with no dipping to ensure I get the best taste of it.. but of course, it's our own choice.. the dipping sauces were also available according to your preference..

overall, I had a great time at Keraton Lounge, accompanied with the freshest seafood and other food blogger.. moreover, we got ourselves a very nice host.. thank you for having me, Keraton and ciao!

 

Keraton Lounge

Keraton at the Plaza

Jl. MH. Thamrin Kav. 15
Jakarta 10350
Ph.: +6221 5068 0000

Madame Lily

hello there.. it's been three months.. THREE MONTHS since my last post.. I owe you all an apology, fellow readers.. busy was the main an excuse but I did have several other things to be taken care of.. promise that I will write more often and hopefully I can juggle my professional, personal and food life :) in the mean time, here's a super late post..

passing Plaza Indonesia quite often, I have always been curious about this Victorian style restaurant, beautifully decorated in silver, grey and white.. somehow, I get a sense that this eatery is quite promising.. luckily, I have my office mates who were just as curious as I was.. so one night, after office ended, we went there simply to have a quality time.. thank God, the traffic was quite friendly that we were able to reach Plaza Indonesia within only 30 minutes.. this was an achievement, remembering that our office is located in the Jakarta's worst traffic area.. 

well, since it was a weekday, the mall was almost empty.. I love the feeling of empty malls, it's like we owned the whole building.. we managed to get a nice table in the corner of the restaurant, just right for us to update gossips, talk about the future and of course, share the laughter.. the menu was dominated with Indonesian cuisine with some hints of international cuisine.. below are those things we finally decided to have that night..

iced peach tea (Rp35,500)

caesar salad (Rp60,000)

mie ayam bakso pangsit (Rp60,000)

tahu telor (Rp40,000)

mac and cheese (Rp75,000)

the most eye-catching thing about the menu is the price charged.. well, quite a high price for Indonesian cuisine.. the iced peach tea was very refreshing with chopped peach though I wished there's more to it.. the glass was very thin that it barely quench my thirst.. the mie ayam was really nice, the noodle was al dente, a very nice texture, I must admit.. the condiments, on the other hand, was just average.. personally, it was overpriced and I don't think I would pay such a price for a portion of mie ayam.. my tahu telor tasted a bit different from other tahu telor I have ever tasted.. I do not know how to describe it, but it tasted more like tofu pancake though it was actually delicious.. I love the petis so much, the star of the dish.. the two international food we ordered, caesar salad and mac and cheese tasted really average.. they were good, but quite forgettable..

so overall, I do think that Madame Lily offered a really nice ambiance and atmosphere with very beautiful decoration.. the food was just average though.. I would probably consider to come back only for their desserts and drinks then stay hours for quality time with my friends, after having dinner some place else :)

Madame Lily

Plaza Indonesia L4 #019

Jl. MH Thamrin Kav. 28-30

Ph.: +6221 2992 3868

Fax: +6221 2992 3858

www.madame-lily.com

Mexican Food Extravaganza at Bengawan

ola! a few weeks ago, I got a lovely invitation from Bengawan, a restaurant of Keraton at the Plaza to try their Mexican menu, brought directly from Mexico by Chef Lamberto Valdez Lara.. it was really exciting since not many good Mexican restaurant I can name in Jakarta.. I personally think the Mexican cuisine is sexy and unique, thus I really can't wait to explore it.. especially when it's brought by a Mexican chef.. prepare your taste buds :)

the Mexican menu is part of the buffet menu served at Bengawan.. there was a special section dedicated for these appetizing menu.. let's start with the classic nachos.. I reckon this is one of the most popular Mexican dish in Indonesia, consisted of corn tortilla chips topped with cheese, tomatoes, beans and beef.. this was awesome! I have always been a huge fan of nachos.. I find this dish very appetizing both in the eyes and in the taste.. the fact that all of the ingredients were freshly made is just another plus point.. I need to warn you to be careful with this if you are not used to eat spicy food since there were chopped chilies in the toppings.. 

next, we have Mexican soup, caldo tlalpeño, which basically was made from chicken broth with garlic and onion.. you can add available toppings which includes chicken chunks and thin tortilla chips.. as basically, all Mexican dishes were spicy, the soup was also quite hot.. luckily, I love spicy food and so I enjoyed it so much.. it was very refreshing and unique with a strong sour and spicy taste.. 

on to the main courses.. let's try the staple food first, rice.. served here is Mexican green rice.. chef Lamberto himself suggested us to eat the green rice along with the tomato salsa, guacamole and red beans.. though I found the suggestion quite unusual for my tongue, I did try it and it resulted in a unique and delicate combination..

the next one is my favorite dish of the day.. carne asada which literally means 'grilled beef'.. the beef was marinated in achiote before perfectly cooked medium then served with roasted guajillo salsa, wild mushrooms and organic grown cherry tomatoes.. this tasted awesome! I have never tasted anything like this befoer and I'm totally loving it.. the beef was very tender and the seasoning was heavenly :)

other menu includes chicken flautas and chilles rellenos.. chicken flautas is basically rolled taco stuffed with chicken and cheese while chilles rellenos is stuffed bell pepper with Alaskan king crab, fresh corn, goat cheese and chipotle sauce.. chicken flautas, in my opinion, will be a perfect choice for snack or light lunch as this was easily lovable and quite fulfilling.. as for the chilles rellenos, I'm not a fan of bell pepper and so I just cut the bell pepper into half and eat the fillings which was delicious :)

chicken flautas

chilles rellenos

my lunch plate

of course, our lunch did not just end with the Mexican dishes.. instead we went for more from the store.. including the foie gras and oysters which available daily.. talking about spoiling your tongue, tummy and just making you realize how beautiful the world can be.. haha.. for drinks, I return to have their lychee ice tea which was still the best in Jakarta.. love the crushed lychee and the pop-up bubbles.. 

last but not least, I saved a room for dessert and found that their tiramisu was scrumptious.. I just can't get enough of it.. me want more!

overall, it was a pleasant event.. especially since I'm sharing the table with Cindy, Selba and Natasha.. well that's all from me.. adios!

Bengawan, Keraton at the Plaza
Jl. MH. Thamrin Kav. 15
Jakarta 10350

Ph.: +6221 5068 0000