Ninety Nine

I love February. It's my birthday month and the same month everybody celebrates love. This year, another number has been added to my age and I couldn't be more thankful to the Lord. I am blessed with so much love and I couldn't be happier.

On my birthday, a very good friend of mine took me on a birthday dinner date. As I got the priviledge to choose our dining venue, I decided to pick Ninety Nine in Pesanggrahan area. The reason is quite simple, it's close to our neighbourhood so we will avoid any unnecessary traffic and I love the ambience. Located in the 2nd floor of Ranch Market building, the eatery is very homey and cozy. Dimmed lights and wooden furniture with vintage tiles are enough to keep me coming back. 

When we arrived, the eatery was quite crowded, butt we managed to get a table quickly. The menu is quite extensive with selection of Asian, Indonesian and Western cuisine. But that night, we decided to go Western. I was having sor throat so I decided to have a cup of hot honey lemon to warm my body. As for the main course I went with dory fillet. My company chose mushroom cappuccino to start and picked her favorite vegetarian aglio olio fettucinne for dinner.

My honey lemon was hearty. It was warm and sweet, perfect for that rainy Saturday night. The mushroom cappuccino is actually mushroom soup topped with milk froth, so it looks like a cup of cappuccino. The soup tasted just okay but we wished it was a little thicker. However, I dislike the milk froth as it tasted a bit weird. Her vegetarian aglio olio fettucinne consiste of sundried tomato, garlic, olive and spinach. I didnt't try it, but it's her favorite, so I assume it was fine.

My dory fillet looked very appetizing. A plate of pan-fried dory in crumbs served with tomato rice and sauteed green veggies. I love dory fish, it was fresh and tender. I prefer not too much crumbs though as they retained too much oil. The tomato rice was a nice surprise. Tasted a bit sour from the tomato, the rice was pretty much my favorite. It went well with both the dory fish and green veggies, which tasted a bit bitter. 

Overall, I had a nice dinign experience in Ninety Nine. I love the ambiance so much and the service was also satisfying. Moreover they have a 20% off neighbourhood promotion, which means you can get a 20% discount if you're living nearby. I cannot mention any price tag as this was a treat and I'm not allowed to look at the price tag. 

Ninety Nine

Ranch Market Building 2nd Floor

Jln. Pesanggrahan Raya no.2

West Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 5830 4797

www.ninetynine.co.id

Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant

last week, I had a pleasant surprise of the opportunity to taste Chinese cuisine from Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant, located in The Media Hotel & Towers.. a restaurant which offers all you can eat dim sum for only Rp69,999.. now, with that you can get your free-flow Chinese tea along with stuffing your tummy with over 40 different kinds of dim sum.. the all you can eat dim sum is available on weekends or public holidays from 08:00 to 14:00..

the restaurant was quite huge with 150 seating capacity decorated in oriental style.. dominated by typical wooden chairs and huge round tables, it's really homey.. somehow, the Chinese restaurant decorations always make me feel warm.. I love round tables since it allows us to look at each of our eating companions.. here and there, you will find Chinese ornaments which is really nice in the eyes..

 

now, off to the business, shall we? what you're about to see is a series of food photography.. I suggest you to kindly eat before reading this post :)

start the day with a cup of warm Chinese tea.. love the cup!

main courses station | carrot cake station

fried dim sum sections
left-right: kumis naga, roti goreng udan, guo tie

winter melon & seafood soup | Chinese congee

what's on our table.. 

stacks of bamboo steamer | shrimp har gow

crab har gaw (my favorite!) | vegetable cheong fan

onde-onde | almond rolls filled with corn custard

onde-onde filled with red bean paste, my favorite dessert! 

desserts station
fresh fruits | assorted pudding | rainbow cakes | fruit cocktail

so overall, it was a huge lunch as we were offered all of those appetizing cuisine.. and it's not even half of what is served in Dragon Court.. my top three dishes would be winter melon & seafood soup, crab har gow and onde-onde.. the soup was very delicate, clear and straight taste, generously filled with winter melon chunks, chicken and vegetables.. the crab har gow definitely got the pretty look and delicate taste as well.. and how I love those onde-onde.. yum!!

if you want to enjoy an affordable yet tasty dim sum, don't hesitate to visit Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant.. I will definitely come back for more dim sum :)

Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant
The Media Hotel & Towers
Jl. Gunung Sahari 3
Jakarta 10720
www.themediahotel.com

Churreria - Spanish Chocolateria

what is good compliment you can give yourself after a tiring week at work? for me, a cup of hot chocolate will do just fine.. it was after Sunday service that I managed to drag my mom to try Churreria.. I have always wanted to try this eatery specialized in Spanish doughnut or churro but never got the chance.. a bit late maybe, but it's better than never, right?

the menu was quite various but focused on Spanish desserts which was a good sign.. I love focused eatery.. that moment, I decided to have classic churreria (Rp30,000) while my mom opted Spanish Latte (Rp20,000) accompanied with shared churros classic (4 pieces of churros and 1 dip) (Rp28,000).. we picked the dark chocolate dip and asked for our cinnamon sugar powder sprinkles..

now, the classic churreria seemed not appetizing.. at first glance, I even thought it was just another cup of hot milo.. but once I tasted, it was really good, thick hot cocoa in a huge cup on a rainy day.. it's just heavenly.. my mom's spanish latte was another surprise.. it looked like another cup of espresso but turned out it was quite a strong cup of coffee.. it tasted really bitter, even my mom who loves bitter coffee, had to add sugar to it.. I tasted a bit and it was too strong for me.. but it was a good thing, buying a quality coffee made your money well spent.. the churros was really delicious.. it was crunchy on the outside and soft inside.. the cinnamon sugar sprinkles add a little sweetness combined with the rather bitter dark chocolate dip and it was just perfect.. I love every aspect of it and no complaints at all..

now, I may seemed exaggerating.. but the truth is I was in love with the churros.. all of our orders turned out to be satisfying with prompt service and reasonable price.. there, my current craving :D~

Churreria

Central Park, Tribeca Upper Ground #06

Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28

Jakarta Barat 11470

Ph.: 6221 2920 0117

Old Town White Coffee

another kopitiam in town.. as you all may know by now, my mom and I are such a huge fans of coffee.. so together, we always try new coffee stall or kopitiam to help us survive the day.. that one particular day in Mall Taman Anggrek, we decided to try Old Town White Coffee.. located in Ground Floor, the eatery was quite eye-catching.. with dimmed lights and dark wooden furniture, this eatery was very inviting.. the decoration implying a cozy and modern look with a touch of vintage.. I was quite impressed..

Old Town White Coffee was established in Malaysia back in 1999, and since then has expanded their business to Indonesia, Singapore and China.. well, let's get down to our business.. my mom ordered their black coffee selection of hot old town nanyang o (Rp12,000) while I chose to try their white coffee, hot old town white coffee (Rp18,000).. quite interested in the food offered, we decided to share kaya toast single (Rp10,000) and curry samosa basket (Rp22,000)..

soon enough, our orders were starting to come.. firstly arrived was our coffee in two small black cups, which smelled really good.. the terms white coffee was referring to Ipoh white coffee which coffee beans were roasted in palm-oil margarine and the resulting coffee is served with condensed milk (source: wikipedia).. this was different with kopi o which coffee beans were roasted with sugar, margarine and wheat.. okay, enough with the theory.. in my humble opinion, the coffee was not the best I have tried.. the coffee was quite strong, even my so-called white coffee.. even after I add brown sugar, I can still taste the coffee bitterness and this coffee has a sour after taste, which I was not a fan of.. anyhow, the coffee was enjoyable, though was not my favorite, but it gives a new option and experience of drinking coffee..

kaya toast is definitely the best companion for coffee.. Old Town's kaya toast was definitely pleasing in the eye.. a white layer of kaya spread and butter between brown toasts was just irresistible.. it tasted awesome.. the kaya spread was not overly sweet which make the dish really enjoyable.. the brown toast was crunchy.. it was a perfect kaya toast.. the curry samosa basket took a little bit longer to arrive and it looked really disappointing.. I gave you the comparison between the actual one and the one pictured in the menu book.. HUGE differences! luckily, it tasted good that I don't have to complain.. the samosa were freshly served with a very tasty curry fillings.. 

the expectation from menu book

the actual result

overall, I think I had quite a good time at Old Town White Coffee.. good coffee and great kaya toast were not disappointing at all.. I will come back for more kaya toast.. 

Old Town White Coffee
Mall Taman Anggrek Ground Floor
Jl. Letjen. S. Parman Kav. 21
Ph.: 6221 563 9069

[Revisit] Kitchenette

it's been a while since I actually post something in this blog.. blame it to the mounting work loads at office and a little laziness inside haha.. I'm trully sorry, but I promised I write some more soon.. well, back to business.. a few weeks ago, I had a meeting with my old friends and we decided to have brunch at Kitchnette branch in Central Park Mall.. a quite friendly location for all of us, who mostly lives around West Jakarta area..

it was brunch time and I decided to have something light, tasty and definitely not their gallettes.. so from Uncle Raul's Spanish Tapas, I picked oven baked mushrooms with melted garlic butter (Rp39,000) accompanied by freshly squeezed strawberry juice (Rp26,000).. it didn't take long for my food to arrived.. a very appealing look of baked mushrooms drenched in creamy garlic butter sauce, topped with baguettes.. and thank God, it tasted awesome.. the garlic butter sauce was very light.. it was yummy and not overwhelming.. I also love the crunchy baguettes.. I must say it was a hearty dish, very fulfilling and definitely be on my re-order list when I came back.. my strawberry juice was served chilled and it was very sour.. quite a surprise for my empty belly.. but I did feel the spirit of their freshly squeezed term..

as full as your tummy may be, there will always be a space for some desserts.. and when my friend offered to share a portion of Kitchenette's groovy checkered cake (Rp35,000), I just couldn't resist.. it was actually another rainbow cake, which was re-arranged to a checkered form.. as expected, it tasted just like another sponge cake with bright color.. my friend felt that this was a left-over cake from the previous day.. luckily, the cream cheese saved the dish.. it was really yummy, at least some bright side..

overall, I had a hearty dish.. good friends with good food was a perfect match made in heaven.. definitely gonna put oven baked mushrooms in my re-order list when I made my next visit.. I noticed that their Central Park branch has a great decoration, which was so comfortable that I felt like I'm in my own friend's kitchen.. moreover, the service was very good and helpful :)

Kitchenette
Central Park, Tribeca G Fl Unit PAV 3 A
Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28, Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 5698 8888

Lau's Kopitiam

kopitiam is definitely mushrooming all over Jakarta, almost like a trend.. different brand offers different menu.. personally, I perfer kopitiam to  Western coffee shops as a hang out place.. more affordable prices and more Asian culinary menu are definitely the main reasons.. a few weeks ago, I visited Mall Puri Indah then noticed Lau's Kopitiam at one corner.. I have heard about it quite some time, but never got the chance to visit.. so I decided to have afternoon coffee with my mom there.. the place is quite empty when we arrived, simply decorated with wooden chairs with red cushions accessorized by hints of vintage here and there.. 

we ordered a cup of kopi susu (Rp11,304) each and a portion of black fried carrot cake (Rp16,521) to share.. it didn't take long for our orders to arrive (plus one for the service).. the coffee arrived in the cute, vintage cup.. I think almost all kopitiams serve coffee in a similar cup.. the coffee smelled so good and tasted good as well.. my mom, as my coffee expert, loved the coffee.. she preferred her coffee to be unsweetened, simply black and bitter.. I, on the other hand, preferred to add a little sugar, since I can't stand the bitterness of black coffee.. the black fried carrot cake tasted quite good but not outstanding.. the portion was very huge that we had trouble finishing the whole plate.. perhaps I should just stick to their toast selections as fried carrot cake was not really a matching companion for coffee haha..

overall, I think Lau's Kopitiam offers various types of food with a very affordable prices.. good coffee and good tasted food.. this place surely knows what can keep visitors coming.. 

Lau's Kopitiam

Mall Puri Indah

Lobby Barat Ground Floor No. 72

Pines Kitchen

I have passed Pines Kitchen in Central Park several times, but never had any interest in trying it.. well, to be honest, I thought it was just another Chinese restaurant.. but I changed my mind when my mom's friend  told us that Pines Kitchen is one of the best restaurant serving dim sum in Jakarta.. so curious about their unknown famous dim sum, we decided to have a try.. 

it was Sunday afternoon after church, my mom and I went for a lunch date.. the place was quite packed as we arrived, implying a good sign that this restaurant is indeed famous for their good food.. we finally got ourselves a table after waiting for around 10 minutes.. the restaurant was very busy and the narrow distance between each table made me quite uncomfortable.. but anyway, we were here for the food.. 

we actually came for their dimsum selection and ended up ordered cheong fan char siu (Rp16,800), lotus leaf rice (Rp17,800), shaomai (Rp16,800) and xiao long bao (Rp17,800).. to accompany our lunch, we added string beans a la Szechuan (S - Rp52,000) and chinese tea - jasmine (Rp26,000 per pot).. then we also added sesame seed balls (Rp15,800) for our dessert..

so is the rumor true? well, I must say that averagely the dishes were good.. I especially love the cheong fan char siu and xiao long bao from the dim sum selection.. their string beans a la Szechuan was delicious.. it was definitely one of the best string beans I have ever tasted.. they added tauco or fermented soybeans which makes the dish really unique and addictive.. the sesame seed balls was also good, the sesame paste inside was not too sweet, definitely fits my tongue :)

overall, I had a great lunch in Pines Kitchen.. great tasted food had definitely made my day.. the prices above are subject to 5% service charge and 10% tax.. but luckily, they have a 20% promotion with BCA Credit Card..

Pines Kitchen
Central Park LG 162-163
Jln. S. Parman Kav. 28
West Jakarta
Ph.:  6221 5698 5324

Calais Tea

bubble tea fever is all over Jakarta.. here and there, new stall selling bubble tea from different brands are emerging.. Calais Tea is one of the shining star among those many.. with the tagline Artisan Bubble Tea and Coffee, and bringing a whole new experience of bubble tea by bringing the popping pearls, that is bubble that will burst in your mouth.. 

I noticed that their stall in Central Park Mall is always crowded and filled with long queue, which makes me reluctant to try.. I am a practical type of people who do not enjoy queuing haha.. but last week, the stall was quite empty, so I decided to give it a try.. I decided to go with the classic honey milk tea with original small bubbles (Rp19,500) add with mango popping pearls (Rp4,000) less sugar and less ice.. a strange combination, I know.. but with so many options, I just can't decide what to choose and I was dying wanting to try their popping pearls.. so there you go.. oh, by mentioning that you have like their facebook page and follow their twitter, you will get a free up-size from regular to large.. 

so taste wise, I can't really taste the milk tea, since my tongue was busy tasting the popping mango pearls.. I do love those popping mango pearls.. sour and very refreshing.. I did make a mistake by combining it with milk tea.. my bad.. and I did not know that the milk tea was stored hot so my choice of less ice making it a strangely warm milk tea.. the taste of the tea and bubbles were actually not bad, but not outstanding.. just another ordinary bubble milk tea.. 

I guessed, I need to try other popping pearls with their fruit tea.. too bad, lately, the queue was too long that I haven't had my chance to try their other teas.. perhaps some other time..

Calais - Artisan Bubble Tea and Coffee
Central Park Lower Ground
Jl. Letjen. S. Parman Kav. 28
West Jakarta

[Revisit] Go!Curry

I was really, really impressed with their curry.. you can tell by the frequency I visit this place after my first.. it was when my brother came visiting Indonesia that I eagerly brought him here.. it's a must visit, so I said.. I'm not a really creative person and just like my previous visit, I decided -again- to share their Rogan Josh curry with cilantro butter rice and Tandoor chicken tika (Rp56,000) with my mother but this time, I chose the "very hot" level since their hot version was not really that hot for me.. despite being warned by the waiter, I still managed to stick to my choice haha.. my brother, on the other hand, decided to try their green curry, hot with yellow nut rice and zesty chicken (Rp56,000).. to accompany our meals, creme caramel tea (Rp26,000) for me and pineapple lime mojito (Rp25,000) for him..

Rogan Josh curry was still as good as I remembered, though I think the portion was a little bit less than my first one.. lots of herbs in it and a perfect match with their cilantro butter rice.. it's like a perfect combination for my tongue.. well, apparently, their "very hot" level was way beyond the "hot" one.. so it was really hot for me, though I was still able to finish it without tearing hahaha.. but, poorly my brother couldn't even eat more than one spoon of it haha.. it was very spicy with lots of chili and pepper, but yum yum.. my brother's green curry was even spicier.. though it was just a "hot" level, we were told that the base for green curry was green chilies, that's why there's no mild green curry.. poor little brother haha.. anyway he did manage to finish his meal but not the whole curry.. the yellow rice was very nice, fragrant and tasty.. I, personally, loved both types of curry.. 

unfortunately, I did not find my creme caramel tea too appealing.. I think I made a wrong choice of drink.. it was a glass of ice tea with milk which turned out to be a little too weird for my tongue.. my brother's choice of drink was way better than mine.. a very refreshing pineapple juice with soda and crushed mint leaves was such a treat for our tongue after our spicy meals.. I have put notes to myself to order it for my next visit..

I told my brother that Jakarta was in a red velvet and rainbow cake fever.. lucky for him, Go!Curry also serves red velvet cake (Rp45,000) which we ordered with no hesitant.. it was a three-layer home-made red velvet cake with cream cheese fillings and candied sprinkles on top.. we were told that the red color of the cake was obtained from beet as natural coloring so we need not to worry.. first bite and I'm in love.. my mom even said that it's better than Union's.. moist cake balanced with delicious cream cheese and oh those sweet sprinkles, it was such a joy for my tongue.. I love everything about this cake.. its sweetness level and cake texture definitely had won my heart..

Go!Curry
Pacific Place Mall 4th Floor
Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 52-53
South Jakarta 12190
Ph.: 6221 5140 2750
www.go-curry.com

Ninety Nine

it was dessert time.. another sharing session with my best friend.. an after dinner meeting, so we decided to have cakes to brighten our mood.. we picked Ninety Nine which was newly opened near our houses, in Puri area right on top of Ranch Market.. the place was spacious.. nice decoration and furniture.. it created a homey and very comfortable atmosphere.. due to the huge space, we can enjoy our meal and talk without being disturbed by other tables' conversation.. 

as the hype of red velvet cake is definitely in town.. we decided to have Ninety Nine's style of raspberry red velvet (Rp34,000) and house recommendation triple chocolate cake (Rp34,000).. and although it was quite late, I can't resist to order a cup of hot cafe latte (Rp28,000)..

to be honest, I have to say that Union's red velvet is definitely the best in town.. Ninety Nine's red velvet was a bit too dry for me.. not a moist type of cake.. its appearance was very appetizing though, nice touch of the food art there.. on the other hand, we both found their triple chocolate cake really nice.. not too sweet, a strong taste of cocoa and not dry.. my cafe latte was also nice.. served warm and such a nice companion for the sweets..

overall, I love the ambiance of the place so much.. and I will spare my time to try their main courses.. a good choice to hang out near our house.. :)

Ninety Nine
Jl. Pesanggrahan Raya No.2
Kembangan, West Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 5835 5163 - 6221 5830 4797

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

[Revisit] Sushi Tei

it's my favorite sushi place ever! the classic yet always satisfying Sushi Tei.. this post will be filled with lots of pictures as this was a combination from countless visits haha.. do enjoy :)

inari sushi (Rp8,500) - chuka kurage (Rp24,000)
sanshoku hana salmon (Rp29,000) - chuka wakame (Rp24,000)

wakame salad (Rp29,000) 

salmon crispy aburi (Rp29,000)

crispy roll (Rp24,000)

hotate misomayo (Rp29,000)

jumbo dragon roll (Rp75,000)

royal soft shell crab roll (Rp38,000)

shiratama maccha (Rp28,000)

gyu yanagawa + tuna salad crispy mentai (Rp88,000) using Disdus voucher

Sushi Tei

Senayan City Level 4 #08
Central Park Level 1 Unit 113

www.sushitei.co.id