Goedkoop

Goedkoop is a small Dutch cafe, located in Bendungan Hilir area.. I have heard of this so-called small gem several times, thanks to the social media, and finally got the chance to visit.. Goedkoop literally means 'cheap' in Dutch and their tagline is 'warung kopi belanda' or Dutch coffee shop.. So, you know that I expected good, cheap coffee coming to the small cafe.. :)

It was Saturday afternoon after lunch hour when Jakarta's traffic was quite friendly.. The cafe only have 4 parking lots, which was already full, that we have to park across the street.. Inside, a small cafe, decorated in combination of vintage and modern furniture with dimmed lighting and ivory walls.. We picked a nice, personal spot in the corner, at the back of the cafe, which was quite nice.. Too bad this little cafe has no separation between smoking and non-smoking section..

The menu was quite simple in a single printed sheet, dominated by coffee and tea selection, then a few light meals and main courses.. So I decided to have hot koffie bon bon 18k, while my friend picked hot goedkoop latte 25k then we shared poffertjes 23k..

I honestly do not know whether those drinks are actual Dutch specialties, so let's just go on to the verdict time! The hot koffie bon bon was pretty! I love the coffee-milk-foam layer which.. The coffee itself was quite strong.. I would not recommend this to those who are not a frequent coffee drinkers, as your heart may not able to handle the effect.. The taste was balanced, bitter-sweet just the way I like my coffee, though my non-coffee drinker friend said it's too bitter.. 

The goedkoop latte was mediocre.. The tea and milk taste were too overpowering, I can barely taste the coffee, plus it was too sweet for my liking.. Definitely not my favorite..

The poffertjes were perfect! It was fluffy and soft and light and not overly sweet.. I love those tiny round mini Dutch pancakes.. Delish! Too bad the portion was a bit small.. One plate consisted of 8 small pieces, which I believe I can finished all in split second..

Overall, it was a pleasant coffee and snack experience in Goedkoop.. Our bills came in a small traditional clog, which was really cute.. The price was quite reasonable though may not be classified as 'cheap' for me.. One thing that bothers me is the service, which, in my opinion, needs some improvement.. The waiters were not friendly, but I gave credit for their speed as our orders came real quickly.. It was during our one-hour visit that not a single smile was given.. Started from taking our orders, delivering the orders and until handing us our bills.. It's quite disappointing for a 5% service charge..

Goedkoop

Jl. Bendungan Hilir Raya no. 62

Central Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 573 4430

www.goedkoopjkt.com

Dinner Review: Santiga Seafood

A few weeks ago, I had this dinner with my EY friends in a hawker tent located in Bendungan Hilir, Sudirman Street.. It's very easy for you to find, you can just turn left after the BRI building and found a large tent with a large banner, saying "SANTIGA SEAFOOD".. It opened only at night and was VERY CROWDED.. yea, I went there on Sunday,  anyway.. It's our overtime dinner (which means, I'm working on sundays).. anyway, there you can also be entertained by street musician with the full set of equipment.. not the kind of street musician which played songs in the bus.. they're more like a more professional street musician hahaha.. they brought all the music stuffs they need along with the speaker.. you can order any song you wanted to hear and write in a piece of paper along with some money.. then you can have your song played.


Anyway, since it was so crowded, we have to wait until we can be seated.. can you actually believe that? we were in the waiting list in a hawker restaurant hahaha.. guessed eating at the side of the street offers you some experience..this restaurant had been quite famous in fact.. well, finally we got our seats and ordered right away.. here they are..


ayam saus tiram or chicken in oyster sauce.. we ordered this actually because one of my friend does not like fish, so we tolerate her by ordering the chicken.. the chicken was quite good, actually.. it's just i'm not used to eat chicken in a seafood restaurant so it's kinda weird haha..
next, it's tumis kangkung or stirred fried kangkung.. it's very delicious.. i really like the way they cook the kangkung.. fresh and very tasty.. i always ordered stirred fried kangkung in almost any restaurant offering it haha.. *a big fan*

next comes the calamary saus padang or squid in padang spicy sauce.. i love the sauce sooooo muchhh but the calamary was alot.. i dunno the english word.. um, let's say it's not tender.. so you need to work a little hard biting it.. a little failure comparing to the very nice sauce..

then comes the main course.. ikan kuwe bakar or grilled fish.. it's very big, you know.. but this is the best part.. it's very delicious and had a tender taste of the fish.. worth the price..
last, we added the cumi goreng tepung or fried calamary.. it's just standard for me and again, the calamary was not tender..
Overall, this restaurant offered a lot of menu variations and was a successful hawker restaurant.. a bit pricey for me remembering they don't really offer any coziness, except for the live music.. but okay since it was my friend's treat.. that's why I don't really remember the price.. I'm not paying hahahaha :D
Food: 6.5/10
Place: 6/10
Price:6/10