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

Publico Bistro & Winebar

One of the best feeling in the world is sharing great food with great friends. Well, that's basically how I felt eating out in Publico Bistro & Winebar. Tucked in the most busy area in Jakarta, Publico Bistro & Winebar has stolen my attention since a while ago, however the chance to try had just came last month. It was a regular dinner where I shared table with my favorite 5 girls. We had our youth together and now spending our maturity ages by seeing each other regularly. Talking about spending the old days by playing mahjong together sounds really realistic haha..

As usual, we went there after a busy day at office. Lucky for us, the traffic was quite nice and I managed to reach Senopati only in 30 minutes from Satrio area. If you're familiar with Satrio area, you'll know that's a blessing. The place was quite packed when we arrived, but we managed to get a table on the corner of their 2nd floor. I fell in love instantly with the place: high ceiling, white stone walls, geometric tiles and black-yellow dining chairs, completed with brown leather sofas in the corner. Now let's get into business. It's dinner time!

Started slow by having our drinks coming first. We had hot cammomile tea (Rp35k), iced lychee tea (Rp35k) and doctor recipe juice (Rp50k), some other drinks were not photographed due to the thirsty customer haha.. I had the hot cammomile tea which tasted just okay, it was ordinary cammomile tea anyway. The lychee tea was a bit bland, I blame the amount of ice put into it. Luckily, doctor recipe juice come to save the day. A blend of fresh green apple, lychee and lime juice, this drink really refresh the night.  

cammomile tea - lychee tea - doctor recipe juice

We spent almost half an hour picking our dish. After some rough discussion, we finally made our choices. We picked 24-hr marinated chicken wings (Rp70k) to start. Six pieces of succulent chicken wings grilled in charcoal grill oven and served with spicy smoked paprika and mint aioli. The chicken wings were juicy completed with that finger-licking good sweet, spicy sauce. However, in my opinion, it was a bit overpriced looking at the serving size.

Onto the pasta selection, we had vongole pasta (Rp70k). A bowl full of creamy spaghetti with generous clams. Well, I have always been a fan of vongole pasta and of course I love this dish! The cream sauce was not overwhelming the pasta was al dente and the clams were served really fresh. We finished the whole bowl in split second. 

Next, we had grilled assorted sausage (Rp90k), served with sauteed mushrooms, coleslaw and triple cooked fries. On our first impression, two sausages do not meet the standard to be classified as "assorted". Sadly, the best thing on the plate was the coleslaw and mushrooms. The sausage were actually quite good, with a nice crunchy texture on the outside and tender on the inside. The fries were just mediocre. Perhaps we were expecting too much looking at the name.

From the fish section we picked steamed-grilled barramundi (Rp145k), fllet of barramundi in garlic, ginger, fish sauce and lemon marinade, steam-grilled in banana leaf. It definitely looked like pepes ikan right? An expensive one I suppose. But it was probably my favorite dish of the night. Love the tender, smooth texture of the barramundi. Simply cooked giving a nice, balanced taste where everything falls just right into place.

We still have some more food to go. Stay with me! Continuing our dinner that night, we had grilled peri-peri chicken panini (Rp75k), succulent grilled chicken homemade panini with smoked peri-peri aioli. The chicken was huge, served on top of panini bread, along with potato chips and salad. The chicken was tasty with a hint of spiciness from the peri-peri sauce. Their panini bread was fluffy and light, giving a nice texture to the whole dish.

Still from the chicken section, we also had grilled oven chicken breast with pesto (Rp90k), served with basil tomato concasse and butter mashed potato. The dish was very pretty! Loving the colorful food arrangement on the plate. The taste was as good as it looked. The chicken was tender and pesto sauce perfectly blend with the tomato concasse. The butter mashed potato was delightful side dish. The whole plate was just perfect in the eye and in the mouth.

Of course, there's always room for dessert. So we had varlhona mars bar (Rp60k) and vanilla creme brulle (Rp60k) to end the night. Warning, food porn ahead. The varlhona mars bar was a must order item for you, chocolate lover. The famous Mars bar with varlhona chocolate mousse, chocolate crumbles, vanilla chantilly then topped with salted caramel. I would say that varlhona chocolate mousse was the star of the plate. I really love the smooth, tender chocolate mousse especially when eaten together with the crumbles and salted caramel.

The vanilla creme brulee was served pretty to tickle our almost full tummy. It was served with caramel disc, banana passionfruit compote and coconut gelato. It was a dessert pick for non-chocolate lover. The creme brulee was not like the ordinary as the caramel was served separately. It was soft and not overly sweet with the right texture. The coconut gelato tasted a bit weird for my taste buds, though.

At the end, it was a nice dining experience we had in Publico. There were several hit and miss, but overall we had a great time, with great ambiance and delicious food. I, personally, will be back for their desserts. Yums!

Publico Bistro & Winebar

Jl. Senopati Raya 65, Kebayoran Baru

South Jakarta 12190

Ph.: 6221 5296 4960

www.rystgroup.com

Koffie Warung Tinggi d/h Tek Soen Hoo

Koffie Warung Tinggi is a new established coffee shop, located in the corner of 5th floor West Mall, Grand Indonesia Shopping Town. I don't usually wander around the 5th floor of the mall, so I did not notice until few fellow food bloggers made it on their blog. I was more than curious to try. See, I'm a sucker for coffee, so it's like a must to visit new coffee shops. Of course, I took my mom, the coffee connoisseur to also try this newbie with me.

To my surprise, the tag shows that it was established in 1878, while I just notice the name recently. That's when my mom said, "Oh, I know this place. It used to be very famous for selling coffee beans in Hayam Wuruk area.. Oh there you go, it was known as Tek Soen Hoo." Now I see. It started in 1878 when Tek Soen Hoo was just a modest convenient store in Hayam Wuruk area, and how it developed into a coffee brand supplier to Indonesia's best hotels and supermarkets. And in 2013, a modern coffee house is established by OPCO Group. 

It was a long story of a coffee shop, claimed to be the first in Jakarta. I love the historical touch of this shop already. I'm cheap, eh? Well, Koffie Warung Tinggi, of course, sells mainly Indonesian local coffee, coffee companions and heavy bites. Since I had my lunch, I decided to try their coffee and bought martabak to balance my bitter coffee. So here's our coffee break.

long black 8oz (22k)

cappuccino 8oz (30k)

martabak manis plain (15k) with nutella (20k)

My mom fell in love with their long black as it was bitter with low acidity just the way she liked it. She said it was most certainly the best cup of coffee she ever had. See, she loves her coffee black. I also llove my cappuccino so much, it was smooth, creamy and topped with just enough foam. No sugar added as the companion is the sweet martabak topped with nutella jam. This martabak topped with nutella jam has been really famous throughout Jakarta. Warung Tinggi's version was delightful. I love the soft texture of martabak and oh those melted nutella jam. What's not to love? The butter was just enough not to make it too oily and ruin the whole plate.

Overall, I had a really pleasant coffee break at Koffie Warung Tinggi. I must admit that cup of cappuccino definitely has won my heart. Definitely going to return to this historical coffee shop.

the leftovers.. nothing!

Until then, cheers!

Koffie Warung Tinggi d/h Tek Soen Hoo
Grand Indonesia Shopping Town

West Mall 5th fl.
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1

Central Jakarta 10310

Ph.: 6221 - 2358 0311/2
website | twitter

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

Shatterglass Toffee by ThreeFifty

I am a total sucker for caramel and toffee.. Really.. I do not know why I just can't keep my hands of those things when they're around.. A little knowledge for you, which I also just found out recently, is the difference between caramel and toffee.. Caramel, my friends, is basically made from sugar and cream/milk, mixed with butter, while Toffee is made only from sugar and butter..

Last Christmas, a very nice friend of mine gave me this small jar of shatterglass toffee by ThreeFifty.. ThreeFifty is a newly found online shop, selling baked goods.. Their products include shatterglass toffee, Sam's black magic, star spangled brownies and lemon bee loaf.. All are the classic American cookies and cakes.. 

The stood out red-white stripes packaging are definitely pleasing in the eyes.. I just can't wait to open! I never really grow up, no? So, ThreeFifty actually offered two kinds of shatterglass toffee, the rum almond and dark chocolate nuts.. I tried their dark chocolate nuts, a three-layer of toffee, dark chocolate and chopped almonds & peanuts.. It's like they put all joy and fun stuffs in one single bite.. 

The toffee was destined to be hard, but it directly melts as soon as it reaches your mouth, giving a sweet taste, balanced with a little bitterness from the dark chocolate then rightly blended with the crunchy chopped nuts.. It was a bite of happiness.. All my life, where have you been, you dear toffee?

Impressed with their shatterglass toffee, I decided to order the Sam's Black Magic as a Christmas treat for my dear boss.. He's always on diet but a huge fan of anything sweet and chocolaty.. It's like meeting the love of his life when I read its description..

Get enchanted by Sam’s Black Magic of rich, dark chocolate cake topped by luscious ganache. Made with no butter, it’s a pure chocolate delight that casts an irresistible spell on your chocolate craving!

A chocolate cake with no butter? Sounds so much like him.. And so I placed my order, a 17 cm round cake for 200k.. Of course I didn't taste the cake, it's a Christmas treat for my boss anyway.. But he testified that he loved his cake so much.. It's sweet in the right consistency plus no butter, which means healthy and he can eat it as much as he wanted to.. The age of the cake is only 1 day.. Yes, that's just how much he loved it..

So, I am a happy customer.. It may not look so pretty, but it surely taste awesome.. Don't judge the book by its cover here.. Their toffee and cakes definitely are something you might consider to try.. Catch more on ThreeFifty baked goods on their facebook page and instagram (links below)..

ThreeFity Bake My Day

Facebook | instagram

Ph.: 62815 882 6585

WA: 62813 85111318

Email: sandra@350.co.id