Kembang Tandjung

one of the hardest decision during working days would be deciding where to have lunch.. yes, that's exactly our problem.. with our office located in casablanca area, our eating area choices are very limited, we cannot go too far due to the heavy traffic.. so we managed to find this little gem in Sampoerna Strategic Square, Kembang Tandjung.. selling Indonesian cuisine which can never go wrong and beautifully decorated in wooden furniture, this is a small and very comfortable eatery..

we ordered the classic Indonesian street food, fried rice - nasi goreng (Rp23,000) and fried noodle - mie goreng (Rp23,000), added with stri-fried mushrooms - tumis jamur (Rp15,000).. unexpectedly, all the food tasted really good! similar to the original street food, only I can trust their hygiene.. the fried rice, which we ordered spicy, was excellent with a generous portion.. the noodle tasted almost the same, but we had it less spicy.. the stir-fried mushrooms was another smart choice.. mixed of oyster mushrooms (jamur tiram), jelly ears (jamur kuping) and baby corns, topped with fried shallots.. all the mushrooms were fresh and crunchy with not too overpowering seasoning.. love it!

the star of our lunch, however, went to fermented cassava cake - kue tape singkong (Rp15,000).. it was similar to baked fermented cassava topped with chocolate sprinkles, cheese and brown sugar, garnished with fresh strawberry and served with liquid caramel sugar.. I love everything about this dish! I am such a sucker for baked fermented cassava.. nomnomnom..

overall, a nice eatery with very affordable price and delicious cuisine.. I love every menu we had and love the cozy atmosphere as well..

Kembang Tandjung

Sampoerna Strategic Square LG-24

Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 45-46

It's Autumn in Starbucks Coffee!

what do you think when you heard the word 'autumn'? well, here in Indonesia, we may not be familiar with autumn which exclusively enjoyed by our fellow four-seasons countries.. however, whenever I heard the word 'autumn', I instantly think about the orange-red falling leaves, the cool weather and warm feeling.. somehow I get the impression that autumn is very romantic though I haven't got any chance experiencing it myself.. not to worry, my friend, as Starbucks Coffee has brought us some pieces of autumn to be enjoyed with your loved ones..

the messy table of any food tasting event..

I fell in love with this cute new Starbucks tumbler

let start our journey with a cup of Starbucks' autumn blend.. a blend of coffee from Sumatra and the Antigua region of Guatemala.. expertly roasted to create a full-bodied brew with subtle spice and nuances of herbs, lemon, cedar and cocoa.. paired it with hazelnut bar (Rp24,000), newly introduced Starbucks' cream cheese sponge cake marbled with infused Starbucks Sumatra coffee sponge cake and topped with whole roasted hazelnut.. let me give you some time to enjoy the description :)

so, here's how to do it right.. once you have your cup of autumn blend, bring it near to your nose and smell it.. Starbucks' autumn blend smells very chocolaty with hints of spices.. then slurp your coffee to have the first taste.. in my opinion, autumn blend tasted really nice, not too bitter but still quite strong.. I can still taste hints of chocolate and spices though mostly my tongue taste the strong coffee.. once you slurped, take a sip to ensure all your taste buds are awaken.. then take a bite of the hazelnut bar and while it's still in your mouth, take another sip of autumn blend.. melted sweet chocolate, crunchiness of the roasted hazelnut, perfectly balanced with the bitterness of coffee.. it was heavenly and I can do that all day long :)

onto the next food parade.. let me introduce to the Starbucks' savory world.. first we have ugly chicken black pepper puff (Rp19,000).. the flaky puff pastry filled with black pepper chicken and potato then topped with bread crumbs.. why does it called 'ugly'? well, because the appearance maybe deceiving as it was considered not appetizing by the looks.. personally, I think that it was named 'ugly' because you'll get messy after eating it due to the falling bread crumbs.. taste wise, it was quite good but more like curry puff to me as I barely taste the black pepper.. another food blogger mentioned that too many potato composition compare to the chicken chunks.. but some other loved it the most.. well, talking about personal preferences.. 

this autumn, Starbucks also introduced a new coffee drink, ristretto bianco.. ristretto is a very short shot of espresso while bianco means 'white' in Italy.. together, ristretto bianco is a rich, pleasantly smooth and velvety espresso beverage.. it was created by forcing less water through the coffee, which results in a fuller bodied shot with a deep, rich favor.. in summary, a stronger and richer espresso mixed with microfoam steamed milk which was poured to a a small white forms on top.. my ristretto bianco was marked with a cute, little heart on top.. it tasted really good! I love the not-too-bitter taste of the coffee, combined with smooth, silky milk foam.. it was definitely much stronger than the usual espresso and I bet every coffee addict will love one..

continuing our journey with the smoked chicken croissant sandwich (Rp42,000).. baked butter croissant spread with mayonnaise layered with lettuce, smoked chicken, tomato and cheddar cheese.. it was my favorite dish of the night.. served cold, the croissant was very smooth and buttery, just perfect for the cold smoked chicken and veggies.. I truly love Starbucks' way to serve their sandwich cold, only to ensure that the veggies were kept fresh.. however, if you want your sandwich warm, simply ask your local baristas and they will be happy to help..

the last new drink was salted caramel mocha which can be served warm, iced or as frappuccino blended beverage.. creamy mix of espresso and velvety steamed milk, blended with mocha sauce and toffee nut flavored syrup then topped with whipped cream, buttery caramel sauce and a mixture of turbinado sugar and smoked sea salt.. so imagine a cup of mocha coffee topped with salted caramel sauce.. it was a mix of sweet, bitter and savor on one sip.. I love the frappuccino version of this which was very refreshing.. definitely my kind of mood booster..

finally, look who's back.. red bean and green tea pudding (Rp28,000), purple yam coconut cake (Rp30,000) and strawberry crumble cheese cake (Rp35,000).. they are all ready to accompany your coffee break..

Starbucks Coffee

World Trade Centre II - Lower Ground Floor

Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 29
Jakarta 12930

Peach Garden

a few weeks ago, I had quite heavy fever and sore throat.. unfortunately, I had too many deadlines that I have to come to the office still.. during lunch time, I managed to sneaked to the nearest hospital to get proper medicine.. my two very nice office mates were there to accompany me throughout our lunch break.. such a sweet of them.. thanks! anyway, the hospital was very luxurious, it almost felt like you're entering a five-star hotel instead of a hospital.. since the doctor was not available by the time we arrived, we decided to have our lunch first and Peach Garden was our choice.. Peach Garden is a chain restaurant originated from Singapore since 2002..

located in the Mezzanine Floor of the hospital, this place was quite noticeable.. decorated in typical Chinese restaurant, it was quite packed but seemed very quite.. the menu was various but I was looking for simple dish since I got little appetite.. dry wonton noodle (Rp35,000) and chrysanthemum tea (Rp6,000) were my lunch.. the noodle was thin and chewy, I like this kind of noodle.. the wonton was delicious, filled with fresh shrimps though I think the wonton skin was a bit too thick and the soup was too salty for my liking..

the prices above are subject to 5% service and 10% tax but a 40% discount is valid with Standard Chartered credit card.. so overall, it was not too pricey but in my opinion was not too special either.. but Peach Garden is surely added to our office lunch break options..

Peach Garden
MRCCC Hospital, Mezzanine Floor
Jl. Garnisun Dalam Kavling 2-3
Karet Semanggi, Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 5785 2411

Ayam Taliwang Lima Rasa

I am a big fan of chili.. I love almost any kind of food with chili in it haha.. one of Indonesian area famous for their spicy cuisine is Lombok, an island located in Nusa Tenggara Barat.. it became obvious that the island name itself literally means chili.. near my office, there's a restaurant serving Lombok cuisine with specialty of ayam taliwang..  actually the restaurant has no name, they prefer to introduce themselves using their menu as Ayam Taliwang Lima Rasa Khas Lombok (Five Flavors Taliwang Chicken a la Lombok).. this restaurant was quite famous among my colleagues and I've tried it before and like it so much.. so last Sunday, I took my mom and bf to have a lunch here.. just for the record, my mom is also a big fan of chili.. well, it runs in the family :D

once we arrived, we were given the menu book.. basically they don't have too much variety in their menu.. instead, they focused themselves in their strength, which was taliwang chicken.. here, taliwang chicken is available in a package consisted of rice, chicken and side dish which can be choose between plecing kangkung, corn patty, soybean patty, fried tofu, etc.. once you pick your package, you can choose your own choice of spiciness level, from manis taliwang, sedang, pedas, pedas sekali or super pedas (taliwang sweet, medium, spicy, very spicy or super spicy).. better be careful since you'll have to be responsible for your own choice haha.. anyway, it's called taliwang chicken because it was originated from Karang Taliwang village in Lombok..

the three of us ordered two portions of taliwang chicken package with plecing kangkung (Rp31,000 each), one portion of taliwang chicken package with corn patty (Rp27,000) and a portion of corn patty (consisted of two pieces per portion - Rp10,000) and tea (Rp3,500 each).. we picked spicy for all of our taliwang chicken.. just for your information, taliwang chicken is usually served as half of chicken, so you'll get a set of chicken breast and chicken thigh.. they usually serve pejantan chicken which was not too big in size.. 

here's the plecing kangkung which is boiled kangkung served with chili (of course, at your spiciness level), long beans, bean sprout and ground nuts.. I love it.. to be honest, I'm not a big fan of vegetables, but I totally fell in love for this dish.. be careful when eating this since your stomach may protest you afterwards.. this is the best companion for taliwang chicken..  appetizing, eh? *drool*

then comes our beloved corn patties.. I always love corn patty.. and this one is definitely one of the best.. it's crispy and crunchy and huge.. even my mom praised it.. that's how good this corn patty is.. I would say that I won't get bored eating taliwang chicken + plecing kangkung + corn patty + warm rice everyday hahaha.. if only my stomach can handle the chili.. 

are we satisfied yet? well, next to Ayam Taliwang, there's a Palembang restaurant and my colleagues usually ordered Iced Red Bean (Es Kacang Merah - Rp17,500) for dessert.. just to cool down our mouth after a spicy meal.. so last Sunday, I seduced my mom to order one portion of it for a shared dessert.. it's came in a huge portion, enough to be shared for the three of us.. and it was refreshing, though it was too sweet for my liking.. overall, I had a great meal in a very affordable price.. surely, will come back for more :D

Ayam Taliwang Lima Rasa Khas Lombok

Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio no. 18, Karet, Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 5290 7280 (available for delivery service)

www.ayamtaliwang.com 

Java Wok

deciding where to have lunch during weekdays is kinda hard for me.. well, I have only one hour of lunch for each working day and usually I got bored with those food available in office's area.. around 11.00 a.m, my colleagues and I usually started to discuss where to eat.. somehow we became expert planner when it comes to food haha.. during one afternoon, a friend of mine mentioned Java Wok.. sounds interesting, so we decided to try the food there.. it's an Indonesian restaurant, located in a small alley right behind WTC Building.. it was told that this restaurant share the same serving style like Mbah Jingkrak (which I haven't tried) and Bumbu Desa.. 

it was an open-air building.. decorated dominantly in wood and stone.. I immediately fell in love with the architecture.. instead of providing air conditioner, they put fan in every corner of the room, which was really nice.. it's like a perfect getaway from the hectic office.. I always love those wooden furniture and when it's combined with a wall full of rock, that's when I totally fell in love.. oh, and I also love the small fountain in the corner..

off to the food.. they have a table filled with all kinds of food.. you just need to look at it, decide your choice and tell the waiter, who will write it down for you.. after a while, your order will come to your table.. I think presenting all menus in front of the customers is a brilliant idea, since it makes us as customers rather compulsive just by looking at those appetizing menu haha.. it did successfully make a friend of mine ordered more than she can eat.. 

I decided to pick Caramel Grilled Chicken (Rp13,500), Opor Daun Singkong, or cassava leaves cooked in coconut milk (Rp7,000) and Corn Patty (Rp2,500) with Brown Rice (Rp4,500) and a huge glass of Iced Tea (Rp3,000).. we also ordered two portion chili with shrimp paste (Rp2,500) and Sambal Tempe (Rp2,500) to share.. oh and they provided free kerupuk (yaaayyy!!!).. 

on top of my list would be the chili with shrimp paste haha.. it was not too spicy but just right and nicely taste on my tongue, especially when eaten with kerupuk, yes those free kerupuk :D.. the other chili, sambal tempe was really spicy.. I'm a chili fan, so it tasted nice in my tongue just plainly eat the sambal tempe, but my friends would recommend you to eat it with rice.. next would be Opor Daun Singkong.. usually cassava leaves would tasted rather bitter, but this one is perfect.. nice and just delicious.. the grilled chicken and corn patty was just ordinary.. overall, I think I had a nice lunch, great friends and above all, a great atmosphere.. additionally, they give a 50% cash back voucher for every Rp100,000 you spend on the bill, how nice.. :)

Java Wok

Jln. Bek Murad No. 62

Karet, Sudirman

Ph.: 6221-5290 5103

Dinner Review: Kwetiaw Aciap (Halal)

I had this dinner with CT in Kwetiaw Aciap right in front of my office.. it's weekday's dinner, so we prefer to eat somewhere near my office or near my home.. and we usually eat Bakmi Irian, but I get kinda bored with the noodle hehe.. so, I think of trying something new.. although the food offered is not new.. well, these are our dinner..

the first picture is Bun Kway Tiao (it's basically fried kway tiao with a little thick sauce) and Fried Kway Tiao.. um, it looks like type of kway tiao from Medan which do not use much soy sauce.. it's kinda pale (kway tiao in the picture looks rather dark because of not enough light and i'm using my bb camera.. don't blame me hehe..) the resto is quite full, although we ate it after dinner time (around 8 p.m) and all tables are occupied.. the resto offered not only kway tiao but also noodle, vermicelli and rice with the choices of goreng, bun, yam, rebus and siram..

anyway, about the taste.. I love it.. it tasted just right.. not too sweet, not too salty.. just nice.. I really like it.. and since I wasn't expecting it to be this good, it's exceeded my expectation :) it costs us for Rp19,000 each, Rp4,000 for liang teh, and Rp500 for plain tea plus Rp3,000 for kerupuk palembang.. recommended for you working around Karet area :)

Food Review: Shihlin & Bakmi Irian

hum... uda aga lama juga ya ga nulis :P well, I'm adjusting to the new work & office.. so, yea, I'm kinda busy lately.. I even had to work yesterday (Sunday-red) but that's another story.. I want to share with you some food I had lately :)

Shihlin Happy Ricebox & Shihlin's Tempura Ricebox - IDR23,000 each

Gw pertama kali nyobain resto ini pas di Singapur dan bgitu buka di Indo, langsung saya coba lagi :) mnurut temen gw yang di Singapur, Shihlin Singapur ga nyediain nasi ini.. The first one is Happy Ricebox which consisted of rice, half XXL Chicken and Cold Tofu poured with some soy sauce I think.. XXL Chicken itu yang paling terkenal dari kedai ini.. it's a deep fried chicken breast powdered with white pepper and chilli powder.. u can choose ur level of chilli.. the next one is Tempura Ricebox which consisted of rice, chicken floss and tempura.. nah si tempura ini gw ga gitu jelas terbuat dari apa hahaha.. it's poured with some sweet sauce and quite delicious.. I'd prefer the first one though.. This Shihlin is located in Central Park, West Jakarta..

Bakmi Irian - IDR19,000

Then we have Bakmi Irian, letaknya di Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio.. right in front of my office.. tapi klu Senen dia libur.. um, bakminya alus.. kecil-kecil lembut gitu.. toppingnya?? hum, HARAM.. hahaha.. yang gw pesen adalah bakmi ayam + babi panggang gitu hehehe... dagingnya banyak banget.. walo harganya lumayan mahal tapi worth soalnya mie-nya banyak dan dagingnya juga haha.. sambelnya enak.. pokonya i luv it so much :)

I would recommend both resto cause it's providing good and unique food :)