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

Gahyo

June was a month of celebration since my mom was celebrating her 50th birthday on 17th.. to celebrate it, my brother and I made her a little surprise.. my brother is actually working abroad in Singapore and without her knowing, he came home on 16th.. I picked him at the airport and we arrived home around 10p.m.. as he walked in her bedroom, she was so surprised that she barely can even speak.. I remembered that she smiled a lot and right at midnight, we presented her with a slice of Oreo Cheesecake from Coffee Bean bought in the airport.. I was so glad that we managed to surprise her.. I do hope she had a great night :) 

so for her birthday lunch, we decided to take her to Gahyo, a Korean restaurant located in SCBD area.. I know that my mom is a big fan of K-drama and all the food shown in the series.. I know Gahyo from my office mate and google it to find that it was one of the best Korean restaurant in Jakarta.. so that's how we made our choice.. I have never been to Gahyo before, luckily, the restaurant was easily spotted, located right in front of SCBD's Electronic City..

the restaurant was quite empty as we arrived around 2p.m for late lunch.. the area is separated into two, the tatami area and dining tables.. we chose to sit at the tatami area.. as we walked in the restaurant, I noticed that there were a lot of waiters who were ready to serve us.. there was one giving us the menu book and guiding through it, there was another one brought the ocha and another one brought the banchan.. it was one kind of a service given to us.. the table was ready, each of us had a plate, cup filled with ocha, steel chopstick and spoon.. all of our eating utensils were covered in Gahyo's wrap and on the back of chopsticks cover, was a how-to-use-chopsticks-guide which I thought was very cute.. 

back to business, we ended up ordered teuk seng galbi (Rp198,000), dolsot bibimbab (Rp68,000), sundubu chigae (Rp68,000) and jabchae (Rp95,000).. teuk seng galbi is prime beef short rib boneless.. this dish was served with a plate of vegetables, consisted of lettuce, carrot, green chili and some other leaves I don't even recognized.. a waiter grilled the ribs right in front of us along with some raw garlic.. the way to eat it was first, take a leave, put the grilled rib and garlic on top, add some gochujang (chili pepper paste), wrap it then insert it to your mouth and have a juicy bites.. Gahyo's galbi was so tender, perfectly cooked and well seasoned.. I especially love to add gochujang since it added a unique flavor to it..

dolsot bibimbab is Korean signature dish.. I'm pretty sure everyone knows about it.. quoted from Wikipedia, dolsot bibimbab is a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables), gochujang (chili pepper paste), raw egg and sliced meat (usually beef).. all of the ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating, usually served in a hot pot (dolsot).. in Gahyo, bibimbab is served with a bowl of clear soup, filled with nori and some minced meat.. I have to say that this probably one of the best bibimbab I have ever tasted.. the whole dish tasted very good, generous fillings and fresh vegetables.. the dolsot kept the dish warm throughout our eating session..

actually I wanted to have yukaejang for our soup menu in the first place, since I am a big fan of it.. but my brother picked sundubu chigae saying that we need to try something new.. sundubu chigae is a soy bean paste soup, served with bean curd, squash, onion, tofu, clams and stirred raw egg.. the soup tasted quite spicy, but I think I would still prefer yukaejang which has a stronger taste..

last but not least, we had jabchae.. actually we ordered to this to replace noodle, since in our Chinese tradition, eating noodles on your birthday symbolize long live.. the portion was very huge and it tasted really good.. Korean special glass noodle served with shitake mushrooms, onions, sliced carrots, bell peppers and beef.. I was a huge fan of Korean glass noodle and this one definitely fulfill my expectations.. since the portion was very huge, we ended up have to ask for the dish to be taken away.. the to-go package was very nice.. Gahyo even add some banchan to accompany the dish.. very thoughtful :)

upon finishing our meals, Gahyo still have something for us.. a waiter came and asked us to choose their dessert selection, free just like the banchan.. it was one of the best thing eating at a Korean restaurant, they are very generous.. so we had coconut pudding, coffee pudding and mango pudding.. a plate of fresh watermelon was also served in our table.. the best dessert would be the mango pudding.. it was silky and not overly sweet.. 


overall, I had a great time at Gahyo.. a little bit pricey compared to other restaurant, but worth every Rupiah spent.. four thumbs up service and great food.. what can you possibly ask for more? oh, the prices stated are subject to 10% tax and 5% service charge..


Gahyo
SCBD Lot 6
Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav. 52 - 53
Ph.: 6221 5289 7044

Lucy in the Sky

another new hip in town.. located in the busy SCBD area, this place is surely a gem in the middle of Jakarta's skyscrapers.. people today are not looking only for good food, but for one-of-a-kind eating experience.. like others, I was curious to eat on a roof-top, though it was just a two-floor building.. made a promise with my friend to meet him after office hour, I managed to arrive around 8.30 p.m.. had a little things to do at office haha.. as we entered the building, I can't help but feel that this building was quite old and rusty.. 

Lucy in the Sky is located right on the roof-top of what used to be Bengkel Cafe.. the eatery was quite full but not packed with people.. we managed to get a table for two, but unfortunately it was only available until 10 p.m.. another disappointment of highly demanded eatery these days.. I actually love the atmosphere here.. cozy and relaxing with dimmed lights.. just the kind of place I could enjoy and spend hours.. I love seeing the tall buildings' lights at night.. I just have this weird obsession on building lights at night haha..

off to the menu, Lucy in the Sky does not offer various menu.. I reckon there must not more than 15 food menu available but covered Western and Asian selection.. I was not too hungry so I decided to have turkey sandwich (Rp55,000) and iced peach tea (Rp25,000).. my friend ordered nasi goreng buntut - oxtail fried rice (Rp60,000) and iced strawberry tea (Rp25,000)..

it didn't take long for our drinks and food to arrive.. when my turkey sandwich arrived, I was quite disappointed by the look.. no veggies or any side dish at all, only french bread with turkey ham.. luckily, taste wise, it was good.. I love the taste of savory ham combined with the sweet cranberries jam..  somehow they just blend so well in my mouth.. but still, I do wish some veggies in my sandwich.. a piece or two of lettuce wouldn't hurt, would they?

the oxtail fried rice was not too appealing either.. the fried rice was served with sunny side up, pickles and crackers.. my friend was actually expecting some soup, but there wasn't any.. but after first bite, I really stopped complaining.. it was good and so tasty.. we believed they cooked the rice with the broth, since it was really, really savory.. even the pickles were very tasty.. I directly regret ordering the sandwich..

the flavor iced tea was refreshing.. not too sweet and quite generous on the fruit toppings.. it worth the price, in my opinion.. well, overall, I actually had a great time here.. the service was quite good, though I got the feeling that they were all in a rush.. quickly took our orders then delivering our food.. lastly, rush to clean our tables.. a little disappointing for a 11% service charge.. 

Lucy in the Sky
Kawasan SCBD Lot 14
Bengkel Night Park
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 52-53
Ph.: 6221 515 2308/09

Ketjil Kitchen

in my profile, I mentioned that I am a banker.. I worked in one of the biggest foreign banks in Indonesia.. I was not too proud actually, I mean, the working hours are quite long and the bosses are demanding haha.. thank God, I have great colleagues and friends to get me through the day, even the toughest ones.. there were three of us, three girls from different background who ended up working in the same division next to each other.. I am not quite sure how it all began, but we finally had a this plan of monthly hang-out schedule.. so last month, we managed to sneak out after office despite of our busy schedule and tight deadlines haha.. 

Ketjil Kithcen located in SCBD area popped up in my friend's mind and instantly agreed by the others.. my first impression was that it looked very small from the outside, like squeezed between the tall skyscrapers in Sudirman business district.. once we entered, I instantly fell in love.. a very cozy small kitchen themed restaurant with a strong homey feeling.. the furniture was very cute and wall was full with vintage photographs.. it really felt like entering a place you have known all your life.. a vintage touch was found here and there through the old-school tv and vintage paintings hanging on the wall..

so, Ketjil Kitchen was a self-service restaurant.. you need to place your orders at the cashier, directly pay for it and be seated to wait.. once the food are ready, they will call your name and you have to pick up your food and take all your eating utensils all by yourself.. the menu was written in blackboard and it was quite extensive but dominated in Western cuisine.. since I was not really hungry, I decided to go for the appetizer, called melted lava (Rp28,000) accompanied with mineral water (Rp10,000).. my other friends go for chicken cream mushroom (Rp47,000) and the classic fettucinne carbonara (Rp42,000)..  we then decided to add vanilla coffee jelly (around Rp30,000 I guessed) for our dessert..

chicken crema mushroom - melted lava
fettucinne carbonara - vanilla coffee jelly

overall, our food was great, at least it was much better than I had expected haha.. chicken cream mushroom was one of the best dishes in the restaurant.. creamy chopped chicken with mushrooms, sunny side up egg, potatoes, garlic bread and salad.. the chicken was definitely the star of the dish, it was creamy, tasty and really yummy.. my melted lava was not disappointing either.. baked chicken breast topped with bolognaise sauce and melted cheese accompanied with three pieces of garlic bread.. it was top notch.. I love my chicken breast so much and it went really well with the bolognaise sauce.. the garlic bread was very crunchy, which I like.. even the fettucinne carbonara was also great.. I mean, I didn't expect it to be too special haha.. but it was really delicious and the cream was light, so you can finish the dish without having the nausea feeling afterwards.. and a cup of vanilla coffee jelly was just such a perfect way to end your dinner.. bitter coffee jelly, with vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream.. a perfect blend of bitterness and sweetness in your mouth.. I heart it so much.. 

I love Ketjil Kitchen at first dinner.. I love the place, atmosphere and most of all, the food.. definitely gonna come back in near future :)

Ketjil Kitchen
Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) Lot 12

GrandLucky Superstore area

Jln. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53

Ph.: 6221 515 0818

Fax: 62021 5140 0847

Steak Hotel by Holycow

a few weeks ago, I had the chance to meet old high school friends after work.. it's a nice way to boost my mood after a full day of work..I always love meeting my high school friends.. we have so much to share and joke around.. it's quite amazing that we can still meet regularly to have some dinner or just hanging out together to keep updated about each other..

a friend of mine suggested us to try Steak Hotel by Holycow in Senopati area, right behind the SCBD in Sudirman.. it was one famous steak in Jakarta, I bet.. their Radio Dalam branch was so crowded that I don't even want to try haha.. so anyway, after finishing my daily job, I managed to sneak out of the office at 5.30 p.m sharp, wait to be picked up by my friend then directly went for dinner hahaha.. some of my friends had arrived earlier and told us that we're on waiting list.. no wonder, it was around 7 p.m when we arrived..

after waiting a while, we managed to get our seats.. there's a policy in the restaurant that they don't accept any reservations and guests should share their table with others.. there were eight of us.. first, we only got one table enough for 5 persons, so girls were seated first.. lucky for us, we finally managed to get one full table, after asking our neighbor to switch table haha..

the restaurant is not too big but very crowded.. minimalist furniture.. but lots of customers.. first, I ordered Iced Blackcurrant Tea (Rp13,500 - free refill) for my drinks.. I was not too hungry and didn't feel like eating steak, so my friend suggested Bergyu (Rp30,000) or Burger Wagyu.. 

I picked my Bergyu well-done with black pepper sauce served with french fries.. it came in a surprisingly huge portion, remembering the price.. here comes the first bite of the patty only.. it's my first time eating the so-called wagyu beef and I am such an amateur in the meaty world so I don't even know the level of that wagyu, but that wagyu I ate was really delicious.. it's very tender and soft.. a weird word to describe beef haha.. I'm telling you that I loved it.. loved it so much that I decided to order another one for my mom at home haha.. now I know why people can pay so high for a piece of that meat.. I wonder how the expensive wagyu would taste, I bet it's highly delicious haha.. but I'm quite satisfied with this one, the meat was just perfect and fits my tongue really well.. the black pepper sauce and french fries were just ordinary, or perhaps it was because I'm stunned by the burger? I don't know haha..

well, I guessed I made a perfect choice for dinner.. and I'm definitely coming back.. me and Bergyu are in love.. madly :)

Steak Hotel by Holycow

Jl. Bakti No. 15

Senopati, South Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 527 0673

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 

Sate Khas Senayan

it's been a while since I had this lunch with teammates.. I haven't had the chance to post it here and since it was a treat, so I don't know the prices of below dishes.. sorry :( but it was a good lunch.. this lunch treat occurred after our yearly bonus, a friend of mine mentioned that his bonus is beyond his expectation so he decided to share it with us.. a nice guy, he is :) we wanted to have lunch near our office, so we headed to Citywalk in Sudirman.. we actually meant to eat at Warung Leko, however, when we arrived it was really crowded and there were 8 of us so it's kind hard to get a table soon.. we turned our head and spotted Sate Khas Senayan, so we changed our plan..

it turned out that Sate Khas Senayan was also quite crowded that the eight of us have to sit in a table for six haha.. it doesn't matter though.. Sate Khas Senayan was founded in 1974, firstly located in Kebayoran Baru area.. the purpose of this restaurant is to bring satay, which used to be a hawker food into a new concept of restaurant.. it was founded by the name of Satay House Senayan and changed its name to a 'more-Indonesia' name of Sate Khas Senayan in 1982 and continues using that name until now.. Sate Khas Senayan offers variety of satays and other Indonesian food and drinks.. with the tagline of A Savory Cuisine of Timeless Tradition, it brings you the joy of nostalgic cuisine.. 

as this was a treat, it took us not long to brutally order our food.. we were quite hungry back then.. I remember saw the face of my friend treating us became rather pale haha.. we decided to order several menus to share.. oh, and since it was a treat, I don't know the price of below dishes.. sorry :( but I think it was averagely around Rp30k for the main courses :)

first to come is tahu telor (crusty deep-fried bean curd coated in egg batter and drenched in sweet soy sauce, served with cabbage and bean sprout).. I have to say that this is delicious.. just about five minutes after the dish arrived, it was completely finished.. that's how good it is... or how hungry we were haha.. anyway, the bean curd was crispy, just the way I like it.. a nice appetizer to boost your taste buds..

then comes Pecel which was a mix of vegetables with peanut sauce.. however, Sate Khas Senaya's pecel sauce was rather different.. it was dark black, I think they put some petis (fermented shrimp paste) in it.. 

next another vegetables, stirred-fried kangkung.. which I like so much.. I always order this veggie in every restaurant putting it as a menu haha.. well, this one is not special, just ordinary.. but still it didn't fail me :)

our Soto Betawi is the star of the lunch.. it was delicious, though the fillings were not much, that I only got the soup.. sad.. but the soup alone is just delicious.. 

now it's the restaurant's special chicken satay.. consisted of ten skewers served with their special peanut sauce on top of a hot fire.. a unique way to serve satay.. the chicken fillet was very tender.. I think they used peanut sauce rather than crushed peanut.. it gives a whole new experience.. nicely done :)

my friends also ordered mutton satay.. which I didn't try.. it was served not with peanut sauce, but with sweet soy sauce and chopped onion.. I heard that the meat was very tender and nice.. 

lastly come grilled squid.. we actually wanted to order fried gurame, but it was sold out.. our grilled squid consisted of only two pieces per portion.. we didn't expect it to be such a small portion since I remember it was quite pricey.. it tasted just okay.. nothing special..

overall, I had a great lunch with a few of great food and other ordinary food.. the best part was we had a nice chat and mingle together.. sharing joy with your friends felt really good :)

Sate Khas Senayan

Citywalk Sudirman Ground Floor No. 19 – 20

Jl. KH. Mas Mansyur No. 121, Karet

Central Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 2555 6671

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

Chili's Grill & Bar

finally.. I have got the chance to try the famous Chili's Grill & Bar.. it was a celebration for bf's birthday that we had a small party for two :) party, in our dictionary means good food and a lovely eating-mate.. so we have heard about this place for quite a while, my friend is a big fan.. we heard it was quite pricey, but worth the portion and the deliciousness (is that a word?)... I knew that they served Texas-Mexican food, which makes me a little reluctant to try.. since it's not common here to eat Tex-Mex menu, I'm afraid that I won't like it and don't know what to order.. anyway, so before we got there, I've searched the review for this place in the blog world and find various post.. but I got the general view, I think.. 

so here's what we ordered.. for the drinks, we ordered iced tea (Rp23,900 and free refill).. the glass was not too big and you get a cup of sugar to accompany your tea.. I prefer not to put too much sweets, remembering I was preparing my stomach for the big meal.. anyway, I love the ceramic tiles planted in our table.. it's so unique and gives a nice touch.. I've never seen ceramic tiles put as a part of a dining table and gives a cute little details.. anyway, the iced tea was nothing but ordinary iced tea.. standard :)

our appetizer was Classic Nachos (Rp67,900).. according to the menu book, Chili's classic nachos have beans with a hint of seasoned beef, cheese and jalapenos on every chip, served with pico de gallo and sour cream.. I assume that pico de gallo should mean tomato salsa.. according to my opinion, the nachos was great.. it was cheesy and best eating when combined with the sour cream and tomato salsa.. I'm a cheese lover, and this nachos were served with lots of cheese on top of it.. me likey :)

our main course was the famous Mushroom Jack Combo Fajitas (Rp136,900).. combo here means you'll get a mixed of beef and chicken.. this was juicy marinated grilled steak or chicken smothered with Jack cheese, crispy beef bacon and fresh sauteed mushrooms served with onions, bell peppers and home-made salsa.. here's a little detail of this menu:

Mushroom, Steak, Chicken, Cheese, Beef Bacon, Onion, Bell Peppers on a hotplate

Sour Cream, Cheese, Tomato Salsa, Avocado Salsa on top of Sliced Lettuce

by the way, just so you know, fajitas was commonly used to describe any grilled meat served on a flour or corn tortilla.. that's why our Mushroom Jack Combo Fajitas consisted of one hotplate full of condiments, side sauces and four slices of flour tortilla.. how to eat?

1. take one piece of the tortilla, and put all condiments you want.. I'm a bit greedy that I put chicken and beef steak, topped with onions, mushrooms, lettuce, beef bacons.. another round of mushrooms.. then sour cream, cheese and avocado salsa.. 

2. wrap your hand-made tortilla and the fillings.. I didn't manage to make a roll, so I just make a fold of it.. then go, eat it.. :) it's kinda messy when I ate it, since it was just a fold and the fillings was much.. but who cares? :P

so what about the taste? hmm.. let me remember.. it was AWESOME.. the beef steak was the best dish of the night.. it was juicy, well done, but not hard to chew.. the spices were just right.. and the mushrooms.. I don't know what they did with it, but it was GREAT.. I now believed that Chili's was not overrated.. it was that good and worth every penny you spent.. I have never know that one dish could make me crazy and craving for more..

overall, I'm satisfied with the food they served.. however, the service itself was not too good.. the waiter weren't anywhere to be found, so we had a hard time when we need a refill or even asking for bills.. our Mushroom Jack Fajitas came a little late that we had to ask for our dish.. it's forgivable, though, since the food was awesome.. anyway, we found this cute sign on our way out.. I heart it :)

Chili's Grill & Bar
Sarinah Building 2nd Floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 11
Central Jakarta
Phone: (021) 314-6587