Printemps Manufacturer of Sweets (Food Tasting)

As I told you in the former post, Indonesia's online store in booming lately. This is one example of the new little baby born in this industry: Printemps (pronounce as "prangtong"). Offers cookies and pound cakes, made with the best salt in the world; Fleur de sel de Guerandec. The other competitive edge they have is their products. I found "Rose Petal Cookies" funny at first. I mean, we are used to have cookies with dairy or fruit taste. But flower? No, I never tried. Fortunately, dried rose in a cookie turned to be a nice-scented bite. The rose scent wasn't too strong, and I still tasted the butter-cookies-taste in it. My next favorite went to chocolate chips cookies! I know it's a usual product, but cookies always been my fave product. I've tried cookies from almost all cakery and bakery I found. Printemps had soft cookies, which (they claimed) crunchy outside and soft inside. Well, when the sample food came to me, the choco chip cookies wasn't crunchy at all. But no worries, I liked it anyway. Yes, i love soft baked cookies with a little gooey-ness. :)

Rose Petal Cookies : Small (IDR 30K) / Reg (IDR 50K)

Chocolate Chips Cookies: Small (IDR 30K) / Reg (IDR 50K)

More info:

Printemps Manufacturer of Sweets

Facebook : Printemps 

Twitter: @printempsmos

Email: printemps_mos@yahoo.com

0813-8096-7268

Alcoholic Bar: Eat and Drink Alcohol! (Food Tasting)

Heyho, people! After a long blogwalking, my writing spirit has been awaken somehow. Thanks to my fellow foodies! :p

Kemang area is famous as hang out place for Jakartan youngsters. Many fancy restaurants built in here, offer their own uniqueness. Alcoholic Bar is one of them. Located a bit 'hidden', you may find it still in one complex with KOI Kemang. 

I received invitation to try their new brunch menu with some fellow foodies. 

My coming is well-welcomed with the first appetizer; Green Peas Cream Soup with Diced Pork (IDR 38K).  IMHO, this was a good appetizer. The green peas puree wasn't too soft, still had some rough texture. Glad to hear that. If the texture was too soft, I guess it would look like a baby food. 

Tasted a bit plain, but good enough to tickle my buds. Now I'm ready for bigger kick. 

Green Peas Cream Soup with Diced Pork (IDR 38K)

They served all the brunch menu with Italian Sparkling Wine. This was my first time having brunch with alcohol in it. lol.

Anyway, they are having weekend brunch promo, where you can have 3 course continental brunch menu (consist of soup, main course, and dessert) and FREE FLOW Italian Sparkling Wine, only for IDR 250++. This promo valid only on Saturday-Sunday 10am-2pm.

Go give it a chance and make sure you don't get drunk! ;)

Italian Sparkling Wine

Foccacia with Cointreau Gravlax Salmon, Scramble Eggs & Rocket Salad IDR 50K

Eggs Blackstone IDR 45K

Crispy Amaretto Pork Belly IDR 68K

Eggs Hemmingway IDR 50K

Jack Daniel’s Baby Back Ribs IDR 180K (full slab) or IDR 90K (half slab)

Orange Martini/Champagne (I forgot)

Salmon Crepes with white Wine Mornay Sauce served with rocket salad IDR 40K

Champagne Jelly

HOMEMADE VODKA RASPBERRY SORBET IDR 28K

I had a blissful brunch. I loved the food. My favorite was the Pork Ribs. I loved it. Heavenly well-marinated. Came in one plate with baked beans and chick peas. I loved them too. No, it's not canned baked beans. They made it themselves. Sweet enough and not tomato-sauce-ish.  

They had 5 types of poached-egg-with-muffin (you may read them on the photo above). The differences between them was the topping only. Which one was the best? Depends on your taste. ;)

The poached egg was perfect. The yolk running out sexily covering the muffin and topping. 

In the end, they served us Orange Martini/Champagne. I forgot what's that. The point is, it was orange alcohol, which I enjoyed a lot. It was my fave beverage that day. Light and refreshing. 

The dessert was too serious for me. I always love light and fruity dessert. But I just can't stand the alcoholic dessert. Maybe I got too much alcohol that day (since I'm not an alcoholic person). 

If you can't drink alcohol, don't worry. You still can eat the dishes. Alcohol material won't leave any alcohol effect after been cooked, but the exotic scent still remains in the dishes.

Alcoholics Bar

Jl.Kemang Raya no. 72N

Jakarta Selatan 

Tel : +628 719 5675 

@Alcoholics_Bar

http://www.facebook.com/AlcoholicsBarGrill

www.alcoholicsbar.com
info@alcoholicsbar.com

Taiyo Sushi: Another Fusion (Rock 'n) Roll - Openrice Gathering / Food Tasting

If you happened to Pluit Putra Raya, you might notice a big sign written "Taiyo Sushi" on the left side. Once closed for a period, now it's re-open with new look. Even the changes weren't not far from the former, to be honest I prefer the old one. Well, who cares about it anyway. Let's go to the dishes. It's more important. :p

 I got the invitation from Openrice. So there were some of their staffs greeted me when I came in. 
First dish was Chawan Mushi (12K), which was a very appropriate appetizer, just exactly what I expected. The chawan mushi has nice texture and perfect seasoning. Loved it!

Chawan Mushi (12K IDR)

Taiyo Sushi Roll (52K). Half baked salmon with cucumber and crunchy inside. I forgot how they called the crunchy for sushi. Whatever it was, it definitely win my heart. Mayo and cheese on top went really well. Pssstt.. this one was my favorite.  

Taiyo Special Roll (52K IDR)

Tempura Maki Floss (22K) was a simpler roll. From the name, you might know what's in it. Yup, prawn tempura and floss. The prawn was perfectly cooked. I loved it too. Light and tasty. Let's call it as easy bites. 

Tempura Maki Floss (22K IDR)

Aburi Mozarella Roll (56K). As I googled it, aburi sushi means sushi whose fish on top that is torched by flame in a glimpse, so the fish is partly grilled and partly raw. I don't eat raw food, but aburi sushi was an exception. I loved the grilled-smell sensation. Aburi Mozarella Roll had kani inside, and chicken floss and tobiko as topping. The mayo was only for decoration; had no impact.

Aburi Mozarella Roll (56K IDR)

Unagi Salmon Special (54K). Tasted similar with Aburi Mozarella Roll and Taiyo Sushi Roll. Perhaps because they had similar ingredients. But the ingredients were too strong that the unagi was almost undetectable. 

Unagi Salmon Special (54K IDR)

Kare Pasta was their new menu. This dish contained fettucini and kare. The fettucini was overcooked for me. White sauce was a bit tasteless, but it's okay since kare was the hero of the dish. The Kare had pretty strong spices but still not sharp enough. 

Kare Pasta (45K IDR)

interior

Overall I loved the dishes. They had lovely unique taste that you'll only find in here. They kept the uniqueness so hard that almost all the sushi taste the same. That's so bad. 
I'll come back someday, anyway. :)


Taiyo Sushi
Jl. Pluit Putera Raya No.17, Jakarta
(021) 669-3675

Bengawan at Keraton Hotel - Jakarta

If you happen to Plaza Indonesia or Bunderan HI lately, you may see a new sign there: "Keraton". Yup, located in the center of Jakarta, Keraton at The Plaza has just opened and even still in soft opening period. Some of their rooms were already available, some others were still unfinished. 

When I got the invitation for lunch at Bengawan (all day buffet dining at Keraton), I wondered how to get there, as I never saw any gate or any entrance to Keraton at The Plaza. Finally I found out, their main lobby was at the back of Plaza Indonesia with the gate closed all time. The security would open the gate after checking your vehicle and belonging. Or else, you might find a black door next to Bakerzin Plaza Indonesia, that was their secondary entrance. 

Keraton Hotel is one of Luxury Collection Hotel under Starwood Management. They have different concept compared to other hotels. They offer personal butler for every client. Do you know what it means? It means you will served personally. You might do check in and check out in your room. The butler even would bring the payment machine into your room! You also might call the butler anytime you want, they would at your service 24 hours each day. How cool is that. 

Keraton at The Plaza also located among office buildings, but once you get in, you'll forget that you're in the center of city's hustle bustle as it was so quiet and calm. 

Recording to these data, we might say Keraton at The Plaza is a diamond hotel (higher than 5 stars), and those luxuries must cost you a 'diamond' too. 

Since they're still soft opening period, I found the buffet place still very vacant at lunch time. 
The ambience reminds me of Bogor Cafe (Borobudur Hotel), but this one was the high floor version. (Bogor Cafe located in ground floor and have no view)


Lychee Tea. 
A tall glass of tea with lychee syrup, lychee, and lychee pop boba. Refreshing. Me loved it. I even want  it again now. :p

Apple Mint Tea. 
A big hint of apple combined with mint sensation. Not my type of flavor, but I should say this was good enough to pamper you palate before getting ready for the big lunch.

They had many stations, which had different type of food for each station. Although they claimed their speciality was Indonesian, just like other all-day-dining buffet, they provided almost all kind of food; pasta, sushi/sashimi/Japanese, Chinese food, steamboat, Indian, Indonesian, salad, desserts, etc. 

Their Red Velvet Cake was one of the outstanding ones. The texture was unique; not fluffy, but soft, felt like it melt when it touched my tongue. 

This was Nasi Keraton; their speciality. Served with some assorted condiments you might choose. Nasi Keraton was like Nasi Uduk or Nasi Lemak. Cooked with coconut milk and covered by banana leaves. 

Foie Gras. 

Grilled Rib Eye

Steamboat

Aglio Olio 

                   Iced Caffe Latte. Cute glass! :p

                              Cappuccino

Berry Bajigur Colada. 
This was one of their cocktail selections. IMHO, it tasted challanging. Combination of sour berry and bajigur already brought awkward moment to my tongue. Moreover, the alcohol gave highlight to the sourness of the berry. In short sentence, I could say this is: Sour alcohol with ginger and palm smell. 

After fulfill my appetite, they invited me to walk around. Of course I didn't refuse. 
Apparently, their interior theme was classic modern Indonesia. Well, I named it by myself. 
The place was very comfy, neat and clean. I saw many sides with Indonesian traditional touch. 

I forgot the name of the pattern on the decoration behind. But I do remember the meaning of it; it says that human came from God, so human shouldn't forget their God. 

Breakfast Buffet Package (Rp. 225.000++) 
– Inclusive appetizer, main course (Western + Asian) in buffet and a la carte menu, dessert, live cooking selection, pass around  smoothies and croissant, egg selections, soft drink, fresh juices, fresh brewed coffee and tea

Lunch Buffet Package (Rp. 288.000++) 
– Inclusive appetizer, main course (Asian + Western), dessert, live hot cooking selection, pass around foei gras and carving selections, fresh brewed coffee and tea
Dinner Buffet Package (Rp. 188.000) – Inclusive buffet appetizer, dessert, fresh brewed coffee & tea

Sunday Brunch Package (Rp. 388.000++) 
– Inclusive all non-alcohol beverage, appetizer, main course (Western + Asian) in buffet and menu, live cooking pasta, unlimited pass around (mie goreng, nasi goreng, foei gras, carving selections), noodle selection, dessert, pass around beverage, fresh brewed coffee and tea, welcoming bubble

Beverage Package (Rp. 288.000++) – free flow red wine, white wine, champagne, cocktail, martini




Bengawan Signature Restaurant
Keraton at The Plaza
Jl. MH Thamrin Kav 15, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Phone : ( 021 ) 50680000
Facebook : Keraton at The Plaza
Twitter : @KeratonJakarta

Mountain of Food Explorace Part 1 : Marry Brown

One day, on a fine day, my owner just got invitation. This time wasn't just from a restaurant nearby, but from Resort World Genting! Big woohoo! 
The invitation was for 17-20 July 2012 and they said they would provide all my needs during event. 
So there I was, going to Genting - Malaysia with 4 others. I was so excited that this was my first invitation abroad. :p
Resort World Genting held an event called Mountain of Food Explorace, which required us to do some challenges and exploring Genting at once. The participants were from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and China.

Departed with morning flight was my first challenge that I'm not a morning person. But there I went. Terminal 3 Soekarno Hatta International Airport - Jakarta. With a boarding pass sheet on my hand, getting ready for my flight. 
We arrived to KLCC at 11.30am. A middle aged man, Mr. Lee, picked us up and brought us to Genting. But we're so hungry and thirsty. So we asked him whether we could stop at the nearest gas station and buy some food in the mini market there. His "yes" was such a heaven sound to us. :p

This were my hunger kit. A bottle of mineral water and a pack of chocolate muffins. FYI, it helped a lot. Actually, I didn't know this brands, I just picked anything I saw. The muffins was moist and very sweet. Since I was in a major hunger, there's no problem with the sweetness. 

Few miles after the gas station, we saw this. Apparently, an accident had just happened there.  I didn't know where's the owner of the car. The first thing came up in my mind was "why the traffic is so normal". I believe, if this happen in Jakarta, there would be a huge traffic jam. 



After about 3 hours (I slept during the journey), we finally arrived! YAY! To celebrate our arrival, we took a photo together in front of the First World Hotel. For the first 2 days, we would spend nights here.

Left to right: Me, Mia (Rian's wife), Rian , Inez, Julia. 



Ms. Mei met us there and help us to check in. She gave us a paper bag. Guess what. It was a pair of trousers and a shirt from Wrangler who's also the sponsor of the event. 

This was our room. Actually, we got 1 room for each. But we requested so Julia and me could be arranged in one room. Inez was in the next room, but she's afraid to sleep alone, so she slept over in our room. Yes, 3 of us sleep in 1 room. Could you imagine the mess we got? hihi.

After took a bath and unpacked our baggage, we went to go to have our late lunch. It was 5 pm and my lunch only 2 regular muffins and a bottle of mineral water. So we went around for some time. Short stories, we chose Marry Brown. A fast food during travelling is a safe choice.

Mi Kari Ayam Goreng (Curry Noodle with Fried Chicken) - RM9.80

I saw the picture on the menu and fell in love. So I ordered this. So bad it was out of my expectation. The curry was plain. The noodle was too overcooked. And the snaps was undercooked. In a shorter words, it wasn't as good as it looked like. 

This was Lucky Plate - RM13.25
Consisted of mashed potato, small bun, vegetables salad, and 2 pieces of fried chicken. As you can see, the main point of the dish was the fried chicken. For a major hunger context, this was very edible. For a non-major hunger, I prefer KFC. Tasted plain (since it was original flavor) and they don't have chili sauce. Well, they had one, but for us, it tasted more like sweet sauce rather than chili sauce. The texture was so so. Some parts even too dry. 

Nasi Marry Brown (Marry Brown Rice) - RM11.80
It also looked mouthwatering on the menu. Unfortunately, the real one was different. Even it had the special sauce to combine with, it still tasted too dry. The sauce was just sweet and lack of spiciness.

Unsatisfied our late lunch, we still thanked God, at least we weren't hungry anymore. 
8 o'clock sharp we went to Visitors Information, and got to know the other participants. We were separated into groups of two. There I met my team mate; Jae Park - a tomboy 21 y.o. girl. 
After that, we had a show to catch. Guess what?! FREEZE! 
Freeze is the title of an interactive dance and magic show on ice. Nice show, indeed. Pardon me for no pict because there was lack of light.

It was 10 pm already. It's been 5 hours since the last time we ate. In our defense, 5 hours was a normal period for the hunger to start re-attack our belly. Our appetite was risen. * exaggerate*
We went to Nyonya Colors and found there was a dish that wasn't on the menu but on display, near the cashier. Nasi Lemak it was. And the most shocking fact was it only costed RM2. Contains a handfull size of rice, anchovy, peanuts, egg, and their special sauce (looked like sambal, but it wasn't). This was more than worth it. The rice was soft and went very well with the sauce. 

In the end of the day, we were quiet tired and slept very tight. Tomorrow we still had some challenges to do. Adios! 



Genting Highland Resort
Pahang, Malaysia
(603) 2718 1118 
www.rwgenting.com