Cuca : The Real Gem in Jimbaran

Happy Belated New Year, hungry people! This is my first post in 2014. One of my resolutions is to post more often then 2013. Wish me luck. :p

Have I told you that I went to Bali last October? I'm pretty sure I did it on this post. Now I'd like to share another good food in Bali; Cuca.

They opened in August 2013, just exactly on Eid Mubarak day. But I heard their name way before it. Apparently they prepared the dishes, ingredients, concept, and whatsoever from far far ago. Good to know. I was more than excited to try, I even booked my table before I departed from Jakarta. lol :p

Located in Jl. Patih Jelantik, near Intercontinental Hotel, the place wasn't in the main street, but there's a signage so you won't miss it. Thanks to my driver who drove me along to all of places I wanted to go in Bali with all his patience. (His name is Pak Kadek, his number is 62-819 9910 0879. He is very kind and sincere. I definitely will hire him if I happen to go to Bali again). Cuca have 3 parts of seating place: garden (it didn't have beach view but very lovely on sunset), dining area (private area, suitable for dating, family dinner, or any occasion that need more privacy), and kitchen bar (very suitable for people like who loves to watch the chef doing his attraction). I chose kitchen bar!

I came with 3 of my empty-tummy-friends, but since it was our last night in Bali and we still had one eating place to go that night, so we managed to order 3 tapas (small dishes/appetizer) and 3 drinks. FYI, Cuca only serves tapas, so there is no main course. The waiter said it took approx 3-4 portion to make someone full.

Welcome Dish

While waiting for our order, the friendly waiter served us the welcome dish. Don't know how to call it, the texture was similar with cotton. The flavor came from powder spice. Kevin, the head chef and founder, said it had Ayam Betutu flavor. And he created the recipe by himself! Cool. I even amazed from the first dish.

Crispy Fried Chicken (IDR 60K)

First dish appeared so tempting. Came with an outstanding presentation, it wasn't hard for me to take a good picture of it. Crispy Fried Chicken. Even from the name, you could tell what's in it. Yes, it's chicken. But Cuca successfully put an extra touch that made the dish unforgettable to me.  With a hint of wild honey, sesame dust, lemon basil, and served with coleslaw, the chicken was crunchy outside and juicy inside. Well seasoning was definitely their plus point.

Roasted Tiger Prawns (IDR 90K)

Roasted Tiger Prawns brought me to in the middle of love and hate. Love it because the outstanding taste. Hate it because I need some more by now that I'm drooling while writing this. I can tell you the tiger prawn was all fresh because I could taste it. Came with deep fried eggplant as topping and light coconut broth successfully highlight the season.

Free Range Chicken Puddle ( IDR 58K)

Well, I'm Asian, I eat rice. I was curious what would happen to Indonesian red rice in Chef Kevin's hand. And it turned out very well. Free Range Chicken Puddle came as a luxurious result with a high rated taste. Broth was nice, a little thick and savory. The red rice was very fine, felt like less fiber-ish, very enjoyable. The chicken was cut into diamond cut, cooked into perfection. Well done.

Monkey Business (IDR  65K)

When it comes to dessert, I will never miss it. Monkey Business is a bowl of baby banana pudding baptized in caramel look-a-like sauce that made from whiskey butterscotch, with espresso gelato. Am not a big fan of banana, but this one was an exception! The best sweet bitter alcoholic dessert I ever had. :)

Cocoa 8 (IDR  80K)

From the first sight, I knew my heart would fall for this one. The idea of mint choco flying in my head. And I was right. The combination of warm dark choco mousse with homemade mint ice cream (yes, it was homemade and the taste was no joke, way better than the one sold in supermarket. How cool is that?) and chocolate croutons was incredibly the best! OMG. As a chocolate lover, am so proud and happy. Chocolate and mint will never go wrong, right?

Bali Breakfast (IDR 65K)

It was not a breakfast menu, it's dessert. Called as Bali Breakfast because of the look. Hmm.. What is that? Let me explain. The 'yolk' in the middle was mango puree that tasted sweet and runny. The 'white part' was whipped coconut which tasted light, creamy, and went super duper well with the mango. This was the best dessert of the day. Never thought coconut and mango could make a pretty result. I will definitely came back for Bali Breakfast. *big grin*

Sun-Gria Mocktail  (IDR 60K)

Sun-Gria Mocktail  (IDR 60K)

Besides the outstanding dishes, Cuca also has outstanding beverages. Sun-Gria came in an extraordinary appearance. They replace ice cubes with watermelon ice cubes. Since I ordered the mocktail, not cocktail, they used watermelon juice. There should be red wine if you order cocktail one. Yes, this is one of the best thing here, every cocktail had mocktail version. Suitable for a person who cannot drink like me. Anyway, Sun-Gria Cocktail will cost you IDR 90K. 

Moo - Cocktail (IDR 90K) 

I'm so familiar with chocolate milk. There's no day i spent without drinking one. Moo, was a chocolate milk I drank that day. But the difference was Moo got hazelnut liquor and vanilla brandy. Light and comforting, enough to got me a good sleep. 

Blush - Mocktail (IDR 50K)

Just like the others, Blush also had mocktail - cocktail version. The cocktail version would cost you IDR 90K. Blush contain red watermelon juice with yellow watermelon ice. So refreshing. Cute appearance, right? 


I extremely enjoyed my visit and definitely will come back as soon as I can. Nice ambience combined with good food. What else can I ask for more? The real gem hidden in Jimbaran, Bali. :)

My view while eating

Cuca 
Phone:(0361) 708066


Hours:
 
12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Address: Jalan Yoga Perkanthi, Jimbaran, Bali 80364

Anyway, as you seen on picts, I got a new logo. What do you think? :) 

Pancious - Perfectly Homemade

I remember when Pancious opened their first outlet in Permata Hijau area was a big hip. Now they already have more 10 outlets in Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. I love the ambiance of Pancious' outlets. The decoration dominated with white and red, with sofas everywhere made the customers comfy. The place is perfect for all occasion from hang out with friends, dating, family gathering, or even a business meeting, maybe that's why Pancious is always crowded. 

Blueberry Cheese Pancake (Rp. 43.500 for single and Rp. 62.500 for double). To be honest, I'm not a fan of vanilla ice cream. But this one was an exception. The homemade ice cream was milky yet light enough as a vanilla ice cream. The pancake wasn't too sweet. The blueberry cheese sauce was so good. Sweet and sour, mixed with milky vanilla ice cream to flavor up the pancake. 

Blueberry Cheese Pancake

Blackpepper Meatball Pasta (Rp.65.000) was the highlight of that day. Served with creamy sauce, but tasted light enough that I could finish it all in less than 15 minutes. Homemade meatball was made from minced beef. A little too dry, but went well with the creamy sauce. Extra sausage was also a homemade and made the dish taste even better. A perfect shot of blackpepper made everyone can eat it.

Blackpepper Meatball Pasta (Rp.65.000)

My heart fallen for Fresh Fruit Ice Tea Cocktail (Rp. 52.000). Made from fresh mango juice and tea, with diamond cut strawberry, mango, apple, and kiwi. I think the drink was good as dessert too. Came in a huge glass bottle, the portion was enough for 2-4 persons. 

Fresh Fruit Ice Tea Cocktail (Rp. 52.000)

If you notice, almost all the menu in Pancious are homemade and no preservatives or any other chemical thing. Glad to know it, and don't you wish to find other food taste like theirs. Other good thing is, they serve breakfast menu all day. :)

Pancious

Plaza Indonesia Level 5 Unit E06 – E08
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28 – 30
Jakarta 10350

Phone: (021) 29924808

Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 10 pm
Friday – Saturday: 10am – 12 pm

Twitter : @panciouspancake

Facebook : Pancious Pancake House

You may also read this post on Farrago Indonesia. 

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

Hummingbird Eatery

Hummingbird is one of the hippiest joint in Bandung. Well, at least for Jakartans who try to seek any good food in Bandung, it is.
I went there about 5 months ago. (Sorry for late post)
Had been hearing about them for many times, I pushed me and my friends to go there. :p
Fortunately, I succeeded. Say yay, people! :D

First impression: Nice outdoor ambience. They have a 'big nest' which uniquely......lovely.
I was on the waiting list. Apparently they had a bunch of customers that day. During my waiting, I entered the indoor part, so excited to see what else they have that have been talked lately. The interior reminded me of Beatrice Quarter (I'll post about it soon). At the backyard, I found Hummingbird Guest House, which I did willing to book, but unfortunately they were unavailable that day. It looked comfy and clean.

These were on my table:
Bibimbab (44.5K). A big hot stone bowl with colorful components.We could say Bibimbab is Korean 4 Sehat 5 Sempurna (without a glass of milk). Agree, people? :p
Consisted of white rice, beef, mushroom, vegetables (bean sprout, lettuce, spinach, carrot, cabbage, and cucumber), and the most eye-catching part was the half boiled egg! Whoah. It was so sexy when the yolk bursted out. 
The sauce was just so ordinary, nothing special in it. It even less seasoned than the one I usually eat. But for a place like this, it was quiet good, remembering they're not a Korean restaurant.

TomYum Pasta (36.5K). At first, I was worry for ordering this dish, because I never heard pasta could be cooked in TomYum flavor. I mean, of course it could be, but would it be weird? Well, apparently it's not weird at all. It even tasted super good! Sour and spicy with TomYum typical taste successfully made this dish more than just edible, it even really made my day.

Garlic Beef Involtini (49.5K). No, it's not sausage. It's involtini; a processed beef that rolled resembling sausage. At a glimpse, it might look like a sausage, but if you look closer (or taste), involtini has rough texture, and not as juicy as sausage. I don't know whether it is really how an involtini should taste like or not, I never ate one before. 

Back to the dish. The mushroom sauce saved the dish, for it balanced the involtini which lack of juiciness. What did the garlic do here? Well, it helped a lot, I guess. It gave a strong-kickin'-buds smell.

Even it wasn't my favorite, but I could say, good job for the dish.   

(left to right) : Lychee Jello (26.5K) - Pinky Berry (26.5K) -  Passionate Peach (26.5K)

Overall, I was satisfied with my visit. Will come back as soon as possible. Moreover, they have some cakery collections that I haven't tried. Pssst. I heard they opened their first branch in Jakarta lately. It's in Kuningan City. Remembering a comment of a friend that said Hummingbird always succeed to keep the consistency of their quality, hope they won't lose this score. :)

Hummingbird Eatery & Guesthouse

Jl. Progo No.14
Bandung
022-4212582

Mon - Fri: 07:00 - 22:30
Sat: 07:00 - 23:30
Sun: 07:00 - 22:30

Q Smokehouse: Mexican Food Panel

I love smoked meats! It has the best smell a meat could have. Q Smokehouse is an expert in smoked meats. They love to do experiments and they have invented many many many new unique recipe that no one has. Creative!  

Celebrating their 1st anniversary, Q Smokehouse Senopati invited some bloggers and try their new menu: Mexican food! Yeiy. 

So bad, I was a bit sick at that time, but I wasn't sick enough to not come, of course. :p 

Tortilla Soup (35K). Yes, this was good. Recording to the chef, they used three kind of beans for this dish. As it was a tomato based soup, it tasted a bit light and very powerful to kick my buds. 

Watching the chef cooking for us. :)

The chef's preparing tacos for us. 

Fajitas Delight- 135K. Consists of prawn, chicken, beef with fresh salad and soft tortilla. They smelled so good!! When it put on my table, I took photos of it quickly so I could eat it all soon. :p

Fortunately, the taste wasn't disappoint me at all. It tasted so good! I loved it. The beef and chicken was still juicy enough, but well done and well seasoned. 

This is the Tacos made by the chef. Mine was too awful to be showed off. Lol. 

It tasted fresh and yummy. The smell of the smoked meat met the fresh veggie and sour tomato. Slurp! 

Texas Style Barbecue Brisket Platter. Available in 2 size: regular for 200gr  (99K) and light for 150gr (79K). This is one of their signature dish. The owner, who is also the executive chef, said he used stock of rambutan tree to smoke this beef brisket. He also said, he already tried many kind of stocks available in Jakarta, and rambutan tree's stock had the best result. I didn't doubt his choice. He's right. It tasted so nice. The beef was so tender, juicy, and tasty. The bbq sauce was mild enough, so it didn't ruin the beef's taste. 

Crispy Prawn Bistro Pasta - 85K. No, it's not expensive, as it came in an extraordinary size. You can share it up to 3 persons. The pasta was al dente. The prawn was big enough and it didn't smell fishy. The sauce was mild but strong enough to leave a good impression on me. Love this too. :)



Agave Salsa Sorbet. This is also their new fusion mexican menu. They use lemon sorbet, which taste light sour, and fruits (tomato, olives, avocado, and raisins) with a hint of cinnamon and clove. At first I felt strange, but later, I couldn't stop to have more and more. 

I didn't take the picture of the place because they were close for public that day, and they would have an event that night, so the table arrangement was different with usual. But I love the place, it was cozy, neat and comfort.

Overall, I enjoyed all the food their provide. I definitely will come back again someday. See you there! :)

Q Smokehouse
Jl. Suryo No. 20 ( Senopati ),
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan.
No. Telp: ( 021) 723 5728 / ( 021 ) 722 9202
Facebook : Q Smokehouse Factory
Twitter : @qsmokehouse

Nannini : Food tasting

After success with first outlet in Plaza Senayan, now Nannini opened their second outlet at Plaza Indonesia (Yeiy!). Just had the grand opening few weeks ago, two of my owners were invited to experience their new concept and food. We are so excited. 

Located in 2nd floor, just right behind Aldo and Zara, Nannini Plaza Indonesia seems more peaceful because not much people walking around there. A perfect place to have a bunch of chit chat with friends or even for meeting point/working alone. 

Actually Nannini provides various dishes from Italian to Indonesian, and they provides cocktails too. 

Fitra, the operation manager of Nannini, introduced himself and he did some demo of making Smokey Rosemary. So far, it's interesting. 

Beetle Juice - 35K. Presented as welcome drink that night. It's pineapple, orange, mango, with passion fruit and kiwi. Love the sweet and ice cold refreshing drink. Now, my tummy is ready for some kickin' dishes, I thought. So I just couldn't wait for their maincourse.

While waiting for the main courses, we were given Pineapple Cinnamon Roshka (80K). Consisted of vodka, pineapple liquor, lime wedge and mix sugar. Tasted sweet at first and bitter at the end. As I came with an empty tummy, cocktail is not a good choice for me to drink. 

Smokey Rosemary. As its name, it contained smell of rosemary. Fitra showed us how to do this. He put rosemary in the glass, that burnt it with lighter until it was considered as moderate, and then.....that's it. lol. He just showed us until there, maybe not much trick needed after that or maybe they even had a special trick that shouldn't showed to anyone else. I felt the alcohol level is less in here, rather than pineapple cinnamon roshka. Or maybe because I drank that first, so my tongue had became less sensitive. 

Finally, i had the food! What a happiness. :D
Nannini's Wild Mushroom Soup - 50K. A soft velvety cream soup blended with a medley of wild mushrooms and drizzled with truffle oil. It tasted light creamy, savory and a bit salty. Happily, it wasn't too thick, so it was very appropriate for an appetizer because you won't feel full easily. The garlic bread was crispy and nice, went well with soup. As compliment, there was a fried mushroom. I loved the mushroom! It was tender and juicy.






After a long wait, here's the main course. They served 3 main course in 1 plate. So what you see here were't the actual size.

 Here's the first dish: Nannini's Striploin - 195K. Grilled striploin served with mashed potato and creamy champignon sauce. I didn't know how long it had been served after they grilled it, but the meat was cold. Even there's still a hint of warm left, but it's still too cold for a steak. And it was medium well, so when I eat a medium well done meat with a cold temperature, all I could imagine was I ate a raw meat. lol. Okay, it was exaggerate. But I seriously suggest them whether it would be nicer if they could serve the dish in appropriate temperature. The sauce was nice, seemed like Nannini is genius in mushroom-processing.

Nannini's Salmon - 85K. Grilled fresh Norwegian salmon served with mesclun salad tossed in balsamic dressing and homemade sauce. This was my fave. The salmon wasn't fishy and it was well-cooked. Yeah, I love well-cooked fish, rather than medium well. The meat was tender and the sauce was epic. The sauce was sweet sour and savory. Ah, I don't know how to describe it, I enjoyed it much. :)

Here comes the last main dish: Nannini's Cordon Bleu - 75K. Tender chicken breast stuffed with smoked beef and cheddar cheese, served with potato fries and red wine gravy. The outside was crispy and the chicken meat was tender and juicy. The cheese was pretty strong. Nice combined with the sauce. The sauce was savory and could elevate the rank of this dish. So bad the sauce wasn't much enough to me. :(


Overall, I loved the dishes, just so bad, I wasn't full enough as these small portion had to be shared for two. It would be much better if they gave these 3 dishes in actual portion and could be shared for up to 4 people. I guess that's a better idea. :)

Sangria - 125K. Brandy, mix fruit, and red wine. I am not a drinker, so you may don't want to believe me at this section. The sangria here was stronger than Tapas Movida's, and even the fruits also tasted like red wine, maybe they had swamped the fruit from long time ago. 

They closed the night with Nannini's Tiramisu - 60K. It was Nannini's famous mascarpone mousse covered sponge cake drenched in Kahlua and Baileys. Yup, I loved it. The tiramisu was soooo soft, moist and light. Yup, they used Kahlua and Baileys instead of rhum, which brought more coffee and cocoa smells. Tasty!

Anyway, big thanks to Nannini and Goorme for inviting us. May success be ever in your favor! 




NANNINI
Plaza Indonesia 2nd Floor, Unit L2, No. T. 111
P: (021) 2992 3650
T: @nanninijakarta
www.nanninijakarta.com