The Duck King

Happy new year patients! Wow.... Looking back, I've been writing this blog since 2007. It's gonna be our 7th anniversary this year, yippeeee. Thank you for all your support patients :) This blog is a place for me to be me. My philosophy in blogging has always been the same, be myself. Forgive me if sometimes I'm too harsh or too foul but hey, this is me :)

To open this year, I'd like to post about The Duck King. Well.... It's a new year so I'll start with breakfast. Nothing too fancy and too pretentious, just a simple dimsum bfast that I usually enjoy with my family.

The Duck King is an established brand here in Jakarta. IMO, this brand has served us affordable yet great modern chinese food. My visit to The Duck King has become more often since they open their branch in Central Park Mall (FYI, soon they'll open their Baywalk Mall branch, literally 5 minutes from home!) They offer discount on Sundays so we usually come here for dimsums.

Kuo Tie 

Fish and Pitan Porridge

Prawn Chong Fan

Prawn Wonton with Mayo

Ha Kau

Lotus Bun

IMO, the dimsums are not exceptional but tastes really good. Nothing tastes wrong, a bit generic but a good kind of generic. Sometimes, what you need is not super fancy food but just a bite of comfortness from the food you love.

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Central Park, Jakarta

Publico

Heading to South Area! Senopati/Suryo/Wolter Monginsidi area has been known as Jakarta hot spot. A place where new trendy upmarket eateries established every day. This post, I'm going to share about Publico. A place that was once THE trendy place to dine (now the throne has been passed to Cacaote). I actually planned to go to Cacaote but since the place was still closed (it was 11.30 on a Sunday!) I change my destination and went across the road to Publico.

The place was cool! America 1920, has a resemblance with Tin Pan Alley.  Industrial decor seems to be very popular nowadays. The dining area is on the second floor so u need to get on the stairs. Thick heavy sofas facing the walls and metal furniture for the middle area. I love the place! It's artsy, it's classy and it is SEXY.

The food:
1. Creamy Smoked Scallop Spaghetti (Rp. 80K)

Divine! One of the best pasta I've ever had. It's creamy, it's full of flavors, it's elegant and the best thing is... quite a big portion! Very satisfied with this dish. The scallops were fresh and sauteed perfectly, pasta is al dente and cream sauce is oh so velvety creamy yummylicious.

2. Valrhona Mars Bar

Yummyfuckinglicious!!! Sinfully delicious! Smooth and creamy chocolate mousse with caramel sauce and candied peanuts, served cold. The combination of chocolate, nuts and caramel is perfect! Not too sweet that u want to vomit after the first bite but just enough sweetness to make u smile and be happy la la la la..

Ice Peach Tea

Latte

A very nice lunch on a hot sunday afternoon. Will come back for more, ASAP!

Rating: 8/10

Location : Jl. Suryo, Kebayoran Lama.

Garcon

Hari ini mari kita mencoba mengulas makanan dengan bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar :) Apa kabar pasien ku tercinta, jumpa lagi dengan saya dr. B. Semoga pasien sekalian tidak bosan bosannya membaca ulasan kuliner di blog saya ini.

Pada kesempatan kali ini saya akan mengulas sebuah bistro di Plaza Senayan. Garcon, sebuah tempat yang menyebut dirinya sebuah bistro. Apakah bistro itu? Istilah Bistro berasal dari Perancis, digunakan untuk menyebut sebuah tempat untuk makan (restoran) yang menyajikan makanan yang sederhana dengan harga yang terjangkau. Agak ironis memang karena apabila sebuah tempat memiliki kata bistro di dalamnya di Jakarta, otomatis harga nya melambung jauh karena dengan embel embel bistro tempat tersebut menjadi terkesan mewah dan elegan.

Setelah saya memesan, pelayan membawakan sebongkah roti perancis dan sepotong mentega. Uh la la.... Serasa di Paris. Kualitas roti nya... biasa saja. Kulitnya cenderung keras (seperti roti perancis pada umumnya), konsistensi agak kenyal dan cukup sulit dipotong maupun disobek. Walaupun begitu, roti dan mentega adalah duet maut yang tidak pernah gagal membuat saya tersenyum setelah memakannya.

Untuk snack berikutnya saya memesan Almond Croissant (Rp. 22.000) sebuah pastry yang tampak sangat menggiurkan. Tidak seperti croissant pada umumnya, lapisan luar nya sangatlah keras, sungguh sesuatu yang di luar standard croissant yang cenderung renyah. Rasanya yang tidak terlalu manis membuat saya bingung menikmati pastry ini. Seharusnya Almond Croissant manis dan ringan namun versi Garcon cenderung berat dan tawar....

Sebagai menu utama saya memesan Grilled Baby Chicken. Tampilan nya unik walaupun saya sempat terkejut melihat BESARnya porsi yang disajikan. Rasa ayam nya lezat dengan bumbu yang meresap dan daging yang sangat empuk. Sayang sekali porsinya yang mungkin lebih cocok untuk anak-anak.

Satu hal yang sangat saya suka dari Garcon adalah suasananya. Pelayannya ramah, sigap dan perhatian namun tidak menganggu privasi. Banyak tersedia stop kontak sehingga saya bisa mengisi ulang batere ponsel. Decor nya sangat modern dan sexy, asyik untuk tempat berkumpul dan berkencan dengan kekasih tercinta.

Rating:
7/10
Location: Plaza Senayan

Tsurukamedou

Hey patients. how's your day? Today I'm gonna post a review of Tsurukamedou. Ramen boom started 2-3 years ago in Jakarta. The pioneer is the one and only ramen 38. People would queue for a bowl of authentic Japanese noodle. Then... Come Hakata Ikkousha.. The one place in Jakarta where people would wait for hours standing in front of the small restaurant just to get ramen. Thank god I live like 200 m from Hakata so I could come near closing time and enjoy my ramen queue free :)

Tsurukamedou is a the last big name in Jakarta ramen scene. As a late bloomer, Tsurukamedou certainly in a huge disadvantage. Opening the one and only branch in Taman Ratu area, this ramen offers a different kind of ramen.

The ramen is plated (or bowled in this case) differently than the other. The half boiled egg is served on a different plate than the ramen. Firstly, the ramen. This noodle, a bit fragile IMO, resembles hongkong noodle. A bit different to the usual rather chewy ramen. Toppings are beansprouts and scallion. Soup a bit thick and dominated with the taste of fermented beans (Miso?) Meat is great, tender juicy and yummy. This rather unusual combination in a ramen is a bit distracting for me. I just can't enjoy a fresh crunchy beansprouts with warm salty thick soup. Doesn't make sense for me. As for the ramen and meat, acceptable.

Pork Gyoza is good but not great. A bit too oily for my liking. 

Japanese fried rice with pork. A plate of happiness! Yummyliciousss. The rice is cooked perfectly, not too dry and not too soggy. Pork toppings in moderate amount, doesn't overpower the rice. Addictive!

Overall, a place u should try. Maybe for a different ramen experience.

Location: Taman Ratu
Rating: 7/10

Tajima

Sebagai salah satu dari sentra kuliner Jakarta, kawasan Muara Karang - Pluit - Pantai Indah Kapuk menawarkan resto yang cenderung oriental (Jepang nyerempet nyerempet lah) dan banyak menu non halal nya. Tajima adalah salah satu dari sekian banyak resto baru yang bermunculan di kawasan Pantai Indah Kapuk. Terletak dalam gedung yang sama dengan Fish and Co, Tajima menjadi one of the hottest spot in PIK right now.

Sesuai namanya, Tajima merupakan resto Jepang yang menawarkan Yakiniku atau BBQ sebagai menu utama. NAMUN, gw ngeliat banyak terselip menu menu korea disini... Itu uda bikin lemes deh, IMO resto yang makanannya ga jelas ke arah mana biasanya engga enak.

Karena uda laper abis, gw sama Ratu Iblis en Pudel Perek memutuskan uda deh coba coba aja. Pesen aja macem macem, secara tempatnya rame, couldn't be that bad right? So.. These babies are what we ordered that night.

Tajima's Mentii (20K) and Tajima's Croquette (15K)

Mediocre taste, not that crispy. Nothing special really, fortunately we were hungry otherwise we wouldn't finish this rather greasy croquette.

 

Seriously, I don't know which meat is what part. Beef is good, tender and moist, cheapest wagyu quality. Pork also good but a bit chewy. Ox tongue are good too. Portion is small, around 5 small pieces per portion (beef 50K-120K, pork around 30K). Sauces, plain and boring. The quality of the meat helped a lot! I LOVE the old fashioned bricket grill, somehow more delicious :)

 Me and my meat!

The weird korean style soup

Overall, not bad. I expected more but hey this is Pantai Indah Kapuk. I think this area offers A LOT of cute and interesting place to dine but unfortunately only a handful really satisfies me. Tajima needs a little bit more effort to be on that super small list of THE go to place in PIK.

Rating: 7/10
Location: PIK, Ruko Crown Golf

Cin Yen

I'm on fire! Another post in less than a week :)

So today I'm hitting a little closer to home. Cin Yen restaurant is a chinese food place in Pantai Indah Kapuk area. I've passed through this place like a million times and wasn't interested at all. Then, some insta-friends recommended this place, saying they have the best fried pork belly. Keyword: Pork. Next thing I knew, I dragged mami to grab a dinner after office.

The place is packed! I went there not long after lebaran so maybe it's a bit biassed since everyone is eating out... Located in a shophouse, the place is not big. They try to maximize the space by building a semi permanent tent at the parking lot, even with that there is still a long queue.

The food is typical Indonesian chinese food with strong influence from Medan. One of their signature is kwetiaw goreng. A dish that medan chinese can't live without. Cin Yen's is subtle in flavor but fragrant and perfect in texture. The type of dish u can have for like 3 plates and feel nothing. Yummy :)

Come the pork belly!! The pork belly is served with a green liquid chili. The pork itself is not as good as I expected. Just okay IMO, I had better. It's not that crispy and juicy that you can't stop munching piece by piece. One thing that differs it from the other is the chili. The green chili has lime leaves and some other aromatics infused, accentuate and give the plain pork the kick it needs to shine.

The surprise came in the next dish, Ayam Tangkap. It's basically fried chicken (free range one I thing) mixed with aromatics and chili. YUMMY!!! Bold flavor, a hint of spicyness and crispy chicken. Recommeded.

I tried some other dishes like Fish Maw Soup with Fish Ball and Cin Yen Tofu Seafood. The soup is good, typical MSG infused chinese style soup which never fails. The waiter said that the tofu was made by Cin Yen. I don't know how they make it but It kinda lean more towards steamed egg than tofu.. Very eggy and soft tofu with spicy sauce which needs salt desperately.

Will I come back? Maybe :)

Rating: 7/10
Location: Pantai Indah Kapuk, Near Waterbom

Beautika

Back to Jakarta patients!!!!

Holiday is over and I am so so so sad :(  But life must go on and tummy has to be filled. Meet Beautika, a perfect example of no pain no gain.

Beautika is a reputable manado restaurant in Central Jakarta. I've known this place for a few years but haven't been a loyal customers since lately. Pluit/Muara Karang area is not exactly where Manadonese people live so it's kinda hard to find a good Manado restaurant here. The one that i actually good, called Rampa Rampa is coming to an end I think.

I wouldn't blabber much in detail since basically this place serves BOLD, SUPER SPICY, YUMMY and AUTHENTIC Manado food. My fave would be the shredded cakalang rica (I think the name is rabe rica) One fucking spicy and yummy dish. Shredded smoked cakalang (blue fin tuna) buried in aromatics and chili. LOVE LOVE LOVE it

Another quality dish is their Ayam di Buluh, more aromatics than chili but still spicy to the max. Combine it with the rabe rica, resulting in chili high and a guaranteed multiple trip to the rest room.

The dessert are great too although a bit expensive. All of them are high quality Manado traditional cakes, greatly influenced by the Dutch when they Invided Indonesia hundreds of years ago.

Nougat Cake

Salad Buah

Last but not least, beware! You've been warned, spicy alert.

Rating: 8/10
Location: Hang Lekir, Jakarta (In front of Moestopo University)

Bangkok Delight Part 4

The food below are from Nara, a restaurant serving authentic thai cuisine in Central World. The sign in front of the place shows that Nara has won "Best Thai Restaurant Award" for a few times. Judging from the queue and the nice decor, I was instantly hooked and decided this to be our last dinner in Bangkok.

 Kang Kiew Wan - Chicken Green Curry

The curry is a tad too sweet for me. I actually love Thai Green Curry since it offers something different in the world of curry. One thing this dish is missing is the WOW factor. It's a yummy curry but not yummy enough to make me lick the bowl clean.

Moo Phad Kraprao - Pork with Chili and Basil

I love this dish. Chili and basil are the perfect combination. Another well balanced dish from Nara. The pork is tender and doesn't have a slightest sign of foul smell. The portion could be bigger tho

 

Kang Phed Ped Yang - Roast Duck Red Curry

As expected of a thai curry, rich spicy flavor bursting with aromatic sensations. The spicy level is next to nothing (or maybe my palate is starting to numb from all those bird eye chili). The duck is nothing special but the curry is a well balance dish.

 

Gai Hoer Bay Toei - Chicken Pandan

One of the best I've ever tasted. The chicken is well marinated, cooked perfectly. YUMMY!

This place has adjust it's taste to foreign clientele so the dishes will not be that super spicy u need 3 bottles of water to cool your tongue. I like the fact that all of the dishes are well prepared, all yummy off course and the servers are excellent. Recommended!

Location: Central World, Bangkok

 

Bangkok Delish Part 3

Samurai Burger and Fried Chicken from McD

Burger, sooo yummy! Maybe it's because I never try pork burger before but trust me it's addictive. The fried chicken is more crispy than Indonesia's but less spicy and flavorfull. The chili sauce is NOTHING compared to Indonesia's...

Meiji Plain Milk and Rare Cheese from Farm Design (Central World)

Meiji milk is ohhh sooo creammyyy. Love love love it. The rare cheese is also yummy! Too bad the blueberry topping is a bit bitter, dunno why.

Oyster Omellete (Platinum Zone 2 Food Court)

The best during my trip to Bangkok. The omellete is eggy and fragrant and juicy and oily and nom nom nom 

Pork Mixed Rice (Platinum Zone2 Food Court)

Something is wrong with this dish. The pork, no good. Chewy and tasteless. The gravy is so sweet, I couldn't finish it.

Mixed Thai Dessert (Platinum Zone 2 Food Court)

Mixed small bites with mung bean filling covered in jelly, so so and nothing special.