The Duel - Crematology VS Tanamera Coffee VS St. Ali

Let's have another duel!!! Or in this post, maybe a menage a trois ....

Coffee, especially hipster coffee shops are still one of Jakarta Foos Scene trending topics. Started in the southern part of Jakarta, nowadays it's been spreading to the suburbs of Jakarta. I am not a coffee geek, I don't understand how to describe coffee note or taste, whether it is fruity or nutty, hell I don't get it when a coffee geek said that this cup of coffee has medium acidity with chocolate note at the end (are we still talking bout coffee? Or chocolate?)

Well what I know is whether it is good or bad. period. Please don't kill me

Now, The first one is St. Ali

St. Ali is a famous coffee shop in Melbourne (maybe the place where all this coffee hype is coming from) Finally opened it's first outlet in Jakarta a couple of months ago, this place is flocked by Jakarta's A listers and coffee geeks.

I haven't visited this place for a very long time (aside from repeated visits to Tanamera, I rarely come twice to the same coffee shops) so I don't know if it's still opened only until around 6 PM. Weird huh?

The place is typical hipster coffee shops, bricks and woods, black and white dominated decor, bright white walls with the coffee bar as the main attraction. Simple small flower vase as the table centerpiece and that's it. Met a couple of celebs when I went there, lots of southern Jakarta crowds and less of those engkoh2 encik2 flocking the PIK/MK area coffee shops.

Coffee... Well it was nice and somehow similar to Common Grounds. The coffee is mild and mellow with a crisp aftertaste and a light nutty end. (I googled "how to describe coffee" before I wrote this) I like it!

I haven't had the chance to try the food. FYI, the food is expensive... Why do u guys have to sell expensive food on a place to enjoy coffee, come on...

Next! Crematology

Crematology is a household name. It's a very popular local coffee joint where many many coffee geeks come and grab a cup of coffee. The place is very cozy, a bit dark and masculine with all the heavy wooden furniture. The place has the exact opposite feel to St. Ali. If St Ali is a chic city girl, then crematology is your next door beautiful neighbour.

Crematology serves a nice coffee and great selections of foods. The coffee is not a crisp as St. Ali.. The coffee is has lower acidity and also has a burnt taste to it. Tried some of their snacks and toast, all is good. A great place to chill after a long day at work.

Last but not least... Tanamera Coffee!

I fell in love with this place since it first outlet in the middle of thamrin city. A small place that serves my favorite coffee in town. Well quality never fails and I heard they will open their next outlet in PIK, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Their coffee is greattt, it just feels right. Medium body, bold flavor, chocolaty note and smooth as sin. The food, nothing disappoints (tried several of their cakes) service is good, casual but get you everything you need. The instagrammable red cup doesn't hurt too

Verdict: Out of the 3 places I mention earlier, Crematology and Tanamera are the only coffee shops which I made repeated visits to. all of them serves good coffee but my personal fave is Tanamera Coffee

Fctry Bistro & Bar

Hey hey heyyyy

Agak bosen ya sama post Jepang melulu... Break sedikit, kali ini gw mau post review mengenai.... Fctry Bistro & Bar!!!

Sebenernya sih Fctry ini bukan pemain baru.. Cuma emank gw yang ketinggalan zaman aja (maklum blogger ga kondang jadi ga di invite media gathering) Nah setelah ini tempat muncul di berbagai blog dan insta nya orang-orang, akir nya penasaran juga deh ya bagaimana rasanya. Jadi.. di sebuah minggu yang cerah meluncurlah gw ke sana..

Tempat nya di Lippo Mall Puri, St Moritz. Lokasi nya yang di outer part of the mall sama decor nya yang banyak natural light dan agak rustic emank instagenic banget ya. Pantesan aja ini tempat hits..

Langsung aja ke yummy yummy nya.. Dimulai dengan yang gratis tentunya hahahaa

 Complimentary bread

Roti nya lumayan sih (mgkn saya lapar...) yah decent lah, cuma mentega nya kurang banyak

Spaghetti Al Funghi (85K IDR)

Yummmm!!! Sebagai sebuah tempat yang bukan italian restaurant, pasta nya sih enak bener. Al dente, creamy mampus tp ga eneg dan porsi juga cukup besar. Enough herbs to neutralize the creaminess of the sauce and the mushrooms are so flavorful. Not to be missed!

Big Brunch (120K IDR)

Sepiring besar breakfast set (yang menurut gw ga besar besar amat) hihihi... Okay.. Sausage nice! Bacon NO, sedikit smelly, terlalu tebal dan ga crispy. Mushroom yes yes yes! Fluffy egg... Kenapa sih ga pake scrambled egg biasa aja.. dan si rosti nya super oily :(

Dopenuts (25K IDR)

This is so goooooddddd. Donut yang tengah nya ga bolong dan ga pake filling, atas nya pake black sea salt and honey cream, gila mantaps abis. Sweet as sin, smooth as silk and fluffy as cotton.

Will I come back? YES!

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Lippo Mal Puri, Jakarta

Santai Malam 1001

Helloooo ni haooooo #CinaModeOn

Hari ini mau coba post review pake bahasa Indonesia aaahhhh... Walaupun gw tau kalo bahasa Inggris gw tergolong pas pas an, tapi ga tau kenapa kalo nulis blog tuh enakan pake bahasa Inggris. Sindrom sok bule gitu dehh ahhahhaa Nahhh karena hari ini post nya adalah soal makanan Indonesia, gw mau nulis pake bahasa Indonesia aja :p

Resto bernama Santai Malam 1001 ini sebenernya pemain lama di dunia per kulineran ibukota. Seinget gw, dulu pas masih kecil (tapi tidak mungil) gw pernah makan di sini sama bokap en nyokap gw. Nahhhh secara yaaaaa dah lama banget, gw bahkan dah ga inget tu rasa makanannya kaya apa. One day, gw diajak sama colleague gw, Oma Cis buat dinner disana pas kita abis nengokin orang di Gading. Ehhhhh tau tau nya disana ketemu lah gw sama Ibu Putri Mahkota kantor gw #RezekiAnakSholeh long story short, gw ditraktir lah disitu yihaaaaaa

Nah karena kmrn pas ditraktir makannya agak sedikit jaim (males banget kan pergi makan sama bos trus gw nyedot nyedot kerang gitu,,,) gw makan lagi deh a couple of weeks after that. This is what I ordered

Jadi menu andalan nya adalah ikan bawal ini... Bilangnya sih kalo ga salah Saos Padang ya (apa saus tauco gitu deh) tapi nongolnya kok item beginiiiii. Well... Penampilan sih emank menipu, bentuknya item dekil gitu tp rasanya mantep cuyyy.

Jadi si saus item itu kaya campuran kecap manis dan tauco, dikasi potongan rawit yang maha banyak. Rasanya pedes manis tapi gurih, mantaps! Terus ikannya walaupun gede tp gorengnya kering kemudian disirem saus/kuah nya. Kuah nya yang banyak bikin tekstur ikan nya tidak terlalu crispy tapi ga lembek juga.  U will get that beautiful combination of uneven texture and exploding spiciness of the chili padi. Yummylicious!

Selaen itu, si kerang ijo nya yang dimasak dengan nuansa rasa serupa juga enakkkk. Lagi-lagi trick yang dipakai ada deep fried raw materialnya kemudian disirem kuah super gurih nya itu. Another winner ladies and gentlemen.

Trakir pas mau ngembaliin menu nya ke waiter, ga sengaja gw ngeliat kalo tempat ini jual kerang nene!!!! I miss em sooo much jadilah pesen 1 porsi. Nah.... ini dia bencananya.. Saking napsu nya lupa kalo kuah nya pedes bgt, makan banyak dan besok nyaaa mencret --"

Anyway... Tempat nya ini rekomen banget! Great food and doesn't burn your wallet. FYI, dia sudah pindah dari tempat nya yang lama. Sekarang ada di ujung jalan nya Hay Thien (dari MOI, lurus sampe bunderan, ambil kanan lurus terus, ada sign nya di atas)

Very recommended buat yang lagi craving a different and unique taste of seafood like this, Santai Malam 1001 is the answer

Rating: 8/10
Location: Kelapa Gading

Olivier

Hey guys, I bet by now all of Indonesia has already familiar with Olivier, thanks to the super sensational murder by poison case a while ago... Well, apart from the overnight sensation, Olivier has become one of my new favorite place to eat in 2015. Yes people, it's damn good!

Being a member of the same group with Loewy and Union, they share similar vibe. The vintage decor, the neat servers (and the rudeness too) and the upscale-ish ambiance which attracts Jakarta's trendiest to come running. With the concepts of serving an asian/france fusion casual fine dining, Olivier has a balance offering on both asian food and french food. Personally, I don't have high hopes in a place that serves fusion dish, let alone a restaurant that serves two types of dishes distinctively. Well, I was proven wrong.

Complimentary bread

Crispy crust, warm bread and such delightful spicy butter. Perfect 

 

Roast Chicken with Ratatouille and Mashed Potato (125K IDR)

Hands down the best mashed potato ever! Silky smooth, creamy and buttery. Oh so so so damn good! Chicken is quite big, flavorful and juicy. Served on top oh some sort of juz? Another spot on cooking I might say... The chicken was fragrant, tender and I can really taste a combination of herbs from the chicken, nice..

 Dory Meuniere A La Grenobloise, Sauteed French Beans and Cherry Tomatoes (130K IDR)

This dish is good but missing the oomph factor. Everything was spot on somehow forgetable. Maybe it's lacking seasoning?

Chicken Wings with Spicy Marinade (70K IDR)

Another nicely executed dish but lacking the oomph factor. Sure the chicken was crispy and the dips was good but I feel the dish lost the connection to the dips, resulting in a nice and crispy wings but lack in flavor.

After this visit, I came back to Oliver a couple of months ago. I tried the pork belly/pork knuckle for sharing and it was so good! Yummmmm The pork was super tender, skin falling of the meat like cray cray

Recommended place to grab a hearty meal and s chic place to hang out with your dearest. Price is a bit pricey but worth every penny. See you in another time patients

Rating: 8.5/10

Location: Grand Indonesia West Mall GF

Shabu Ghin

One of the current trend in Jakarta culinary scene is all you can eat japanese shabu shabu. Shabu shabu is not a new item in Jakarta BUT the opening of Shaburi, which offers unlimited premium beef shabu with affordable price, really change the scene.

Meet Shabu Ghin, a late bloomer in Jakarta shabu shabu competition.

Like the hugely succesfull Shaburi, Shabu Ghin offers packages of all you can eat premium shabu beef. I tried the premium shabu beef package (168K IDR) with a 30% discount from Kesles (an android app) Yeah I know, what a bargain!!!

The strong point of Shabu Ghin is their delicious appetizer, dessert and drink bar. All of them are GOODDD!! The japchae (korean stir fry glass noodle) is off the hook. I really don't know and don't care why they serve a korean food in a japanese restaurant, all I know is that is one of the best japchae ever. Try their chicken karaage, a deep fried battered chicken thigh, dip it in the creamy nut shabu sauce, HEAVEN.

The beef, IMO is slightly better than shaburi. Somehow I feel em thicker and juicier. To enjoy the beef you will be given several choices of cooking soup, feel free to try different soup. I tried the original konbu, yummy.

Last, dessert and drink bar.... They have melon juice dispenser!! Oh the juice is a major help after the heavy beef shabu, totally in love. They also serve some soft cream, a rather yummy one compared to other all you can eat joint.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit here, recommended

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Wolter Monginsidi No 53, Jakarta

Nomz

Wow... Life's been too hectic guys :( I think it's been 3 months since my last post, so sorry I couldn't post any new yummy entries for you guys.. hehehe

This post is about the hip and trendy restaurant by Masterchef Indonesia Judge, Chef Arnold Poernomo. I bet all of you knows this super popular tv personality. He is indeed a great guy, at my first visit he came to our table for small chit chat. So humble despite the great success he has accomplished in such young age.

Anyway, the place is called... NOMZ

Nomz is one of the many "hits" cafes in Grand Indonesia East Mall. Located across Publik Markette, just outside Central Department Store, it is very strategic. Decor wise, i don't think it's outstanding. Not too fancy, more elegant than rugged... Casual but trendy.

On my first visit, I had their Banh Mi (Couldn't find the pics) A rather soft rendition of this vietnamese sandwich. Chef Arnold told me that instead of using baguette like the authentic bahn mi, he choose a soft roll to make it easier to be eaten. I LOVE the pork belly, melt in your mouth kind of meat, with a dash of sourness from the sauce, the heavy bread becomes somehow lighter.

On another occasion, I tried several dishes. One of them is this Mushroom Linguine...

Personally, I prefer spaghetti. Linguine is somehow too smooth and less chewable... The mushroom linguine I had at Nomz that day was... Okay.. IMO, the cream sauce is too salty. A good cream sauce needs to be creamy yet light at the same time. Seasonings have to be just right since saltiness and creaminess is not best friend. Nomz's was too salty, making the whole dish one dimensional...

Next, I tried the Curry Barramundi

I understand that Nomz is not a restaurant specializing in a certain cuisine. Like many other places nowadays, it tries to deliver a personal taste of the chef, not restricted by any boundaries. A whole new generation of fusion food. For me... fusion food is just a trend, so I never appreciate it much. This curry barramundi... has the texture of japanese curry but the taste of indian curry and the sambal of Indonesia. A deconstructed (or nicely plated indonesian style dish) curry rice where the fish is pan fried and we are supposed to put the curry ON the fish or maybe mix the rice with it (seriously I don't understand it). Sorry Chef, I'm not happy with this..\

Last is the fried squid salad

Of all the dishes I tried there, this is the best. A perfectly fried squid (no fishy smell, not chewy, no burnt taste and seasoned balancely) mixed with arugula and balsamic dressing. Refreshing, fragrant and an appetizing appetizer. LOVE it

So.. My verdict is... Well, I don't think I will be coming back (maybe for their cakes?)

Rating: 6/10

Location: Grand Indonesia East Mall GF

PS: Don't forget, follow my instagram @aris100785 for daily updates of yummyness :)

Coco Curry Ichibanya

Holaaa mina san, O genki desu ka?

This post is about one of my fave Japanese Food, curry! Ever since I met Japanese Curry, I fell in love with it. The smooth creamy thick brown liquid over a plate of warm steamed rice, oh so addictive! Japanase curry unique characteristics differs it from other curries aroun the world. Most of the world's curry comes in a more liquid consistency, less creamy and more spicy. Apart from it, I think japanese curry is an ultimate comfort food

Coco Curry Ichibanya is a place which main purpose is serving us the most delicious Japanese Curry. Since it's been a long time since I dine at Coco Curry Ichibanya, I will only go over some superficial detail

Starting from the tuna salad, the veggies are fresh, crunchy and not bitter at all. Putting some mayo tuna salad on top is brilliant. The dressing is basically thousand island with japanese touch, a bit sour and watery compared to the americe style thousand island dressing. I love how a bite of the salad will take u into a refreshing blast.

I ordered the breaded mince beef curry rice and it was a foul decision. The curry, yum! Perfect consistency, perfect heat and bits of cheese for some extra jolt of yumminess. IMO, not the best but surely tastes good. The curry lacks boldness. The minced beef is soggy and tasteless, not good :(

My sis ordered this gooey creamy omu rice and it was awesome!! Once u cut through that egg, the filling will ooze out, heavenly! I love how the omurice tastes creamy but not too creamy. The creaminess of the omellete amplifies the curry's creaminess.

Overall, I think Coco Curry Ichibanya is a place worth visiting. Since the price is quite affordable, I'm sure many high school or university students will find this place perfect for their weekend :)

Rating: 7/10
Location: Grand Indonesia, West Mall 4F

Noodle Diary: Part 2

Holaaaaa let's do another noodle showdown, shall we?

First Contender is Bakmi Aloi

Bakmi Aloi is a typical Palembang style noodle. The noodle is thin and slighly chewy a bit sweet. Usually, the toppings are minced pork or chicken, chasiu pork and mushrooms with some beansprouts. I don't really like this type of noodle but Aloi is an exception. :)

Located in Muwardi Street, Grogol area, my first encounter with Aloi was back in college. I remember some of the girls in my college craved for Aloi for the sake of the handsome boss LOL. The place used to be small, consists only 5 or maybe 5 tables. Now the place is HUGE and they have many branches across town.

Aside from the noodle, Aloi serves yummy side dishes. My favorite is half portion of pig kidney and blood, heavenly delicious! Add some minced pork pork for 10K, worth every penny. Last, if u a deep fried addict, order the ngo hiong (pork roll in beancurd skin) YUMMY!

Next... Bakmi Aheng Mangga Besar/Bakmi Ahau

I know it's confusing but I'll try to explain...

I found this noodle in Mangga Besar back in my intern days in Husada Hospital. A friend introduced me to this small stall/carriage at an alley near Cucu Foto in Mangga Besar. It is super dirty but always packed with customers. Apparently, a similar stall appears every night at the same Mangga Besar Street near Lokasari area under a different name, Bakmi Ahau. I'm not really sure about the different name but let's focus on the noodle :)

This noodle is thick and chewy, typical mie karet. The topping is chasiu pork with some greens. Taste is mainly sweet, a bit savory. Noodle is super oily so practice your chopsticks skills folk

The highlight of this noodle is the fried meatball. It is so different from the other meatballs i found. Rather sweet and hard but addictive... The noodle, i don't really like it but combined with the meatballs, worth trying!

That's it folks, hope u guys drool :)

Follow my instagram doc_babi for daily updates on my culinary journey

The Duel: Monolog VS One Fifteenth

It's time for another duel patients! Behold, the battle of hipster coffee shops. Actually, I don't have lots of pics about coffeeshops since I rarely visit them on daylights... Most of my pics are dark and blurry so pardon me for the limited photos :(

First is.. MONOLOG

There are 2 branches of Monolog in Jakarta, Plaza Senayan and Pondok Indah Mall. Serving good coffee, Monolog is always packed with coffee junkie from morning till midnight.

I am not and don't think will ever be a coffee expert. There is only two kinds of coffee for me, good one and bad one. I actually prefer the asian/indonesian style coffee of "kopi susu tubruk" where coarse coffee grounds is boiled with hot water and given sweet condensed milk to add the sweetness. Monolog's coffee or in this pic, cafe latte, is smoot but not velvety smooth. Balanced taste, low acidity and not too earthy.

The cheesy pastry is good, somehow I think it's a bit too sweet. I dunno whether they bake their own cakes or have some suppliers provide it for them but their cake is definitely worth trying.

I had this ox tongue fried rice in Monolog PIM 2, tastewise not good. Ugh... Seriously, don't order this ever.

Next is..ONE FIFTEENTH

1/15 is a super hip coffee shop in Gandaria area, not far from Gandaria City Mall. I've been drooling over the instagrams pics of "happening" people enjoying their coffee their --"

One day, I finally passing through the area and waste no time in finding the coffee shop. Place, chic and hip. Very instagenic. Service, a bit slow. Call me snobbish but I expect excellent, ass kissing, ego boosting kind of service when I pay that much money for coffee and cakes.

Coffee... Hmm... I'd say... Just okay (please don't kill me) Seriously, of all the places for coffee, I found 1/15 is just okay. Definitely not my fave, on par with Monolog. They have some snacks there and one of their specialty is Beau's Bombos. And... It is also just okay, nothing to brag about or worth a second order. So much for the stellar reviews :(

Well, for me... Monolog is the winner!!! Their place might not as comfy as 1/15 or as cool as 1/15 but I came to enjoy my coffee, my cakes and my me time. For that, fancy decor can't win against yummy cakes.

See you again patients :)

Follow my instagram @doc_babi for updates of my culinary journey

Monolog - Plaza Senayan GF/ PIM Street Gallery
One Fifteenth - Jl. Gandaria I No. 63

Abura Soba Yamatoten

Abura Soba Yamatoten is a japanese soba restaurant in Pantai Indah Kapuk area... Unlike it's predecessors, Abura Soba Yamatoten specializes in Soba. I am not a soba fans, my fave type of japanese noodle is actually udon. When this place became huge is social media, I wonder why people gone crazy over soba. Sooo, I decided to give it a try with my sis and mom

The place is very PIK. Renovated shophouse with minimal decor and simple modern japanese touches here and there. I don't think the place can handle more than 50 guesses (no wonder people always queues outside).

I'm so sorry, I kindo forget the names of the dishes but no worries, i'll try my best to describe each and every dish. The soba is handmade and produced fresh daily by the chefs, using authentic and high quality ingredients. I love the consistency of the soba which is different from the soba we usually find in Japanese restaurant. The soba is like ramen but thicker and more chewy.

The soba is served with bamboo shoots, onsen tamago (runny half boiled egg), nori shreds, finely chopped spring onions and pork slices. This is the basic version... Noodle consistency is beautiful. Mix the soba with all the ingredients, put seasonings as instructed (chili oil and vinegar) and voila, creamy gooey savoury japanese noodle. It reminds me a lot of pasta carbonara. I can't say it's not delicious but it is not my cup of tea. This dish is something new to my palate and I really enjoyed it BUT after finishing half of the soba, I found it boring, two dimensional and in the end a bit too creamy (and not in a good way)

This is another version of the soba, using soybean paste base sauce. Taste more like chachiang mian or korea's jajjangmyeun. Ugh... Hate this noodle, sweet and pungent. Big NO NO

Last one is their rice dish. Abura Soba Yamatoten serves a limited variety of japanese dishes. When we went there, Mom doesn't want to eat noodle so we ordered this one and only rice dish. Basically a bowl of rice with grilled pork belly slices on top. The pork belly is very oily, then it is served on a bowl of rice with NOTHING else other than garnish. I wonder how people can enjoy this dish. Sure the pork is good but come on... Rice and pork slices only?

There are many other places in PIK that serves better food, I don't think I'll be coming back here...

Rating: 6/10

Location: PIK, near the JORR entrance

Follow my instagram @doc_babi for live update of my culinary journey

Gluttony Alert : Muara Karang

Holaaaaaa patients :) How u doin baby? Since I'm not really in the mood for transferring pics from my phone, I'll post some of the foodpic stocks in my computer. This is a brand new series of post. The "Gluttony Alert" series. If the "Lost in ....." series tells you about my travelling stories, the "Gluttony Alert" series will focus on all the yummies in a certain area.

Dr B's Journal has been my personal space for 8 years. I've wrote so many things in this blog, not only food reviews. I don't have much spare time like when I was in college so the number of post is very limited but I tried to make it as "me" as possible :)

So.. for the first post of Gluttony Alert, say hello to Muara Karang.

Why? Because it's my backyard :) And.. It's on my top list of places with good food hehe... Meet the yummies of Muara Karang

Bihun Kepala Ikan (Vermicelli with fish head soup)

Located in Pasar Muara Karang, this is a very crowded breakfast spot. Turn left at the Toyota Dealership from Muara Karang main street. U'll find this spot at the right side, in a food court in front of Aroma Seafood. I don't really like this dish since it's a bit too sour for my taste. In fact, the only memorable thing of this dish is the sourness.

Kuo Tie

This is a kuo tie (jiao zi) or gyoza from a small stall run by a chinese lady. The lady can only speak a little Bahasa Indonesia, so I guess it's pretty safe when I declare it authentic chinese dumplings. The skin is too think, minimal filling and too much greens. I like my kuo tie meaty and juicy --"

Another dish from the food court in Pasar Muara Karang. Mamak style (belacan) fried noodle. Yes. it resembles Malaysian cuisines yet the enci enci (chinese lady) doesn't announce it as Malaysian food. It's a dish from Medan that resembles Malaysian cuisines. I kinda like this noodle... Taste is bold, I can feel the heat and the savouryness of the noodle, seafood is fresh and portion is perfect for breakfast.

Sek Ba by Kuo Tie Shantung

There's a kuo tie place called Kuo Tie Shantung in Muara Karang. Opens around 9 P.M. in front of A&W Muara Karang. LOVE THE PORK INNARDS!!! The sweet and herby black sauce surprisingly goes well with rice. Order the tongue and tofu, those are my favorites.

Kuo Tie by Koe Tie Shantung

Kuo Tie is pan fried chinese dumplings. The characteristic of a kuo tie is the fried crispy part at the base of the dumpling and moist chewy part at the top of the dumplings. The deep fried ones are just fakes :p Kuo Tie Shantung serves on of the best kuo tie in Jakarta, recommended.

Rainbow Sandwich by Eng's

A very popular restaurant amongts enci enci and abege, serving affordable dishes all day long. The sandwich tastes really good! Toast is crispy, the dressing is enough to moist the dry sandwich but not too soggy. I think it only costs me around 18K :)

Steamed Chicken Rice with Free Range Chicken Egg by Nasi Tim Pasar Pagi

LEGENDARY!!!!! Some said (and I said) it's the best nasi tim (steamed rice) ever. Period. The fragrant rice, creamy and soft. It's like ur tummy is being awakened by the warm southern wind.... Oh so good! Tips: put some fish sauce into the hot steamed rice, adds another layer of goodness into the dish.

Stir Fried Pig Kidney with Onions and Celery by Chef Achun

This is one of Chef Achun's signature dish and one of my fave food ever. Pig kidney is a delicate ingredient that requires a certain way of containing and cooking to make it tastes delicious. The kidney has to be fresh, cleaned properly and eaten right after it is cooked. You have to be careful not to overcook the kidney or it'll get hard and a bit bitter. When it is cooked properly. the texture would be slightly chewy, creamy and melts in your mouth. Oh... blissful...

So, how about it patients? Come and visit Muara Karang to get your hungry belly entertained, satisfaction guaranteed. Give me a holler on my instagram @doc_babi I'll be glad to answer all your question :) See yaaaa

Benedict

Happy May Day everyone! To celebrate the start of May, I'll present you... Benedict

Benedict is one of the new hip spot in Jakarta. Location? None other than Grand Indonesia. This place has become to hub of everything classy, luxurious and hip. I find myself amused with all the eateries in this area.. All of them are so hip and current, tastes real good (and yeah quite expensive) and easy to find.

Benedict is a member of Union group, a restaurant group that never fails. Unlike their competitors such is Ismaya or Boga, Union group is more consistent in creating amazing restaurants. Their joints are not only trendy, decorated nicely but also yummy! Benedict's main ammo is their breakfast food. There are not many places for brunch in Jakarta. Some of them are coffee places that also serves brunch menu. Benedict is the opposite, they specialize in serving breakfast menus and also good coffee.

 Florentine Egg Benedict (Rp. 85.000)

Egg Benedict with cured salmon, dill, baby spinach and tobikko. Yummylicious! The oozing egg yolk combined with lovely texture of the salmon, the buttery hollandaise sauce and the salty crunchy texture of the tobikko is a perfect harmony.

 Latte

Good cofffee by Toby Estate

 Vanilla ice cream with maple syrup and bacon

Seriously! What could be more fun than trying this menu. I don't think its great but having this ice cream is why I love eating #gluttonyalert. It's that new sensation at the tip of your tongue that makes me ecstatic

 Scotch Eggs (Rp. 35.000)

Boiled egg wrapped inside minced chicken, served with bonito flakes and mayo. Another new addiction. Oh damn I love this egg!

Benedict is a recommended place for you guys to go brunch or just having a chit chat in Grand Indonesia. My only concern is the small portion, doesn't fit the male clientele. I'm a fat guy big appetite, so.... maybe... It's me not the portion :(

Rating: 7.5/10

Location: Grand Indonesia East Mall, 1F

Anyway guys, check out my instagram @doc_babi for live updates on my food addiction