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

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

Pangkep 33

Another post from Pluit/Muara Karang area.. Pangkep 33!!!!

For you seafood lovers, I bet Pangkep 33 is no stranger. Serving makasar style seafood, this place has many loyal fans including Ms. Ratu Lebah. When I asked her about which seafood place is her fave when we were dining in Bandar Djakarta a couple of weeks ago, she instantly screamed PANGKEPPPP #lebai

The new Pangkep 33 has moved to a new place in Pluit Putra Raya. Easy direction, the road from Emporium Pluit Mal leading to Pluit Village where Jakarta Fruit Market and Harvest exists. Occupying what I think is actually a house, the place is ordinary. A big house converted into a restaurant that pays minimum attention to ambiance and comfort.

Talk no more and let's dive into the yummy seafood...

1. Ikan Aji Bakar Rica (Grilled Aji Fish Rica Style)

YUMMYLICIOUS!!! The fish has no fishy smell at all. Grilled into perfection, minimum moisture. Great texture, a bit softer than mackarel but not not too crumbly. Basted in chili, rica style which literally blow your tongue away... Spicy goodness.

2. Cumi Goreng Mentega (Stir Fry Squid in Butter Sauce)

Another winning dish from Pangkep 33. Small squids stir fried in margarine and oyster sauce... Salty and sweet at the same time, the squids are cooked perfectly they bounce around inside you mouth when you bite them.

3. Kerang Bambu cah Tauco (Razor Clams with fermented bean sauce)

The razor clam is fresh and huge! The fermented bean sauce needs a little more salt to give a punch to the buds. The clams is chewy and spicy, fresh chewy and juicy not ewww chewy. The chili helps give layers to the one dimensional salty fermented beans and the ginger minimize the weird clam smell.

4. Kangkung Terasi (Stir Fried Morning Glory with Prawn Paste and Chili)

Another classic.. Well executed but not the best. The morning glory somehow feels not fresh... Missing the crunchyness of a perfectly cooked morning glory.

Although I live near all these seafood places, I rarely dine there. Mostly because IMO,seafood is expensive. I love good seafood but I think seafood in Muara Karang is a bit expensive. Surprisingly, for all of the above plus rice, es campur and ice tea, I only spent around 250K. Well, those can feed up to 4 people right? So it's not that expensive :) Recommended!

Rating: 8/10
Location: Pluit Putra Raya, Jakarta