Ta Chia Bak Kut Teh - Muara Karang

This place has been my favorite but I always forgot to take some pictures.

Earlier this month we visited this little gem called Ta-Chia in Muara Karang. This place is well known for it's Bak Kut Teh, although it also has some noodles too. In this post, I'm going to share my experience with the Bak Kut Teh.

For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is basically a pork ribs soup, traditionally served together with oolong tea, which was believed to be able to dilute the fat after you consume the soup. A common misconception is that the soup itself contains tea, which is not.   

The place itself is a simple and no-frills place, comfortable enough to dine for two as well as for family gathering. There are a lot of choices within the menu, therefore feel-free to browse through it. 

We ordered two of the Bak Kut Teh, which itself contains the pork ribs as well as some other different cuts of meat. The soup itself is very heartwarming and has a delicious herbal taste - perfect if you are into herbal food. It doesn't feel too fatty or oily, therefore you can enjoy the soup guilt-free. The pieces of pork themselves have been infused perfectly with the taste of the soup, making the whole bowl enjoyable to the maximum. 

Within the soup, you will have a whole clove of garlic, which further enhance the taste. 

Of course, it would not be perfect without some dumplings (wo tie) to accompany the soup and a plate of cakwe for perfection's sake. The pork dumplings are very soft yet crispy. Definitely will get you asking for more. 

With the dumpling, cakwe, 2 portion of Bak Kut Teh, and 2 drinks, I only paid no more than Rp 170K. For such a unique and rich taste, I believe the value for money is rather good. It's kinda hard to find a good Bak Kut Teh in Jakarta, and this is one of them.  

Interested? Visit : 

Ta Chia 

JL. Pluit Karang Timur Blok O VIII Timur No. 59,

Penjaringan, Jakarta, 14450

Tel : +6221 - 661 9086

Some Ramen Collection Oct - Dec 2013

For some reason, both of us ended up eating Ramen three times in three months. While it's not a record or whatever, we have this irresistible urge to share what we ate.

Back in October, right after watching Thor, we went to Ikkudo in Central Park.

 A nice, straightforward Ramen with Pork. No fancy stuff. Taste was superb and exactly what we're looking for in a ramen

Le Quartier

Just yesterday, we visited this unique restaurant called Le Quartier at Jalan Gunawarman No.34 after a friend's recommendation.

You can't miss it actually, it's  on the left side of the road after you take the right turn to the street passing KFC (I have to mention it for direction's sake). For your convenience, booking is very recommended. Right after entering, you'll enjoy a comfortable ambience which enables you to enjoy your dinner with your friends or with your special one. 

Yun Sin Bogor (Sahabat)

A few weeks ago, we decided to just go south. Literally south. I once lived in Bogor and, while this place is already well-known, I just feel like sharing it to the others (and also for those who haven't tried it - give it a shot!)

The restaurant is called Yun Sin or Sahabat, just a few meters away from Kebun Raya Bogor, and conveniently located near the Bogor Palace. Can't really miss it, although getting there can be tricky (you literally have to go against traffic to park there - if there's a parking spot).

Siam Garden

At last I can post again! Obviously, back with some delicious foodies. 

Both of us were craving for some Thai food goodness, so based on my special one's experience, she often visits this premise and I thought this was worth a visit. The place is kinda hard to get, so do not hesitate to give the restaurant a call to assist you in finding the exact location.

TWG Tea Boutique

Enjoy Your Afternoon Differently

We've spotted this little gem even before it was opened, and was patiently waiting for it.

Was worth the wait though, it was the right timing too since the last time we wanted to go there, we had to wait for, like, 7 more tables? Was very crowded.Fortunately, on our first try, we didn't have to wait that long.

Tea scented candle..?

Store is very nice and homey, although it could have been bigger. Kind of tightly packed, to be honest. Half of the store is used for mainly the Tea Store and kitchen. 

As usual, ambience discussion comes first. Very classy, very regal. Crowded, but with nice music. Heard any classical or Il Divo in any restaurant or cafes nowadays? That's right. 

The way the menu is sorted is like this : There are all-day menus, brunch menus, afternoon menus, and dinner menus. I forgot whether they have lunch menus, but let' s just presume they do. 

We ordered the tea set, which only available during afternoon time. The one that we chose was the sandwich and scone plus we ordered two macarons.  We ordered two pots of tea, mine was Diplomat's Tea and hers was Lavender Valley

The set, with sandwich and scone

Macaroons

First thing to say, the scone is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. It's not something commonly served and possibly not something commonly eaten here as well, but seriously give it a try.The texture is perfect, there is a good mix of sweetness and savory, and to make it even more perfect, it is served with tea jelly and butter cream. 

Personally I loved the butter cream better, but the tea jelly is also good on its own. Actually, you can just eat it directly. 

The macaroons were fine. The black one taste better in our opinion, and it might be the best one in the store. 

Golden Teapot... (stupid image won't rotate)

The tea? Well, mine as awesome for me and hers was awesome for her. Tea is a very personal thing. I like smoky ones, while she likes lavender. Simply pick the ones that suits you, whether oriental (Pu-Erh), smoky (like me), flowers (lavender, chrysanthemum), or just try anything you like. 

The meal and tea themselves cost around Rp 300 K, however the adventure didn't end there. We shopped for some tea and in total we spent around Rp 1 Mio just for the takeaway (3 tubes of tea, 100 gram each). 

You can find the store just at the ground floor of Plaza Senayan next to Metro Dept Store.

Definitely coming here for, maybe, a million visits.

TWG Tea Salon and Boutique
Plaza Senayan Ground Floor
Phone :  +62 21 572 5276 

Pancious

Food Adventure @ Pancious

Pancious is already a well-known restaurant known for having great selection of.. non pancakes.

We've ate here twice in the past 3 weeks, so let me share what we had and what we think of them.

Please note that we DID NOT order these on the same day. Otherwise, we would be having a belly with the size of a car.

Go Curry

Warmth Guaranteed

A while ago we decided to eat something rather destructive to our digestive systems. We ate Go Curry before watching Pacific Rim, therefore you can be sure that we were enjoying giant robots with relatively warm stomach.Located in Pacific Place mall, the restaurant is not that large nor small, but nice enough to mingle with friends or having a date (like us)

The way you order it is that you decide what curry do you want (they have Red, Brown, Japanese, Green, and Rogan Josh), which type of rice (or carbohydrate-related stuff), and then the dish (Chicken katsu, etc). Plus, you can add additional things if you want, however a-la carte choices are also available. Also, level of spiciness. I know some of you likes to gamble with life and death in terms of spiciness. 

AMUZ French Restaurant

Perfect Dining for a Perfect Night - AMUZ French Restaurant

Last month was a very special moment for us.  I mean, I 'arranged' the special moment so to speak. Take a guess, doesn't take a genius to find out the answer on what happened. 

As this is not a personal feelin' and happenin' blog, let's just stick to things that pleases your tongue : delicious food!

AMUZ is located in the Energy Building, 2nd Floor,in SCBD Sudirman. Conveniently located just right after Graha CIMB Niaga. Many has said that this is basically the best French restaurant in Jakarta, so I'd figured out this will be the best place for the best moment.

When we came on 18.30, the place was still very empty, with only 2 seats filled, although we later found out the later it got, the more crowded the place became. Advance booking is highly recommended. 

The place is marked clearly, you won't miss it. Not really a super-secret hidden place where even the sign cannot be found. 

We occasionally saw the chef walking around the restaurant checking for stuffs. Too bad we didn't had the opportunity to mingle! Deeply apologize chef it it wasn't you!

Ambience is very soothing and calming, with a very good selection of songs that brings up a fine-dining feel of the whole room. Atmosphere-wise, it was just perfect.  This really brings a certain standard to a fine-dining restaurant.

We chose the 6-course menu as we wanted the opportunity to try different stuffs at once, however there are a lot of choices from the menu should you wish to go ala-carte. My suggestion is that the course menu would give you the opportunity to taste more, but again it's everybody's choice. We saw someone ordering the steak and they do show you the meat beforehand - a fine dining standard.

We started up with the Surprise Amuse Bouche, which consists of mushroom soup, ravioli with cheese sauce (the one with foam, really delicious!), and a thin bruschetta. 

Pictured below is the Marinated Blue Finn Tuna Toro. Very fresh, very tender. Now, before you say anything, this is not like a sashimi of any sort. Definitely a 5-star quality cuisine!

One of us (I'm not gonna say which one) was not really into Foie Gras, therefore we asked for a replacement for the third menu. Turned out we can  exchange it with an Angel Hair Carbonara with Truffles. Now that was quite unexpected and the chef let us had a few more truffles within our pasta. Replacement that comes with an excellent compliment!

Below is the Foie Gras served with Orange Confit. The risotto-like orange stuff is actually a barley risotto. Unusual, but tastes awesome nonetheless. 

Continuing our adventure with Pan Seared Coral Grouper with Orange Lentils. A very tender fish with a very crispy skin. The barley risotto makes a return. The return of Barley Risotto. Or whatever. 5-star fish!

Second to last menu was the Oven-Roasted Farmed French Challans Duck, served with Baby Corn and Tarragon-scented Polenta. A delicate dish, that's all I can say about this amazing thing.

We end it Raspberry Soufle, with White Chocolate Milk Shake and Tarragon Ice Cream. The Soufle itself is fine, but the ice cream is not really into our taste, as the Tarragon taste is very, very strong. 

The course is Rp 685 K each person and including drinks, we end up with around Rp 1,8 million. Price is fair enough and I think for us we got more than we pay for. 

Taste wise - this is beyond excellent. I have to admit that it requires a bit of acquired taste to truly enjoy the food - as the taste are very delicate and complex. However, for those of you who already know how to properly please your tongue - prepare your wallet and hit the place. 

Definitely worth the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th and Nth visit in the future. We plan to try various stuffs here every year to celebrate the 'day'. Expect another review next year as promised!

Amuz French Restaurant

Jl Jend Sudirman Kav 52-53 The Energy Building Lt 2 JAKARTA

Phone : +62 21 250 506 or +62 21 250 5064

Singapore Food Collection

Back With a Lot of Food from Singapore

After gone for quite some time due to travel and unbelievably busy real life schedule, here I present you some of the food I consumed savagely during my Singapore trip on June. Won't describe about the trip since this is not a travel blog (wasn't really travelling though), however let's just say I'm trying as much food as I can.

As you know, food in Singapore is quite regulated especially in terms of additives. However, that doesn't mean we didn't eat nicely there.

We stayed at Mandarin Oriental Hotel and I can tell you the food is amazing.

Take a look!

FOOK YEW

Chinese Food with Attitude

I have been very busy with my work lately I haven't been able to update anything! So deeply apologize for the late update

Last time, we went to Gandaria City and visited this place called Fook Yew (quite popular already, but hey - never too late too try)

It was very crowded on Saturday and we had to wait for like 10 minutes before getting seated - which is not bad at all! As you can see, the decoration is very flashy and eye-catching.

Without further ado, we go straight for the menu. 

We ordered the X.O. Fried Rice, Hong Kong Fried Noodle, Stir Fried Brocolli with Garlic, Chicken Garlic Sheng Jian Bao (or basically Fried Xiao Long Pao), and an Avocado Pudding as the dessert. Plus two drinks.

My X.O. Fried Rice was delicious as expected, and the portion is not too much, although it is also perfect for sharing should you plan to eat it with other dishes

The Hong Kong Fried Noodle was quite okay, although nothing is really special about it. It is being served in a Hollywood-style Chinese lunch box, so it looks kinda funny after a while 

The Chicken Garlic Sheng Jian Bao was delicious and the chicken filling is quite plentiful and savory, although the skin is very slightly a bit too thick for our taste, but didn't matter so much in the end.

You should also try the stir fried broccoli. An excellent combination of garlic and vegetable which would be a great 'friend' to be eaten with rice and some other dishes.

Finally, we come to our dessert which was the Avocado Pudding, topped with chocolate sauce. I found this very refreshing and taste perfect for avocado lovers. The texture is rather similar with Mango Pudding that you can find at dim sum restaurants, only it is avocado. Hope you get the picture.

With the price of roughly Rp 280 K, Fook Yew is a recommended alternative for those who wishes to try a new kind of Chinese Food in the town. Our adventurous belly suggests that we should come back here to try other stuffs (and share the story with you!).

Holy Cow

Holy Traffic, Batman

After hearing to all the hype about Holy Cow, we managed to went to this restaurant last weekend just to see what it is all about.

Yes, we can say we are very late in terms of coming here, however better late than never :)

After going through all the traffic in Kelapa Gading, we managed to arrive at the place. The place is not too spacious, but we have a nice cafe-feeling there.

We ordered the Rib-Eye Steak with Mushroom Sauce and Tenderloin Steak with Buddy Sauce, both are the Wagyu ones,  and 2 glasses of lemon tea. 

The Rib Eye :

The Tenderloin :

In general, both of the steak does not taste too bad, however we find that it is not really up to the hype that is around on the internet. While it is true that the taste is rather good, we actually expected something better.  I guess we just can't have everything can we?

One of the notable thing is the sauce used on the steak. Both of them are the perfect sauce for the steak, although I admit the mushroom sauce is substantially better. Without the sauces, the meat themselves are not really that juicy and a bit overspiced, practically reducing the original taste of the meat itself.

With 2 steaks and 2 drinks, we spend around Rp 270 K after tax. A bit pricey in terms of value for money. Again, it's up to you in terms of giving it a shot, as it  is not too bad and service was kinda okay too. Food experience never hurts.

Address : 

Jl. Bakti No. 15, Senopati - Senopati Branch

Jl. Raya Boulevard Blok WB No. 16 - Kelapa Gading Branch

Marché

Next-Door Swiss Cuisine

This is our, like, 8th or 9th or 10th visit to Marche since 2012 and to be honest we are kind of addicted to this restaurant. We never really trying to give a review, however we have to be fair and decided to revisit and carefully 'analyze' the food from now on.

We visited the one at Plaza Senayan. The place is not too crowded during lunch, however it is going to be VERY crowded during dinner, so time your visit accordingly. Come at 6 PM-ish to ensure your seat

Just as an introduction for those who haven't eaten here : Marche uses a stall-based concept in which you order the food in the 'stalls' and they will  give you either a stamp (in Plaza Senayan) or adding it in your Marche card (in Grand Indonesia), then you pay in the cashier after you finish eating. Kind of like foodcourt nowadays, but you do not buy credits before entering.

We start with the Fried Enoki, which we think is one of the best thing around in this restaurant. We use the garlic chili sauce and tartar for maximum pleasure. Crunchy on the outside while fresh on the inside

We follow it up with Salmon Quiche. This is also a must-have. The crust is not too thick and the filling is just perfect.

The we moved on to one of Swiss' most famous delicacy, which is the Rosti. One of the most famous choice in-store is the Beef Stroganoff Rosti. We gave it a try and it does not taste too bad., however sometimes the taste varies from time-to-time, therefore they might need to work on the consistency. Sometimes they burn it a bit like the picture that we have below

Next, we tried the Creamy Beef Fettucine. Actually, you can order your own combination in the pasta stall. However, this is one of our favorite pasta in Marche, with just right al-dente pasta and a well-mixed creamy flavour and texture.

Finally, we close it with two dessert, which is the Chocolate Pie and the Apple Strudel. Both are amazing, however the Chocolate Pie's crust was slightly too thick for our taste.

We spend like Rp 340K here including two ice lemon tea. Considering the amount of stuff that we ordered and the apparent food quality served, we consider this place to be giving a good value for money for such a taste. We do recommend people coming here and order whatever is on their mood at the time. Still, keep our reviews in mind for the ones which are really good :)

2 Locations in Jakarta so far :


Marché Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
Entertainment Distrikt 3A#03A-D,  
Jln. MH. Thamrin 1,   
West Mall- besides Musical fountain
10310 Jakarta


Marché Plaza Senayan
Unit 500CP Plaza Senayan,
 5th.floor, Jl Asia -Afrika No.8
10270 Jakarta

Outback Steakhouse

THE TASTE OF AUSTRALIA

After our adventure with Chinese Food, now our food direction took a 180-degree turn towards fully western, this time with..steak!

                                       

That's right, we decided to give Outback Steakhouse an objective trial now as we never really visit it in the past few years (last time I went there, might be 9 years ago). Therefore,we think this is worth a try

We try the one located at Kuningan City, a brand new mall next to Mal Ambasador (not so new - but comparatively new). 

Long story short - the place is clean and staff was very friendly. The crowd was not so many - the mall itself has yet to generate more visitors anyway so it's understandable. 

We ordered the Rib Eye steak and New York Strip, together with the Combination appetizer and two drinks. We were given a complimentary bread. Delicious bread, by the way

Our appetizer has a very mouth-watering combination of cheese fries, wings, and fried mushrooms. Now you don't have fried mushrooms that often. May we also say that the dips were equally delicious. If you're the kind of person who likes a variety on your appetizers, this one is a must-have
                                       
Both the Rib Eye and New York Strip was AMAZING. The meat was as tender and juicy as we expected from such a well-known restaurant which have established quite a name for an Australian steak. 

On top of that, our steak was served with an equally amazing mashed potatoes - we believe this is one of the best that we've tried so far. Seriously, we heavily recommend the mashed potatoes.Overall, a very exciting Australian dining experience, mate.

In the end, we spend around 700K ++ in total, considering the fact that the steak costs around Rp 200 K - ish plus the appetizers, drinks, and tax + service. However, considering the experience, environment, and the food quality, we think it is a money well-spent. Will definitely re-visit to try other stuffs - an write about them again!

Interested? Find the  address below and visit the website

Outback Steakhouse -  Kuningan City
Kuningan City, G Fl Unit 28
Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 8, Kuningan,Jakarta

Outback Steakhouse -  Pondok Indah
Pondok Indah Mall, 1st Floor no. 153 B
Jalan Metro Pondok IndahBlock IIIB, 
Jakarta Selatan 12310

Outback Steakhouse -  Ratu Plaza
Ratu Plaza Shopping Center Ground Floor unit G. 010
9th Jin Jendral Sudirman
Jakarta10270

http://outback-sea.com/new/home.php?country=indonesia

Paradise Dynasty

Chinese Food Day - Part 2

A continuity of the Chinese Food Day!

Today, we happen to have a voucher that we can use at Paradise Dynasty and we decided to use it. Now, even though with vouchers, we still ordered additional stuff.  

Besides, who's saying we can't review food from vouchers? All restaurants are obliged to serve the best anyway :D

It's a nice,luxurious looking place with a warm lighting and high-quality display. You would probably also expect exceptional dishes being served here.

Without further ado, we quickly found a seat and ordered our voucher menu, plus some additional ones to make things complete

As we ordered quite a few, below is our review on each of the dishes

1. Sweet and Sour Chicken 

Taste is kinda OK, not too special but still enjoyable

2. Spinach with Garlic 

 A simple dish that we ordered just for some greens

3. Hot & Sour Soup

We find this soup to be very rich-tasting and superb. A very good combination of tastes. We truly recommend this one

4. Chicken Soup

 A nice savoury soup with an original taste. Compared with the hot and sour, this one tastes more original and simple, however still delicious

5. Chicken Xiao Long Bao 

The Chicken Xiao Long Pao was not really up to the expectation. We tried the pork one before and the pork one taste much better.

6. Deep Fried Scallion

This is definitely one of the best fried food that we've ever eaten. Crunchy and savoury with a taste of scallion obviously

7. Red Bean Pancake

A one-of-a-kind dessert in which a layer of chocolate is covered in crispy layers

8. Coconut Pudding

Sweet and fresh, although it is kind of different with other coconut pudding. The colour is usually white, while this one is very clear as seen in the picture

Overall, we had an amazing experience and wishing to return and order entirely different things. This place has a lot of potential. 

Overall spending without the voucher would be around Rp 420K. Not bad considering we ordered A LOT

Tounge definitely pleased. Find the address below :

Plaza Senayan, P5 Fl Unit CP 512 - 513Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8JakartaTel :(021) 5790 - 0146