Otel Lobby - Rasuna Epicentrum

One of our latest experience were quite close to home, and it was on Valentine's day .

Otel Lobby has been here for quite some time but we haven't got the chance  to actually visit and try. We'd been told that the place is expensive, but again sometimes there is a price to pay for quality food (as we have proven from time to time) and this time we're giving this place a try.

Why the suitcases, though?

This place has quite a nice ambience to it - ideal for hanging out and chilling. Would work perfectly for a date night out, although we predict this place could be more crowded in certain days.

Biku - Seminyak, Bali

Being tea freaks, we always look for an opportunity to have a wonderful tea time together. However, we couldn't have imagined that such opportunity would come up in Bali, where you would expect people to enjoy overpriced western food or very spicy rice dishes.

Biku is conveniently located in Seminyak (where, as you know, is the trendiest place in Bali as of now) and it is decorated with such an authentic Balinese feel. There is no air conditioning or whatever, but still enjoyable. 

When you enter, on the left hand corner there will be a small classical bookshop (which I think is intended for you to buy and enjoy the book there). Going further inside, and there is a tarot reading desk,and I heard that you have to make an appointment for the tarot reading.

Tarots aside, we decided to try their tea set. We ordered the Traditional Afternoon Tea, with Biku classic tea as the tea of choice. The restaurant offers a various range of teas, so you don't have to worry about not finding one that won't suit you. 

The tea set is accompanied with a set of small bites that are definitely simple and godly : sandwich with ham, cucumber, and smoked salmon as the savory bites, and two pieces of scones and a few other sweets on top. All of these cost Rp 105K, but definitely worth it. It gives a slightly different experience compared with TWG. 

 Furthermore, another must try would be the Signature Beef Pie. The size of the pie is large enough to leave you fulfilled in the afternoon. The taste is very fresh and delicious, the filling is perfect, and the crust is having just about the right thickness. While eating with ketchup doesn't sound to classy, you should probably try it. This little gem here costs you Rp 60 K as of 2014. 

Of course there are other things to be tried, however we didn't have the stomach capacity. Definitely will make a revisit once in Bali.

Warning : Do make reservation the day or two days before. It is always full even when it's not on holiday season.

Biku Bali

Jl. Petitenget 88, Kerobokan

0361-8570888

Cafe Bali - Seminyak, Bali

Staying in Seminyak can only result in a very interesting culinary adventure. 

There were plenty of western food options around Seminyak, and it's not possible to actually visit them one by one unless your budget is virtually unlimited. Thus, during our latest trip to Bali, we decided to simply try a few most recommended places there. 

We started one of our days by having a brunch in Cafe Bali, Seminyak. It is a very pleasant place and relatively quiet - a somewhat serene place amongst the Seminyak crowd.

We were the first few visitors in that rainy morning - and the place does seem more enjoyable when it's quiet. 

Let's get started with the meal. We had a very simple breakfast which only consists of Eggs Florentine (one Salmon and one regular), Croissant, and Fricadelle (Pork sausage). 

The croissant is..just wow It is what you would expect from a good croissant - very soft, texture is just right, and the taste is close to perfect- Rp 15K for the croissant and think it's a relatively good value considering the size and the taste. 

Sausage was just sausage though, and it was not too fancy .However it's quite delicious and also worth a try although the portion is relatively small - quite pricey for Rp 43 K. 

The eggs florentine is delicious and the eggs were poached perfectly - with enough hollandaise sauce to compliment the bread and the eggs. Simple and fulflling breakfast yet very delicious - we do  recommend to try the florentine. Regular florentine costs Rp 25K and the salmon one is Rp 45 K - not bad I guess. I'd rather order another florentine than the sausage though. 

They also have much more variety on their menu and their breakfast is pretty much all day - you won't miss a single minute. 

Address : Jl. Laksmana, Seminyak, Bali

Phone : 0361736484

Ninety Nine

Living in close proximity to Lotte Shopping Avenue gives me the comfort of trying out lots of things. One of the places I have tried recently is Ninety-Nine Restaurant, located at the lower ground floor next to Ranch Market. I've read some reviews on this place and it seems that it serves a lots of cuisine types, including Indonesian. 

Therefore, we decided to give it a shot for a light dinner (or that was the plan). Pictured below is the premise, not too crowded, but populated enough for us to enjoy the ambience.

We begin with the appetizer which is the Rustique Tomato Soup. Unexpectedly, this turns out to be really fresh and authentic. The tanginess and the rich tomato flavor do well to please the tongue. Texture-wise, it is rather smooth but still has a sparse amount of tomato chunks here and there. The basil on top also enriches the existing flavor. 

 Next one is the Lasagna. A very classic Italian dish, yet always being served differently according to the interpretation of the chefs. 

For this one, it is served with some greens on top and,as you can see on the left hand side some cheese is melting out. While the overall presentation might not be the key focus of this dish, we find that this dish is very tongue pleasing as well. Good combination of sauces inside, and the bachamel is not too thick. While both of us are committed cheese lovers, we find that this version of lasagna is good enough, although it can actually use a bit more salt with it.

 Just for fun, we decided to cut it open and took a picture of the layers inside. As you can see it is not too thick, and it's just right for those who wants to eat lightly. 

The last one is the Dory Fillet, served with tomato rice. The crunchiness of the Dory Fillet s just perfect and the rice gives you the opportunity to fulfill yourself. As you can see below, it is served with some capers, which might not be to everyone's liking (I like it though, it reminds me of black olives)

With two servings of tea, we spend Rp 293 K. The price is somewhat OK, considering the location and the taste. As we mentioned, this place serves multiples cuisines and we'll definitely be coming back to try more. Perhaps the Asian dishes? We'll see!

Ninety Nine Restaurant
www.ninetynine.co.id

Lotte Shopping Avenue
LG Floor 
Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 3-5

Jakarta Selatan

Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
LG Floor East Mall
Jl. MH Thamrin No 1

Jakarta 10210

Ranch Market Building

2nd Floor

Jl. Pesanggrahan Raya No. 2

Jakarta Barat

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.

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