Choco Chocolate at Dapur Cokelat

I am so tired yet so excited for tomorrow. I'm just done packing my suitcase because tomorrow... *drum roll* I'm leaving for the US! yayyyy!!!I've been waiting to come back to the US for months! I will be there for 3 weeks only, but I'm so excited!!!

This is my last post for today since I need to have enough sleep. After having dinner yesterday, we paid a visit to Dapur Cokelat since one of my cousins wouldn't stop bugging us unless he had his dessert!

It turned out they had a promo too! What a cheapskate day.lol

The Promo

Caramel Chocolate (supposedly Rp 115,000), Hazulnut Praline (supposedly Rp 155,000), and Chococheez (supposedly Rp 145,000) were sold at Rp 100,000 per loaf only in September.Honestly, I think a loaf was too much for the three of us; however, my "dessert-lover" cousin insisted. He was the only male that could beat me in terms of dessert! I still could not (or would not) believe it.

Ice Chocolate - Rp 10,000
pictured with Hazulnut Praline Cake

Rum Ball - around Rp 3,000

So, he bought the cake by the loaf, and we asked the waiter to slice and put them in plates since we wanted to sit around for a while. We also tried the Ice Chocolate, which had chocolate bites inside. The cake was not that good. I did not like it at all. It was bland and not sweet at all. The Rum Ball, on the other hand, was perfect! You could taste the rum lingered a while, but it did not overpower the chocolate flavor. I loved it!

Jl. Kelapa Nias Raya Blok QE 1 No.3

Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara

Ph: 021 4533158

www.dapurcokelat.com for more branches.

Begging a Beggar Chicken at Chicken Village

Imagining Madcon's song: Beggin'. lol I am just kidding. I hate that song actually.

After dimsum-ing (if the word even exists :p ), I watched Sammy's Adventure with my cousins. The movie was entertaining to me, but somehow they dragged it too long in the middle.

Then, one of my cousins suggested to get dinner at Gokana. While walking there, we passed by Chicken Village, which heavily promoted its Beggar Chicken.I had been curious about it for quite a long time. While we were debating over which restaurant we would have dinner at, I saw a promotion banner! They had a 50% off for food promotion, if one spent Rp 200,000 or over on food and pay with HSBC credit card. It did not take long lime for us to decide where we would have dinner! money talks haha

Beggar Chicken - Rp 168,000

The  beggar chicken was indeed unique. They served it by the side of our table on a tray with a hammer next to the chicken. Then a waiter came up and smashed it right in front of us. All of the people around us turned their heads and watched the free smashing-beggar-chicken show.

What;s inside

So basically the already-cooked chicken was covered in leaves and aluminium foil. Then they covered it with chicken shaped clay. It tasted blah.. I did not like it at all! Moreover for the price, and we had to order the whole chicken. To meet Rp 200,000 we also ordered dim sum.

Lumpia Kulit Tahu Goreng Isi Udang - Rp 13,800
Pictured with Nasi Hainam - Rp 7,800

Wotie Isi Udang dan Sayuran - Rp 13,800

Sweet Village - Rp 19,800

The dim sum was ok, but if you consider the price after discount, it was awesome.lol I mean where else in Jakarta one could find dim sum at Rp7,000 per portion. The wotie with vegetables was not good, but it might be caused by my childhood hatred towards veggie. The drink was ok too.

Will I come back again? I might come back again for the dim sum (moreover, before Nov 14, when the promotion will expire), but not for the beggar chicken. The experience was awesome, but I just need it once in my lifetime.

Chicken Village

Mall Kelapa Gading

Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard Raya 

Ground Level

Jakarta Utara - Indonesia

Summarecon Mall Serpong

Downtown Wal Unit #20

Serpongm Tangerang - Indonesia

Supermal Karawaci

WS Floor Unit 10

Karawaci - Tangerang

Dim Sum Sunday at Golden Jade Kitchen

As usual, my family and I had dim sum after church. We went to Golden Jade Kitchen in Mall Kelapa Gading 3 that was just a couple miles away from our church. There were just a few people other than us in the restaurant, it was usually packed though.

Anyway, we were so hungry that I did not get a chance to take any picture, but one! To be honest, the food that day was a bit disappointing. I'm giving a benefit of doubt here, but they casually mentioned that the suppliers were still closed due to the Eid holiday. So, probably the ingredients were not as fresh as usual. and they did NOT have my favorite tofu pickles -.-' My brother and I were getting grumpy for a while because of this. Silly I know, but it was the best pickle ever!lol

The highlight of the day was:

Honey Glazed Baked BBQ Pork Bun

I am sorry but I was too hungry to remember the price -.- But it was not expensive though. Its Baked BBQ Pork Bun was super delicious and it was the main reason why my dad always wanted to go here. I had never found any baked BBQ pork bun that could be compare to it.

If you are curious, you may just go there and try it yourself :)

Golden Jade Kitchen
Mall Kelapa Gading 3
Ground Level Unit G 15 B-C
Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard
Jakarta Utara - Indonesia

Foek Bakmi Karet

I love noodle, and Bakmi GM is one of my favorite. However, a best friend dared to tell me in the face that there was one that made Bakmi GM tasted like a sh*t. Ok, I exaggerated it, but the comment was along the line. I felt challenged, for the love of Bakmi GM.lol

So today, after a slow gym session, due to the lesser than usual calories burned :(, I requested him to take me to the famous noodle shop. Noted that I was reaallllyyy hungry.

Foek Bakmi Karet

You can see from the picture that the sign was so small, and also the opened door. I thought it was closed. It was so hard to find a parking space, since it was located in housing area, just right behind Wisma Gading Permai Apartment Complex. We had to park a little further, and my stomach was about to growl.

It was not really a restaurant. It was actually a house, and we ate at the terrace. I was shocked once I stepped inside, it was full and we were there at 2 p.m., I believed it wasn't lunch hour anymore. Despite the enormous amount of people inside, they were still able to manage its cleanliness. Anyway, we waited in line. And I thought my stomach just cannot stand it anymore, moreover with the view of people eating noodle voraciously. So when the waitress offered to join in other people's table, we accepted, whole-heartedly.  I was THAT hungry.lol 

Bakmie Karet Suikiaw + Daging Campur - Rp 17,500

Pangsit Goreng Jumbo 2pcs/pax @ Rp 5,000

Bakmi Karet Suikiaw was the most ordered, so I got that. Once they put the bowl in front of me, I just could not wait to put it into my mouth, but I had to take some picture to be posted here -.- Anyway, the noodle was good, but that's it. It was not extremely good, it was not to-die-for good; it's just ok. But important to notice, I do NOT eat spicy food, so I did not put any chili sauce or chili or any spicy sauce whatsoever to the bowl. I guess that affected the flavor, since I saw ALL of the people put a lot of chili sauce to their noddle soup. I did not have high expectation for the suikiaw since I was a little disappointed already with the noodle and I did not like wonton. Little did I know, it was the BEST wonton/suikiaw that I had ever tasted in my life! It was perfectly mixed of saltiness and sweetness; which I think the sweetness came from the pork meat it made out of. 

And just FYI, they offered Bakmi Suikiaw, Bakmi Wonton, and Bakmi Pangsit. I didn't get the differences, but Bakmi Suikiaw is the most expensive. My friend, who was a regular, ordered the Bakmi wonton. He told me that the suikiaw was better than wonton, but he ordered wonton just because he ate suikiaw too often.lol

So if you are around the area, you can try it yourself and share whether it is really better than Bakmi GM :) To me personally, I still like Bakmi GM more. But I have to admit that eating here is a different experience.

Foek Rumah Bakmi Karet

Jl. Gading Elok Barat 2 CF 1 No. 1

Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara

Indonesia

Ph: 021 4522473

New Addiction: Radio Play

On the night I went to Seribu Rasa, I accidentally got to listen to a sneak-peek of radio plays on Prambors 102.2 fm. It brought back the high school memory. I used to love listening to Prambors radio play; It was called Balada Cinta Ramadhan, played every Ramadhan (fasting session), if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, I googled it, and found this. It is the link to the podcast of Prambors' Kompilasi Kisah Kamu. This was a bit different compared to Balada Cinta Ramadhan (BCR). BCR was series, while KKK more like short stories; so they played different story every day.

I haven't got the change to hear all of them, but I am trying. Actually, I am listening to it right now :p There's one that's frightened me tho'. It is the 4th story: Soulmates never die. It is not a horror story, but it still gives me goosebump :(

I don't like the English accent of some of the players, but it's ok as long it does not distract the plays. The plays are VERY ENTERTAINING! kuddos to Prambors. I hope they make radio plays regular. *crossing fingers*

Kuppa @ PI

I hung around at Plaza Indonesia tonight with two of my best friends from college. One of them suggested to eat at Kuppa, a Thailand restaurant. I suggested going to Lan Na Thai instead, another Thai restaurant that was just across the street. However, we ended up going to Kuppa since it was more convenient.

The ambiance was ok. I had never liked the food, but I did not hate it either; it was ok. The only good side was that it was super strategically located in PI and the price was superb, considering it was in PI. I was not in the mood to eat, so I just ordered a dessert.

Both of my friends got the same entree.

Tom Yum Noodle Soup - Rp 42,500
Left: with Chicken. Right: Vegetarian

* I made the collage using www.picnik.com

They actually just offered the Tom Yum Noodle Soup with either Chicken or Seafood. But since one of my friends was vegetarian , Kuppa could accommodate it and changed the chicken to tofu. kuddos for that!

Thai Sweet Roti (around Rp 25,000, not sure)
and Thai Ice Tea (around Rp 27,500)

I used to dislike Kuppa's Thai Ice Tea, but I liked it this time. The Thai Sweet Roti was nice too. It looked like a long sweet spring roll cut into five super tiny pieces.To be honest, I think it was too small :( However, I liked the taste. It was sweet, moreover with the condensed milk over it and it was surprisingly chewy.

Overall, I was not really impressed with the food, but location-wise I might come back again.

Plaza Indonesia, 3rd Floor Unit 19-21
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28 - 30
Jakarta Pusat - Indonesia

A thousand good laughs at Seribu Rasa

The Birthday Bash series continued. Tonight, it was with two of my best friends from high school. No, actually I had been friends with one of them since we were in middle school! We had fun anyways :)

Ok, enough about the reunion. Seribu Rasa is under the same management of Penang Bistro and Hongkong Cafe. They serve Southeast Asian food. It is super strategic, located in Menteng just right behind Hotel Nikko, if I'm not mistaken. Traffic in jakarta was still clear (I can drive like 130 km/hr in the highway on my way to the office! which is rarer than a Birkin considering it is Jakarta). However, Seribu Rasa sign was not that clear, we almost passed it by.

Going in the parking garage, we were welcomed by a car valet. It seemed that you HAVE to valet your car, well, they were kindly forced us at the least. It was just Rp 5.000 for the service, but I could see that the practice could potentially irk some customers. The same practice happened in Penang Bistro too.

I like the ambiance. The service were great, and the waiter gave good recommendations, so we basically just ordered whatever he suggested. One thing fascinated me, the waiter's recommendations were not determined by the price. You know, the waiters in most restaurants would always "suggest" the most expensive ones. But not in Seribu Rasa. So here's what we got:

Claypot Tofu Seribu Rasa - Rp 47.000

Lamb Honey Sauce - Rp 79.000

Fried Chicken with Longan Sauce - Rp 51.000

I had to ask the waiter several times whether the lamb honey sauce would still have the "lamb smell," and he convinced me that it wouldn't. And it wasn't! The Lamb was good but not special. The Fried Chicken with Longan Sauce is delicious! The more I ate it, the more I liked it. The chicken was fried to the right crispiness and the sweetness of the longan sauce was perfectly sheer. But my favorite was the claypot tofu. I love the sauce, I love the tofu, but there was just no vegetables in the claypot :(

The drinks were also fun:

Ceria Pangandaran - Rp 29.000

Mangga Gembira Slush - Rp 32.000

Semilir Brastagi - Rp 29.000

Apparently, Semilir Brastagi was the most popular drink. Unfortunately, I forgot to take notes what's in it -.-' Anyway, I tasted it a little, it was strawberry with a hint of fresh ingredients, can't think of what it was though. Mine was the Mangga Gembira Slush, I didn't care about the mixes since I love mango, and it was great and refreshing.

Singkong Gondo Arum - Rp 27.000

We shared Singkong Gondo Arum for the dessert. It was fermented cassava (tape in Indonesian) served with caramel sauce and cheese. I had never liked tape but I could eat this one, and it was not bad actually.

We ended the night by going for a little shopping at Grand Indonesia Mall. I might share the loot on the next post. Stay tuned!

Seribu Rasa
Jl. Haji Agus Salim 128
Menteng, Central Jakarta
Ph: 021 3928892

FashiObssession: Louis Vuitton Beauty Pumps

Last week, I went to Singapore and brought a magazine home, Female Sep 2010 edition. One spreadsheet stood out the most: Return to Form. My scanner didn't work, so I took a picture of the article.

I held my breath when I saw the SHOES. The adrenaline pumped up and I knew that I had to have them! Turns out, they were Louis Vuitton Beauty Pumps from the Fall/Winter 2010/11 collection. They are available in 3 different heights, and I find that each of them are equally beautiful. So, here they are:

in calf leather

10.5 cm (4.2") for $815 or euro

7.5 cm (3") for $790 or 550 euro

3.5 cm (1.4") for $760

in Crocodile

10.5 cm (4.2") for 6,400 euro

in Ostrich

10.5 cm (4.2") for $2,580 or 1,800 euro

in Satin with Crocodile-print calf leather heels and Ostrich-print calf leather bow

10.5 cm or (4.2") for $890 or 620 euro

in Velvet with heels covered in Swarovski strass and Satin bow

10.5 cm (4.2") for $1,420 or 990 euro

7.5 cm (3") for $1,390

3.5 cm (1.4") for $1,360 or 950 euro

pictures courtesy of Louisvuitton.com (US  version for price in USDand France in euro)

 Even though I am crazy about high heels, I'm digging in the low heels version. I love, adore, crazy about (whatever similar verb you can think of) the bow. The proportion of the bow and human foot is just perfect. However, I am not into thick heels, so maybe that's why I prefer the one with low heels. And I don't like the Swarovski covered heels either; they were too bling-bling to my taste :( boo.. 

More from the ads:

I LOVE the red pair with silver satin bow(!) and you can see some pairs in different colors on the right. yummy...I have to go to the store ASAP!

Late-Birthday Surprise at Pastis

My friends and I went to Pastis on last Saturday. It's located right across Four Season Hotel, strategically in between Kuningan and Sudirman Street. However, one of my friends lost her way here, so maybe it was not that strategic, eh? The road was empty because of the  Eid holiday or Eid ul-Fitr or Idul Fitri in Indonesian. I heard more than 1 million (!!) people traveled out of Jakarta, either to celebrate Eid or just for holiday.

We went there for an early dinner so the place was still empty even though I saw "reserved" signs on most of the tables. The ambiance was nice as expected. The interior decoration was not as advertised. It was supposed to mimic a kitchen, but I barely notice the kitchenette-feeling. Anyhow, the light was perfectly bright and they have a lounge in the backyard. It was closed though on the day because it was raining. 

The dinner menu was divided into Appertizer (or light bites I forget how they phrased it), Asian, Pasta, and Main Courses. They also served breakfast and brunch (until 5p.m. if I'm not mistaken). I didn't have high expectation since some of my friends said the food was blah.

After asking what the waiter recommended and used our judgement, we had:

Spicy Escargot - Rp 35,000

Nasi Goreng Ijo - Rp 65,000

Chicken with Beer & Onion Sauce
(I forget how much but I think it's around Rp 85,000)

Nasi Goreng Ijo was REALLY GOOD. The green color was from green chilies; however, we could order it "not spicy." It was still a bit spicy but oh boy, it was good! The portion was generous. It fed three of us. Spicy escargot was good too, moreover for the price.

The Chicken was a disappointenment, we didn't finish it. The salad was a bit bitter, the dressing was not that nice either. Lesson learned, stick to what the waiter suggested.

Anyway the surprise party went smoothly. I was so surprised when suddenly the waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to me right when I was about ordering desserts. My friends bought the princess cake from Awfully Chocolate. They also brought paper crowns to complete the princess theme.lol I had so much fun

Oh, we had Melon Ice Tea (@Rp 25,000) for the drink and it was SOOOO GOOD. It was really sweet, but I love overly sweet stuff.lol

Will I come back again? Definitely!

The Kuningan Suites
Setiabudi Utara, Kuningan
Jakarta Selatan

DKI Jakarta - Indonesia

PH: (021) 526-0260

Intro...

I've been wanting to have a blog for sometimes. However, I always doubt that I can commit to write frequently. So, here I am trying :)

Why fooshinista?

It comes from the words "food" and "fashion." Both are my passions. So, instead of a foodie or a fashionista, I consider myself as a "fooshionista." :p
I most likely will share what I am craving for (food or fashion-wise) and my journey in exploring food around my city, Jakarta, Indonesia, or places that I go.

Well, just FYI (trying to justify myself) I am not a tech-savvy in any way, so please bear with me. I'll try to improve this blog technically but it'll take some time.

Have fun reading :)