Sushi Box, Food Sensation

I usually accompany my mom grocery shopping every Saturday. We went to Farmer's Market in Mall Kelapa Gading this time. Afterwards, I felt a bit hungry, so we decided to grab some snacks at a food court right in front of the supermarket, Food Sensation.

There were several food courts in MKG, and this one was located in MKG1 on the ground level. As for my observation, the food court focused on its Indonesian food theme. Therefore, Sushi Box felt a little bit out of place which made it stand out against the other tenants.

Yakuza Roll - Rp 39k

I ordered the Yakuza Roll, which consisted of tamago and tempura flakes and topped with unagi and teriyaki sauce. It was inexpensive compare to the other sushi restaurant in MKG. However, I would prefer if it comes with shrimp tempura, and not only tempura flakes :p As for the taste, I liked it, but the size was a bit small.

I'm sorry I couldn't get a nicer picture of the counter since the corridor was packed with people passing by. This is the best I could get with a super close-up of a customer's back :(

Sushi Box

Food Sensation

Mall Kelapa Gading 1

Ground Floor #194

Jakarta Utara

Bibliotheque

After having dinner at Riva and stubbornly skipped dessert there, Mr. Foo and I went to Loewy since I was craving for its melted chocolate heavily! Little did I know, Loewy was full!!and it was on a Thursday night -.-

We didn't want to wait for a table, so we decided to go lounging elsewhere. We went to Bibliotheque instead,  since it was close by. 

It was on renovation. However, unlike Cassis that closed the whole restaurant during renovation, Bibliotheque still opened, even though the space was kind of limited and the renovation, of course, distracted the decoration, that was supposed to be a really nice high ceiling library.

Since we arrived there really late, the restaurant had transformed into a bar and lounge. Meaning, dimmed light, if there's any -.-' They barely had any lighting on. The lighting was limited to a very tiny candle on each table. I appreciated dark bar, but not super dark bar where you can barely see anything.

According to my experience, parking here was a b*tch, so I'd rather use the valet service. However, I forgot how much the rate was.

Clockwise: Exotic Mango (Rp 95k), Geisha (Rp 95k), Swiss Chocolate Martini (Rp 95k)

Other than those drinks pictured, Mr. Foo also ordered Corona (Rp 65k, not pictured). My favorite was Swiss Chocolate Martini. I love chocolate anything martini! Oh well, I love any girly overly sweet drink :p They also served free peanut for condiment.

There was also a DJ spinning records, even though it was a weekday night. Mr. Foo loves bars with DJ. 

Service was excellent. The waiter was stand by close enough to our table that even though it was dark, he would come over right when we need him, far enough to give us privacy to talk. 

After the drinks, I was quite buzzed :p Therefore, even though I was quite annoyed with the super dark lighting, I still had a fun time there XD

Oh, before I forgot, Bibliotheque had a dress code, which I wasn't sure whether it was strictly enforced. But just to be safe, male was not allowed to wear sandals, sleeves top, and shorts, If I'm not mistaken.

Bibliotheque

Sampoerna Strategic Square
South Tower B, Ground Floor No. 8
Jalan Jendral Sudirman Kav. 45-46

Jakarta Selatan

Ph: (021) 5795 6779/80

Riva

Mr. Foo and I went there for a special occasion :) I've been wanting to try Riva for a while, but hadn't got the chance to. Riva was rated as the best restaurant or the best French restaurant for years, thus I had a really high expectation for it.

It was located in the corner of the Ground Floor of The Park Lane. It didn't look grand from the outside, and the interior was not that exceptional. The restaurant was small and intimate. It was just like a high class French bistro, yet the vibe given was not too formal. When we were there, the restaurant wasn't busy. It was a weekday night after all. There were only us two and another couple.

From our table, we could enjoy the open kitchen and even somewhat heard the Chef giving instructions. And yes, it was the Executive Chef Renauld Le Rasle pictured. 

Anyway, Riva had 3 choices of tasting menu, ranging from 700ish to 900ish if I'm not mistaken for 7 courses menu (again I'm not quite sure). However, all of the people in the table were required to ordered the same tasting menu course. I wanted to try the basic one, which consisted of Escargots, etc, basic French food I assumed. On the other hand, Mr. Foo wanted to try the other one that had wagyu. In the end, we didn't ordered the tasting menu :'( It was because both of us just got wagyu steaks on our visit to Cassis two days ago.

Free Bread

Amuse Bouche

As usual, the amuse bouche was given for free. I forgot what it was. But I remember, I was reluctant trying it since it looked plain and I did not really know what to expect. Mr. Foo tried it first and encouraged me to try. It was indeed delicious!

Escargots - Rp 115k

Roasted Scallops - Rp 210k

We ordered Escargots and Scallops for our appetizer. These had to be one of the best escargots I had tasted. It was perfect to me and I loved the buttery sauce. Mr. Foo, a scallop freak, insisted ordered the scallops. Sadly, it just had 2 pieces, so we had one each. It was good, and I was not a fan of scallops to begin with. However, the ham(?) spring roll that was served together with the scallops didn't taste that good compare to the other food.

Veal Loin - Rp 455k

I ordered the Veal Loin medium. It was served with a small pot of seasoned vegetables. The texture was perfectly tender. Later on towards the meal however, the meat started to lack in flavor and became dry.

Trout - Rp 345k

I'm sorry for not remembering the exact names for the dishes :( Mr. Foo ordered the trout. I had a small piece, but I forgot how it tasted tho'. I thought it was quite good.

We didn't get the chance to order any dessert since I craved for a specific dessert somewhere else. 

In conclusion, the amuse bouche and the appetizers were super great. However, the entrees did not wow me. I still gave the benefit of doubt though. Overall, we really liked Riva. It met my expectation and definitely will come back for the tasting menu and the dessert of course. Oh well, the tasting menu had dessert in it :p

Riva

The Park Lane

Jl. Casablanca Kav. 18

Jakarta Selatan

Ph: (021) 828 2000

Ninety Nine

Since Magnum Cafe was super crowded (to say it's super crowded is an understatement) when my friends and I were there the last time, we decided to go to Ninety Nine. It was strategically located in the middle of East Mall Grand Indonesia.

We had to wait for about 15 minutes for our table for we didn't make any reservation on a Friday night. For the interior, they had 2 themes. The garden theme was for the non smoking section, and the dark vintage theme was for the smoking one. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any picture of the interior since we were too busy catching up.

In Ninety nine, one also can order from Bonjour Pastry or from the bakery on the other side.

Nasi Goreng Kampung - Rp 39k vs Nasi Goreng Istimewa Rp 69k

One of my friends recommended its fried rice. Therefore, we ordered 2 different kinds. Nasi goreng kampung, the less expensive one, only consisted of fried crackers and fried egg. Meanwhile, the nasi goreng istimewa got an additional fried chicken and satay. I didn't try them, since I was on a diet *cough..* but they said that Nasi Goreng Istimewa tasted better.

Quarter Roasted Chicken - Rp 39k (half for Rp 69k)
with Belgian French Fries - Rp 29k

The other friend ordered roasted chicken and she said it was delicious. She wished she ordered the half one.lol However,the waitress who took our order was a bit tricky. She asked my friend whether she wanted it come with french fries or mashed potato. Thinking that the side dishes was a complimentary, she said she preferred the french fries. It turned out, we had to pay for it. 

Chicken Quiche - Rp 24k

My friend ordered this Chicken Quiche from the Ranch Kitchen & Pastry to share. And let me tell you, it was the BEST quiche I'd ever had! I couldn't get enough of this. It was super yummy. Now, I'm craving for this as I'm typing. It was that good

Ice Yakult - Rp30k & Ice Chocolate - Rp 40k

I ordered Ice yakult thinking that it would be a pack of yakult served in a glass lol It turned out it just had a hint of yakult flavor. It's more like yogurt drink. I liked it tho', it was refreshing. and since we talked much (girls..lol), I had to order another drink. I ordered the Ice Chocolate. It came with vanilla ice cream. However, I did not like it. It was too milky for me. I love chocolate milk, but I couldn't drink regular white milk. So I couldn't finish it.

Rare Cheesecake - Rp30ish & Eri - Rp 28k

We got the cake from Bonjour French Pastry. I felt that the rare cheesecake was okay, too cheesy to my likey, but most of my friends adored it. Eri was basically chocolate mousse. I do not really like mousse, but I love its chocolate ganache. Both cakes looks really cute tho'.

Ninety Nine

Grand Indonesia 

East Mall Lower Ground
Jl. MH Thamrin No.1 Jakarta Pusat 10310
Phone: (021) 2358 1199

Gahyo

Mr. Foo and I went to the one in Sports Mall, Kelapa Gading. The mall was quite, really. However, Gahyo was quite crowded on the weekend. There were a lot of Korean there.

The price was a bit on the pricey side. But it was paid off since we did not need to cook ourselves. The waitress would cook for you on your table. In addition, they had the best exhaust system I've ever seen in such a Korean restaurant, so that less smoke smell stays on your clothes, hair, etc.

The Side dishes

There were quite a few selections for the side dishes. However, I didn't spot my favorite Korean side dishes, which were anchovies and marinated tofu skin :( Anyway, I love the tamago and the sweet potato balls.

Wooseol (Sliced ox tounge) - Rp 115k

Teuk Yangyeum Galbi ( Marinated boneless beef prime rib) - Rp 178k &
Bulgogi (Marinated beef sliced) - Rp 135k

I loved them all!!Maybe it was because we were really hungry at that time, who knows..But they were delicious! The waitress cooked them perfectly as how we requested. I liked them tender but not too burnt. Mr. Foo liked them medium rare, really tender with a bit blood taste (yuck..)

Free sliced watermelon

The total bill was a little more than Rp 500k for the two of us. The food was delicious, service was excellent, but I wasn't sure whether it was worthed. Maybe it was.

Gahyo Restaurant
Sports Mall
Ground Floor, Block A 26-27
Jl. Raya Kelapa Nias HF3
Kelapa Gading
Jakarta Utara
Ph: (021) 4587-6626




Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Kav 52-53
Lot 6 Kawasan Niaga Sudirman SCBD
Jakarta Selatan

Starbucks Coffee: petite menu

I'm not going to review its coffee, since I'm not a coffee expert myself. In fact, my doctor does not really allow me to drink too much coffee. I went there with a bunch of high school friends for catching up. 

Ice Green Tea Latte, Grande - Rp 36k
(got it upsized from Tall using BCA credit card)

Ice Green Tea Latte is one of my favorite non coffee drinks in Starbuck. Anyway, do you notice something different? Yes, the logo is different. It's Starbucks' new logo. I'm not going to discuss about the controversy whether its expansion beyond coffee is a good idea or not. 

However, what do you think of the new logo? They basically drops  the "Starbucks Coffee" green band to suit their new concept. I personally love the previous logo more. It might be because I'm used to it, who knows. I think they should just keep the old logo for the coffee, and use the new logo for the other things. Oh well...

Cake pops: Birthday, Rocky Road, Tiramisu

When I was about to pay, I saw these cute little things in the counter, and I just had to try it!lol 

Rocky Road Cake Pop - Rp 12,5k

Cake pop was actually the most popular products (at least in the US) of Starbucks petite menu.I tried the Rocky Road one. It was basically chocolate basically cake and icing dipped in dark chocolate, then rolled in mini marshmallows and roasted almonds. It looked really cute with the mini marshmallows; they were so small that you could barely taste them.lol Most of my friends did not like how it taste. I found it was just okay, and it actually felt umm...not fresh. I was disappointed since I heard a lot of great reviews about it from my US friends. 

Whopie Pie Red Velvet - Rp 13,5k each (Rp 25k for 2)

My friends LOVED this so much and raved about it for days! Therefore, I was really curious to try it. The whopie pie had cream cheese frosting filling. They were just okay too. In fact, they were too sweet, if I may say. Starbucks petite menu failed me :(

Starbucks Coffee
everywhere