Canteen

I went to Canteen after a movie in Plaza Indonesia. I forget when it was, bit it was a weekday night, and the place was not busy. We usually have to wait in line in weekend. I always found that Canteen was quite comfortable, but during peak hours we could smell strong smokes when passing by the smoking section.

Baked Nachos with Guacamole - Rp 40k

My friend and I were there only for small meals this time. We decided to ordered Baked Nachos to share.  We really love the generous amount of melted cheese on top of the tortilla. The salsa was not my favorite; it was a bit too sour and too watery. I prefer chunky tomato pieces in my salsa.

Classic Caesar Salad - Rp 50k

We also ordered the Caesar Salad for sharing. I like it, but there was nothing special about it. The croutons came in bigger pieces than ordinary croutons.

Ice Chocolate - Rp 30k

I was sleepy that time, and being sleepy brought out my inner childish self. Thus, I ordered the Ice Chocolate just for the sake of my childhood time. Well, I love to have a cup of chocolate milk every now and then :p The Ice Chocolate was rich in well, chocolate. But again, it was just okay

Canteen
Plaza Indonesia, 5th Floor
Jl. MH Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Jakarta Pusat
Ph: (021) 315 6537


Pacific Place
4th Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 52-53
Jakarta Selatan
Ph: (021) 5797 372

http://www.canteenjakarta.com/

The Goods Cafe

The Goods Cafe is located inside The Goods Dept, a department store that specialized in Indonesian ready-to-wear label, in Plaza Indonesia. My friend and I did not intend to have dinner there actually. We just checked out The Goods Dept, then I felt hungry, so off we go to the cafe.

It was full tonight, but since there were just the two of us, it was easier to get a seat. Oh and I feel like I have to mention a traffic report on a side note, Jakarta's traffic tonight was super friendly. I believe most of its citizens had gone mudik or on holiday. Thus, there were just the two of us, since most of my friends had gone on holiday as well.

Classic Burger - Rp 50k

We decided to share the Classic Burger. You can add blue cheese or gruyere cheese for Rp 10k each. We didn't add any of the cheese. And it was greaaaaaat! We really liked the burger, we even loved the potato wedges with shredded parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. The beef patty was perfectly grilled and it was juicy. The only thing that we hate was the bitter leaves in the salad. I didn't dare to touch it. yuck

Caesar Salad - Rp 40k

The Caesar Salad looked simple with grilled chicken, oven roasted tomato, avocado, and parmesan. You can add poached egg for Rp5k and/or bacon for another Rp 15k. We didn't add anything to it. And again, the salad was good. We cleaned the bowl in minutes!haha..

Baileys Caramel - Rp 50k

When I looked at the Shakes section, I got overly excited that they offered Baileys shakes :p The waitress suggested Baileys Milkshake, and I initially ordered that. However, I could not get over the thought of Baileys and Caramel, both are my favorite!, mixed together, so I changed my order to Baileys Caramel. It was basically Baileys Milkshake, which were Baileys, scoops of vanilla ice cream, and milk, mixed with caramel. It was beyond wonderful! I really really love it! However, my friend said it was too sweet, but it was perfect for me :D The only downside was the price. It was the same price as the burger O.O! but me likey..

I heard a lot of good reviews about this place but I didn't think it would be this good! I really like it, definitely will come back ;)

The Goods Cafe

Plaza Indonesia Extension, 4th Floor

Jl. Moh. Thamrin Kav 28-30

Jakarta Pusat

Ph: (021) 2992 3628

Ayam Penyet Jakarta

I passed by this newly opened restaurant a lot since it was close to my office. My coworkers and I had always wanted to try it but they were always crowded. During this Fasting month, some of us (who did not fast) thought it might be the right time to try it out. Even so, the restaurant was full, so we got seated on the second floor.

The food towers!

What attracted me is the towers (piles) of food in the display case.

Nasi Gado Ayam Penyet - Rp 13k

To be honest with you, I do not really get they idea of smashed _ _ _ (fill in the blank), like smashing ribs, smashing chicken, etc. They do NOT look smashed whatsoever, in fact they always look appetizing and neatly still intact to their bones. In this case, the chicken was actually fried though. I ordered the smashed chicken with gado-gado (Indonesian salad), and it was good! The meat was juicy, tender, and easily fall of the bone. The Gado-gado was so so.

Kripik Kentang - Rp9k

We also ordered the spicy potato chips for share. Needless to say, a portion was not enough for the five of us. We had to fight for it.lol It was great. The chips was thin and crunchy. Furthermore, it was not too spicy that I was able to enjoy it :)

Tahu Tempe Goreng - Rp1k each

Yes you read it correctly, it was only Rp 1,000 each! They were okay..I am not a big fan of tahu tempe, but my coworkers love it.

Orange Juice - Rp 7k

The orange juice felt soooo refreshing since the restaurant did not have any  air-con.lol

Ayam Penyet "Jakarta"

Even though the name was Ayam Penyet Jakarta, they actually first opened in Medan, and this was their first branch in Jakarta! Overall, I really liked the food and will come back, IF I'm in the area. However, if you live far from the place and have to specially drive there, I do not think it's worth it.


Ayam Penyet "Jakarta"
Jl. Raya Cilandak KKO No. 9
Jakarta Selatan
Ph: (021) 7825-641

Smoking Joe's BBQ and Lounge

Last night I hung out with some friends at Smoking Joe's. As it is a newly open hip restaurant in Jakarta, it was packed. Luckily we had made a reservation in advance.

Pork Ribs in 1/2 (6 racks)
with corn on the cob and sweet potato fries - Rp 199k

I ordered the Pork Ribs. A friend of mine reminded us that the ribs were soooo big compare to the one in Tony Roma's. Therefore, we ordered the 6 racks and shared them among the three of us. And yes, the ribs were really thick! The thickness caught me off guard, and I just realized when I was about to eat it that 2/5 of it was fat, 1/5 was bone, the rest was the meat -.-'

The description said that the ribs were rubbed with Smoking Joe's Famous St. Louis Rub and slowly smoked until the meat is falling of the bone. Well, the meat was not too tender, and did not fall off the bone too easy either, it was just okay. The ribs were served with three kinds of BBQ sauce: regular, spicy, and I wasn't sure about the other one, but I think it was BBQ sauce mixed with mustard :s I like the regular one the most. I actually kind of like the ribs, but it was not too special. There are a lot of rooms for improvements.

The ribs came with two side dishes. We picked corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. if one need an additional side dish, it would cost Rp 22k. They were alright.

Bubble Crushed Tea - Rp 30k

For the drink, I ordered Bubble Tea. However, the waitress let me know that it would come with no bubble. I was glad that the waitress mentioned it, or else I would be surprised when the drink came, because it was not like the regular bubble milk tea. It didn't come with bubble, and it wasn't the regular black or red milk tea. It was green, so probably it was blended green milk tea? It was okay

Skillet Baked Toll House Cookie,
 Just Like My Mom Used to Make at Home - Rp 72k

For the dessert we got the Skillet Baked Toll House Cookie, Just Like My Mom Used to Make at Home. Talking about a long name, pheww....My friend joked that in multiple choice questions, the longest one was usually the right answer, and oh boy was she right. It was one of the best desserts I've had ever had! Served in a skillet pan, the cookie was still hot and taste like freshly baked cookie. You can dip it in the coffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.

To be honest, I wasn't really impressed with the food. However, just for the cookie itself I would definitely come back there! Oh, and as the night set in, they had live music. I enjoyed the music a lot, and the cookie (I just feel like I need to mention it again :p )!

Smoking Joe's BBQ and Lounge
The East Tower
Mezzanine, 2nd Floor
Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Kav E3.2 No.1
Jakarta Selatan
Ph: (021) 5795-8148
http://smokingjoesindonesia.com