Monolog Quality Coffee Co.

First of all I want to say sorryyyy for being absent for the longest time. Life had been super busy. I got to travel around so much that I had to work day and night to make it up *sobbing...* Other than that, I broke my camera, which is the second most important instrument in writing this blog, other than my laptop, of course. Anyway, I got a new camera, so let's start again :D

Last weekend, my friend and I once again tried to get a table at Union, and as usual they were full! So we were headed to the parking space. The furniture rows had been transformed into 2 unique restaurants. They were Monolog and De Luca. Both of them are under the same management; they even share the phone number.

Monolog

Since we were not really hungry, we decided to go to Monolog instead. We also found its brighter lighting more attractive. So we walked up to the nearest waitress who was standing in the front and asked for a table for two. However, the waitress was so rude, she basically told us that the only seats left were the ones at the bar. Looking at our hesitation, she just gave us the cold shoulder without saying anything else. I was not surprised at all, since that was my third visit to Monolog, and I can tell you that the waiters there were not really friendly. But my friend was a bit taken aback.

Luckily though, the owner greeted us friendly and told us that there was a small group of people who were leaving. I am not sure what's the deal with the waiters at the front, since a different waiter was also rude at me during my first visit. And just like that time, the owner attentively found us a seat.

Macho Nachos - Rp 63k

Once we were inside, the atmosphere of the service was completely different, the incident before was easily forgotten. The waiter who took our order was super friendly. Oddly enough, I roughly remembered that he was the one who basically turned his shoulder on me during my first visit.

Anyway, I was in torn between the nachos and escargot for the appetizer, and he said that the nachos was more popular. So we went with his recommendation. The nachos was sooooo good! We had not had good nachos lately, so we were really happy to find a good one. The chips themselves were already tasty. They also gave enough salsa and melted cheese, and just a little avocado. We literally could not stop munching our nachos while chitchatting. The portion was huge that we were almost full when the entree came out.

Monolog Croque Madame - Rp 68k

I ordered the Croque Madame since I just had a super good one in Social House. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera that time so I could not write the review :( Croque Madame is basically French grilled sandwich with egg on top. The one in Monolog was plastered with pesto, which made it unique and aromatic. However, the pesto also made the grilled wheat bread a bit soggy. It came with generous amount of grilled mushroom and melted cheese. The portion was big that I stopped halfway and decided to finished off the nachos :p This one was good but to be honest I like the one in Social House better.

Monolog Egg Cheese Burger - Rp 78k

My friend got the Egg Cheese Burger. Well, it was self explanatory; the burger came with fried egg and melted cheese. I got to try it a little bit, and I could tell that it was good. The beef patty was thick and yet it was full of flavor.

Monolog Sweet Thai Iced Tea  and
Lychee Iced Tea - Rp 32k ea

For drink, I got the Sweet Thai Ice Tea. I love it! I am not a tea expert, but to me it did not taste like a regular Thai tea. In fact, it was similar to London fog latte, which is earl grey with milk and vanilla. The composition was perfect. It was enough for you to tell that there was milk in it but not overpowering. Correct me if I'm wrong. My friend got the Lychee Iced Tea. I love its aroma but it was not sweet enough for me.

De Luca (left) and Monolog (right)

Overall, I really like Monolog. There was a lot of room for improvement on service. But, the food was good, the price was okay, and the ambiance was cozy and welcoming. I can assure you that I'll be back despite the rude front door staff :p

Oh, I should have mentioned that I tried to call them earlier in the evening and they said that they did not take any reservation.

Monolog Quality Coffee Co.

Plaza Senayan

Palm Gate Entrance Unit CP 101 B

Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8

Jakarta Selatan

Ph: (021) 572-5144

http://monolog-coffee.com/

Pizza Hut, Singapore

Back to my Singapore trip review. One day my mom had a sudden crave for Pizza Hut. how funny is that. So we went to the branch in Lucky Plaza for early lunch. The place was almost empty when we arrived, but it was full as we finished eating.

Fruitti Salad - S$5.80

Pizza Hut menu in Singapore is slightly different to the one in Indonesia. For example, my mom loves the salad bar in Pizza Hut Indonesia, but the one in Singapore did not have that. Therefore, she ordered the fruit salad instead. It was a toss of lettuce, diced green apple, mangoes, pineapple bits and fresh strawberries drizzled with mayonnaise. It was supposed to come with raisin too, but they ran out of it. The salad was just okay. However, I have to mention that the pineapple was a bit different than normal pineapple we have in Indonesia, and it was great (and I actually do not like pineapple). It was soft and sweet.

Bruschetta with Mushroom - S$5.50

We also ordered the bruschetta with mushroom as appetizer, but the food did not look appetizing at all! The description said it was baked baguette flavored with garlic spread, topped with marinated button mushroom and chopped parsley. However, the claimed button mushroom was super small and chopped! The parsley was minimal in sight, not that I cared about it. We could not taste the mushroom at all since it was tiny, but overall it surprisingly tasted good.

9" Regular Super Supreme Pan Pizza - S$17.50

We also ordered the medium size of super supreme pan pizza. It came with ground beef, cabanossi sausages, beef pepperoni, chicken ham, capsicums, onions, olives, mushroom and pineapple chucks. I kind of like that the pizza was pillowy.

Mango Tango and Strawberry Paradise - S$4.60 ea

For drinks my mom ordered the Strawberry Paradise and I got the Mango Tango. Both were actually similar. It was tea mixed with passion fruit syrup and strawberry puree for Strawberry Paradise, and mango puree for Mango Tango. It was supposed to come with aloe vera bits but we did not get any. Both drinks were refreshing.

Pizza Hut
Lucky Plaza #01-67-9/71-72
304 Orchard Rd
Singapore
Ph: (65) 6735 0674

Jackrabbit - Halloween, 2nd review

Since Halloween falls on weekday this year, my friends and I decided to celebrate it on Last Saturday instead. We went to Jackrabbit since they had a Halloween event.

The lights were more dimmed than usual. They also put a bunch of scary decorations. I was surprised when I was greeted by a scary looking nurse with fake blood and creepy make-up. I was literally stunned for a few seconds before I realized that the waiters and waitresses dressed up as scary nurses, doctors, and surgeons. Coooolllll.....

Free bread

The bread came with two different types of butter. I did not really pay attention to them tho'

 Fried Oxtail Soup - Rp98k

When ordering for food, I mentioned to the waitress that I was having a sore throat and asked for a recommendation. She suggested me to get the oxtail soup. It was actually quite tasty. The seasoning was not too strong, but it was good for my sore throat. I did not eat the crackers, off course. Well, I put some in the soup. Soggy crackers won't do much to my sore throat, right? right? lol

Earl Grey Tea - Rp21k

Again, since I was having sore throat I could not order fun drink or any drink with alcohol :( but the earl grey came in such a cute teapot, so no complain here :p

They managed to give us free drinks! Even though I had sore throat, I could not just pass on free booze, and it was only little. Wrong! I did not bother to ask what was that, but it worsened my sore throat in an instant =( The drink was sweet tho'.

Chocolate in the Oven - Rp 55k

They had Halloween special menu, and I was curious to try the dessert, which was the chocolate in the oven. When I asked the waitress what it was, she said it was actually their baked lava cake. I found the difference was probably in the RIP written cookie.The baked lava cake was supposed to come with caramel ice cream, but it tasted like vanilla ice cream instead. I was not sure tho'. Anyway, the baked lava cake itself was heavenly! My friend and I loved it. It was thick and super chocolatey. However, some of my friends thought it was a tad too thick. The RIP cookie was soggy tho'. And I did not try the cute rabbit shaped chocolate, since I thought it was not good for (again) my sore throat.

"Babies" and scary nurse

Its private room still looked cool and elegant!

I really enjoyed my time there. The service was great! The staff were really accommodating, and the free drink got them extra credit ;) I also love the thought they put on the decorations and costumes. The haunted-mansion-like music was a bit turn-off though.

Anyway, HAPPY HALLOWEEN GUYS! Hope you have/had a great time too :D


You can read my first review here.

Jackrabbit

Cyber 2 Tower

Ground Floor

Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Blok X-5 No. 13

Jakarta Selatan

Ph: (021) 2902 1357

www.jackrabbitjakarta.com

Nanny's Pavillon: Livingroom

I had been curious about Nanny's Pavillon the Living room for a while, since it was their first branch in Jakarta. However, having it located in Citywalk Sudirman always drew me back since I had to make a special trip there.

Nanny's Pavillon: Living room

The restaurant was almost empty on a Saturday evening. However, when my friend and I left during dinner time, I noticed there were more people coming.

The super cute menu book

I love every details on each of Nanny's pavillon branches. They successfully managed to decorate each of them with different themes. I even love its menu book!

Nanny's Mango Cocktail - Rp 40k

Nanny's Cocktail was for sharing. The menu said it was for 4 people, while I think it was about enough for the two of us. There were 2 choices, mango and blueberry; and as you can see, we picked mango. There were chopped apples, mango, and strawberry mixed with mango flavored drink. The drink was sweet but the fruit bits was a bit too sour so that it was refreshing. However, it was really too sour for my tastebud, my friend loved it though.

Anyway, look at the cute uniform that the waitress wore!

Grilled Baby Potato - Rp 27k

Since we were there during afternoon tea time, we were just up for some snacks and waffle, so we ordered the grilled baby potato. It looked super cute with puffy mini potatoes. However, it tasted blah. The baby potatoes were almost tasteless and we did not like the texture of the potato skins. We did not finish it.

Blueberry Cheese Waffle - Rp 29k

It was actually Blueberry Cheese Roll Pancake in the menu, but we asked the waitress to substitute the pancake roll for waffle. The waffle was served with cream cheese, blueberry sauce, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I loved the waffle, it was soft but a bit soggy. The blueberry sauce was a bit sour funnily complimented the salty cream cheese.

The non smoking area

The waffle was great, but we were not impressed with its appetizer. I would definitely visit their other branches :) I really adore their concept with cute details and decorations!

p.s even the website was beyond cute!!!do not forget to check it out.

Nanny's Pavillon: Livingroom

Citywalk Sudirman

Ground Floor

Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur No. 121

Jakarta Pusat

Ph: (021) 2555 8477

http://www.nannyspavillon.com/

Bakerzin

After a movie in Plaza Indonesia tonight, My friend and I decided to grab some snacks at the not-so-newly opened Bakerzin. Bakerzin Plaza Indonesia had just been relocated from the Basement to the Ground floor, exactly next to Kichenette. It still has the elegant aura but I like the new one better since they really separate the smoking and non-smoking zone with the kitchen and cake showcase in between them.

Bratwurst with Sauteed Potato - Rp 45k

We ordered the sausage and it was heavenly! We were not hungry but we wanted more of these.lol The sausages were fat, tasty, and tender. They was not too fulfilling so they left us wanting more of them. The baby potatoes were also delicious. They were soft inside but crunchy on the outside.

Mango Sparkling Fruity Tea - Rp 27.5k

I ordered the Mango Sparkling Fruity Tea for the drink. It was mango tea mixed with Sprite, if I'm not mistaken. I really loved this! It was sweet and refreshing.

Grand Marnier Souffle - Rp 47.5k

For dessert, we got the Grand Marnier Souffle. I am a fan of their Baileys Souffle, but this time around my friend suggested the Grand Marnier one instead. I still preferred the Baileys Souffle over this one, but I quite liked it. However, my friend did not like it at all. She said it was too milky. I actually felt the same, but I didn't find it disturbing tho'.

On a side note, I would like to say that I like their menu with beautiful photographs of its food.

Bakerzin

Plaza Indonesia, 1st Floor E17

Jl. MH Thamrin Kav. 28-30

Jakarta Pusat

Ph: (021) 2992-3715

http://www.bakerzin.co.id

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

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

Bittersweet Corner

After resting at Ismaya Catering Cafe, we went shopping again in Grand Indonesia, then moved to Plaza Indonesia. I sometimes wonder how come most girls (well, at least me :p) have so much power when it comes to go shopping, yet have minimum ability to endure gym session. Anyway, we were tired, again, and felt the need to recharge our "energy." It was dinner time, but since we did not feel hungry whatsoever, we decided to grab some snacks or desserts instead.

My friend suggested to go to Bittersweet Corner. It was located at the corner of the 3rd floor of The Plaza/ PI extension. It shared a store with Perennials, a fancy tableware and cookware store. I initially thought that Bittersweet Corner was more like a high tea place, like the one that was just closed and located in the same spot. It turned out they just offered a la carte menu.

Green Tea Macaroon - Rp 10k & Caramel Macaroon - Rp 12k

I had been more than curious about their macaroons since I read Ruby's post about it. Note that he took waaaayyy better picture than me, if you have not kown about it already :p Anyway, I ordered the green tea and caramel macaroons. The macaroons shell looked a bit rough. The caramel macaroon was sweet and it smells sooo nice! The shells were a bit crunchy and hollow inside. Meanwhile, the shells of the green tea macaroon were more gooey and not that hollow, I hope it makes sense :s. It has strong matcha green tea aroma in a good way. Now, I found it a bit weird, but what I like the most about the macaroons here is the SMELL! they smell really nice!

Red Velvet Cupcake - Rp 27k

My friend ordered a cupcake, again, right after the cupcake in Ismaya Catering Cafe! I thought she was struck by the cupcake craze :p It was basically red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting topped with red colored sugar and red heart shaped confetti sprinkles. It tasted so much better than the one we had in Ismaya Catering Cafe. The cake was moist but a bit sticky. The cream cheese frosting complimented it perfectly. I usually do not like cream cheese, but I like this one.

Ice Thai Tea & Ice Tea - Rp 27k ea

I ordered Ice Thai Tea, and my friend got Ice Tea. I wonder how come they were priced the same. However, I really like the ice Thai tea! It was sweet and refreshing. Overall, Bittersweet Corner was such a sweet ending to our shopping day :)

Bittersweet Corner
Plaza Indonesia
Level 2, #E318
Jl. MH Thamrin Kav 28-30
Jakarta Pusat
Ph: (021) 2992-3661