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

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/

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

Jackrabbit

After having dinner at Lan Na Thai, Mr. Foo and I decided to go Jackrabbit for lounging around. It was a Tuesday night, and the place was crowded. We arrived at about 10 p.m., so people were leaving the restaurant side, yet the lounge was full. Therefore, we were seated at the restaurant.

I was kind of like the place. The lighting created warm feeling; it wasn't too dimmed (like most bars were), yet it wasn't too bright. It would be better if we were seated at the lounge area since it would be more relaxing yet lively. However, since there weren't that many people in the restaurant side, it felt a bit more intimate, which wasn't a bad thing either.

It has high-ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows in the restaurant part. The whole interior was a mixed of smooth clean wood and concrete. The bar, especially, has vintage bistro vibe to it. The most outstanding part was the private dining room in the mezzanine that was like hanging above us. It was so cool...

Bailey's and Kahlua Tiramisu - Rp 70k

Now let's move on the the food. I was torn between Vanilla Panna Cotta and tiramisu but since I was feeling chocolatey that night, I picked the tiramisu. And who can resist baileys? The tiramisu looked super pretty and seducing, but when I gave in to the temptation .... I was disappointed. I couldn't taste the baileys. The kahlua was strong, though. It wasn't too sweet but I'm such a big sweet tooth. It also lacked of the anticipated dusting cocoa powder. The best part of it was actually the pretty chocolate ornaments; it tasted good. For such a premium price, I expected more :(

Chocolate Martini - Rp 90k

Mr. Foo ordered Corona (not pictured) for Rp 60k and I ordered Chocolate Martini since, again, I felt like eating chocolate :p When the drink arrived, it caught me by surprise. I expect it to be chocolate, yet the drink mixture was clear and the only chocolate about the drink was the one on the glass rim. I reluctantly tasted it, and I was surprisingly kind of like it. It was a bit stronger than the usual chocolate martini and not as sweet, but it was good if I drank it while sipping the chocolate on the glass rim.

I would still the benefit of doubt for Jackrabbit. It has a lot of potentials. Maybe I should come back and try its food and different desserts.

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

Loewy

After craving for its melted triple chocolate cake for weeks! (I craved for it after dinner in Riva, but unfortunately, Loewy was full )I finally made it. yay..I had to make a reservation on Monday for dinner on Saturday (Friday was fully booked already). After years, Loewy hadn't lost its charm. I remember back then when it was first opened, even though I called a week early, I was the 40th on the waiting list! It was crazy.

Loewy was crowded as expected, and there were a lot of expats when we were there.

Platter of Escargots - Rp 40k

My friends and I ordered platter of Escargots for appetizer. It was served with sliced baguette. It was good but nothing special, really.

Chicken Confit - Rp80k

I shared the chicken confit with my friend, since we (*cough cough*) were on diet. The chicken was slowly sauteed with green beans and smoked beef. It was really gooddd...the chicken was tender and perfectly seasoned. I could finish the whole meal!

clockwise: Mille Feuille - Rp 35k, Melted Triple Chocolate Cake - Rp 35k,
 Classic Creme Brulee - Rp 35ish

You can choose the filling of the Mille Feuille to be vanilla, chocolate, or hazelnut. We picked hazulnut even though the waiter recommend chocolate filling. It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mille Feuille was good, but nothing special. 

anddd here is the reason why I went to Loewy that night: THE melted triple chocolate cake! There were 3 different pieces: white, milk, and dark chocolate cake with those 3 different chocolate fillings, respectively. My favorite was the dark chocolate. I usually ordered mine to be consisted of 2 dark chocolate and 1 milk chocolate. I tend to brush off the white chocolate, since I do not like white chocolate in general. It's too milky to my liking. The cakes were moist with warm chocolate sauce filling inside. It was perfecto!

We also got creme brulee, and it was sooo bad that we couldn't finish it. The taste was too thick, too sweet, and too milky. 'nuff said.

Hot Creme Caramel Tea - Rp 25k, Cotton Candy Cosmopolitan (before) - Rp 75ish,
 Cotton Candy Cosmopolitan (after), Liquid Tiramisu - Rp 80ish

My friend ordered Cotton Candy Cosmopolitan and it was so cute! Basically, they put cotton candy on top of an empty glass I supposed, and then they pour the drink which consisted of vodka, cointreau, fresh lime juice, and cranberry juice on top of it. Right after it, the cotton candy would get flattened.You could see from the "after" picture that the cotton candy just made a sheer coating on top of the drink. The drink itself tasted perfectly mixed of sweet and sour. I loved the taste, and of course the presentation.

However, my favorite drink was Liquid Tiramisu. To me, the alcohol felt stronger in this drink, and it was really sweet at the same time. You could taste the kahlua and there were chocolate bits. 

I love hanging out at Loewy. The food, drink, and dessert are super good; and the place is rather comfie. However, weekend can be overly crowded. Furthermore, the traffic on the way to get in and out of there sucks big time, since there is road work along Casablanca.

Make sure, you make a reservation a few days in advance.

Loewy

Oakwood Premier Cozmo
Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan E 4.2 No. 1

Jakarta Selatan

Phone: (021) 2554-2378

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

Blowfish Kitchen & Bar

Club goers must be familiar with Blowfish; I, myself, had been there several times. However, this was actually my first visit to try their food. I went there on a weekday night with my cousin, and the restaurant was not busy at all. It was kind of late, though. And Puro next door seemed to be closed down, I wasn't sure tho', but there was no activity seen. Anyone knows what happened to Puro, the restaurant, not the club?

We could still get the club ambience. It was dark and as the night wore on, they dimmed the light more. You could definitely tell that it was a restaurant in the evening, and it became a club at night. However, I actually thought it was cozy, if the light could be brighter.

Kabocha Croquette - Rp 45k

The waiter recommended the Kabocha Croquette as the appetizer. It consisted of 5 yummy croquette that were made out of kabocha pumpkin. I had never knew pumpkin could taste this good. Totally recommended!

Dragon Roll - Rp 85k

Blowfish Roll - Rp 95k

The sushi rolls were delicious! and they were actually big rolls just like the ones in the states, which I really liked; compared to the usual sushi rolls in Indonesia that came in really small pieces that you could barely taste it. Love, love it! We were really full just by these 2 rolls, which was extraordinary considering my cousin was a big eater :p

The drinks (not pictured) were okay-ed priced with Ice Cappucino for Rp 30k and Hot Wedding Tea from TWG for Rp 25k.

We were really satisfied with the food and planned to come back again. However, the super dark lighting made the place feel gloomy.

Blowfish Kitchen & Bar

City Plaza at Wisma Mulia
Jl Jend Gatot Subroto Kav 42
Jakarta 12710 – Indonesia

Ph: (021) 5297-1234

Social House

I took a day off to accompany Mr. Foo applying for a US visa. After finished with the US Embassy, Mr. Foo felt very hungry, since he got up late and had to skip breakfast. So, we decided to go to Social House in Grand Indonesia, or GI for short.

Food goers must be familiar with Social House. It was under Ismaya Group management. Being located in GI, Social House was one of the "IT" hang out place in Jakarta. It was always fully booked on weekend, and it was spacious.

It was located on the First floor right at the end of Level One, inside Harvey Nichols. Now that the department store had closed, the athmosphere at the entrance of SoHo was not as inviting. It did not give the exclusivity vibe it used to, it was actually a bit horrid. However, once you went in, you would forget about the entrance!

I love the decoration of Social House, or SoHo for short. I found that it was really comfie and cozy with the wood pantry atmosphere; and the most interesting part is it gave totally different vibes during afternoon, evening, and even at night. In the afternoon, the place would be really bright, since the restaurant was surrounded by mirror overlooking "Bunderan HI." In the evening, they would open some of the windows so that you'd feel the wind breeze passing through your face as you were enjoying your mid-day cocktails or tea. At night, they would dim the lights and it was usually really crowded. You could hear people talking and laughing while they enjoyed their boozes.

Anyway, we went there for early lunch and it was not that busy. We were quickly seated right in front of the open kitchen. I had been here numerous times, and I just realized that they had open kitchen.

Mr. Foo was really really hungry, while I was too full after my breakfast at McDonald's Sarinah. So here's what he ordered:

Fresh Oyster - Rp 20k each (Rp 100k for 6 pcs)

Mr. Foo LOVES oyster. However, he just ordered one because he already ordered a lot of other food. He said it was really really delicious! He even considered to order more before the other food started to come out.

Dragon Roll - Rp 70k

I decided to share the Dragon Roll since it looked so good! Extravagant food presentation was one of my weakness. Anyway, it did not taste as good. It was soggy in my opinion that I did not finish my part.

Bibimbab - Rp 75k

I tried a scoop of the Bibimbab and I didn't like it. However, Mr. Foo said that it was good, at first. But it might be because he was really hungry, because later on he said that it was not good.

SoHo had always been a hit or miss to me. It could be really good and it could be really bad. It was bad for our visit this time. I would stick to the waiter's recommendation next time. If you plan to go here at night or on the weekend, reservation is highly recommended.

Oh, and they have a bunch of different promotions for those who use HSBC credit card. For this visit I got 20% discount on food, since it was on the weekdays. On the weekend, I usually get a free dessert of the day.

Social House
Harvey Nichols at Grand Indonesia
East Mall. 1st Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman
Jakarta Pusat , Indonesia
Ph. (021) 2358-1818

Sunlight at Luna Negra

I'm terribly sorry for not writing for such a long time! It's because I lost my phone that contained a lot of menu details (name, price, etc) and restaurant infos :( I know, I know, I have to admit that I'm kinda lazy. I am sorry... However, with this post, I intend to revive this blog. yayyy... So, I am going to update you on my restaurant visits, even though some of them may not be recent. Here we go..

I had lunch on a sunny Saturday at Luna Negra. This was supposed to be a new "happening" Italian restaurant in Jakarta. It was located in the Citibank building, and placed kind of far from the parking building. However, once we stepped in, the atmosphere was inviting. The high ceiling room were surrounded by big window that let the sunshine came in and made the place bright. I really loved it.

The dining room was located after a two-story wine cellar and the long bar table. The interior was dominated by dark color (to emphasize luna negra - black moon - feeling, I believe), and the decorations gave vintage feeling. My favorite was the old pictures framed on the wall and the vintage telephone in the corner right after the long bar table. For a Saturday afternoon, they were not busy. Ok, I gotta admit that I arrived really late, so people probably had finished their lunch, like most of my friends. They complained me for picking Luna Negra, as the food were terrible. Since I arrived late, I could not take any picture of their food.

Just to be safe, and I was on my period at that time so I didn't have much appetite, I ordered the Classic Caesar Salad with grilled chicken and Hot Earl Grey Tea for drink. I actually wanted to order fruit tea, but the cup for the so-called-premium tea (which was plain boring tea such as Chamomile, English Breakfast, etc) was so much cuter and luckily, I do love earl grey. My boyfriend, let's call him Mr. Foo, ordered Spaghetti Bolognese *he can be sooo plain sometimes* and Luna Ice Tea.

Classic Caesar Salad - Rp 56k and Earl Grey Tea - Rp 25k-ish

The Caesar Salad was humongous, even though it looked normal in the picture. And....it tasted blah. I could not describe it, but...I could not finish it. It was that horrible. However, see the cup, it was sooo cute! I dreamed to have some of those if I have a house on my own :p

Spaghetti Bolognese - Rp 70k ish (I coudn't remember) - Luna Iced Tea Rp 30k

The Spaghetti was standard, nothing to rave about, yet nothing to dispise about. Mr Foo ordered the Luna Iced Tea, which was basically ice tea with cubed grass jelly, because the waiter claimed that you had not visited Luna Negra unless you tried Luna Iced Tea. 

Creme Caramel - Rp 39k

We had creme caramel as a dessert, and it was the only decent food that noon. However, one of my friends commented at how the creme caramel was bubbly while it was supposed to have smooth texture. Despite the texture, it tasted good. I loved how it was sweet, and I loved(!) sweet things; moreover, when I had my period and my mood went down to zero level. 

All in all, I was disappointed. However, my friend, who ordered Salt and Pepper Squid, said that it was quite delicious. So maybe one day ifff... I have to go there again, I'll try their Chinese food, and probably some cocktail and the Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. will keep it in mind.

Luna Negra

Plaza Bapindo

Citibank Tower, Ground Floor

Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 54-55

Jakarta Selatan
Phone: (021) 2995-0077