Onion Gratinee (IDR 65.000): Onion soup, Farmer’s bread, Gruyere Cheese. Thick strong taste onion soup, really tasty and fulfilling.

Escargot Vol-Au-Vent (IDR 55.000): Puff pastry, Bechamel sauce, herb butter. Tasty escargot on delicious mini pastries.

Tuna Nicoise (IDR 65.000): Seared Tuna, Mixed Greens and Baby Potatoes. That I love about this dish was the fresh sweet and sour dressing and the perfectly half cooked tuna.

Pan Seared Baramundi (IDR 80.000): Pan Seared Baramundi, Ratatouille, Caramelized apple. The fish was overcooked.

Chicken Roulade (IDR 65.000):Chicken Breast with mashed potatoes and Tomato Confit. I love the mash potatoes but the chicken was just average.

Liberte Brasserie

2nd Flr. Galeries Lafayette,Pacific Place Mall
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav 52-53 Jakarta

Phone: (021) 57973425

Average Spending: IDR 180.000

Apple and Cinnamon Mojito (IDR 40.000): Fresh Mint muddled with lime, Apple juice and cinnamon sugar. Served over crushed ice Cinnamon dusting.

Rocket Juice (IDR 40.000): Raspberry and Strawberry shaken with lime and Pomegranate juice.

Passion Fruit Julab (IDR 40.000): Lemon chunks crushed with palm sugar, orange juice, rose water and passion fruit seeds.

Wood Fire Grilled Beef Salad (IDR 85.000): Chili,lemon grass, lime, Kyuri, tomato,mix greens. Good beef,love the fresh tangy dressing,but very small portion.

Cod Roe Spaghetti (IDR 80.000): Pasta cooked with Cod roe, and shiso. Looks plain but tasted really good. The seasoning was just right and spaghetti was perfectly cooked, al dante.

Roasted Salmon (IDR 135.000): Choron sauce,puff pastry, sauteed asparagus. It’s fresh and delicious but too bad the Salmon was a little under cooked.

Sirloin Harvey 200gr. With Yuzu Chili sauce (IDR 200.000): Although the sauce was very good, the meat was really tough, it’s hard to chew. Overall this steak was a disappointment.

Valhrona Chocolate (IDR 60.000): Beautiful presentation, love the strong taste of dark chocolate.

Tres Leches (IDR 60.000): Sponged cake soaked in three kinds of milk (evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk) with Orange zest and Orange ice cream. Fantastic dessert that’s to die for.

Kinako Parfait (IDR 60.000): Cake with layer of Soy icecream,topped with cream and ogura. Great taste.

Potato Head-Garage

Phone: (021) 5797 3330

Average Spending: IDR 370.000

Aviator Salad (IDR 75.000):A grand classic with pan-seared chicken supreme, Romaine lettuce, garlic croutons,fresh parmesan shavings topped with a poached egg and a touch of seaweed rossed in a lightly spiced sauce infused with Comptoir des Indes Tea. This Caesar salad was really delicious and has all the right ingredients. The aromatic chicken also was tasty and marinated well.

Matcha Salmon (IDR 160.000): Seared Salmon fillet accompanied by green peas, carrots, cauliflower and mini yellow squash drizzled with a balsamic vinegar and Matcha infused oil. The well seasoned Salmon delicious but slightly overcooked.

Wagyu Burger (IDR 165.000): Grilled 9+ Wagyu beef burger with lettuce, tomato and Emmental cheese topped with horseradish mayonnaise and served on a homemade bun,accompanied by matchstick potatoes and mesclun salad tossed in an 1837 Green Tea infused Vinaigrette. The juicy meat just melts in your mouth.

Tea Pastry (IDR 35.000): 2 pieces of delicious Scones with cream and marmalade on the side.

TWG Pastry Collection (IDR 135.000): 3 kinds of mini cakes of your choice.

Teas:

Geisha Blossom (IDR 42.000): An elegant and highly refined blend of calming green teas, richly flavored summer fruits and healing Calendula.

Silver Moon (IDR 42.000): Green tea blend is accented with a grand berry and vanilla bouquet, smooth, with just a hint of spice.

Place Vendome (IDR 42.000): A mixed taste of Orient and Europe,with a hint of fruits, flowers and refined spices,harmonized into a wonderfully blended fine TWG green tea.

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique

Plaza Senayan, Shop Unit Nos. 103A, 107A, 109A and 111A on Level 1, Senayan Square Complex.
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8

Jakarta Pusat

Phone: (021) 5725276

Average Spending: IDR 250.000

Chicken & Prawn Betel Leaf (IDR 25.000): Delicious tangy chicken & prawn Topping,Lemon grass,Mint,Chili,Capsicum and Tomato Relish,created the extravagant taste when eaten with the fragrant Betel leaf.

Som Tum (IDR 45.000): Green Mango Salad with Snake Beans, Peanuts and Dried shrimp. Needed more strong spices.

Tom Yum Noodle Soup (IDR 90.000): Prawn tom yum noodle soup with Chili Jam,Lemon grass, Galangal and Coriander. Love the bold taste from the fresh herbs.

Lemon grass Chicken (IDR 80.000): Fragrant Hainam chicken rice,delicious but needed a touch of salt. Nice touch on the crispy chicken.

Pad See Ew (IDR 85.000): Fried kwetiau with braised beef, flat rice noodles,Kai-lan and Dark Soy. I’m in Love with this kwetiau dish! The taste was fierce and addictive, the beef was juicy,I can’t have enough of it.

Pak Boi Buns (IDR 45.000): Nutella steamed buns with Coconut ice cream and Vietnamese coffee. Heavenly hot bun with creamy Chocolate fillings, perfect to be eaten with the ice cream. Highly recommended dessert!

Peanut Butter (IDR 50.000):Cocoa Ganache with peanut butter Palm Sugar Ice Cream and Honeycomb Crumble. The combination of the simple ingredients has created a mind blowing taste that’s out of this world! Another winner from E&O.

E&O

Phone: (021) 2902 3418

Average Spending: IDR 220.000

Croquet D Pollo (IDR 29.000): Chicken and egg croquettes. Crunchy outside,cheesy inside. Overall a good croquet.

Champinones en Salsa Estilo Bilbao (IDR 32.000): Mushrooms tapas in Bilbao style sauce. Delicious mushrooms with tantalizing sauce.

Gambas Ajillo (IDR 39.000): Prawn tapas sauteed with garlic and parsley. Good quality of shrimps with delicious sauce.

Tortilla Patata (IDR 29.000): Spanish omelette. Fried eggs with potatoes tapas. There’s nothing special about this one.

Seafood Paella (IDR 145.000): Traditional Spanish rice with seafood. Large portion of paella, good quality of seafood. Love the texture and the taste. Fantastic dish!

Lemon Tart (IDR 28.000): A slice of lemon tart topped with meringue, served with mint and caramel sauce. Good homemade tart,perfect textured with a strong lemon taste.

Crema Catalana: Spanish version of crème brûlé. The main difference between the Spanish recipe and that of the French and Brits is that crema Catalana is made from a mixture of milk and cream with a distinctive spicing of citrus peel and cinnamon and the custard is set by chilling while crème brûlée and burnt cream are made from cream alone and set by baking in a bain-marie. This catalana was velvety,fragrant, noticeably made with passion resulting in a superb dessert.

Plan B

Phone: (021) 57940821

Average Spending: IDR 200.000

Mary Weather Mocktail (IDR 45.000): Mixture of grapes,mangoes, lemon and Sprite. It was too sweet, I wish they could’ve exchange the Sprite into soda water instead.

Mama’s Southern Chicken (IDR 45.000): Boneless wings served with grilled watermelon pickle and chipotle corn. Crunchy delicious chicken wings, Too bad they don’t have the sauce to go with it.

Mongolian Beef (IDR 55.000): Sauteed beef and vegetables, poured with sizzling Mongolian sauce served with fragrant rice. Although it’s tasty, the dish was just too small.

Mama’s Juicy Beef Burger (IDR 60.000): Beef patty in crispy buttery bun served with onion rings, coleslaw and salty potato chips. The look was just average,and so was the taste.

Mama’s Aglio Olio w/ Chicken (IDR 45.000): Fettucine sauteed with Olive oil,garlic, and chili. Nothing special about this pasta dish, the taste was okay but lack the wow factor.

Granny Goose’s Apple Pie (IDR 45.000): Apple pie with a scoop of Vanilla icecream. Very soft pie, tasty apples,good ice cream.

Mama Goose

Average Spending: IDR 120.000

Salt Salad (IDR 98.000): Seasonal baby vegetables, slow poached egg, mozzarella, and candied Walnut. Delicious and beautifully arranged salad.

Pumpkin Risotto-Entree (IDR 60.000): Pumpkin Risotto, goats feta, curry dressing. Rich tasty risotto with succulent goat cheese that brought out the natural sweetness from the pumpkin.

Fish to Share (IDR 420.000): Barramundi with stir fried crab meat, Shitake mushrooms and Char siu sauce, sugar peas with confit eschalot. Extra large portion of fresh Barramundi fish fillet with delicious tasty sweet and sour toppings that’s to die for.

Meat to Share (IDR 798.000): Chateaubriand, Harvey, Western Australia, char grilled Asparagus, Pancetta, onion rings, roast garlic, bone marrow, and red wine sauce. Another extra large portion that might be too much for us ladies to handle. The meat was fresh and tender. Even though the sauce was good, too bad it wasn’t marinated well,and a little bland for my taste.

Chocolate Three Ways (IDR 60.000): Crunchy chocolate marshmallow, chocolate tart, and chocolate mousse. Great dessert for chocolate lovers.

Liquorice Parfait (IDR 60.000): Pretty green colored dessert that’s rich in flavor and fragrant. Only the thin layer of crumbs on the bottom that has liquorice flavor,so it wasn’t too dominant. The Lime syrup added the extra flavor.

Mint Ice cream (IDR 45.000): The bright green colored ice cream was already too scary to look at, and the taste was even worst. The strong toothpaste like mint taste was just too much.

Salt Grill-Altitude

Altitude

Phone: (021) 29922448

Average Spending: IDR 500.000

Rucola (IDR 89.000): Wild Rucola salad with sauteed baby shrimps in lemon dressing. Fresh rocket salad with tasty succulent shrimps and good tangy dressing.

Penne (IDR 140.000): Penne with homemade Italian sausage meat sun dried tomatoes. Love Love Love the pasta! Perfectly al dente and really delicious sausages. Great sauce too!

Filetto (IDR 398.000): 200 gr. Roasted beef tenderloin with sabayon, asparagus, and black truffle. Great quality of meat, beautiful presentation, but lack in taste.

Crostata (IDR 68.000): 70% hot dark chocolate tart with milk ice cream. I found that the chocolate filling was too sweet for my liking (even for my sweet tooth), but other than that, the crust and ice cream was fantastic.

Tiramisu (IDR 68.000): 1936 recipe mascarpone cheese cake with espresso coffee. I’m not really a fan of the usual bitter-all mousse layered Tiramisu,but this one beg to differ. The layered mousse and coffee cake has a perfect texture, with enough fragrant of espresso.

Gaia-Altitude

Altitude, The Plaza Tower, 46th floor
Jalan MH Thamrin Kav 28 – 30
Jakarta-Indonesia

Phone: (021) 29922448

Average Spending: IDR 350.000

The first one I to tried was En Maru, the fusion Japanese restaurant. What I like about the interior was the oriental with contemporary touch,and the large window with the 46th floor view of Jakarta. The spacey area also have private rooms and booth seats, besides large dining tables. Playful wooden blocks as wall decor and chandeliers adorned the place. The service was helpful and friendly.

Tofu Salad (IDR 65.000): Tofu on top of mixed vegetables with sesame dressing, bonito, and baby Sardine. Fresh greens with delicious tangy dressing.

Enmaru Roll (IDR 198.000): Cucumber, Shibazuke, Takuan roll and assorted sashimi on top. Beautiful presentation, great quality of fresh seafood. Overall a delicious sushi dish.

Gyokai Yadokari Yaki (IDR 108.000): Shrimp, Scallop, Crabmeat, Shimeji mushrooms and onion baked with cheese, sprinkle on top with bread crumbs. The cheese added the extra flavor on all of the fillings. If you’re a cheese lover like me,you’ll love this dish.

Gindara Nitsuke (IDR 128.000): Shimmered cod fish with soy sauce and sugar. I love how they cooked the fish. The fresh Gindara was beautifully done (medium rare),the sauce was also really tasty without being too salty.

Inaniwa Udon (IDR 78.000): Boiled noodle served with udon sauce, seaweed, grated radish mixed Japanese plum pasete and tempura crumbs. Cute presentation, simple but delightful meal! The portion might be too small for a man.

Red Bean Panakota (IDR 48.000): A Japanese version on Italian panna cotta. A creative and tasty dessert.

Houjicha Brulee (IDR 48.000): Japanese style creme brulee.

Maccha Ice Zenzai (IDR 48.000): Green tea ice cream with fruit pieces and mochi.

En Maru-Altitude

The Plaza Tower
46th floor
Jalan MH Thamrin Kav 28 – 30
Jakarta-Indonesia

Phone: (021) 29922448

Average Spending: IDR 250.000

Tris (IDR 49.000): Mixed appetizer trio of Vitello Tonnato (Finely sliced roast beef sirloin with a tonnata sauce of tuna, mayonnaise and capers). Delizioso!

Instalata Russa (IDR 39.000): Warm salad of spring vegetables with fresh mayonnaise and lemon), and Torta Pasqualina (Savory cake with spinach, Ricotta cheese, parmesan and egg). Tasty and all the fresh ingredients really stood out from this dish.

Insalata Greca (IDR 44.000): Green lettuce, feta cheese,onions, black olives, and tomatoes. Fresh veggies and cheese, generous amount of olives. A little too dry on the dressing for my liking ,but it’s tasted marvelous.

Cannelloni (IDR 69.000): Homemade pasta tubes with ragu, spinach, besciamella, nutmeg and parmesan. There wasn’t much on the presentation,but the pasta was al dente, the sauce was bold, overall the dish was fantastic.

Filleti Alla Ligure (IDR 99.000) with potato wedges: Fish fillets cooked in oven with wine, capers, cherry tomatoes and black olives. Super fresh fish that you can taste, perfect seasonings, really tasty.

Budino Della Nonna (IDR 34.000): Grandma’s recipe pudding with eggs, amaretti biscuits and caramel sauce. Moist and creamy pudding with tasty soft layer of biscuits on the bottom.

Zuppa Inglese (IDR 39.000): Savoiardi biscuits dippen in red Alkermes liqueur with chocolate custard. Really strong liqueur, fantastic dessert.

Crostata Di Mele (IDR 34.000): Apple crumble with raisins, egg fresh custard and vanilla ice cream. The apple cubes were perfectly marinated into sweet apple cubes. It’s wonderful but I’d preferred more of the crunchy delicious crumbles, Please.

Mamma Rosy

Jl.Kemang Raya 58
Jakarta

Phone: (021) 71791592

Average Spending: IDR 200.000

Chef’s Salad (IDR 50.000): Mesclun,Romain Lettuce, Red Cabbage, Cherry tomato with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Just an average salad.

Fried Octopus (IDR 50.000): Crunchy tasty octopus with spicy mayo dipping sauce.

Fried Chicken Finger (IDR 50.000): Delicious chicken fingers with the same coating as the fried octopus.

Olive Oil Salmon Confit (IDR 120.000): Norwegian Salmon Trout with Salsa,Avocado and Zucchini. This fresh half raw Salmon was delicious and melted in my mouth. Love the touch of Avocado sauce on the top.

Chicken Steak Jalapeno (IDR 85.000): Chicken thigh with Jalapeno Teriyaki sauce,homemade fries and salad. Although the presentation wasn’t appealing, the chicken cooked with the special sauce and tasted superb!

Beef Steak (IDR 160.000): 200 gr. Wagyu beef Steak with Red wine teriyaki sauce, Potato cake and salad. Love the wine sauce! Perfectly cooked delicious and tasty meat.

Fisherman Wharf (IDR 130.000): Sushi with Tuna, Flying Fish Roe, Egg, Mushroom, Lettuce, Onion and Mayonnaise. Terrific sushi roll with good quality of ingredients.

Rare Pudding Mango (IDR 55.000): Just an ordinary mango pudding, with nothing that impressed me.

Creme Brulee (IDR 35.000): Average creme brulee.

Bistronomi

Jl. Ciniru 1 No 2
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan.

Phone: (021)739-6655

Average Spending: IDR 250.000

Rocket with smoked Salmon & balsamic vinaigrette (IDR 65.000): Good smoked Salmon,but not too fresh veggies. Over all just an average salad.

Grilled chicken salad with Roa (IDR 32.000): The unique thing about this salad is the use of Roa fish bits instead of bacon bits. It’s interesting and added a nice touch to the otherwise boring salad.

Onyx (IDR 65.000): Sambal Roa, grilled chicken, mayonnaise, baby romaine, coriander sandwich,with wheat bread. Love the presentation and the taste too. It’s a fusion of east meets west that really worked.

Spinel (IDR 72.o00): Beef burger, rice, baby romaine, coriander,egg,sambal matta. Love the homemade taste of the burger.

Bakso Tahu (IDR 57.000): Good meatball soup with soun /clear rice noodle.

Siomay (IDR 25.000): Average taste fish paste cake/siomay.

Salmon Fried Rice (IDR 88.000): Nothing to brag about.

Klapertaart (IDR 25.000): Dutch-influenced Indonesian cake originating from Manado, North Sulawesi. It literally means “coconut cake” or “coconut tart”, which is made from flour, sugar, milk, butter, as well as coconut flesh and juice. This Klapertaart was tasty and good.

Apple Pie (IDR 29.000): Not a fan of the pie, it’s tasted like it’s been kept in the fridge for quite a while.

The Cafe @ Pistos

Average Spending: IDR 130.000

We got complimentary breads before they served our order as follows:

Goujonettes (IDR 45.000) – Deep fried fish with tartar sauce. The fish was well-fried and it created a balanced taste when you dipped it to the tartar sauce.

Beef Carpaccio (IDR 75.000) – Tenderloin with enoki mushroom, rucola, and parmesan cheese. The raw tenderloin and rucola drizzled with lemon mint gave a somewhat refreshing taste combination. It works well except for the parmesan cheese slices.

Lombok Quencher (IDR 25.000) – Coconut water, orange, lime

Moroccan Squash (IDR 25.000) – Lime, mint, soda water

I was impressed with the whole package of the restaurant. Even the service was warm, polite and attentive. I will surely visit this place again and try the mains and other dishes from the menu the next time I come by to Bali. It was a fine addition to the growing list of gems in Bali’s culinary world.

Bistrot

Jl. Kayu Aya no. 117
Seminyak, Bali
P: +62 361 738308

Average spending: IDR 150.000

A gastrobar in Bandung? When I first heard about it, it immediately gained my interest and curiosity since I was not keen on the idea of a gastrobar in this city. At least not just yet, I think the market was not completely ready. But the buzz was that it’s one of the new “it” place to go to in the city, especially during the weekend. Therefore, as soon as I got the time, I went there and experienced it for myself.

On arrival, we were welcomed by an entrance door built right on a wall that looked like it has been bouldered. Couldn’t wait to get in. And while inside, one of my favorite song was being played! The interior resembled a run-down abandoned industrial building in a suburb area of a metropolitan city. And after doing some research on the name, it does show some similarities with the Southbank district, an eclectic urban area in London. The walls are mostly covered with roughly-washed cement. It gave a bit creepy ambiance to the joint yet cozy and cool at the same time. I think it accomplished its purpose for a hip and unique gastrobar that caters to its loyal patrons’ needs.

As the name “Gastrobar” implies, this bar obviously serve some sort of main courses and light bites. We ordered some of its appetizer dishes along with several mains.

Tahu Pletok (IDR 19.000) - fried tofu served with salty spices and chili. A bit too salty for me.

Spring Roll (IDR 20.000) - mixed vegetable wrapped in crispy skin.

Samosa (IDR 20.000) - curry minted leaf mixed with vegetables wrapped in crispy skin.

Spaghetti Margharita (IDR 36.000) - Spaghetti with bolognaise sauce served with bell pepper and mushroom. The spaghetti was well cooked and I like the mushroom.

Sate Ayam (IDR 35.000) - a regular Indonesia chicken satay served with peanut based sauce. The meat was a bit tough and wasn’t juicy enough.

Fried Chicken Crispy Dressing with Rice (IDR 35.000) - traditional fried chicken comes with crispy dressings. The fried chicken was quite juicy and the crispy dressings complemented it nicely.

Southbank Fried Rice (IDR 40.000) – fried rice with fried chicken and sunny side up egg comes with prawn crackers.

Midori Sour (IDR 45.000) – a classic cocktail with melon liquer. It’s more on the sweeter end than sour which I would prefer.

Healthy Green (IDR 25.000) -This mixed juice of vegetable (caisim) and several fruit blends

I’ve also tried their Lychee Margarita (IDR 50.000) and Strawberry Margarita (IDR 50.000). Their drinks are not extraordinary, and their cocktail drink list was pretty standard with drinks that are usually served in a regular bar. However I like the fact the bartender here did not tend to go overboard with the drinks by mixing too  much vodka/liquor than it should, thus making it way too bitter.

So overall… average food, I like the interior, the ambience and their choice of music, and I hope they’ll offer more unique delicious drinks in the future.

Southbank Gastrobar
Jl. Aceh No. 61
Bandung ‎
T: +62 ‎

Average Spending IDR 90.000

The name “Saka” led me to think that it’s a japanese restaurant. However after my visit here, I quickly changed my perception on this restaurant to a more western or asian fusion bistro. The interior adopts a modern tropical nuance which is kinda reminding me of Bali. The first thing that we saw when we came in is the quite distinctive wall of the pantry area decorated with nine koi fish sculpture. We chose to sit in the non smoking section close to the backyard window.

Avocado Pineapple Salad (IDR 18) – A good salad combination, mixed vegetable with avocado and pineapple, drizzled with orange mango dressing. Unfortunately the honey pineapple was a bit too sour. But it might be great for people who like sour.

Pumpkin Soup (IDR 19.5) – Pumpkin puree with cream and chicken stock served with nutmeg. It would be great if the pumpkin flavor can be made as the hero of the dish, since on this one the cream a bit overwhelm the whole flavor.

Pan & Fried Dory (IDR 42) – Pan fried dory served with crushed potato, blanched tomato basil, and garlic vinaigrette. A bit too bland. It’s supposed to be a good combination of dish if the dory wasn’t a bit over cooked.

Sticky Ribs (IDR 47.5) – Caramelized beef ribs served with green rice and spicy sauce. The taste was good. A tad too sweet, with mild spiciness (I wish they added more bang though). The ribs however was a bit undercooked so it’s becoming rather tough. The meat portion itself is too small for guys I think.

Pannacotta (IDR 20) – Soft italian pudding served with chocolate ice cream and peach coulis. It is soft alright, according to my liking and the taste was pretty good.

Strawberry Tropical (IDR 20) – A mix between strawberry, pineapple, and citrus juice.

Citrus Berry (IDR 20) – Fresh strawberry, lychees and lemon combined. The better choice among the two drinks. Liked the fruit mix, it gave a refreshing yet sweet after taste.

Nice presentation & good ambiance overall. They can still improve on several areas but hey it’s still in their trial opening period. They also claimed that most of their vegetables are organic and they don’t use any MSG, which is a plus point for me. So I’m definitely looking forward to visit them again to try their other dishes.

Saka Bistro & Bar
Jl. Karangsari (Jl. Setiabudhi)
Bandung

Average Spending: IDR 100.000