If you are an Instagram addict ( like I am ), maybe you are noticing that many of Macarons pic dominating the popular page. Is it just me or maybe the world has already hypnotize by this cute, colorful, sweet, yet delish thingy ? :D
Let's just forget a lil' bit of Red Velvet Cake or Rainbow Cake here, I think macarons also one of the 'it' and trendy dessert. They also have been sightseen in Marie Antoniette Movie by Sofia Coppola, Sex and the City movie and in Gossip Girl. So I think many of you are curious too, what's this macarons is all about ???
Macarons ( not macaroon ?! or macaroni :p ) is a sweet meringue based made with egg whites, ground almond / almond powder and sugar. It is said that the macaron as it is known today was created by Pierre Desfontaines of the French pâtisserie Ladurée at the end of the 17th Century. Until now, Ladurée not only selling their signature macarons, but also many range of luscious dessert and delicatessen, until .... parfume!
Big thanks to a posh fashion blogger Cindy Karmoko ( who lives in Milan ), finally me myself could tasted Ladurée's macarons ! When I receive it, I could not stop looking at it, I could not stop taking photo of it, I could not stop tweet about it :p Yes it's definitely a box of heaven ! The packaging is simple but so luxurious. Loves the detail ! It has many kinds of flavor. Vanilla, Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Pistachio, Lime, Salted Caramel, Liqourice, Rose Petal, Orange Blossom, Raspberry, Blackcurrant Violet, Coconut. I think Ladurée's macarons really set the bar for every macarons worldwide. Even though it's not fresh from the oven ( 3 or 4 days ), it's still tasted fresh ! A great macarons should be crispy on the outside, but soft and smooth texture ( not too sticky and chewy ) on the inside. Also needs to had the macarons 'feet' ( some rough ruffly on the edges ), and to me, still had a textured from the ground almond ( like a very very tiny bits of almond ). And you know what, I think Ladurée's macarons has all the criteria :) and one more! Laduree's macarons has a really generous filling! Perfect!
*macarons are sooo fragile. not all survived the long flight*
With sooooo many flavor ( and all of them was really delish too! ), my top 3 picks (hard choice!) are..... Salted Caramel, Pistachio and Dark Chocolate! Salted caramel has a perfect balance of sweet and salty taste. Pistachio, it's just simply good ( sorry lost my words for describe it ). Dark Chocolate, who doesn't love chocolate?? It has a perfect taste of sweet and bitterness of chocolate. Another interesting flavor is Coconut ( has a bit of shredded coconut in it. nom nom ), Rose Petal ( it's soapy at first, but after that you'll dig some more ), Raspberry ( quite sour and refreshing. Perfect for clean the palate ). Last question, how much are those??? For a box of 24 macarons cost €56 ;D ( pricey huh? But it's worth though )
So enough about Ladurée, what about Jakarta ? What's Jakarta do to welcoming the waves of macarons? Apparently ..... it's quite good now! Now I've seen many places of patisserie serving macarons, and... restaurant too, but the hilarious one is, even in facebook people selling macarons. LOL. So here is some of my macarons experiences in Jakarta, hope you guys enjoy it !:)
Kempi Deli ( Grand Indonesia ) Price : IDR 10.000/each ( 1 USD ) Flavor : Raspberry ( The best ! ) , Pistachio ( Nice! ) and Passion Fruit ( Too soapy ) Texture : Nice crunch on the outside, perfect smoothness on the inside. Feet & Presentation : Nice ! Fillings : Tasted nice, but the pistachio one doesn't has a generous filling. Bakerzin ( from my Bakerzin Artisan Bread post ) Price : IDR 7.500/each ( 0,75 USD ) Flavor : Lemon Cheesecake ( Strong Lemon Taste, can't taste the cheese ), Pistachio ( need more strong of pistachio flavor ) , Blueberry ( so so ), Framboise Raspberry ( ok! ), Chocolate ( nice ! ), Strawberry Basil ( Interesting flavor! Nice !) Texture : Medium level of crisp on the outer, a lil bit chewy on the filling. Feet & Presentation : Nice ! Especially a mixed color on Lemon Cheesecake one. Cute. Fillings : Needs to work on the taste of the filling. Manon ( at Kelapa Gading ) Price : IDR 7.000/each ( 0,7 USD ) Flavor : Tiramisu ( tasted nice ! ), Pistachio ( failed ),Coffee( quite strong coffee. nice ) Texture : doesn't have the crunch on the shell, and it's chewy. dislikes. Feet and Presentation : so-so. Fillings : The cream filling are too buttery. I think it's better if using something that has a textured like caramel or jam. Monolog ( Plaza Senayan ) Price : IDR 12.000/each ( 1,2 USD ) Flavor : Salted Caramel ( failed ) , Jasmine Green Tea ( quite ok ) Texture : doesn't have the crunch on the shell, and it's really really chewy and sticky. dislikes. Feet and Presentation : ok Fillings : The green tea one tasted quite nice. Yes I think that's all of my personal opinion about macarons. And you ? How about you? What do you think about macarons? What's the best macs experience that you had ? So far Kempi Deli was the best one in Jakarta to me. Worldwide, I also heard that Pierre Herme 's macarons also good too. And also from Sydney, Adriano Zumbo, with many interesting flavor of macarons like Satay or Cola flavor ?!:D
Japanese is always kind of food that I like. I remember when I'm still at high school, Japanese restaurant is still hard to find, and usually, pricey. Nowadays, Thank God we can found many Japanese cuisine around. From the low until high budget, from original to fusion. Umaku is one of the restaurant that get my attention. So many good recommendation from other food bloggers, makes me excited to try their dishes. Been invited to their newly open branch which at Alam Sutera, so here I am, ready for a new culinary adventure :p Umaku Alam Sutera has a nice interior, even not too spacious. I love the hanging paper lamp! Sooo dreamy. Also at the second floor, there's a wall covered with Japanese newspaper, cool. Before the dinner began, we're playing some fun simple games. Every person got one card of some image, then if we can guess what's the connection of the image with the food that we're gonna eat, we're gonna get IDR 50.000,- voucher. Haha... Ok that time I got Beer picture with Wagyu Beef as a clue. Do you know that usually Japanese people adding sake or beer to the feeding regimen and massaging the Wagyu cattle to get the perfect marbling of the meat? Yes, it is :D After the game, we've been told that what we're gonna have for dinner is according to the card that we've got, I got the beer one, so I got Wagyu Robatayaki. Karai Ramen - IDR 35.000,-. This ramen is really really spicy! The noodle quite fine, even though it's a lil' bit too overcooked for me. Sake Yakimesi - IDR 33.000,-. The seasoning was perfect, but I think the rice was too mushy. Wagyu Robatayaki. The seasoning taste sweet and nice, the beef wasn't taste like Wagyu to me, still lil' bit chewy. Salmon Grilled Cheese - IDR 27.000,-. I'm not a big fan of putting grated cheddar cheese on top of my sushi. I think it could be better if the cheese also grilled until melted or just using the cream cheese. Many kinds of Robatayaki. The chicken tasted quite fine. Sashimi Moriawase Jyo - IDR 44.000,-. I only taste the saba ( mackerel ) sashimi which tasted sooooo fishy. And this another food that I don't get a chance to taste that day :) Edamame & Wakame Salad - IDR 26.000,-. Tempura Moriawase - IDR 35.000,- & Sake Kabutoyaki - IDR 26.000,-. Spider Roll - IDR 37.000,-. Volcano Roll - IDR 35.000,-. Ocha - IDR 5.000,-. We also got some kawaii souvenir :D Overall... too bad I think the food was below my expectation. Idk maybe it's just my bad luck only got a chance to taste not their very best menu. I've heard the Volcano and Spider Roll was the bomb though. I think I'll come back later and try that menu :p And oh yea, do you realized that the food price here is soooo affordable ?? ( yes you can eat happily ). So I think that's all, last words, thanks for inviting and I wish you the very best !
Umaku Alam Sutera Ruko ASTC (Alam Sutera Town Center) Blok 10E No 9 Alam Sutera, Tangerang Phone : (021) 943811633 Facebook : Umaku Alam Sutra Twitter : @Umaku_alsut
Have you noticed that I've already changed my blog address from http://natashavl.blogspot.com into http://www.yummytraveler.com ? Yayyy... I'm so excited that it's finally coming! One more step for The Yummy Traveler :D
Anyway, when this invitation coming to my email, I was soooo excited! Why ? Because I'm a big fan of Korean food, and since I never tried Gahyo Restaurant before, I'm quite curious how it taste like. Thanks to Ellen, who works at Gahyo and also a blogger ( check her blog here ), who invited us for a joyful dinner :D
Gahyo restaurant established since 2005, and the owner also native Korean. Ellen said that all the menu here are originally from their mom's recipe. Whoagreethat the best foodon earthis themom'scooking??? :D Actually that's what I felt when I had all the food here in Gahyo. It tasted so authentic yet simple and homey, feels like we eat at home, not at restaurant.
Gahyo in SCBD is quite spacious, and when it's dinner time, the place is packed! ( with mostly Korean :D ) So you better reserve first if you wanna have a dinner here. The interior quite typical with other Korean restaurant, simple with Korean's touch. The food tasting begins withBanchan ( Korean appetizer ) ! I always love Banchan ! It's free ( ow yea ) and you can have as many as you like ( woohoo! ), and every Korean restaurant had their own variations of Banchan. It's not particularly the same every restaurant, but the most common banchan always be 'Kimchi' ( traditional fermented vegetables ). The most banchan that I like from Gahyo is ... well I don't know the name :d but it was a peanuts covered in sweet sticky sauce, tasted like brown sugar ( next to the spinach on the pic ). Yum ! After the banchan, we've been served by many of their dish ( Yes! Many ! ), so I want you guys hang on a bit and enjoy the writings okay ! ;p First is Haemul Pajeon ( Korean Seafood Pancake ) - IDR 95.000,-. I think this is the best Pajeon that I had so far! The seafood tasted fresh, the seasoning are perfect for Indonesian tongue, and the batter it's not too doughy. Japchae ( Fried Korean Glass Noodle with Beef & Vegetables ) - IDR 95.000,-. I alwaysss love Jabchae ! I love the textures of the sweet potato noodles (called dangmyeon) that is thick and a lil' bit chewy. Jabchae in Gahyo had a perfect seasoning, sweet but savory. Dolsot Bibimbap ( Various kind of assorted vegetables with rice, beef and egg served in Hot Stone Bowl) - IDR 68.000,-. I think Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish that we all know, from what I taste, Gahyo's Bibimbap is one of the best that I had. It has the perfect seasoning because sometimes, I had a tasteless Bibimbap everywhere. Sundubu Chigae ( Soy Bean Paste soup with Bean Curd, Squash and Onion ) - IDR 68.000,-. If you a big fan of Bean Curd or Tofu, you'll gonna like this one. It's not spicy at all, and you really can taste a strong bean curd taste. It seems they're using Indonesian 'Tahu Air', because the bean curd still has the textures in it. Yukgaejang ( Spicy Vegetables and Meat Soup ) - IDR 68.000,-. Usually Yukgaejang is one of my favorite Korean dish, but not this time. The soup tasted spicy, not too savory, and has a lil' bit bitter taste in it. The bitter taste comes from gosari ( Korean bracken fern ), which I thought Kulat/ Jamur Pelawan ( Some specified Mushroom from Bangka ) before because it has a similar shape and taste :D Samgyetang ( Ginseng Chicken Soup ) - IDR 95.000,-. Ooo... I love this dish! What I like about this Samgyetang is this one not having strong ginseng taste ( which I love ). Sometimes Ginseng tasted a lil bit intense and bitter, some people like it, some people don't :) The chicken are quite tender, the soup was so light, and glutinous rice made this dish perfect. I think this is a perfect dish when you have flu or fever, such a heart-warming dish. What's Korean food without Korean's BBQ right? :D First one is Teuk Seng Galbi ( Prime Beef Short Rib Boneless ) - IDR 198.000,- . Tender and nice. Teuk Yangyeum Galbi ( Prime Beef Short Rib Boneless Marinated in Sauce ) - IDR 198.000,-. More sweet than the first one and tender. L.A Galbi ( Choice Short Rib Bone Marinated in Sauce ) - IDR 198.000,-. Lil bit chewy and tasted sweet. Bul Galbi ( Choice Short Rib Bone Marinated in Sauce ) - IDR 198.000,-. Thin sliced, sweet and melts in your mouth. Btw I'm always curious with how to do the meat cutting. It became thin and longgg :D Wooseol ( Sliced Beef Tongue ) - IDR 128.000,-. Love this! Thin sliced and savory! Because Jenzcorner ask if they're serve Yukhoe here, they're generously serve it to us even though it's not on the food tasting list! Wagyu Yukhoe ( Korean Steak Tartare ) - IDR 178.000,-. I know not many Indonesian familiar with eating raw beef haha... But it's my first time too eating this Yukhoe! Well I'm not sure at first, but until when I have my first bite, I just fell in love with it. Total love! The beef, which is high quality wagyu, serve in a cold temperature, and really... it's just melts in your mouth! Not chewy and fishy as I thought raw beef would be ( interesting huh ), with a nice combination of sweetness from the Bae ( Korean pear ), heaven ! To serve this kind of dish, they really need to prepared the freshest and high quality beef. Thumbs up for Gahyo!
For the dessert ( yes this is also free ) , they served us with Sikhye, a traditional Korean rice beverage. Sweet with a gingery taste. Also Mango, Coffee and Coconut pudding. The mango pudding is the most that I like, since coffee one taste really bitter and coconut one quite tasteless. Overall, I really enjoy my dinner there! With a food served like that, I'm quite curious trying the other branch of Gahyo which is at Sport Mall - Kelapa Gading ( serves pork :d ). And also, no wonder Gahyo received the awards as "The Best Korean Restaurant in Jakarta" from Jakarta Java Kini Magazine three times (2005, 2007 and 2008). I really had a great time and a full belly, big thanks to Ms Yumi and Ellen for inviting! :) and yes, Gahyo is truly GA HYO (delicious) !
" For the love of food " I think it's best describing this restaurant. I'm quite impress with one of the owner's of Q Smokehouse that night. His true passion in cooking and culinary translated well on their menu. Daring and never stop experimenting. It's inspired me a bit since I'm also an aspiring home-cook chef ;d ( Uh huh ) This time, Q smokehouse invited us, food bloggers, to taste their new Mexican menu. There's not many good Mexican food around Jakarta isn't it? I think adding the Mexican menu would be a nice addition to our monotonous culinary here ( Western, Italian, you name it ). It's my first time stepping on Q Smokehouse - Suryo ( yes they're had another branch at Setiabudi One ), to me, I kinda' like the ambiance and the interior. Lil' bit rustic with the brick walls, and gray tiles, yet modern and minimalist with the colorful comfy sofa and chair. For their Mexican food tasting menu, first they're introduce us to Taco that we could made by ourselves later. Fun thing about Taco is, we could made it with anything that we like, and the taste will still be good! I've try making Taco at my home before. Even though we need many kinds of ingredient, but still, it is fun when we can mixed it all up according to our likes ;) For the protein, we can choose between Carne Asada ( Grilled Meat ) - IDR 55.000,- , Baja Fish ( Fried Snapper)- IDR 63.000,- & Barbacoa Beef ( Their signature smoked beef ) - IDR 65.000,-.Andas a complement ( yes they're many of it ) there's shredded lettuce, red radish, green salsa, pineapple salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc. When it all mixed together, burst of flavor from the meat, the salsa, sour cream and guacamole becoming one. Yum ! Oh ! And yes, all of their protein was yum! The beef grilled perfectly with a peppery taste, the fish is crunchy outside and fluffy inside. Nom.. Nom..
That night, we also been served with Fajita ( Trio Beef, Chicken and Prawn ) - IDR 135.000,-. It's a one of Tex-Mex Cuisine which a grilled meat cooked with onion and bell peppers served on hot iron skillet ( or we called it 'hotplate' :p ). Too bad because we took a photo too long ( yes food bloggers always take pictures before eat ;D ), so the meat kind of dry. But the taste is still nice though. Perfect seasoning. Fajita also been served with the complement ( guacamole, sour cream, cheese, etc ) and tortilla :)
Still on the Mexican menu, Tortilla Soup - IDR 35.000,-. This is a tomato base soup with 3 kinds of beans & tortilla chips. OMG. I love this soup! The soup tasted sweet and tangy, a strong tomato taste. And the tortilla chips, adding the textures. I love it when the crunch meets the soup ( just like eating 'bakso' with 'krupuk' right? ;d ) Besides the Mexican menu, they're also served us with their signature menu which is, Beef Brisket Texas Style with BBQ Sauce - Reg 200gr IDR 99.000,-| Light 150gr IDR 79.000,-. Why this is so special? Because this beef are smoked for 12 hours with the branches of Rambutan tree! Cool right? The owner himself found this technique, and that's what makes Q smokehouse so special. The beef brisket tasted quite tender, and has a nice smokey aroma. The BBQ sauce, not too tangy ( which I love ), really goes well with the meat.
Next is Crispy Prawn Bistro Pasta - IDR 85.000,-. What's soooo good about this pasta is the cream ! They put some lemon on the cream which turns very yum. I never try pasta with lemon cream before, it's surprisingly yummy but also 'light', creamy but lemony. The prawns are crispy too. Perfect! For the dessert, they serves us new variant that wasn't on the menu, Agave Salsa Sorbet. This a lemon, cinnamon and clove sorbets with ..... salsa ! ( olives, avocado, tomato) and raisins. Ow yeah! haha... a pretty daring dessert. The sorbet was tasted sooo sour... more like a tamarind to me :D and the unique topping, haha... I like it, but I'm not a big fan of it :d
Overall, I really enjoy the dinner. Most of the food was served nicely. Btw Q Smokehouse Suryo also having a 1st Anniversary this month. I wish all the best for you, and I definitely come back in some time. Thanks Q ! :)
*macarons are sooo fragile. not all survived the long flight*
*From Google* :p
From my Instagram @Nvicl
