KT Khmer-Thai Restaurant

In my last day at Phnom Penh, we’ve got a treat by our lovely Indonesian ‘mom’ who lives in Cambodia. She’s a lovely and funny person, and you know, she’s very generous ( Thanks Ibu Yuliana :D ).  

I’m so sorry for this post, I couldn’t insert the name of the dishes ( it’s really hard because it’s in Cambodian ), I didn’t had a perfect pictures ( I bring a really standard lens when traveling ). But I really had a pleasant lunch, so I just want to share with you guys ;D

Atmosphere 

 This two storey restaurant is actually quite spacious. We ate at the second floors, we sat on the dark wooden floor with a nice cushions and Air Con... seriously I'm nearly fell asleep ( yeah after a shopping trip at the market ).

Food 

 When in Cambodia, you will see that their food has much similarity with Thai or Vietnam.  It’s very easy to found Tom Yum or Bahn Mi around the street, or even restaurant. So no wonder there are many Khmer-Thai restaurant around. Fusion!

For the first dish ( which I know the name hahah ) it’s the Beef Lok Lak. Lok lak is always been the staple food of Cambodian. It’s a simple dish, but so yummy. Stir fried cubed beef with a sweet savory sauce, usually they also put a sunny side egg on top, but not this one :D For the dipping sauce, we mixed sea salt, Kampot blackpepper and Lime Juice. So yum!

What’s Thai food without Tom Yum, right? But compared to the Thai one, this one is actually very mild. It wasn’t too spicy or too sour, it’s just right! Even though they also using coconut milk, it’s still tasted light.  

It’s time to meeeeet…. Mr. Kermit the Frog! Haha… I know it’s not everybody’s favorite to eat frogs, but me ? I love it! :p But too bad this one is a bit overcooked. It’s a bit dry, but it taste good. 

And the stir fried veggies :D

KT Khmer - Thai Restaurant

No. 470EFo, St. 163, S/K Bong Keng Kong III

Khan Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, 

Cambodia 

Phone    : ( 855 ) 11 899 912 / 11 910 912

Tea Gathering Starbucks Indonesia

Good news for non-coffee lover but still want to hang out at Starbucks ! In this winter season, Starbucks bring back their 'Hojicha' tea, but with a different twist. I'm sooooo excited because I'm a big fan of this hojicha tea creation!

 Taking place at the new Starbucks store at Lippo Mall Kemang, the event started with an introduction of tea with tea expert, Ratna Soemantri. For the welcome drink, we also been served with.... well I'm not so sure about the name, but it taste like cranberry. Sour but refreshing! ;D

Then the drink tasting started with some various tea and also, Hojicha Tea Latte, the newest drink from Starbucks. Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that been roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal. This method first started in Kyoto, Japan from 1920s. This process also lowered the amount of the caffeine, so it's okay if you wanna drink this kind of tea at dinner time. The taste is very roasty, nutty and earthy. Umami! 

Next is Green Tea Latte with Espresso. Coffee and tea mixed together, Bam ! Yin and Yang. Maybe you feel skeptical about this drink, but the taste is actually very mild. 

And for this season food, Starbucks served Verona Cake - IDR 22.000 . A cake with layered of almond biscuit, butter cream, Starbucks Coffee Verona flavored biscuits. This cake taste like an opera cake to me :p

Next is Smoked Chicken Croissant - IDR 23.000. The croissant tasted buttery and flaky. Perfect for breakfast.

Last one is Tuna Cheese Whole Wheat Panini Sandwich - IDR 35.000. I love the panini but the taste of capsicum are too overpowering.

And also look at this Chinese new year edition tumbler ! Cool right!

Go grab all this winter season products! It's only available until 4 March 2013 ;)

Starbucks Indonesia
eXion Debenhams Area, Lippo Mall Kemang
Jl. Pangeran Antasari No.36, Jakarta
Facebook  : Starbucks Indonesia
Twitter      : @SbuxIndonesia

Anomali Coffee

It's 3pm and raining outside, the room is getting colder and all you think is missing your bed while there's many papers to do in front of you. #FirstWorldProblems haha.... I don't know about you, but to me, I like it better to drink my coffee around tea time ( like 3 - 5 pm ). To me, coffee is just like a mood booster. A healing potion every time I feel very sleepy and not focus. It could be at the morning, but I think I need it the most around that time ;D

Coffee and Coffee Shop are already a part of our lifestyle here in Indonesia. It doesn't matter if you enjoy it from La Marzocco or even Kopi Tubruk style ( Indonesian style of serving the coffee with pouring a boiling hot water straight to the glass with coffee grind and sugar ). It's your choice. But yeah, it's funny sometimes how important a coffee shop is in our community right now. 

Coffee Shop = meeting place, working place ( yes that wi -fi ), place to do your homework ( that wi-fi again ), place for waiting, place for sit down after a long shopping, and..... how if I say...  a place to enjoy good coffee ? ................... Is that even matters anymore? haha... All the flavored coffee blended drinks has gone too much.

But thank God, there's still some serious coffee shop that also support the local coffee, yes it's Anomali. 

Notes : Please enjoy the instagram-like picture! ;p

Atmosphere 
Even though the place is not that spacious, but I love the rustic vintage feels in this coffee shop. Oh I also love their menu that really like a 'book'. Full of doodles, really fun to see.

Price 
IDR 30.000 - 40.000/person ( USD 3 - 4 / person )

Food and Drinks
For a light snack we order Anomali Club Sandwich - IDR 31.800

For the single origin coffee, we order Toraja Kalosi coffee - IDR 23.600. This full bodied coffee from Celebes island has a really inviting earthy aroma, with right amount of acidity.

  
The fusion drink, Creme Brulee - IDR 32.700. I'm a big fan of creme brulee! Having it in my coffee? Why not? :D Good thing about this 'fusion' drink is, we still can taste the coffee, second, it's not overly sweet like I used to had in the another coffee shop.

Anomali Coffee
Jl. Senopati No.35, Jakarta
Phone      : ( 021 ) 529 20 102
Facebook : Anomali Coffee
Twitter    : @Anomalicoffee

Eat, Drink & Donate JCF 2012 Closing Dinner

I know I know, I've been so late to posting this, but better late than none right? :p If you still remember that there's a culinary festival around October in Jakarta from my post here, to wrap it up they held this closing dinner, Eat, Drink & Donate. The donation will goes to Drive Books Not Cars organization, in support of Taman Bacaan Pelangi and Sahabat Anak.

Dinner with 7 course meal? Why not ? ;) The thing is, every meal are cook by different chefs. How interesting is that? I just can't imagine how they could arrange and manage the kitchen :D And oh, every course also been paired with several wines from Dimatique International. So let's start, shall we? 

We've been served with Orange Marmalade as a welcome drink. Made with orange juice, ginger and vodka, apparently the strong ginger taste is a turn off for me :p

First appetizer are by Chef Hugo Adrian from Blowfish Kitchen & Bar. Tuna Carpaccio with Okinawa Sauce and Daikon Salad, paired with Cape Discovery Rose wine 2011. It's a good thing to sliced the tuna thinly, so we could get the smoother salmon-like textures ( Usually tuna are more stiff and dense right ). I also like the okinawa sauce, refreshing, and just enough wasabi taste.

Next appetizer are by Chef Arimbi Nimpuno. Grilled King Prawn with Green Curry Espuma, paired with Cape Discovery Sauvignon Blanc 2011. First impression...... Isn't that shrimp ? and oh... isn't that Krupuk ( Traditional Indonesian white crackers ). The green curry actually taste quite good, creamy and spicy. But I don't think Krupuk would be a good pair for this.

Then Chef Sandra Djohan served the Pumpkin Soup with Foie Gras. The soup was taste really good with just enough amount of sweetness. Foie Gras also add more complex taste to the light pumpkin soup.

For the first main course are prepared by Chef Gianfranco Beltrame of Casa D'oro ( Hotel Indonesia Kempinski ). Ravioli stuffed Cepe Mushroom with Yellow Pepper Sauce, paired with Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2010. First thing, I love the presentation, Second, I love the parmesan crisps. To me the pasta is bit too thick though, so it feels too doughy ( lols I don't know if that's a perfect word to describe :P)

Next main course are by Chef Gilles Marx from Amuz Gourmet. Steamed Fega Barramundi, Ginger Scented Rice and Lime Coconut Sauce, paired with Vina Ventisquero Grey Chardonnay 2010. We all know that Chef Gilles Marx specializing in French Cuisine, It's quite interesting though that he served Asian influence dish to us. But yeah, the barramundi fish tasted fresh and perfectly cooked, and the lime coconut sauce gives a refreshing taste.

The palate cleanser, Orange Granita with Lemon Sorbet. Very refreshing!

Last main course are by Chef Vindex Tengker. Roasted Bultarra Saltbush Lamb Shoulder Rack with Mustard and Tarragon, Radish Agnolotti, Salsa Verde and Cepes Jus, paired with Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2010. It is said that the best comes last ? For this case, Yes it is. This juicy, tender, succulent lamb rack just win me over. Too bad it's the last course and we already feel full.

Then there's come the dessert prepared by Chef Steve Diaz of Colette & Lola. Golden Hazelnut Praline, served with Amaretto Nougatine Ice Cream. One word to describe, d e s s e r t g a s m. The gold dust on the cake truly inviting, and when you take a bite into it, divine. The hazelnut and chocolate taste really like eating ferrero rocher, yum!

So that's all the report of JCF closing dinner. It's a great experience to taste all the dishes from 7 different chefs. Big thanks to Ismaya Group and Goorme for inviting! Cheers !