Ramadan month is already come, and even though I'm not fasting, I always enjoy the activity of break fasting together with friends or families. The most memorable Ramadan moment that I have is when I'm still an intern at one local TV station. At one Ramadan event, every division had to dress their very own costum, and my division chose pajamas to reflect the 'Sahur' theme. What a good time. So talking about Lebanese food, maybe it's the first time for me to have this kind of cuisine. But I found it's not that different compared to the other Middle Eastern cuisine. I still found some items that I familiar with ;D With the Guest Chef Ashraf El Sayed in charge, you can enjoy this Lebanese Iftar Promotion from 7th July - 7th August 2013, with IDR 495.000++/ person, IDR 248.000/child. So the Lebanese dinner night started with some Rice with Vermicelli, Okra Tagine, Kofta, Fish Sayadia and Falafel. The rice taste just like usual rice, but the vermicelli added some texture to it. Okra Tagine was really yum. Not many people like Okra, but this was cooked until soft and had strong tomato flavor in it. Kofta is a type of meatballs using ground Lamb meat. Taste really yummy and you can taste some spices in it, but with some people who dislike the 'smell' of the lamb meat ( gamey taste ), this one maybe not the best option :D The Fish Sayadia is one of my fave! Cooked perfectly and well seasoned. Even though it's fried, but it's still soft and taste savory. And the Falafel which are usually made from chickpeas, taste a bit chewy.
Next is Arabic Lentil Soup. The interesting thing with
this soup is it's using Vermicelli as one of the ingredients. The soup
was very thick and somehow it's quite strange in my mouth at first, but I
could enjoy it after my 2nd and 3rd spoon :D
And what's Lebanese food without the Beef Shawarma? It's a roasted beef served with some lettuce and seasoning, wraps in freshly made pita bread. Yum!
And for sure definitely can't missed their salads and dips. Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Moutabel, Tahina, Halloumi Cheese, Yalanji Salad, Fattoush Salad and also, some Pita Bread :D All of it was flavorful, especially the Baba Ganoush, was tasted quite smokey and spicey. The Yalanji salad was made with rice, wrapped in wine leaves. Well, it's a bit unusual in my mouth :p The Fattoush Salad was surprisingly nice, light and resfreshing! The green lettuce gives a nice crunch to it.
And the dinner closed with Bengawan's homemade Mango and Caramel ice cream. Yum! and some pretty dessert. To know more about Bengawan restaurant, you can read my previous post here.
Bengawan Signature Restaurant Keraton Hotel at The Plaza Jl. MH Thamrin Kav 15, Jakarta, Indonesia. Phone : ( 021 ) 50680000 Facebook : Keraton at The Plaza Twitter : @KeratonJakarta
You might notice that my interest in coffee was growing, A LOT. Lols. Yeah, starting from my dad who also had the same interest, usually we had a great discussion about coffee on the dining table. And of course from my last visit to Giyanti Coffee , it's just triggered my passion. Coffee was like wine. It's not just a drinks. You need sharp taste buds to really can taste the characteristics between each coffee. I'm not saying I have that taste buds yet, but to me it's something that really interesting to learn and explore. Indonesia is the one of the largest coffee exporter in the world, so I think it's time for raise the awareness and us, as Indonesian, could appreciate our local products more. Agree? :) So back to my short visit to Bandung month ago, this coffee shop is already on my list from so long. Been heard of many good review about them, I'm surely make time to pay a visit. Atmosphere : White brick walls and wooden furniture gives a nice vibe to the room.
Price : IDR 25.000 - 30.000/ person Drinks : I'm ready for my caffeine shot, and the barista recommend Magic - IDR 23.000. They're using a blend of Java, Bali and Toraja if I'm not mistaken. The latte art was amazing ! Nicely done! The coffee taste good too. Full bodied and medium acidity.
Winking bear ! ;D
Creme Brulee - IDR 25.000. This was also nice with a burn sugar on top! :D
Iced Caramel Latte - IDR 26.000
And we also order Black Russian Cake - IDR 28.000. Quite enjoyable with ice cream on top, but I think the rum taste was too overpowering.
I already heard some news that this new
French bistro just open at Plaza Senayan. With their trinity as Bistro, Bar and
Patisserie, trying their selection of French pastry was on the top of my list.
Yeah, I'm all the dessert ! :p
Atmosphere : The bar area was quite quirky with the
neon lights, the sitting area was just like usual classic bistro. Wooden floor
and dark furniture.
Food : For brunch, I opted Chicken Rosemary - IDR
90.000. The Chicken was cooked perfectly, and I love the crispy skin on
top! However the gravy a bit lack of seasoning in my opinion.
Penne with Salmon - IDR 88.000. This pasta was presented beautifully ! Even though
they cooked it al-dente, it's still a so- so dish.
Shrimps Risotto - IDR 90.000. This one is a winner! It's hard to get a really good
risotto in Jakarta, and I can say this one is the best so far! The arborio rice
cooked al dente and the cheese flavor was intense ! Yum!
And, from the pastry section, we definitely
order their beautiful Religieuse ! Relegie Caramael - IDR 30.000. The
choux was a bit chewy and the creme patisserie inside was quite
enjoyable.
Rocher Monaco - IDR 37.000. Yes this is a winner ! Beautifully presented,
intense chocolate and hazelnut flavor, just like eating a Ferrero Rocher !
Mille Feuille Fraise - IDR 35.000. Had a high expectation and it turns me down. The
puff pastry layer was too dry and rubbery.
For drinks I opted Peppermint Tea - IDR
35.000, to cure my sugar-high :p
Couple weeks ago I was invited by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Jakarta, to taste some of their Betawi's food promotion. Yes it's a celebration of 486th Anniversary of our lovely city, Jakarta! As you know, Betawi people are the descendants of the people living in Jakarta from around the 17th century. So the culture and of course the food, has always been close to our heart. The Flavours of Betawi was held at Cinnamon restaurant, from 17 - 22nd June 2013. All the Betawi's food that was presented there was quite vary. They're also serve their own Gado- Gado station ! and also, the traditional music !
Started with the most food that I always crave when Jakarta's Fair festival on Kemayoran was held, Kerak Telor ! It is made from glutinous rice cooked with egg ( using duck egg was more tastier ! ), slowly cooked on the small wok and charcoal fire. It is served very thin and crispy, and using serundeng (fried shredded coconut), fried shallots and dried shrimps as the topping. Yum!
From the appetizer station I also tried Rujak Juhi, Tahu Gejrot and Rujak Buah. Rujak Juhi is an Indonesian salad contains fried tofu, fried boiled potatoes, fried shredded salted
cuttlefish, cucumber, egg noodles, lettuce, cabbages, peanut sauce, vinegar,
chili, and fried garlic. Tahu Gejrot is a fried tofu
which was cut into small pieces and served with sauce made from blending brown sugar, vinegar, and sweet soy
sauce. And Rujak Buah is another Indonesian Salad consist of fruits. The Rujak Buah was also using Pomelo fruits, so refreshing !
From the soup station, of course we can't miss Soto Betawi. Soto Betawi is a typical Indonesian soup with beef and offal, cooked in coconut milk broth. In Cinnamon, the beef tripe was fried first, so it gives a nice crunchy textures to the soup, however I feel the soup was quite light compared to usual Soto Betawi.
From the grilled station is a one typical Indonesian dish, Sate Ayam. The grilled chicken served with peanuts sauce. The meat was so tender!
And the main course, I've tried Nasi Ungu, Gabus Pucung, Semur, Sayur Babanci and Opor Ayam. Nasi Ungu is the usual rice colored with purple sweet potato, tasted just like the usual rice! Gabus Pucung is catfish cooked in Kluwek and many other spices. I can tell that their Gabus Pucung was the bomb ! Very tender, melts in your mouth ! Semur is a beef stew cooked with sweet soy sauce, and nutmeg and cloves also added for the taste. Sayur Babanci is a unique Indonesian stew dish made with coconut and other spices, but the taste was still very light. Opor Ayam is a chicken cooked in coconut milk, not like Thai Green Curry, this one is not spicy at all. Yum!
Besides all the Betawi's food, they also served Japanese food that surely I can't help myself to resist ! :p I can tell they served good quality of sashimi and sushi!
For the dessert, besides Kue Balok and Kue Putu, they also served Es Doger. Es Doger is a pink shaved ice made from coconut milk, served with avocado, jackfruit, black glutinous rice and red tapioca pearls. Too bad the shaved ice already melted. The other dessert that I also tried is their varieties of ice creams, and cake. Their signature chocolate cake was really yum!
And for the drinks, we can also order varieties of juice. That time I order Carrot & Orange Juice ! :D
