Fook me? No, FOOK YEW!

Don't look at me, I am just quoting one of the pictures hanged on the wall...

Fook Yew, the sound of the words itself may raise some eye brows.. Yes people, it is another Ismaya's established venue, serving (for the first time) Chinese food. Last weekend, I got the chance to eat there. After tremendous long hours of traffic, I was starving and I have been craving (very badly) for sheng jian bao. Apparently, Fook Yew is the only existing place I know that serves sheng jian bao, a delicious Shanghai savory light bites. 

I can't say I am disappointed with Fook Yew. Not only it was able to redeem my desired longing to go back to Shanghai, it serves great delicious Chinese food. Unlike some of Ismaya's other venues (which only concentrated mostly on the concept, but not the food), I can, for sure, say it loud and clear that I LOVE FOOK YEW. 

The retro rustic oriental touches with pop art paintings filling the walls, a very highly planned interior that can catch the image of a traditional, yet modern, street hawker style version of China. The menu itself is cute! For a halal restaurant serving Chinese food, I am quite satisfied by the dishes I ordered that day.. 

Bubble tea menu is so cute. Parents say don't play with your food. Well, nobody says you can't play with the menu.. I didn't order any bubble tea drinks that day. I have consumed too many bubble drinks, I am in the edge of getting sick of it..  

I was mesmerized by these red bird cage lamps.. GENIUS!

Pop art retro touches.. 

Chinese tea. They have variety of choices. This one was jasmine, my favorite Chinese tea (12k)

Xiao Long Bao (48k). They have chili, original, black sesame, cheese, tom yum and garlic flavor.. All XLB uses chicken meat. It was perfect for a cold rainy day.. 

SHENG JIAN BAO (29K). This one was chicken prawn sheng jian bao. For me, the beneath part wasn't crispy enough. As you can see from this picture, it has not showed any signs of crispiness. But I had been craving for these little babies since months ago and this one was pretty awesome..  The most thing that I like about sheng jian baos, they are very juicy, but not in the same way as runny juicy from xiao long bao.. 

XO Fried Rice (42k). I like this one too. Very fragrant. A hint of spiciness to complete the overall XO flavor.. The bowl was very big that it seemed they only gave us very little rice. But it was good.. So, no complaining.. 

The empty big bowl and a very satisfied me. If the place wasn't that far from my house, I would definitely make this place as my where-to-go destination and pay a regular visit. 

FOOK YEW

Gandaria City, Main Street Ground Floor

Jl. KH. M. Syafii Hadzami No. 8

Kebayoran Lama

Jakarta

Phone : 021 - 2900 7897

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/F00KYEW

Pidza Inc. One of a kind Pizza!

Pantai Indah Kapuk has been one of my favorite destinations for hanging out with my friends. The continuous growth of new cafes and bars with competitive concepts gives you plenty of choices of where to have a quick bite and spend your evening with your companies. Besides, my house is quite near to that area, so I have been enjoying the 'non-traffic-it's-so-near' advantages.

I think it's a great destination for hanging out, but I am not sure that all of those restaurants, cafes, and bars serve you with great or even decent food.. Some even serve questionable drinks. My friends and I can guarantee you that we have become victims of the attractive concepts given by the cafes. It's so deceiving that when we found out about the quality of the food or drinks, it's such a major turn off. 

But don't lose hope. The other reason why I keep going back there is because there are still some places that serve decent yummy food. Like tonight, for instance. 

I have been passing by Pidza Inc. for months with no intention of trying it. Why? The answer is simple.. The place is not attractive enough. Compared to the other cafes, Pidza Inc. must definitely play catch up with the other cafes if they wanna attract more customers.  In another way, I think it's quite secluded cause it is located in the less crowded area. Pardon me for being that shallow, but in my defense, my eyes are locked to the new comers who keep giving grand eye-catchy touches to their places. It's too many that I don't have the chance to try it all and Pidza Inc. seems to be buried under the spotlight. Well, let me make it clear to you that I am not a high-end freak who only wanna eat in hip cool places. If you have seen my instagram pictures, then you will know that I spend most of my time eating food from street hawkers. Yet, I am only human.. and sometimes I do have my flaws.. Getting attracted to something eye-catchy is one of it. ;p

Well, tonight, one of my friends recommended this Pizza place. Whenever there's good food, I am down for it.. So here it goes..

Australian Pizza (49K). Thin crust pizza with a sunny side up, bacon, and hash browns. Well, the menu said it's hash browns, but it's basically small pieces of potatoes. The taste? YUM.. I love it.. It's also quite cheesy, which is a super positive plus point..

American BBQ Pizza (52K). In a way, I like this better than the Australian one. There's something about the tomato BBQ sauce that made me crave for more. In terms of presentation, this one is less attractive. They only give you two pastrami and two hams. But again, the sauce itself is a flavorful explosion..  

Penne Pollo Al Fredo Creama (37K). My friend ordered this so I only had a bite. Definitely better than Pizza Hut's bland pasta.  This one has a creamy fragrant, served with pieces of chicken.. 

The funny and unique thing about Pidza Inc. is that they have choices of Pizza with international flavors. From Indian curry pizza to oriental pasta, their menu is filled with diverse flavor from all over the world. I didn't take a picture of the menu because at first, I thought we were only getting a quick bite. But after tasting their pizza, I changed my mind and decided to write a good review about this place. Oh, and when I stepped inside, the first thing I noticed was the smell of cheese filling the whole place! As a cheese lover, I am loving it.. 

I definitely am going to go back to try their other pizzas. Am quite curious for their Indian Pizzas.. To sum up, I do recommend this place for all of you thin crust pizza lovers.. Be adventurous with your choices and order something unusual from your daily preference.. 

Oh, it's not new information that Pluit PIK area is the nest of Indonesian Chinese, especially Medanese.. 

Medanlang Pizza.. LOL.. We were laughing to ourselves when we saw this on the board.. Medanlang means medanese in hokkien. Good game to step it up, Pidza Inc.. Good game indeed..

Pidza Inc.
Ruko Cordoba Blok E No.6
Pantai Indah Kapuk
(021)56983377
Twitter : @PidzaInc
Facebook : PidzaInc Jakarta

Opus Cafe : Quick Review

It has been months I haven't set foot on Plaza Indonesia and yesterday I happened to be there, unplanned, stranded, and desperate to watch The Hobbits.. From all the hectic traffic in Jakarta, that mall is the most perfect destination as it has the right amount of distance(not too far yet not too close for me to get sick of it), the tolerable amount of traffic, and the right ambiance for a Saturday.  Anyway, I managed to watch the Hobbits, but got plenty of time waiting for the movie. Do I need to ask myself what to do in that spare time? Dinner... It's the most primal, perfect and necessary answer (for me). No, I am just not the type who go for window shopping to kill time.. I dine to kill time.. lol..

Anywayyyyyyy, I have always seen food photos from Opus Cafe, but never had the chance to try it. There were only the two of us and apparently this place was not that packed compared to other places. So we decided to give it a try.. The choices from the menu vary from breakfast menus, Italian dishes, to Indonesian dishes.. I love the different choices given by them.. Well, one thing I have in mind is some of the food photos from their website seem to be missing from the menu.. I am not sure what the reasons are..

This one is the smoking area. The non-smoking area is quite small and definitely less attractive compared to the smoking area. It happened that there were just a few people inside so I asked the waiter to be seated in this area

One page menu..

Christmas is coming up! So to pump up the sense of Christmas, my cappuccino(38k) was 'Santa-fied'. Aside from the cute foam, it's probably not the best cappuccino. It's quite bland, in a way I didn't know what is stronger than what, the milk, the coffee, or the water..

TWG Earl Grey (25k)

Create Your Own Pizza (65k). It's a thin crust pizza with Beef Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Smoked Salmon. We requested the Salmon to be separated from the pepperoni. See the upper part of the pizza..? Yep, that's the smoked salmon.. It's quite yummy.. And they have other choices of toppings from capers and anchovies to oriental BBQ and honey mustard chicken..

Minute Steak with Bernaise (98k). It was a bit overcooked for me. I ordered it in medium but it was just a bit well done for my taste. I love the strong flavor of black pepper but at the same time it was a bit too salty. I am sorry to say that the highlight of the dish was the fries.. The bernaise sauce was quite disappointing as well.. 

Benedictus with smoked beef bacon (50k). Perfect poached eggs! I love the garlic breads beneath it. It has the perfect texture to pair with the oozing runny egg yolk

My date for the night.. Apparently, my silent camera application has done me some justice in capturing candid picture of him. 

Maybe the reason why I haven't tried this place for such a long time is because I always have low expectations for the food. And I was right. I don't think it's a good place to satisfy your taste buds. The food is only a 'so-so' for my taste. I will give it a 6/10. The food gave my mind a piece of its ups and downs. It was not completely bad and maybe we ordered the wrong dishes, but I just think there are better places to have a good meal. However, I really APPRECIATE the good service given by the waiters in Opus Cafe. I didn't make a single complain, even though my company for the night has offered himself to complain for the overdone steak but I refused. I really love how patient, polite and helpful the waiter was while taking our orders. The place is cozy and I love the interior inside.

For what it's worth, I had a great time killing my spare time in Opus Cafe.

Opus Cafe
Jl. M. H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Jakarta 10350
Phone : 021-29923735
Web : www.opuscafes.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/OPUSCAFE
Twitter : @inspiringopus

Antipodean Kemang : Healthy Brunch

This is a postponed post, in fact it is a too long postponed post! I went to Antipodean with my siblings, just the four of us before I went for my China trip. So.. it's before this year's Eid holidays. I was just browsing through my photo album and found the pictures. I gotta stop suffocating my photo album and keep burying these food photos! So I made the decision to revive them..

My siblings and I are brunch maniacs. We really love breakfast menus  but we are too lazy to wake up early.. Brunch is our ideal meal of the day. It is like a habit for us to randomly go for a brunch on Sundays, trying new places. I always think that these little habits that my siblings and I have are just precious.. Time flies so fast, who knows till when we can keep doing this habit? Before we know it, BAM, we have our own families and children, or maybe we're just too busy and tired for Sunday brunches.. Maybe I am over-dramatizing it, but just having the thought of it bumps me a bit. Okay enough with this out of topic wanderings..

Without further ado, let me present to you.. Antipodean : Coffee - Cafe - Culture.. A place where they serve Australian home cooked meals.. Both healthy and yummy... From the food presentation and the taste of it, I assume they don't use any frozen food and make almost everything by themselves. The food itself is not that fancy, but that's just not what I aim for when I'm having a meal. The home cooked meals that they serve are just simply COMFORTING.. and some are very healthy indeed.. Oh, and it turns out that the Antipodean Cafe in Kemang is their first outlet. They also have another branch in Cilandak Town Square (citos). Now they have Antipodean cafes in Australia and Malaysia as well. The thing that I love most about this place is that they serve breakfast meals all day long, well as long as they are still open. I hate it  when cafes or restaurants give you a curfew for their breakfast meals. It's like as if we have an official rule banning us to have breakfast at lunch or dinner time.

Yes, it's quite small..

The menu is written on this wall of blackboard. The place inside is not big so everybody can easily just look at this wall and choose their drinks and meals.. Practical and time saving 

Cappuccino.. 

Latte

Iced Chocolate

They use special coffee beans with a brand called Merdeka. It's quite good and it's a local brand. The smart ass version of me assume that the owners of the Merdeka coffee bean is the owner of Antipodean.. Go check out their website.. click here..

Sweet paprica chicken with chickpea salad (50k). I love the cold chickpea salad! It's very fresh. The chicken was cooked really well, not too dry.. Its presentation is very simple indeed, very home-cooked style

French toast with bacon and maple syrup (50k). I just can't combine these two. I know it's a common combination between the savory salty bacon and the sweet maple syrup in western breakfast set, BUT I JUST COULDN'T CAN'T WONT be accustom to it.. In spite of my prejudice, it's still yummy.. lol

All day breakfast (60k). Classic combo of grilled tomatoes, sausages, baked beans, toasts, and fluffy scrambled eggs.. My weak spot.. 

Big Breakfast (60k). Another weak spot. Toast, bacon, scrambled egg, sauteed mushrooms, home made hash brown.. YUMMIEHHHH

Scrambled egg salmon on toast (60k). They use generous amount of smoked salmon. If you are a fan of smoked salmon, order this!

Lil sis and big bro..  being narcissistic as always..

Well now I am just being a narcissistic pain in the *beep*

Antipodean Cafe
Kemang Hero Complex
Jalan Kemang Selatan 1
Jakarta
Phone : 7192364
Open from 8 a.m to 8 p.m

Die Stube : a German date

It was a bright shiny Sunday, a good day to spend time outside and have a good meal. My sister was in the mood to go to Kemang for a late lunch. She already told me the day before that we're going to Die Stube. I've been wanting to go there since a few years ago but never find anyone willing to go with me. I remember the first time I discovered Die Stube is because I was having dinner at Praline (just next to Die Stube), which is now closed and turned into Die Stube extension. I was so curious just to look at it from outside. For starters, it was night time and with all the lights and fairy tale-like exterior, I swear, somehow, that place looked enchanted to me. It was quiet and mysterious, I couldn't peep through the windows as they were closed. I opened the wooden Shrek-world-like door and found lots of German people holding their beer, just enjoying their time. It was loud inside. People were talking, getting drunk, eating.. It was a bar..

Now, since they have their extension, it's not just a German bar,  but it's also a German restaurant. What comes to your head when you hear 'German restaurant'? Well, only one word.. maybe two instantly pop in my head. They are.. Pork... Knuckle.. lol..

BAM! Two ladies, lots of PORK

Big sis requested her photo to be posted here.. lol

There were only the two of us so we didn't order much. Just a sharing plate of sausages and a pork chop. The only reason that's holding us back was because we were going to Publo afterwards and we were saving some room for dessert and light bites.. Oh, it turned out that you have to order the Pork Knuckle three hours prior before you dine in. Bummers, we couldn't taste it..

The pork chop (105k). Well, it was well seasoned but really overcooked! It was so hard, even just to cut it.. The sauce was separated in a small bowl and it was lovely. 

Cream Spinach. This was a side dish to the sharing plate of sausages. I love it. From all those porkiness, at least I still had something green on my plate (even though it was smoldered with cream) 

Bonanza Bockwurst Sausages with Sauerkraut (105k). I was not sure what's the meat for the sausages but it was so yummy that I simply did not care.. at all.. The sauerkraut was sour. It's basically cabbage, sort of like pickled cabbage.. 

I was sat on the extension side of the restaurant. It is definitely more family friendly compared to the bar. Either way, I still think it's cozy. Just pretend that it's snowing outside and you're having this great meal inside.. The whole place is decorated with Christmas ornaments as it is coming soon (uber excited for that)..

Still bummed that we didn't get to order the Pork Knucke. My sister and I came to an agreement that we will definitely go back to this place. The portion isn't as huge as other famous German restaurants (Paulaner perhaps), but I just found this place really welcoming. The staffs are great and really helpful in deciding what we want.. I am very interested in trying other menus in this place.. If you were in Kemang and craving for some pork, just drop by here.. Or simply just have a beer.. Get a drink or two to accompany your meal.. :)

This photo was taken from Google image.. Imagine this at night time.. Reminds me a lot to  Shrek!

Die Stube
Plaza Bisnis Kemang
Jl. Kemang Raya 2 Jakarta 12730
Telephone : +62-21 71793486
E-mail : diestube@cbn.net.id
Website: http://www.diestube.co.id

Beatrice Quarters : a Lil' French Escape

I really laughed a lot today. Oh boy, do I really need it! My crazy friends, who randomly somehow can be close to me even though we don't go to the same school or university, "kidnapped" me. Sometimes I still wonder about my friendship with these people, how the hell can I be inside their circle of friends? Well, I love them anyway and I have always enjoyed my times being "kidnapped" by them. ANYWAYYYYYY....

Dilmah Earl Grey Tea (35k)

Okay.. For starters, how cute is that teddy bear tea pot?

I just got back from Beatrice Quarters in Pantai Indah Kapuk. It was not my first visit and most definitely won't be my last. I actually have reviewed it in my blog before so this post will be considered as a re-visit review. Each time I go there, I just feel this place has the cutest theme among those numerous-ever-growing-new-restaurants in PIK. It has that niche for feminine adorable touches.. But, besides of the cute tableware, the restaurant also offers you with delicious fusion of French Italian dishes, from papillote to pasta, from risotto to rice pizzas (the rice is definitely nothing Italian). Oh, not forgetting their cute yummy beverages and desserts..

We were kind of barbaric as we were all very hungry. At first, it was quite hard for me to decide what to eat as the menu really give you a variety of choices. From poultry to wagyu, they seem to have it all. The staffs were very patient in handling our table. The only thing that I had to complain about is the length of time needed to serve our food. Fortunately, my friends and I made ourselves busy. We were chit chatting nonstop and maybe some part of us had forgotten that we were hungry at that moment.

Picture time...

One of the outdoor seats... Isn't it just adorable?

Please do mind Kendrick's EPIC face on the right side.. We sat ourselves on the very back of the cafe..

Silly us taking photos of our reflection from the golden teddy teapot..

Even the menu is uber cute

The Feast... 

From left to right : Illusion (Blueberry with milky blended-consistency for 28k), Iced lemon tea with Iced Lemonade

Fish and Chips (33k)

Herbes John Dory with butter rice and butter cream pesto sauce. It's very fresh indeed. Too bad the portion is quite tiny. The boys may ask for more.. (that's what my friend did, he ordered another)

Bacon Egg Carbonara Fettucini (35k)

Basil Bacon and Egg fettucini (35k). The basil is quite pungent and pesto-like. Since I am a fan of pesto, I like the taste of it.. But if you're not a pesto fan, then I won't recommend this one..

Carbonara Bacon and Egg spaghetti (35k). Yes, both the carbonara pasta are yummy! Should I say they are very creamy-aromatic..

Rissotto Rototo di Pollo (55k). It's rissotto with chicken roll. 

The sauce completed the meal. The chicken was perfect, not too dry. The rissotto was creamy enough.. 

While we were eating the main courses, it started pouring down heavy rain and instead of running to the car which was parked very far away from the place, we decided to stay put and order some desserts (although we were full).. 

DESSERTS

Chocolate Banana Toast (55k). 10cm of bread with Vanilla ice cream, chocolate sundae, cream and slices of banana. What can possibly go wrong?

Classic Honey Toast (35k). Both the toasts are yummy. I love the outer texture of the bread, especially when it is soaked with the melted ice cream or chocolate sundae. Superrrrrr yummy... 

I was too busy having fun and laughing my ass off in this place that I had forgotten to take home the receipt. Maybe you guys realized that some of the prices are missing above. The receipt (after tax) showed that we spent Rp 516.000 for all of the food, desserts and drinks.. Oh, they are having this promo of getting a free Classic honey toast for every 500k purchase so we decided to take away our free toast as we just couldn't possibly fit anything more in.

P.S : My belly is in a serious bloated condition right now -___-"

Beatrice Quarters
Jl. Marina Ruko Crown blok B 26
Pantai Indah Kapuk
Phone : 081322157245
Website : http://www.beatricequarters.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beatrice-Quarters/166864063404917