Imanuel Arnold @imanuelarnold

n an attempt to get out hands on their pork knuckle, we finally decided to dine here on a sunday night. Situated in a rather old office building in kemang area, this place is safe to say a hidden germany gem for me. The front facade looked quite bavarian with old lamps, warm lighting and wooden window, not to mention the antique wooden door in front. I really appreciate the laidback atmosphere inside, there was also a separation between the smoking area that tends to exudes the bar style, as well as the diner-like non smoking area which fit for tonights dinner with my friends.
Okay, let's get to the main star here, the pork knuckle. We had it with rosti and creamy spinach as side. Boy oh boy, I was impressed with all of them. Spinach was soft that it took not much of an effort to chew, let alone the indulgent creamyness. Rosti was nice, normally I found this kind of dish as a pan fried potato pancake, but the one i had at Die Stube was crispier, more like semi deep- fried potato pancake that I like. Then, the pork knuckle itself, tasty with crispy skin and just the right mixture of juiciness of the meat and crispiness of the skin. So dare I say that the knuckle was balanced, it was more on the dry side with not much of oily fat which is my favorite. Service was okay, it wasn't super nice, but at the same time not bad. Just okay. Pricewise, considering their target market, was reasonable enough considering one portion of the knuckle could feed us four. Sure thing this will be the place for when i fancy someplace casual and a bit under the radar.

Pas lagi menyusuri foodcourt lotte shopping avenue nemu tempat yang keliatannya menarik nih, setelah datang ternyata makanan vietnam. Suasananya nyaman, dan juga penggunaan lighting temaram menghadirkan nuabsa hangat yang berkelas. Pilihan menarik sih memang, apalagi tipikal makanan foodcourt ya gitu-gitu aja. Kalo ngomongin makanan vietnam kayanya pho memang ikonik, jadi tolok ukur gue di Pho-nya. Pho Bo Chin akhornya terpilih jadi makan malam, ini adalah Pho dengan irisan daging brisket yang matang, bisa dibilang pilihan klasik untuk pho. Selain pho, ada juga bebrbagai appetizer serta menu berbasis nasi yang menarik buat dicoba. Serunya lagi di pojokan ada tempat bumbu dan pelengkap buat pho, jadi ada potongan jeruk nipis, irisan daun bawang, cabe rawit merah, ada juga hoisin sauce, kecap asin, juga lada. Dan yang paling unik ada daun semacam kemangi dengan label Bailoue, yang gue curiga adalah semacam spicy mint karena pas dimakan rasanya mirip kemangi tapi lebih seperti rasa minyak kayu putih. Pho dengan kaldu bening yang light dipadu dengan perasan jeruk nipis yang segar plus daun spicy mint tadi cukup bikin sesi makan malam jadi seru dengan twist yang unik pada rasanya, selain itu hoisin sauce yang gue padankan dengan kecap asin, lada, dan irisan rawit merah menyeimbangkan rasa segarnya dengan sentuhan gurih dan pedas. Kaldu yang ringan dengan tekstur rice noodle yang lembut dan kenyal, apalagi dengan kebebasan berkreasi dengan bumbu membuat gue cukup terkesan dengan Madame Mai, nextnya coba menu-menu lainnya ah.

So 91st Street is an Italian Restaurant operating as early as January 2019 on the lobby of the Akmani Hotel. The lobby exuded such a classy ambiance with spacey area and high ceiling, the bar area was nice too. Warm lighting, copper toned big liquor shelf and lighting framework blends seamlessly with the warm and earthy tone of the interior that utilizes mostly wooden elements for the interior and seating. The overall vibe is a reminiscent of 50s American Restaurant with a hint of art deco-meets-industrial modern theme.

I managed to get a taste on some of their menu, and while not all the dishes might be exactly authentic Italian, I can safely say that they were doing quite well. They offer various kind of dishes from appetizer, soup, pasta, salad, steak, to pizza and dessert. The fun part is their open kitchen where you can see yourself how your pizza is made, the baking process was a fun thing to watch.

Chicken In The Basket was our appetizer at that visit, which was basically fried chicken fillet served with french fries, it was a basic and everyone loves a good fried chicken fillet. The twist is on their Tabasco sauce, that was new to me. Looking like a salsa with olive slices, it was a new take on the standard chili/tomato sauce as the condiment. The chicken could have been well seasoned in my opinion, you know, to elevate the chicken and not fully dependant on the sauce.

Then I tried their pizzas. I got Margherita, Salami Pizza, Marinara, as well as Boscaiola. I liked the way they make their pizza: inoffensive, thin, and crunchy but not being dry, what a pleasure. Their pizzas are available in two diameter sizes: 30cm and 20cm. Made with the same base, from dough to tomato sauce, and mostly sprinkled mozzarella bits then topped off according to your order. Marinara is the first one I tried, and it was a staple, a basic pizza consisted only with tomato sauce, chopped garlic, and olive oil. It was fresh and tomato sauce being the highlight here, while the garlic was so subtle that it was present in the aroma but almost nonexistent in the taste.

Margherita was no stranger as well, similar to Marinara, it consisted of essentially tomato sauce and mozzarella . It’s a staple, and you can’t go wrong with this one. I appreciate the versatility of a classic Margherita. Salami Pizza was no different, a classic that turns Margherita to a whole new thing. Smoky aroma from the salami complemented the whole pizza, crunchy yet still maintain the moisture. Boscaiola in the other hand, looks different with onion and mushroom, also apparent green leaves that supposedly arugula or rocket. The mushroom is the star here, it added depth to the taste and texture, and also added a nice touch of fragrant to the pizza.

When it comes to the pastas, King Prawn Spaghetti is a must try, grilled king prawn on top of spaghetti and said to served in bisque sauce. Well, it didn’t look like a bisque since bisque usually looked creamy though shares the same idea of strained broth of crustaceans. I love a good, savory, oily pasta, and the spaghetti pretty much accommodated the demand though the seasoning was a little weak on me. Along the nicely cooked pasta, there were the essential Carbonara Spaghetti with a nice thickness of the sauce. Carbonara was light and creamy, it goes well with the savory sliced beef salami creating this meaty and creamy combo that never fails to amuse. The last pasta, Pesto Fettuccine is fettuccine pasta drenched in pesto sauce creating the creamy green pasta with long beans and what I thought to be diced squash. It was fresh with various texture, despite the pesto could have been more bold. Anyway, pesto was an okay addition.

For desserts, My friends loved the Calzone Nutella Banana, well I’m no big fan of chocolaty dessert so it was just okay, imagine a pastry filled with grilled banana and nutella sauce. But I was much more attracted to their Pannacota and Raspberry Pannacota, Pannacota fresh with milky vanilla note and strawberry sauce and also raspberry pannacota, though some say that the sourness was overpowering the sweetness, I don’t mind at all. With seducing color and the sour yet fresh taste and jiggly texture, ah I want them all. Another favorite was also the Cream Brulee, okay the egg could be evenly mixed with the whole ingredient to create a more pleasant texture. Tastewise, it was light enough and not being too sweet, caramel sauce accentuate the creamy taste jus well.

I looked forward for a nice brunch time or afterhour hangout in this place.

Ah another hip restaurant in the central of Jakarta! Hidden within the Seibu department store, Alfred sits next to Toby's Estate. Just when I think I got enough options for groovy restaurant with the basically the same offer from the menu, yet here we went.

It is a basic semi-fancy restaurant with typical one word naming, usually a name, and followed with classic-industrial fusion on the interior design that brings you the concept of 'old school is the new school'. But they did that with a bit of twist from sliding door, neon quote on the wall, and the creativity of utilizing such a small space then turned it into smoking and non smoking area, which not exactly a good idea. Their menu offers great selection though, from Brioche options (they don't call it burger here) to rice based mains. We ordered SA-C ( Sassy so the pronunciation) and Sorry,Dory into the big breakfast option. SA-C in big breakfast consisted of soft scrambled egg, avocado, mixed greens in honey lemon vinaigrette dressing, a shot of maple syrup and 3 slices of multigrain toast, also with Alfred sweet chili aioli. The same goes with Sorry, Dory just with the replacement of soft scrambled egg and avocado into pan fried dory fillet with tartar sauce.

They both were good, I liked the airy and fluffy scrambled egg combined with avocado and toast with the aioli. Alfred sweet chili aioli plays a supporting role here, the sweet, creamy, uplifting, and a subtle spiciness was pleasurable. Otherwise, it would just be a plate of salad and toast with egg. The Sorry, Dory was nice too, I always like fried dory, soft without the fishy smell, the batter made enough crunchiness outside, all paired with refreshing sweet and sour tartar sauce. Maple syrup also added complexity to the overall taste, I made sure to drizzle everything on my plate with the syrup.

In all, Alfred is a nice addition to your already convenient dining options with such a price that made me question if their price is really on par with what they deliver. Priciness aside, it worth a try for a unique dining menu experience.

I came by Dore on a Sunday afternoon for a quick bite while strolling around Plaza Indonesia. It is that cute little corner on the building's level 3, dominated with grayish white and gold color with a classy vibe, this small corner definitely will attract passerby's attention. And I found out that they have this different theme apllied in each outlet (Gallery in Plaza Indonesia, Colab in Plaza senayan, Corner in Kelapa Gading, etc.). There was only 3 or 4 seating in the outlet, so it's not the type of spot where you could have your fromage while chatting, social-laughing, and scrolling through your timeline with pals since people come and go in such a brief. For the most part, the limited seating has something to do with the idea of you being in their display as a mannequin to show people that walk by how classy their cakes are. And I must say that their fromage is a fancy take on cheesecake.

I ordered original fromage and chocolate fromage, and they both were really...exquisite. I like the original fromage best, you could see by the slice that the cake has two layers; the top layer is like the thick creamy part whereas the bottom layer is the cheese part with a more solid texture, also finished with a velvety surface. It taste slightly different from most cheesecake you might've had, the fromage was lighter in taste, fresh, creamy with a hint of milk and cheese, a slice would be an understatement.

Then we had the chocolate fromage, still in 2 layer format, only the base layer was a chocolate cheese base with velvety chocolate cake soft crumble. The chocolate tasted light and toned down with a sheer cheesiness, not being overwhelming is a great success in mixing milky cheese and chocolate.

The staff were nice and friendly, that made the overall experience a pleasure despite the limited seating. More visits on a less-crowded hours!

I've always been a fan to this place. My first visit was around 2012, and boy, I really glad knowing that this place exist. I like how they managed to turn old building on such a classic, vintage, and maybe one of old Jakarta heritage to a hip cafe that exudes retro mixed with indie vibe, thanks to Jakarta Institute for the Arts that influenced the artsy-retro-hipster ambiance. They offer an array of indonesian menu, and mostly (if not all of them) are indonesian traditional dishes with influence from the colonial era. From traditional cakes, toasts, fried rice, etc. And my personal favorite will be their Nasi Goreng Belacan, which basically shrimp paste fried rice that tasted classic, savory with a hint of enough spiciness. Their toasts are nice too, I'd go for their cheese & condensed milk toast. Rest of the menu are basic indonesian dishes which I'm sure would be very nice, but those are just not the reason why I came to this place in the first place.

Pricewise, this place charges a bit more than a normal restaurant would hence I consider quite pricet. Whether you can justify IDR 55K for a serving of chicken soup, that's all up to you. Service was good, and their wifi connection was considerably nice.

So yeah, I appreciate this place for being a great place to hang out with unusual take on retro atmosphere, but I guess the hefty price tag might be something noteworthy.