Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Mika Japanese Bistro : a vintage Japanese


Japanese restaurant has its own appealing thing.
So when I spotted this Japanaese restaurant in the busy Kota Kasablanka, I could have myself more excited to give it a try. It was not Sushi they are offering, but a modern fusion Japanese kind of food.


Stepped inside and got myself awed with the pretty interior. Not just the usual Japanese restaurant. The vintage ambiance was dominating much, beautified by those pile of books, old recorder, and huge clock. The fireplace was such a bliss, too!


Strawberry squash. (30k)
The presentation was pretty. It was the one you surely wanna grab on your hot sunny days. Lime soda and a pinch of sweet and sour from the strawberry was such a refreshment.



Salmon tartar (36k)
A block of stick rice with chopped of fresh salmon on top.
The food was pretty. But too bad it did tasted bland. I asked the waiter if I could have any sauce to eat it with, but they said the food was not supposed to be eaten with any other sauce. The salmon itself was quite good. But the combination of the sticky rice and the topping was not a click.


Teriyaki chicken salad. (33k)
My favorite salad list added its line. This bowl was surely offering the goodness in healthy food. The vegetables was fresh, the teriyaki chicken was really good, and the peanut sauce was really a match.


Demiglace omurice. (65k)
Claimed to be a specialist in omuice, I did have myself order their best seller on the restaurant. Their omurice was tomato based, so the rice was a bit reddish on color. The tomato flavor was dominating. The scrambled egg was silky but a bit bland, neutralized by the sweetness of the sauce on the side. A spoonful was supposed to have all the components inside. 


Too bad I found my most favorite food was just the salad in this Japanese restaurant. Maybe I did not order it right. Their dessert selection was interesting, though. Next time, maybe?

Mika Japanese Bistro
Kota Kasablanka FSG11
Jl. Kasablanka Raya kav 88m
(021) 29464975


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Cacaote : Elegance in pink


It was pretty, classic, and sweet
It did offer the luxurious ambiance everyone would fall for
Beautiful in pink, elegant in the eye
It was Cacaote


Another addition to our choice of pretty places, Cacaote sits beautifully in busy Senopati street. The building easily caught the attention, offering its luxury and elegance.



Entering the building, the friendly server were ready to serve. You'd be amazed with the effort they had to the interior. Splendid. Few more steps and you'd have yourself standing to face those beautiful cakes, tarts, and eclairs. Not to mention the pretty macarons!



Fruit tarts.
Overwhelming. The sweetness of the fla in the middle of the pastry, the freshness of those fruits on top, the colours of splendour. My favorite so far!

Cacaote.
Chocolate glaze on top, chocolate sponge and mousse, a taste of praline, caramelized nuts on the bottom, and milk chocolate cream. Imagine the sweetness of it were dancing in your mouth!

Lemon tart.
It felt like having an explosion, sunshine in the middle of winter. The sourness was dominating, but the cream on top were there to neutrelize! 

Vanilla and coffee eclairs.
Beautiful layer of dough and cream with a touch of crumble on top. The vanilla was just fine, but the coffee had its stronger yet pleasant taste. 


Everything was pretty, everything was enjoyable. It was surely a hit, newest addition to choices in Jakarta. Gonna back to try another cakes and mains!


ps : all cakes are around 30-50k. macarons are 12k each.

Cacaote Pattiserie-Brasserie-Bar
Jl. Senopati Raya No. 80
(021) 2930 6127



Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Yo! Panino : Play with Fun

I am not into fast food.
I would rather to wait for a plate of beautifully cooked dishes than having this kind of food.
That day was different,though.
This one caught my eye, stimulated my appetite.
Tried this one won't kill, right?


Yo! Panino
The name was kinda catchy. The corner was playful. Everything seemed promising.
It was clear that they tried to offer something new in the city. 
They had wide selections of sandwich to offer, and it could be quite confusing, but fortunately the service was good enough to patiently explaining everything I asked about


Firstly, pick your choice of sandwich. From Indonesian taste like rendang and tempe, to classic philly sandwich, and Japanese katsu. They had it all.
Secondly, the bread, there were multi grain, brioche, white, and turkish pride. Each of them was different, offering their own uniqueness. 
After that, those choice of topping were all yours (yap, it's for free!). Fried wonton, garlic chips, lettuce, sweet corn, and many more. Asked for their recommendation to match the topping with your choice of sandwich.
Last but not least, the awesome saucesomes. Traditional Yo Java, Sesame, Wasabi. Play with your creativity and started to get messy!



Rise and Shine.
Everything was great. The fried egg, bacon, and hash brown blended perfectly. I had lettuce, sweet corn, cucumber, garlic chips for the topping and the mixture of the flavor was good! I forgot about the sauce but I had their recommendation to match with Rise and Shine. And the portion was really big, such a fulfilled one indeed.


Up the tempe.
A traditional dish met the modern sandwich. Chose the brioche bread which is soft and sweet. I had sweet corn, lettuce, fried wonton for the toppings and Yo! Java for the sauce. Basically the sauce tasted like traditional Javanese peanut sauce. Turned out it was just okay, I need something more, something that could make me asked for more about this idea of sandwich.


I spent 90k for both of them. Quite affordable, compared with the big portion. Some said they're gonna open the 2nd branch in Kota Kasablanka. Could it be another big thing in Jakarta?

Yo! Panino
Plaza Indonesia 4th floor
(across Playground)
(021) 29024020