PARDON MY FRENCH

Brunch is one thing that always attract me. I have several favorite breakfast spots and spending the time there is becoming my weekly routine. Last week I saw a post from my blogger friend about this new cute finding in Menteng area, Pardon My French.

Pardon My French located in the busy street between Tanah Abang and Mentang which is perfect to attract the crowd. The parking space is also spacious (you know how those restaurants nowadays with tiny parking lot) and the service was very good. They help me park and refuse to get the parking tip for me.

A combination of classic blue, white, and gold dominate the room. It's a mixture of French-Japanese ambiance that I get here. Very comfortable. It's not a busy day for them when I came in, so happy to be the early bird to enjoy the atmosphere. 

So I ordered cappucino, iced tea, and es kopi susu my mother (I now that's the name!). Es kopi susu was way too sweet for me, felt like having a melted candy. The coffee was okay though. However, I really love the serving of their coffee. The pastel colors won my heart easily.

Chicken Pesto Sandwich was also an interesting dish to try. I'm quite a sandwich person so finding a decent sandwich is kinda hard nowadays. The baguette was crispy with good seasoning of pesto and chicken with some greens. I might under estimate this one at first, but turns out it's an enjoyable one!

Half Roasted Chicken was surely one comfort meal that never fail. The chicken was tender with good seasoning. The portion was quite big and could fit 2 people without any hesitation in portion. The mashed potato also had this interesting flavor which could elevate the dish itself. You nailed it!

Been having a thing with good croque madame and I was quite surprised that their croque madame was beyond my expectation. The bread was hard kind of bread, with delicious cheese everywhere, filled with meat inside. The highlight of the dish was surely the delicious and generous cheese which made me could not stop to dig in. The only thing was the bread was too hard for me (I am more like a fan of moist and thick bread), however it's only about personal preference.

Squid Ink Pasta, which came in black colors turned out to be very enjoyable. The pasta was al dente, seasoned well, with lots of anchovies on top. This might be too salty for some, but mix it well would solve the problem. One hearty dish for sure!

One does not eat well without dessert and I believe in that. Actually this one came from their brunch menu, not the dessert list, but still can do. Tempting presentation of French Toast with corn flake, but unfortunately I did not fall for this one. The bread was too hard and sweet for my liking. The chocolate and condensed milk was everywhere. A guilty feeling right after I tried it (sorry belly!)

Oh hey, Mr. Bear and I!

Overall Pardon My French is quite promising. The location is strategic with chill and comfort ambiance. The staff is quite helpful with good knowledge about the menu. The food is decent and generous, with some personal preference here and the, could be a better one. I did enjoy my time at Pardon My French.

PARDON MY FRENCH

Jl. Wahid Hasyim no 154-156, Jakarta Pusat

(021) 29627721

pmfjkt.com

@pardonmyfrench.jkt

Opening Hours: Mon-Thu: 8am-11pm/ Fri-Sun: 8am-1 am

Best regards,

Jessica Christy Limanjaya

TELER BOWL AT BERRYWELL JAKARTA

Indonesian dessert has always hold a favorite place in my heart. Any Indonesian desserts are special because they have their own story from area in Indonesia. My dad is also a big fan of it so he will always order it for dessert on our dinner time. One of his favorite is Es teler, which is consist of Avocado, coconut meat, cincau, jackfruit that are served with coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. See how many calories in one bowl? Yes, too many calories.

Good thing is, Berrywell is so thoughtful to remake it in a healthier way. This seasonal menu is also to celebrate independence day of Indonesia, so they create something that close to Indonesian people, something that close to our heart. Yes, it's our favorite es teler, with the magic of Berrywell, turn into Teler Bowl. The same goodness, the same heartwarming, yet in healthier way.

Smoothie bowl feast at Berrywell. Each only contains around 120-321 cals per bowl.

How to turn our favorite es teler into healthy Teler Bowl? My favorite smoothie bowl place is such a genius. They turn avocado, honeydew, and banana into smoothie base that bring the same tastiness with its traditional kind of teler bowl. The base of the smoothie is kinda heavier than their usual product, but it's very enjoyable and give you a longer time to be active until your next meal. The sweetness also comes from the coconut sugar infused with coconut milk. A fragrant bowl indeed.

The toppings, also come in healthier choice. The cincau is homemade, made from coconut water and activated charcoal. Sounds healthy, right? The bowl also covered with cold pressed beet chia jelly, which has the similar taste with the usual selasih we find in es teler. As you know that chia jelly has so many benefits and can make you feel full longer.

To add the colors: jackfruits, strawberries, and coconut on top. The colors are tempting, make me drool when I am typing it right now!

Overall Teler Bowl is one seasonal creation of Berrywell that you should try. Berrywell is being very innovative by creating seasonal product every several months. This teler bowl could be your choice of breakfast meal, or those days when you did not really into lunch and need something fresh! Moreover, avocado lover must have loved it! Guilt-free treat indeed.

I did recommend their product before this one some time ago and some of you still missed it. So make sure you try this Teler Bowl!

Berrywell

Shophaus Menteng

Fairgrounds SCBD

Plaza Senayan (Co Lab space)

@berrywelljkt

www.berrywell.co.id

TESATE RESTAURANT with SABABAY WINERY: wine pairing session

Wine is widely known as a good complimentary after you have a good dinner, fancy dinner to be exact. Western food is one perfect match, especially the one that serves good steak. Tender beef, is one great companion to be eaten with good old wine. Good thing is, our local restaurant invent something new. Since we have this high quality flavor in Indonesian cuisine, why don't we have our own wine pairing, with our own Indonesian food? Well, Tesate Restaurant, gonna bring you this.

A brief explanation about Sababay, a local wine company together with Tesate Restaurant, bring you the goodness of art in pairing local wine with Indonesian food. Based on Gianyar, Bali, this winery has their dedication to help the life of grape farmers in Bali, pushing them to have a better life, increasing their quality of life. By having Sababay, apart from the proud of using local wine, we help the life of Balinese grape farmer. Very touching.

Lesson learned from this wine tasting: you pair heavy food with heavy wine, fruity food with fruity wine, high fat food with high powered wine. Dramatic bold curry will only make one light delicate wine taste like water, make sense enough.

So basically Sababay offer 4 kinds of wine for this wine pairing: Ludisia, Reserve Red, White Velvet, and Moscato D'Bali.

LUDISIA

pair it with: sate ayam ponorogo, sate sapi maranggi, rendang. tahu udang berontak, serabi solo.

Ludisia is the first wine I try in this wine pairing session. Quite strong fragrant is greeting my olfactory bulbs when I am getting my first sip. Mixture of fruity things is kinda dominating, with a tip of sweet taste at the end. It's quite light actually. Turn out is contains cherry and dates. I really enjoy this one with my favorite sate ayam ponorogo and rendang  from Tesate. Their peanut sauce is surely my all time favorite, not to mention their super tender beef rendang. While their food in undoubtedly good, Ludisia is enhancing the goodness in local flavors.

RESERVE RED

pair it with: sate sapi makassar, sate kambing

This one is bolder, remind me of cherries, forest, old oak. The first sip is giving me a jolt of kick, while my second sip greets warmly, I am getting used to it. Remember the rules: matching heaving with something bold. That's why this sate sapi makassar, which is bold and has its own heavy sauce, make Reserve Red taste better. Reserved Red is also a good match for something with tomato based food and one with heavy sauces. Having it with sate kambing? Sure no worries!

write's note: their sate kambing is da bomb! I am no fan of this kind of skewer, but theirs is super, super tender. I am one happy kid!

WHITE VELVET

pair it with sate padang, ikan bakar dabu-dabu, cumi telur bakar

White velvet is something between light and bold for me. It is pleasing, with hints of lime, apple, and, grapefruit. Those things surely make this glass of wine taste something fruity and fun, in vibrant way. Something tropical, I must say. White velvet goes very well with something with curry-based, something creamy, and seafood. I have one with this ikan bakar dabu-dabu, which is a good match because for me seafood is something in between too! Not too bold nor too light.

MOSCATO D'BALI

pair it with: kerapu bakar jimbaran, rujak pengantin salad, gule sengkel. tahu udang berontak, sate padang, serabi solo

This one, my friend, is my favorite! Sweet, fun, young, and very pleasing taste is dominating my palate after having the first sip. Peach and lime is those two ingredients having its responsibility in the making of this wine, and they do succeed! I can imagine myself having Moscato d'bali with my girlfriends, enjoying this super tasty dessert called serabi solo, which is humble and amaze me in the same time, making me realize that our local food really can be an amazing one once they serve it right.

Another hint, for their kerapu bakar jimbaran also taste great! Grilled in well seasoned spices, I really enjoy it with my Moscato!

Overall, I do impress with all of these flavorful local foods that go well with our local wine. Everything is good match, taste good, once we play in wine-pairing rule. If I have to choose, my favorite pairs is Moscato d'bali with serabi and ikan bakar Jimbaran. A perfect companion for each other!

Anyway you can have this wine pairing session every Friday and Saturday, 6-10pm at Tesate Restaurant.

TESATE RESTAURANT

JL. Samratulangi No. 39, Menteng

Central Jakarta

(021) 5725356

Best regards,

Jessica Christy Limanjaya

@jechristy

MAPLE AND OAK

As you guys know I am a big, big, big fan of Australian brunch. I did remember the first time I had my first brunch in Syndey back then in 2011, way back when brunch was not a hype here. I remembered having Bills in Sydney, it was so memorable and hoping that I could get easy access to that kind of food in Jakarta, and voila: many brunch spot was popping up here, but little that won my heart. So when I heard that Maple and Oak by chef Odie Djamil opened its door for public, I was really excited to give it a visit. Moreover I heard some good reviews from my fellow blogger.

Maple and Oak reminded me much of homey brunch spot in Australia: tiny but comfy. It resides on the same building with Por Que No, Menteng area. Place is not spacious, but it somehow welcomes you heartwarming-ly. Staff is friendly and very knowledgeable, an overplus for Maple and Oak. It may get pack at brunch hour at weekend and they do not take any reservation in those days.

HOT LATTE-35k

Coffee was not bad, quite a kick to start my Sunday. Something I would not complain since it's not a specialty coffee shop.

CROQUE MONSIEUR-83k

My favorite so far! I did order this because I am such a sucker for croque monsieur whenever I see it on the menu. Unfortunately is not their suggestion on the first place. I do suggest to you Maple and Oak (of course if you don't mind) to put this to your favorite suggestion because it was SUPER YUMMY! Bread was in perfect thickness, which was using sourdough anyway. Mornay sauce fitted perfectly with beef pastrami, and the mozzarella and red cheddar made it even better! It was like a feast in my mouth and I kept digging it to the last piece!

Ps: Their croque monsieur did bolt to my top rank in Jakarta!

EGG BENEDICT

WITH SALMON-83k

WITH BEEF PASTRAMI-73k

Egg benedict is one dish that can truly give a first impression of one brunch spot. Maple and Oak, however, did a good job on it. Presentation was pretty. I really loved all the plates they were using, anyway. Egg was good and cooked perfectly, Hollandaise sauce was well seasoned. It was something you could not say no to!

MAPLE BUTTER BRIOCHE-78k

Their signature maple truffle butter, served with toasted brioche, combined with maple syrup was something humble yet satisfying. The scrambled egg was creamy and scrumptious, beef bacon was okay. I could not decide which one was my favorite on the plate because everything just enhanced each other well.

Overall it was a satisfying and pleasing brunch. It did cure my longing for Australian brunch a little bit, but Maple and Oak surely gonna be my top list whenever I'm craving for a good brunch spot in Jakarta. Best of luck, Maple and Oak!

Maple and Oak

De Ritz Building, Ground floor

Jl. Hos Cokroaminoto no 91, Menteng

Jakarta Pusat

(021) 3906757