Antipodean Kemang : one hearty brunch

I love breakfast. Any kind of breakfast.

I love the sound of sizzling pan in the morning, accompanied by the smell of coffee, with a glimpse of morning sunshine. I am imagining myself sitting by a huge window, in all white, enjoying my breakfast. My pretty breakfast. But having that kind of dream is quite hard in this city, isn't it?

And then I saw it : Antipodean. Was reading all the reviews for this tiny cafe and tempted me to go there. It was quite an effort to make it there, as I lived in West Jakarta, and this one is located in Kemang. I personally loved the area. I knew I would love this cafe since the moment I stepped in. Antipodean was not spacious, but it had its own charm, reminded me of those days in Sydney. It was quite packed that day, dominated by foreigners, which made me miss Australia even more.

You knew this one was my weakness, didn't you? French toast with bacon and maple syrup (60k). It was not the prettiest french toast I've ever had, but it surely was scrumptious. Everything was on a perfect balance. I was not a fan of the combination of french toast and bacon though, but it was tasty to eat it separately. The bacon had its oily consistency which was really good to be enjoyed (yet so guilty!).

And it was not a breakfast without a plate of big breakfast (70k), right? A generous portion of mushroom, hashbrown, scrambled egg, and choice of bacon/sausage, and toast bread. Everything on the plate was good, and very fulfilling.

My favorite thing on a plate, the pretty scrambled egg!

Overall Antipodean won my heart, and this tiny cafe deserved more. I was truly a big fan since my first visit and surely gonna come back for sure! ;)

Antipodean

Kemang Selatan 1

Kompleks Hero Kemang

South Jakarta

021 7192364

Common Grounds Jakarta : new coffee in town!

My first impression for Common Grounds : neat. It was like a white-on-white ambiance inside. It was not too spacious, but everything was comfortable enough. The smell of coffee made it better. 

I picked my seat, browsed through the menu, and smiled. They did serve breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. It was 2 pm, super late for breakfast, but theirs was tantalizing so I ordered one. (or two ;))

Cafe latte (32k) for the starter. I am not an expert in coffee, but I did order it in most coffee shops. This one gave me a good sip, just like the one I wanted it to be. Not too milky, not too strong.

Breakfast burito (60k)

Simply delicious. I loved how this simple dish did have great taste. Generous fillings of scrambled egg, sausages, and hashbrown with balance seasonings. A huge bite of everything really pleased my palate. 

Truffle scrambled eggs (75k)

Toasted bagguete with Norwegian smoked salmon and scrambled egg on top and spring onions sounds catchy, turned out it was not a hit for me. The bagguete was kinda hard to chew, pushed me to give an extra attempt to enjoy this one. The toppings was just fine, but the flavor was not a match one to another. Apparently 75k was quite pricey for the taste they offered.

Nutella frappe (40k)

Thick, and sweet, and brain freezing. A perfect match for those sweet tooth. The taste was more like chocolate rather than nutella. It was quite good though.

Overall it was a good place to hang out. Neat ambiance, good meal, good sip of coffee. Still wondering about their other menu, am gonna back for sure! 

Common Grounds

Citywalk Sudirman

1st floor

Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur

Central Jakarta

(021) 2555 8963

Le Cafe Gourmand Jakarta

These rapidly growing cafes and restaurants are uncontrollable. It was amazing to see bright ideas are popping around to invent a new kind of restaurant. Comfortable places, innovative cooking, dessert for sweet-tooth. Such a heavenly option for us, aren't they?

After having their first store at Surabaya, they tried to spread their wings in one of the busiest street in Jakarta. They do offer the comfortable corners dominated by bright lighting which was easily pleasing me. The spacious area with pastel blue color is another thing that matter. Pretty cakes are on display, such a consolation to the eye. They said all of their cakes are their own handmade, including the ice cream!

Macarons, cakes, ice cream. Say it all you want, they have it all!

My favorite corner : rows of French pastries!

It took me some time to decide, and after many questions to the shop assistant I had myself a piece of mango pastry (35k). And I love it! Asked them to heat it first and there you go, crunchy outside-soft-inside-pastry with delicious mango jam. Dying to try another creation of their pastry!

A scoop of homemade icecream (35k)

Creamy with scent of rum. Good taste of rum raisin. I was a happy kid.

Bunny cake (40k+)

Such a cutie pie, isn't it? Mango mousse with crunchy chocolate layer inside. Too bad it was too sweet for me.

It surely is a great place to hang out with some friends. Eat scoops of ice cream with sprinkle of gossips on it. They do have light bites and all day breakfast, too. Gonna back for sure to try their another menu.

Le Cafe Gourmand

Jl. Gunawarman no 65

Senopati, South Jakarta

021 29305522