Tim Ho Wan Jakarta

Great news for Tim Ho Wan's lover because they're opening their very first branch in Indonesia, right here in Jakarta! Yes, it is that famous Michelin star Tim Ho Wan that I am talking about right now! I did have one in Hongkong and it tasted really great. I just could not wait to give it a try once I knew they were opening their door here.

Located in Pantai Indah Kapuk, Tim Ho Wan's fans saturated this place since 1 hour before their opening hour. Crazy right? Location wise, it was not that big, but they are gonna improving by providing the second floor for dining too!

The main reason to be here : baked BBQ pork bun (38.8k)!

Tasted really great, crunchy sweet coating with soft, tasty, and generous filling. They did not let me down on this one, tasted the same like the one I had in Hongkong!

 

I really had a dimsum madness here. Tried their pan fried carrot cake (31.8k) which was a bit too gooey for me. The warm steamed egg cake (28.8k) which was very enjoyable and soft. I personally loved their beancurd skin roll with pork and shrimp (33.8k), the sauce was great! Siewmay (36.8k) and hakau (38.8k) tasted good too!

Rows of BBQ baked bun. I could not stop myself from munching my second bun!

 I did try their vermicelli roll with BBQ pork (36.8k), vermicelli roll with prawn (38.8k), and vermicelli roll with sweet and sesame sauce(28.8k). My favorite was the prawn one, although the pork one was okay. I was not a fan of their sweet kind of vermicelli, because it tasted like plain vermicelli with peanut butter sauce.

Overall I really had a great time here. Price was quite expensive, but their pork bun really is a must try! Best of luck for Tim Ho Wan Indonesia!

Tim Ho Wan

Ruko Crown Golf Block D No.8-10
Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta

Kazan Ramen

Another addition to our ramen house, because ramen was such a hit in recent years. Kazan Ramen, has widely known as ramen originated from Osaka, opened its door in Pantai Indah Kapuk area. Kazan ramen actually had opened its first Jakarta chain in Lotte Shopping Avenue, but due to their effort to serve you better, they moved to PIK area. 

Kazan itself means volcano, describing the way they present their dishes.

Ramen stuffs

Tried their Kazan Karamiso Ramen which came in 2 choice of serving (S: 59,8k ; L: 79.8k). I went for the small one and trust me, it was huge! The small one could really be enjoyed for 3 people. Their ramen came in unique way. Using a hot pot, they demonstrated how to cook it for 1 minute first, and after that ramen was ready!

This serving also came with additional soup and rice. I did wonder why, and they explained that somehow when we enjoyed ramen, we could enjoy the wasted soup with the rice they prepared. This was really something new for me, remembering that eating a whole portion of ramen always make my tummy overwhelmed.

Taste wise, it was quite light. It was the original taste of Osaka ramen, they said, was nothing like another ramen house. They did use own made noodle so their noodle consistency was quite different. A bit mushy, I should say. Cuts of vegetables were really dominating the hot pot, contributing the flavor of the soup. The winner of this bowl was surely the pork cuts. Two pieces of tasty pork belly! But these 2 pieces might be a minority compared with this huge bowl.

Quite a satisfaction for me, their curry rice it is. This hot stone curry rice with chicken karaage (49.8) was enjoyable. Curry sauce was alright. The hot stone itself contributed the burned rice at the bottom of the bowl. It would be really nice to have more pieces of karaage though.

This ramen house did not stop to amaze me in their unique way. Their signature dessert, ice kazan (59.8k) came with its really huge portion and beautiful presentation. Shaved ice with matcha, topped with red bean and vanilla ice cream, It was nice, but I prefer to have more toppings on it.

Overall it was quite an enjoyable meal. Best of luck for Kazan ramen!

Kazan Ramen

Ruko Cordoba blok A, Bukit Golf Mediterania

Pantai Indah Kapuk

021 29704982

Arasseo Soju Bar and Eatery

Throwing my memory back to one of my best holiday to Sydney and Melbourne. I remember trying so many restaurants which I never been to before. Most of them were Korean and Thailand restaurant. Korean food instantly became my favorite one at that time. Later when I got back to Indonesia, I found that our Korean food was not similar to theirs. Ours was dominated with grilled Korean barbecue while they were not.

So when bunch of ex-Melbourne students opened this kind of Korean restaurant, I was excited to give it a try. Moreover they just opened their door for lunch, giving me more chances to visit them. Arasseo located in the well-known Senopati area, just next to Pao Pao, sharing the same building with them. Decoration wise, it was not that spacious but comfortable. 

Anyway, I had this lunch with its lovely owner and my foodie friend Verdi .

Started with something real good: Tartare dream!

A bowl of hearty warm rice topped with bite-sized chicken with tartare sauce. The chicken was tender, but the winner was the tartare sauce. It was really yummy and I could not stop digging to this bowl. They said it was a reflection of Melbourne's favorite dish called Kay's chicken. No wonder it was one of their favorite menu!

Fried rice wrapped in omelette and topped with katsu. It was alright, a type of meal that would be everyone's comfort zone. But I'd prefer more kick in this plate!

Another Melbourne signature in my bowl : Oh My Gyu!

Ox tongue has been such a celebrity recently, while my favorite is still the first one I had in Menya Melbourne. This one was quite good. Sauce tasted good and the ox tongue was enjoyable. They said they are gonna make it thinner though, which is a good idea for me. 

Their creation was really innovative! Tried this Mr Chef Pasta which was basically pasta with gojuchang sauce, topped with beef and shredded cheese. The sauce itself had its unique taste, such a new experience to my palate.

Lovely lunch ended with lovely dessert. Got served this hotteok/korean pancake. I really liked the sweetness from the filling inside it, which consisted of peanut and brown sugar. Topped it with vanilla ice cream as a bonus, Yum!

Overall my lunch was really lovely. Lovely food, comfy ambiance, and lovely people. Surely will come back to try another creation of theirs!

Arasseo

Jl. Senopati no 16

Central Jakarta

021 27510187

opening hour : 11.00-24.00

Little Belgium at Petit Julien

Sitting there, in the corner of little cafe, imagine yourself sipping a hot chocolate while reading a good book, and befriend with nice weather of Belgium. The smell of freshly made waffle welcomes you. Smell so good and you just can not wait to have one. 

That's my wild imagination of Belgium

Petit Julien, for me, is a little Belgium in the middle of big city. Seated comfily in the Lower ground of Grand Indonesia, they are the closest Belgium you can get. Dominated by red bricks and wooden chair, make it feel like being in Europe for a while.

Specializing in Belgian waffle, they are trying to keep it original like they had in Belgium. They imported the waffle machine and had fit all the premium ingredients. They has two to offers for the waffles. One with the dense, sweet and chewy kind of waffle called Liege waffle and the other one with crispy, thin, and light Brussels waffle. I really had a hard time deciding which one is going to be mine! :p

My favorite kind of waffle always like this : crispy outside and warm yet moist inside, also have it thick. So I decided to have the Liege one with mappleberry topping (45k). Consisted of icing sugar, dried cranberries, apples, cashews, maple syrups, and vanilla ice cream. All of the topping was like a fireworks to my buds. The sourness of the apples and cranberries really balanced the sweetness on my plate. I really do recommend to bite it all while it still warm to keep the moist texture of it.

A treat of hot chocolate(30k)is always a good thing. Theirs was a combination of dark choco,ate and milk chocolate so they tend to keep it not to bitter and not too sweet. My opinion? Such a good companion especially in the rainy days! ;)

Closer look to my waffle!

And they did have cake display too! Such a joyful view to the eye!

Belgian cookies!

Banana praline (35k) is a chocolate tart made of brownie and topped with banana pralines cremeux, while white choc cheesecake (25k) is a Belgian choco cheesecake with a bonus of speculoo crunch. Both are rich in taste and consisted of Original Belgian chocolate. I really like the taste of the mixture in banana praline, my favorite indeed!

Overall I really enjoyed my waffles and hot chocolate. Gonna be back soon to try another creation of theirs. Keep up the good work!;)

Petit Julien

Grand Indonesia Mall, Lower Ground, across Kinokuniya bookstore

021 29704982

Roba Yakitori

Kinds of Japanese food is growing in rapid speed lately in Jakarta. Sushi, ramen, soba, and yakitori From all kind of those foods, Yakitori is not my first choice. But tempting menus of theirs pushed me to try this one. Moreover this new Robatayaki restaurant is Pancious' group new baby.

Located in one of the busiest mall of West Jakarta,  Roba Yakitori opened its door just next to the well known Pancious. Domination of wooden wall contributes the Japanese atmosphere, reminds me of mini Japanese stalls I read in comic. 

Once you step in, you are gonna be welcomed by rows of tempting skewer with many variation. Chicken leg, chicken skin, chicken breast, any kinds of katsu, you say it all. They also have set menus to help you decide what to eat. 

I get myself set menu 2B, which contains chicken leg, chicken breast, tamago and rice with terriyaki sauce. Portion is quite fulfilling. All of it is good but I prefer more sauce to make it richer.

My favorite skewer would be. the salmon one. Thick, juicy, with tasty teriyaki sauce as well. Anyway They have teriyaki sauce and wasabi garlic for the sauce. Surprisingly my eggplant taste really nice, too!

They also have variety of sushi and salad. Since I love inari, I go with seaweed inari. The portion of seaweed is generous, fresh, and crunchy. me likey!

I also have their banana katsu to end my meal. It is very sweet, a bit too mushy, but still quite nice.

Overall it is quite a pleasing meal. Such a new comer with variety of food.

Roba Yakitori

Mall Taman Anggrek 3rd floor (next to Pancious)

West Jakarta

082280080080

Yamatoten Abura Soba Jakarta

Like I told you before, food industry in Jakarta is growing in extreme speed. One of the most growing place is Pantai Indah Kapuk. New restaurants are popping up here and there in a blink of the eye. I am so excited to try this new restaurant, because I have never tried anything like this before.

Introducing Yamatoten Abura Soba, a restaurant came from Tokyo. Flew those thousand miles to serve you the goodness in a bowl. The chef itself is originally from Japan to train the local chefs to bring the authentic taste of it. 

So basically  Abura Soba means oil Soba that served without the soup, At first I thought it was the kind of cold soba in those Japanese food. Turned out I was wrong, it was much better than that!

Trying out the appetizer. Pork belly, cheesy corn, and potato salad. And the winner is.... Yes, the amazing pork belly for sure!

Abura Soba Original (59k)

The way to enjoy your soba: add two rounds of vinegar and two rounds of chilly oil, then mix it well. The texture of the noodle was lovely. I really love all the seasoning which was really well-balanced. The topping was quite generous, which contained seaweed, sesame seeds, spring onions, bamboo shoots, and roasted pork. Roasted pork were great, the only setback was the bamboo shoot, which had its strong strange taste for me. 

Karami Ontama Abura Soba (68k)

This one was a creamy version of their original soba with half-boiled egg on top. All the toppings were similar with the original one, but they said it had its spicy taste. I did not really taste the spiciness, and still added some chilly oil to make it better. (It was good without any additional chilly, though!)

However, the creamy taste was quite heavy to enjoy this big bowl all by myself. So I recommend to share this one.

See those layers of sinful pork belly. But tasted great!

 Stir and mix it well

I really had a great meal in Yamatoten Abura Soba, and I am planning to pay more visits to try their menus. Everything was such a pleasant taste to my taste buds!

Yamatoten Abura Soba

Ruko Garden House A12

Pantai Indah Kapuk

Jakarta Utara

(021) 29033341

Opening hours: 11:00 – 15:00 and 17:30 – 22:00

Nam Nam Noodle Bar

I am not a big fan of  vietnamese noodle bar. They are great, for sure. My taste buds always ask for more flavorful kind of food, instead of this one. But when this Singapore's chain is opened in Pantai Indah Kapuk, I did not mind to try a bowl!

Let's have a hearty bowl of Nam Nam!

Starting the first debut of theirs in 2012, they claimed themelves as a specialist in pho and bahn mi. Their pho-losophy, I quote, contain no msg, quick, and affordable. They use natural broth to serve one hearty homey soup!

Interior wise, they are pretty. They are dominated by woods and big windows, enhancing the natural beauty.

Crispy fried prawn and chicken rolls (35k) were such a great opening. Tasty and generous filling of these rolls were such a pleasing opening to my tongue!

Pho wagyu beef slice (130k)

A bowl of rice flour noodles with 24-hour-cooked broth and, slices of medium rare wagyu, and fresh herbs. The soup was good, lack of something, but still good. The wagyu itself was the king. Tasty, juicy, and flavorful as well.

Chicken pho (58)

I personally liked this broth better than the wagyu one. This one had this sweet taste that a joyful taste to my taste buds. Chicke was tender and good. This one surely such a comfort food for anyone who tried pho for the first time!

Well like I said I am not a big fan of it, but this one was quite a good one. Healthy one comfort meal indeed. I did not try their bahn mi anyway,and I am gonna back some day for this!

Nam Nam Noodle Bar

Ruko Crown Gold blok D no 21 & 23.

Pantai Indah Kapuk