A Tavola Kemang : Italian? Definitely (Maybe).

I've heard of praises prior to coming here, but it all tears down the soonest I enter the place on Sunday afternoon and find no patrons there. There were only one waitress to do all the job, including printing bills from behind the till. (Hey that rhymes!)

Few scenarios run in my head. I pulled out my occasional not-so-sure-about-your-place-but-I-wanna-see-what-you-have trick.

"May I have a look at your menu first?" 

A quick glance, still with doubts, but I say to myself : no harm in trying. My usual drill in an Italian restaurant is to order the two dish that represent the country the most: Pizza and Pasta. Lucky my friends are all with me and everyone picked a different menu.

Here's what was on our table:

Pizza Con Pepperoni (60k)
Shameful. Not only that the bread was hard to chew, when we let it air for 10-15 minutes it slowly deteriorates into something close to biscuit. Let's not go to the meat and cheese shall we? They are equally uninteresting as the bread.

Chicken Cordon Blu (Pardon me, forgot the price)
This saved my friends' belly from more pizza torture. A decent roll of meat, served warm, enough creamy sauce. Not something worth of honorary mention though. By the way, I'd appreciate if you could tone down the grated cheese. As you'll notice along the way, they are a little too serious in showing of their cheese to the point of almost ruining the taste. Because everything taste similar now.

Spaghetti Al Pesto (28k)
I personally would recommend this. Cooked al dente with the complementing basil & pine sauce, I needed nothing more to satisfy my tastebuds. Simplicity at its best.

Beef Lasagna (55k)
Another promising menu saved by the beef. But distracted by the cheese (again).

Fettuccine Con Prosciutto (40k)
Well cooked pasta. Cream based sauce was fascinating as well. I have no complains but the unnecessary reappearance of the grated cheese (again for the third time!).

Torta Di Cioccolato (30k)
Thank God they didn't pour cheese on this one. Probably the best thing that happened that afternoon. Not the best warm chocolate cake in town though. What makes it inferior to the one at Spageddies is probably the choice of chocolate. I just like their richness better.

At the end of the day, I probably should have listened to this review instead, or pay more attention to my gut feeling. I have no disappointment though. The meal was a lot more enjoyable with good friends around, they made it worth the while.

This is also a lesson to you Biters. If you have been coming to this site, lets not forget the written review while mesmerized by the photos. Read it paragraph by paragraph. Not everything that looks good is delectable. Same with food, same with women.

Cheers,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food & Travel Photographer / Storyteller


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A Tavola
Jl. Kemang Selatan Raya No. 125
Jakarta.
Ph: 021-71793580

Gastro Alley PIK : It All Comes Down To The Food

All the fancy decor, the money spent on interior design, the branding concept, the logo, the high end music station, the fancy plates, knives and spoons won't matter in the end. Because in the end, it all comes down to the food.

Sure, we appreciate beautiful well crafted comfort. We understand you need something to attract people to your place. But more often that not, these supporting acts are put on the main stage, while the food become somewhat an additional side show just cameo-ing the place.

It's what's happening in most restaurants in PIK. As a resident nearby, I find it hard to get good food. There's only a handful of decent ones. I'm glad to add one more to that noteworthy list: Gastro Alley. Not only that they pay attention to the ambience but more importantly they take their food seriously. Spend a few minutes and chat with the chef / owner than you'll capture the immense passion behind every dish he created.

Here's a few of what I tasted on his invitation the other day:

Cola Chicken Wings (IDR 37k)
See the beautifully glazed skin? That's the work of sugar sweetened soy and coke. While the flesh might not weight that much, but the flavor is an acceptable trade off.

Mushroom Soup (IDR 31k) & Clam Chowder (IDR 33k)
Both soups did a good job appetizing the tastebuds. On a detailed note, the first one was wonderful with the coarse-grounded tidbits of shrooms and the truffle oils is the cherry on top. A tidy bit salty to my liking though. While the clam chowder, is a smoother option in both texture and flavor.

Penne Vodka (IDR 49k) & Spaghetti Bolognaise (IDR 47k)
Again, the earlier is somewhat superior to the latter. The touch of vodka into the tomato, cream, & cheese sauce made it stand out to the already al-dente pasta.

Terrific Wagyu Tender Steak (IDR 169k) & Serious Wagyu Sirloin Steak (IDR 139k)
This is what I would recommend if you have an extra cash in your wallet. Both steak are cooked just on the right edge of medium. Juicy with all the goodness of a beef, texture-wise and flavor-wise. Sous-vide cooked rarely goes wrong I suppose. The tenderloin however is a personal favorite of mine. I love the experimental nature of this dish with the addition of melon slices. Surprisingly it matches the meat well when eaten together. Have it as it is or mix it with the mushroom / red wine sauce.

Classic Burger (IDR 53k) & Gastro Burger (IDR 56k) 
I kinda forgot which is which, but they are equally good. Remember our mantra? When in doubt ... Get both! ;)

Espresso Creme Brulee (IDR 39k) & Cheesecake (IDR 40k)
If you fancy the kind of dessert that's not too sweet, this is tailored for you. Cheesecake made intentionally to bring out the cheese more than the sugar. With the texture that's coarser and less dense than the common cheesecake, it is yet another twist from the chef. The creme brulee was a miss though.  It was so watery due to a slight change in recipe by the sous-chef. I guess Gastro's kitchen is just made that way, its more play than work in there.

Well as you might have noticed from the fine print, things that are good does come with a price tag. Some might be fine with it, but they are not for daily consumption for most people. I rest that case for you to decide.

I look forward to more of foodplace like Gastro Alley in PIK. The one that would rather put a menu off the list temporarily just because they're best supplier for quality lemon is out of stock. The one that would take into considerations the amount of calories, mix of flavor and texture before devising a menu. And finally the one that would value honest opinion from the patrons rather than a sugarcoated comment. Because of one reason, that it all comes down to the food.

Signing off, tune in to my tweets @Wanderbites.

Fellexandro Ruby
Food storyteller & photographer

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Un Pranzo Piacevole In Pesto Autentico

 One enjoyable lunch at Pesto Autentico.

Indeed it was. Upon entering the venue, I was greeted directly by the manager in charge and led to my reserved table next to the window (perfect lighting for a quickie photoshoot). Was so excited to finally try this place. I've been in love with their design, interior and their simple catchy name for quite a while.

And so with the menu in my hand I ordered me-self a bunchful of Italian delicacies.

I started off with Classico Pane Italiano to kickstart my empty belly, a little virgin olive to oil my digestion system and a sip of Pesto Signature Tea to get it ready for some muscular heavy food munching activity. These bread are of course compliment of the house. And so just as with any compliment, I don't want to spoil myself with it. Took a tiny bite and that's it. Too much of a compliment is not good for anybody.

A couple second after, I get a message from my belly informing that he is ready for the big party. Just in time! The Fettucinne alla Pescatora came few minutes afterward. You've got to look at the generous amount of shrimp and squid, not too mention the portion big enough to satisfy two belly. I also love the creamy sauce. It came with a perfect combination of salt and sweet for my liking. The only setback is that I couldn't taste the white wine that they said was part of the bechamel sauce. It feels almost like being lied to. Or maybe I'm just too sensitive. Nevermind.

 

Coming up second on the main course list was the Rustica Pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella, cooked ham, and mushrooms).

While the picture might get you stunned and drooling, the taste is somewhat far from what their beauty projected. On my defense, it was too Italian (so much for an italian-sounding name Rubs). On their defense, my tongue is too Indonesian. Both are correct, and thankfully there's a win-win solution ... Heinz Tomato Sauce! Yes! That bottle of tomato literally saved my appetite. So Pesto, there's a hint for you. There might be a reason behind if you keep finding yourself running out of tomato sauce.

Bread, bread, and some more bread. I just had enough of it halfway through my lunch, hence I asked my Panacotta to be served. This time I have to thank their lack of rum because its just what I wanted. My tongue simply refuses rum mixed in any kind of food. But this one, is just right, maybe not on the extraordinary end, but a sweet closure to my lunch, oh yes!

Overall, I had a satisfying first encounter with Pesto. As I mentioned earlier their warm and inviting interior is always a plus for me.

Will I come back? Hmm. I definitely will IF and ONLY IF Disdus offer another promo voucher. =p Don't you agree Biters?

Looking forward to hear your Italiano feedback.

Adios Biters,


Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist, Photographer, and I swear that Italian sounding name is just my parents creativity.

Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites
Or catch my Instagrams @Captainruby

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Pesto Autentico
Thamrin Nine, UG Floor
Ph: 29937230
E: ciao@pesto.co.id
T: @PESTOautentico

Now Cooking - Nuzzys Resto

"Nuzzy's is a casual concept dining. Serving Europian cuisine from Napoli, French, and Spain. " 

That's how they introduced themselves in their website homepage here. Yup, right to the typo. =p Funny thing is, when I asked the waitress what are their Spanish cuisines, she didn't know which is which and simply answered "We have mostly Italian". And that is true if you looked at their menu, maybe a handful of Spanish menu and that's it. They even have one page dedicated for Asian menu. HA! They should write that down in their website homepage.

I was a bit upset feeling a bit misled into coming to their foodplace. But I reckon, might as well give it a try. And so I ordered the following.

Gratin Escargot as appetizer.  

 
"Snails sauteed in wine garlic and gratin smooth hollandaise served on puff pastry".

Yep, they're as tempting as the menu description. I like how the buttery hollandaise sauce & the tomato burst out a differing taste with the snails. On a side note, it would be so much nice if the puff pastry was actually 'puffy'. Oh well, they're not a patisserie, what do you expect. 

Moving on, and here I must acknowledge the importance of speed. Restaurateur, waiter / waitress, you all should know that  when people ordered an appetizer and a main and a dessert, he expects to be pampered. He wants a joyful enough amount of minutes to savor each menu. And he wants each menu to come in time. Meaning, warmly flavorfull right off the oven. Meaning, you don't pour out all orders at once!

So the Smoked Beef Green Fettucinni came when I was halfway through my appetizer. I hate rushing one meal to quickly go to the next one before it goes cold. Good thing I had a nice ice cold Strawberry Lychee ice tea to cool down my nerves (a little too bland though). There you go, another input for you to learn, dear Nuzzys.

 The pasta was cooked just right for my taste bud. Not too rigid and not too mushy. Plus point.

The fact that is green also make it interesting. I reckon it has a mix of healthy veggies in it, thus the color (the reason). It gives a good show of color on my plate and I like it (the actual reason, green is my fav color), especially when the generous amount of red beef bacon and the brownish mushroom rolls on plate. Also, DO YOU SEE THE CHEESE TOPPING?! Love it when food is as scrumptious on the eye as it is on the tongue. I would recommend this, spice it up with some dried chili and voila!

Priced at 35k on the Escargot, 45k on the Pasta, and 19.5k on the drink, this is not your particular everyday lunch, especially when they topped another 7.5% service charge above the 10% tax. The problem is not on the amount, in fact I gave extra tip on this visit. The problem is one, whether what you charged is up to par to your service, and second, I think tipping for service is up to one's personal choice and on-the-spot experience. And this goes for all foodplace. A little something for you to consider.

Cheers to an awesome weekend,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Blogger & Photographer


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Nuzzys Mousse & Resto
Tribeca, Central Park Mall & Flavor Bliss, Alam Sutera
Phone: 021-83838201
Twitter: @nuzzysresto