La Creperie PIK : Crepes, Galettes & Beer

If at the moment there's such an award as most promising eatery in Pantai Indah Kapuk, my vote will go for this one. La Crêperie has what it takes to prevail. A spacious and well designed area, an ambience that soothes at any time of the day, a good service, and most importantly a line of specialty dishes that makes you keep coming back for more.

The crêpes here are by far the closest I've met to original, so much that it sends me back to that little place in Montparnasse, a couple blocks from the Metro. Yes, you will not find one of those super crispy faux crepes. What you'll have instead is a thin layer of smooth and soft pancake.

Not stopping at that, La Crêperie also make a clear division of sweet (sucre crepes) made from wheat flour and savory (galettes) made from buckwheat flour. The latter is the typical Brittany meal that eventually spread throughout France. If you notice La Crêperie lighthouse logo, then you'll get the breton spirit embodied in it.

Crêpes with home-made salted caramel and peach (IDR 53k)

On my plate was the sweet crepes with homemade salted butter caramel and peach. My friend had the similar one with chocolate and salted buter caramel. Although I had a moment of questioning whether the fruit was fresh or canned, it was scrumptious. Any sweet tooth like me could easily fell for these two. A smooth textured crepes with generous toppings. Enough said.

Gotta admit I was so tempted to chill on my favorite Alben's cider, but common sense won. I would've gone sugar-high if I opted for that. I decided a bottle of Heineken is equally pleasing for that warm sunny afternoon. Too bad it came out not as ice cold as I expected to. Far from the minus two rule of thumb.

Gotta love the chairs! I wanna take 'em home!

Crepes with salted caramel & chocolate. (IDR 49k)

Sailor theme all over the place.

Having crepes and galettes as their main course is a daring venture, considering typical Indonesian belly that needs far more carbs to satisfy their hunger. I myself still see it in the go-to dessert place category. I have this believe though, that a food place need to have a signature item that pulls people to come back.  Lucky for them, I think La Crêperie has it. Just gotta watch for the price tag. We have a rather price sensitive crowd here in PIK and I keep finding from time to time that the most sustainable food place here are the ones who could manage that well.

Bonne chance, au revoir

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Photographer & Storyteller

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La Crêperie
Ruko Crown Golf
Pantai Indah Kapuk
(next to Ikkudo Ichi ramen)

Ph: 0896-934-5555-4

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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Detention Room PIK : Being Detained Has Never Been This Good

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate."

I practically lived by the quote this afternoon. I called out my college friend who hasn't been in touch for quite a while. The last time we met was in a wedding where I would be busy queueing for kambing guling while he's out there picking up chicks. That being said, we have a lot to catch up. Detention room sounds like a perfect place for two former sophomore badboys. 

Stories upon stories was brought up while sipping on Hot Milk Chocolate. One that particularly interest me was how he's a changed man now. That and also the fact that the cocoa was served at right temperature and wasn't powder based. Meaning, it's melted from pieces of chocolate bar. This resulted in a creamier texture than your instant Cadbury or the popular malaysian Kakao. 

Hot Milk Chocolate - IDR 30k

This friend of mine used to be a verbal hard-headed spoiled punk. I remember I used to be the one preaching him, now the wheel has turned. To hear his life-changing encounters in a much mature tone is good news. As good as this BYOB Burger (yes, you could build your own burger here!).  Mine was a soft bun burger with single beef patty, topped with onions, cheese, and BBQ sauce. The only thing missing for me was the lack of texture play. If only there's an option for crispy pork bacon topping, it would've been heavenly! 

Oh, did I mention the wedges on the sides? Skin on baby! I've always been a fan of potatoes. I even had an extra platter of Fries Nation. It's a mix of shoestrings, curly fries, and wedges. All in one bowl. And for IDR 24k it is definitely worth it. 

BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) - IDR 40k/50k/60k

Fries Nation - IDR 24k

As we munch on, I couldn't get my attention out of my friend's Deep Fried Chocolate Bar. I had it the other day, you could see the picture on my twitter @Wanderbites. I could still recall the sweet sticky Snickers bar half melted on the inside with extra chocolate dressings on the outside. It was sinfully scrumptious, although I believe the world is still divided into two, Team Snickers and Team Mars. I'm on the second team. That means, I'd still vote for deep-fried Mars bar in Australia's Bondi beach anytime of the day. Which side are you on? 

*burp*

Are these too much for lunch? Not at all. It is worth every space in my belly and a two hour well spent. Remember what Dono-Kasino-Indro said at the end of their movies: "Makanlah sebelum makan itu dilarang."

Bye now Biters. Don't forget to let me know here or on twitter @Wanderbites if you're on Snickers team or Mars team. ;)

Fellexandro Ruby

Food & Travel Storyteller / Photographer

Follow my culinary hits and misses live on Twitter @Wanderbites

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Detention Room

Ruko Crown Golf Blok D/28

Bukit Golf Mediterania, PIK

(Arah terusan waterbom, belok kiri, menuju pintu tol lagi)

@BeingDetained

Sengoku Noodle (PIK) - A Ramen War Of Its Own

It was only a few weeks ago that I tasted the increasingly popular Ikkudo Ichi. So popular that even my pastor went all the way to PIK to try it. That is something! In case you missed out, you can read my review of Ikkudo here. Continuing the ramen wave, recently I paid a visit to Sengoku Noodle who happens to be nearby.

My first impression of Sengoku Noodle was a bit displeasing. The poorly design menu was a major turn off. Printed on a piece of carton paper, laminated, with fonts that resemble the work of amateurs. I'm sorry I'm judgmental when it comes to this. A food photographer's holy discontent. Haha. But hey, I've seen worse and yet the food turn out amazing. I decided to give it a second chance and ordered myself a bowlful of Tampopo Ramen.

I suppose I was in a sentimental mood, and the name reminded me of one of my favorite food-movie, Tampopo. A lot of lessons learned from that movie, but let's keep it straight on the food this time.

Clean broth yet flavorful aroma. I can easily sniff the meat stock. Intriguing.

Two huge slice of pork in parallel with two piece of soft-boiled eggs. Spring onions overflowing. Seaweeds swimming on top.

Curly noodle that appears 'al-dente'.

It's the moment of truth. One bite and the record is set. It is a rather calming type of broth, with not much excitement going around. A safe version of ramen I would say. Not to be mistaken as poor ramen, it was actually quite enjoyable, especially after the second munch on the pork. I was just looking for more lively kind of ramen. The kind that would make you "oohh" and "aahh". The kind that makes you grab the bowl with both hands and literally drink the broth until the last sip.

That was not it.

Well, I still think its too early to judge Sengoku Noodle from one bowl of ramen though. There should be more in store for something that is licensed all the way from Seattle. It is a part of the emerging Samurai Noodle. The name Sengoku was given to appreciate the Japanese warring era and great advancement that marked the height of Samurai's reign in Japan. I heard they even flew some of the cast to Jakarta to help around for the first few months.

For a two months old foodplace, they are doing well. Don't close just yet, I'll come back to taste some more.

Until then, I hope this post helps you ramen-lovers out there. If you do, send some loving on Twitter @Wanderbites. Feel free to poke.

Cheers,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Photographer & Conversationalist

Now Cooking - Hungry Hiro

There is this street in North Jakarta, inside a housing complex named Bukit Golf Mediterania, that slowly emerging as a culinary haven, mimicking Muara Karang, Kelapa Gading Boulevard, Kemang, Gajah Mada and the likes. Just in this month, I've seen at least five new foodplace opening and more to come. Hungry Hiro is one of them.

It grabs my attention with it's somewhat persuasive name and reminded me of my day-to-day meal when I was in Sydney, the ultimate go-to fastfood, Hungry Jacks.

Judging from the logo, brand, and design, I've carried a decent amount of expectation for this particular foodplace. Boasting themselves as the pro in Japanese don, I finally gave up being curious and give it a try last week. 

To my surprise Hungry Hiro was almost empty, and it was Sunday afternoon, a prime time for many of it neighboring foodplace. I started to feel a bit off, cause foodie in this area are very judgmental on new restaurant, you either make it or lose it. I uncover this hypothesis to be true in the next 15 minutes when the menu I ordered finally came.

Meet Beef Bulgogi Don, served in a plastic box. I repeat, plastic box. Yeah, you heard it right. I'm not against it, but it is such a turn off. Even fastfood like Yoshinoya use a proper solid glass bowl for the food.  That was the first minus point.

Second, the portion was a joke for someone who's still in puberty like me. In my cousin's words: "Hungry Hiro.. Right.., I'm still hungry after the meal. "

And third, the meal came out cold. I'm sorry, I just have zero tolerance for food not being served hot just as any meal should be. Don't you think so?

Trying to maintain my hopes up, I looked up on the other side of the plastic box. I got the Chicken Teriyaki Don.

Good thing the taste of these two were quite okay. Not in the 'special' category. Maybe more fitted into decent or average. But I personally like the saucing on the Teriyaki. It was the right amount of sweetness for my tastebud.

Right after I finished I still have the thought of coming back to try some other meal, but after learning the choices they have in their menu, this is probably the most interesting of them all. In other words, I have nothing more to expect from Hungry Hiro.

I really hoped that people who have the money and the opportunity to start up a new foodplace really take a serious effort into executing their concept. There's still a bunch of improvement that Hungry Hiro can do. Menu variety for one, ambiance for two, and a lot more.

Until then, I wish you well, Hiro. I really do.

Cheers (and I'm still hungry),

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist & Photographer
Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites

Now Cooking - Hachimaki Ramen

Hello Wanderbiters! Its good to be writing and sharing more frequently as this holiday season gave me a surplus of hours to work on new post =) This blog is indeed a labor of love. Have a jolly Christmas to you all and in case we didn't get to meet, Happy New Year as well. In that spirit, please welcome a new segment dedicated solely for newly opened food place - "Now Cooking". I'll be sharing the first bites so you'll have a decent idea of it and a certain expectations before trying =)

The lucky foodplace I visited just yesterday is Hachimaki Ramen, located at Rukan Cordoba Pantai Indah Kapuk (just across the Waterbom). I googled the word and found hachi means 'a bowl' and maki means 'volume'. So doing the math, I suppose it intends to say a huge bowl of ramen? It appears to be. Judging from the photo, you'll imagine a good portion of ramen to fit the belly of a young man in puberty. But nope, na'ah, its almost 65% soup and 30% ramen noodles and the last 5% of the meal, predictably the beef and the egg.

This Karai Ramen is rated two on spicy-o-meter. Yes, you can customize how hot you want your ramen to be (hmm, reminds me of...) Lucky I didn't tried number nine as I always do at Ramen Sanpachi cause number two is pretty-darn-hot already. They have the levels until ten, I dare not to try! Meat wise it was okay despite the un-generous portion. Presentation was very disappointing, its just too far from what I see on the menu. As for the soup, the broth has a mild meaty flavor that I can barely taste having the spicyness predominates the soup. However, getting spiced up and sweaty was what I came here for. So, I'm satisfied with this one, and I'll keep my mouth shut until I tried the other ramen.

The second menu I tried was the Chuka Wakame (Seaweed). I enjoyed this as I'm always a huge fan of seaweed. On the side note though, I felt that it was too salty. Tried to tilt the bowl, squeeze the seaweed and found a good dose of sesame oil and soysauce. Aha! In my opinion, plain seaweed already bear a distinctive flavor of its own. A sprinkle of sesame seed is more than enough. I like it raw.

Last but not least, the atmosphere here is quite enjoyable especially the outdoor section where you could sit under the shades and next to the greens. Its just nice for me, and it gave me a good natural lighting to take my photos. =) I might come back to try out some more menus, until then, give it a try on your own and have a good holiday all.

Smile on, Shine on

Rubs
Snack on my tweets @captainruby.
Email me at fellexandro.ruby@gmail.com

Grilled Pork Ribs at Warung Ubud

Sekilas mendengar nama Warung Ubud yang terbayang adalah berbagai hidangan khas Bali seperti ayam betutu, sambal matah, babi guling dan sejenisnya. Namun sayangnya saya justru tidak menemukan satupun yang berbau Bali dalam pilihan menu-nya. Hanya satu yang mendekati yaitu Iga Babi Bakar. Sudah kepalang tanggung dan kepalang lapar tetap saya pesan iganya dan tidak lupa sebotol Badak. Minuman yang sudah beredar semenjak saya kecil ini memang selalu membangkitkan nuansa nostalgia yang menyenangkan. Ditambah lagi hari itu saya ditemani salah satu sahabat yang baru kembali dari Sydney. Jarum mood kembali bergerak ke tanda positif. =)

Menunggu, dan menunggu sampai kurang lebih durasi dua lagu habis akhirnya dihidangkan juga iga ini. Panas, fresh, dengan french fries sebagai side dish-nya. Setelah meneteskan beberapa remasan segar lemon, saya pun siap mencicipinya. Untungnya, penampilannya yang menarik dan membuat lidah bergoyang setara dengan rasanya yang juga cukup enak buat saya.

Daging babi-nya lembut seperti hasil presto, kaya bumbu dan rempah yang meresap, walaupun agak sedikit didominasi oleh wangi merica, namun semuanya masih flattering untuk lidah saya. Apalagi setelah dicocol dengan sambelnya. Wow. Saya harus nih ngomongin sambelnya dengan lebih detail karena fungsi dia cukup menentukan. Sambal terbuat dari potongan-potongan cabe rawit yang dihaluskan, dicampur dengan bawang, merica, dan beberapa rempah lainnya sampai berbentuk sedikit padat kemudian dilarutkan dalam saus kecap kental manis. Deliciously sinful! Haha =P

Anyway, untuk harga yang menurut saya cukup murah, 70K, kalian akan mendapatkan at least tujuh slices ribs dalam satu rack. Good value for money. Lokasinya pun cukup strategis, di deretan Rukan Cordoba Bukit Golf Mediterania, tepat di seberang Waterbom PIK. Nah, boleh tuh bermain air seharian lalu ditutup dengan iga ini, serasa di Bali yah. *ngarep.co.uk*

Overall, saya cukup puas dengan menu ini, walaupun sebenarnya masih berharap kalau mereka lengkap dengan menu-menu khas Bali lainnya. Alrighty, let me know what you think of after you gave it a try.

Smile on, Shine on,
Fellexandro Ruby
Food Blogger & Photographer
Twitter: @captainruby
E-mail: fellexandro.ruby@gmail.com