Going Nuts For Cronuts! - The NY Hype Has Come To Jakarta

It is Dominique Ansel, the man who single handedly created a worldwide hype on this particular cross breed between croissant and doughnut right from his bakery in New York City.

It is sold for $5 (before tax) apiece, and they usually only make about 300 cronuts per day. But it doesn't stop people from trying. Or is it the exclusivity that keeps people starving in curiosity. Thus, willing to go the extra mile to try. Why the extra mile? Because to get your hands on them, expect a queue for as long as few blocks, as early as two hours prior to opening time! Exactly why I decided to skip it on my last #WanderUS trip.

From NYC to Berlin to Singapore, this viral sensation finally hits Jakarta in the name of Kronut. Yep, Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop has got to come up with a new name as Cronuts is apparently trademarked. Well prepared, Ansel. A step ahead for world domination.

On my first try, I must say, it is just as I expected. MO's Kronut is airy as a croissant should be, well layered, a result of skillful bakery technique. However, it feels like it's freshly made but been sitting for quite a while that it loses its flaky crunchy feel. The vanilla cream hides itself in between the layers, and might just be perfect for those who likes toned down sweets. I'm a sucker for patisserie, however kronut doesn't strike a special chord. At IDR 30.000 / piece (including tax), I could easily find a substitute dessert. Or I'd rather pay a little extra for a more fulfilling sweet indulgence.

That being said, let's make a bet then. Do you think cronuts will stay here for a while or will it fade out soon? Words on the street, Union and Publico has come up with contending cronuts. But my guts tells me this trend are not here to stay. Are you with me?

Cheers, and stay tuned for London & Paris stories soon. ;)

Fellexandro Ruby 
Food Conversationalist & Photographer

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Cinnamon / Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman (Bundaran HI)
Ph: 021-29938820

Thorough Bread at The Castro : Almond Croissant FTW!

If we take a step back and take time to observe the stories of many successful food place, we will start to see connecting dots and overlapping pattern. One of them is signature dish and I don't think I will ever get bored in promoting how significant it is. It's the sugar that attracts the ants. It's a woman's specific appeal that gets a man hooked.

Have you ever been to a restaurant just for a plate of dessert that you really love?
Have you ever traveled so far just for that talk-of-the-town burger?
Have you ever waited in a queue just because you can't not have your favorite meal?

If you answered yes to one of them, then you probably know how I feels to this humble bakery in the Castro area, San Francisco. This 'rainbow' area is fascinating for me because it has so much colors, vibrant, and decorated with stylish shops and bars, not to mention the old Victorian houses.

Thorough Bakery is one of them that pulls me to this area. As you might have notice, I'm such a sucker for patisserie. I searched on Yelp on what could accomodate my craving. Discovered Thorough Bakery and man I made the right choice.

I would definitely come back here just for the Almond Croissant. It was beyond any croissant that I ever tasted before. If you drop by here, you'll see that among other pastries, it is the fastest item to run out. Almost every table here will take an almond croissant with them.

Flaky crunchy exterior as it should be, it has a hidden layer inside that gives the sweet tasting caramel-like flavor. If you take a closer look, you'll notice it is also topped with some sort of sugar icing. Have that with the burnt-smelling almond. One bite, and I bet your current threshold for good croissant will be raised to a few bar higher. Have it warmed, and another bar is yet again, raised.

It is one of the things I miss the most from the whole #WanderUS trip. And I blame Leia (that's how I name my NX300) for taking such pretty shot that drools. I myself can't help it. If you know any good almond croissant in Jakarta, do let me know!

Coming back to where we started, that's how powerful a signature dish can be. If you allow me to take it to the extreme, learn from Rotiboy. One product. One price. Look at how many branches they have. And there's no sign of stopping. That's something for you, foodplace owners to ponder while thinking of your next strategy.

In the mean time, let me know which menu from which foodplace that gets you coming back for more. Tweet me at @Wanderbites.

Cheers,

Fellexandro Ruby 
Food / Travel Storyteller & Photographer

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Thorough Bread & Pastry
248 Church Street,
San Francisco
(Between 15th Street & Market Street)

Bouchon Bakery (The One In Yountville Part One)

If I were asked what's the one thing that makes the whole #WanderUS trip worthwhile, I would answer with Yountville. This little town 90km north of San Francisco, is a gem for foodies and anyone who's up for out-of-town kind of enjoyment. Think of serene Ubud in Bali combined with the lines of food place in Melbourne alleys.

This town has a certain pull that I couldn't describe. Maybe it has something to do with Thomas Keller and all the things he did there. I don't know for certain, but I'm hooked. So much that I was willing to wake up at 5AM, take a cold shower at 12C, go for an hour of ferry ride and another hour of bus ride to get there. But I take pride of discovering my own way to Yountville. I talked to a lot of people and everyone responded the same. They said it is impossible to go there unless I rent a car and drive there. Guess what? I made it with public transport.

Ferry ride to Vallejo. A view of SF from afar. 

Vallejo Ferry Terminal & Tourist Center.

Halfway through. Napa Valley vineyard on left & right along the way. 

Here we are! 

It's 9.30 AM and a long line of people are already in place to grab some of Bouchon Bakery's goodness. Yours truly is one of them. Came with empty stomach, I was immensely overwhelmed with so many options to choose from, but considering I'll head to lunch at Bouchon after, I grabbed a few quick bites and a cup of cappuccino.

Cookies & macarons to the rescue! So much sugar for breakfast, but I suppose there's never a wrong timing for desserts and such right?

This Nutter Butter is a winner for me. Sandwiched in two thick crunchy cookie, the chunk of grounded nut spread was as dense as scrumptious could be. It is also fulfilling in a way. I was munching it halfway when I realize if I pursue it further, I'll end up ditching the macaron altogether. Plus the colorful macarons are sort of jumping off from its box, drawing my attention to be tasted. Leia, the NX300 did well in portraying that right? I must say, I'm glad making the decision to bring her over. The touch screen focus really helped in making drooling pictures like this.

The Nutter Butter. Look at that chunk of nutty fillings.

Enough geek talk. And so I dug in with full curiosity.

What does Thomas Keller could offer in macaron department? Let's analyze. It is bigger in size compared to the common macaron. It almost fit the whole circular area of my palm. You can almost call it gigantic. Purposefully made to psychologically justify the price maybe ($3.25 each)? On the first bite, I must admit it lived up to its hype. It has that beautiful 'feet' that rings around it. It is light and crisp outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Out of the four flavor I picked, Coconut must be the one that speak to me the most with its rich flavor, followed by Pistachio, Coffee, and Caramel. Again, with the size, I could only finish half of each. Packed the remaining for late night cravings. ;)

Kudos to Leia, the NX300 for this shot. Touch screen focus is awesome!

Added this photo just to make you envious. =p

And here's another one.

10.17 AM and I was sugar high. Indescribable happiness. I was all smileful, like I could take on the world.

10. 20 AM and I have a good forty minutes before Bouchon opens for lunch. Guess where I went to? Now here's a hint. And I'll spill more of it on the next post.

Here's a clue for the next post. Dare to make a guess? ;)

Yountville, I missed you already.

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Bouchon Bakery 

6528 Washington Street
Yountville, California
Ph: 707-944-2253
Opens: 7AM-7PM daily

Here's how to get to Yountville from SF using public transport, in three simple step:

1. Take any Muni / Bus that heads to San Francisco Ferry Building
2. Find the pier that heads to Vallejo. You can buy the ticket on the ferry. Ferry schedule here.
Its an hour ride and there's wifi on the ferry. How awesome is that?
3. Take either one of this Vine Bus:
- Vine Express 29. This go straight from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal to Yountville. But only run two trip in the morning: 6.15 and 7.15. Schedule here.
- Vine 11. This go from Vallejo Ferry Terminal to Napa College, then transfer to Vine 10 that goes to Yountville.

Durian Cupcakes - Think Global Act Local!

A few weeks ago, I was summoned to do a photoshoot for Livingetc Magazine.  The assignment was to
manufacture a dish incorporating Indonesian taste or ingredients in a modern context. It was a beautiful group work, all nine chefs bring out their specialties into the table. You can find their recipes and details in Livingetc February issue. Among them, one strike my attention for its sweet indulgence.

Durian cupcakes.

I've never been a fan of durian eaten plainly from the fruit, but I welcome it presented in other form. I love durian ice cream found on streets of Bandung, or that Es Cendol Durian from Sate Khas Senayan. Durian cupcakes has just made its way into this shortlist and into my heart.

Gillian, the lady behind Chantilly Cupcakes started out from plain passion toward cooking and a set of Kitchen Aid. Yes, it was that expensive piece of kitchen gadget that pushed her to do something productive out of it. And in this time and age, we know where we turn to for answer. "Google and Youtube is my teacher", as she mentioned on our convo. After a few trial and error, she finally manage to secure a winning recipe.

When it come out from the oven, a strong scents of Durian was all over the place. One bite and I'm hooked. A sweet buttery taste tingled all over my taste buds. In fact, the cream cheese didn't overpower the Durian, and vice versa. Texturewise, you can definitely feel the fresh Durian meat in the topping mixing well with the cream cheese. "A great intersection of sweet and salty. A treat for the sweet tounged. " I noted on my phone.

As I write about it, I started to drool myself. I better stop now before the cravings idealized into me grabbing the phone and ordering one. But I suggest you do, if you haven't tried it. And when you do, ask for the special hidden menu, Cendol Cupcakes. =)

So long, Sweet Tongues!

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist & Photographer

Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites

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Chantilly Cupcake
Email: gillian@chantillycupcake.com http://www.chantillycupcake.com
http://facebook.com/chantillycupcake