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

Michel Portos' Culinary Tour de Force (Or How I Feast on Michelin Star Goodness)

Who would've thought that I would get the chance to encounter a two-michelin star gastronomic experience here in the heart of Jakarta? It was only a month ago when I tweeted michelin star one-o-one, and voila, here I am. I guess the stars are aligned right this time between me, Mandarin Oriental, and Michel Portos.

Being crowned recently as Gault & Millau chef of the year, Chef Michel has been renowned for his bold, creative and irresistible dishes. And that is exactly what he delivers through all 6-courses in the degustation dinner. 

Starting with Seared Foie Gras in Moroccan Flavor, for me it was a palate teaser that comes with diverse purposes. One is to trigger all five sensory of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and umami. Two is to make a statement that celebrates Chef Michel's take on cooking philosophy. A theme that I'll eventually find in most of his dishes. 

"For food to be delicious, beautiful and balanced. It's the balance of flavor and texture; not to mix all the ingredients together to have one single blended taste. It's very important to be able to taste every single ingredient you have on the plate." (Michel Portos in SCMP, 2011)

The savory foie gras, blended with the unexpected slices of dates, argon oil, coriander and balsamic vinegar make one complete dish. Not stopping at that, Chef Michel continued to pace along with the main courses. 

Seared Foie Gras in Moroccan Flavor

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Black Truffel that tremendously pleasing to the taste buds, especially the sweet toothed. Al dente even with such a light skin, and did I mention the truffle? Splendid! 

Warm Salad of Squid with Tomato Confites, Serrano Ham & Balsamico Vinaigrette. Expect a major opposing taste from the ravioli. I found the ham was very close to my liking, while not with the squid and balsamico. Those with sour tendency would enjoy this more I suppose. 

Seabass Inspiration of My Way Back from Hongkong was a step down of pace. Very smooth well cooked fish. Not too dry. And surprisingly a beautiful take on Asian especially coming from a french chef. Some Asian tongues might opt for a little more boldness though. 

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Black Truffle

Warm Salad of Squid with Tomato, Ham, & Balsamic Vinaigrette

Seabass Inspiration of My Way Back from Hongkong

The highlight of the night was probably the Lamb Cutlets with Minute of Curried Jus & Coconut Reduction. Back on the pace and my personal favorite. It has everything I look for in a dish. Well seasoned medium meat, and the fact that it was a jus instead of sauce made all the difference. Chef Michel take a detailed proportion on flavor with the addition of coconut & ginton herbs. It awakens my memory of Will Meyrick's Indian cuisine that I had last week. I'm all smileful with this plate. 

Lamb Cutlet with Curried Jus & Coconut Reduction

Coming down to the finale, I knew its gonna be interesting. Why? Because we have two desserts to savor. Made with the courtesy of pastry chef Sebastien Bertin, we had Chocolate and Raspberry with Scrum of Fresh Thyme and Apple Celery with Speculos Biscuit. The first one was very pleasing to the eye. It took a different view on chocolate as they infused it sour. I enjoyed the berry sorbet as a standalone dish, but found it a little too bold when eaten together with the layer of chocolate. The second one was rather playful and experimental. I jump to it right away from the very thought of having apple and celery on the same plate. It turned out as my favorite of the two. Have the ball of apple, dip it in the celery juice, and munch it all together with the biscuit. Intense mix of flavor & texture. 

Chocolate & Raspberry with Scrum of Fresh Thyme

Apple Celery with Speculos Biscuit

At this point, I regret for not taking my bottle of Margaret River and Late Picked Traminer. It would make a good pair to the seabass and the desserts. No worries though, as a great companion made the evening twice as delightful. Conversations goes wild from the real french kiss to the love of potatoes. It dawned on me once again what Raj Abat said that a meal is not just on the tongue, but a whole sum of the experience. 

I thank Mia, Malinda, Jen, Jenifer, & Ellyna for the great company. Four hours of dinner wouldn't be as delightful without you. Plus, it was great being the only male on the table (I just realized that after writing the previous sentence). 

Until our next michelin (or potato tasting), 

Fellexandro Ruby

Food Storyteller & Photographer

Snack on my tweets & instagram @Wanderbites. 

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Degustation lunch & dinner is still available until 3rd of November. For more details and reservation: 

Lyon

Mandarin Hotel Jakarta

Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 1

Ph: 021-2993-8888

Email: mojkt-lyon@mohg.com

Twitter: @mo_jakarta

Oh La La Cafe le Parisien - Plaza Indonesia

Words could not express how happy I am receiving my Macbook the other day. That means, I can access all my photos, and I can write another post, which is exactly why I'm so pumped to share with you this new establishment.

Yes, it is no longer Oh La La with colorful neon lights, food court trays, waiters in colorful uniform, and simple patisserie. It has got an upgrade in design and an upscale in class. The Oh La La in Plaza Indonesia make an effort to resemble outdoor cafe along Parisian streets. Champs-Élysées Avenue maybe, or rue de l'Hotel de Ville? Whichever that is, the typical wooden chair, round marble table, and street lamps on the background says it all. It is a good spot to simply sit on an afternoon and catch up on your readings. If only all this is really actually outdoor, and it be just perfect. But hey, that's just me and my ego.

As I recall, it was about 5pm. An in-between hour. Not the time yet for dinner, but the little dragon in my belly has made a quick announcement. So I decided to go for a coffee. Cappucino to be exact and a slice of Red Velvet Cake to shut the dragon up. It did just that.

I liked the Red Velvet, the body is soft and airy with proportionate cream cheese dividing them into three layers. Good size for a personal enjoyment. My taste bud was delighted with the quick treat, though I would prefer a sweeter tastier one any time.

As for the coffee, hand made by their very own manager, I have to say it was one of the best cup I've ever tasted. It has a bright, caramelly aroma, followed with a rather full body with subtle hint of peanut butter, a tiny dash of lemon and citrus. It was a rather complex but well balanced coffee, a characteristic expected from a well roasted arabica. On the following sip, it brought out a spicy, woody, tobaccoey flavor which is not entirely disagreeable. And finally, it closed with an aftertaste full of lie. Yes! I just made up all those tasting notes. Haha. I hope you enjoy the joke hidden between the line.

Anyway, as I'm new to coffee, there is no way at this point I would be able to discover such a deep insight from a sip of cappuccino. Still a long way to go, but I'm challenged to learn. So, really, the coffee for me was just as I expected. No acid. I dislike acid in coffee. Medium body and a creamy milky taste on the top.

All in all, I saw a lot of improvement attempted by Oh La La. Some of the things unthought of by others are well executed here. I really wish they would do the same to most of their major stores. It is about time for a little refreshment. I love the new logo. I love the menu designed in a newspaper. I hope it makes more effort to brings out the taste of Paris into life. And I'd surely comeback for more than just cake.

Until then, Au revoir.



Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist & Photographer

Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites or Instagram @Captainruby

Foie Gras Discovery with Rougie and Bosch

Prior to this event, I have no idea whatsoever toward Foie Gras. The only thing I know was that it' has something to do with duck, it's French (i'm not even sure if its french, but it sounded french) and that it is expensive. This event with Rougie then is like opening up a new horizon of knowledge. So, are you ready to learn? Cause I'm ready to share. Let's!

Mr. Thomas Pellegrini, the manager of Classic Fine Food and Chef Jocelyn Deumie as Rougie Culinary Advisor took stage after a short introduction from Mr. Chairul Sugiharto, Bosch' Director of Sales & Marketing.

Foie Gras in essence is a duck's liver. What makes it interesting is the process it has to go through to 'create' this fine food. A duck in its nature have the ability to double, or triple its liver size as a migratory bird. That means, there's a season in a year where they would move from one part of the world to the other through a loooonng journey, and to survive this, they accumulate a large amount of fat in their liver. This natural process is what people adopted to condition ducks in cage to increase the size of their liver. How? Force feeding. I know its always an open debate whether this technique is morally ethical. I'm not gonna touch that. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

What I'd like to say though, that Foie Gras is indeed a delicate subject matter for the taste bud. On my first try, I hated it as I hated all other kind of animal liver. But then I was introduced with these new inventions by Rougie, meet the Japanese version, Foie Gras with Seaweed, and the classic version, Gingerbread Foie Gras. The latter amuses my tongue oh-so-very-much. Let me put in a simplest way, previously it was hard for me to have any kind of liver in my mouth, not to mention swallowing it. This time however, it manage to intrigued my mouth a bit but then everything goes downhill from there. I liked the crunchy tiny bits texture that meets with super soft foiegras. It slowly melts in my mouth.

Among other menu presented was the Foie Gras Creme Brulee and the Duck Leg Confit Salad which I find extraordinary.

I liked the tender texture of the meat, the fact that it wasn't smelly, and their use of wine salt for seasoning. It felt light but fulfilling at the same time, and it kinda took me time travel to my four weeks travel in Paris. The further appearance of nice white wine made it even more nostalgic. I remembered having wine at lunch time for almost every day of the week in Paris. I was so soaked into the culture that I lost my allergies toward alcohol after the trip.

 Enough episode of Back to The Future. We were also served with other interesting menu, Pan Fried Foie Gras with Cherry and Balsamic Vinegar. 

I find the mix of cherry and the vinegar wasn't very appetizing for my liking, but good thing we get to close our lunch with a selection of Valrhona fine degustation chocolate. Classified into more than twenty diverse formula, each gourmet chocolate was meant to bring out different outcome as in acidity, bitterness, flavor, intensity, fruit & nuttiness.

I ended up trying most of them, but couldn't find the real difference among them. =p My bad, my tongue wasn't that sensitive when it comes to chocolate I guess. I fall easily to any kind of chocolate.

At the end, no event is complete without the proper goodbye photo shoot. And so we did with my fellow food blogger, Natasha, Imel and both Chef Jocelyn and Mr. Thomas.

We look happy didn't it? Well I was happy, who wouldn't. Two hours of good french food, good company, good wine, and a pleased ear and mind.

Thank you Rougie, I'd definitely visit you Chef Jocelyn the next time I make a trip to Japan. Thank you Bosch, for making it happen.

Cheers,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist & Amateur Foie Gras Lover

Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites

Petit-Déjeuner at Kafe Moka - Seminyak

A sip of warm sunshine on the surface of your skin. Bright blue sky seen from behind your Raybans. Swirls of cool wind while strolling around Bali with motorbike. These little earthly pleasures are what I seek for from this getaway trip. And while doing that, many good food along the journey made it epicly awesome.

It was one of those smileful morning when I bumped into this cafe while riding around Legian. What attracts me was how cultured this place. A lot of foreigners were around enjoying the food and drinks. I hear an Australian which looked a lot like the famous pastor, Brian Houston. I hear French with their masculine-feminine vocabulary. I hear a faint American English. By this short observation,  I reckon they must have a particular level of authenticity to be well accepted by these foreigners taste buds.

I walked in and then it came to me, I've heard about this place before. Yes! In a review by fellow foodbloggers somewhere. And there I remember, it was on Jenzcorner, and read somewhere along the line that the shepherd's pie was one of the specialties. You can guess what I ordered right? Yep.

Oh, and while I was waiting for the meal to come, they gave me this basketful of complimentary sliced baguette. I love this bread. It always remind me of Paris and the dining tradition there. Bread is always on the table. But let's not go too far this time. I took a slice, wipe a layer of salted butter, simple yet scrumptious to the tongue.

A little while after, a generous portion of Hachis Parmentie arrived on the table. A little trivia, the dish was named after Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French pharmacist, nutritionist, and inventor who, in the late 18th century, was instrumental in the promotion of the potato as an edible crop.

The portion was way beyond generous for my typical size of breakfast. Ended up with some leftover, but it was one savory meal.

The mixture of texture from the diced beef and the baked mashed potato was a treat for my tastebud who was in dire of variety after days of local Balinese food. Also the lyonnaise sauce with a hint of wine and garlic added the foreign European taste I was expecting. A pause from the stream of chili-hot-spicy food. One contented pause. It also kinda took me down memory lane. Weird, but yep, it reminds me of Sydney's meat pies. The ones you can conveniently bought at Coles, and microwave it yourself for 4 minutes or so.

It's amazing how a single meal can give a good assemble of flavor and feelings. I guess it was just a melancholic side of me, or maybe that's what Bali do to most of us. What do you say? =) Well after all it was one lovely breakfast or petit-dejeuner as the French call it.

Cheers,


Fellexandro Ruby
Munch on my tweets at @wanderbites

[Photo & Review] European Foodbash (Bistro Baron & Canteen)

It was my second visit to Bistro Baron at Plaza Indonesia last Saturday, and it continued to indulge my taste buds, leaving me in awe of its delicate taste. This time, I had their Chicken Sandwich. And while the name sounded simple, the taste is contradictorily rich! I can't help but to open it up, dig it up and see with my own eyes what made up the delicious sandwich, and there you can see yourself in pictures below. The mix of fresh veggies, layers of tender chicken, with glimpses of soft and crisp mushrooms. YUM!

And thank God for it didn't finish there. Then I took the first bite of the frites, and man, it was one of the best fries I've ever tasted. Not that crispy to the point it becomes cracker-ish, not to soft to the point of soggy. Its just the right texture, fried to the just-right point of maturity. Added to that, the thin cheesy hints, and the sprinkle of oregano enhance the taste even more. SCRUMPTIOUS!

OH! And squeezed there in the photos is Canteen's Grilled Chicken. Look at the colors! Look at the slight burns here and there! Look at the mustard sauces! Heavenly! It was a well-grilled chicken with the right portion. Good, good, good foods.

And so I left those two places twice happier than I was when I came in. Real thing. Give it a shot if you question me, and let me know how was it. In the mean time, drool on these pictures (behind the camera was me, the girl behind the great styling was Andrea Sharon) =)

Smile on, Eat on, Shine On!
Rubs

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