Tanamera Coffee

Coffee shops have always had their own charm for me. I just like being in one. This one is no exception. Located in some kind of "ruko" behind the massive Grand Indonesia, Tanamera might be a place easily missed by people passing by. The place is rather small and packed with simple yet charming stuffs.

Cappucino - Rp32k

My first time getting a latte art! It was such a great cup, both from the visual and taste side. I'm no expert in coffee but I believe it was really top notch cappuccino. To make it even better, they serve it with orange infused water!

Banana Caramel - Rp30k

I like this one BIG time! It has chunks of nuts and (not-too-sweet) chocolate within. The cake itself is so moist and light. And they give just the right amount of, again, not too sweet caramel sauce so that it's not overpowering the cake itself. Great one!

Ham and Cheese Sandwich - Rp78k

Nice sandwich. Nothing special, but, really, what could be so special about this kind of sandwich? :D Gotta give credits to the generous filling and the fresh vegetables though. Fries is also nicely seasoned and not oily.

To sum it all up, I have to say I like this place. It feels like it could be my new regular destination when I need a place to crash, have some coffee, and do some work. Maybe this could also be a good spot for a quality time alone, as long as they're not having photo shoot and it's not office break time!

Tanamera Coffee Indonesia

Thamrin City Office Park

Jl Kebon Kacang Raya Blok AA07

Jakarta Pusat

(021)29625599

Common Grounds

Finally got to visit the buzzing, (quite) newly opened, all-day-breakfast place! Located in a (rather) underdog mall, Citywalk, Common Grounds has somehow gained instant popularity. Unfortunately I was in a hurry today so couldn't stay long enough to dine in, let alone take proper pictures!

Iced chocolate - Rp30k

Tasted much like Iced Milo to be honest. I'd strongly suggest you to go with their coffee instead of chocolate.

Ferrero Frappe - Rp40k

I like the fact that it wasn't too sweet, but it was just okay. Didn't even taste too much like Ferrero, I would say. Refreshing, but obviously not the best frappe around.

Butcher's Wife Steak & Eggs - Rp95k

I told you I was in a hurry right? And apparently the waiting time for this dish is quite long that I had to take it away. It was such a shame because it took away my chance to take pictures of their plating :( But taste-wise, this is a GREAT dish! The steak was tender and seasoned perfectly. Egg, although ruined in shape, tasted great with runny yolk. Toast, tasty and quite crisp. Salad, fresh with acidic dressing which kinda balances the whole dish. French fries, yum! The best part? The sauce from the steak that was mixed with the liquid egg yolk. I literally slurped it from the corner of that styrofoam box! Highly recommended!

Somehow I managed to snap their menu during my short visit. Maybe you would like to start considering what to order on your visit? :D

Seriously hoping to try out their other entrees soon. And their coffee, which I hope wouldn't be disappointing like the drinks I had today. See you soon, Common Grounds!

Common Grounds
Citywalk Sudirman, 1st floor
Jl. KH Mansyur Kav. 121

Le Cafe Gourmand

Another addition to the many intriguing cafes in Senopati area! Place-wise, it's a very simply decorated space. Let's jump to the eye candies, shall we?

Chocolate Caramel Tart / Rp35k

I like this one! The second picture might look disgusting but I assure you this one is worth a try. Not mind-blowing-ly good, but it would definitely be a pleasure for your sweeth tooth, with just the right level of sweetness from the chocolate and caramel and the crunch factor. Nice!

Double Chocolate Tart / Rp35k

Didn't really like this one. The pie crust was kinda tasteless and too crumbly. The filling itself didn't really help much. Gotta say this is my least favorite of all things I tried that day ._.

Charlotte / Rp40k

Nice piece of cake! Moist sponge cake with some sort of mousse and chunks of pear inside. Simple yet delicious.

Tiramisu and Coffee Gelato

Le cafe gourmand has a (quite) wide choices of gelato. They also have cones in several colors like red and green. Unfortunately, they had run out of the colorful cones when I came there so I got to stick with the good old brown cone. 

Their tiramisu includes (many) chunks of cakes inside, not my taste though. I like their coffee gelato much better. It was really nice and decent, with a notable coffee flavor.

I gotta say, I'm not that impressed with the cakes. They weren't bad though, just not that amazing, if you know what I mean heheh. 

However, I tried out samples of their cookies and they tasted great!

Maybe I simply didn't choose the right menu hahahah should really come back soon.

Le Cafe Gourmand

Jl. Gunawarman No. 65

Senopati, Jakarta

Eric Kayser Artisan Boulanger Jakarta

Yesterday was the soft opening of the first Eric Kayser strore in Indonesia, which is in Plaza Senayan. Initially, I expected Eric Kayser to be much like Paul. But after some quick online research, I found out that Eric Kayser is a boulanger, which means a bread maker, instead of a pastry maker. So if you visit their store, you won't find too much pastry selection. The place isn't too big either.

Almond Chocolate Croissant - 28k

This was recommended by my server, alongside almond croissant and some kind of apple-filled pastry. Well, I expected it to be flaky and light but it wasn't. Not that it was bad though, it tasted OK, just not what I expected. For me it was a very satiating piece of pastry.


Noir Cookies - 20k

Their cookie is the chewy kind of cookie (which is not really my kind of cookie hahaha) but it tasted quite nice. It was not too sweet and the walnut gave a nice crunch to the chewy cookie. Was it worth the 20k? Hmmm maybe (?)

Beside the bread and pastry, they also serve coffee and some french dishes. Price ranges from 68k-185k.

Overall, I like everything about Eric Kayser just OK, nothing too special, let alone mind blowing. I still really would like to come back to try other things though hehehe :D

Eric Kayser Artisan Boulanger
Plaza Senayan Lt.3
Opening time: 09.30 - 22.00 WIB

Garcon : French Brunch

Garcon Plaza Senayan, at last!

I was initially planning a light lunch, but my mom was so hungry she decided to go with the brunch set. I was kinda against her at first since the set was not cheap at all (Rp 368k++) and I actually wanted more dessert than just a piece of pastry, but turned out it was a good choice after all! The brunch is served on weekends from 10AM - 2 PM.

BEVERAGE

Green Apple Juice

Latte

Three drinks are included in the set (fresh juice, coffee/tea, and still/sparkling water). They've got strawberry, apple, green apple, orange, and watermelon juice. We had green apple, with no sugar. It was good, and to top it off they also managed to put some slices of fresh green apples. Latte was our choice for the coffee and the waitress managed to served it after meal to go with the dessert. 

APPETIZER

Crackers, Bagel, and Plain Au Lait w/ Cream Cheese Condiment, Butter, and Jam
(Left to Right)

Everything on plate was nice, but I especially like the bagel. It's crispy on the outside and soft (and warm) on the inside.

Croissant Nicoise, Quiche, Russian salad with Tuna, Omelette Mushroom
(Clockwise from top left)

Again, all four were delicious! The croissant tasted light and fresh and uniquely had sambel inside. The quiche was very cheesy, so it was good for me. The russian salad was light enough and the tuna perfected the whole thing. The omelette mushroom contained a lot of deliciously seasoned mushroom. It was indeed an amazing plate of appetizers!

PASTA OR RISOTTO (Half the normal portion)

Lamb Ragu Risotto

Included in the set was a choice of pasta or risotto with mushroom/salmon/shrimps/lamb ragu/bolognaise. We chose lamb ragu risotto. I haven't eaten risotto too many times before, but I think this is a good one. They gave a lot of lamb slices and they were so tender. Tasty dish!

MAIN COURSE (Half the normal portion)

 

Fisherman Papillote

Choices for the main course were fisherman papillote, barramundi crispy skin, roasted chicken, and crunchy beef with red wine sauce. I never had a papillote before so we decided to go with the fisherman papillote. Inside the baking paper were sautéed onions, mushrooms, barramundi, mashed potato, slices of lemons, steamed carrots and green beans. The mashed potato was incredibly soft, and so were the barramundi and carrots. It was served with some green veggies and unidentified sauce. I don't know what the sauce was made of but it tasted a bit sour in a nice way. To put things short, everything on plate was nice.

 DESSERT

My favourite part! As usual, I had a hard time choosing from the showcase. I am the kind of person who (almost) always go with chocolate dessert, but somehow I chose this fine piece of pastry today. I was so afraid that I had made a bad choice but the first bite was such a relief! The base was some kind of crunchy biscuit, and then it was sponge cake covered with cream cheese and the orange part was passion fruit cream. It was fresh, light, and delicious. Definitely recommended!

To sum it all up:
1) If you have extra money to spend, Garcon's French Brunch is a really good option.
2) You better take someone to enjoy the meal with you as (I assume) no one (unless a heavy eater or starving) could finish the set alone.

Thankyou Garcon for such a pleasant first experience, can't wait to come back!
PS: They've got really friendly staff! :)

Garcon
Plaza Senayan Level 4
Ph: 57900140
www.bistrogarcon.com

Union Street Gallery PIM

Similar decorations, same menu, different location! Well, last christmas was my first time at Union PIM. Personally, I think the kind of dining experience you would get here is different from Union Plaza Senayan. Union PS somehow feels more quite for me while Union PIM feels much more casual.

The same thing about both branches is the time limit for the tables!

Our outdoor table

They've got some new dishes starting December 2013, and here's one of them:

Spicy Pork Sausage, House Made Ricotta, Ripe Cherry Tomatoes w/ Sourdough  / Rp 85k

It is basically a nice dish but the meatball-looking-like-sausages are a bit too salty for me.

Seared Scallop Aglio Olio, Spaghetti, Garlic Confit, Chili / Rp 85k

Al dente pasta, nicely cooked scallop, right amount of seasoning. Fine pasta!

Baileys Mud Pie / Rp 50k

Heaven on earth for a sweet tooth! Combining oreo and baileys ice cream in one dish is simply a great idea. And the plating was also very decent, don't you think? Might be too sweet for some though.

Dulce De Leche Flaky Doughnut W/ Condensed Milk Ice Cream / Rp 45k

The plain flaky doughnut was great, all crispy and not too oily. I think they went overboard with the amount of the dulce de leche but overall it was still a pleasant plate.

 Vanilla-Chocolate Flaky Donut / Rp 35k

This flaky doughnut is filled with vanilla cream and topped with chocolate. I actually ate this once before and I liked it better then. Maybe it was just simply because this time I ate it with a full tummy. But as you might already know, most Union desserts are better off to share!

Christmas treat from UNION!

It was a delighting christmas lunch and as usual, Union gave me a full and happy tummy!

UNION 

Street Gallery, Lantai Ground

Pondok Indah Mall Jakarta

unionjkt.com