First time hearing the name of Avec Moi (read: Ah Vekh Mwa), I totally had no idea about the dishes they served. What I had in mind was just the place’s too cute to be true with that bunny-themed design, which I firstly thought as a decorated table for bridal shower. Answering all my wild guesses, I visited this restaurant last weekend with some of my foodie friends.
Finally, I found out that it’s a French restaurant, established by a couple. The husband who is also the chef, Chef Romano, together with his wife develops this restaurant with the purpose of creating modern French flavours that are simple and honest. Using the French name of Avec Moi, which means “With Me”, it somehow reflects that they invite the guests to enjoy the French taste together with them.
The minimalist venue is a 3-storey building located near the well-known Tanamera Coffee. Only the first and the second floor that are currently occupied. The interior is simple yet engaging, bringing out the ambiance of exclusivity and elegance. You can see several decorations, which will surely remind you of bunny. Long-eared chairs, carrots, baits, you name it.
Not only is the design, the service is also a first-class one. Warm greeting is delivered once you enter the restaurant, and the waitress looks very welcome to assist you. As the dishes names mostly contain French, I surely need the waitress’ help to explain about them as well as to provide suggestions on the must-try ones.
Salade Avec Moi
This salad was actually a complimentary dish given by the chef, when my foodie friends and I met him at the end of our lunch. Having shared some facts behind the establishment of this restaurant as well as asking the dishes we had ordered, he then offered us this signature appetizer of Avec Moi. He mentioned this as one of the most wanted menus currently. I actually didn’t believe it until this salad touched my taste bud. Serving Mesclun (selection of lettuces and other edible leaves), roasted tomatoes, and grilled chicken with beautiful sesame dressing; this salad did not only have perfect presentation, but also flawless taste. Having the desire to give slight Indonesian touch to the dish, the chef created a little invention by adding fried onions to the salad. Sounds weird? I was not exaggerating, but this was doubtlessly one of the best salads I’ve ever had!
French Escargots (IDR 65k)
Actually, we did order an appetizer, which was French Escargots. What’s in our mind when we mentioned this to the waitress was the escargots would be served in the shells or on the sizzling plate. Then, guess what happened when the dish came? If only I could reverse time back, I really wanted to capture the shocked expression of all of us, right at the time we looked at the dish. The escargots, which had been mixed with the pesto sauce, were served naked on a plate. We even had no idea how to take good picture of this dish. However, coming to taste, it was surprisingly luscious. I could feel the freshness of the escargots and the right seasoning put on them. Having talked to the chef, it was actually feasible to serve them in the shells; however it might result to higher costs.
Sous Vide Chicken Breast (IDR 130k)
To write this review, a little research was indeed unavoidable. One of the new terms I learnt was “Sous Vide”, which basically meant a cooking method, in which the food was sealed in airtight plastic bag in a temperature-controlled steam environment. This resulted to longer cooking time needed. Specific for this Chicken Breast, it took 6 hours to process it. No wonder, the chicken was so tender as the moisture content was perfectly maintained. Served together with delicious mustard cream sauce and enjoyable grilled sous vide vegetables, this dish was definitely a heart-stealing one. Not to forget, the super moist mashed potato, which came as the perfect complement to enjoy the chicken.
Seabass Grenobloise (IDR 98k)
This gorgeous-looking dish brought out the combination of pan seared fillet Seabass, Grenobloise condiment, and mashed potato. Actually, the menu mentioned it to be pilaf rice (rice cooked in a seasoned broth) instead of mashed potato. But as I was in love with the mashed potato, I didn’t mind that. Okay, forget about it and let’s go to the Seabass. Thanks to the waitress for recommending this dish as the taste successfully created heavenly moment on my taste bud. The Seabass was fresh, and the texture was soft inside and crispy outside. The Grenobloise condiment, which was basically the mixture of browned butter, capers, parsley, and pieces of lemon; was extremely rich! As the plus points, was the irresistible crispy croutons on top of the fish. Voilà!
Pasta Amitriciana (IDR 85k)
From the selections of Avec Moi’s pasta menu, this was the first one I tried. If you’re wondering what Amitriciana was, here’s the answer for you (Don’t be amazed as I also did little research on this :p ). It was basically a traditional Italian pasta sauce, made of guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino cheese (made from 100% sheep’s milk), and tomato. I wasn’t really sure if Avec Moi’s version of Amitriciana was exactly similar to this explanation or not, but I guessed it was more or less similar based on what I tasted. For me, this one was quite good though it was not my favorite. However, if you’re tomato lover, you might love it.
Bacon Carbonara (IDR 78k)
Saving the best for the last, I intentionally mentioned this dish at the latest. I was actually quite dilemmatic in the beginning, whether to order this one or not as it just sounded too simple. Unpredictably, this mixture of roasted pork bacon, grated parmigiano (parmesan cheese), garlic, Sarawak black pepper, and sous vide eggs; turned out to be the star of the day. It didn’t only look tempting with its runny egg yolk, but it also tasted as awesome as the appearance. The pasta was cooked al dente, the creaminess level was precise, and the seasonings were divine. This dish was unquestionably a repeatable one!
Hazelnut Latte (IDR 30k)
For beverages, they actually haven’t provided many choices yet. I opted for their Hazelnut Latte, which unfortunately was too sweet. Sadly said, the over sweetness level somehow killed the pleasant coffee flavor. Presentation wise, I also thought this one needed improvement as all I could see on top of the glass was just foam. Adding latte art’s not a bad idea, isn’t it?
Lychee Tea (IDR 28k)
How about the lychee tea? Luckily, this one turned out refreshing and having the right sweetness level.
Overall, my lunch session at Avec Moi was indeed a pleasant one. Almost all the dishes tasted beyond my expectation and some have even entered my favorite list. Besides, I was also pleased with the owner, who was very open for inputs and put extremely high concern for improvement. I will surely go back for their other dishes, including the desserts which I haven’t tried. Merci, Avec Moi :)
Taste: 8.5/10
Place: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Price: 8.5/10
Thanks for Reading! :)
Avec Moi Restaurant
Address: Office Park Thamrin City Blok AA No. 01, Jl. Thamrin Boulevard
Phone: (021) 2962 5878
Operating hours: Mon – Sun 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.00pm – 9.30pm
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Inputs & comments: jessicagaby@ymail.com
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