Sunday, February 11, 2018

Pison Coffee, from the Heavenly Island to the Metropolitan City

WELCOMEEEEE! That’s prolly one of the best words I could give when initially knowing Pison is in J-town! For you who’ve been to Bali and who’ve visited Pison’s headquarter there, I bet you would definitely be as excited as I was hearing this great news. Yesss, it’s one of my number-one recommendation for anyone visiting Bali and now I was way beyond happy knowing that I needn’t have to pass 2 airports before being able to sip my favorite caffeine!!



Taking place at Kertanegara, Pison seemed to put its feet right at the center of the crowd, one of Jakarta’s most-wanted area for cafe-hoping and dining. As expected, the venue’s packed of people even at early in the morning. Not only the youngsters, many of the guests were also families including the elders. 

The interior made me able to recall and felt like being in Bali’s pison. I guessed it’s the signature red bricks, brown-dominated design, and dim-lighting which together formed the specific characters of Pison. Feeling like the ‘home’ to my big caffeine crush was welcoming me back!







Not being too spacious, the place came in 3 floors, with the second one was more like a mezzanine, only occupying half of the space. The third wasn’t a full-one as well, and was intentionally made an open-air one to serve the smokers. Nevertheless, despite you got the seat at the first floor, you could still enjoy your dining session under the clear blue sky as they covered the building with glass ceiling and windows. 





Making my brunch today a perfect one, the menu offered here was mostly similar to the one in Bali, particularly the coffee-based ones. Honestly speaking, I’d never tried any of their brunch menus before so there I was as a first-timer for the main courses. 

Ultimate Bacon Maple French Toast (IDR 65k)

Initially desiring to go for something savory like Eggs Benedict or Bacon & Eggs Roll, yet unfortunately neither of them were available. Yeah, I finally had no option but to go for this one which came at the third place in my brain for what-to-try. As simple as the name indicated, it’s literally bacon on top of stacks of french toast, complemented with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Shortly said, a simple, classic, and lovable dish. Nothing went too much, but nothing surprised me as well. It’s quite pleasant with the fluffy, buttery, and milky bread being perfectly toasted. The combination of sweetness from the main carbo and the savory from the bacon toppings were simply indulging. 

Key Lime Pie (IDR 40k)

Not yet getting the complete satisfaction for my sweet tooth, I opted for the next sweets. Sadly I only had one option, the one and only available from several choices provided on the dessert menu, Key Lime Pie! Quite pricey for this kinda petite size, but luckily the taste paid the pennies spent. A moist slice of sweetness with a twist of citrus flavor, making it a right choice for those who wasn’t that much into heavy dessert. The crumble-tart base on the bottom? Well, no need to explain too much, yum yummm!

Iced Caramel Macchiato (IDR 45k)


 Finally *drumroll*, the best part of the dining set, my never-to-be-missed menu from Pison every time I went to Bali. If you just thought about the one you usually had in one of the well-known global coffee chains, and imagined Pison’s would be something similar, oowww better shoo that mindset away. For me this one was like the next level of Caramel Macchiato with every single element being flawless yet combined together complementing each other too well. 

That deconstructed appearance when it’s initially landed on the table made it look so tempting! Broken layers of caramel, coffee, milk, and another milk in the form of ice cubes, LOVESTRUCK! Blend them together, and give it a sip, you would get the balanced mix of bold coffee and sweet caramel. Oh dear iced coffee, could you just be my morning daily mate??


Having had the short yet indulging brunch at Pison, I am now already looking forward to having the upcoming ones especially with many of those I wanna try being missing in this premiere visit of the Jakarta outlet. So see you again real soon!

Taste: 8/10


Place: 7/10
Service: 7.5/10
Price: 7/10
Thanks for reading! :)


PISON COFFEE
Address: Jl. Kertanegara No. 70, Jakarta
Phone: (+62) 817 4177 444
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 10pm


Find me on:

Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Farmer's Bowl, Enjoying the Healthy Lifestyle

Could you make your wild guess on how a farmer’s bowl would look like? I loved the name chosen by the people behind the petite cafe as it triggered my brain to make my own creative guesstimation on the meaning. As farmers were closely related to farms, so basically the place talked about natural ingredients being served together to craft scrumptious dishes. Yeah, I thought once you arrived at the venue and saw the menu, you would surely got it right away. 


Residing at Ciranjang, one of the hotspot of restaurants and cafes in South Jakarta, the place was easily accessible. If you happened to know Buba and Bump, perhaps the mommies and soon-to-be mommies were familiar with it, Farmer’s Bowl was just next to that place and they’re even connected inside. Or in case you knew Nitro Coffee, Farmer’s Bowl was right across that coffee shop. 





This place wouldn’t only be the crush for those who struggled to find healthy and organic foods, but also families with kids as they provided quite many entertainment for the kids, which I believed could let the little fellas stayed still for long long time. I could even see some of them refused to leave when the parents were about to go home LOL. 











 
Back to what the kitchen offered, basically the concept was more into DIY bowl with healthy ingredients, of which the house had provided the options of set course that would ensure you got the complete nutrition package including carbo, protein, vitamin, and more. 







The main course ranged from around IDR 90k up to IDR 120k, coming in fulfilling size for adults. As kids might have different preference, they did serve special menu for kids prepared in engaging presentations! As you might bring your nannies with you, they did have special section on the menu, offering the dishes for the nannies. 



Though you could be as creative as you could be and decided what you wanted to mix in your bowl, Farmer’s Kitchen did help you with their signature set. There were 5 choices presented by the house; Ninja Bowl bringing soba and salmon, Gangnam Bowl bringing white rice and beef, Summer Bowl bringing quinoa and grilled chicken, Harvest Bowl bringing quinoa and tempeh special for vegetarians, and Siam Bowl bringing mix of veggies and salmon. 

Ninja Bowl (IDR 119k)


My pick was the first one, named as ninja as the main carbo carried Japanese touch, soba noodle. The sauce and other ingredients somehow made the dish turned to be even more Japanese style, with  sauteed beansprouts, grilled scallion tofu, and salted edamame. The key highlights which made me fell deeply into it were the garlic honey glazed salmon perfectly paired with the sous vide egg! 


The salmon was so smooth and flavorful that I could feel the seasoning infused till the inner layer. The perfectly runny yolk which I could mix with the other components flawlessly gave the succulent creaminess into the overall taste. Not to mention the roasted sesame caramel and garlic chili flakes, which made the mix of seasoning even went stronger. Yummy to the very last spoon and at the moment I’m writing this, my saliva felt like dropping!

Peanut Nice Cream (IDR 50k)


Having my Ninja Bowl come in gigantic size, I almost couldn’t take anything anymore. Nonetheless, I surely didn’t want to miss trying their Nice Cream! Yes you heard it right fellas, Nice Cream. It’s neither typo nor misspelling. Basically this sweet dish came in 3 variants; chocolate, berry, and peanut, of which I went for the last one - my all time favorite flavor. 


The base for all was frozen banana (including the sliced bananas as the giveaways!), blended with your chosen flavor so you could already picture mine, mixed with generous amount of peanut butter, giving bold and indulging taste on the palate. Just like common smoothie bowls, you could meet the toppings of coconut flakes, goji berry, and granola. I could say Farmer’s Bowl version was so satisfying as the simple mixture was thick yet refreshing. Oohhhh how I wish such healthy food could be on my breakie table every morning!

Honey Lemon Jelly


Sounded interesting? Well yeah, the name basically the one captured my attention first to have it on my order list. I was a fan of the trio; honey, lemon, and jelly, and picturing them collaborating together seemed beyond awesome so I had no reason for saying no for a trial. Giving me a surprise, it’s more lovely than I expected as the drink was surely refreshing and the great thing was the natural sweetness coming from the honey, was balanced by the slightly sour flavor from the lemon. The jelly went beyond abundant and even made me got more full by closing my dining session with this beverage. I could even tell that you could go for it as light to-go breakfast. 

Coconut Water by Kokonat


Well I guessed this drink was another RTD one offered but prolly not made by the house. Actually they did offer tea, coffee, and fresh made-to-order juice but I just wanted to go for something easy. This was another one I tried, and actually had been one of my favorite drinks as well. I wouldn’t comment much as it’s pretty similar to the ones you might have elsewhere from other brands. Overall a simple thirst-quencher that might suit most palates. 
Summarizing my experience, Farmer’s Bowl was such a nice place to go, for those who’s seeking for freshly-made healthy foods. You needn’t fly miles away to Bali to get such dishes anymore as now you had it just car-ride away. Beyond that, it’s surely a family-and-kids friendly spot, which could add one more line to your list of favorite cafe to visit. 

Taste: 8/10
Place: 7.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 7.5/10


Thanks for reading! :)


FARMER'S BOWL
Address: Jl. Ciranjang No. 9, Jakarta
Phone: (+62) 821 2804 6861/ (+62 21) 7056 2345
Operating Hours: Tue - Sun 11am - 9pm, Mon closed
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Ann's Bakehouse

Starting from a humble patisserie established back then in 1998, La Madeleine, Ann’s Bakehouse finally came back in 2014 after taking its 4-year break from the market. The long-standing reputable name had been able to survive for more than a decade before the break and thus, the quality of the products and the talented hands and brains behind the kitchen were doubtless. It’s absolutely delightful news for the loyal customers as well as all dessert lovers when they finally decided to bake again. 




Though the physical outlet was just there last year (well, I still couldn’t believe I now called 2017 last year LOL), the online shop has crafted big success with not-to-be-underestimated number of customers. Having only the virtual store for years, they allowed the customers to enjoy the ease in satisfying their sweet tooth as the access was just clicks away. 




My huge excitement visiting the outlet for the first time was indescribable by words (well, a bit exaggeration’s still ok, wasn’t it?). Although the space was very limited, they made use of the area quite well with the efficient arrangement. The showcase and order point right after the entrance, and they still could provide a joint table for dining area. 
New York Cheese Cake (IDR 285k for 16cm round)
An authentic New York-style based cheese cake with a rich and dense cream cheese with a buttery cracker crust. Baked with perfection.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart (IDR 210k for 16cm round)
A sweet chocolate tart with sticky caramel filling, topped with a pinch of salt to give you a surprise taste at the end!


As the store size is kinda petite, for you who might haven’t gotten the chance to physically visit the store, you needn’t worry as you certainly can place your order online, or alternatively you can have it delivered using the other online delivery service provider (you surely know what I mean). Or perhaps if you wanna have those sweets to complement your meeting or event or celebration, they do provide catering service. Well, I can see that happy customers’ smiles on lots of faces now ;)


Taste: 7.5/10
Place: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 7/10


Thanks for reading! :)


ANN'S BAKEHOUSE
Address: Jl. Sungai Sambas 3 No. 12, Jakarta
Phone: (+62 21) 2277 5613 / (+62) 812 9099 9045
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 10pm


Find me on:
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)