Sunday, September 2, 2018

Tropicola

Say hello to the newest member of Motel Mexicola family which came after Da Maria, TROPICOLA! First time receiving the mail of its opening in my inbox, I couldn’t get more excited especially because I knew I would be going to Bali real soon so it meant the news wasn’t only nice to know, but would be a real-life experience. 




As I would be coming in quite big group, I earlier had the thought of making reservation. Nonetheless, doing a little research on the venue, seemed like it’s spacious enough and anyway the schedule my friends and I went there would be early afternoon so I didn’t think it would be that packed there. Moreover, the day bed wouldn’t be available for reservation as they kept it for first-come-first-serve basis. If you’re worried about entrance fee, just shoo that away as you could come in for free, and only the day bed required minimum spend of IDR 800k. 

Located at Canggu, it’s not that hard to find the spot, just that the road access to the venue was pretty bumpy. Great thing they provided quite huge parking space so you wouldn’t face trouble to place your vehicle (yep, I found this important to mention remembering that parking space was such an issue in Bali). 




The colorful tone, the square tiles, and the white-red combination for the servants uniforms; all seemed to bring you back to the hype 80’s style. Bali’s indeed the champion for landing amusing out-of-the-box concept, having different stuffs to offer on every single new opening. Yeah, compared to the recently opened ones in J-town at least, many of which were pretty much similar. Oh and anyway, this was from Motel Mexicola’s group so no doubt it’s as enchanting as the predecessors!






Having no sleep yet in the last 30 hours combined with the pretty sunny day, I preferred to be the chillin’ gang who just spent the time lazily sitting on the couch while sipping my drink and munching my light bites. Some of my friends hit the pool enjoying some splash to refresh themselves. 


Huevos Rancheros (IDR 85k)


Being the most uncommon among the tapas list, this Mexican dish basically served slow cooked egg, refried beans, pico de gallo, avocado, and sour cream on top of round-shaped crispy tortilla. Kinda similar to nachos in my view, just that the tortilla came in single piece instead of plenty small cuts. Despite the presentation wasn’t as stunning as my earlier imagination, I might say it was okay-ish both in look and taste. However, if I might suggest, I would prefer to mix all the ingredients and enjoying them altogether in a single bite, or otherwise it seemed like enjoying different components served in a single plate ;)

Hot Dog (IDR 90k)


WOW! Perhaps that word with a jaw-break could best represent my expression first time spotting the dish landed on the table. The huge size kinda surprised me, particularly the pork sausage which did look very fulfilling, coming in gigantic portion and topped with extra happiness from mix of raw and fried onion, mustard, ketchup, and organic pickles. Although it might not deserve the title of best hotdog ever, it’s absolutely not bad; having tasty sausage, fluffy bun, and extra flavors coming from the toppings. 

Hot Chocolate + Guajillo Mousse (IDR 75k)


Shifting to the sweet polar, first one apparently turned out not suiting the palate of everyone’s on the table. Yeah it’s my fault missing to browse what Guajillo actually was. It’s actually dried chili that’s commonly used in Mexican dish. So you could imagine the good-looking thick chocolate mousse gave surprising spicy explosion in the mouth. Finally I ended up picking the dark chocolate pearls, chocolate cake, and vanilla ice cream only; trying as much as possible to get rid of the hot mousse. If you’re into such unique dessert, you might find your treasure here.

Caramelized French Toast (IDR 70k)


I wasn't sure if you had the same thought as mine, but looking at the presentation, my first impression on this french toast was 'OK, it's expensive'. Infused with coffee honey and paired with roasted pineapple and yoghurt sorbet, I  did agree it tasted quite good, but not really a sophisticated one that's too complex to craft at home ;) 

Banana Split (IDR 60k)


The one that I put as last choice when placing the order simply because I perceived it’s too mainstream. Nevertheless, it finally became the sweet that suited my palate quite well compared to the earlier ones. Yes, bluntly speaking it’s simple mix of caramelized banana, milk chocolate ice cream, toasted peanut praline, whipped cream, and toffee sauce; but perhaps because of that reason it won this time. All those classic elements just went well combined together mixing creamy and crunchy ingredients whose taste balanced one another. Wouldn't deny that I might get same thing elsewhere, but at least I pretty much enjoyed Tropicola's version.

Tropicola (IDR 40k)


Merely speaking about presentation and the idea behind, I guessed this drink was quite enticing. Well, mentioned as 'secret house cola recipe', it kind of tickled the curiosity to give it a try as you must be questioning what the secret recipe was. Having a sip, I might only be able to say that it was dominated by the cola taste ;)

Porn Star Martini (IDR 120k)


Coming in picturesque look, this cocktail belonged to my friend, who seemed to be more hitched by the drink's presentation than the taste. The glass featured vanilla vodka, passionfruit, and banana; yeah peculiar combination having the two last elements came together. Unfortunately, the flavor mix seemed to be not my friend's kind of cocktail.

Elixir 3 (IDR 50k)


Looking at the description only, this last drink sounded to be the healthiest among the rest, as it brought the trio of coconut water, honey, and spirulina. When you  saw the real one, you might not be able to recognize it since it came in blue-green-combined color. It was a great choice to quench the thirst, but I would love it more if it could be slightly less sweet.


All in all, bluntly said I enjoyed the place more than what I had on my dining table. The ambiance was pretty nice, especially if you're not demanding for a real beach, and a pool would do great for you. Besides, if you're just trying to be in tune with the latest trend, paying a visit and giving it a try would definitely not hurt ;)

Taste: 6.5/10
Place: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 6.5/10
Thanks for reading! :)


TROPICOLA
Address: Jl. Pantai Batu Belig No. 5, Seminyak, Bali
Phone: (+62 361) 934 3636
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 11am - 1am


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Alfred

I guessed I’d ever spotted the ‘coming soon’ banner of this place months ago when I was in Grand Indonesia, but I thought I had it gone from my mind till I saw it again today. Standing side by side with Toby’s Estate, I chose to spend my brunch at Alfred as I had earlier tried Toby’s. Well, the sentence on the wall seemed to match it very well, ‘Ended up at Alfred’s’. 





It’s not a sizable outlet, taking place inside Seibu department store. I was quite astonished knowing it’s also connected to the outdoor area, so it got that natural sunlight rays coming into the venue. Perfect ambiance for chilling and having small talks! It was designed in classy style, nothing went either too much or too less. I loved the simplicity, but I knew it had single weakness of not being able to accommodate bigger group of people and yes, not much space for walking around. 




My choice of seat doubtlessly went to the one located near the open-air spot. Yeah, they let the door connecting the venue to the outer side of Grand Indonesia to be opened, but actually it’s not intended for in-and-out access, since they put flower pots around it, simply showing it’s not to be passed. Great thing was I could enjoy my brunch while having the fresh air and staring at the blue sky!

Matcha Kaya Latte (IDR 55k)
The drinks Alfred offered was not limited to common set offered in many other places. They took some effort to offer something inventive, just like this Matcha Kaya Latte. There were some other unique combination like charcoal with coffee, which I would surely try at the next visit. 


Talking about my current one, honestly speaking I could barely taste the kaya flavor in it. Perhaps it's obscured by the stronger green tea flavor. Being a matcha lover, I did love the bold green tea taste, but I hoped the sweetness level to be slightly reduced; believing it would end up serving something that suited more taste buds.

Alfred Iced Blue Lemonade Tea (IDR 45k)


In contrary to my choice, my sister ordered something more refreshing instead of milky. Yes, perhaps indeed better option when you're in the midst of hot sunny day. It looked gorgeous in presentation, but shortly said it's pretty similar to iced lemon tea. There's additional flavor in it which I could hardly explain in words what it particularly was, but I would say it's not bad. If only the price could go a bit lower, this drink might be the safe option to go for.

Ultimate Truffle (IDR 125k)
My most-time-working principle, "When in doubt, pick the most favorite". That's exactly the thing I did in Alfred as well. Having quite many options on the menu and knowing that burger was apparently their specialist, I ended up choosing the one with two thumbs up. Besides, that truffle word called out as the dish last name did get me tempted to give it a try. 


This rich stack of 120g Australia prime beef patty, mozzarella cheese, truffle aioli, onion ring, and mesclun indeed looked super yum! Having the first giant bite, I right away fell for the patty which was so juicy and tender. The seasoning was well-infused till the center part, making it flavorful in every bite. I loved how the generous amount of mozzarella cheese perfectly complemented the main protein. That truffle hint? WOW! I might call it the best part of this burger, not only making you drool from the scent it spread, but also 'getting you high' by its taste. 

Don't worry if you're the type who thought burger alone wouldn't be complete. You would get your french fries coming as the companion to it. Loving the burger as much as my excitement in explaining it earlier, my only wish was the french fries could come as truffle fries ;)

Banana Bacon Maple (IDR 105k)


Going beyond savory, Alfred did serve peculiar dishes from the sweet group. Despite the choices were less, I couldn't deny that the explanation sounded pretty attractive. Moreover, as they gave the options of the polarized base - either crunchy croissant or fluffy hotcakes, they seemed to try serving 2 totally different preferences of texture. 




My pick went to the soft one, served in 3 stacks. I did wish it was presented in thicker layers just like the common hotcakes, but I couldn't deny that I was so in love with the super moist texture. The batter itself tasted so luscious with the strong vanilla hint in it. Despite some people might still think having bacon with pancake and maple syrup sounded awkward, I'd always been excited with this combination. This time, Alfred's version was well-executed as all the ingredients mixed in it complemented each other in awesome way. The vanilla ice cream and vanilla milk sauce made the overall vanilla flavor played stronger game, the caramelized banana slice simply became best buddy to the maple-glazed bacon, and the cornflakes & almond successfully added pampering crunchy element into the dessert.

Despite I did think it's quite too pricey, I couldn't lie that I loved this sweet quite too much. It's the type that could make me desire going back to have it again and again. 


Having me hitched at my premiere visit especially due to the foods, Alfred did make me exited to have my upcoming visit coming soon. I'm so interested to try much more from their burger menu. I bet their Royal and Bae would be the next couples I would go for!


Taste: 8/10
Place: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Price: 7/10


Thanks for reading! :)


ALFRED
Address: Seibu GF, Grand Indonesia West Mall, Jakarta
Phone: (+62 21) 2358 0178
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm


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Saturday, August 11, 2018

Plunge

Literally translating the name, you might wrongly get it as a name of a diving course, or at least sports equipment shop? Well, it wouldn’t be here on my blogpost for sure if it’s either of those two. In fact, Plunge’s a brand new cafe in West Jakarta, to be precise Pesanggrahan. OK, I could see the excitement of the ‘west kid’ going to the roof now ;)




Presented in minimalist style, the venue looked neat and homey; simply said ZEN. It’s like nice at the sight and modest in the arrangement; the type of place which might be not the first to steal your attention, but the one that will be able to make you stuck on the couch not feeling like going home, and surely the place that seemed to keep calling you to come back. A quite impressive transformation of a shophouse into awesome coffee shop has been nailed!



Having an impeccable space with perfect ambiance, I placed big hope on the ‘tummy spoilers’ because it would be the other mandatory checklist besides the spot itself. 

I was elated skimming through the menu, finding it’s dominated by intercontinental dishes, well fusion of Western and Asian. So your options ranged from rice, bread, pasta, and many more. To note, both savory and sweet palate were welcomed here as they were pretty fair in trying to delight both. 


Hot Piccolo (IDR 30k)


I started my Sunday treat by trying their ‘wake-up call’, a cup of Hot Piccolo. I did get that ‘kick on the butt’ as the beans were apparently pretty acidic. It was also quite strong, so in case you couldn’t take too-heavy kind of cup, I suggested you to go for the Cappuccino or Latte. 

Truffle Mac and Cheese (IDR 76k)


Yeay! The heart-stealer dish was finally landed on the table beautifully, exactly like what I saw in the picture. Some of you might think I was over-exaggerating the appearance, but for me who’s so much into pasta cooked in creamy kind of sauce, this was huge temptation! 


Once you tried the dish yourself, you might get the same feeling as me now, as if you could smell that mind-blowing truffle aroma just by looking at the picture. Imagine the petite shell pasta, which was cooked al-dente, mixed with spicy cheese sauce - surely something not mainstream and would prevent you from easily getting nauseated as well since you got that chili touch in the dish. Not stopping there, you would also be pampered by extra doze of cheese and you might wanna lift up your glass and gimme a toast as it’s Feta! Don’t get happy too easily guys, the dish still had more elements to please you, since your pasta wouldn’t go solo. It came with crispy bacon and spam, and further topped with garlic crumble, giving complete set of delicacy. Last but not least, the skin to your KFC, crispy pork rind or some of you might know as Chicharon. Yep, the part you wanna save for the last to make it playing its climax role!

Salted Caramel Cake (IDR 49k)
My climax wouldn’t stop there as you knew it’s still savory only. Could you gimme a shout from the sweet team?? ;)


OK who had just shouted out loud, I believed you would get yourself stuck for awhile at the point where you stood when you just got your first footstep into the venue. Wondering why? Because the cake display was right there in front of you! My biggest first crush were the duo, Srikaya Pie and Salted Caramel Cake. Nonetheless, the barista told me that the latter was the favorite of the crowd so I followed ‘the rest of the world’. 


The cake looked quite familiar as I was sure I’d ever had it somewhere, just that I couldn’t recall when and where. Giving it a retrial wouldn’t hurt, would it? It finally turned out that the cake was way more attractive when it’s delivered on the table. Simple reason, it was decorated with caramel drizzle and peanut crumbles, making it looked crowded and more lively!


The great appearance wasn’t deceiving, and I loved how the cake combined moist spongy texture with soft cream in between the layers. Some people might perceive it quite sweet but for me it’s just right, especially that hint of salted caramel simply delivered more variation of flavors in each bite. My personal highlight was doubtlessly the crumbles, which came as extra happiness and went beyond just being nice-to-have toppings; reminded me of my all-time favorite nougat!



Having my delectable lunch experience, I couldn’t add more comments than just give it a try yourself and yes, I bet I would say ‘you’re welcome’ afterwards ;)

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

Thanks for reading! :)


PLUNGE
Address: Jl. Pesanggrahan Raya 5b, Jakarta
Phone: (+62) 822 7799 0707
Operating Hours: Tue - Sun 8am - 10pm, Mon closed


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