Saturday, February 22, 2020

Creme

Call me Elmo's bestfriend, YESSSS I'M HUUUGEE FAN OF COOKIE!! Simple cookie, cookie dough, cookie spread, well name it.... I simply love'em all. Hence no wonder when I was swiping through pages on Instagram, then suddenly spotting gigantic-cookies picture posted by an account I couldn't recall already, my heart skipped a beat. Then snap! Right away the 'hands crafted those enticing bites', CREME, directly moved to my top list of 'places-to-go'.



Strolling around Soho area hasn't gotten me any less excitement yet. If some people are so much into either the apparels or gadgets shops, I am much more into the restaurants, cafes, and dessert places they offer. Like oh dear, so many of the 'sweets paradise' I'm tempted to visit has at least one of their outlets located around this area. So yes, you couldn't be more accurate if you picture me finding myself again and again being back to this place.

Trying to find sweet ending to my savory meal, cookies out of the blue came into my mind like an unexpected thunder strike. Well, prolly it's unconsciously stuck there because I spotted Ben's Cookies (which was actually just my other favorite ever since my first trial of it in Singapore - and so happy knowing it has much more branches in London). So guess what happened after SOHO met cookies in my mind? Yep, my first trial for CREME!




The outlet was actually kinda petite that I almost passed it without realizing it's just right there. Located in a quite small alley at the heart of SOHO, it's quite packed with people enjoying either their cookies, hot drinks, or soft serve while standing inside the outlet as well as in front. Regardless its girly pinky design, I was kinda surprised not few of the guests were males. Well, I guessed it proved 'taste never lies'.

The selection of the menu was pretty limited as I mentioned earlier and for sure the most favorites were their cookies and soft serve. The regular flavors provided for the cookies were Milk Chocolate, Double Chocolate, White Cocolate Miso, and Banana Dark Chocolate; all of which offered at quite high price of £4 each. For those who might be not that much into sweets, the size was surely for share as when they kept saying that they offered really big cookies, they did mean it. A cookie monster like me, however doubtlessly didn't mind to finish it all myself though.



Freshly baked in the house, my order was served warm and literally fresh from the oven that I could still see the melting milk chocolate. My pick was the best seller of the kitchen; the classic one yet also the signature. Being gigantic and thick, you could imagine that 'ooey-gooey' piece of heaven. Call me over-exaggerating now, then regret later once you give it a try, as the taste's surely mindblowing! CERTAINLY BEST COOKIE I'VE EVER HAD IN LIFETIME!! Right sweetness level, pleasant buttery aroma, precise chewiness - all serving the combination of how I just loved my cookie to be. Having it for takeaway, I kinda regretted not buying their box of 6 (£22), or even box of 12 (£40) package *frowned*



Having had their cookie only, stay tune for my next visit for their soft serve, hot chocolate with generous marshmallows on top, and surely other cookies!



Taste: 8.5/10
Place: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 7/10



Thanks for reading! :)


Crème
Address: 4 D'Arblay Street, Soho - London, W1F 8DJ
Phone: (+44) 203 457 2000
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 9pm


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Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Mother Mash, Home for Bangers and Mash

Say what for the very first London food-blog post of mine? Yeaaaayyyyy! Yeah I was seriously that happy being able to write this and hopefully it would keep coming. 

Spending my first weekend here as I just moved in by Friday, I didn’t wanna waste the chance despite it’s rainy, windy, and I felt like frozen. After having my Sunday Service, I decided to have something special from this city for lunch. Yep, the kind of dishes listed as the signature ones to try, and this time the choice fell on Bangers and Mash.



The dish was pretty simple indeed, featuring the couple of sausages and mashed potato. This was actually one of comfort food for the British and tons of restaurants did serve it. Making it easy for myself, I tried to find the closest one from the church and that’s why I opted for Mother Mash. 
I surely hadn’t made any reservation earlier but call me lucky, I got the last vacant seat (well perhaps the beauty of being alone). I could see long queue started to pile up outside as the venue was indeed quite petite, prolly able to accommodate only up to 20 people max.


The attendants were very nimble in handling the busy restaurant, though there seemed to be not many of them. The  house gave you the option of pairing the mashed potato with either sausages (£9.95) or pie (£10.95), from which I picked the first. Then next you needed to choose the type of mashed potato, sausages, and sauce you wanna combine into a trio. Mine was Champ (traditional Irish mash with butter, cheddar cheese, and spring onions), Cumberland (classic British pork with pepper), and Farmer’s (red wine, onion, smoked bacon, and mushroom). 

It didn’t take that long to get the dish served on my table, and the real one did look like most pics I saw. The mashed potato portion was super fulfilling for my kind of doze and the sausages which came in two pieces were just right. You always had the option to add more at £1.5 each.



I loved how smooth the mashed potato was, and the buttery hint was so lovely. Being a cheese lover, I just wished the cheese flavor could go bolder. If you didn’t take dairy product, they did serve non-dairy option. The vegan sausages were also available, but just to inform, the meat-based ones were all using pork. Picking the classic one, I really loved my option as it’s flavorful with strong pepper taste. The gravy sauce came as perfect companion, as it made the taste went richer, coming in the right thickness level. For my choice, the small bacon became extra ‘happiness’ to the dish. Apparently this traditional dish has able to got me hitched in the initial meeting!

Honestly I was really interested to try their selections of traditional desserts as well especially the Sticky Toffee Pudding, but sadly my tummy could no longer afford anything right away. This implied I already knew what to order for my upcoming visit *wink*. Besides, I would surely come back for their pies as well!


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

Thanks for reading! :)


MOTHER MASH
Address: 26 Ganton Street, Soho, London W1F 7QZ
Phone: (+44) (0) 20 7494 9644
Operating Hours: Sun - Sat 8.30am - 10.00pm


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Singapore Airlines Business Class Experience

I knew I might have said that I love travelling as much as I love food-hunting, yet I admitted that I’ve never written anything much about my travelling experience. It’s always the case that the intention’s there, but then I ended up finding myself fallen into another business. This time, I got double pleasure as I travelled without laptop, and I got ‘free content’ as it’s my first business class trip - which I could no longer wait to share! Thanks to some friends who have motivated me to write about this. You guys know who you are, and indeed you're BEST OF THE BEST!

So the trip started from Jakarta with London as the final destination, with a transit at Singapore. Honestly speaking I earlier intended to pick another airline instead of Singapore Airlines, however it’s somehow prohibited due to the route it took. Besides, for Jakarta - London trip, SQ did offer the timing I thought could best work with my schedule. I could depart from Jakarta at around 8pm-ish and arrive at London at around 7am-ish. Yes, it’s around 17-18 hours in total with a transit of less than 2 hours. If I remembered correctly, the longest single flight I’ve ever taken might last for 8 hours only so this was a quite different one for me. Nonetheless, being the one who could right away fall asleep once touching the seat; I was pretty chill about it. As I would share to you on both flights, do wait till the end as the climax would be with the second one!

While waiting for the flight, I could enjoy pampering myself with the foods and beverages at the lounge near gate 5. Actually I was also given the option for redeeming voucher from another restaurant as it’s quite distant from my departure gate - which was 10. Pretty thoughtful one :)



Okay, starting from the departure, the first flight from Jakarta to Singapore. I did enjoy the spacious seat and the wide leg-room, despite the plane itself was not the newest one which you might tell from the design. Undoubtedly, you however must have earlier heard how good was the service of SQ Business Class. This time, I proved it myself as I felt like being a super spoiled kid even since my first second sitting on the plane. First glass of champagne (you needn’t worry if you didn’t prefer to have alcohol-based drink as you did get the options of water and fruit juices), which did help a lot to put me into sleep much quicker. 



As it moved closer toward the takeoff, I started ‘playing around’ with the in-flight entertainment. Similar to those you might prolly have seen, movies, TV series, music, games, and also in-flight shops! Great thing, the movie selection was pretty rich and able to offer some of the latest-released ones; call it Gemini Man, Knives Out, Joker, etc. The headset was my highlight as it’s the one with awesome noise control, letting you to enjoy your entertainment at its best. 


Then it came to the dinner, serving a full-course one. The selections provided were quite accommodating with different proteins and carbs-based. My pick was pasta with tiger prawn and Arabiatta sauce. Coming in decent portion, the pasta was cooked al dente and I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the generously-served prawns were super fresh. The sauce made itself perfect companion that someone like me who usually fancied condiments like chili sauce did think I no longer needed it. Seemed to not yet giving enough happiness, there came the cheesecake in sizable cut, with dense and creamy texture just like how I loved them. Given these, I felt like not just having a dinner on a plane as I got pleasantly full. 

Cutting the short transit part and moving to my next flight, it’s a convenient one as I simply needed to go to the next boarding gate without any connecting-flight reporting needed. Well, they did provide the option if you wanna stayed over nights at Singapore, which you could choose at your purchase. 





Here the amazing experience started once I got to my seat. The flight offered super convenient space, all come with sophisticated hi-tech design. The chair allowed you to lay low with highly-adjustable foot-rest, and even sleep as it could be modified to a bed. Pillows to keep you comfortable and blanket to keep you warm we’re unquestionably there. Even the lightings were on point, serving various needs with how they positioned it and served it with different intensity. 



The in-flight entertainment came in even wider selections with more advanced control tool (read: the remote was much easier to operate!). As the flight was much longer, the attendants did their best to make your 14-hour experience being remarkable. If you’re awake, they would regularly check if you needed anything as there were all-time available foods/drinks, on top of the 2-time scheduled supper and breakfast. If your tummy couldn’t handle them or you simply preferred to just sleep, for sure you could always tell the stewardess. 





As the highlights, the meals served weren’t just regular plane meals which you might have thought of. They’re full-course ones just like earlier, just that this time the presentation even looked very exclusive. As it consisted of several dishes, for me the size was bit too much but those fancying bigger size might love it. Taste was surely not any less compared to earlier flight’s. Fruit slices were refreshing, the granola - my pick for the ‘opening’ was fulfilling, and the main for which mine was French Toast did deliver the satisfaction being so fluffy and well-paired with the mascarpone topping. You did have savory options if your taste bud loved that more. 




Beyond the enticing foods and the coddling facilities, my best appreciation went to the service. From small things like ensuring the amenities were complete, asking if I fancied any drinks/snacks/foods, calling me up and arranging the bed for me as they’re worried I got back pain, till giving me additional masks as the supply might be limited in London. Now I understood when people said you’re served like a king when flying with SQ! Not yet a period, I did get the invitation to take ‘fast track’ for immigration and trust me, this did help a ton as the line was pretty awful. 


Additional info just in case you usually like to get some amenities, they do provide slippers, socks, and sleep mask which you could bring home with you. While to refresh yourself in the midst of the flight, toothbrush and facial wash were all there in the bathroom. 

  

All in all, I guessed despite the business-class flight was indeed pricey, each penny did pay for the amazing service! I couldn’t wait for having my next one.


Service: 9/10
Price: 8/10


Thanks for reading! :)


SINGAPORE AIRLINES


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Saturday, December 14, 2019

Six Ounces

This was actually not my very first experience with Six Ounces as years ago I’d been to their Kelapa Gading outlet. Yeah, those good old days when I was still so much into food hunting and having my endless energy to try anything new that Gading seemed not that far away. Or perhaps to be fair, I hadn’t moved to BSD, which made it even more painful going to Gading and fighting against the traffic. 


Ok, cutting the story short, I was beyond grateful knowing that Six Ounces opened their brand new outlet in Dharmawangsa. Not only it’s now a lil bit closer, but also the venue design was astonishing! Just by entering the parking space, you could already tell it had something peculiar. Carrying out wooden theme, the venue looked like serving a spacious front yard to dine in, surely not a common ambiance to find out elsewhere in Jakarta recently. The iconic vespa right next to the entrance door of the indoor space would surely be the attention catcher, making an Instagenic spot for the visitors. 





Stepping into the fully air-conditioned room, it felt so ‘Christmassy’ as they tried decorated the place with this December most-favorite theme. I did love how they combined sofas at some corners with arrays of normal chair at the center, crafting a comfy space to kill long time while enjoying the abundant choices of foods the house served. 




Truffled Mushroom Cream Ravioli (IDR 90k)


I knew the cakes displayed in the chiller had stolen my attention from the beginning, yet I was trying to still find a main course to start my dining set. Spotting some menu that got me hooked, my decision finally fell on this creamy pasta as it carried the first name of truffle. Moreover, when I was stuck in my dilemmatic moment, the guests next to me actually had this dish sitting nicely on their dining table, seemed to call me to give it a try. Well, that live visual did help a lot as the food’s appearance as well as scent were highly tempting especially for those who fancied both pasta with creamy sauce and truffle as much as me. 

Being kinda pricey, actually the portion was fulfilling enough for my preference. The spinach-filled ravioli was cooked al dente, and impeccably complemented by the sautéed mushroom which gave richer taste to the overall dish. The truffle cream sauce was also lovely and I was pleased by the touch of parmesan, which made it more flavorful. Despite the dish might sound pretty simple, yet I enjoyed it a lot and I would recommend to you who had the same liking as me to opt for it. 

Nutella Bombolone (IDR 35k)
Hey you the first heart-catcher! Yep, the one who got me hitched when I accidentally saw it on my Instagram. The snap of that overflowing Nutella was surely hypnotizing. If some of you thought I was over exaggerating, well you might not understand how Nutella holic would react. Despite also being a chocolate-sprinkles lover, this time I needed to let that buddy gone as the Nutella one got me sold!


Well, honestly speaking I did think this bombolone was quite overpriced, but what’s wrong in giving it a try? Or perhaps you might say I couldn’t resist to have it once it’s there right in front of my sight, suddenly turning me into price-inelastic consumer. 


I would call it heavenly piece as the Nutella filling was indeed so generously served, despite the doughnut itself was slightly greasy. I guessed having that much Nutella on my palate could help compensating all other flaws this bombolone had. Ohhh I wish I could have another version with peanut butter filling, or perhaps the mix of Nutella and PB??!?
Hot Cappuccino (IDR 38k)


Knowing that Six Ounces was a coffee specialist, I wouldn’t miss the chance to sip my morning caffeine dose there. Though at first I was almost tempted to try their other unique beverages such as the smoothies, the mocktails creation, or even the coffee-based beverage that they mixed with other ingredients; I ended up set my mind to be consistent with going for the basic one, Cappuccino. 

Being quite worried if it would be acidic as the smell seemed to tell that, surprisingly the taste was just like how I loved it! Medium-bodied coffee with bold flavor, yet only being slightly sour on the crema but the coffee taste itself perfectly suited me. 

Iced Yakult Lychee (IDR 35k)

If you’re not that much into coffee, you needn’t worry as they did provide various choices of mocktails. While Yakult Lychee might sound quite mainstream, the signature version of Six Ounces was quite different, with stronger hint of lemon. I wasn’t sure if it’s indeed mixed with lemon, yet I found the taste was citrusy, more sour than the other Yakult Lychee I’d ever tried earlier, but in a good way that I liked. The lychee taste did help giving a bit touch of sweetness to the refreshing drink. 

Although I just tried very limited variants from the menu, the great experience surely made me wanna go back. I did enjoy the warm service, the cozy atmosphere, and the delectable dishes. Next time I would certainly go for their smoothie bowls, which had stuck in my mind by the time I read it as it featured peanut butter and chocolate <3.

Taste: 7.5/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 7.5/10
Thanks for reading! :)


SIX OUNCES
Address: Panglima Polim IX/93, Jakarta
Phone: (+62) 81 2858 99260
Operating Hours: Mon - Fri 8.30am - 10.00pm


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