High Quality Dishes with Exclusive Hotel Ambiance

First time coming to Otel Lobby, I thought the restaurant was closed as the entrance door was tightly closed and there was no one standing in front of the restaurant. I was still standing in front of the door when the waitress suddenly opened it and greeted me. First-time looking at the design, I was stunned for a few seconds. I knew that the restaurant’s name was Otel Lobby but I didn’t expect that it exactly looked like the lobby of a hotel. I was super impressed with the idea they used for the interior. They highly paid attention to details as it wasn’t only the furniture that tried to give you the hotel ambiance. There were also supplements like receptionist desk, stairs, big clock, suitcases, and even trolleys.  

 

This restaurant was highly spacious, providing both indoor and outdoor area. As it brought out the hotel theme, you could find various versions of tables and chairs; the long one with many chairs, the small squared one, and even the round one with round chair. The outdoor area was nicely decorated as well though it was indeed quite hot to sit there.

 

 

Another fun fact, the head chef of Otel Lobby is actually the co-owner as well. Experienced in French cuisines, she delivered the fusion of French and Indonesian taste in Otel Lobby. Moreover, to provide the guests with high-quality dishes, Otel Lobby built close relationships with local farmers to get the finest raw materials for what they served.

 

Talking about the service, unfortunately I was quite disappointed with it. Based on what I saw, the restaurant had quite many waiters and waitresses. However, when I wanted to make my order, it took them quite long to finally come to my table. Moreover, another long time was taken to prepare for the dishes, while at that time, there were only few guests dining in. When I finally had the food served on the table, I was just hoping for one thing, the dishes should be impressive to cure my displeasure.
 
 

Soft Warm Bun with Beef (IDR 50k/2pcs)

As the appetizer, I had this soft warm bun, which was mostly known as bakpao. They had 3 choices of toppings; crispy duck, chicken, and beef. This time I picked beef. Having my first bite, I was so happy that my wish came true. Combining grilled beef, cucumber, onion, mayonnaise, and fried onion on top; this dish was surely a perfect curer for my mood and it was indeed a flawless starter. The beef was so tender and not greasy at all, while the bun was so moist. Luscious!

Grilled Beef Tongue (IDR 125k)

 Moving to the main course, I had Grilled Beef Tongue, which was served with housemade kimchi and garlic fried rice. I was not sure what was put on top of the beef tongue, but it looked like foam and it didn’t have any significant flavor. Taste wise, both my friend who was a tongue-lover as well as I who was the opposite, thought that there was nothing special with the beef tongue as it was just similar to the common one we had in other places. However, we did love the taste of the garlic fried rice as it was well-seasoned and the garlic touch was strong enough.

Beef Wellington (IDR 185k)

The next beef-themed dish I had was Beef Wellington, which was basically grilled beef served with mushroom duxelles and puff pastry.  This dish came in quite huge portion, so no wonder it was quite pricey. Stuffed into the puff pastry, the beef was juicy and tender, despite that it was a little bit too salty. Moreover, I really loved the crispy texture of the puff pastry, which came as the perfect companion to the beef.

BBQ Beef, Parmigiano, and Garlic Chip Pizza (IDR 85k)

The last beef dish on the table was this stone-baked pizza. Mainly topped with generous amount of barbeque beef, this dish successfully pampered my taste bud. The pizza crust itself tried to deliver the fusion of French and Indonesian as it was neither too thin, nor too thick. Besides the beef, the pizza was even enriched with additional toppings of Parimigiano and garlic chip, giving more scrumptious flavor to be enjoyed.

Roasted Chicken (IDR 85k)

This roasted chicken was the only chicken dish of Otel Lobby, which I’ve tried. Distinctive from the common roasted chicken I had had in other restaurants, this time it’s served with fried rice and bread salad. I guessed the chef wanted to give Indonesian touch on this dish as well, as you know that when an Indonesian hasn’t had rice, he hasn’t eaten yet. As you might have guessed, this dish was really fulfilling since the chicken portion was huge and it was accompanied by fried rice. Nevertheless, it was really gratifying until the very last spoon as the doneness level of the chicken was precise and the taste was unquestionably delightful. Not to mention, the yummy fried rice and the refreshing salad; both of which came as additional happiness for me.  

Grilled Salmon (IDR 115k)

Having had beef and chicken, now it’s the turn for fish. The beautifully grilled salmon came with braised shiitake, spinach, and wasabi mashed potato. Again, the salmon’s portion was satisfying and it was cooked into perfection. The crispy skin was a mind-blowing one, which you definitely wanted to keep, to be enjoyed after you finished any other components of the dish. The shiitake and the spinach together added not only more flavor, but also more healthy components into the plate. Lastly, the mashed potato which was simply enjoyable with its soft and creamy texture.

Slow Cooked Salmon (IDR 115k)

Another salmon but with different cooking style. This time, it was served with confit potato and hollandaise sauce. Though I really enjoyed the previous one, this second salmon dish was even far better! The salmon was so moist that it immediately melted once it touched your taste bud. The confit potato was heavenly succulent as well and it did balance the taste of the salmon as the main actor. The matchless component from this dish was the hollandaise sauce, which you might usually have with breakfast menu containing eggs. Surprisingly, this invention turned out wonderful!

Local Duck Confit (IDR 85k)

 

Finally, we arrived at the last food on the table, duck confit. Yes, it was another type of meat! LOL. Usually, I did not like duck as I found it having too much fat. Nonetheless, this one amazingly turned to be an exception. I was extremely in love with it. Though I did have to remove the fat part, I was really really impressed with the taste. The sauce, which was combined with onion, flawlessly blended sweet and savoury flavors.

Hot Chocolate (IDR 35k)

For beverage, I opted for hot chocolate. The taste was quite nice, but I preferred it to have thicker texture and stronger chocolate taste.

Having had complete types of meat; from beef, chicken, fish, and duck, I could say that I was highly satisfied with my dining experience in Otel Lobby. All the dishes have proven that they did serve first-class taste and quality. Two thumbs up!

Taste: 9/10

Place: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Thanks for Reading! :)

OTEL LOBBY

Address: Epicentrum Walk GF, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Kuningan

Phone: (021) 2994 1324

Operating hours: Sun – Thu 11am – 12am, Fri – Sat 11am – 2am

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Matchless Inventions at La Creperie

La Creperie was a French restaurant located at PIK, which specialized in French dishes, cider, wine, and beer. When I firstly heard the name, I thought it only sold sweet and savoury crepes for the dishes. While actually, they did serve selections of pasta, burger, poultry, and even finger foods. Their beverages were inventive as they provided many combinations, which you would rarely found in other places.

The venue was not that spacious, but it was cozy enough to spend quite long time. At the front part was the outdoor area, while the back one was the indoor area. The design of the venue was unique as the walls were painted colorfully with the pictures that tried to make you feel as if you were dining in a café in French. They even provided an Eiffel miniature inside the restaurant!

Another distinctive thing was you would be given menu book and iPad when you’re about to make your order. I really loved the idea of using iPad as I could immediately see the real pictures of the dishes. Just one thing, it might be far better if they could put the dish name on the pictures so the guest didn’t have to ask to the waiter/waitress regarding the name of each dish shown. At that time, I was quite clueless about which dish was actually in the picture. Luckily, the waitress was very friendly explaining each of them.

Cheese French Fries (IDR 20k)

To start today’s lunch, my foodie friends and I had several finger foods. The first one was this Cheese French Fries, which was basically French fries served with bacon and topped with sunny side up, melted cheese, and chili flakes. Who on earth didn’t like French fries? This dish was surely delightful and everyone loved it. For me personally, despite the bacon whose texture was a little bit too hard and the chili flakes which were slightly too much; I really loved the idea of combining the French fries, melted cheese, and sunny side up as it was unique yet delicious!

Calamari (IDR 39k)

Next one was Calamari, which was beautifully served with the tartar sauce as the dipping. The calamari was well-seasoned and the tartar sauce did come as the perfect complement. However, I believed the taste would be far better if the batter could be thinner and the squid texture was slightly chewier.

Bitterballen (IDR 36k)

This last savory finger foods we had was my most favorite. The ingredients were actually very simple as it only consisted of mashed potatoes and cheese, which were breaded and then deep-fried. Nevertheless, as the seasonings were just right, this dish has shown that simplicity could be the ultimate sophistication. Having it with the yummy dipping sauce, it would be hard to resist yourself from having some more.

Cheese Fingers (IDR 35k)

Since having savory appetizers only seemed to be not enough yet, we did have the sweet one, Cheese Fingers. They were melted cheese covered with bread crumbs and topped with strawberry jam. It was another simple dish, which let you enjoy the blend of sweet and savoury taste.

Poulet Aglio (IDR 86k)

When I firstly looked at the dish, I was quite confused which one was actually the main component, the chicken or the pasta. Then I thought, why bother thinking about that, anyway having 2 main components meant extra happiness, didn’t it? Serving half-sized grilled chicken on top of Aglio Olio spaghetti then topped it with creamy sauce; this dish would doubtlessly make you drool even since the very first sight you have on it. Great news, the eye-catchy presentation didn’t lie. The chicken had precise doneness level, delivering juicy and tender texture. Unfortunately, the spaghetti was slightly undercooked. However, the luscious taste from the chicken and the spaghetti came as the curer. The additional toppings of diced-cut potatoes and broccoli did add extra enjoyment to the dish. Not to forget, the creamy sauce which perfectly balanced the savory flavor of all the components. Marvelous!

Breakfast Galette (IDR 59k)

So here was the dish, which represented the restaurant’s name, yes it’s crepes! This crepe was a savory one, serving together egg, chicken, spinach, creamy sauce, and salad as its fillings. The crepe itself had soft texture and right thickness. Using spinach as one of its components, this crepe would surely be a distinctive one as I’ve never found any similar crepe before. I guessed it’s a new and better way to enjoy veggies, wasn’t it?

Peanut Butter Burger (IDR 56.5k)

Another non mainstream menu was this Peanut Butter Burger. Have I just wrongly mentioned the dish name? Was it Peanut Butter Pancake or Waffle? No no no. It was indeed a burger. Mixing beef patty, bacon, and peanut butter sauce; this burger gave you a totally new experience in eating burger. Though I was a peanut-butter lover, I’ve never enjoyed it with savoury dish before so this was my first time having it. Surprisingly, the taste did impress me as it was succulent and I felt nothing’s to be complained with this inimitable combination. Additionally, you could enjoy it with fresh salad and yummy French fries.

Tiramisu Flambé (IDR 55k) 

Appetizers checked, main courses checked, now it’s time for dessert! It was the signature Tiramisu Flambé of La Creperie. What was so special with this dessert was the way it’s served. This combination of sweet crepe, tiramisu ice cream, and oreo crumble; was delivered on your table together with the amusing view of flame on it, which was lighted by pouring liquor on top of the crepe. At that time, my foodie friends and I were so astonished with the presentation, making the waitress re-show it again by pouring more liquor on our crepe and re-light the flame. Yes, it did allow me to capture this superb view; however it made the liquor taste become too strong. I believed if only no additional liquor was added, the taste would be heaven! So, for you who love the touch of liquor in your dish, this one was surely a must-try! But when you ordered it, make sure you didn’t ask the waitress to light the flame twice as we did :p

Nutella Frappe (IDR 43k)

Now move on to the beverages. As always, we ordered various beverages so we could try many of the ones listed on the menu. First one was this Nutella Frappe. As expected, the texture was thick and it was so chocolate! Some people might say it’s too sweet, but for me who am a chocolate addict, it was a pleasure!

Hot Dutch Chocolate (IDR 32k)

First impression, the hot chocolate came in a very fulfilling size! As for taste, it actually didn’t suit my preference as the chocolate taste was not that strong. However, for you who loved hot chocolate with stronger milk taste than the chocolate itself, you might give a try on this.

Blue Mojito (IDR 30.5k)

I firstly ordered this beverage as I really loved its presentation. Fortuitously, the taste was satisfying as well. Bringing out the combination of green apple, lime, mint and soda, it was a refreshing one and the sweetness level was just right.

Elderflower Flute (IDR 115k)

As the perfect closing for our lunch, we had Elderflower Flute, which was a special Cider creation from La Creperie. So what’s in it? A very rich mixture of Elder flower, vodka, passion fruit juice, fresh strawberries, fresh kiwis, fresh passion fruit and absolutely cider. The way it’s served was also remarkable as at first it was poured into the very tall flask, it just looked like foam. Then after a few seconds, it turned to be liquid. Coming to taste, this alcohol-contained drink was quite nice as the alcohol taste and scent were not too strong since it was faded by the strong taste of the apple.  

Having tried so many dishes of La Creperie, I think some of their dishes and beverages are impressive and certainly worth to try. They provide so many matchless inventions, which will definitely raise your tummy’s curiosity.

 

Taste: 8/10

Place: 8/10

Service: 8.5/10

Price: 8.5/10

Thanks for Reading! :)

La Creperie

Address: Ruko Crown Golf Blok D, Jl. Raya Pantai Indah Kapuk

Phone: (021) 2970 4981 (ext. 207)

Operating hours: Mon – Sun 11am – 11pm

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