Soderberg

Another impromptu trip in the midst of the all-day-rainy Friday! Yeah the sky seemed so gloomy today and it’s extremely windy that I felt like the wind almost blew me away (together with my poor umbrella)! Waking up much earlier hoping to walk a bit, I ended up taking the bus as the rain seemed to desire sticking with me for longer time. 

Called it blessing in disguise, it ended up making me stop by Soderberg, marking my initial ‘meet up’ with this Swedish cafe. Being a bit sleepy, I felt like deserving a sweet breakfast feast. Apparently I arrived there just in time, as they prepared to open the door. 

Occupying a two-storey building at the heart of Soho, this bakery came in pretty simple interior yet able to make it a nice place to spend long time working. How they're occupied by electric sockets at almost all corners definitely made it a perfect place for me. No wonder why all the 'open-tables' shortly got fully occupied just few minutes post the opening time. Yeah, I called them 'open-tables' as surely the venue still followed the social distancing policy, leaving some empty tables to keep the distance between the guests. 

Avoiding the long queue at the display counter, they even requested the guests who wanted to dine in to just sit on their table and waited to get served. There's also no physical menu delivered as everything's kept online. Yep, welcome to the 'new normal' fellas!

Oh yeah, call me lucky, apparently this week's the very last week they're offering half price for their FIKA, which was a pair of bun/cake and hot drink!

Cappuccino

Seemed to come as a perfect suit to my long working session, their cappuccino was served in pretty big size if compared to what I commonly met in other similar cafes. I would say I prefer stronger body for this 'morning-kick', but yeah it wasn't bad at all. It might be quite milky for my liking, but the fact that it's not acidic made the cup work pretty well for me.

Cinnamon Bun

It would definitely not complete without having this classic Swedish bun. Besides, I did think it's the signature one of the house. Moreover, its gorgeously glazy light brown color just made it become more irresistible. 

As simple as its look, the taste wasn't being complicated at all. It just gave you the play of two flavors, cinnamon and sugar; yet I would say it's so comforting. The moist texture did make it way more enjoyable and I would say it would be so lovely if served warm, fresh from the oven.

Pistachio Mazarin

Typical pastry-holic me, it's just undeniable to have one more of the sweets and my choice this time went to their Pistachio Mazarin. Yeah, my eyes had rolled throughout the showcase and I felt like the mazarin was doubtlessly must-try. For you who might have no idea what kind of food I was talking about, basically Mazarin was Swedish almond tart with almond paste. As an almond lover, this tart was just SO ME! The almond flavor went bold and the combination of crispy tart with soft almond paste were just pampering. If you're almond lover, this would certainly be the one you should give a try. I left the choice to you if you wanna go for the plain one or the ones with topping, but in my case I went for the Pistachio one as I just thought having extra happiness was always a good idea. I was so satisfied with my choice as I did think the taste of the pistachio layer just worked very well in complementing the tart itself. 

Having to know this place, I was just happy not only because I found another nice spot to work from, but also because I could add 1 more thing to my long SOHO 'repeating-visit' list. 

Taste: 7/10

Place: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

SODERBERG

Address: 36 Berwick St, Soho, London W1F 8RR

Operating hours: Mon - Fri 10am - 4pm, Sat 11am - 5pm, Sun 11am - 4pm

Phone: (+44) (0) 20 7287 2111

Website . Facebook . Instagram

Find me on:

Facebook . Twitter . Instagram

jessicagaby@ymail.com

Cafe Kitsune at Pantechnicon

Heyya there!

Today I was having my office’s ‘THANK YOU DAY’. Yeah, as I had expected, you must be wondering what kind of thing is that??!? Basically it’s one day extra holiday as the token of appreciation from the company to all the employees who have continuously put their best effort surviving throughout this tough-odd time with working from home. Seemed like the nature just loves me too much, it’s also the last sunny day in the week before the continuous rainy days coming! Not want to miss the chance, I surely went out for nice long walk, enjoying the sunlight. Yep, spending more than 10k steps from my home to the recently opened Pantechnicon in Belgravia area. 

I was actually firstly exposed to this particular alley and immediately got hitched by its classic view. I loved how artsy the building was, with the combination of bricks and green plants at all the corners. The rooftop bar was also awesome, though I didn’t spend my time there as I wanted to try Cafe Kitsune!

Yeah, this well-known French-Japanese brand might have been very familiar to most of you, yet I needed to admit that I was a first-timer for their cafe. I guessed they were not there yet when I stayed in Tokyo back then (or prolly I just didn’t know?). Never mind, better late than never for sure!

The order spot was just there right next to the entrance, displaying all the coffee machines as well as most cakes and savory snacks they sold. As usual, my dessert-holic soul could hardly make its decision on which one to go for. Gladly the tummy quickly sent its response to the brain that it wouldn’t be able to afford having all, so ‘Mr. Brain’ needed to help to think fast before other people in the queue scolded me.

The nice barista friendly offered me his help as well, giving his recommendation on the favorite ones to pick. So there I was putting 2 cakes on my order and surely giving a try on their Cappuccino.

After placing my order, I then picked a sit at the Mezzanine floor. Despite it might look quite petite, actually the seating space at the upper storey was pretty decent, allowing the entire coffee shop to accommodate up to 20 people I guessed. Oh yeah, while waiting for the order to come, you could spend your time looking at the stuffs they sold, which ranged from tableware, clothing, accessories, and doubtlessly coffee beans. 

Cappuccino (GBP 3.5)

Actually I was initially tempted to try their Hojicha Latte, but then finally going with the Cappuccino as I thought let’s try the coffee at the first place. You got the option to customize the milk of your preference, which the barista kindly asked when you placed the order. For me it was slightly too milky for my palate as I fancied bolder coffee flavor. However if you preferred less stronger body in your coffee cup, this might suit you well.

Chocolate Caramel Bar (GBP 6.5)

Kudos to the awesome pastry chef Liza Kermanidou who successfully got me amazed by her creations. All the cakes looked so gorgeous sitting on the display. This first one would be the perfect choice for any chocolate lover. Though I had to honestly admit that I was kinda struggling slicing the cake as they used the single-use wooden cutleries, I completely understood as I believed it’s for hygiene purpose as well. I loved how the sweet chocolate flavor was balanced by the salted caramel touch. The crispy nut texture added extra happiness to the overall bar and came as right companion to the smooth chocolate cream. 

Black Tea and Plum Choux (GBP 6.5)

This second beautifully crafted choux was definitely my favorite! I would recommend this especially if you’re not that much into sweets. Featuring black tea flavored cream and plum jelly, it was refreshing and literally melt in the mouth. I was also surprised by how thin the choux skin was, that it was so crispy and moist. It might be quite pricey compared to other similar choux, but nice to try.

I would say overall I loved the place, given the moderately quiet ambiance (Perhaps it’s also because I went there on weekday!). I might come back again for their other desserts, which certainly woke my curiosity up. That Yuzu Meringue Tart and Matcha Eclair would definitely be on my next list!

Taste: 7/10

Place: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 6.5/10

Thanks for Reading!

CAFE KITSUNE

Address: Pantechnicon, 19 Motcomb Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 8LB

Website . Instagram Pantechnicon . Instagram Cafe Kitsune

Find me on:

Facebook . Twitter . Instagram

jessicagaby@ymail.com

Rasa Sayang

Wow! Has it been half-year since the last time I wrote a blogpost? Well, I kinda lost count of the months we have been in locked down, but I guessed that’s pretty much able to represent the period I’ve been vacuum from blogging. Not only due to places being closed, but also I’ve been busy baking all weekend and I did find myself keep looking forward to another session every week.

Now that many restaurants/cafes started to open their doors again, I did start to dine out. For sure, still trying to maintain social distance as guided, also as known that they were indeed not allowed to be at full capacity. It went even better in August with government support via ‘Eat Out to Help Out’, which most of you might have known that you could enjoy 50% off when dining at participating restaurant on Monday to Wednesday. Great news that some restaurants extended this on their own till September, one of which was the one I am about to introduce to you.

Located at the heart of Soho, Rasa Sayang settled at one of London’s most favourite places to dine out. Being an Asian, specifically Indonesian, the name of the restaurant definitely sounded very familiar. Having my guesstimate proven to be accurate, it offered Peranakan food; the combination of Chinese, Malay, and Javanese cuisines.

The venue might look kinda petite at the first sight, but once you came into the restaurant, you would notice that it could accommodate quite some people. In the afternoon you did get the option to dine outside, which I personally preferred as it felt more spacious. The theme carried out by the design served strong Peranakan touch. 

I was impressed that they offered abundant choices on the menu, starting from the appetiser, main course, dessert, even drinks! Not having this kind of dishes for quite some time, I would say it’s such tough choice to have to pick only some of them, considering my tummy capacity wouldn’t be able to afford having all (LOL). Noticing that majority of the dishes had that ‘chili remarks’ indicating that they’re spicy, I was beyond excited to give them a try.

Fried Wontons (GBP 5.9)

Starting with the light bites, there were the golden brown crispy wontons. Coming in bite-size, I loved how they’re being light and not greasy despite being fried. The highlight was surely the prawn filling, which was so fresh and generously served. Those fat chewy prawns were scrumptiously mixed with chicken and nicely came with sweet chilli sauce dipping, giving you the great pair of sweet and savory taste in one bite. 

Char Kway Teow (GBP 9.9)

As you could directly spot on, the portion was indeed so fulfilling! Now you could say that it doubtlessly worth the price paid. Not only the size, the abundant toppings would surely get you hooked. Oh boy, it’s just like a seafood party in a plate with those chunks of prawns, squid, and fishcake! Started to drool?

Grilled Stingray (GBP 9.9)

Wait till you saw the star of my dining table, the grilled stingray! Oh I wished my tummy just had bigger space or I had more people to share with, as I was really tempted to go for the big platter which featured selections of grilled proteins including chicken, beef satay, tiger prawns, and stingray. But yeah, worry not as that implied next visit is yet to come! So this time I opted for the gigantic stingray as I guessed I missed it quite too much, realising that I hadn’t had it for long long time. Just like the other seafood I had with the two earlier dishes, the stingray was so fresh, coming in moist texture that it literally melt in your mouth! The sauce on top came as impeccable companion as it just made the taste became richer. PS, don’t get overly worried if you couldn’t take hot dish much as trust me, it’s just decent level of spiciness.

Teh Tarik (GBP 4.5)

Guess what, it surely wouldn’t be enough to just have the foods. Would only be complete by adding the signature Peranakan drink! My favorite one? Absolutely Teh Tarik! For a sweet tooth like me, I might want it to be slightly sweeter given its bold tea flavor, but I guessed other palate would thought it’s just the right sweetness. Hot or cold, both seemed to give nice finishing to tonight’s dining session!

Ohhh! Not to forget what I brought home for my breakie, Kaya Spread! Who doesn’t love having kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs, and either teh or kopi tarik to start the day? I bet it’s just an irresistible set!

By the way, just to remind you the great news I mentioned earlier, Rasa Sayang did extend their ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ period throughout the entire September so you’d better not missing this rare chance ;)

Taste: 8/10
Place: 7/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

RASA SAYANG

Address: 5 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4RE

Operating Hours: Mon - Thu 12-3pm, 5-10.30pm, Fri - Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-9pm

Phone: (+44) (0) 20 3730 3938

Website . Instagram

Find me on:

Facebook . Twitter . Instagram

jessicagaby@ymail.com

Half Cup

Called as Half Cup, the name was a little bit peculiar and somehow brought my mind to the thought of ‘Half Full’ or ‘Half Empty’. 

It’s actually a coincidence for me ending up at this place, as I was actually not planning to, however just because it’s nearby the place where I was at, then I thought why not giving it a try as the dishes did look appealing. Hence when arriving there at the venue and noticing there’s a long queue in front, I was quite surprised. Then I noticed the sign that they got several recommendations from reputable ‘dining and tourism guides’. Oh well, this time I just unconsciously made the perfect choice! 

It’s quite sad that the space was indeed very limited yet the guests kept coming. The attendants were pretty helpful in trying to arrange the seating so that most guests could be served at the soonest. Besides, it’s just rainy and windy so it just made the waiting time looked quite terrible. 

Most of the dishes offered were very suitable for my kind of brunch, making it harder to pick one to try. As I was trying to make up my mind, I suddenly recalled my last brunch with my friend when she had her dish being the star of the dining session, and at that time it was mushroom-based, so there it went my mushroom on toast landed smoothly on the dining table.

Wild Mushroom on Toast (£11)

For the carnivores, you might think there was much more interesting option than this, but don't dare to mention till you pay a try fella. I would say that I'd love being a vegetarian if I could keep having this kind of dish. Cooked in garlic butter, the perfectly chewy wild mushrooms were so flavorful. I knew I had imagined it to come with truffle, but though it's not, it wasn't any less scrumptious. 

The gorgeous runny yolk wasn't only flawless in presentation but fully complemented the overall taste of the dish. Super in love till the very last bite!

Coconut Deluxe (£3.5)

As I earlier mentioned, it was cold rainy Sunday so what could go wrong with ordering hot dark chocolate? At the beginning I found it a bit odd, mixed with coconut syrup and topped with desiccated coconut. To my surprise, it got me sold at my first sip. As it used dark chocolate, and perhaps the coconut mixture itself, the sweetness level was pretty light. As the texture was pretty thick, it's quite a fulfilling hot drink but I would say I ended my dining session happily bloated.

It's quite unfortunate I didn't have any more space left in the tummy to go for their other stuffs which I was obviously super excited to try. Oreo French Toast, Smashed Avo, Hash Benedict, ohh I could keep going on.... So guess what? I would definitely say yes for coming back ;)

Taste: 8/10

Place: 7/10

Service: 7.5/10

Price: 7/10

Thanks for reading! :)

HALF CUP

Address: King's Cross Outlet (100 - 102 Judd Street, London, WC1H 9NT)

Operating Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 6pm, Sat - Sun 9am - 5pm

Website . Facebook . Twitter . Instagram

Find me on:

Facebook . Twitter . Instagram

jessicagaby@ymail.com

Ole & Steen

Not a loyal fan of cinnamon, I was kinda picky when it came to this particular ingredient since indeed I ended up loving some of those I tried, but not few cases hating them as well. Given this, when I first spotted Ole and Steen’s iconic Cinnamon Social, I honestly admitted the look was so appetizing yet it took me awhile thinking if I was about giving it a try or not. 

Calling it a coincidence, last weekend I was so excited with my plan visiting Victoria and Albert museum. Then I tried to look for where to spoil my palate nearby  the museum area. As Ole and Steen finally appears as one of the choices, I right away recalled the appealing Cinnamon Social and there I was, being the first timer for this cafe. 

I was happy figuring out the place was sizable and apparently comfy enough for spending longer time. I could see some people chilling, others working, and remaining killing time reading. So far I rarely found this kind of cafe in London as others I’d visited mostly provided petite space where people mostly just took away their foods or did quick dining session. I kinda missed my habit spending my entire afternoon in Starbucks working as I just felt myself more energized sitting out-of-home. 

Not only spacious first floor, they even had the upper level area which was able to accommodate quite large group of people as well. I wished I could have it nearby the office, prolly not to even dine it but simply stopped by, grabbing my breakie. 

The options they provided were literally rich, from savory to sweet ones, from heavy meals to light bites, from pastry to cakes. One of the best things that they made happened was the fact that they served various samples of the pastries, which they regularly changed every time they finished each set. So regardless I only ordered two dishes from the menu, I got the chance to try many others. 

Roast Beef on Open Rye (£ 6.5)

Anyone who’s a fan of beef here?? Oh yeah, I could see many, and for sure count me in! Sliced in just the right thickness and cooked rare, the meat was tender and juicy. The gorgeous ‘pinkish’ slices were succulently seasoned and well-paired to the mushroom and Grana Padano. I would say the proteins were served very generously that there would be no single bite of the rye came without those toppings. Not to mention, the crispy shallots! YES, you heard me right, CRISPY SHALLOTS! If some of you might think they're just like 'final condiments', for me this particular ingredient stepped up the taste and made it even became richer - also given the fact that I'd been a big big fan of crispy shallots even since I was a kid. So anytime you fell into dilemma in picking the savory option in Ole & Steen, you now had the perfect answer to your doubt right in your pocket.

Cinnamon Social Slice (£ 3.1)

Here it comes, the Creme de la creme! The star to the stage, Ole & Steen's one and only Cinnamon Social! Being sold in the whole portion, you needn't worry as it's also offered in slices. Just one reminder, when it's said a slice, the size was actually quite huge. Available in the signature cinnamon flavor as well as chocolate, my pick was surely the cinnamon just because the tester got me sold right away.

While some of you might say you're not a cinnamon lover, well wait until you gave this a try. The fluffy pastry was served in the right sweetness level, and impeccably complemented by that crispy sugar-coating on top. The cinnamon taste was well-balanced by the vanilla custard, and that's also why I thought it would suit all taste buds. If I recommended the earlier dish to be chosen for the savory pick, then here's your sweet ending!

Spandauer (£ 3)

Alternatively, they also had this Spandauer, which was basically the earlier cinnamon social without the cinnamon; so you would have the vanilla custard at the center of the danish pastry. This would be another lovely one to opt for.

All in all, for you who had known me well, you would have guessed it right that this kind of place was surely my piece of heaven on earth. I really couldn't wait to have my other bite on the 'SOCIALS', name it the chocolate, almond, or the favorite cinnamon!

Taste: 8/10

Place: 7.5/10

Service: 7/10

Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

OLE & STEEN

Address: 92 Kensington High Street, London, W8 4SH (and many other locations)

Phone: (+44) 20 3955 7448

Operating Hours:  Mon - Fri 7.30am - 9pm, Sat - Sun 8am - 9pm

Website . Facebook . Twitter . Instagram

Find me on:
Facebook . Twitter . Instagram
jessicagaby@ymail.com

Mamason's Dirty Ice Cream

Dirty ice cream? Is it served with something or somewhere making it carrying the dirty name? That’s what sparked in my mind once I heard the name. Apparently, despite not 100% right, that’s pretty close guess as it did have something related to that. Carrying the concept of ‘dirty ice cream’ all the way from Philippines to London, the ice cream parlor offered what the Filipino called as street ice cream, and added more inventive ideas into the concept itself. 

To add your excitement, the Filipino’s theme didn’t stop there as majority of what they served did feature Philippines traditional sweets, named it Bilog and Ensaymada. Beyond that, you would have Ube as one of the signature flavor carried out by the house. For you who’re not familiar with Ube, it’s basically the purple yam - yep, some of you for sure have been very familiar with this trending ingredient used for many kinds of desserts. 

Actually, I had wanted to visit Mamason’s earlier when I passed by their Chinatown outlet. Sadly they didn’t offer the ensaymada over there while this was my first reason coming to this ice cream parlor as I kinda missed this Filipino’s signature dessert too much. Got the chances to try it in Manila once and brought by a friend once to Jakarta, and even the classic one got me hitched!

Just because I kept thinking over it and really craved for it, that brought me to the Kentish Town branch of Mamason’s, which surprisingly was much quieter than the one in Chinatown which was almost all-time full-house. Prolly the difference was this one was more in residential area, in contrary to the Chinatown one which was at the heart of the shopping and dining complex. 

The petite yet homey space came in natural and calming interior. Just like other typical cafe in London, you could see most tables could only occupy not more than 2-3 people. Still a lovely design I would say, which you could enjoy when spending the afternoon dessert time. 

Ube Ensaymada (£3.5)

While most guests ordered their Bilog, the toasted milk bun stuffed with ice cream, I was more attracted to their Ensaymada. Yep, as I told you earlier, this traditional Filipino dessert had long got me sold to it. For you who just heard the name for the first time, the classic one was soft and buttery sweet bun topped with grated cheese. As this anti-mainstream one came in Ube flavor, the topping was actually not substituted but added instead. I could hear the ‘YEAAAYYY!’. The warm pillowy dough was further accompanied by chilled ube sauce, so do picture how heavenly it was with the play of hot and cold; like literally melt in the mouth. If I could wish for slightly more cheese, it would be surely be way more awesome!

Ube Coco (£5)

Feeling not fair to the throat if only going with the food? There it came the Ube White Chocolate drink, served hot (or cold if you wished). Some palate might think this was little bit too sweet, yet for mine which had above-average tolerance rate to sweets, this went flawless. Again, another pairing of the opposite temperature as the hot beverage was served with cold ube whipped cream. It was so pleasant for me dipping the whipped into the drink and enjoyed them together, such warming cup that I would surely look forward to having the next one!

My next excitement was definitely their Bilog and Ube doughnut. Emm... prolly I would add one more, the red velvet ensaymada! And oh yeah dearest Mamason’s, pretty please add the ensaymada into your Chinatown branch menu list :)

Taste: 8/10

Place: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

MAMASON'S DIRTY ICE CREAM

Address: 91 Kentish Town Road, Camden, London NW1 8NY

Phone: (+44) 20 7267 1871

Operating Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 10.30pm, Sat - Sun 11am - 10.30pm

Website . Facebook . Instagram

Find me on:

Facebook . Twitter . Instagram
jessicagaby@ymail.com