Boens Soes and Coffee, A Cute Space Serving Genuine Taste

Wooowww! It's such an adventure trying to find this petite coffee shop. Occupying a mini spot in Jelambar area, you gotta be patient when you're trying to figure out where it's located, as for me it was like being trapped in a maze surrounded by narrow roads. Fortunately, I didn't give up till I finally reached the place and there I was, at Saturday morning with my hungry tummy and the other abang Gojek. Looking that many people apparently having their order through delivery service, my curiosity was tickled, wondering how the taste would turn out. 

The outlet actually looked very simple,  like a typical home-based bakery, just that it offered some spaces for dining in. I guessed they indeed didn't intend to focus on the cafe as more take-away orders were received. The reason why I ended up with this thought was because they didn't really provide complete kitchen utensils for having the meals in the venue. Most of the available ones were also disposable type only. Nonetheless, it might be not a big deal as taste was still the priority abd also taking into account that the price was highly affordable. If I recalled correctly, most of them were within the range of IDR 6-15k!

However, in spite of the limited space, the interior was pretty cute, especially its wall-of-fame concept where it displayed the photos of the guests and the products on wooden trays. The overall arrangement was not bad as well, still able to afford few small groups and some individuals. 

Original Soes (IDR 6k)

As the name has reflected, Boens was indeed a specialist of choux or what's more well-known as soes. Having said that, it would be incomplete without having the signature of the house, and in this case the basic one was a mandatory to go. This original version was basically custard and rhum, served in quite sizable portion. Though the skin was slightly too dry for my palate, the filling was pretty good. The rhum flavor might need to be a bit bolder to get me wow-ed, but this level was not bad at all. 

Mocha Nougat (IDR 10k)

Perhaps this new comer could be the perfect representative of the saying 'Never underestimate newbies!'. It might be have not been there as long as the classic ones, yet the satisfaction it delivered was something beyond expectation for me! The stuffing presented an awesome marriage of moist mocha cream with crunchy honey and nut crumbles. It's not merely the combination of textures which was delightful, but also the twist of flavors! Mentioned as recently emerged variant, I would call this a wonderful invention delivered by Boens!

Kopi Susu (IDR 12k)

Not pulling itself from the latest hype of 'Kopi Susu', Boens had its own version for this happening drink. As I went for something cold for my other beverage, for this one I opted for hot version. Said to be using Robusta Toraja beans mixed with condensed milk, honestly saying nothing special to highlight as the taste for me personally was like simple coffee with milk and I guessed they didn't use brown sugar, which was actually my preference for similar drink. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be too demanding as the price was highly affordable as well. 

Es Koko (IDR 12k)

You might have made your wild-guess about what the drink featured as its main ingredient when you heard the word 'Koko'. Yeah, sounded similar to cocoa, it's indeed Iced Chocolate in Boens' secret recipe. Having this refreshing drink in the middle of this hot sunny day was just like the flawless representative of finding a fountain in the middle of a dessert! 

The coordination of my taste bud and my brain told that this glass contained strong chocolate flavor from cocoa powder mixed with chocolate condensed milk. I wasn't 100% sure about that but I was completely certain that it's top-notch! The flavor exactly reminded me of the iced chocolate we usually got distributed in school when we were still elementary students; the one that made us nagging to our mom for making similar one but apparently homemade version would always end-up tasted different (don't know if it's just my story or you do have similar one ;) ). It's super good that my sister even marked it as her upcoming afternoon-snack-delivery-order LOL. 

Before I forgot to mention, if you're now questioning how the light-bites and drinks actually tasted, I guessed you could transform that curiosity into pampering moments for your lips by having them delivered to your door. The choux and other traditional snacks were even available for bulky order and great thing you didn't have to 'dig too deep into your pocket' when you're about to pay!

Taste: 7/10

Place: 7.10

Service: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Thanks for reading! :)

BOENS SOES AND COFFEE

Address: Jl. Swadaya No. 46, Jakarta

Phone: (+62) 899 8088 245

Operating Hours: Mon - Sat 8am - 7pm

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Papa & Mama Bistro and Coffee, from A Humble Bakery to A Spoiling Cafe

Some of you might have wondered if this Papa Mama was the same with the 'historic' bakery which perhaps all people in Jakarta were a fan of. If you had that thought crossing your mind, you just had your perfect score as your guess was completely true. Coming from a humble bakery and pastry shop, Papa Mama now had expanded its wings, establishing its very own coffee shop in West Jakarta area. 

I was initially predicting that it would be a minimalist outlet with not so gigantic space, yet what I founded out in actual was something 180-degree different. It was a 2-storey huge space which was certainly able to accommodate big number of people. The venue itself wasn't designed like any of the recently opened coffee shops which came with either monochromatic or wooden theme. Papa Mama Coffee was more into a family bistro concept, which indeed didn't look that contemporary, yet still serving cozy ambiance to spend time. The gorgeous point was the transparent ceiling at the left side of the first level, giving open-air view at the indoor area. The second floor was pretty similar in terms of concept, besides that it offered literally outdoor spot at the balcony. Some guests did utilize it for having private petite party. 

As the bakery concept was still maintained, you could see the trays displaying various traditional bread lining-up at the center. Next to it, there were the cakes sitting side-by-side gorgeously in the chiller. Most of them were not the complicated ones; instead they were offering something basic like sponge cake in various variants of toppings, chocolate cake, tiramisu, and anything similar. Surprisingly, almost all of them including the cakes were priced under IDR 20k, such an affordable level especially considering that you could even have them for dine-in. 

On top of that, they surely provided other heavy-meals and light-bites which you could find on the menu. There were quite rich of selections, mostly Western and Asian including the specialty of the house - Nasi Padang! Quite astonishing, wasn't it that you could enjoy such menu in a cafe ;)

Eggs Benedict (IDR 70k)

My apology to any Nasi Padang lover, but we simply had different palate guys. I couldn't share you much about that menu as my option was something from the brunch list. Their Eggs Benedict got me hitched as I scanned through the description mentioning that it featured corn fritters as the base instead of toast or English muffins. Without long-thinking, I immediately called the name out as my order. 

This time, my choice went as awesome as expected, having my egg yolks being perfectly runny, the corn fritters were crunchy and well-seasoned, and all the additional toppings were delightful with crispy and scrumptious bacons as well as generous portion of chewy mushrooms. Perhaps some additional veggies would make it be beyond perfection ;)

Almond Cookie (IDR 15.4k)

Going around the showcases of bread, pastries, and cakes, I seemed to get attached to this Almond Cookie right at the moment my eyes bumped into it. The big size and thick shape was too appealing to be true. It was not even close to soft cookie, proving my guesstimate to be wrong, yet I hadn't finished guys. Despite the crunchy texture, I surprisingly loved it to bits! The aromatic butter scent and indulging almond flavor were such impeccable spoilers. If only it's just next door to my daily 'zone', I could see myself munching this every snacking time!

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 38k)

What's going to cafe without coffee? For sure I gave a try to their caffeine cup by having the Hot Cappuccino. Actually I was about to order the Magic when I realized that it's double-shot piccolo. Thus, I then shifted to this Cappuccino which turned out not disappointing at all; I could even say it's satisfying serving medium-to-strong roast beans meaning bold coffee touch yet very smooth finishing. 

Overall, I was impressed by my premiere visit to Papa Mama Coffee. The only thing that kinda bothered me was the service, as for me the waiters/waitresses needed to be trained better to be more responsive to the requests and more knowledgeable about the menu they served. Simple explanation was I was requesting for the coffee to be served with the foods together, yet I didn't know if he forgot or simply ignored it. Even when I told him that I had pre-requested for this when he delivered the cup earlier than the meal on the table, he did nothing (not even an apology. Sorry for being blunt, but I highly appreciated such response). Another example when I was about to order Almond Cookie and he just looked confused and left himself stayed confused till I had to go to the showcase picking the cookie myself. Leaving the service behind, my experience actually went beyond my expectations with the dishes served and the ambiance to enjoy. I would try to understand the flaws since this cafe was recently opened anyway, so all the best for the upcoming days and keep satisfying all palates!

Taste: 7.5/10
Place: 7.5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

PAPA & MAMA BAKERY, BISTRO, AND COFFEE

Address: Jl. Green Ville Raya Blok AS No. 40 C

Phone: (+62 21) 563 8805

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 10pm

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Native Coffee Tribe, Another New Spot for the 'Dream Catchers'

Eh, sounds familiar? Yes for sure! For me it's even one of my most favorite in PIK area, not really because of the place, but their coffee itself which best suited what my palate demanded. Knowing that they has spread their wings to Tangerang area, I couldn't be happier as it's now closer to what I called 'home' in this last half year. 

Occupying a gigantic space at the ground floor of Saumata apartment Alam Sutera, this time I wasn't only hitched by the coffee but also the venue. Covered in white, including the marble-white furniture, the place looked chic and elegant, also delivering the clean and bright ambience. It was waaaayy bigger than the one in PIK and honestly said thousand-times more gorgeous and more pampering. 

The golden-color touch at several corner made it look more luxurious as well, seemed to match the upper-class theme carried out by the apartment itself. Nonetheless, thankfully everything served still came at exactly the same price as in PIK outlet. Moreover, as this new outlet was more spacious, it simply gave cozier feeling and you didn't have to fight for a spot there. 

Another great news especially for the early-birds, they opened the door at 8am every morning so you guys who belonged to this boat could at least stop-by for your quick morning coffee. I was quite sad that though I did stay in Tangerang, this coffee shop was located in Alam Sutera, which meant it wasn't ideal for me to come here just for coffee especially in the busy working days. Envy you whose 'playing arena' was around Alam Sutera as you could have delightful morning caffeine doze every morning. Not to mention those residing at Saumata apartment, called me the one who might be the most jealous towards you now. OK, shoo-ing away those bad vibes of jealousy, at least weekend still worked for me, and finally the long awaited day took its place! 

For you who're not a first-timer for Native, you must have known that they did serve both pastries and cakes besides some other fried snacks, pasta, sandwich, and rice bowls. I was a big fan of almost all the cakes they served, especially those coming from La Reia. You might meet different selections at different days or even different times since I guessed it depended on the supply availability as well as I thought Native itself wanted to make it variative by circulating their orders. 

Nutella Danish (IDR 28k)

Starting with lighter sweets, which I usually called as appetizer to the full dessert course (giggling), I picked the Nutella Danish from the trio pastries displayed on the table, leaving the salted egg and plain ones. This wasn't my first trial and I was glad finding out that they were pretty consistent with the taste, particularly the indulgently flaky and aromatic buttery pastry. Though I wished I could have more Nutella at its center, I was happy enough able to enjoy it while warm as they indeed re-heated it prior to serve it on the table. 

*PS. I might not have the salted egg one this time but I did recommend you to order it, as based on my premiere trial, it's super good with abundant filling that's not overly sweet and not having that 'sandy' typical texture of salted egg which I disliked. 

Chocolate Souffle Cake (IDR 46k)

My most favorite cake from La Reia!! I couldn't say in words how big my gratitude was to Native for serving this cake in its coffee shop! I at least could have the slice portion instead of having to order the full round-cake every time I badly craved for it. Beware of below picture, HIGH RISK OF DROPPING SALIVA!!

For you who might not know yet, this cake presented the combination of molten chocolate and caramel on top of dense yet moist chocolate cake. A slice that a chocolate holic like me would never be able to resist, something we called as heaven-on-earth for which we're willing to put aside the calorie counter and let ourselves fell into the amnesia of its impact on the hips! One thing that would make me giving a standing ovation to Native regardless this cake wasn't coming from 'its kitchen', was its ability to serve it perfectly, the best way I would always desire for my cake to be delivered. What I meant was they're able to accurately estimate the precise re-heating time to ensure the toppings melted and the base texture was at its best. I could even bluntly admitted that it's better than the one I had in the original cafe since that one didn't have its chocolate wonderfully melted like this. 

Double Cappuccino (IDR 44k)

Coming to the coffee, my order at Native was always the same, its Magic - or here they called it as Double Cappuccino! This was the signature from the house, the distinctive point that my brain would always have to be attached to Native just like how I also perceived the Dream Catcher being stuck to its design. It might at first looked kinda pricey, yet what you paid was what you got. Having this as your morning caffeine doze, you would get loud wake-up call from the strong bodied coffee with a slight touch of acidity. Such an awesome one to finish my short self-indulging session. 

Finally, I was excited that I could have a genuine sharing to all coffee lovers residing or having daily activities around Tangerang area. If I could make a wish, my biggest hope would be for Native to have their third branch in BSD (pretty please).

Taste: 8.5/10

Place: 8.5/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Thanks for reading! :)

NATIVE COFFEE TRIBE

Address: Saumata Apartment, Alam Sutera, Tangerang

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 7pm

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