Sunday, October 29, 2017

Hommie Cafe, Where you Simply Feel like Being at Home

Just like how the name mentioned, the place was indeed a cozy one and I was sure they wanted to give that feeling of ‘welcome home’ to all the guests. Taking place at a shop house at the Icon BSD area, you would easily find the cafe as it looked quite distinctive to its surroundings, colored in Turqoise. Right away reminding me of the infamous Tiffany & Co, I did get the impression that the color looked warming for the eyes and the feeling. Entering the venue, the dining space was actually residing at the second floor, and you could find a perfect spot, the single-person swing placed by the window, where you could enjoy the view of the surrounding area. 





Matching the ambiance and the main theme carried out by the interior, the foods were also aligned, featuring the types of simple comfort foods, which weren’t complicated to prepare and whose taste simply suited all taste buds. When I mentioned about this, perhaps you’re could start guessing in your mind what the foods were. Please don’t overthink it since we’re talking about something all Indonesians and I guessed foreigners as well loved. Wanna try your luck to answer? If you just called out instant noodles, you couldn’t be more right. 




Yes, Hommie did serve instant noodles as its main meals on the menu, just in more unique way. If several months ago it’s more about serving it similar to the packaging, now it’s about crafting it yourself. No, it didn’t mean you cooked it yourself in Hommie’s kitchen, but you’re the one deciding what you wanted to land on your plate. 




First time entering the venue, you would meet their ‘little market’, an array of shelves displaying the brands and variants of instant noodles provided. Actually the options weren’t limited to local ones, but also imported brands, which lately flooded even more into our beloved country and seemed to suit most people’s taste buds as well. 

Upon choosing the main actor, you could then customize the ‘sidekicks’. Of course you’ve been familiar with this kind of ‘mix and match’, or even have already been the experts. You would have eggs, corned beef, cheese, and many more to accompany your noodles. 


Hot Cappuccino (IDR 33k)


Papa Bear’s portion! Sorry if it sounded cheesy, but I guessed pretty much representing the bigger size, relatively compared to common Cappuccino. Unfortunately it’s kind of too strong for my coffee palate as it’s quite acidic. I actually didn’t mind the bold coffee flavor, but my taste bud didn’t fit into the sourness. Perhaps if you’re the one preferring dark roasted beans, this was your kind of cup :)


Chocolate Cheese Toast (IDR 9k + 5.5k + 7.5k)


Besides that, if you weren’t into having something savory or too heavy, you had another choice to satisfy your palate, which was actually the one I opted for. Yeah, that simple homemade toast with toppings as your desire. 


The bread was lovely as they’re using the thick and moist one. Despite you might think it’s quite pricey when you accumulated the price, luckily they were quite generous in serving the toppings so did expect abundant shredded cheese and thick layer of Nutella if you ordered the same as mine. The taste was not bad, but I guessed next time I would request for less condensed milk so I could have my real toppings flavors sent stronger. 





Overall it’s a nice space for working, meeting, and simply killing time. It might not serve luxurious or complicated scenery to enjoy, but it’s an enjoyable one, as nice as sitting lazily on your couch at home.



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



Thanks for reading! :)


HOMMIE CAFE
Address: Jl. Verdant Ville I, Tangerang
Phone: (+62) 877 7565 0302 / (+62) 8111 767 717
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm


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Sunday, October 22, 2017

Papiri, The Kinfolk Baby of South Jakarta

Another baby born in South? Wow wow wow! It’s like being back to the baby-boomers era, just that now it’s not human but coffee shops! Yeah, I believe it’s not only me but all of you definitely agree with me that lately it’s like never ending birth of cafes. 




Trying to find one around South area, I luckily found Papiri, one of the latest comer residing in Kemang area, precisely at Jl. Benda. A beautifully designed cafe dominated by white color. The wooden furniture and the green plants placed around the corners made it a totally Kinfolk-ish space, a signature theme that’s been flourishing lately. Nevertheless, regardless how often I saw such scenery in any coffee shops nowadays, I honestly admitted that it’s still and (I guessed) would always be lovely, giving such pampering view for the eyes. 



Opening at 12pm, exactly when the noon started, I would call it quite a late-opened coffee shop especially considering that people usually preferred to have such drink early in the morning. Yeah, I was just guesstimating that they might want to target different group of people, but for me personally I always loved the early-bird ones. 



Standing in front of the entrance door, I somehow had Brood en Boter suddenly popped-up in my mind. The exterior and interior of the two had something similar, which I might not be able to immediately recall in points, yet I could still sense. 






What's so special here in Papiri would absolutely be the smoking room, which was fully air-conditioned and elegantly designed like a semi-outdoor space with the glass windows. The end-corner was my favorite, looking so cozy like a private library, regardless I definitely wouldn't be able to stay long there as I hated the smoke. 





Not only being spoiled by the homey ambiance, I was also given the warm welcome and responsive service by the barista. She assisted me to find my seat and place my order, and it didn’t take long to have them ready on my dining table. 



The choices of heavy meals were still very limited, dominated by pasta-based dishes. I finally ended up with the pastries mentioned on the menu, as well as displayed there at the showcase. Again not much options, yet the general ones were indeed available there :)


Hot Piccolo (IDR 35k)


Would the tiny cup satisfy my coffee palate? Let’s give it a sip. Oops! (Lips sealed) It’s too sour for my taste bud. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take it as it’s overly acidic. I didn’t mind the strong coffee flavor, yet the bitterness left on my palate wasn’t tolerable for me. Perhaps this would suit those who loved this type of bold coffee, yet it’s not my kind of cup. 

Chicken Puff (IDR 35k)



OK, not taking it too seriously and avoiding too much complications, I went for one savory and one sweet pastry. Appearance wise I had to honestly admit that it’s not the most gorgeous one that could immediately make that appetite jump to its top. It looked pretty much like common pastry and I couldn’t highlight something distinctive, so I just put my bet on the taste. 


Taking my first bite, I found it okay, coming with flaky skin and tasty filling. The stuffing combined diced-cut chicken with veggies. It’s flavorful enough, but with this price it might be said as quite expensive. 

Cinnamon Danish (IDR 25k)


Then came the sweet part with cinnamon as the main toppings featured. I initially expected the icing on top would melt once it’s re-heated but unfortunately it’s not. Well, again it didn’t taste bad, but honestly I expected something more from this danish; more buttery fragrance and stronger flavor perhaps?


In a nutshell, I fell in love with the place right at the first sight. But I did expect much improvement on the foods and drinks so that it’s not only the eyes getting spoiled, but also the tummy getting prosperous.


Taste: 6.5/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Price: 6.5/10


Thanks for reading! :)


PAPIRI
Address: Jl. Benda No. 10, Jakarta
Phone: (+62 21) 782 7218
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 12pm - 10pm 


Kullerfull Coffee

OK let’s begin with a simple game. Could you kindly help me to pronounce the coffee shop name? *kələrfəl*, isn’t it? Then the next question will be, please pronounce colorful. OK I can spot the wrinkling forehead reflecting confusing faces from here LOL. For me both of them do sound the same, yet perhaps the brains behind Kullerfull name simply want to make it look outstanding, conquering the mainstream. Nonetheless, name is name, but most importantly and definitely the one that’s never be able to lie is the taste. 




Standing in the middle of shop houses nearby the Jakarta-Serpong toll entrance, this area’s always extremely busy with many people pass-by even in early morning in the weekend. Occupying a two-level building, Kullerfull doesn’t waste any single space, having coffee shop at the first floor and hairdresser at the second. Yeah, could also be another strategy to capture the people who’re going for hair cuts to be the consumers of the cafe, or even the opposite, serving those in the hairdresser a cup of happiness to enjoy. 



I won’t call the space as gigantic, yet it’s not that tiny to be called as petite as well. With its middling size, the venue’s able to accommodate 20-25 people in my guesstimate. The design’s a simple one with some wall deco that brings the theme of either studying or chilling area. It serves books to read, board games to play, and comfy sofas to sit in relax. 

The dishes freshly handcrafted-to-order from the kitchen are mainly simple comfort foods, which can be commonly found anywhere else. Yeah, that’s actually nice idea since the coffee shop offers a space to spend time for everyone, with casual ambiance, not requiring the guests to dress up and to ‘dig their pocket’ overly deep. 


I could spot that it’s already quite packed in early Saturday, and even getting more crowded approaching lunch time, showing positive sign that what’s served would probably be good. 

Hot Piccolo (IDR 25k)


I started with my morning caffeine doze, having this little buddy to kick-start my day. Thanks to the barista, cute and neat latte art was served there on top of my coffee. Taking my initial sip from the cup, I found myself quite confused with what I felt on my taste bud. Somehow the coffee was neither bitter nor acidic, and it’s also serving bold coffee flavor in it, yet the after taste wasn’t as smooth as expected. If I could have this cup being delivered with more aromatic fragrance and cleaner finishing, I guessed it would be an awesome one.

Two-Toppings Toast (IDR 18k) 



Back to the old-school one for breakie! Well, some people might say so, yet for me I’d prefer calling it all-time favorite; the one that I prolly would never get bored of. For this simple toast, my favorite would always the classic one, chocolate and cheese! In Kullerfull version, they featured butter spread on the toast and extra condensed milk to give the full satisfaction. 


Priced under 20k, I thought this dish was surely affordable as you would get double happiness in your toast with the chocolate and cheese weren’t only abundantly served as the stuffing, but also additional toppings! 

Lemon Cake (IDR 16k)


Looking at what’re displayed next to the order station, the Lemon Cake attracted me best. Actually I was expecting to have the New York Crumble Cake, Nastar Cake, or any similar ones; yet I sadly had to say none of them were there. However, I wouldn’t go to deep into my disappointment and I would even call it blessing in disguise. This impromptu order turned out so yummy being very moist and dense at the same time. It’s perfect for those who might be not that much intp sweets as nothing went too much with this cake. Normal sweetness level with a hint of refreshing lemon flavor, which was simply lovely. 


Final sayings, the place did worth to try as they served much more drinks included the inventive blended ones I haven’t tried. Moreover, the ambiance’s quite pleasant, the foods are delectable, and amusingly everything come at highly affordable price!


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


Thanks for reading! :)


KULLERFULL COFFEE
Address: Ruko Tol Boulevard Blok C/10, BSD, Tangerang
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm


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