Pardon My French, The Marriage of French and Japanese

What a name?! That statement perhaps could perfectly represented my initial impression when my friend asked me to visit this place. I was even at first thought it might bs a typo, or my friend was trying to make a cheesy joke I simply didn’t get. Nonetheless, I had to figure out neither of ‘em were true. It was indeed the name, mentioned and spelled correctly, PARDON MY FRENCH. 

Yeah, people have simply gotten more and more creative these days in crafting a memorable and ear-catchy phrases to call their brands. I did think it’s sufficient and totally not to be ignored, especially with the super-tight competition in the cafe and restaurant war lately, where you did have to stand out to get the recognition, let alone to stay in people’s mostly-short-term memory related to this particular matter. 

Occupying a space at the center of Jakarta’s heart (no it’s absolutely not a repetition as I intentionally stated it that way since it’s indeed the ‘center of the center’ of our beloved capital city), Pardon My French was lucky enough in my view in terms of its ability to capture the attention of the people passing-by, which would definitely be a lot! 

Having the casual dining concept, the interior of the venue was set to deliver the semi-formal ambiance, being elegant and cozy simultaneously. Swankily, the long and giant bar table stood right at the center with seats surrounding it, serving those who wanted to either enjoy the bar experience or simply watch the show of the baristas handcrafting the drinks. Or perhaps to accompany Mr. Bear having his alcohol? You would understand what I meant once coming here, yep they put a giant teddy bear sitting by the bar as if he’s currently enjoying his moment to hangover! I could now imagine soon my timeline would be full of postings featuring this papa bear. 

Marrying French and Japanese, the dishes offered here were pretty peculiar as the twist and mix of ingredients would be something probably uncommon to be served together in a single plate. Nevertheless, I guessed that’s what market was demanding now; something new and innovative which woke up the curiosity to give it a try. 

Despite that the venue opened quite early in the morning, not all menu were available in that early time. Since my friends and I were there at this breakfast hour, thus our options were only their breakie menus. Nonetheless, you didn’t have to worry as the choices were abundant enough. Haven’t heard much about the dishes served here, we decided to listen to the waitress for the must-try ones. 

Pulled Pork Benedict (IDR 80k)

As always, when it came to Western savory dish, my brunch menu would definitely speak about eggs. This time it’s the sous vide style, where I could have my egg yolk being perfectly runny, drizzling on top of my pulled pork. Said to be cooked twice, whose details I wasn’t sure about, this protein was indeed very tender, like literally melt in the mouth being as smooth as the eggs. The creamy spinach and hollandaise sauce acted not only as complementary elements, but also enriched the whole flavors of the dish. 

The two most unique components were surely the apple which somehow substituted cucumber’s role, as well as the fried bread replacing the english muffin. Being the base, the fried bread was top notch, being crunchy outside, fluffy inside, and sweet at each bite, flawlessly balanced all the savory toppings. 

Corn Flakes Crusted French Toast (IDR 65k)

Going to a French restaurant and not having French Toast? Well dude, you surely had something missing! Especially, this menu was said to be another most-ordered, so no reason for not having it on the table! 

Served in the form of stacking toasts, it was made of homemade brioche covered with corn flakes then stuffed with, chocolate ganache and topped with refreshing slices of strawberries and bananas. Surprisingly, even though it’s further drizzled by chocolate and Jim Beam butterscotch, the overall flavor didn’t go overly sweet. It impeccably made me unable to avoid the addiction and suddenly forgot all the concerns on the hips :P

Es Kopi Susu My Mother (IDR 40k)

Moving on to the beverage, the starter was something you surely questioned. I was again clueless on the relation between mom and iced coffee, yet just forgot it and went to the tasting part. This cup basically blended coffee, milk, and chocolate; so overall was close to Iced Mocha, just with the chocolate being even bolder than the coffee. The cup which was prolly too smooth for the palates that fancied strong coffee, yet a pretty nice one for those who could only afford the light one. 

Latte Kampungan (IDR 30k)

The hype of Es Kopi Susu, especially those featuring Gula Aren or  palm sugar, indeed wasn’t to be underestimated. It’s a widely spread and long-lasting one, till even a French-Japanese fusion resto like this did have their own version of this beverage. Yeah, a lil’ bit more expensive compared to the common ones, which might turn out make those who tried to put high expectation as well. 

Even though I wished I could mention something distinctive from this cup, I unfortunately felt that it’s just like general iced milk coffee and I might even mention some other brands my coffee liking preferred more. 

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 35k)

Hot Piccolo (IDR 35k)

Fortunately, the latter two cups my friends and I had came as the healer. The cappuccino was decent with medium body and smooth finishing. The piccolo suited me even better with stronger coffee aroma and flavor, delivering the satisfaction right at the first sip. Despite the bolder taste, it’s not acidic at all, simply deserved the thumbs up!

Thanks to the delightful brunch menu, I was enchanted at this introduction with Pardon My French. In the following visit I would perhaps come at lunch time so I could explore their other sets of menu. Keep up the good work!

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

Thanks for reading! :)

PARDON MY FRENCH

Address: Jl. KH Wahid Hasyim No. 154 - 156, Jakarta

Phone: (+62 21) 2962 7721 / (+62) 813 1489 7722 / (+62) 812 1312 2323

Operating Hours: Mon - Thu 8am - 11pm, Fri - Sun 8am - 1am

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jessicagaby@ymail.com