Sunday, June 17, 2018

Floating Dining Experience at Cabina [BALI]

Hello Bali! It’s a huge pleasure to be able to be back here after some time being away. I guessed I’ve missed (literally) tons of new hype places here, but that certainly shouldn’t be hindrances for me to pay a visit to them. One of those attracting my curiosity best was Cabina, which served the market demand well by providing a cafe with pool facility for the guest - yep, that super trending concept lately. 











Dining in the pool was surely an all-time-available choice and I could even spot most guests enjoyed it a lot! Yeah, the pool, the cute floaties, and the sun-bathing benches were undeniably the center of crowd, where some people just killed time relaxing, some busy took pictures, and some fell into long chats. 





Going for different option, I opted to sit at the indoor space, just enjoying the busy view from a distance. Of course I didn’t miss the chance to have some snaps on the catchy pink walls, corners decorated with cactuses, even the long fresh-looking bar table. Another unique stuff spotted was the dance by the friendly waiters and waitresses once Pharrell Williams’ Happy song played. Feeling like wanna follow the beat as well? LOL

Avo on Toast 


Going for healthy brunch, my friend ordered this green fella. It might not be the best-looking dish, yet it’s surely good for the tummy. The portion was generous enough, compared to the similar one served elsewhere. Not to forget the cheese toppings, well the picture could best tell you that they added extra happiness to the dish. 

Eggs Benedict with Salmon (IDR 95k)



OK, classic one always won the heart first indeed. So here I was, finding myself again ended up with my all-time favorite breakie, Eggs Benny! Having the options of pork bacon, salmon, and soft shell crab, I chose the second one. Playing the main actors role flawlessly, the runny yolk and the fresh salmon came together in luscious taste. The hollandaise sauce was served in right doze, not overwhelming the flavor of the overall dish. 

Seafood Laksa



If it’s general for this type of cafe serving egg-based brunch menu, then how if it came with Seafood Laksa? Surely it’s a big bet if it’s a YAY or NAY. The presentation was stunning with the broth being put in a jar, so you needed to pour it yourself once you wanted to start enjoying it. Presented in very thick texture, the taste was awesomely rich and you could feel royal mix of seasonings, each of which played their own roles but altogether making delectable compilation. It’s so pampering able to enjoy it with fresh prawns, squids, fish, and many other more from the family. My personal fave was doubtlessly the crispy and flavorful soft shell crab, which best suited the amazing broth. If you ever came here some time soon, this dish was must must try and you should have no reason for saying no to it <3

French Toast (IDR 70k)


Not stopping the delicacy at the savory one only, I continued with the French Toast from the sweet selection. I was more convinced and excited with my pick as my friend staying in Bali, right away told me it’s great and I’d just made the right decision. 


The gorgeous look was such a temptation that I could no longer wait for my first slice. Those glossy strawberry and pineapple slices drizzled by maple syrup were naturally sweet, and hence well complemented the toast in very nice way. I loved how the slightly crispy toast getting fluffier as the syrup infused into it. Enjoying it together with the crumbles was like hosting party of different textures in single bite. If I loved the seafood laksa to bits and nominated it as most recommended from the options of savory dishes, this french toast would be entitled the same in the sweet group. You needn’t worry if you’re not the one owning distinction in sweet-tooth level, since this dish had moderate sweetness and you could be worry-free of the calories as most ingredients were organic and low-fat. 

Hot Cappuccino 


We still hadn’t finished upon having the meals, as coffee wouldn’t fail to accompany your brunch in Bali. Moreover, you could have thousands of options here, including any personalization you’d ever wished for. Soy milk, coconut milk, skimmed milk, and many more! This first cup belonged to my sis; the basic one that was always worth to try. 

Using St. Ali beans, the medium roast coffee was aromatic with slight acidity. I couldn’t recall the one I had in St. Ali, if it tasted similar or not, but simply said I loved this one as it’s neither too bold nor too milky, simply right taste for morning caffeine doze especially if you couldn’t really take coffee with strong body. 

Hot Magic


Nonetheless, they did provide the solution for those seeking for something heavier. Despite it’s not working day and I didn’t have to kill my sleepiness, since I could hardly find good ‘Magic’ in Jakarta, I just wondered ‘Why don’t I give it a try?’. As expected, I straightly got my crush on the cup. Although I preferred the smoother after-taste of the Cap, this Magic was certainly another cup of joe to hunt. 


Overall, this pinky tropical style cafe got me at my initial visit. Relaxing ambiance, delish dishes, awesome coffee, and instagenic photo spots; what could make me reject the upcoming visit?


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


Thanks for reading! :)


CABINA
Address: Jl. Batu Belig Gang Daksina No. 1, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Bali
Phone: (+62 361) 4740 989
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 9am - 9pm


Monday, June 11, 2018

C.O.D.E - Cafe of Dessert Enthusiast [Bangkok]

When I first heard the name CODE, I wasn’t that excited as what’s in my brain was like ‘OH...so it carried detective concept?’. Luckily I got exposed to the snaps of the dishes and figured out they apparently sold some tempting ones!

I was actually very interested to go to their main outlet, just that the location was quite too distant from the city center. Knowing that the traffic of Bangkok was pretty much like Jakarta, it might be not wise to go there and I definitely won’t want to get stuck forever in the jam. Fortunately the cafe had quite many branches, I finally decided to visit the one in Terminal 21. 




It’s such a unique concept as the cafe occupied a space at the end of the alleys  of restaurants and cafes; making it had some rooms to be innovative. They came up with general space next to the entrance, but at the deeper side they made wagon-alike dining space, which served nice view from the window. The feeling’s always great able to find such anti-mainstream ambiance and design. 

Oh yeah. I almost skipped to tell you that CODE was actually an abbreviation of ‘Cafe of Dessert Enthusiast’. Ehh, I felt like being called right away LOL. So if it came across your thought that you’re part of the family, give it a try ;)





As the name explained, they did focus only on desserts, but serving quite rich selections from this particular group. Their specialties were Lava Toast and Lava Croissant, but they did serve roti or similar to prata served in sizzling plate, lava cake, crumble cake, and others. They also played with liquid desserts and provided those sinful yet yummy heavy shakes. 

Thai Tea Lava Toast (THB 175)



When in doubt, pick the recommended dish to make your life easier and the dilemmatic moment get shorter. I’ve tried to do so and it apparently worked well for me. I tried to find those precious petite signs on the menu, showing the signature ones. On top of that, I cross-checked to the store attendants before placing my order. 


First recommendation featured the main characteristic of Thai dessert, yes nothing else than thai tea. Using charcoal toast, the bread came in flawless combination of texture being crispy outside yet very fluffy inside. Going beyond expectation, the Thai Tea fillings was like literally overflowing once the toast was cut! It got me surprised by how generous this hidden treasure was served *total lovestruck!!*. I highly recommend you to find more people to share it, especially if you’re not that insane sweet tooth. I’m one of the top members of the group, yet I still found this as gigantic for going solo, especially it’s indeed a bit too sweet. However, I overall still got mesmerized by the totality and the surprise the dish carried out. 

Salted Egg Lava Croissant (THB 150)


Knowing it might take me months (whose exact number I couldn’t estimate) to bring me back here, I didn’t wanna miss the precious chance to try more from the menu. Well at least, two dishes for sure! So there it was, my second order, which was another gem of theirs - Salted Egg


Oh geez! I felt like going back to Bangkok right here right now, simply to have this magnificent sinful pleasure!! Ok CODE, hands down. You did deserve that title of Castle of Dessert Enthusiast; oh yeah, surely more than just a cafe!


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


Thanks for reading! :)


CAFE OF DESSERT ENTHUSIAST (C.O.D.E)
Address: Terminal 21, Bangkok, Thailand
Phone: (+66) (0) 2058 6477
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm


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