Literally translating the name, you might wrongly get it as a name of a diving course, or at least sports equipment shop? Well, it wouldn’t be here on my blogpost for sure if it’s either of those two. In fact, Plunge’s a brand new cafe in West Jakarta, to be precise Pesanggrahan. OK, I could see the excitement of the ‘west kid’ going to the roof now ;)
Presented in minimalist style, the venue looked neat and homey; simply said ZEN. It’s like nice at the sight and modest in the arrangement; the type of place which might be not the first to steal your attention, but the one that will be able to make you stuck on the couch not feeling like going home, and surely the place that seemed to keep calling you to come back. A quite impressive transformation of a shophouse into awesome coffee shop has been nailed!
Having an impeccable space with perfect ambiance, I placed big hope on the ‘tummy spoilers’ because it would be the other mandatory checklist besides the spot itself.
I was elated skimming through the menu, finding it’s dominated by intercontinental dishes, well fusion of Western and Asian. So your options ranged from rice, bread, pasta, and many more. To note, both savory and sweet palate were welcomed here as they were pretty fair in trying to delight both.
Hot Piccolo (IDR 30k)
I started my Sunday treat by trying their ‘wake-up call’, a cup of Hot Piccolo. I did get that ‘kick on the butt’ as the beans were apparently pretty acidic. It was also quite strong, so in case you couldn’t take too-heavy kind of cup, I suggested you to go for the Cappuccino or Latte.
Truffle Mac and Cheese (IDR 76k)
Yeay! The heart-stealer dish was finally landed on the table beautifully, exactly like what I saw in the picture. Some of you might think I was over-exaggerating the appearance, but for me who’s so much into pasta cooked in creamy kind of sauce, this was huge temptation!
Once you tried the dish yourself, you might get the same feeling as me now, as if you could smell that mind-blowing truffle aroma just by looking at the picture. Imagine the petite shell pasta, which was cooked al-dente, mixed with spicy cheese sauce - surely something not mainstream and would prevent you from easily getting nauseated as well since you got that chili touch in the dish. Not stopping there, you would also be pampered by extra doze of cheese and you might wanna lift up your glass and gimme a toast as it’s Feta! Don’t get happy too easily guys, the dish still had more elements to please you, since your pasta wouldn’t go solo. It came with crispy bacon and spam, and further topped with garlic crumble, giving complete set of delicacy. Last but not least, the skin to your KFC, crispy pork rind or some of you might know as Chicharon. Yep, the part you wanna save for the last to make it playing its climax role!
Salted Caramel Cake (IDR 49k)
My climax wouldn’t stop there as you knew it’s still savory only. Could you gimme a shout from the sweet team?? ;)
OK who had just shouted out loud, I believed you would get yourself stuck for awhile at the point where you stood when you just got your first footstep into the venue. Wondering why? Because the cake display was right there in front of you! My biggest first crush were the duo, Srikaya Pie and Salted Caramel Cake. Nonetheless, the barista told me that the latter was the favorite of the crowd so I followed ‘the rest of the world’.
The cake looked quite familiar as I was sure I’d ever had it somewhere, just that I couldn’t recall when and where. Giving it a retrial wouldn’t hurt, would it? It finally turned out that the cake was way more attractive when it’s delivered on the table. Simple reason, it was decorated with caramel drizzle and peanut crumbles, making it looked crowded and more lively!
The great appearance wasn’t deceiving, and I loved how the cake combined moist spongy texture with soft cream in between the layers. Some people might perceive it quite sweet but for me it’s just right, especially that hint of salted caramel simply delivered more variation of flavors in each bite. My personal highlight was doubtlessly the crumbles, which came as extra happiness and went beyond just being nice-to-have toppings; reminded me of my all-time favorite nougat!
Having my delectable lunch experience, I couldn’t add more comments than just give it a try yourself and yes, I bet I would say ‘you’re welcome’ afterwards ;)
Taste: 8/10
Place: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 7.5/10
Thanks for reading! :)
PLUNGE
Address: Jl. Pesanggrahan Raya 5b, Jakarta
Phone: (+62) 822 7799 0707
Operating Hours: Tue - Sun 8am - 10pm, Mon closed
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