So Fashion Cafe

Another pinky stuffs in town!! Yesss, seems like the hype of pink stays quite long here, and another new comer’s always there like each month. Starting from the island of paradise, Bali, now Jakarta looks like not wanting to lose, having mountains of a kind. 

As expected, flamingos at each corner, cutie girly wall decoration, and doubtlessly Instagenic spots for timeline materials! Perhaps what’s distinctive from So Fashion was that it took place in one of Jakarta’s long-standing mall, Taman Anggrek. Typically these types of cafes and restos had their own stand-alone outlets as they might take more spaces for extra decoration. However, being quite minimalist due to limited space, So Fashion was set up pretty nice, serving cozy space to dine in. It’s also connected to its own hotpot restaurant in case you came with someone who was more into those type of dish. 

Fried Chicken Mozza Melt (IDR 78k)

The dishes served here provided quite wide range of choices; from rice to pasta, bread to fries, chicken to beef, savory to sweet. Opening each page of the menu got me more confused as so many options I could go for. Finally, I picked the one sounded most tempting for a cheese lover, the one serving boneless fried chicken leg with melted mozzarella and jalapeno. It might look pricey before you had the dish in front of you, but once it’s there, the portion might tell that the price was worrhy. 4 decent pieces with super generous amount of mozzarella. 

Enjoying it my way, I rolled my fried chicken into that ‘sea of cheese’, ensuring it’s perfectly coated before I took my premiere bite. It’s such nice crispy-cheesy combination besides indeed I preferred it to be less salty. Well, perhaps a bit bias as well since I do love fried chicken and I’m a huge fan of cheese. 1 suggestion, it’s better for sharing, otherwise you might get bloated especially it’s fried and the cheese was indeed abundant!

Iced Strawberry Coffee Latte (IDR 49k)

In need for thirst quencher, I was mesmerized by the fact that they offered so many selections on the menu and not few of them were very peculiar. Just like this first drink of mine, which you might not really meet for the first time, but I could bet you wouldn't think it's too easy to find elsewhere. Well actually it's not that complicated-sophisticated one, as it's simply coffee latte mixed with strawberry syrup and given the 'gorgeous crown' of pink whipped cream. 

The cute presentation was indeed attention-stealer, especially so many people came here for the Instagenic pictures, including one pose holding this drink! Good thing, they proved that taste-wise it's totally not bad. The coffee was decent medium-roast one and the slight bitterness could balance the sweet syrup pretty well. 

Brown Sugar Bubble Coffee Latte (IDR 47k)

DANGO!! Yeah that's the first word popped in my head when I first saw the picture of the drink displayed on the menu. That's the word typically used by the Japanese to call these not-so-petite glutinous rice balls. You might actually get surprised when you held the stick on your friend as it's quite heavy, telling you how dense the balls could be.

Unfortunately my first bite could already show that it's bit dry. Not sure if it's because it's been made since quite some time before then stored and hence the texture turned out hard and dry, or something else became the recent. Shortly said, taste wise it's okay but I would just love it way more than I did if it could be softer.

The coffee latte itself was another unique one as it's a mix with brown sugar and I fell for the top layer! They mixed the brown sugar into the crema, giving that special taste when you took the first sip. Not just following the trend, I was indeed a big fan of brown sugar and I thought this drink was such pioneer, which smartly captured the trend of brown sugar infused in coffee. Lovely invention with lovely taste!

All in all, it’s totally not bad for a trial or simply following the hype. For you who’re planning to come, don’t get surprised by busy people around you looking like taking pics as much as possible LOL.

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

Thanks for reading! :)

SO FASHION CAFE

Address: Mal Taman Anggrek 2nd Floor, Jakarta

Phone: (+62 21) 5639 181

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm

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Monokuro

With the recent hype of coffee shops in Serpong area, I saluted Monokuro for the courage to stand out differently, offering Japanese contemporary dining concept in affordable price. Most importantly, in this area which was still getting very limited touch on this particular kind of cuisine. Actually at first I heard of the name, what came to my head were the Japanese anime characters of black and white pigs (yeah Monokuro Boo), which used to be famous many years ago (guessed some time back then when hardest thing in my life was prolly Math homework or even tying shoe laces!). Nonetheless, I now figured out that Monokuro meant monochrome; well no wonder those two pigs were black and white LOL. 

The resto looked way smaller than my earlier guesstimate when looking at the picture. But yeah I could call it signature Japanese kind of size, recalling those petite traditional Japanese resto I used to visit in Tokyo when I stayed there, which was just able to accommodate not more than 10 people. This one was slightly better, perhaps could afford around 12 people at max. The design was way more modern though, and if I might say not looking any Japanese. 

The only thing bothered me when dining here was the kitchen located right next to the order point, which was just side by side with the dining area. As it’s a closed space, the aroma was all over the place. Well it’s nice and enjoyable when you’re there as it raised the appetite, but once you’re out, the scent’s stuck with you. 

OK, let’s bring back the good vibes, skimming through the menu couldn’t get more exciting. The choice of name they made was awesome, tickling your curiosity to give every single one a try. Luckily there were these chef-recommended signs which I would always rely on every chance being a first-timer. Honestly admitting, it’s kinda disappointing to know some of the dishes were still not available, including the only dessert menu they had *deep frown*. Nevertheless, let’s take it positive, might be the available ones were indeed the must-try? ;)

Cold Brewed Tea (IDR 25k)

Before starting the feast, quenching the thirst should come first as it’s super hot and dry (felt like frying an egg on my head now!). I picked something refreshing, the so-called 20-hour brewed green tea. It tasted like cold ocha, but I loved the stronger green tea fragrance and the bolder tea flavor in my cup! Besides, it’s lovely to have something chill without ice cubes in it <3

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 30k)

This was my sister’s, but I surely took my sip! Surprisingly, this cup of morning call wasn’t bad at all despite they’re not coffee specialist. The medium-bodied coffee gave the delightful fruity hint in it, and left smooth after-taste. It’s surely something worth to try if you’re the one with high curiosity on coffee. 

I Give You All of Me! (IDR 65k)

If you just had John Legend came across your mind, no guys the dish had nothing to do with him and his song. I guessed it’s referring to the chicken that gave all of itself in the bowl as you would have pan-fried chicken, chicken skin, and chicken egg! Yep, hail the chicken skin! I bet tons of you reading this feel so excited as you did belong to the group who left chicken skin to be eaten the last, just like saving the climax to the end. Saying it in ‘normal name of the dish’, it was basically similar to Chicken Oyako-don you regularly met in Japanese restaurant. So be joyul as you would get spoiled by the taste of onion and shoyu sauce, which you could blend into perfection with the runny egg yolk and steamed japanese rice. Writing about this did make me gulp and already wanting my other bowl! By the way, experience eating that gorgeous flower in top since it’s surely not mere decoration but edible beauty!

Holy Cow! Why are You So Cold (IDR 100k)

I supposedly wanna go for dessert, but sadly the menu wasn’t ready yet so I had no choice but to opt for something else. Reading the description of what I had in this dish, I was tempted to try it as I did get curious how well they could serve the wagyu. What I got there on the plate was slices of wagyu chuck roll. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s the back part around the neck up to the fifth rib, which was famous for its juicy and tenderness since the part was quite marbled. Being cooked medium rare in apple sauce, I fell for it right at the first bite; perfect texture and impeccably infused flavor, deserving the title of slice of heaven!

Being delighted by everything served on my dining table and the wonderful service, I would have no reason for not coming back some time soon!

Taste: 7.5/10
Place: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 7.510

Thanks for reading! :)

MONOKURO

Address: West Pakulonan Kelapa Dua Ruko Golden 8 Blok H No. 31, Tangerang, Banten

Phone: (+62) 813 8209 6506

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 9am - 9pm

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Tropicola

Say hello to the newest member of Motel Mexicola family which came after Da Maria, TROPICOLA! First time receiving the mail of its opening in my inbox, I couldn’t get more excited especially because I knew I would be going to Bali real soon so it meant the news wasn’t only nice to know, but would be a real-life experience. 

As I would be coming in quite big group, I earlier had the thought of making reservation. Nonetheless, doing a little research on the venue, seemed like it’s spacious enough and anyway the schedule my friends and I went there would be early afternoon so I didn’t think it would be that packed there. Moreover, the day bed wouldn’t be available for reservation as they kept it for first-come-first-serve basis. If you’re worried about entrance fee, just shoo that away as you could come in for free, and only the day bed required minimum spend of IDR 800k. 

Located at Canggu, it’s not that hard to find the spot, just that the road access to the venue was pretty bumpy. Great thing they provided quite huge parking space so you wouldn’t face trouble to place your vehicle (yep, I found this important to mention remembering that parking space was such an issue in Bali). 

The colorful tone, the square tiles, and the white-red combination for the servants uniforms; all seemed to bring you back to the hype 80’s style. Bali’s indeed the champion for landing amusing out-of-the-box concept, having different stuffs to offer on every single new opening. Yeah, compared to the recently opened ones in J-town at least, many of which were pretty much similar. Oh and anyway, this was from Motel Mexicola’s group so no doubt it’s as enchanting as the predecessors!

Having no sleep yet in the last 30 hours combined with the pretty sunny day, I preferred to be the chillin’ gang who just spent the time lazily sitting on the couch while sipping my drink and munching my light bites. Some of my friends hit the pool enjoying some splash to refresh themselves. 

Huevos Rancheros (IDR 85k)

Being the most uncommon among the tapas list, this Mexican dish basically served slow cooked egg, refried beans, pico de gallo, avocado, and sour cream on top of round-shaped crispy tortilla. Kinda similar to nachos in my view, just that the tortilla came in single piece instead of plenty small cuts. Despite the presentation wasn’t as stunning as my earlier imagination, I might say it was okay-ish both in look and taste. However, if I might suggest, I would prefer to mix all the ingredients and enjoying them altogether in a single bite, or otherwise it seemed like enjoying different components served in a single plate ;)

Hot Dog (IDR 90k)

WOW! Perhaps that word with a jaw-break could best represent my expression first time spotting the dish landed on the table. The huge size kinda surprised me, particularly the pork sausage which did look very fulfilling, coming in gigantic portion and topped with extra happiness from mix of raw and fried onion, mustard, ketchup, and organic pickles. Although it might not deserve the title of best hotdog ever, it’s absolutely not bad; having tasty sausage, fluffy bun, and extra flavors coming from the toppings. 

Hot Chocolate + Guajillo Mousse (IDR 75k)

Shifting to the sweet polar, first one apparently turned out not suiting the palate of everyone’s on the table. Yeah it’s my fault missing to browse what Guajillo actually was. It’s actually dried chili that’s commonly used in Mexican dish. So you could imagine the good-looking thick chocolate mousse gave surprising spicy explosion in the mouth. Finally I ended up picking the dark chocolate pearls, chocolate cake, and vanilla ice cream only; trying as much as possible to get rid of the hot mousse. If you’re into such unique dessert, you might find your treasure here.

Caramelized French Toast (IDR 70k)

I wasn't sure if you had the same thought as mine, but looking at the presentation, my first impression on this french toast was 'OK, it's expensive'. Infused with coffee honey and paired with roasted pineapple and yoghurt sorbet, I  did agree it tasted quite good, but not really a sophisticated one that's too complex to craft at home ;) 

Banana Split (IDR 60k)

The one that I put as last choice when placing the order simply because I perceived it’s too mainstream. Nevertheless, it finally became the sweet that suited my palate quite well compared to the earlier ones. Yes, bluntly speaking it’s simple mix of caramelized banana, milk chocolate ice cream, toasted peanut praline, whipped cream, and toffee sauce; but perhaps because of that reason it won this time. All those classic elements just went well combined together mixing creamy and crunchy ingredients whose taste balanced one another. Wouldn't deny that I might get same thing elsewhere, but at least I pretty much enjoyed Tropicola's version.

Tropicola (IDR 40k)

Merely speaking about presentation and the idea behind, I guessed this drink was quite enticing. Well, mentioned as 'secret house cola recipe', it kind of tickled the curiosity to give it a try as you must be questioning what the secret recipe was. Having a sip, I might only be able to say that it was dominated by the cola taste ;)

Porn Star Martini (IDR 120k)

Coming in picturesque look, this cocktail belonged to my friend, who seemed to be more hitched by the drink's presentation than the taste. The glass featured vanilla vodka, passionfruit, and banana; yeah peculiar combination having the two last elements came together. Unfortunately, the flavor mix seemed to be not my friend's kind of cocktail.

Elixir 3 (IDR 50k)

Looking at the description only, this last drink sounded to be the healthiest among the rest, as it brought the trio of coconut water, honey, and spirulina. When you  saw the real one, you might not be able to recognize it since it came in blue-green-combined color. It was a great choice to quench the thirst, but I would love it more if it could be slightly less sweet.

All in all, bluntly said I enjoyed the place more than what I had on my dining table. The ambiance was pretty nice, especially if you're not demanding for a real beach, and a pool would do great for you. Besides, if you're just trying to be in tune with the latest trend, paying a visit and giving it a try would definitely not hurt ;)

Taste: 6.5/10

Place: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 6.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

TROPICOLA

Address: Jl. Pantai Batu Belig No. 5, Seminyak, Bali

Phone: (+62 361) 934 3636

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 11am - 1am

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