Balibola (New Menu!)

It’s been almost a year since my last (and actually my first) visit to Balibola (see the earlier review here) and finally I could be back again, experiencing their new set of menu and once again enjoying their warm service. 

The place hasn’t changed much from 11 months ago, except the front corner had its walls being redecorated. Used to be plain pink and plain blue, now it showed more colorful design with bolder theme. The indoor space seemed to stay as it was, still being gorgeous for the sight. It felt like opening chic magazine pages looking at how the interior was set up. 

The menu was another attraction for my friends and I. All the pics looked appetizing, all the dishes descriptions seemed to be super appealing. It took us awhile before able to pick our final decision. It’s just like everyone suddenly turned to be super indecisive. 

Vegan Cookie (IDR 25k)

Before going to our main orders, we started with this ‘prelude’. I was expecting the soft-type one, while this was actually the crunchy kind of cookie. It tasted okay, despite I would say nothing really stood out that might make it more distinctive compared to any other similar ones. 

Fully Falafel (IDR 88k)

Now the real actor started to take the stage, beginning with member of the savory gang. The dish featured a trio of Falafel balls, accompanied by grilled eggplant, red pepper, tabouli, hummus, rocket, and salsa sauce. The whole dish could be perfectly enjoyed with the special Tahini dressing that came as perfectly match to the group. The balls were so flavorful and I would say they cured my craving on Mediterranean dish very well. For you whore more explorative, actually you also had the option to create your own composition for the balls you desired. 

Pink Bliss Bowl (IDR 70k)

Moving to different kind of dish, now you saw the cutie pink bowl, presenting pink homemade yoghurt topped with pink roasted granola, coconut, raisin, and tropical fruits including strawberries and mango. Presentation wise, it played beautiful mix of colors, giving that fresh look. If you fancied something sour, you might love this one as the base itself was quite sour and the toppings were served in similar kind of taste. For me, I personally preferred the toppings to be sweet so they could well-balance the healthy base. 

Vegan Nana Pancake (IDR 95k)

Going for something sweet? This wonderfully crafted dish could be your perfect option. I found it very funny when I saw the dish came with an Instagram sign next to its name on the menu, which apparently represented that the dish came in Instagenic presentation (well I bet just few years back then you would never expect this sign on your menu). The yummy stacks of fluffy banana and oat pancake were served warm, and combined with the oppositely cold coconut ice cream. I extremely loved that idea of playing with opposite temperature as my palate got excited having the two altogether. The toppings of grilled caramelized banana, berry compote, and whipped cream added colors to the dish explicitly as seen from the appearance and implicitly as felt from the mix of sweet and sour taste. Seemed to still desired to give extra happiness, you were also given an injection of vegan chocolate to further spoil your palate. As this pancake came in sizable portion, for my tummy’s space I would prefer to have it shared ;)

Berry Nana Chia Pudding (IDR 72k)

Getting hitched by the pic of the dish, this ‘beauty-served-in-a-cup’ turned to be the creme de la creme in the dining session. Struggling to be able to enjoy all elements in one spoon-fed, I ended up having each one by one starting from those on top. Nonetheless, it turned out still being super palatable. As if having its own appetizer, main course, and dessert, I first enjoyed the frozen fruit smoothies with the granola and slices of banana and berries. They just went well together and got even better once I reached the coconut milk layer which complemented the earlier group’s sweet taste very very well. As the main actor of the dish, the chia seeds came at the very end as it’s put right at the bottom. This was also the thickest layer, which I found delectable to be combined together with the remaining other components. Such flawless beauty!

In a nutshell, Balibola would surely make it to my Bali’s must-visit place especially if you’re staying around Seminyak. Their creativity in continuously inventing new concepts surely deserved the repeating visits!

Taste: 7.5/10

Place: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

BALI BOLA

Address: Jl. Petitenget No. 8X, Seminyak, Bali

Phone: (+62) 812 9167 2276

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm

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Clean Slate

I guess I’ve made a trio of visits to this place before finally being able to put myself back on writing again! As always, super energizing being able to be back on a blank digital paper and flow out what popped up in mind into paragraphs that could guide people finding their ways to spoil the palate. 

Used to be Tobi’s Coffee, now the spot has transformed to Clean Slate. The first time I was aware of this place, and put my first footstep on its front door, I right away realized this was Tobi’s as the setting was almost precisely the same. Not to mention, Tobi’s used to be one of my most fave coffeeshop around Tangerang area, even since I was still staying in Jakarta. 

Not focusing on coffee only anymore, now the selections were richer in foods, though still not providing less options for the beverages as well. Trying to satisfy the various demanding taste buds, they did serve rice-based dishes, pasta, classic brunch menus, till simple appetizers like chicken bites and fries. The price was pretty ‘pocket-friendly’ for college students, who was the big chunk of consumers around the area. This would be applicable on the meals, as the drink might cost you slightly more, if compared relatively to similar kind of places. 

Trying to give a try on each group listed kn the menu, I came over with bigger group in my second and third visit so we could order more. 

Chili cheese (IDR 60k)

As the name implied, this dish which featured spaghetti as the main carbo, basically presented the spicy cheese sauce, combining something creamy and spicy and hence making it satisfying yet not causing you to get bloated easily. Though you got the choice of beef bacon or crispy fried chicken as the protein to accompany your carbo, I preferred going with the latter one as they came in bigger pieces and for my liking it suited the dish better as I could get the ‘play of texture’ with the combo of creamy sauce and crispy yet juicy chicken. No worries if you couldn’t afford too spicy food, as it’s somehow justifiable as long as your remembered to mention that when placing your order. 

Nasi Gila (IDR 47k)

Moving to another type of palate which was more into Indonesian’s, I bet you’ve been able to guess what I meant. Yes, for sure something with rice! This next dish basically brought out the comfort food we usually enjoyed at hawker. For sure don’t compare the price with the version you got from the guy with cart that might pass by residential area, as you would surely say it now costed a fortune! Great thing, not only the presentation, the taste did give you different kind of experience, which wasn’t less satisfying. The portion was also fulfilling and the taste was rich with generous toppings of beef bratwurst, chicken chunks, meatballs, scrambled eggs, and not to forget, crackers! Now you could enjoy this type of dish without being overly sweaty as you could sit nicely in fully air-conditioned room while having it ;)

Salted Egg Rice (IDR 55k)

Now we reached my number 1 favorite from Clean Slate savory list, Salted Egg Rice! Just like how I fell for any dish with Salted Egg sauce, it was flawlessly served with medium-well sunny side up with perfectly runny yolk! Just like our first Chilly Cheese, again this gave us the duo of creamy sauce and crunchy bites, for which you could pick either calamari, chicken or dori. Having had chicken and dori, I would say both were worthy to try. My next would surely be calamari so I could complete my checklist on trying all the toppings :p

Nutella Oreo Waffle (IDR 40k)

Just like my usual routine, the dining session would be having flaws without having sweet ends. Bluntly speaking, I expected more excitement from the desserts selection. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t miss my nice finishing just because the options were more into classic ones. So there was my double stack waffle landed on the table, with overflowing nutella and oreo crumbs, further topped with ‘more sinful indulgence’ of 2 scoops chocolate ice cream. Surprisingly, the waffle batter was aromatic with strong butter hint you could taste tight at the first bite. Having that accompanied with heavenly Nutella, for sure nothing could go wrong! Being served warm and freshly baked from the oven, my heaven on earth moment was just right on sight. 

Crunchy Choco Lava (IDR 35k)

Seems to not yet consuming enough calories, here’s another load of sugar! Feeling like being in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, it’s another chocolate-themed one, the all-time favorite Choco Lava! You might notice the word ‘crunchy’ carried in its first name, and it wasn’t there for nothing since they indeed tried to add this element by pairing the dessert to crunchy chocomaltine. IMHO, it might get too much for those who’re not as much sweet-tooth as I was, nevertheless being a dessert-holic I enjoyed my hyper daily sugar consumption. If only the chocolate filling could be runny as the term ‘lava’ implied, I bet it would turn out much more pleasant! PS, the standard ‘crown’ to the dish would be choc ice cream instead of vanilla, but you always had the option to personalize your preferred flavor ;)

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 35k)

As for the drink, for sure the classic white option's always available and for an easy morning in the weekend this would be my number one option. The basic one from the house, not really to wake me up but more to spoil my palate which by nature enjoyed coffee. The beans here were quite bold I might say, with a hint of acidity in the taste. For those who're not that much into coffee, you might wanna request it to be made lighter by either adding milk or flavors.

Green Hazel (IDR 43k)

One of the choices you had was surely opting for fusion kind of drink like this duo of green tea and coffee. Served with double shot of espresso, the green tea flavor didn't overwhelm the coffee taste at all. Moreover, the idea of mixing it with hazelnut syrup as well was pretty nice as I found all of them mixed together made a great 'show' on my palate.

All in all, I would call myself a satisfied customer looking at how many times I've revisited the place despite the distance wasn't that close to either my house or my office. My colleagues and I always found our reason for coming back and trying their other menu, even sometimes had their foods delivered to our doors for dinner.

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

Thanks for reading! :)

CLEAN SLATE

Address: Gading Serpong Ruko L'Agricola C11, Tangerang

Phone: (+62) 817 4962 488

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm

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Seed

You might now picture a greenhouse-alike cafe, or garden-concept one as you heard the word ‘SEED’. Well, I wouldn’t deny that same thing happened to me at the first place. However, the real place turned out telling different story. 

Taking place at the well-known Plaza Kemang, I bet it’s super easy to find the spot. Ohhh, feeling like the good old days, spending the slow weekend at Kemang, enjoying awesome brunch and having coffee rally, jumping from one cafe to another one till late. Nowadays it’s just felt kinda far away from home and I needed reap the leftover energy. But yeahhh, there I was, being back to get myself indulged!

As usual, I still haven’t gotten bored of clean white interior, up till this second. It just seemed to offer the ultimate peaceful ambiance that let your mind get recharged. Hence, though the space wasn’t that gigantic, it’s a comfy one for me to spend long hours. 

Iced Lemon Sorbet Tea (IDR 50k)

Opting for freezing one as I felt like melting in the midst of this hot capital city, this peculiar one got me hitched. Well, I guessed you knew what I meant when you read the drink’s name. The picture did tell you that the name literally described what it featured. Lemon sorbet dipped into ice tea, which for me was interesting idea to transform the simple ice lemon tea into more inventive presentation. If you wondered how it tasted, I would be blunt to say it’s just similar to general ice lemon tea, so indeed the concept and the appearance sold itself best. 

Hot Honey and Lemon (IDR 35k)

If you belonged to the ‘hot gang’, you did have the quite uncommon option. Not meant to say it’s not familiar, just that you wouldn’t easily meet it in every place like either ice tea or ice coffee. As expected, it was like comfort drink you could go for, especially if you’re demanding natural sweetness. 

Creamy Truffled Carbonara (IDR 110k)

Hold on fellas... don’t get emotional with the picture! I did drool again when posting this picture, imagining my ‘first meeting’ with the dish. As much as I loved truffle and creamy carbonara, that pretty much described my engagement toward the dish. It surely had me blown away with its hypnotizing truffle scent. When the appearance was undeniably irresistible, the taste wasn’t less addictive! Though I wished the spaghetti could be cooked slightly longer to make it become al dente, the creamy sauce was so rich and flavorful, and the truffle mushrooms as well as bacon bits turned it into perfection. Though it might look a bit pricey, the generous toppings made it worth the pennies paid. 

Miko’s Lava Ube (IDR 60k)

A fan of lava cake? If you just nodded your head, my next question would be how many flavors of it have you ever had? If it’s just chocolate, you might wanna ‘catch-up’ guys ;). For you who said you’ve had more than one flavor, perhaps your other one would be either green tea, vanilla, or white chocolate. How about ube? YES UBE, that purple yam, which some people commonly called as either taro or sweet potato. If you’re first timer looking at such dish, you’re not alone as so did I. Being a fan of molten lava cake, for sure I was so curious to try this version. Beautifully presented in the peculiar purple color, besides containing the runny ube filling, it was also accompanied by yummy vodka sauce. As the filling was thicker, the thinner sauce came as perfect balancer to it. The main cake was scrumptious, being served at flawlessly fluffy texture. The ube crumbs added extra excitement into the game, bringing more variety into the palatable dessert. 

All in all, I was totally spoiled customer in my premiere visit to Seed. The foods especially were highly recommended to try! I could even picture myself already, coming back for exactly the same combo of main course and dessert <3

Taste: 7.5/10

Place: 7/10

Service: 7.5/10

Price: 6.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

SEED

Address: Jl Kemang Raya No. 88

Phone: (+62 21) 7191 707

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm

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Hygge Coffee BSD - Full Menu Released!

For those who have read my first post on Hygge BSD, here you go with the updated one, when the menu is all ready-to-serve! Yeeeaaayyy <3. PS if you haven’t read it, go checkout the link to skip your regrets ;)

OK I wouldn’t lie to myself, despite the place was just right across my office, I simply found my struggle to pay more visits due to the hectic days. Hence, this weekend I didn’t wanna miss the chance for being able to go there. 

The place wasn’t less packed than it usually was, with tables were mostly fully occupied. It did stay super cold, but surely helped in the midst of the hot sunny BSD. After taking awhile being in my complicated dilemma of picking my orders, I finally made up my mind with what to have for this slow weekend lunch. For sure, both the tummy and the brain deserved their feast now!

Lily in the Pot (IDR 55k)

I started with this cutie pie, whose presentation surely got the crowd's attention. I at least got some friends on my Instagram commenting and getting curious what the drink actually was. Basically, it's comforting mix of lychee and yakult, served with diced-cuts of lychee. Well, simply said, how could the mix turned wrong as I bet the pair was indeed lovable combination that most of us loved either being served solo or together. Great thing, you could have it shared with a friend!

Hanging Tender (IDR 180k)

Specially crafted for the beef lover, the dish served you luscious beef slices whose wellness level could be customized as per your preference. Mine was medium, where you could still see the beautiful pinkish color on the meat. The texture was juicy and tender, exactly like how the name told you. 

The chimicurri sauce, complemented the dish well with its touch of parsley, garlic, and olive oil. Those who loved onion must have spotted those onion slices which were used to put the sauce in, just exactly like me. They might be not the main actor of the dish, but were surely extra happiness for me as they tasted sweet and yummy. Perhaps my only additional request would be to add just a little bit more salt and blackpepper into it, then voila!

Pork Crackling (IDR 115k)

Despite I knew this dish might not be an option for everyone, but for sure I should still share the joy to the ones who could have it. I was at first astonished looking at the huge portion when it's first delivered on my dining table. Actually, it should have come with a quite sizable bowl of rice, which apparently was similar to Hainanese rice in appearance. YESSS you heard me right, those 3 long huge slices of pork belly still came with rice! Super satisfying portion for typical Indonesians who didn't feel like eating without rice. 

One thing for sure, this menu was MUST MUST HAVE for me and I would call it the champion of the day. The meat was cooked into perfection, soft and delicate at one edge, and flawlessly crispy on the other. If you usually saved the crispy part to be enjoyed at the end (just like my experience), this time you needn't worry as you had quite a lot to spoil your palate. Moreover, not only the protein that was there on the plate to pamper the appetite, but also the special Andaliman sauce which the house was so proud of. This Batak-originated sauce made of green chili, candlenut, and garlic was indeed most of the times being paired to fried pork in its origin area.  

Jackfruit Panna Cotta (IDR 45k)

Being so full with the earlier two dishes didn't stop me from having the sweets to impeccably end the dining session. Honestly speaking, this first dessert was actually not that appealing when I spotted it on the menu. However, nothing's wrong to give it a try, wasn't it? Some might mistakenly think it's mango panna cotta, just like the common flavor you've met elsewhere. Nonetheless, Hygge was being more inventive, using jackfruit as the main ingredient. To note, it's not merely flavoring as you could feel bold jackfruit taste in the dessert. Surprisingly, it proved my initial thought wrong as it tasted so scrumptious. Being so silky and not overly sweet, I was sold to the panna cotta at my first trial! Like literally melt in the mouth!! Not to mention the sweet and salty mixed nuts put on top which gave extra pleasure into the cup. Luckily my sister wasn't into nuts so I could have all of 'em for myself ;)

Regal Banana Pudding

If I had two savory dishes, I made it fair to the desserts so I did take two of them (*self justification*). Actually this one wasn't available yet on the menu, but offered by Hygge team. From the presentation you might tell that you had quite abundant whipped cream there, surrounding the banana pudding placed right at the center. I honestly preferred them to serve less whipped cream, just to be put as side decoration. Nevertheless, forgetting the whipped cream thingy, the regal banana pudding itself was super YUM! You could feel like banana, milk, regal biscuits, and vanilla altogether crafted an awesome party in the dish. You didn't need to worry of getting nauseated of the dish being overly creamy, as the banana pudding was more into the dense type one. Don't overthink it, just take your chance to let your taste bud get satisfied!

If you still recalled that in my first visit I was deeply in love with the coffee yet had no special attachment to the food, this time I was willingly giving extra +1 point to the food score. Both the savory and the sweet ones didn't make even single failure in getting me impressed. Highly recommended to try!

Taste: Food 7.5/10 | Coffee 8/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 7/10

Thanks for reading! :)

HYGGE COFFEE

Address: Upper West Experience Center, Jl. BSD Raya CBD 55 Kav 1-12, BSD, Tangerang

Operating Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 10pm, Sat - Sun 8am - 11pm

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Estuary Cafe

Destiny seemed to bring me back here in Yogya after 2 years ago visiting it for the very first time for office event. This time, it’s for attending friend’s engagement which luckily was at the same time with long weekend! Well actually Thursday was not, but let’s count it as day-off (the beauty of agile working played role finally!)

If you’re a first-timer just like me, you would never expect you would find this chic and minimalist coffee shop at the end of the journey. Despite having its own parking space, the plenty numbers of guests made it seem not enough and you needed quite advanced driving skill to make it through during peak hours. The place looked like a huge fancy house with contemporary design. I loved all the setups, how they mixed the indoor and the outdoor areas, the seats arrangement, including the green touch which didn’t only give the natural ambiance and being food for the eyes but also beautified and well-balanced the monochromatic tone. 

The order point came right after the entrance, where you should pay and finish getting what you wanted prior to getting a seat. I didn’t get troubled for not being able to order from the table though, as I could see the waitress and waiter were very helpful. They got you the details to any of your queries in their fingertips. By the way, I personally thought it’s not as affordable as typical cafes in Yogya, but surely was better-off if you compared it to the similar ones in Jakarta. 

Mocha Rum (IDR 33k)

Being kinda peculiar with that ‘rum’ as the last name, the hot drink caught my attention. It’s totally halal guys, since the rum was concentrate only. It’s bit unfortunate that the rum could be barely tasted though, so it’s more into just mocha. Like typical mocha, pretty nice with mix of coffee and chocolate flavors, just that the latter one was slightly stronger than the first. 

Iced Creme Brulee (IDR 35k)

As you might have expected, latte with layer of caramelized sugar on top. Good to enjoy it with cold version as the melted iced cubes helped to neutralize the flavor so it didn’t go overly sweet. Just as the first cup, the coffee was pretty pleasant being medium bodied and having smooth after-taste. 

Estuary Frappe (IDR 35k)

If you’re more ‘explorative’ and demanded something more uncommon, go for their house specialty, the Estuary Frappe. Presenting the base of banana, those who’re in love with this fruit must be up for this. Luckily it’s not coming in huge portion as it’s quite fulfilling. Nice alternative option for those who’re not in the coffee game. 

Bread Butter Pudding (IDR 35k)

Despite this was my friend’s order, it was one of my kind of desserts. The appearance was prolly not a jaw breaker but the taste was not disappointing. The cinnamon scent was dominating and the fluffy texture was comforting. It might be not the one with abundant toppings of walnuts and raisins, but did worth the try :)

Oreo Cheesecake (IDR 23k)

As an addict to cheesecake, spotting the slices sat on the display, I just couldn’t hold myself from having one. Although the tummy was like screaming it had no more space left, the eyes and the brain wouldn’t want to synchronize, and then there was the Oreo Cheesecake took off from the fridge and landed on my table. Just like how I liked it, it’s the creamy yet dense type one, with thin crunchy base that featured oreo. It did wear the crown of soft cream and oreo, which complemented the cake well. Shortly said, I wouldn’t call it the best Oreo Cheesecake ever, but no reason to skip the delicacy worth less than 25k!

Having my afternoon tea break only, I could say the place was a pleasant one to spend time, either in small or big group as it’s spacious and cozy. So if you’re staying in Yogya or would be in Yogya, now you had one more reference to follow the hype.

Taste: 7/10

Place: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

ESTUARY CAFE

Address: Gang Code 3, Karangjati Wetan, No. 170C, Jl. Monjali No. 45, Yogyakarta

Phone: (+62 274) 5014 118

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 0am

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