Pappa Jack Kopitiam

Yesterday me and David went to Pappa Jack Kopitiam, a new kopitiam joint which just opened recently near my house area. I always saw it's parking lot packed with cars at night. I don't know whether they serve good food or it's just the new place hype, but it does attract my curiosity. 

It turns out that this joint is Pappajack's second branch, while the first one is located at Sunter. The place is spacious, it is a two storeyed building with a large void at the front part. The interior was dominated with bricks and large windows, along with black furnitures. 

As expected of Kopitiam, they served coffees, teas, peranakan cuisines, and light foods such as toast bread and limited choice of dim sum. It was said that their specialty is the steamed bread with chicken curry, but I doubted the taste will match one another, so I'll just skip it for now and ordered these instead.

Iced Coffee Cham Milo (IDR 21.000) and Iced Lemon Honey (IDR 18.000)

The Iced Coffee Cham Milo is a combination of Coffee, Tea, Fresh Milk, and Milo in one glass. For me the coffee taste was too dominant that I can't find the tea flavor in it. Meanwhile, the Iced Lemon Honey was quite satisfying with balanced taste of sweet and sour.

Bakmi Sapi Cincang (IDR 36.000)

Thin and curly noodles, minced beef, fish cakes, and also bean sprouts. David has always loved bean sprouts, no wonder he ordered this dish. I personally quite like it too. Combined all together, there's the sweet and savory taste of the beef, also the crunchiness from the bean sprouts and richness from the broth.

Dry Curry Mee with Chicken Curry (IDR 33.000)

This dish took FOREVER to come out. It has been long after David finished his dish, and mine hasn't come yet. We kept asking the waiter, and they could only say sorry politely and told us it will be served soon. Luckily  the taste was not disappointing. Bold and spicy chicken curry met the thick noodle that cooked into perfection, what more could you expect?

Will I be back? Sure. Well the service still needs some improvements, but what they served to us was a good start to take our heart and satisfy our belly. And plus, it took less than 5 minutes to get there from my house. So 'til we meet again, Pappajack!

Pappa Jack Kopitiam
Terusan Arjuna Utara no.2
(beside Jakarta Eye Center)
Kebon Jeruk
Jakarta Barat

other branch:
Jl. Danau Sunter Barat Blok A3 No.6 
Sunter, 14350
Ph. 081218919119

TWG Tea Salon and Boutique

TWG tea is finally opening their Jakarta branch. Originally comes from Singapore, I've only tasted their famous tea-infused macarons brought by a friend once, and fell in love instantly with their Napoleon Tea and Caramel Macaron. But now I could taste everything they got. Yay!

image taken from TWG facebook page

The outlet is divided into two sections, the left side is for the tea display, while the right side is the dining area. Well I have to say that the dining space was not too comfortable. The table and chairs were fine, but the space between table was too narrow, especially when that we got seated at the corner, sharing our table with another customers. But in the end it goes down to the food, right? So here's what we had that day.

Eggs Benedict (IDR 80.000)

Eggs Benedict is a dish that I couldn't not order during any time of meal. And TWG did well on this one. There's choice between Salmon and Turkey Ham, so I went with Turkey. As you can see, the presentation was stunning, the eggs were beautifully poached, and the sauce had that perfect creamy, buttery and acidity taste in it.

Singapore Surprise (IDR 45.000)

It's like love at first sight. I took a single look at their cake display area, and instantly knew that I want it. Plus, the waiter also said that this cake was their best seller. Presentation wise, it's not beautiful, but definitely tantalizing. It has the creamy dreamy texture that comes from the vanilla cream, but the fresh and tangy taste of raspberry was balancing it well.

Chocolate Chocolate (IDR 45.000)

This is another best seller. It is beautifully presented, but let's just say, not my cup of tea? The upper part was the soft chocolate mousse, while the bottom was crunchy pistachio. First bite was good, but for me it got too overwhelming after several bites.

Napoleon Tea and Caramel (black) and Bain de Rose Tea (pink) Macarons 

(IDR 15.000 each)

We only tasted two macarons, since we've had cakes before. I still love the Napoleon Tea and Caramel more, but the Bain de Rose Tea flavor was also good. TWG's macaron has always got the light crisp outer skin while the filling was soft and slightly chewy.

White Silk Tea (IDR 42.000)

This tea is the waiter's recommendation. He said that it is a combination of Green Tea, Blue Tea, and Almond. And yes, you can smell a hint of sweet almond aroma when you drink it.

As I mentioned earlier, they also have the tea display section, which comes in attractive packaging, so it is definitely a good option for a gift to the special ones. TWG claims that they got more than 800 variants of tea from around the world, so the journey wouldn't end here. There's still much more to taste.

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique

Plaza Senayan, Shop Unit No. 103A, 107A, 109A and 111A 

Level 1, Senayan Square Complex,
Jalan Asia Afrika No. 8, Kelurahan Gelora,
Kecamatan Tanah Abang, Jakarta Pusat

fb. TWG Tea Official Page

web. TWG Tea

E&O

It is now my third year of blogging, and it has never crossed my mind (or even my wildest dream) at the beginning that one day I could get the opportunity to eat the food of such talented and experienced chefs as Will Meyrick and Palm Amatawet -- with them also sitting in the same table. But well, it did happen last week.

I received this E&O's private media dinner invitation earlier while I was in the office, and I got really excited that I felt like jumping off my chair. I accepted the invitation and replied the email immediately. How can I not? I've been a big fan of Chef Will Meyrick since I read my fellow blogger's review on his amazing collaboration with Chef William Wongso at JCF Dinner last year. And I also have heard a lot of praises of E&O from other bloggers and friends who work around Kuningan area.

About E&O

E&O is the newest addition of the group behind Loewy, Union, Cork&Screw, and Casa Kemang in collaboration with Chef Will Meyrick and Chef Palm Amatawet, the men behind the famous Sarong and Mama San in Bali. The name E&O stands for Eastern and Oriental, representing the food they serve in the restaurant, which mostly are Thai and Vietnamese dishes. The interior has the characteristic of Loewy, but they're covering the column and ceiling with ceramic tile, adapting the Dutch Bunker in Colonial Era in Indonesia.

Pre Dinner Cocktail and Canapés

Dinner started at seven, but they're serving cocktails and canapes before the dinner time. The canapes were  made from their actual menu, but served in a bite size. 

Before we get into the pictures, I have to say sorry that some pictures don't look as good as it should be. The restaurant was warmly (if it's not dimly) light so this amateur photographer (read: me) was having trouble capturing the gorgeous food.

Pineapple Coriander Margarita (IDR 90.000)

It is a combination of pineapple, lime juice, coriander root, and silver tequila, but mine has no tequila in it. Well I'm not so into alcohol, so this one is enough for me. I am a big fan of pineapple, and combined with lime juice, it was so refreshing.

Crispy Pork Belly with Tamarillo and Tamarind Sauce (IDR 190.000/portion)

This is the only canape I tasted because I was too busy taking pictures, but the others said this one is the best among three canapes, so I feel no regret. It was indeed very good. Soft and savory at the upper part, while the bottom was very crispy. The sauce also complimented it well.

Salmon Betel Leaf with Galangal, Dried Shrimps, Roasted Chillies, Coriander and

 Salmon Roe (IDR 32.000/pc)

Chicken and Prawn in Egg Net with Peanuts, Lemongrass, Mint, Pickled Cucumber 

and Shallots Relish (IDR 65.000/portion)

The 8 Course Dinner

The 8 Course Dinner is divided into five rounds. I did noted Chef Palm's explanation of the food, but I lost it :( So all the reviews below are based on my memory. lol.

Before the dinner started, we were told by our waiter that most of the menu were meant to share. Some are spicy, so we better pair it with the white wine or the red wine.

Selection of Northern Thai Relishes with "Nam Prik Ong (Chicken and Tomato Based Condiment)", Nam Prik Goong (Ebi and Tomato Based Condiment)", Nam Prik Num (Eggplant and Tomato Based Condiment , and Crispy Tempura Vegetables (IDR 125.000)

The actual way to eat this is using the fresh vegetables as the outer skin, fill it with your choice of tempura and condiment, and eat it like Tacos. My favorite condiment was the Nam Prik Ong, as it is the least spicy.

Southern Hot & Sour Soup of Fish with Tamarind Leaves, Turmeric, Chillies, Lime Leaves, and Coriander (IDR 80.000)

It tasted great at first, but it was getting spicier that I cannot finish the soup. Well I'm not really good at eating spicy food, but maybe it will be a grat dish for chilli lovers. The only thing I managed to finish was the fish as it was so fresh and soft.

Grilled Beef Salad with Green Mango, Shallots, Peanuts, Mint, and Nahm Jim Jiaw (IDR 90.000)

It was love at the first bite! Sour and tangy green mango was actually great to be paired with the medium grilled beef. It kept me wanting for more and more, oh I wish this wasn't meant to share. lol.

"Cho Chee" of Crispy Barramundi with Chilli and Thai Basil (IDR 170.000)

The sauce tasted like red curry. It was hot and spicy, but in a delicious way. It is better to eat this dish with rice.

Oh and the rice, it is worth an extra paragraph. They are using Jasmine Rice, improted directly from Thailand. It smelt really good and made all the food more appetizing. 

Twice Cooked Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Fish Sauce, Cucumber, and Nam Pla Prik 

(IDR 220.000)

The beef short ribs was very soft and tender, and seasoned perfectly that it was sweet but also savory at the same time. 

Massaman Curry of Slow Braised Lamb Shank with Cardamom, Shallots, Pumpkin, and Tamarind (IDR 170.000) and Roti Canai (IDR 45.000)

This dish really brought our dinner into climax. Well massaman curry is the champion of the top 50 best food in the world according to CNN Travel 2011, so no wonder it's good. It's sweet, savory, spicy, definitely very rich. Usually I smell a certain aroma that I don't like when I eat lamb, but this lamb doesn't have it. It is great to be eaten with rice, but I think it is best to pair it with their Roti Canai. Definitely my favorite dish of the night.

Cocoa Ganache with Peanut Butter Palm Sugar Ice Cream and Honeycomb Crumble (IDR 50.000)

Desserts has always been everybody's favorite part of the dinner. This one is very rich in texture. Soft home made peanut butter ice cream, smooth and solid cocoa ganache, and sweet and crunchy honeycomb crumble. Spoiling your mouth at its best.

Durian Panna Cotta with White Sticky Rice (IDR 50.000)

Beautifully presented, well tasted. You know I'm not a fan of Durian, but this one has just changed my mind. You can definitely taste the durian, but it's not overpowering the whole dish. The panna cotta is sweet and smooth and already a great dessert itself, but the sticky rice just complimenting it well. The two of them really made an excellent combo.

And the night wouldn't be complete without taking picture with the duo masterminds behind the menu. Thank you Chef Will Meyrick, Chef Palm Amatawet, Ms. Raechel Temily, Ms. Catherine Vilia, and Ms. Ni Putu Wulan for arranging this fabulous event, and having me in it. And thank you to all my new blogger friends, for such a fun night. It was definitely one of my best dinner. Ever!

E&O 

Menara Rajawali 1st Floor

Jl. Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung Lot #5.1

Kawasan Mega Kuningan

Jakarta Selatan

ph.+6221.2902.3418

web. E&O

fb. E&O

Kana's Delight

A new dessert place is coming to Central Park Mall, replacing my office's favorite snack counter, Monami Bakery. It was pretty sad losing our daily snack, especially it's super affordable for our budget. But the newcomer did a very well job on decorating their outlet that we've been craving for it even before it's opening. Finally, Kana's Delight is open for business this week, so we wasted no time and tried it last Monday.

The main product is pudding, topped with choices of fruit sauces. Their recommended flavors are Durian Ecstasy and Going Coconutz. They are using real fresh fruits for making the fruit sauces, so it is indeed a very healthy dessert. Other than puddings, they also have other snacks to offer, such as Risoles and Crispy Cookies.

Here's what we had that day, from left to right : Durian Ecstasy (IDR 25.000), Magnificent Mango (IDR 20.000), Blueberry (IDR 25.000), and Strawberry Banana (IDR 20.000). I'm having a hard time picking my favorite flavor, since all of them were good. The mango was kinda sweet, while the blueberry and strawberry banana were sour but refreshing. Durian was my least favorite, since I'm not a big fan of durian fruit. The durian taste was too strong for me, but it might be a delicious treat for durian lovers.

Last thing worth mentioning is their packaging. They put a lot of effort keeping the puddings fresh and cold with a very cute box and ice packs inside. And they also gave us grated chocolate for extra topping, which I think is a little weird at first to be combined with my Strawberry Banana Pudding, but it turned out that the sweet of the chocolate blended well with the tangy strawberry taste.

Kana's Delight
Central Park Mall
Lower Ground Floor #158
(across Java Kitchen / Ramen Sanpachi)
Jl. S. Parman
Jakarta Barat
fb. Kana's Delight
web. Kana's Delight

Cooking Class at Paradise Dynasty

Last Saturday, I got invited to a cooking class held by Groupon Disdus, in collaboration with Paradise Dynasty. This was my first cooking class, and I was so excited! The event was held in Paradise Dynasty Plaza Senayan early in the morning. There were two dishes for us to cook that day, the famous 8 Flavored Signature Xiao Long Bao and Vegetable Bun.

Before heading to our station, we got the chance to see Chef Atin doing the demonstration of how to make the xiao long bao and vegetable bun. The dough and filling has been prepared before, so all we have to do is inserting the filling into the skin, and cover it with folds at the top. Seems pretty simple right?

The picture above is the chef's Xiao Long Bao, and the picture below belongs to my team. Well for me, making the folds were actually pretty hard. My folds often got too thick and it can't patched well. But in the end, I quite satisfied with my Xiao Long Bao. The ones I made were the orange, pink, and green. For the taste, you can check my earlier post.

Same problem happened to the vegetable bun, so as you can see, our folds were a little bit too thick. But in the end the most important thing is the taste right? ;p Oh the green thing on the top of our bun is a part of the filling. We put it on the top as it was meant to be garnish, but Chef Atin said it should be done after steaming so the garnish didn't get watery, so we removed it.

Of course there has to be a narcissistic photo session of these young but talented amateur chefs (read: my team ;p) with Chef Atin and our dish (sorry it's over exposure). From left to right it's Yulie, Dini, Novie, Chef Atin, and me!

After the fun cooking session, we waited for our dish to be steamed, and we also got lunch served by Paradise Dynasty. What we got for our lunch is La Mian with Dan Dan Sauce, Paradise Dynasty's signature hand-pulled noodles, topped with spicy minced chicken and cucumber. And for dessert, we got Kue Kapas, a very soft textured cake with two flavors, the yellow part is Mango, and the white part is Coconut flavor. 

Bottom line, I would like to say thank you to Groupon and Paradise Dynasty team for having me in this event. I learned something new, tasted something new, and made new friends! See you again in the next event :)

Paradise Dynasty
Plaza Senayan 5th flr (across XXI)
Jl. Asia Afrika
South Jakarta
Ph. +6221 579000146