Trattoria at St. Moritz

Had lunch earlier this week at the newest Italian restaurant around my neighborhood, Trattoria. It's one of my favourite casual Italian dining restaurant! They have pretty similar concept with PePenero, but based on my dining experience, I've always liked Trattoria better. I've been dining in their Kuningan outlet several times before, and everything I ordered was never a let down.

The new St.Moritz outlet was designed with the simple industrial look. It was quite spacious, loving the high ceiling and lots of sun light. The dining area consists two floors, the ground floor and mezzanine floor.

Another reason to love Trattoria is the generous complimentary bread. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a basket of bread and another plate of tomato bruschetta. Couldn't ask for more, the bruschetta was fresh, and the bread was warm, salty, and fluffy.

They have various food selections from Antipasti to Pizza and Pasta, but their menu comes in Italian language, so it may took some time to decide your dish. The food they serve may contain pork, but you can request it to be halal.

Prosciutto Cotto E Funghi (IDR 78.000)

This is what we chose from their Pizza selections. Thin-crusted Italian Pizza topped with pork ham, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce. I have no complain about this dish, the pizza was perfectly crusted, the toppings were generous, it was such a nice dish.

Penne Alla Vodka (IDR 86.000)

Penne and salmon cooked with vodka, red onion, olives, and cream. To be honest I couldn't taste the vodka in this dish, but anyway it still tasted so good! Well you know I'm a big fan of cream based pasta, and this one also didn't fail me. It tasted rich and creamy, but not too heavy. Very recommended!

So glad that my favourite Italian Dining Restaurant is coming to my neighborhood. Couldn't wait for my next visit! 

Trattoria Cucina Italiana

St. Moritz Apartment Ground Floor

Jl. Puri Indah Boulevard

West Jakarta

ph. coming soon

Bene Ristorante

Bene Ristorante is an Italian Restaurant located in Living World Alam Sutera. I am actually a regular visitor of the mall, but honestly I've never seen this restaurant before because it's located far at the end of the mall (near Bon Chon Chicken and Kafe Betawi area), and the music stage in front of the place kinda hinder it. But thanks to the food tasting invitation, I've got the chance to get to know more of Bene Ristorante and taste their food, which is actually good!

The food they serve here is mostly Italian, but they also have some interesting fusion menu to try. One of their specialty is the Pizza, which comes in three different sizes: Single Fighter (fit for 1-2 persons), Gossiper (fit for 3-4 persons), and the 1 Metre Pizza (1 metre long pizza with 3 different toppings). The 1 metre pizza really sounds fun to eat with your best buddies, isn't it?

Patate Fritte Alla Bolognese (IDR 37.000)

Thick-cut potato french fries topped with bolognese sauce, melted mozzarella, and yellow cheddar cheese. An awesome starter! I've always loved thick-cut french fries, now even better, it came with generous bolognese sauce and cheese. The beef bolognese sauce is really good, the sweet and sour taste are perfectly balanced. 

Paella Pasta (IDR 55.000)

Inspired by the famous Spanish dish, the pasta is tossed with curry-saffron paste, sauteed seafood, and shredded kafir lime leaves. This was my favorite dish of the night. Pasta was al-dente, while the saffron curry sauce is very rich and fragrant. A new way to eat your pasta, I'm definitely addicted to this.

Bene Classico Pizza, Single Fighter Size (IDR 71.000)

It is the specialty of Bene Ristorante. The Pizza is topped with homemade tomato sauce, grilled chicken breast, jalapeno pepper, pineapple, onion, melted mozzarella cheese, drizzled with mayonnaise and garnished with chopped beef bacon. I really like the pizza dough, it's thick and fluffy, the topping was also nice but it's just not my kind of pizza, since I don't like jalapeno and onion.

Iced Strawberry Caipiroska (IDR 39.000)

My drink that night, a nice iced tea with lime, strawberries, and mint leaves. Lovely presentation, it tasted cold and fresh.

Panetone all 'Aanas (IDR 32.000)

Lastly we were served with the dessert. It is basically a hot pineapple bread pudding, served with cold white cream sauce. It tasted quite decent, but the inside of the pudding was kinda mushy and it would be better if they add more pineapple slices to add the flavor.

After tasting several menu of theirs, I find all the food were nice and decent, and some even very good! That's just a little of them I've tasted, I'd really love to come back and try the other menus. And it's also a nice place if you like live music since it's located near the stage. I came there on Friday night and the band was really nice. Thank you Bene Ristorante for having me.

Bene Ristorante 

Living World Alam Sutera G 71

Jl. Alam Sutera Bulevar Kav. 21

Tangerang

ph. (021) 29239570

fb. Bene Ristorante 

t. Bene Ristorante

[Bali] Finn's Beach Club

If somebody asks me what's my most favourite part during our trip to Bali last month, I would certainly say that it was the afternoon we spent at Finn's Beach Club. Hidden deep behind the sturdy southern cliffs of Bali, the venue is surely a perfect hideaway from daily routines.

Let me take you for a quick tour to reach the venue. After a long ride by car, following GPS and signs on the road, we finally reach Semara Villas at Uluwatu. Finn's reception desk is located at the right side, so we went there and register our name to get the ticket. The ticket is IDR 250.000 per person, but that amount could be use to purchase food and beverages at Finn's. 

After purchasing the ticket, we need to walk down the stairs to the cable car station, ride the cable car down the cliff, and take another steps down the stairs before we finally reach the venue. It was quite a long way, but it was paid when we saw the beautiful sparkling ocean from the cable car. And even more worth it when we stepped at the soft wet sands and the cold water of Indian Ocean.

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The beach club itself couldn't be more relaxing. Semi outdoor bamboo structured restaurant, beanbags, sunbeds, umbrellas. PARADISE, that might be the perfect word. Even better, Finn's Beach Club is limiting their customers everyday so the venue wouldn't get overcrowded. Our privacy is their priority here.

And the best part is, Finn's Beach Club is providing Kayak, Stand Up Peddle Boards, and Snorkeling Masks for the customers, and its FOR FREE! And also FREE WIFI, so you could still connect the outside world if you wish. Oh there's just too many best part of Finn's that I'm getting confused which one is the best of the best.

Anyway, no matter how beautiful the venue is, it's still goes down to the food. So here's what we had that day.

Classic Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (IDR 120.000)

You know I'm not a big fan of Salad, but I found that this Caesar Salad fresh and tastes nice. Vegetables were crunchy and nicely dressed, even more better to combine it with the grilled chicken, bacon, or the egg.

Ebi Spring Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce (IDR 90.000)

Served hot, generously filled, and that tangy sauce that could certainly raise your appetite, this menu has made it to my favorite at Finn's.  

Home Made Hummus with Toasted Pita Bread (IDR 75.000)

Well this is my first time trying hummus. Hummus is a Middle Eastern and Arabic food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Didn't expect that peas could taste like this after mashed. Quite nice, I wouldn't mind ordering that again next time.

Balinese Pizza (IDR 150.000)

Thin crusted Italian Pizza topped with Chicken, Mushrooms, Chilli, and Sambal Matah. There's a lot of restaurants in Bali selling Balinese Pizza, and Finn's Pizza wasn't the best, but it was still decent.

Nachos (IDR 90.000)

Their Nachos were served with Grilled Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream, and Guacamole. I looove that it was served hot and the amount grilled cheese was generous.

Well there's one more thing that deserves another paragraph: Service. It was flawless. All the waiter were very kind and serve us well from the table to our sunbeds. Maybe because of the fall of their neighbor, Nammos, which I heard keep losing it's customers because their service is poor, that Finn's waiter and waitress are trying hard to win their customers heart. And they have win mine. So if you're planning your visit to Bali, don't forget to put Finn's on your schedule. You know you won't regret it.

Finn's Beach Club

Semara Luxury Villa Resort
Jalan Pantai Selatan Gau, Banjar Wijaya Kusuma,
Ungasan 80362 Bali, Indonesia

ph.+ 62 (361) 848 2111 // + 62 853 3941 1907

[Bali] Sundara at Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran

Our first evening in Bali was spent at Sundara. It was an impromptu visit, and yet it was quite a memorable one. We accidentally passed it by on our way to the Villa, and we decided to pay it a visit for early dinner.

Situated right by the Jimbaran Bay, the architecture of the restaurant is modern and classy, yet very tropical. The dining room is extending along the bay and designed with contour, so all customers could enjoy the ocean view. Other than the luxurious dining area, they also have outdoor beach club with live DJ show and poolside bed if you want more comfortable option.

Sundara is serving international food. They serve quite various meal, from the Italian delicacy to Japanese sushi and fresh seafood from Jimbaran Bay. Our choice goes down to their wood fired pizzas: Florentine -- soft egg, bacon, spinach, fetta cheese, arugula (IDR 110.000) and Prosciutto --prosciutto, arugula, tomato, mozzarella (IDR 140.000). Both were delightful! Pizzas were thin and crispy, and I surprisingly loved that they topped their Pizzas after the wood firing process, so that the topping were still fresh, especially the arugula. 

We also ordered their signature non alcoholic cocktails: Ipanema  (IDR 75.000). Made of fresh passion fruit, lime, and pineapple, it was surely tangy but refreshing. And it was served in such a huge jug that it was more than enough for the four of us.

Well great place, great food, quite reasonable price, and flawless service, all in one place. What more could you ask?

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Jimbaran, Kuta Selatan, Bali 80361

Indonesia

Ph. (62 361) 701010

www.fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay

Basilico

In the mid 2011, me and David were having an architecture internship at 1Park Residences, an apartment built by Intiland Development near Gandaria City. Back at that time, we almost always looking for lunch in Gandaria City, and this fancy Italian restaurant located right at the main lobby has always attracted me to come and try. But that time, being an unpaid intern employee, we always ended up eating something more budget-friendly.

Almost two years passed by, and last week we finally give it a try. The venue was packed with customers that lunch time (later I realized that most of them are expatriates), only a few table were empty. The interior was basically dominated by the warm wood texture combined with black color. At the center is the bar area,   with attractive hanging wine display at the ceiling, then surrounded by the sofa seats.

Upon arrival we were greeted by the welcome bread, the deep fried bread served with fresh tomato sauce. The bread's still warm and soft, and the tomato sauce was freshly made from real tomato puree. 

To company our lunch in such a hot day, I ordered Lychee Ice Tea (IDR 23.000), and David went with Lemon Juice (IDR 25.000). Both of them were very refreshing.

Basilico offers a wide variation of Pizza and Pasta, so we decided to share one pizza and one pasta dish. The problem about me and David sharing dish in Italian restaurant is, our taste don't match at all. David has always loved sour tomato-based sauce, while I preferred rich and creamy sauce. After long discussion (which almost ended up as a quarrel), David chose the pasta, Chicken Parmigiana (IDR 85.000), and I chose the Pizza, Ghiottona Pizza (IDR 75.000). 

The Chicken Parmigiana -- breadcrumbs-coated chicken breast baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, served with spaghetti -- was quite good, but I barely touched it because I was too busy with the pizza. Two layers of thin crusted pizza filled with chicken, spinach, mushroom, and mozzarella cheese, I am currently still drooling while writing this post. 

The pizza didn't really meet David's liking (too creamy he said), so I ended up finishing most of it (with no regret), and David finished the pasta. One little drawback for the pizza is the amount of filling. It was concentrated in the center, but when you reach the outer side, it's almost empty. 

Being satisfied with my lunch that day, I kinda regretted why I didn't try it earlier when I got everyday to spent there. But I'm glad we did try it.

Basilico

Gandaria City Mall

Ground Floor Unit #m-g01 

Jl. KH Syafii Hadzami No.8 

Kebayoran Lama Jakarta Selatan, 

Jakarta, Indonesia 12240

ph. (021) 29053333

f. Basilico

La Finestra

La Finestra is an Italian restaurant located in the corner of Tribeca Park, Central Park Mall. I've been meaning to try it for a long time since it's located just down my office at APL tower, but never got the chance, until I bought their voucher from DisDus. So last week, me and David were having (a super rare) lunch together there.

The interior was nice and comfortable. It is designed as a garden terrace, I presume. They've got unfinished brick walls, windows, artificial vines on the ceiling, and lots of comfortable sofas. Upon arival, the customers are supposed to order in the cashier first, and then the waiter will give us a number to be placed on our table. 

My DisDus Voucher consists 2 Appetizers, 1 Pasta, and 1 Pizza for IDR. 95.000. And here's what we had for our lunch:

Zuppa d'Funghi 

Just an ordinary mushroom soup. Taste was fine, but I expected a slice of baguette to come with it.

BBQ Chicken Wings

I don't understand why David always got attracted by chicken wing as appetizer. In my opinion, they all taste  just the same as the fiesta chicken wing that you can buy in the supermarket. Just add bbq sauce. Just not my kind of appetizer.

Angel Pollo d'Funghi

There was 7 choices of pasta written on the voucher, but when we got there, the waiter said only 3 out of 7 were available. That was such a turn down. So we came with this, Angel hair pasta, served with salad, breaded chicken, and mushroom sauce. Overcooked pasta, pale chicken, but the mushroom sauce helped a little bit. Didn't touch the salad.

Meat Lovers Pizza

The most acceptable food in the entire lunch. Thin crusted pizza topped with beef, peperoni, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. I like it that they use sliced beef instead of minced beef for the topping.

That was definitely not my best lunch, but that's just my opinion. Maybe anyone think different?

La Finestra Tribeca
Central Park Mall
Tribeca Ground Floor, TGF #16
Jl. Letnan Jendral. S. Parman. Kav 28
Jakarta Barat
p. 021-2920 0292

f.  La Finestra

Marche

Marche is a Swiss-Italian restaurant located in Grand Indonesia and Plaza Senayan. The restaurant is designed based on the Switzerland fruit market. You can see lots of fresh fruits on the wooden counter, baskets hanging on the walls and ceilings, and barrels! Barrels everywhere.

The place is divided into 5 counters, if I'm not mistaken. There are Salad and Soup Counter, Swiss Main Course Counter, Italian Main Course Counter, Dessert and Rotisserie Counter, and Beverages Counter. We   can order the food at the counter, and the order will be noted on the card that were given to us upon arrival. This restaurant is really my weakness. All the food placed in the counter looks so good, and I want to try everything! Especially the desserts :9

But you know, our belly and wallet can't afford that much, so here's what we ordered:

Rosti with Bacon and Egg (IDR 57.000)

Honestly, I wasn't expect much from this dish at first. Rosti is a traditional Swiss food, made of grated potato as the main ingredient. I wasn't expect to taste a hint of creaminess in the perfectly cooked potatoes. And I wasn't expect the texture of the potatoes to be so rich, crunchy outside but soft and moist inside. That surprised me, and I fell for it right at my first bite.

Roasted Chicken Leg (IDR 39.000) with Mashed Potatoes (IDR 12.000)

It was also good. The chicken leg was big and tender, and the mashed potatoes was nice and creamy. Even David, who usually dislikes mashed potatoes, like it.

Beef Bacon and Cheese Pizza (IDR 45.000)

The pizza was good, but not extraordinary. They were quite generous on the topping, and you can take the parmesan cheese yourself, as much as you want, but for me, the pizza dough was too chewy.

Creme Brulee (IDR 22.000)

Perfect dessert to end our dinner. The texture was soft and moist, the taste was not too sweet, I think I shouldn't share it with David. I could eat the whole portion alone.

In conclusion (like if I haven't make it clear from my writings above), the restaurant satisfied me more than I expected, and surely I'll be their loyal customer.

Marché Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
Entertainment Distrct 3A#03A-D

Jln. MH. Thamrin 1

West Mall - besides Musical fountain
10310 Jakarta
 

Tel: +62 21 23 58 11 26/-27
Fax: +62 21 23 58 11 25

Business hours

Sunday - Thursday

11.30 - 22.30

Friday - Saturday

11.30 - 23.30