TRAVELOKA EATS - SEROENI PLAZA SENAYAN

HI!! There's something new in town!! But well, this time it's not about a place, but it's Traveloka's newest feature called Traveloka Eats! So anyway, if you open Traveloka's app, you'll find the section I circled. Traveloka has really developed now from just selling hotel and plane tickets, huh? Since I'm a foodie, let's just get right to the topic, 'cause mind you, there're lots of offers to find!  

KATSUTOKU PLAZA SENAYAN

Hey all, welcome back to our blog! Today we're gonna tell you about a Japanese restaurant with the best Katsu in town, it's Katsutoku! Of course, that's in our opinion but hey, maybe you guys have the same taste? This is actually not a new restaurant located at Plaza Senayan and even though it doesn't get that much exposure from Instagramer and all that, it is still super crowded. Definitely shows that the quality of this place is the best!

WHAT'S NEW AT UNION JAKARTA

Yeap, almost all of you should probably know Union, so why do we need to talk about this famous place? Because there's gonna be some exciting new menus this month! Other than the main course, there're also gonna be new cakes! Let's go!

UNACHO PLAZA SENAYAN

Calling all unagi lovers! This is a spot for you! An unagi specialist restaurant has arrived in town, located at Plaza Senayan, in the corner near Zara and it's called Unacho!

THE MELTING POT INDONESIA

Are you ready for something hot and melted?! Cause today will be filled with gooey goodness! It's called Melting Pot, located in Plaza Senayan! The place is a bit hard to see, since they're located in the deserted corner, along with Applebee's, which is from the same group fyi. If you don't know where I'm talking about, just find Marche and go right. Usually the staff would also be standing in front of the escalator to Marche, so can also ask them!

The inside of it is pretty spacey and I love how elegant this place is! Simple colors with classy furniture, nice!

On each table, these pots and colorful cutleries will already be provided! There's a red and black colored ones!! Sorry, just love those colors!

CHEDDAR IDR 108K/PERSON
Aged, medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings.

Cooked with beer made the cheese tasted a bit more sour and alcoholic. Not saying that I don't like it but I don't like it that much either. I'd prefer and salty and creamy type of cheese or a sweet one!

Here are what will be offered to be dipped in the melted cheese! Was a bit confused with the apples but turns out, apples and cheese creates this awesome sweet and savory taste! I, personally, liked it!

THE MELTING POT HOUSE SALAD IDR 68K
Crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, crispy croutons, and sliced egg finished with your choice of Peppercorn Ranch Dressing or our sweet and tangy House Dressing.

They have 3 choices of salads here and we got to try all of them! This one here is my personal favorite, with it's sweet and sour dressing, this is really satisfying for me! I love sweet and sour taste you see..lol!

CALIFORNIA IDR 65K
Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette.

My 2nd favorite, since this one also tasted kinda sweet and sour, though leaning more on the sour side. The only thing I find off is the candied walnuts..I thought it was candied so that it would be more crunchy but turns out it became more mushy and didn't set well with the whole plate! I'd prefer crunchy walnuts for my salad!

CAESAR IDR 58K

Crisp romaine lettuce, shredded Parmesan cheese, crispy croutons and an added touch of Parmesan-encrusted pine nuts, tossed with Caesar dressing.

It's your everyday Caesar salad, so there's really nothing special about it. Decent though, which is good! Just that out of all 3 choices, I'd go for this one last! What I do love about all the salads here is that they used fresh ingredients, so the veggies are all good and crunchy!

SPINACH ARTICHOKE IDR 118K/PERSON

Fontina and Gouda cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic.

For this melted cheese, they don't use beer or any alcohols, instead they use Buliong vegetable oil. This one tasted more savory with all the spinach and artichoke! I don't really know if it's supposed to be much oilier than the cheddar or not but that was what happened to ours, maybe it's because they used vegetable oil instead of beer?

BLACKBERRY SAGE LEMONADE IDR 45K
A signature and delicious blend of lemonade, blackberry, and sage.

Might be weird after hearing the word sage, which fyi is a culinary herb, but turns out the sage wasn't really that strong, which might be a good thing! If I didn't read the description, I would've thought that this was a blackberry virgin mojito, cause it tasted like one!

YIN & YANG MARTINI IDR 45K
The perfect balance! White chocolate and vanilla blended with ice cream and topped with chocolate shavings.

Don't worry, though the name's martini, there's no alcohol at all in this drink..only some vanilla and chocolatey goodness! I don't usually like any chocolate shavings in anything, not on cakes and definitely not on drinks, but this one is strangely satisfying!

BERRIES & WATERMELON SPARKLER IDR 45K
Fresh watermelon, lemon, and lime juices with flavors of bright red berries and mint combine to make this a delicious and refreshing drink.

A bit similar to the blackberry sage lemonade, just subtract the blackberry and add the watermelon! It's a bit of a sweet and tangy, with mint herbs, so it's also somewhat like a virgin mojito. They weren't kidding when they say it was refreshing though!

PINA COLADA IDR 45K
A smooth and tasty blend of sweet pineapple with creamy coconut.

Never really like pina colada, since there would be coconut in it! This one's not an alcoholic drink though and the cream of coconut didn't have a strong coconut taste in it, so it's great news for me! Dare I say that I actually liked this, since it's sweet, smooth and creamy!

COOKIES 'N' CREAM MARSHMALLOW DREAM IDR 118K
Dark chocolate and marshmallows topped with bits of delicious chocolate cookies.

We got to also try the desserts and what other melted desserts that is better than chocolate fondues? There're various choices of fondues but we tried this one, since I think it's the most interesting! There's marshmallow with cookies 'n' cream, it can't get any better than that! They also gave a little attraction of making a flambe out of it right in front of us! Cool!!

I just started drooling on this part!

Here are the things for the dipping, there's fruits, cakes and cookie covered marshmallow!! Yum!

Why is this plate has more amount than the ones above? Well, cause this below is for 2 portions, so they just doubled the amount!

I somehow think that the prices aren't really reasonable, since for IDR 100K you'd only get a bowl of melted cheese with a small plate of foods to be dipped. I guess they're confident with their prices cause as of now, they're the only ones with this concept, yet I do hope they'd consider the price a little bit more! Anyways, I'd wish them the best of luck!

The Melting Pot

Plaza Senayan Mall

5th floor, unit CP516

Jl. Asia Afrika no. 8

Jakarta Pusat 10270

021-5790 6057

Opening Hours :

Everyday : 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

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APPLEBEE'S INDONESIA, JAKARTA

Hey ya'll! I've caught myself a flu and I blame it on the weather! Lol! But seriously, in this weather, it's very easy to get sick and I hope that everyone is taking a good care of yourselves! Don't worry though, cause I'm feeling better by the day! Anyways, is any of you familiar with Applebee's? Yeap, that one of the America's largest restaurant chains, Applebee's! They focus on America's stereotype dishes in a casual dining style. If you don't know what I mean, it's what you'll think of when I say 'Western' foods!

You can find Indonesia's Applebee's at Plaza Senayan's 5th floor but it's located in the far corner, so you better keep watch for the signage! The signage is pretty big, no need to worry!

Can't understand about their interiors, maybe they're going for some messy and mixed up type but it turns out really cheesy, which is really too bad!

Are they obsessed with traffic lights?

Here're some free-to-take cute apple shaped balloons to make up for the interior!

COWBOY BURGER IDR 139K
Head out West and grab this burger topped with crispy onion strings, melted white cheddar cheese and smoked beef bacon. Served on a toasted bun with honey BBQ sauce.

Don't judge from the looks cause this actually tastes amazing! I was also disappointed cause it's not this messy on the photo in the menu (never believe the photos of a dish on the menu!). Maybe it's as they say though, the messier the better tasting! The only downside is that I couldn't find the best angle to take a shot of this and yet, the thick and juicy patty, crispy bacon and yummy onion rings definitely saved the dish, especially the onion ring!

AGLIO FETTUCCINE IDR 69K
Classic spicy garlic and extra virgin olive oil sauce tossed with fettuccine pasta. Served with toasted side bread.
Half IDR 49K
Add chicken IDR 29K
Add shrimp IDR 69K

Just your everyday aglio olio, as they say; classic! You can order half if this is too much for you but I doubt it! The portion really doesn't seem that big to me. Add some chicken or shrimp to boost the level but it's okay just as it is too!

NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE IDR 69K
Our homemade New York Style Cheesecake served with your choice of strawberry, chocolate, or caramel sauce.

Love this! Love it so much! Beautiful cheesecake that actually melts in your mouth with a perfect sweetness level and you can also choose from the 3 sauces! I personally think cheesecake goes perfectly with tangy sauces like blueberries and strawberries, hence why I chose it but the color of the strawberry sauce kinda looks like chili, don't you think so too?

The foods here are actually pretty good but I just don't feel like coming back, maybe it's cause of the interior? Cause I admit, the colorfulness is kind of a turn off. If you don't have any problem with the colors, I'd bet you'll really enjoy it here!

Applebee's Indonesia
Mal Plaza Senayan
5th Floor Unit CP-519
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
Senayan, Jakarta Selatan 10270
021-57906054

Opening Hours :
Sunday - Thursday : 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Friday - Saturday & Holiday : 11:30 am - 01:00 am

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AW KITCHEN by AKIRA WATANABE

It was a quiet Sunday morning and I longed for an elegant lunch with a touch of class. So here we go, AW Kitchen, a pasta house by Akira Watanabe that is located at Plaza Senayan! This place is a replacement tenant to Avorio, a trattoria I also used to love coming to. Let's hope this change is for the better!

By the way, I've come to this place two times already: with friends and by food blogger invitation. Thanks to AW Kitchen's generosity, now I have the opportunity to give you guys a thorough review!

You can see that the interior is somewhat intriguing: not so classic, but also not too upscale: it's just the right mix of a modern western bistro with a touch of Japanese accent. Truly a remarkable, yet simple concept.



See, these ornaments of lights are one of the things that accentuates its Japanese origin, despite the western influence seems to have more say in this place.

The 2nd time I visited this place with my fellow food bloggers, we were taken to sit inside the VIP room! Apologies since I so clumsily, I don't know how, didn't take any picture of the room.

You can see from the seating that they're not providing a grandeur sofas or other overwhelmingly luxury furniture: just keeping it simple, neat, and humble. Down to earth yet comfortable.

Here's the open kitchen! Truly outstanding by the time I see the pizza oven! I also love how it goes well with the tableware and walls! Old school!

Do you get what I'm talking about the walls? They're so ambitious about this despite the simple furniture they're using!

HOT CHOCOLATE

Now getting on into the tasting: thick hot chocolate to accompany some pasta! It's a good glass of chocolate despite me expecting a proper, thick Italian chocolate. However! this one is also good, not in an extraordinary way, but in the way that you'd like.

HONEY TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

Now this is one hell of an appetizer! Might look as simple as another bruschetta visually, but let me tell you: this one tops the others in so many levels! The freshest tomatoes that are sweet, perfectly textured bruschetta, and fresh honey! They also use some kind of nuts here which type I'm not really familiar with. How are they eaten in one bite? Class. I'm at a loss of words!

FRIED FISH BALL WITH SHRIMP AND SCALLOP IDR 85K

This might look confusing to you as it looks just like ornaments with something red and stuffs..But this one's another mind blowing dish that will make your tongue dance. Luxurious! You'll get the fresh taste of seafood inside the crunchy batter with a splash of sour sauce: I don't know what it's made of, but it's like a classic sweet and sour with a strong citrus taste instead of tomato. Elegant and beautifully harmonic.

BLACK ANGUS BEEF TATAKI WITH SOY TRUFFLE SAUCE IDR 108K
Now let's talk about luxury: this plate says it all! It's a japanese style salad, as they use black angus beef tataki as the main actor, supported by savory and aromatic soy truffle sauce. Oriental, fresh, authentic! They recommended two ways of eating it: whether you want to eat them separately, or to mix the softly minced black angus tataki and blend it to the greens. I chose the latter! I'm so interested in mixing ingredients because I believe that a different kind of harmony and new taste could be born in mixing different ingredients into making a new one. How this works on this menu, you say? I'd say splendid!

TUNA SALAD WITH JAPANESE RADISH SAUCE IDR 65K

This is somewhat unique for a salad! When I first heard about radish sauce, I imagined something weird tasting, but this one is perfect. It tasted so good despite me being at a loss of words of how to describe its actual taste in my palate. However, you can just see how it is visually: lightly baked tuna on fresh greens smeared with a touch of uniqueness and originality. Respect.

LINGUINE MUSHROOM CARBONARA IDR 82K

Into the main! Note that this is a "pasta house" so we ordered most of its specialty: pasta! This one is a classic, just linguine in carbonara sauce, grated parmesan cheese, herbs, and mushrooms. However! Don't let the plain presentation fool you as it was cooked so perfectly in every way that it's flawless!

SPAGHETTINI IN GARLIC OIL WITH SPICY COD ROE & JAPANESE MUSHROOMS IDR 138K

My personal favorite is here! This totally caught my eye as we wouldn't see this kind of pasta in an Italian trattoria! This one is a Japanese: garlic oil with spicy cod roe. Stir all the toppings into one and you'd taste the great harmony of Japan: fresh nori and mushrooms wed with the spiciness of savory, luxurious cod roe.

SPAGHETTINI PESCATORE IDR 148K

This is yet another classic that excels! Seafood spaghetti in spicy&sour base sauce: The perfect kind of sauce that unleashes the best taste and aroma of clams, prawns, and squid. Don't have much to say as you can only swim at the sea of goodness and try not to be drowned. It's more into savory rather than freshly sour, as some tomato based pasta offers. I personally prefer this one though! Set sail!

RISOTTO IN IKASUMI SAUCE (ARROW SQUID INK) IDR 88K

Now this is also one of my favorite: as a big, big enthusiast of risotto, I'm really strict with this one, and this one deliberately gets past any ill judgement of mine! Delicious on so many levels in the goodness of "Ika" heaven. Note that ikasumi means squid ink, so it's like they're having every bit of element they have in squid: savory sauce and chewy squid meat in greatly cooked arborio rice, blended with the richness of fgrated parmesan cheese. One of the best I've ever tasted. Majestic!

BLACK ANGUS SIRLOIN BEEF IDR 198K

They say happiness is simple. As simple as diced sirloin steak from a black angus grade beef: cooked in medium, saikoro style. A huff of disappointment has to come after the high expectation I placed though. It has 3 choice of sauces: porcini, wasabi, and ginger sauce. I'm not a good fan of wasabi, but all of them tasted good. It was just that the meat was slightly hard to chew and not as tender as my expectation.

PANNA COTTA & BERRY SAUCE IDR 58K

Perfection. That's what I've been thinking about this place. Japan is famous not only for its pasta; but also for their passion in dessert making. This panna cotta might look simple to the eye, but you can't comprehend how well made it actually is just by seeing it. fresh berries reinforced with actual berry sauce in the tender, sweet, and uniquely textured, rich in milk panna cotta that would melt inside your mouth... *gulp*

CHOCOLATE PROFITEROLE IDR 68K

Profiterole! That's puff pastry with vanilla custard inside: crunchy on the outside, but once you've got a bite, it's a waterfall of flavor! Sweet vanilla, slightly bitter chocolate, and sour orange and strawberry that would totally cleanse your palate to a heavenly end of a meal! If you've tried the traditional "kue soes" of Indonesia, you might not be impressed so much with this one though, as they share a similar taste. But I love the plating!

BANANA & STRAWBERRY TIRAMISU IDR 68K

Lastly, there's this unique tiramisu that gives off three combination of flavor: tiramisu, banana, and strawberry. There are two shapes of them within these photos: I've got to make a late confession... I went here two times! Once with my friends and another as an invited guest (Honored! Thank you so much to the generous AW Kitchen representatives!) But I'm still impressed with the taste! This one is a tricky one though: I think the banana and strawberry kinda overwhelms the taste of the tiramisu itself as they emit such a fruity taste.

How about it? I don't think I even need to mention! If I had something to comment, maybe it's just that their main course is soooo good that their desserts (which is also good) still needs to catch up to their main course's extraordinary quality! Hold your saliva as we're at the end of the journey! Just come to this place and fulfill your satiation, okay? See you there!

AW Kitchen by Akira Watanabe Pasta House

Plaza Senayan 4th. fl

Jl. Asia Afrika No.9

Jakarta Selatan 10270

021-57906071

Opening Hours : 10am - 10pm

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