ALTO RESTAURANT FOUR SEASONS JAKARTA

Welcome to this gorgeous hotel! I'm not kidding, I was literally in awe upon entering the place! It's not a super grand and luxurious hotel but more of a luxurious house. I guess that's they're concept, an expensive looking home sweet home, even the staffs are all super friendly unlike other hotel, where you need to be posh, polite and distant!

C's STEAK & SEAFOOD RESTAURANT GRAND HYATT

Good evening from Grand Hyatt Jakarta! C's restaurant from Grand Hyatt has earned themselves a new chef called Chef Hugo Bertolini and we got to experience his cooking! He's here to introduce us his creations, which is C's restaurant's new menu and also some Christmas dishes! What a wonderful sign that Christmas is near! :)

SHANGHAI STROM - ALILA JAKARTA

In the midst of our busy schedule, I think Chinese food is great for our break time! For Chinese food, today we chose this place called Shanghai Storm by Alila Jakarta, well the name can't be more obvious, right? :p Shanghai Storm is an open kitchen and also a Chinese-styled modern bistro!

Stepping into the restaurant, I bet that even if you don't know the name or that it's Chinese, you could still guessed it! The whole room screams Chinese, from the evident red color, to the table setting!

Here's the open kitchen by the way and they have the usual tables or if you came with a large group, there's the VIP room at the back. The VIP rooms aren't decorated with Chinese decoration but don't be confused, it's still part of Shanghai Storm!

We were welcomed by Marketing Manager, Evi Rumondang and F&B manager, Trisna Djunaedi! Let's not forget the one who's in charge of all the dishes we had, Chef De Cuisine, Suratiman and the person below Executive Chef Alex Ensor!

REMEDY LEMONGRASS
Just by looking at it, you'll know that it's a healthy drink! It's not only healthy but refreshing, I guess that's why it's called a remedy! What I could taste in this is lime, lemongrass, and some greens that I can't really guess!

SPRING ROLL

For a Chinese starters, what's better than spring rolls? I love spring rolls, especially for snacks! These were really crispy and flavorful, the filling was also generous. Yum is all I could say!

DEEP FRIED CHICKEN
Crispy chicken, cashew nut, leek, salt and pepper.

Not a big fan of cashews but the fried chicken was okay. It could use a bit more flavor but other than that, it's all good. The crispiness was perfect and who can deny deep fried foods?

SCALLOP WITH ASPARAGUS
Stir-fried scallop and asparagus in XO sauce.

Amazingly fresh scallop and asparagus covered in a perfect for seafood spicy sauce! At least, it's what it's supposed to be but I think the XO sauce was lacking in the spicy division. They said it's so that it's more universal, yet it's a bit off mark from XO sauce but cause they're a hotel, I guess it's understandable that they need to please the majority!

BRAISED BEAN CURD WITH MINCED BEEF
Bean curd cooked with minced beef Szechuan style.

Again, Szechuan is also a spicy styled but this is lacking on that side! Instead of spicy, it's leaning more to the salty with a hint of sweet, resulting a really comfort food and it goes very well with rice! The bean curd really soft and it had a generous amount of beef!

DEEP FRIED KING PRAWN
Crispy prawn, egg yolk, curry leaf and red chili.

Not my favorite, since most of the food here has light flavors, this one is no different. The usual ones with lots of flavor already lacked any flavors, having light flavor for this one made it a bit tasteless but it does have a hint of saltiness. That's only coming from someone who likes strong flavors though!

PAN FRIED BEEF RIB EYE
Beef rib eye, baby beans served with home made sesame sauce.

This is my only favorite out of all, since the flavor came from the meat itself and I really think that they marinated this very well. Love how tender the meat was and the baby beans as well! This one disappeared in seconds! Lol!

Yeah! My favorite course, DESSERTS!

FRIED DURIAN ICE CREAM
When I first heard about this, I thought that it was an actual fried ice cream, turns out it's just fried durian WITH ice cream..lol! I was expecting that they used actual durian but I think that what they used is just a durian paste and I think the fried dough was a bit too thick. It needs more generous amount of durian!

FRIED MANGO ICE CREAM
Same thing as the fried durian goes for this one as well. The only difference is that this uses mango paste and there's this slight bitter aftertaste but I don't know where it came from! Hope that they'd think of using actual mango or durian for these, cause they could be great!

I'm really sorry for the late updates and it seems that we've abandoned this blog last week but it's a really hectic semester with a lot of projects and thesis and such. I'm really praying that I could update more often next month, since next month will be the day I need to submit my final thesis and I haven't even reached half of it! :'( Wish us luck everyone! Thanks for all your supports! :D

Shanghai Storm

Alila Hotels and Resorts

Jl. Pecenongan kav 7-17

Jakarta Pusat 10120

021-2316008

Opening Hours :

Lunch : 11:00 am - 03:00 pm
Dinner : 05:00 pm - 11:00 pm

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM

SCUSA ITALIAN RESTAURANT - Intercontinental Hotel

Hey there! Mid-test week has arrived and I'm getting a lot more on my hands now, which is why I haven't been able to update much. Still, I deeply apologize, cause there's no room for excuses, right? Well, let's just get straight away to topic cause I really need to get back to studying but I just really want to share about this place! Here's Scusa by Intercontinental Jakarta and this is a dinner event, an exclusive chef table set menu by Chef Gianluca Visciglia, the executive chef!

WELCOMING BREAD

For the welcoming, we received these yummy delicacies! A hard roll with cinnamon and a cheese stick and dipping on the side! Both the roll and cheese stick were deliciously made and the dipping was just another boost! We're definitely getting off to a good start!

AMUSE BOUCHE

Just some starter that consisted of cherry tomato, mozzarella, and rucola, sprinkled with none other than balsamic, my favorite salad dressing! You can clearly tell how healthy this is just by seeing it, right?

ANTIPASTO MISTO DI PESCE
Mix seafood appetizers platter.

Yeap, we've just started with appetizer, since amuse bouche is not counted in the course menu. Amuse bouche is just a single small-bite dish to give the guest a glimpse of the Chef's approach to the art of cuisine. So now here's the appetizer, a 4 set platter of seafood. Let's get more to the detailed shot, shall we?

FISH CARPACCIO WITH ROSEMARY

This is probably my least favorite out of the 4, since it was pretty ordinary for me. Didn't really left any amazing impression that I could remember till now!

TUNA TARTARE WITH FENNEL SAUCE
Since the tuna's really fresh, I don't really have any other complaints! I usually find tuna tartare with avocado but there's none on this one, which is really a good thing for me, cause I don't really fancy eating avocado as a savory dish!

OCTOPUS TERRINE WITH CITRUS

Love the chewy texture of octopus! This octopus terrine's the best, though you can really smell the sea while eating it but I think that's the beauty of it! It's not a fishy smell, just a very strong sea aroma, even after I tried combining the citrus!

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ORANGE-MUSTARD SAUCE
I love scallops, so I can't deny any of it! The simple seared scallops smeared with orange mustard sauce was definitely my favorite! Appreciate how the sauce didn't interfere with the taste of the scallop itself!

CAPPUCCINO DI CASTAGNE CON PRALINE DI FOIE GRAS IN CROSTA DI PISTACCHI E CROISSANT TIEPIDO
Chestnuts cappuccino, pistachio crusted foie gras praline and warm croissant.

Long name, huh? It's just the Italian translation though.. Anyways, upon arriving, what really attracted me was the plating! Especially the chestnut cappuccino! For the taste, it's not my cup of tea, literally. I'm not a big fan of chestnuts, so this doesn't really satisfy me, it's a good comfort food though! The foie gras was a big no, since I hate the smell of foie gras. The only thing I could finish was the warm yummy croissant! You should definitely try dipping the croissant to the chestnut cappuccino! Soothing!

SPAGHETTI AL GRANCHIO CON POMODORINI E BASILICO
Spaghetti tossed with crab in fresh tomato cherry sauce and basil.

I bet that they used a pretty generous amount of crab to make this spaghetti cause in 1 bite, you can taste the strong crab flavor! Other than that, it was a pretty plain, yet delicious dish and the cute plating was just another plus!

FILETTO DI VITELLO IN CROSTA DI PORCINI CON PURE DI PATATE E MELE, CAROTE SALTATE ALLA VINIGLIA ED UNA SALSA AL TARTUFO NERO
Porcini mushroom crusted veal tenderloin apple and potato mashed, black truffle sauce and sauteed vanilla carrots.

One word; YUMMY!! Love the strong flavors, the veal was a perfect medium rare, which made it really tender! The porcini mushroom was a new experience for me, seeing as I never tried a porcini mushroom crusted meat before! Deliciously fluffy mashed potato on the side with vanilla carrot that was just lovely! Everything about this dish was perfect!

PANNA COTTA AL CAFFE E AMARETTO CON COMPOSTA DI AMARENE
Espresso panna cotta flavored with amaretto liquor, amarena cherry compote.

As always, desserts never seem to disappoint me! Can't get enough of how perfect the bitter-sweet espresso panna cotta is when combined with the sweet-sour cherry compote! I'd rather have the caramel in a sticky liquid form rather than this candied one though, yet it's still really satisfying!

From the photo, you can probably figure out that the place isn't that huge unlike the usual hotel restaurant. It seems more like a normal restaurant but I'm guessing it's because in Scusa, it's a fine-dining experience and I'm pretty sure you won't want a crowded place to enjoy a fine-dining!

I enjoyed the food and the great experience, it's definitely a 180° change from my last visit to Intercontinental, where I only had a casual lunch at Rasa restaurant and I can say that they really pay attention to their quality, not only with their food but also their service!

Scusa Italian Restaurant

InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza

2nd Floor

Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 10-11

Jakarta 10220

021-2514188

Opening Hours :

Monday - Friday :

Lunch : 11:30 am - 02:30 pm

Dinner : 06:00 pm - 12:00 am

Last Order : 11:00 pm

Saturday :

Dinner : 06:00 pm - 12:00 am

Last order : 11:00 pm

Sunday :

Brunch : 11:30 am - 03:00 pm 

Dinner : 06:00 pm - 12:00 am

Last order : 11:00 pm

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

RASA RESTAURANT - Intercontinental Hotel

Happy Belated Easter, everybody!! Did you do any egg hunting? Did you prepare your bunny costumes? No? Well, you're no fun...just kidding! Anyways, when it comes to a special occasion going to a hotel is a really classic way to spend the holiday, which is why today we're gonna tell you about a hotel that we had lunch at last week. Introducing InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza's Rasa Restaurant in Jendral Sudirman!

The restaurant's relatively small but Rasa is just 1 of InterContinental's many restaurant but just because they're small doesn't mean you can underestimate them!

Don't you just think that the interior really gives off an Indonesian feeling? And yet they could still make it surprisingly elegant, so it's traditional and elegant at the same time!

This is where we decided to sit, since we're just a comfort freak! I'd rather pick this sofa than have to elegantly eat at the other table with chairs! :p

Let's get started now, shall we?

SALAD BAR

Of course you have to start your meal with something healthy! Uh huh! Well, it's not everyday that I eat salads and I really didn't touch these salads, if you're wondering..but still, if you guys eat salads daily, you're awesome! I wish I liked salads more, since there're a lot of choices that you can mix to create your own special veggie goodness here!

Here's a plate that consists of random things thrown in and sadly, it's not mine. You guys might've figured that out already, right?

SOUP OF THE DAY

Next course would (of course) be soup! Since there's 'Soup of the day' written, I'm guessing they change the menu everyday and that day was pumpkin soup and Indonesian's Sroto or better known as, Soto! Didn't really try any of it but when I walk past it, they really do smell good!

NOODLE STATION

You can't forget about noodles, seeing as we're in a country that has a huge love for noodles! They also offer various toppings to add to your noodles, from veggies to meatballs. All of the toppings really looks good, so how will you make you're noodle?

Breaded chicken or you can just call it Chicken Katsu..lol! The chicken is thin enough that it's not that hard to chew and I'm so glad that it's not dry, cause I really don't like my Katsu dry! Tasteless is one thing, but dry is a total 'no!' and this here is neither!

Okay, I honestly don't know what this is called but this prawn is the best! This is my favorite dish out of all the things I had here that I even finished more or less 5 of these! Really recommend you try this one, though I think they'll change the menu every now and then and I just hope you'll get the chance to see this when you decided to visit!

SUSHI BAR
Yeap, they also provide fresh sushi! There's the all time favorite sashimi and both my favorites are present; salmon and tuna! You'll also find sushi rolls and nigiri, which both are also well-made! You can't really do anything wrong with sushi if you have fresh ingredients and the right rice!

SEAFOOD CORNER

Other than sushi, they also have other fresh seafood, like crabs, prawns, and clams. For the prawns, the chef will kindly peel off the skins if you ask them to, which is both a good thing and bad. Good, cause I'll be able to eat lots of it! Bad, cause I'll be able to eat lots of it...I really need to check my cholesterol!

DESSERT HAVEN

Welcome to your daily dose of sugar! The variety of desserts are just the right amount, not overly a lot but still with many choices. Heard that they're best with their cake but I didn't really tried the cake cause for dessert, I decided to go for their crepes instead!

I wonder if that's a real leave..why would they use a real leave? Not complaining about it, just really curious! It does look pretty though!

Here's the crepes I was talking about! You can add various of toppings and fillings. My favorite fillings are NUTELLA (yes, they have it here) and pastry cream (or something cream), favorite toppings would be chocolate sauce and vanilla sauce!

You can also add ice cream to your crepes! Or you can also eat your ice cream in a cup, whatever floats your boat. I'd recommend you try their Stracciatella, which I think is really just vanilla and chocolate chip ice cream but is strangely satisfying!

Alcohol drinks are also available but I'm pretty sure it's not included in the buffet rate. Careful with your alcohol, kay?

If you feel the need to enjoy a breeze of fresh air, then don't hesitate to ask for a table outdoor, just be warned that you won't be able to escape Jakarta's heat but your photos will definitely be all pretty!

Just a little bit of an extra info, you have to dress smart casual here, which means no slippers are allowed! I apologize for not remembering the buffet rate but I think it's IDR 298K++ per person or something like that. Well, the food here are not much but at least they're good quality! Always remember, quality over quantity!

Rasa Restaurant

InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza

2nd Floor

Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 10-11

Jakarta 10220

021-2510888 ext: 6605

Opening Hours :

Breakfast Buffet : 05:30 am - 10:30 am

Lunch Buffet : 11:30 am - 03:00 pm 

Dinner : 06:00 pm - 11:00 pm 

Sunday Brunch : 11:30 am - 03:00 pm

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM