SOFIA THE GUNAWARMAN JAKARTA

Anyone been here before? Not me! I'm a first timer and this is because of an invitation as well. Reason might be because from upfront it look super luxurious and expensive but once you get inside, it's actually pretty casual. It's just a classic elegant design, let's check it out!

LUC BAR & GRILL

Hey there! Now I know LUC bar here is not actually new but I think the place is too cool to miss out on! So here it is, LUC Bar & Grill, located Wolter Monginsidi, pretty easy to find as the place is really elegant from the outside, so no worries!

The place really looks like a bar with it's low lighting and rack full of bottles! There's also a huge bar on the side. My favorite part would be the cool looking lamps and how there's a huge window to the kitchen in the back!

There's a few half-separated areas here for those who're looking for a more private spot, though it's only separated by the racks of bottles. Hey, at least it's separated..lol!

Tables are mostly a single one with just a few long tables and the whole place is a smoking room. You can clearly see that from how each table has an ashtray, right?

Is it just me or does this area gives off an underground bar feeling? Maybe it's the brick wall, love it though!

BLUE HEAVEN
Vanilla ice cream, yoghurt, grape, blueberry, strawberry.

This is the marketer's personal favorite because it's not too sweet with just a pinch of tang! Very refreshing indeed, perfect for the hot days of Jakarta! Though I don't really get the name, it's called blue heaven when it's clearly purple!

HONEY PEACH
Vanilla ice cream, yoghurt, peach, pineapple, lychee, honey.

We personally prefer this one instead because it's sweeter! Yes, we love sweets! Just reading the description gives you an idea that this will be sweet. The only tangy flavor only comes from the yogurt and pineapple! Plus, there's honey in it..definitely a winner!

Look at those chucks of peach!

CANNELLONI BOLOGNESE
Latina sheet, bolognese beef, bechamel, tomato sauce, parmesan, mozzarella cheese.

Not a big fan of tomato based pasta but this was tolerable, so it's good! Tasted a lot like lasagna made into cannelloni, I'd suggest trying this if you're interested in bolognese! Remember to eat it while it's warm, since nobody likes cold pasta!

RISOTTO SAUSAGE
Risotto rice, green peas, sweet corn, parsley, sausage, parmesan, black pepper.

Don't get frustrated at me but I'm also not a big fan of risotto.. I guess it's because the first time I had risotto, it tasted so bland that I felt like eating baby food! Which is why even if I had a well seasoned ones like this, my mind just focused on how it's not seasoned enough! Well at least it's fine if I eat it with the sausage and there's a lot of cheese to make the taste stronger!

SPAGHETTI ESCARGOT CON RUCOLA
Escargot, rocket green, white wine, olive oil, garlic, chili.

Now here's something interesting! I rarely had escargots, so I'm really looking forward to this! Since I rarely had this, I don't really know what good escargots should taste like but this one did smell a bit. Maybe it's just how it's supposed to be? Well, the spaghetti and garlic definitely helped in disguising the smell!

PAN SEARED DORY
Dory fish, capers, cherry tomato, asparagus, butter garlic.

Plating was good and the taste was definitely rich! Though the dory was not as soft as how dory is supposed to be, so that's a downer! Other than that it's all good though, which is too bad, cause it was really delicious, could've been perfect!

MACKEREL WITH BALINESE SAMBAL
Mackerel fish, sambal matah, saute spinach.

I totally prefer this over the dory, even though this was seriously spicy! Well, that's exactly how Bali's sambal matah is supposed to be like, so they did a good job! Love how Indonesian this dish is!

PANNACOTA

Vanilla cream pudding.

Perfect texture of a pannacota! Not many restaurant can create a perfect pannacota texture! Usually they just either made it into a pudding or mousse, even though pannacota is supposed to be in the middle of both's textures! Two thumbs up for that!

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Chocolate, black and white sesame.

Don't really get why they have to smother it with sesame seeds but I guess it's for the looks! The mousse was good but I'd prefer it without the sesame seeds, yet without it, this dessert would be really simple.. :(

CHOCOLATE MELT
A little disappointed that the chocolate didn't melt like what we expected..but since it still tasted good, I guess we're not that mad! Still, they should fix it soon, since what is a chocolate melt if it doesn't melt!

Overall was okay, I guess..I mean, it's not superb or something but it's definitely not bad. Though since this industry has so many strong competitors, I think just being ordinary is not enough! I hope they'll step up their game and wishing them the best of luck!

LUC Bar & Grill

Jl. Wolter Monginsidi No.33
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
021-7206366/7206370

Opening Hours :
Sunday - Thursday : 10:30 am - 12:00 am
Friday - Saturday : 10:30 am - 01:00 am

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TYPOLOGY JAKARTA

I'm really excited to tell you about this cool place at Panglima Polim area! Even if they really lack parking space for there's only space for 1 car in front of the restaurant..but don't worry, they provide a basement parking lot as well!! Not a big fan of basement parking but I'll do anything for this amazing place! How they arrange the lights and cables are SUPER creative! 

The room is sooo neat and clean that just gives you a fresh feel!

Regretted that I didn't come here earlier, I bet the place would look better with sunlight coming through those giant glass windows!

Mini bars? Of course they've got one!

Notice the room inside the glass door? That's a long table for a large group of people to have a room all to themselves! I'm so gonna plan a reunion or something here!

Don't you just think that the place looks sooo comfy?

BENG-BENG SMOOTHIES IDR 35K
You've heard of a BengBeng cake, now there's BengBeng smoothies! It's amazing how innovative people nowadays are, to think that this childhood snack can make its comeback. Just feels really nostalgic, too bad the smoothies kinda lacked the bengbeng taste, but it still tasted good and it was saved with the bengbeng on top!

TIMES NEW CAESAR SALAD IDR 33K
Fresh crisp romaine lettuce topped with grilled chicken, egg, homemade croutons, parmesan cheese and tossed with caesar dressing.

For me who's not a big salad fan, this was oke-ish, since there was a lot of chicken, eggs, cheese and croutons and finished off with a beautiful dressing! Fyi, the name is actually taken from an actual typology and if you look at the menu, it really is written with a Times New Roman font! Cool, huh?

Close-up view on this healthy and yummy appetizer!

FLAGSHIP RAINBOW RICE IDR 45K

Four colors of rice made of green chili, squid ink, turmeric, tomatoes, served with chicken satay, fried egg and vegetables.

If you think this was just a normal, typical fried rice, you're deeply mistaken!! There're 4 different fried rice, each with it's own delicious flavor! For 4 types of fried rice, you only need to spend IDR 45K!! You CAN'T miss this one, you just can't!

Even the egg was perfectly done! You just have to try it!

The chicken skewer was okay but with the others so perfect, you'll let this one of!

For a sweet finishing, I choose another bengbeng dish

BARIO FRIED BENGBENG IDR 29K

Fried BengBeng powdered with chocolate powder.

This was an actual BengBeng wrapped in flour. Sounds simple but you won't be able to stop munching on it! The flour didn't destroy the BengBeng taste at all, in fact it kinda complimented it! You can call this a successful innovation!

The highlight of this place is their Asian main course, they also have a few western courses like pastas, but there's nothing special with the western, so I totally recommend their Asians! So happy to find an amazing place with decent foods! I will totally come back here again to just chill or something!

Fyi, they used to open from 4 pm on their soft opening days but the good news is, they now open from 10 am!

Typology

Jl. Wijaya 1 No. 5C

Kebayoran Baru

Jakarta Selatan 12170

021-99110021

Opening Hours :

Sunday - Thursday : 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

Friday - Saturday : 10:00 am - 00:00 am

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BERANDA KITCHEN, COFFEE & TERRACE LOUNGE

Woohoo! In celebration of my blogging partner, June, we are having a heartwarming dinner with best friends! This little hideout is called the Beranda Kitchen, Coffee, & Terrace Lounge. A good place to drink and dine. Located at Kebayoran Baru, near Gandaria City, it wasn't that hard to find as it is just beside the Sushi Miyabi.

Upon entering the room, we are fortunate enough to get a newly opened room: the lower ground level! It's too bad we can't get a peek to the upper level, since it was fully booked for an event. Look at the bright side, this room was almost entirely ours to use! (Well, we did came at like 10 pm or so).

I'm personally impressed with the homey atmosphere of this place: simply rustic furniture with warm and cozy-feeling ornaments. Well matched with the broken white brick walls, this interior concept of having a rustic western house is a success.

By the way, this amazingly beautiful painting is made by the talented Talitha Maranila. These days, you can almost always find this kind of mural painting in every restaurants and cafes. I personally think it's a good thing, who can say no to gorgeous arts?

SALMON GRILLED LEMON SAUCE IDR 105K
As for the first tasting of the night: pan grilled salmon! oh my...I was completely mesmerized by the perfectly cooked salmon! So smooth in texture, I felt like the salmon was melting inside my mouth. The shortcoming was that the salmon skin wasn't crispy enough. Great side-dish though, still a B-rank dish to my opinion, since I still say that salmon is better when it's raw.

IKAN SALE BALADO IDR 50K
This is my first time trying Sale fish: it tasted so weird at first, since I've never recognized the taste. However, upon taking another bite, it actually has a pretty interesting taste, to a positive remark!

The fish is fried to a crispy black (maybe burnt) texture and we were even able to bite anything, including the bones. The taste itself is spicy, since its Indonesian, and very crunchy. Served with white rice, you're gonna love it if you're a big fan of savory-spicy flavors.

GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH IDR 50K
This sandwich certainly didn't let me down at all! I was expecting a more plain taste somehow, but the actual taste tells a different story: Soft white toast that envelopes crispy bacon and grilled chicken, and not to forget the simple mayonnaise sauce, which is able to combine all of them to one unity. Again, the french fries are one of the best I've ever tried!

OZZ STEAK BITES IDR 65K

I must say that the steak was really good,despite the lack of quantity, but I chose this menu because it's all in one plate (somewhat like a tester though we have to pay for it :p). Even the french fries were perfect! I don't actually know about what they used as seasonings, but at least I could assure you that this dish is magnificent!

KAKAP MERAH SAMBAL MATAH IDR 105K
This here is my personal favorite! Winning in marks by far, this grilled red snapper goes so perfectly with sambal matah and butter rice. As I don't really eat spicy Indonesian food as well, I recommend you to try this one since it's not that spicy! Savory and fragrant at the same time, it represents a perfect dinner menu. Sambal matah is a Balinese special by the way, made out of shallots, chili and pan-fried with salad oil.

ORANGE SQUASH IDR 30K

Well, we weren't too concerned with the drinks, as they only serve simple beverage menu. This orange juice was good though: sweet enough to be drunk by anyone who goes for a simple "up to you" drinks and very refreshing.

PEACH TEA IDR 22,5K

Kinda pricey for just tea with peach in it, but still acceptable. At least there's actual fresh and sweet peaches in it and not just peach essence.

KUE CUBIT ICE CREAM IDR 30K

Onto the desserts! What we ordered was a simple Kue Cubit: this time supported by a scoop of vanilla ice cream! ..and you know how it's best cooked: half-baked!

A traditional dessert menu from Indonesian heritage, this one tastes simply sweet and good; However, I don't personally think that this could go in par with the traditional Kue Cubit. Actually, I kinda know that the Kue Cubit here won't be as satisfying as the ones you bought on the streets from an actual traditional Kue Cubit maker, but the server recommended this so we decided to give it a try..

Beranda is mostly used for parties or meetings, so if you have anything planned, we recommend this place since the interior of this place is really beautiful and homey. We sort of came here to celebrate too, kinda, though it's not a big celebration, it's still a celebration nevertheless.. Lol!

Beranda Kitchen, Coffee & Terrace Lounge

Jl. Ahmad Dahlan No. 21

Kebayoran Baru

Jakarta Selatan

021-7221216

Opening Hours :

Everyday : 12:00 pm - 12:00 am

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