Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

If you're a Jakarta kid like me, you'll notice the growing ramen industry in the city. Like, really, ramen shops are popping up everywhere with their own Japanese chefs. I personally don't mind since I love ramen, and so here I am trying out one of the newly-opened ramen shops, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka!

Went here on Friday afternoon with my family, decided to eat here because we're feeling adventurous :D It's located in Plaza Indonesia Extension mall, near my favorite book-and-gifts store, Aksara. The place was crowded at that time, we had to queue to get a table. Most of the customers were Japanese business dudes, so that's reassuring. If the Japanese like it then the place must be good.

For the Appetizer, mom ordered Pork Gyoza. It tastes awesome. The bottom of the gyoza is nicely "burned" giving it a crispy texture, and the filling got some nice savory flavors. One portion only contains 5 pieces of gyoza, so each one of my family only got to eat a piece of gyoza, which is just not satisfying enough. I want to eat, like, one more portion of it lol

My main course that day was this Shio Ramen, with pork. It consists of slices of pork, fish cake, pumpkin, and leeks. The broth's flavor is rather light-flavored, the ramen itself is greasy. The combined flavor of the ramen and broth is kinda like chinese noodles somehow. The pork is awesome, it's not hard to chew and the balance between the fat and the meat is nice. Bad thing was... I ordered the small bowl, so I only got a slice of pork. Good thing my mom donated her slice of pork to me. Ha.

For you who likes spicy Ramen, you might want to try the Kara-Miso Spicy Ramen my mom ordered. The broth is a bit thick and it has a flavor that is kinda like kimchi. I could imagine how nice it could be eating this dish in a cold, rainy night. Yum. Oh, and my mom also ordered an egg as the topping, I actually forgot what the name is, but it's delicious! It's not an ordinary egg, it's seasoned so that the yolk tastes saltier and have that shoyu taste to it. It's a really nice addition to any ramen :9

In conclusion, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a nice ramen shop that could delight ramen lovers. Just be ready to pay a bit more, because the price ain't cheap. The place is nice also, if you sit on the outer part of the restaurant, you can take better pictures since it's brighter #photographygeek :P
I looked up on google, and it turns out that this ramen shop is a world famous one! You better try this, then. Anyway, Happy December, readers! :D

Address:
Plaza Indonesia Extension Level 5 #E11
Jl. MH Thamrin, Kav 28 - 30

Price:
+/- Rp 90.000 / person

Rate:
9.1/10

Seroeni

Another post after a while, been busy with university stuff, but I'm glad I can finally work on a post for my blog again :) Found this place at Plaza Senayan, 3rd floor. I actually have been there twice, I didn't order anything at my first visit due to full stomach, but I did notice the quite cozy atmosphere of the place. My mom is the one who introduces me to Seroeni, a Penang Cuisine restaurant.

Okay now for the Appetizer, what caught my eye was the Oyster Omelette because I happen to love oysters (high five if you love 'em too).

Oyster Omelette - 28k

The inside texture is nice and fluffy, the outer layer is a liiiittle bit crispier, and it tastes kinda like Martabak skin. The sauce complements the omelette really well, it gives a fresh, sweet and sour sensation and also a little bit spicy, the taste reminded me a bit of Thai Chili Sauce. Inside the Omelette are leeks, onion, bits of chili, and of course, the oyster. This is a nice appetizer for me, the balance of flavors are nice, one thing I would say to the chef: "Put in more oysters there!"
Now moving on to the main course, I ordered Beef Fried Kway-Teow.

Beef Fried Kway-Teow - 35k

The Kwayteow is a bit standard for me. It's okay texture-wise and at least the individual kwayteows are not bland. The beef slices have more flavor to 'em, still not so strong though. It's a light-flavored dish, no strong flavors anywhere here.

Speaking of the atmosphere, I think it's quite homey and warm with all those wooden ornaments. I somehow have a thing with wooden interiors, they really warm up the place. This place could be a pretty nice lunch-meeting place. Overall, Seroeni is a nice warm restaurant which serves Penang Style dishes, the prices are fair and the quality ain't bad, I'd come back for the Oyster Omelette honestly :9

Address:
Plaza Senayan Level 3 Unit 338B
Jl.Asia Afrika no. 8, Senayan, South Jakarta

Price:
Rp 50.000 - Rp 85.000 / person

Rate:
8 / 10

Bar/Coffee

Friday is my most tiring campus day, from 07.30AM 'till 07.20PM with a 4-hour break in the middle. What do I usually do to fill in the 4 hour break? Do assignments, attend meetings, and just last Friday, I tried out this new place at Senayan City called BAR/COFFEE. The place is barely visible, to be honest, it is on one of the corners of Lower Ground floor, and probably because of that, the place is still very not crowded. I came there with Bikki at around 11.30AM and we're the only customers there.

The place is not so full of light, but it's a pretty nice hangout spot, for reading books and doing assignments (and gossiping if you and your fellas are the only customers). I like the decorations, some doodle-ish illustrations on the wall, quotes, and a book cabinet with big artsy books. What I get is that the concept of the place is Jazzy New York-ish coffee bar with lots of wood material to keep it "warm". The background music is all jazzy and swing-y. "This place wakes up my inner hipster.." Bikki said, then her design assignment got more hipster, lol :D

When the waitress asked me what I want to order, it took me quite a while to decide what to order, why? Because I sort of expecting an Irish Coffee on the menu, turned out they don't have it, so I went on and ordered an Iced Hazelnut Latte. Bikki ordered something that sounds more interesting, Iced Salted Coffee.

The Iced Hazelnut Latte tastes mild and light. The Hazelnut flavor doesn't really come out, but well, I quite enjoy it. Bikki's Salted Coffee sure tastes interesting. Turns out they salted the whipped cream, and when I tried it apart from the coffee, it tastes like....butter. The coffee itself is pretty nice, not the most aromatic coffee ever, but it's okay. Combine the coffee and the whipped cream and the taste is just....unique.

We also ordered the Peanut Butter cake out of curiosity. The cake is not photogenic at all, I know. For the taste, well, if you're a big fan of old-fashioned cake, you'll love this one. It's a sponge cake coated with cream and chocolate sprinkles. The texture is nicely soft. Too bad the peanut butter flavor doesn't really come out, the most dominant flavor is the old-fashioned-sweet cream flavor. I'm preeetty sure my mom would love it. Anyway, the plate pattern looks like chinese swirls doesn't it? Doesn't really match the rest of the decorations, inner designer speaking :P Oh and in case any of you is wondering who Bikki is, her real name is Carissa Vicky, she's a campus fellow. I call her Bikki for...fun *grin*

My conclusion of this place, it's a nice place to hangout, the price is fine, the products are okay, I guess I'll come here again some time to do assignments during my 4 hour break time :)

Address:

Lower Ground Floor, Senayan City

Jl. Asia Afrika Lot 19, Jakarta Selatan

Price:

Rp30.000-Rp65.000/person

Rate:

7,7/10

The GOODS Diner

My first Jakarta restaurant review! Been wanting to review this place for a while since this is one of the current top hangout spots in Jakarta. This GOODS Diner franchise is a branch from the GOODS Dept. store, also a well-known store for today's hipster generation :9 This place is located at a building formerly known as "Bengkel", very near to Pacific Place Mall.

I like the ambient of this place, like a classic diner and LOTS of light, making it easier to take bright pictures :D So, first off I ordered an appetizer which is Squid with caper, french fries, and mayo.

The fries are nice, got the right amount of crisp and saltiness. I also enjoy the Squid, it is quite tender, not sandal-like, and nicely seasoned. The use of caper also compliments the fresh lemony taste from the extra lemon there. And lastly the mayo, well, to me, mayo can (almost) never go wrong, specially with squids, fries....and lots of other things lol :P Anyway, I came here with my campus pals, Bikki and Gabby. Trying out a new restaurant with a couple of friends is better than doing it alone since I could try more food (and split up the bill) *grin* My friend, Gabby, ordered the restaurant's signature Coffee Rubbed Burger.

This burger comes with fries and veggies (as the picture above shows). The coffee enhances the meat flavor which makes this a must try for meat lovers ( like me! yes, I'm more to carnivore :P ). The bread is a bit thicker than most burgers, the texture is okay though. This burger may be a bit pricey, but I guess it's pretty worth it. Next meal, me and Bikki's choice, the Nacho Burger!

Those who likes Nachos will surely enjoy this one. Jalapenos, melted cheese, salsa, and nacho chips are in this burger. Too bad there are no baked beans, but I think it still tastes great :D For the drink, me and Bikki ordered Bailey's Milkshake which is also this place's signature creation.

I honestly think that this milkshake is one of the best I ever had. The thickness is right and it's not over-sweet. Last but not least, we ordered a slice of Red Velvet Cake for dessert.

I know the Red Velvet cake is a bit too mainstream right now among Jakartans, but we're curious to try this restaurant's version of it, and it was really nice. Bikki even thought that this is her favorite Red Velvet cake! The moisture of the cake is just right, quite condensed and the taste is not over-sweet. The cheese cream complements the cake nicely. I would love to have another round of this cake when I need a mood booster :9 Overall, I would say this is a quite expensive place, but it's worth the visit. The ambience is really suitable for hanging and chatting around, plus the foods and drinks are quite tasty :)

Address:
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53
Fairgrounds, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan
Price:
Rp 90.000 - Rp 180.000 / person
Rate:
8,8/10

Max Brenner

Chocolate lovers, be ready to fly to seventh chocolate heaven every time you come to this place, 'cause yes, this is the best chocolate cafe I've been to so far. Mom is again, the one who introduced this place to me. Yeah, we both do love to eat :9

Max Brenner sells everything chocolate, from liquified chocolates to hard and baked ones. The interior is warm and very chocolate. It has a cozy atmosphere for people to enjoy chocolate delicacies. I like how they incorporate cocoa sack decorations and some jars containing cocoa beans, they give the place a classic feel. Now moving on the what we actually ordered, my mom ordered the Dark Hot Chocolate, while I ordered the Fudge Brownie.

The Fudge Brownie consists of not only a brownie, but also Vanilla Ice cream, pure cocoa syrup, strawberries, and a mini glass of ice cocoa with milk foam on top. The mini glass of ice cocoa looks so tiny and cute, matches Bingo (my little toy there) well <3

The brownie is really fudgey and thick, the moisture is perfect to me, such a real deal brownie. The Vanilla ice cream balances it well too, it adds a lighter taste and slight aroma to it. The pure cocoa syrup also has the right thickness and bitterness to it. This is also another thing I love about Max Brenner's chocolates which I also found in their Hot Chocolate, their chocolate is not the type that's super sweet, they got the right amount of sweetness that could make people keep eating it without getting sick of the sweetness ( which is actually not so good for dietarians, but hey, it's chocolate, so what the heck right? :P )

I am very much a happy person eating the fudge brownie, leaving the place very very VERY full of it. The price is reasonable enough and not as expensive as hotels. A follow up post on Max Brenner's other products is on the way! :D


Address:
8 Raffles Avenue, #01-06/08 Esplanade Mall, Singapore
Price:
$6-$16 per pax
Rate:
9/10

Loola's by Awfully Chocolate

Sometimes you just happen to find nice restaurants by accident. That is how I found this nice place at Singapore's Esplanade Mall. My mom actually went there to go to this awesome chocolate cafe called Max Brenner, well, we got there eventually but not just yet because it was still closed when we got there, soooo we walked around the mall and found Loola's by Awfully Chocolate. The place is so bright, cool and nice with a lot of white elements. Their dishes are western style and many of them are not like what you can find on lots of other western restaurants.

Loola's Salad & Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup

My mom orders two dishes for her, Loola's Salad and Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup. I tried the salad and my favorite part is the crispy bacon and baked honey pecans. The greens are rocket leafs , and well, honestly I'm not a big fan of them, but hey, eat 'em together with the bacon and pecans, and I'm happily helping my mom finish the salad. The Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup tastes delicious. The creaminess is right and the bacon adds a nice taste to the tomato soup. By the way, we ordered Acqua Panna for our drink and I just love the graphics on the bottle, had to compliment it #offtopic :P

Souffle Omelette

The highlight of this lunch would be SOUFFLE OMELETTE. Write that in capital 'cause it is that good! They described it as the fluffiest omelette in the world and they're not kidding, it is the best omelette I've ever eaten in my life so far.

The texture of the omelette is quite crunchy on the top and super soft on the inside. I can tell that the outer crust is made of some cheese. The mushrooms have the most vivid taste, it really balances the omelette, tomatoes and toast well. Put all of those elements in your mouth and BAM a beautiful explosion of flavor. Overall this dish is a really well-balanced dish that leaves my taste buds super happy. Definitely must-try! :D
Since this restaurant is by Awfully Chocolate, I'm curious in trying the dessert but my tummy was already so full at that time and mom still wanted to go eat dessert somewhere else, so yeah, didn't try any of 'em :( But when I'm around at Singapore next time, I'll come back to this place, try the desserts and write it here :)

Address:
Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay
8 Raffles Avenue #02-14 Singapore 039802
Price:
$23-$36
Rate:
9/10

Ah Mei Cafe

The next morning in Singapore, me and mom wanted to just have a quick breakfast. There's this place my mom loves called Ah Mei Cafe in Paragon Mall just across the hotel we're staying at. We went there at around 9am and that place was already pretty crowded. Since the tables are not so many, we ended up having to share table with a stranger which is actually quite normal there, strangers sitting with strangers (reminds me of some awkward wedding parties, where you just feel like eating as fast as you can and change spot lol).

The specialities here are the toasts (peanut butter, kaya, etc.) and the milk tea. Mom ordered a toast pack with some Kaya toasts and milk tea. These things are what she loves to get here and man, they're good. The Kaya toasts are crispy and you can taste the butter melts with kaya perfectly in your mouth. I loooove butter <3 The milk tea is delicious and it somehow works kinda like coffee; kept me up and wiped away all sleepiness. The other thing my mom get was a portion of half-boiled eggs with 2 eggs per portion. We ate one each. The eggs are......gooey, but while some people may find gooey eggs disgusting, I find them delicious :D Something happened though, while I was chatting with my mom, the cleaning service auntie took my egg bowl away so quickly that I have to drink the egg right from the shell. Once I drank that egg up, I found out that Singaporeans usually pour the eggs ito a bowl, pour some soy sauce, sprinkle some pepper, stir 'em a bit, then eat them. I tried that the next day, grabbing on to my egg bowl so the auntie won't take it again, and it was delicious (y)

Address:

Orchard Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, #B1-37/38

Price:

$6-$15

Rate:

8/10

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

One fine day in Singapore, a teenager and a mom walks into a Japanese Tonkatsu restaurant near the Mandarin Orchard Hotel, the name is Tonkatsu by Ma Maison. We went there immediately from the airport because mom said that this place had awesome pork dishes and I soon found out why. The place is not so big and is cramped with hungry people happily munching and chatting. I'm loving the air already. We ordered the recommended Black Pig Tonkatsu set. When it came out, yes it is amazing.

Mom, happily posing with the tonkatsu set

The set consists of the tonkatsu, radish, a mount of cabbage salad, miso soup (if you're lucky you'll get some pork bits there too!), and rice. My mom ate it with multi-grain rice, while I ate it with the usual long-grain rice. The tonkatsu is awesome, the meat is flavorful, lean, and the crispiness is just right. It is wrapped in golden brown bread crumbs. We took time to just chew and enjoy every bite of it. There are two condiments for the porkies, the spicy tonkatsu sauce and the non-spicy tonkatsu sauce. The spicy one is not to be afraid of really, just a hint of spiciness in it. The sauce is sweet which compliments the tonkatsu nicely. This restaurant is also serving radish to accompany the tonkatsu, they also promote how good radish is for the body, "A Radish a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!". Another thing I love is the cabbage salad with the sesame sauce. The sesame sauce is so flavorful that I end up eating the whole salad though I'm not usually a big veggie fan. They provide the sauce in a bottle at every table for the "all-you-can-pour" sensation, yay!

Black Pig Tonkatsu Set

In the end, we leave that place full and happy. The price might be quite expensive but the food was worth every money paid. A comeback will surely be planned when we visit Singapore next time, while hoping this place will open in Jakarta :9

Address:
333A Orchard Road, #02-35/36 Mandarin Gallery, Singapore
Price:
$21-$40
Rate:
9/10

The Very First Hello

Well hello there, whoever is reading this greeting! I...really don't know what to say for a first greeting post. I go by the web name of Sherchle and I started this blog out of the love of eating out and photographing them foods (but, no, people, I'm no instagram user). Okay, honestly, this blog is created partly as an excuse to make culinary trips feel more "productive", you know what I mean ;P Thanks to my dear culinary buddy, Bikki, for the idea!

I love culinaring around, taking pictures, and so here I am writing this blog. Enjoy! :)