Pastry and Coffee Story at Authentique

Our business took us to Kemang today. So, our lunch option should be around the usually-crowded-at-night area. Kemang at lunch apparently isn’t bad at all. One turn right next to Papillon, on the road that leads to Hero Kemang, brought us to Authentique. We've seen it online and had been planning for days… determining to stop if we can find the place.

Turns out there was no parking – but you can park at Hero Kemang and hike up a little bit.

The small shop has roughly 12 seats indoor and 6 others on the patio. The decoration will remind you with those little patisseries found on the street of Paris. It feels homey at the same time. When we arrive around lunch time, it wasn't that crowded.
Ruth: Fiona is doing her “healthy food week”, so no lunch except what’s on her box.
Fiona: But I can still order black coffee or tea.
Both of us ended up ordering Long Black (Rp25k) for drinks. They served water with the coffee. 

So there’s only one menu for lunch today: croque-monsieur, a French grilled ham and cheese sandwich, which comes with salad (Rp50k). Served in perfect portion, but guys probably need a second serving. The cheese is a little strong, but the crispy bread balances it well in the end. The sandwich arrives fast and goes in seconds too.

Ruth doesn’t eat vegetables, so she thinks it’s unfair to judge the greens that were sprinkled with egg white.
Fiona: You don’t eat salad…
Ruth: I don’t like vegetables.
Fiona: What kind of cheese is that on your salad?
Ruth: (tasting the salad anyway) it’s not cheese, it’s egg white.

Pastries are the highlight, spoiling the eyes with assortments of Croissant, Danish, Canale, Madeline, cakes, Macaroon, Meringue, Brownies and Moelleux (Molten Chocolate Cake). French Vanilla Custard Doughnut placed on the counter top managed to grab a spot on our takeaway bag alongside with other pastries.
Almond Croissant and Danish Chocolate are both crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Danish chocolate comes with a perfect crunchy layers and nice chocolate filling, but almond isn't there for the croissant. Chocolate Cake is too sweet for our taste but would be a perfect pair with black coffee. You will know it's made with the finest ingredients when you taste it.

For bread lovers, they have homemade bread (multigrain, whole wheat, walnut & raisin, sourdough and baguette (Rp25k – 60k). But make sure to come early for the bread. 

But the best part is the napkin, which comes in the size of medical pill and expanded when you drop in the water. The homey feeling makes us want to return, eat some more and probably dunk some more compressed napkin. It was fun!

Authentique
(021) 718 00 11
Monday – Friday 9AM – 5PM
Saturday 7.30AM – 5PM
Sunday 8AM – 5PM