Galettes and Crepes at Kitchenette

Hello Lovebirds! It’s Valentine’s Day and we can’t wait to spread the love. We’re spending out Valentine’s Day at Kitchenette Restaurant & Crêperie with the ultimate pair of Galettes and Crepes.

Please join our date.

But before we go any further, let’s take a 5-minutes crash course on the food. Just in case your date asks for recommendation. Galette, flat round or free form crusty cakes made with buckwheat flour, is more on the savory side. The ones arrived on our table bears the name of (arguably) handsome European guys: Antoine, Nicholas and Sebastien.

8 Must-Try Yogurt Creations at Yoforia

After the froyo euphoria had subsided, yogurt seems to be just another regular menu for the urban population. Dessert, snacks and treats for children as well as sweet-tooth adults. Then Yoforia created the twist with its tagline “when yogurt meets coffee,” using yogurt as the basic ingredients for food and beverages. Curious? 

Well, expect a long line over the weekend at Paris van Java. You’ll never miss it because the yogurt store has a large sign and located right in front. The yellow and blue exterior will grab your attention. Then the white minimalist interior gives the “I’m in mood for yoghurt” feel. On one of the wall, there’s an unfinished sketch of Bandung city from a mural artist Tufheil. Unfinished because it’s done partially every Saturday. So if you’re a regular visitor at this place, you’d notice the changes. Come on Saturday sometimes before March to see how the sketching process goes. Saturday is also special because young chef Martin Natadipraja is here to serve you his yogurt creation. 

Roger Mooking and Flavors From Around The World

Roger Mooking served delicious dishes combined with easygoing personality on a special dinner with Asian Food Channel at Bluegrass Bar & Grill last month. The Man Fire Food host cooked his special creations to special guests from Indovision and bloggers.

We didn’t know what to expect when the invitation reached us a while back. Being a fan of Asian Food Channel, we’re definitely curious about this one chef. Our little research pointed out that Roger Mooking is a Canadian chef as well as recording artists and book author. He’s the host of Man Fire Food and co-creator of Everyday Exotic, both are food TV shows aired in North America.

The list of dishes, expected to be served in the next hours got us excited. It’s a personalized 5-course meal with vegetarian option. Then we get glimpses of the chef as he made final preparation for the night’s event. He was vibrant, lively and seemed to be excited about everything. Then he finally stepped out into the spotlight.

 

He admits he enjoyed encountering new ingredients. “Duck egg, for example, is something familiar in Asia, but in the U.S., we have to look around for it.” But cooking often placed people together in one plate. He pointed out the pillow bread (we assumed he’s talking about kue bantal) that is also a common dish on a different side of the world under another name. “I love how everyone in different parts of the world are doing the same thing.”

So here are what’s on our menu that night:

First Course: Steamed Duck Egg with King Oyster Mushroom, Sesame Oil and Razor Herbs
Hold the crackers, spoon the soup (which is actually the steamed duck eggs) over the mushroom and crackers before you let them all inside your mouth. The first bite, with all the flavors coming together on your taste buds are incredible. But overall, we would love to have more bread to finish the duck eggs. The eggs are too simple and lack of textures when they are eaten alone. The first course really set the base of what we expect from Roger’s around the world experiments.

Steamed Duck Egg with King Oyster Mushroom, Sesame Oil and Razor Herbs

Second Course: Green Coconut Curry, White Fish and Moo’s Chutney
Soup is a surprise because it comes as fish curry. Served by pouring off the kettle, this “soup” has strong spicy flavor that amazingly doesn’t kill the fish and noodle flavor. Easily washed down with water, its Asian taste makes the second course a real complementary for the first one.

Green Coconut Curry, White Fish and Moo’s Chutney

Third Course: 5 Spiced Floats Salad of Micro Greens, Pickled Carrots, Ginger and Braised Lambs
When the menu said salad, we expected a bowl full of greens with colorful garnishes on top. Instead, a sandwich sitting comfortably on a bed of greens is served on our table. So this is where the pillow bread is used. Stuffed with greens, carrots, lambs and a hint of ginger, everybite is heavenly. “These are things I never cooked before,” he admitted. Somehow he has succeeded in infusing an Asian flavor on every dish.

5 Spiced Floats Salad of Micro Greens,
Pickled Carrots, Ginger and Braised Lambs

Fourth Course (Main): Beef Tenderloin with Blackbean Shrimp and Broccoli Dust
It’s just natural that we expect a lot from this Man Fire Food host. Grilling and meat are supposed to be his specialty. And this one is specially prepared too because he showcased the process in front of us. “Surf and turf Chinese Style,” he described the dish as he combined the meat and seafood in one plate. Chinese fermented black beans are used along with sweet soy sauce. Another surprise because even in Indonesia, we didn’t encounter much of sweet soy sauce being used in Western style steak. 

Broccoli dust is a compelling concept. Peel the skin off, dust and break up the larger pieces with hands into crumbs and dice the stems. “You’ll notice that when you cook vegetables, there’s a change from pale green to bright green. That’s when you get the maximum color, maximum flavor and maximum vitamins,” he shared. This seemingly simple main course is apparently rich in flavor. But Roger insisted that “simple is always the best.” If simple is like this, then we couldn’t agree more.

Fifth Course: Mango Lassi Ice Cream, Honey Rosewater, Pistachio and Indian Puffed Rice
Whoa Lassi! Yes, we both love lassi. So when the soft-textured dessert arrived covered half in pistachio and half in puffed rice (which is familiar to us as Jipang the puffed rice cakes), we were overjoyed. A sweet and sour ending to the feast. We’re glad Roger decided to go with something light to close the dinner with.

Mango Lassi Ice Cream, Honey Rosewater, Pistachio and Indian Puffed Rice

Roger takes everything into perfection. From the first to the last course, we saw him pushing every details and hands on to fix things. Watching him preparing each dish in the kitchen is indeed another pleasure. He was throwing instructions to the Bluegrass team, making sure that everything from plating to garnishing goes on smoothly. Roger seems to always go with texture and color with his dishes, adding his cheerful personality as he stopped by each table to greet the guests and gather feedback.

We can safely say that it was a 5-course dinner well done.

Noizu Toku Toku Unique Ice Cream Mix

You usually meet your ice cream already pre-made, lining up in different flavors ready to be mixed with toppings and served. But Noizu Toku Toku is making them fresh to order in front of you. Wanna try?

Our delightful lunch journey brought us to West Jakarta, at an ice cream corner called Noizu Toku Toku at Mal Puri Indah. Located right outside the West lobby, facing the extension, this handmade dessert is offering a wide range of flavors and toppings. Practically endless creation. So, where do you start? Monica from Noizu Toku Toku suggests one of the popular creations: Karameru Koranchi (Rp42k). Caramel ice cream mixed with dark chocolate and crunchy granola toppings. We agreed right away. And this is where it gets interesting.

Instead of scooping the ice cream from a tin, the ice cream maker poured a thick milk-shake like liquid on the ice pan (up to -10 or -20 Celcius). He then started stirring and chopping the slowly crystalized ice cream until it turns creamy. Setting that aside, he started again with the melted chocolate mixture. 

        

Final result: Karameru Koranchi 

"You get more texture with this kind of process instead of the usual pre-made ice cream," Monica explained. An Asian concept (wiki said this ice grill technique is commonly found in Thailand), Noizu Toku Toku adapt it into local invention with house made recipes.

We're about to pick the second bowl to share and were torn between Kraffelicious and Cafe Brownie. But Monica mentioned that younger customers love to innovate their own ice cream. So, we ended up taking the challenge. Plain is more to vanilla. Avocado is unique. What we have in mind is a sweet and bright concept called "Candyland," so we ordered another caramel ice cream (Rp33k) and added marshmallow jellies (Rp4k), marshmallow teddy bear (Rp4k), fruit loops (Rp4k), M&M Choco (Rp5k) and Popping Candy (Rp5k). Surprise!

Welcome to Candyland

But once these ice cream are on your hands, eat them quick because the change of temperature will melt them quicker than the regular ice cream.

As you have probably guessed, the name "Noizu Toku Toku" comes from the noise heard when the spatula chopped the ice cream and bumping into the ice pan, as well as the bumping noise when the ice cream is thrown down to the ice pan. It takes a couple minutes to have them ready, but we enjoy every second as we watch the mixture solidify into the dessert we know. 

If you're creating your own, use this "cooking" time to pick your toppings which is varied from cheese cheddar, almond flakes and Loackers to fruits and jelly. If you're a cereal fan, Koko Krunch and Fruit Loops are there to accompany your "breakfast". Extra sauces (chocolate, strawberry, caramel and salted caramel - each Rp3k) are recommended for those wanting extra kick. Waffle cups and cones (Rp5k) are nice to have because after all, the ice cream we're familiar with is served on edible cones.

It's like being involved in a science project with a sweet edible ending.

Where is this?
Noizu Toku Toku
Puri Indah Mall, Lantai Ground, 

Jl. Puri Indah Raya, Puri Indah, Jakarta

Typology's Font and Food

Passing through the Wijaya area, we always noticed the glass building that looks like so much fun from the outside. It sparks our curiosity. So when the place, Typology, sent us an invitation to stop by, we didn't want to miss the chance.

Turned out Typology is a working space/eatery in one roof. When we arrived, we saw mothers with their children in one corner and people with laptop on the other end. The interior is fun and homey, with word plays on the wall as well as alphabets peeking out from the decorations. Its books and large shelves, plus the large table by the glass window remind Ruth of her college library.

Typology opened in June 2014 and soon become popular spot on weekdays as well as weekends. A little different from other cafe-like spots, this place doesn’t put coffee as its main attraction. Instead, full-course meals and sweet blended drinks are what they suggested on the menu. Well, lunchtime is here and we have that two hour time-limit from the office, so let’s get started on the food.

Look! The food has font as their names!

The first dish arrived on our table is Marlett Creamy Macaroni (Rp38k). In the typeface world, Marlett is the foundation of the maximize/minimize icon, you can see on the top right side of your windows. In Typology world, Marlett is a baked macaroni dish served with smoked beef, sausages, mushroom, creamy sauces and melted cheese. It's the kind that you can't stop eating once you gave it a try. 

Then the second dish arrived. Hobo Oxtan Rice (Rp68k), an ox-tongue cooked in Teriyaki sauce and served with steamed rice. This dish is as unique as its font name, which is best known for its singularity of having no straight lines and descender. Deliciously soft ox-tongue with teriyaki sauce that isn't too dominant comes in the right portion for lunch. This dish is a must-try.

For dessert (they called it Sweet Course), Medio Fried Oreo (Rp32k) is selected. Fried Oreo served with powdered chocolate powder. It's a surprise in every bite, although we wished there's an optional ice cream to add on. We also spotted Bario Fried Beng Beng (Rp32k) on the list and determined to give that a try next time around. Or maybe it's Helvetica "O" Pannacotta (Rp28k) just because this blog uses Helvetica font.

Both of us aren't sweet tooth, so we're more than happy to find the drinks (although they're blended) don't get overload with sugary aftertaste. Perfect for kids too! Choco Cocoa Smoothie (Rp38k) comes with Oreo on top and soon becomes Fiona's favorite. Peach Berry Smoothies (Rp38k) looks sweet and perfect for those who prefer fruity ending.

Parking is relatively easy during lunch hour, plus they have extra space in the basement if needed. Typology is also open for gatherings, small meetings (they have separated meeting room) and presentation (they have projectors and screen on the main area). It has word games too, so coming here with your children is a possibility.

While the concept of working space is quickly becoming the trend these days, we have to say that Typology does have a concept and they are sticking to it. Selecting the dishes is like choosing what typefaces should be used for a document. All done in a homey environment (especially comfortable when it rains). Whether you prefer Serif or Sans Serif, Arial or Times New Roman, once you've been here, you’re gonna spread the word.

Where is this?
Jl Wijaya I No. 5C, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan
(021) 29126149

Earth Hour Dinner by Candlelight

Once a year, we participated in Earth Hour. Turning off unnecessary light and unplugged electronics we don't use. Let’s add a spark to the celebration! 

After making sure you turn off all unnecessary light, craft a more memorable Earth Hour by planning a candlelight dinner at one of these restaurants we consider romantic. And don't forget to abandon your gadget while enjoying dinner.

Gia
Sampoerna Strategic Square, LG Level, Jl Jend. Sudirman, Jakarta. 

(021) 57953300
Dim and romantic, Gia is a place for sit down, and have a sweet conversation over wine. They have all he wine you can imagine compiled in its own menu book. Its pasta and main course selection are interesting too. Branzino (for two) can be your dinner highlight. However, if you aim for a real filling dinner, add something else to your order because the Branzino comes in smaller portion than expected. Gnocchi is great. It's definitely a place for special occasion.

Negev 

City Plaza Building, Ground Fl., Jl. Jend Gatot Subroto no 42, Jakarta. 

(021) 52971333
A couple appreciating art would love to dine at Negev. Tasting the delicious meal crafted by the award-winning Chef Ivan Tarrago while being surrounded by art pieces, from paintings to sculptures. Order the meat: Black Angus Beef Tenderloin or Char-grilled US Rib Eye, otherwise go for the lighter option US Sea Bass. Just like a show, the dinner has a Finale dessert which is created right on your table by the chef. It's like dining at an art gallery.

Amber Chocolate Bar

Jl. Senopati Raya no. 61, Jakarta Selatan. 

(021) 29044412
If you climb up to the top, Amber will present you with the skyline of Jakarta's SCBD area. At night, it can be more beautiful with the light, and would be more romantic at Earth Hour if you can see the participating building turn off their light. But rooftop are only for meals, so we selected Skin Duck Breast and leg Confit from the main menu or sandwiches like Amber Club and Croque Madames. Then when the lights are all up, go down for dessert. 

Two Story Cafe
Jl. Pajajaran Indah 5 No. 7,Bogor Timur, Bogor, Jawa Barat. 

(021) 8374497

Yes, Bogor, just in case you're wondering. Just because Earth Hour happens to be on Saturday, why don't you make it a whole date and spend the dinner at this romantic Cafe by Pajajaran Street. Plus, compared to most restaurants in Jakarta, Two Story is really nice to our budget. If you're willing to go a little further away, here's Two Story for you. Don't hesitate to order meat. Tenderloin and Sirloin are tasty. End the night with dessert and make sure you walk around the place before you leave. Tell your story.

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Some people may say that an hour of turning off the light means nothing to the climate (and yes, some statistic in some countries did prove that), but as the official Earth Hour web once claim, it's not about the hour, it's about the responsibility that goes beyond the hour. Besides, no lights and electricity means we got to spend more time with our loved ones without being distracted by the technology.

Tell us where you had your romantic, no-gadget dinner and we would love to give them a try. Happy Earth Hour from Lunch Getaway.