Staying Until Sundown at Mio Caro Coffee and Sandwiches

Since it’s weekend (hurray!), we drove a little further away from Jakarta. Venturing to Gading Serpong area, we found a beaming café called Mio Caro Coffee and Sandwiches. Arriving just after lunch, the bright afternoon sun lit up the seating area. It invited us to sit down, open our laptop and start blogging.

The smoking area, cozy and has plenty of sun

The non-smoking area

Located on the lobby of One PM Building in Gading Serpong, the parking is relatively easy. But it wasn’t the case when we left after sundown because we encountered a couple incoming cars searching for parking. The smoking area by the window is comfortable. We’re seated in the corner and weren’t really disturbed by smoke because the window can be opened. Then we turned to the cashier to order.

As we’re here on a mission, Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge, we ordered what’s on the Dilmah menu right away. The food arrived in no time. 

The first one to arrive is the Summer Tea Salad. A blend of vegetables and fruit salad gives a taste of fresh summer feeling through the strawberry and orange mixed with greens, peanuts and cheese. The tea comes in the dark-colored dressing, tasting sweet and sour to complement the summer palate. Salad (from Rp27,5k for organic or Rp39,5k for meal size) is a huge thing for this café which put forward their commitment to serve healthy food. So we’re glad they include salad in their challenges.

Summer Tea Salad

Feels like a perfect summer afternoon

Then the first pair arrives, Minty Peach Tea & Crostini. The little toast (as it literally means in Italian) is similar to bruschetta which are often found in pizza restaurants. Mio Caro Crostini Platter put chicken in the spotlight, from sweet teriyaki-like to the spicy ones that are topped with red chili cuts. A great dish to share. The different flavors are easily washed by the ice tea, so have no worries about aftertaste that could carry on to the next course. As sandwiches can be complex on their own, you wouldn’t want to order something as complicated up front. So this is a good and healthy start. 

Minty Peach Tea & Crostini

We go straight to desserts which are the flavorful Almond Tea and Brownies. Soft brownies with a cheese layer cut into triangles are served alongside Dilmah’s Italian Almond Tea. They both carry the nutty flavors. The brownies are just right they don’t make you feel overwhelmed with dough.

 Almond Tea and Brownies

The place is determined to provide the best sandwiches and coffee for those who came to exchange their stories. Fast but still tasty. Mio Caro’s concept is healthy, so expect a lot of fruits and veggies on your plate. We’ve yet to taste their sandwiches (from Rp32,5k) and paninis (from Rp25k) because the Dilmah menu is quite filling, but we ordered coffee and linger a little longer there. Sit down and smell the coffee. Grab a cheesecake too. It's thick but it tastes good.

This is how Mio Caro looks after dark

Real High Tea Challenge mission accomplished. Now we simply hope this place is reachable from Jakarta at lunchtime. But it’s a wishful thinking.

Where is this?
Mio Caro Coffee and Sandwiches
Gedung onePM Lt. Dasar
Jl. Raya Boulevard Gading Serpong Kav M5/ 17-18
TEL: 021 29171620
http://miocaro.id/