Shangri-La's Rosso: A Brunch Worth Every Penny

We think Rosso’s Brunch worth every penny (or cents?). Here are the reasons why.

• A-la-Carte Menu is included in the price. Seriously, it’s like you get the best of both worlds. You can pick and choose the orders, play it on repeat and it will always come to you. Personally, we think it’s like having the fun of buffet and the convenience of regular order-to-table dine. 
• Serious goodness is listed on the menu. And it’s only fair if we list them here for you. Our favorite is Filetto Di Manzo. Foie Gras and perfect medium beef tenderloin are still unbeatable.

• Uova Alla Franco: Black bun with Poached Eggs and Salmon Tar Tar served with Truffle Hollandaise Sauce.
• Uova Strapazzate: Ciabatta Bread with Scrambled Eggs, Pecorino Cheese, Rocket served with Black Truffle Paste and Red Pesto
• Uova Al Prosciutto: Toasted Soft Bun with Fried Egg, Parma Ham and sauteed Parmesan Spinach
• Spaghetti Polpa di Granchio E Acciughe: Spaghetti with Crabmeat and Anchovies served with Fennel Sauce and Spicy Bread Crumbs
• Filetto Di Manzo: Beef Tenderloin and Foie Gras served with Sauteed Parmesan Spinach and Gorgonzola Sauce
• Agnolotti Di Bufala E Pesto: Homemade Agnolotti filled with Buffalo Mozzarella served with Basil Pesto Sauce
• Filetto Di Cernia: Grouper Fish Fillet in Mediterranean Tomato Sauce served with sauteed Mixed Vegetable

• That serious goodness arrived on the right portion for share. So after Filetto Di Manzo.try Uova Alla Franco which has wonderful poached egg and Uova Al Prosciutto with its delicious Parma Ham.

 A-La-Cart Menu from top left: 

Uova Alla Franco, Uova Strapazzate, Uova Al Prosciutto, 

Spaghetti Polpa di Granchio E Acciughe,  Agnolotti Di Bufala E Pesto,

 Filetto Di Cernia and Filetto Di Manzo

Street Food Delight by Chef Marinka at Aryaduta Hotel Jakarta

Living in Jakarta means a never ending array of delicious culinary. It’s not always the luxurious romantic kind of food, but may be your comfort food, served with an international upgrade. Skipping lunch at the office, Ruth attended an event held by Aryaduta Hotel Tugu Tani, Jakarta.

The hotel, which I passed on my way to and from work everyday, is special. It’s been a frequent reunion place with old friends and coworkers, mainly due to its location. So, walking across the lobby then up to Ambiente where the event was held gives a special memory.

Aryaduta is revamping. This month, Celebrity Chef Rinrin Marinka joined on board the kitchen team to develop new menu for the restaurant. Taking Batavian street food and twist them with Marinka style. The star of the day is Nasi Goreng Kambing (Lamb Fried Rice). “Back in college, when I crave for Indonesian food, I always cook this dish. The challenge is how to make the dish interesting and pretty without losing its authenticity.” She then proceeds to do a live cooking show with Rob Cunningham, Group Director Food & Beverage from Aryaduta Hotels Indonesia. 

Out of Jakarta, Weekend at Resinda Hotel Karawang

When Jakarta is packed, you started to look beyond the borders. So did us. That’s why this post is another story about a driving out of the City Center. This time Fiona visited Karawang, a suburb 2 hours away from Jakarta. It was a bright and beautiful day.

Welcome to Karawang.

Deciding where to stay in places like Karawang also means finding accommodation with delicious restaurant on board. Sure, suburb these days aren’t that quiet residential places. Especially Karawang regency,a growing area under West Java province. So I picked Resinda Hotel Karawang, which is managed under Padma hotels.

Upon arrivals, after welcomed by the friendly staffs and drinks, we go straight to brunch at Tekai Japanese Restaurant. It’s an all you can eat sushi buffet, located at a cool minimalistic Japanese interior. This buffet serves sushi rolls but they don’t have sashimi. Too bad. Setting that aside, I moved on to beef minced karaage, fish karaage and curry. They quickly become my favorite. What’s surprising is that they have udon or cold soba. I love it so much! Come to Tenkai on Saturday lunch (from 11.30AM to 2PM) for their Sushi Mayhem promotions. It’s only Rp. 150k++/pax.

Holiday Inn Cikarang Short Getaway

Fiona has the opportunity to cross the suburb border. To a place called Cikarang, around 55km away from Jakarta city center. Roughly a two-hour drive on normal traffic. What’s on Cikarang? Apparently a comfortable Holiday Inn Hotel. Who’s up for a short escape?

Special thanks for Yenny for Fiona’s Cikarang adventure.

The hotel isn’t that far from Cikarang toll exit. I wasn’t paying attention because I was busy with make up haha. But I know it’s not far because we’re turning into the hotel right away. And the lobby took me by surprised. Wait, this isn’t Holiday Inn? The wall behind reception desk is wooden and as I looked around, symmetrical sofas, block pillars and wooden stairs are simply amazing. It was still Christmas mood when I arrived, so they have this Christmas tree from recycled bottle that caught my attention right away. Brilliant. Then the welcome drink arrived, a lemon mix beverage, and the staycation officially starts.

Love and Prosperity at Gran Mahakam

Happy Lunar New Year!

A prosperous New Year should begin with delicious foods. So we put our trust to Gran Mahakam for the special day. Needless to say, the buffet is beyond satisfying.

Here’s what we have for our New Year’s meal:

Appetizer & Soup.
Prawn Mango Pomelo Salad served with Crispy Wonton Skin. A delicious hint of sour appeared in the center of this mix. Fresh prawn (it’s a standard) and fun texture from the crispy wonton. Second appetizer is needed so we called in for Scallop Green Dumpling. A delicious skin is wrapping generous filling. You can forget those tasteless dumpling skins as this one is created with the same thought and love. This is our favorite and will get you back for more.Next is Asparagus Crab Meat Soup. Finding greens in the mug is a pleasant surprise. Crab meat is great too.

Jia: An Epicurean Journey to Contemporary China

The classic New-Year-New-You phrase resonates to Jia, Shangri-La Jakarta’s latest signature Chinese restaurant, which was opened in place of Shang Palace. This is Fiona’s adventure to discover the delicacy of contemporary China.

Ni Hao. This is Fiona.

I've been to Shang Palace couple of time. When Jia takes over the premise, I feel the difference, but in a good way. It’s still a Chinese restaurant, with a young, vibrant and modern feeling. I personally love the interior, which I think has taken the right path to present China. Tokyo-based firm Bond was in charge of the interior, creating an update from its former dining place with shades of cobalt and a range of earth colors. The dining area can sit up to 122 guests and the private dining rooms can host 20 guests each. 

It’s hard to stop taking pictures because the place is so photogenic. The big tables are everywhere and sofas for 4 people or less. There’s a small transparent glass room for those who want to see the Peking Duck roasting. Yummy, I can imagine the smell of Peking Duck being opened by the chef.

Guan Yin Tea Cold Brew is waiting for me at the end of my journey around the restaurant. Served in a transparent bottle, it gives another hint of modernity. It’s really refreshing and I always love Chinese tea. I’m glad to find a cold brew that I can enjoy in a hot mid-day. The menu book is a magazine. You’d be surprise.

Christmas is Here at Gran Mahakam Hotel

Christmas comes early this year as we start seeing decorations being put up and delicious dishes being placed on the menu. And when Christmas is your favorite holiday of the year, an invitation to Gran Mahakam Intimate Christmas Luncheon is something that you wouldn’t want to miss.

Happy Holidays from Fiona.

Held at Gran Mahakam Hotel private room, I was welcomed by the decoration of Christmas ball tree as its centerpieces. There’s a photogenic corner, with overall theme of white, silver and gold. It’s a White Christmas feeling. Elegant decorations using white paper flowers and Christmas balls as well as charming chandelier of silver and gold Christmas balls tree.

Middle Eastern Delight at Al Nafoura Le Meridien Jakarta

Al Nafoura, a beautiful dining place with Middle Eastern ambiance at Le Meridien Jakarta is interesting. The Mediterranean gate and interior joined the dim lighting and warm welcome. 

Hello, this is Fiona. I'm joining my friend Yenny (yennymakanmulu.com) and Arditya Chandra Putra (Marketing Communication Manager) of Le Meridien at Al Nafoura. 

Terracotta brown flooring and stone walls contrast the cushions and rugs. Then my attention turn to the table. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in general doesn't differ much from those we're familiar with growing up. The secret, Chef Ahmad Jamil said, is using right balance of natural spices and ingredients. While spices like Saffron and Zaatar are still imported from Middle Eastern countries, other ingredients including eggplant, chickpeas and parsley are of local produce.

Tranquility and Seminyak Dream at Clio Apartment

Fiona found Clio Apartment during her quest to find a pre-wedding spot. A recommendation from the photographer, this place is minimalist and raw but with a homey feel to it. Based only on the browsing result, 2 nights are booked. 

This is Fiona's vacation in Bali.  

Staying away from the regular hotels in busy Bali, I was glad to find this place to stay in a discreet alley in Seminyak based on a recommendation. I hop on the internet and started investigating just to find I like this place more and more with each picture. Then comes the first challenge: deciding which room to stay in? The place has 15 rooms which varies from sky lofts, regular lofts, studios and deluxe rooms. The place isn't so hard to find because it's close to Bali Deli, but the alley is rather narrow for cars to drive in. It’s roughly 25-minute drive from the airport and guests can call I for shuttle services if needed.

My first live encounter with Clio Apartment (I’ve browsed too many pictures of this cozy-looking place that I felt like I’ve known the place already) is the large doors. Right next to the large doors are simple reception desk and 2 seats. But there's a rack full of movies which attracts my eyes right away. I made a promise that I would watch them if I have time. Then I walked to my room and passed by a large well-managed garden in the center. A perfect spot for daydreaming or BBQ. I think other than the lofts and sky lofts, the rest of the rooms are on the garden floor. Follow the stepping stones to the end and walked upstairs and you'll find Loft 1. That's where I'm staying for two nights.  

 It's like Cinderella entering the prince's castle for the first time. When I opened the door to glance what’s inside the 90m2 loft, I was welcomed by a ginormous living room with large windows on the right and a big comfortable-looking sofa. The cute wooden-cut table and LCD 42" screen on the left. There's a large dining table in the middle with Haman Kardon speaker on top. Perfect for music. The kitchen is well-equipped with microwave, sink, cutlery and other dining essential tools. Well, I forgot that this place is an apartment, so of course they have everything. After passing through the sliding doors, I found bedroom and bathroom with a partition separating the two areas.  Bathroom is equipped with a large mirror, rectangular bathtub and shower. Bedroom has a comfortable bed, with makeup station and dvd player making it even dreamy. The whole loft comes up to 90m2. This is even better than what’s pictured on the web. It’s simple, spotless, and spacious. The interior definitely suits my style. So I can safely say this is the hippest apartment in Seminyak. 

The partition between bedroom and bathroom

There’s no swimming pool in this boutique enclave, which is actually a good thing because it would be against the idea of quiet and relaxing holiday stay. Clio is big on tranquility and being hassle-free, which is proven on the nights I was staying. It wasn’t as cold as I expected to be, probably because the AC isn’t too strong for room that size. But the bathroom is nice and the water doesn’t spray out beyond the partition. Taking a relaxing bath is highly recommended. This place is Zen.

But what’s a stay without going through what to eat? Breakfast is about filling in the menu and choose the delivery time and voila it arrives right when you want it. I don’t have to wake up early to fight a nice spot at the restaurant and happy to have my morning meal in private. This is heaven for those prefer staying in. 

Just out of curiosity, I ventured around the area. Apparently, the road leads to several restaurants I would love to try while in the area, Bo & Ban and the famous Eatwell. Minimarket is also close by. If you feel like going a little further away, just ask the receptionist for a taxi. 

But I don't feel the need to leave my tranquility.

Clio Studio + Loft Apartments | Seminyak 
Jl. Raya Seminyak Gg. Mangga No. 7 
Seminyak Kuta, Bali – 80361 
Tel : +62881 755 0075 
Email : info@cliobali.com 
Web : www.cliobali.com