It's Christmas Summer at Outback Steakhouse

It's the end of the year and we have a lot of celebrations in line. In a few days we'll be celebrating Christmas with the whole family, sharing table and warm conversation. Well, special occasion calls for special meal. This is when Outback comes in handy. Among the dynamic eateries in Indonesia, Outback is one of those who had stayed faithfully, serving large portion of our favorite meat and ribs dishes. 

It's not the first visit to Outback, and definitely not going to be the last. We even knew Outback before we knew each other.
R: My first visit was probably back when it was first opened in Pondok Indah. My dad is big on steak and Western food, so we'll go there as family.
F: I forgot when was my first visit. It was a long time ago at the Ratu Plaza branch. But I eat at Outback often, especially after visiting the gym.

Well, we might not remember the details of our first Outback visit, but we do remember our favorite meals, and are more than happy to share them with you. It's Christmas after all!

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.

Meat Brunch Story at C's Grand Hyatt

Sometimes it's desperately hard to find tasty meat on brunch buffet. You'd find many other dishes from different ends of the world, but meat can be as rare as we love them to be. Fortunately, there's C's, where meat eaters (like Fiona) and seafood fan (like Ruth) can enjoy the best of both worlds.

One weekend, Fiona attended a brunch at C's. Here's her tale.

Get ready for a fine-dine all you can eat at C's

I'm familiar with C's already, their quality, their service and their ambiance as I've been here a couple times for dinners and special occasions. (Check out our previous C's review here). Now they're doing this brunch buffet thing and I'm wondering whether it would be the same (especially quality-wise) with their regular serving. C's is still the same dim-but-homey-restaurant I remember. It's quite dark for around lunchtime. I was welcomed by the restaurant's friendly waitress to meet Pak Muara Sipahutar, the hotel's Digital Marketing Manager. He showed me the line up for meat and seafood, waiting for customers to come. The meat and seafood are cut-to-order. I couldn't wait.

So here's what's on my itinerary:

• Tropical Lobsters, King Crab Legs and Oysters. Pick them up right away because I have no doubt that this is fresh. I don't have to worry about allergy (and yes, I was right).

  

• Meat. This is what I was here for so I ate them all. Wood Oven Roasted Canadian beef sirloin, Beef Tenderloin Carved To Order. All meat are served medium, but can be cooked to your preference. Selection of sauces are C's Housemade Steak Sauce, Mushroom, Red Wine, Bernaise, Hollandaise and Remoulade. They have chicken too.

Foie Gras. Freshly cooked in front of you upon order. Served with delicious bread. The first bite, with melted foie gras, makes you want to get second, third and go on. But the list (and the day) is still long. So I'm moving on.... or not, because I'm going back to meat, Rack Of Lamb this time. Honestly speaking, the meat doesn't need any sauce to taste good. But if you don't like your dish to be dry, feel free to add a little sauce on.

 

Finishing off with dessert, C's has an array of interesting selection. My favorite is Spicy Chocolate Cake, presenting you with sweet flavor in the beginning and spicy aftertaste. A combination that prevents me from stopping. Ice cream and Sorbet are great. Despite not being an ice cream person, the homemade sweets they have here convinced me to try. I event went on second round for the sorbet.

Homemade Ice cream at C's vs the refreshing sorbet

I was focusing on meat the whole time, I missed their Asian selection. So I'm determined to return for their Peking Duck and Dim Sum. Peking Duck Pancakes, Chili, Leek, Cucumber side by side with C's Assorted Housemade Dim Sum provides an alternative to those wanting to have something lighter than the meat. C's also has a Wok Fried side for its seafood (from Garoupa to Crab, Prawn and Lobster) and is complimented with Szechuan, Dry Chili, Chili-Crab or Black Pepper sauce. Definitely too many to mention.

Children under 12 are free when dining with adult, so I'm sure they'd be excited with the unlimited ice cream served at C's. Well, I did.

Where is this?

Grand Hyatt Hotel

M. H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Jakarta Pusat
(021) 29921383

Grand Dinner at Grand Cafe

It's Friday night at the end of the month. Our office postponed a grand project so we thought we need a grand break to refresh. We gathered several of our best buddies and laughed the night out at Grand Cafe, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Jakarta.

What's popular on our table?
Sashimi (both salmon and butterfish are lovely) and oyster. The raw seafood seems to receive much love tonight. Then meat is always popular. The tenderloin with BBQ or mushroom sauce goes second. Go for BBQ if you can't decide over which flavor to pour.

Moving aside, cheese and bread attract Ruth right away. Brie and Comte paired with dinner roll instead of crackers. But don't cross over to dessert just yet. Trust us, we're still a long way from the final sweets. Instead, cross to the traditional Indonesian food or order a pasta. Shawarma is served generously too. If you fancy Chinese, Grand Cafe has wide selection ranging from duck and noodles to dim sum. We were slightly distracted by the spices decoration next to the assorted Chinese table, so we took a peek while our noodle got prepared. 

The chef arrived with a complimentary Angus steak for our group. Medium cooked, served with sauce that tasted sweet. The night can't get any better. It was juicy, tender, and cooked to perfection. You'd know they don't compromise the beef quality because it's something you'd fall in love with at the first sight. Fiona even doesn't need to mix the sauce in. 

Finally time for desserts. Hurray! While aiming for the sweet potato kolak, none of us ended up with a bowl of that dessert because we're distracted with the neatly arranged brownies, tiramisu, blackforest, pound cake, cheesecake, Strawberry shortcake and assorted traditional Indonesian cakes. Ice cream makes the perfect end of our filled-with-laughter night. Coffee ice cream rank first (According to Ruth), even though chocolate, jackfruit and pandan are calling out our curiosity.

We parted goodbye with happy tummy and a recollection of the best dinner ever. It was definitely grand.

Where is this?
Grand Cafe
Grand Hyatt Jakarta
Jl. M. H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Plaza Indonesia, Jakarta Pusat 10350
(021) 29921234

Fine Dine Tale of C’s Steak and Seafood

First coming in, there was a crowd and it was packed. But after passing the main dining area, the feel turns dim and romantic. Perfect for special occasion. Before entering the VIP room, we’re welcomed with champagne. It was a perfect start.

Hi, this is Fiona, by the way. I’m here at C’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant with fellow food bloggers. We’re sitting at a glass room with one fountain wall. Wine is served: I picked red wine, which is my preference. If Ruth was here, she’s going to pick the other color. Then I turned to the set menu.

Smoked Trout Roe, Uni, Lemon, Violets

Chef Knechr said the opening speech, a sign that this culinary adventure is about to begin. Soon come the first dish: Smoked Trout Roe, Uni, Lemon, Violets (yes, the flowers), all served in a sardine tin (yes, it is the can) on a ceramic tile. Well, I love Uni. Soft crab paired with buttery Uni and smoked roe that breaks inside your mouth. The Violet is unique. I wish I could find this dish inside a sardine tin so I don’t have to worry about dinner anymore. The chef said that this is a “rebellion” from the wooden style which has been overwhelmingly popular the past years. The dish is called “Crab”, another unique point. Playing on the contrast of an standard sardine can with the posh ingredients inside.

Don’t let the name fool you. “Sweetbread” is really Mac & Cheese, of course with White Asparagus and Morel Ravigote. The Mac and Cheese bears the perfect amount of spices and sauce, as well as the breadcrumbs. The guessing game begin with trying to figure out what’s inside the crumbs and the answer is all over from scallop, chicken to cheese. But the chef gave a suprise answer: beef pancreas (really!). The chef said, he taught his subordinates to be able to use everything from a cow and serve it well. Like this one, it doesn’t smell fishy at all. But I should probably let you taste it first before telling you what it is.

When the wine started to take over the conversation, the much-awaited dish arrived on the table. I’m a meat eater so you can guess what makes my heart flutter: 45-day, dry, aged Galician Striploin. The meat is only available in Galicia, Spain. It was cooked sophisticatedly to 50 Celcius. So even if it’s well-done, the texture and the color are still red. (Ruth probably complained cos she always avoided red-colored meat on steak). It’s soft and tasty, perfectly paired with red wine. Served with Confit Potato (this is so damn good), Roasted Carrot and Housemade Steak Sauce. What I love the most about this dish, is that the combination serves as balance to one another.

Waiting for the fourth dishes because the first three has successfully surprised me. Then arrived a plate called “Epoisse”, a mixture of Red Wine Apple Butter with Granola and Norlander. Epoisse is the world’s fourth smelliest cheese. But combining it with Norlander (thin biscuits), Granola and butter brings out a unique taste of sour, sweet, salty, and savory.

Then it’s picture time. Right before the C’s Housemade “Smores”, the finale of the night. A mix of creamy chocolate, grilled marshmallow and peanuts. Sweet but it was a great way to end the delicious night. Something to remember and definitely would love to be here again. Great service, excellent taste and suitable for my pallate. It’s a real luxury to be here with your special someone.

Special thanks goes to Chef Knechr and Chef Matt Demery for the inspiring and creative dishes. Also for Gina Desmeralda and Burhan Abe for the invitation. As well as for C’s Steak and Seafood crew with their endless hospitality.

Where is this?

Grand Hyatt Hotel

M. H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Jakarta Pusat
(021) 29921383

For The Love of Steak: Tokyo Skipjack

This restaurant believes that everyone loves steak. Looking at the food they served, it seems like they may be right. Change your mind about how steak should always be fancy.

So, one Monday, when Fiona is sick and off work, Ruth went with MJ to an after hour dinner. Entering Tokyo Skipjack, which is located near the small runabout in Blok M area right across the street from Bulungan Sportcenter, you will expect this restaurant to be different. While the outdoor is nice, it’s packed with smokers. So we decided to step in where the tables are sharing places with a Japanese Supermarket. The AC was having a problem that night, but it didn't bother us. I ordered iced Ocha and problems are solved.

The interior of the place is quite unique, sporting popular American comics like Batman, but in Japanese edition on one side of the wall. One corner of the restaurant is a shelf full of comic books.

Our order: NZ Sirloin 200gr (well done - just because I rarely eat uncooked meat) with Japanese Chimichuri sauce (Rp85k) and Grilled Chicken with White BBQ (60k). Each main course comes with two side dishes, which make the price worth it. Choose wisely among mashed potato, corn, Japanese Green Salad and French Fries.

The steak is tasty, the sauce makes it special. Had no idea of what to choose among the list of sauces, the waiter recommended Japanese Chimichuri. Chimichuri is an Argentinean steak sauce made of chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and white vinegar. Some modification of this sauce added cilantro or bay leaf to the mix. The search on Japanese version of this Argentinean sauce showed Shiso (Perilla) included in the recipe. Whatever it is, the sauce tasted great and refreshing.

 NZ Sirloin 200gr with Japanese Chimichuri

Grilled chicken is good too. A great pair with its white BBQ sauce. Both of us ordered mashed potato and for me, it was he best decision ever because it came in generous portion. MJ ordered Japanese Green Salad (another good thing, even for me who doesn't eat leafy vegetables) and I ordered corn. They have affordable dessert - MJ ordered Tiramisu but I was too full to add some more on my plate. 

Grilled Chicken with White BBQ

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go indulge ourselves on perfect steak on a romantic setting. But, hey, there’s nothing wrong with alternative version!

Where is this?
Jl. Bulungan No.16, Bulungan, Blok M, Jakarta Selatan
(021) 99725000