Introducing Lifull, a Snack Dictionary

Shopping for food when your stomach is full isn't a solution. We ended up buying nothing and suffering from afternoon craving later on. Even worse, there's one snack that caught your attention but you can't remember the name. You just home you'll see it again the next time you shop. Been there?

Always have something on the desk

Well, meet Lifull and it helps with our regrets of not buying that chocolate cookie from the shelf. What's Lifull? It's essentially an online directory of everyone's favorite snack. From the over the counter crackers to the fancy treats.You can search by brand or by name. Or browse around to see what they have by looking at the category if you have nothing specific in mind. It gives out description of the snack down to the calorie counts and price prediction. No need to Google around anymore.

Even better you can get those snacks for free. All you have to do is check out their gift section and see which snack is available for "present campaign" and click apply products. Or if you like certain snacks, you can sign up and start to write your own review.

Drinks are good too

Stocking up for the greater good. There is always someone who has a drawer full of munchies in every office. They are often seen as a savior whenever afternoon snack craving attacks. And here's how we decide what to stock up?

• We love smaller pieces but still large enough to share. Like the Oishi Sponge which tends to be everyone's favorite. 
• Keep both sweet and salty. We personally don't rule out candy even though many experts would advise you to avoid stocking up on candy. Lifull has UHA Candy with 20 kcal.
• Drinks are great too. An alternative to the standard coffee and tea on your office pantry. 
• Popcorn flavored rice cakes are great too.
• Check out the healthy snack section at Lifull for interesting ideas of what to look for the next time you're at the supermarket. They have interesting snacks like Okra and Broccoli Chips (which makes Ruth goes "what? there are vegetables snacks?") to the simple oat cookies.

Our drawer at the office. Wanna share?

Here's what in our drawer. We took pictures knowing it would be gone the next time afternoon craving wave hit the office.

• Oishi Sponge Crunch Choco
• Oishi Sponge Crunch Strawberry
• Oishi Sponge Crunch Mochachino
• Chocomania Rich Choco
• UHA Strawberry Milk Candy 37GR
• UHA Coffee Milk Candy 37GR
• UHA Rich Milk Candy
• INACO Aloe Vera
• INACO Nata Drink
• MONY Cincau
• SIPAHH Strawberry Straw
• POKKA Strawberry Milk
• KIYORA Extra Green Tea
• KIYORA Original

Care to share what's in your drawer?

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

Rosemary Chicken Wings with Pineapple and Lemon Sauce

A care package with Morisca Pineapple Jam arrived the other day at Fiona's house and suddenly, she was inspired to cook something with it. We're sharing the recipe here. Let's call it pineapple miracle.

But what can you make with pineapple jam?

The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Nastar. It's that Indonesian sweet baked goods filled with pineapple jam, usually comes in beautiful packaging right on time for special celebration like Idul Fitri. But that would be too complicated and require a lot of time. So, shifting to the more practical and easier set of recipe, pineapple sauce is selected. It can go with your main course like fish or chicken and can be stored easily for future use. Whenever steamed fish or grilled chicken comes on the menu, the savory and sweet hint from the sauce can help compliment the flavor. We can even use it on salad... who knows?

Rosemary Chicken Wings with Pineapple and Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:
Chicken wings, 3 pairs, cleaned and washed
Garlic, minced
Lemon, squeezed for juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary
Pineapple Jam

Cooking direction:
Start with garlic, sauteed until yellowish in color. Then fry the wings. Pour the rest of the ingredients in, add water and cook in medium heat until the chicken is soft. Keep what's left of the broth and mix them in the blender to create the sauce. Decorate as you wish.

Decorating is fun!
Insert the sauce in piping bag and don't forget to filter the rough part out so it doesn't get stuck and block the sauce. Polka-dot seems like a good idea so this one is decorated with different sizes of dots. Apparently, creating the perfect ascending sizes of dots require patience and balanced pressure. Otherwise, you'll ruin the dots pattern. Or, you can "cheat" with small pippette to ensure the clean and sophisticated look. Looks better than just pouring the whole sauce on the chicken, right? Rosemary is added for rustiness look and feel to the dish.

Where to find Pineapple?
Originated from South American countries, Brazil and Paraguay to be exact, this tropical fruit is widely used for cooking in Asia. The Chinese use it for sweet and sour sauce, while Hawaiian Pizza is known for adding pineapple on top. Thai recipes also often include this yellow fruit with spiky skin in their ingredients list.

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

First Visit to Goodhood Coffee and Kitchen

Our journey to Good Hood at Dipo Tower West Jakarta began with a simple question: isn't that a coffee shop? 

Then comes the search on Google and social media. We even had to be patient because the shop is only open after the Ramadhan holiday season. Monday arrived and we head out right away with two of our office colleagues. Literally "celebrating" the first after-fasting office lunchtime. We were hesitating a little because the coffee shop looks too new and by the time we're at the cashier, we found out that most of the food, like its sandwiches, isn't ready yet. But pasta and rice menu, the manager said, can be ordered.

We're hungry, so Nasi Goreng Kampung, Squid Ink Spaghetti and Spicy Prawn Penne are placed on order. Fiona ordered cappuccino (her Piccolo isn't yet available) and Ruth had Americano. This restaurant is yet to have its grand opening. While it's still a little messy, we love how new and how homey this place is. There are two floors, each with its own uniqueness. Good Hood has large windows with comfortable chairs and sofas. Their corner table on the second floor is really something too. 

Food takes a while to be prepared, something we honestly expected since they're just opened. But times passed by quickly because we scored a place by the window on the first floor and it's hard to leave the spot after sitting there for a while. Too comfy to sit on with gossip and good coffee. While waiting for the food, we explored the place and found some nice murals by the stairs.

Fiona: Let's take a picture here.
Ruth: Here?
Fiona: Yes, here. I want to take a drinking coffee picture here.
(check out the pic on Fiona's Instagram, it actually comes out nicely)

Nasi Goreng Kampung

However, we fall in love on the first bite with the food. Nasi Goreng Kampung tastes like the one you had when you're a kid, with a generous upgrade on the sunny side up egg and fried chicken. Squid Ink Spaghetti is tasty too. Something that you should go ahead and order when you're here. MJ Finished hers in no time. If you're a spicy fan, order the Spicy Shrimp Penne. Go with spaghetti or fettuccine if you prefer. The dish has several large prawns and some chopped ones. The food price is around 50k-70k while coffee is on the 20k range.

Squid Ink Spaghetti

Fiona: Is your pasta spicy?
Ruth: A little. But are you okay with the shrimp?
Fiona: Let's give it a try... Whoa, It's delicious!

And we're happy to announce that Fiona, who is allergic to shrimp that aren't fresh, is doing alright after eating the shrimp. Yes, she's our subject when it comes to fresh shrimp experiements.

Spicy Shrimp Penne

In the end, the chef came by and asking our feedback. He also gave us a complimentary pancake dish filled with beans, bacon and cheese. Nicely decorated with half cherry tomato and green leaves. Despite being full, Ruth finished the pancake. Something she would order anytime she returned to the coffee shop. 

Pancake with Beans and Bacon

We'll come back as soon as they're ready to try out more food.

Where is this?

Dipo Business Center, Ruko A1, 

Jl. Jenderal Gatot Subroto Kav. 51 - 52, Gatot Subroto, Jakarta

TEL: 021 22530555

IPPUDO’s Summer Chef Special

Introducing the new set of Ramen Buddies from IPPUDO: Salmon & Chips, Spider Roll and Chashu Minced Katsu. The dishes that are inspired by the sunny summer time. All arrived in time to cheer up your summer.

Hi, this is Ruth. Lunchgetaway is glad to be the first to taste the new menu from IPPUDO, a ramen restaurant which opened its door to Indonesian customers at Pacific Place last year. After introducing their Chicken Ramen a while ago, the famous chain returns with fascinating non-ramen (side)dishes.

“Although it’s called Ramen Buddies, many order them as a sharing plate,” explained Amanda Sihombing, Marketing Manager IPPUDO Indonesia. Well, looking at its amount, it’s indeed a sharing portion. The problem is, with a taste like that, I wouldn’t want to share.

Deep fried battered Salmon

sweet and sour potato wedges and tartar sauce

Salmon & Chips is the Japanese twist of the well-known classic fish and chips. Deep fried battered Salmon is served alongside sweet and sour potato wedges and tartar sauce. While the salmon is generous, the sweet and sour sauce splashed over the fried potato is a pleasant surprise. Spider Roll, the soft-sheel crab maki sushi rolled into rice and nori with cucumber, lettuce and spicy mayonnaise, is served on a bed of spiderweb made of sauce. Too pretty to eat.

Spider Roll

But the champion has to be the Chashu Minced Katsu. Interesting Japanese Croquette (otherwise called Korokke) is a deep-fried meatballs of beef and pork meat, mixed with potato and different spices. Dipped into special brown sauce. The meatballs are a perfect balance between crunchy and tenderness because they melted in your mouth once you have that first bite. They do taste great even when consumed without the sauce.

Chashu Minced Katsu comes in four

A closer look at Chashu Minced Katsu

The Ramen Buddies are changing every 3 months and the most popular one will have the chance to compete on the final round, for a prestigious spot on the regular menu during the annual grand menu changing. Make sure your favorite wins by ordering it every time you’re at IPPUDO.

IPPUDO, a restaurant founded in 1985 by Ramen King Shigemi Kawahara, serves mainly pork ramen around the world. Shiromaru (ultra-thin noodles in tonkatsu broth) is for those who loves the original Hakata-style ramen flavor while Akamaru (thin noodle in tonkatsu broth, miso paste and garlic oil) wins the heart of spicy fans. Another popular dish is Karakamen which comes with curly noodle, spicy miso and ground pork. The minced pork should be caught in the noodle as it’s pulled our and eaten with chopsticks. Playing on the safe side, I ordered Shiromaru and found tasty soup hiding soft noodle and pork loin inside. In IPPUDO, you can choose how you want your noodle to be cooked: from hard to soft. 

Akamaru Shinaji

Shiromaru Motoaji

The question remains: when will IPPUDO expand its shop? “IPPUDO is using fresh ingredients. It means we’re using local ingredients which can match up the international quality standard set by the chain. We’re looking for the right place to open our next restaurant but it’s likely still going to be in around Jakarta area,” explained Amanda. Well, since IPPUDO doesn’t do take outs (it’s their policy, which dismissed our secret plan to stock up the Chasu minced Katsu for afternoon snack once it’s available for the market on July 20, 2015), we’re definitely looking forward to more restaurants.

Where is this?
Pacific Place 5th Fl. #5.37
Jl. Jend. Sudirman kav 52-53 (SCBD), Jakarta 12190
Tel: 021-57973339
www.ippudo.co.id

Rendang and Burger Bun at Pepin and Malloy

We’ve been hearing about the legendary Betawi Burger, the promotional menu they created for the Holy Ramadhan month. It’s almost the end and we’re hearing a good news about the burger being so popular it’s considered for the main menu. So, we’re heading to Pepin & Malloy Cilandak Town Square one bright Sunday to make sure that the fairy tale has a happy ending.

The bright and fun front door

What’s inside the Betawi Burger (65k)?
Fiona: Rendang meat, crispy Tempe, omelette and green chilli.
Ruth: Isn’t that too spicy for you?
Fiona: No, I think this is perfect. It’s like you’re eating Nasi Padang in a bun.

Betawi Burger vs Olympus Delight

The Betawi Burger is replacing another international flavored bun on the menu: Olympus Delight (60k). which has Feta Cheese spread on top of homemade ground beef.

Fiona: How’s the Olympus Delight?
Ruth: To be honest, I like it too. It’s refreshing with onions and fresh lettuce.
Fiona: I wish they put more Feta
Ruth: Yeah, the Feta was a little hard to find.

The burgers at Pepin & Malloy come in large size. When we say large it’s really huge. Both the ground beef and rendang patties are thick. The rest of the pile are generous too. We were actually full even without having the fries and milkshake on the side. 

Moving on to the hotdogs: Chili Cheese Dog(55k), Nachos Libre (50k) and Philly Cheese Dog (65k). If you put them together side by side, Nachos Libre with its Mexican style green guacamole, nachos and salsa toppings stood out the most. Fiona loves this because, well, it’s boring to have mayo all the time. So why don’t we go out of the box especially when they’re just right? Often confused which one to have at the cinema, she’s glad to have them together as one meal. Eating Nachos Libre can be a little messy because of the overloaded guacamole and nachos on top. 

Hotdog trio: Philly Cheese, Nachos Libre and Chili Cheese

The not-so-similar twin sisters are equally appetizing. While it’s hard to choose between the two, Ruth prefers Chili Cheese Dog just because she loves chili. Apparently putting them on top of a hot dog together with cheese sauce and chopped onion is a great idea. But if you’re a classic kind of girl (but doesn’t want to stick with classic dog), Philly Cheese Dog worth the try. It’s a tasty twist of everyone’s favorite Philly Cheese Steak after all.

A closer look at the Chili Cheese Dog and the beautiful tiles

Dining in at Pepin & Malloy is like visiting a festive circus tent with all the graffiti on the wall. The tiles are also contributing to the fun ambiance. Good food should be savored under cheerful atmosphere.

We asked Gladys, the Pepin & Malloy marketing girl about her favorite dish at the restaurant. Surprise surprise, she opted for Buffalo Wings (36k for 6 pieces or 49k for 9 pieces). Curious, we ordered one. We immediately agreed with her after the first bite. The wings are the kind you can’t stop eating, even when the bucket is empty.

BBQ Malloy (55k) - Homemade ground beef patty with BBQ sauce

But we have our hot dogs... and the colossal Betawi Burger to return to. Being indecisive is apparently fun at Pepin & Malloy where you can get the best of both worlds.

Where is this?
Cilandak Town Square
Jl. T.B. Simatupang Kav. 17, Jakarta Selatan 12430
(021) 75920222
Twitter: @pepinandmalloy