Category: Brunch

Choco Corner

My Choco Corner Experience:

Located in Mal Artha Gading (North East Jakarta), I must admit that I would not normally visit the area as I tend to stick to Central or South Jakarta (due to the traffic). However if you are around the area, I can say that Choco Corner truly worth your visit.

Established in 2010, Choco Corner have quite a large variety of food on their menu, from classical Indonesian, Indonesian fusion, Spanish, and other – what Indonesians called – the ‘Western’ food.

Beef Nachos Grande might not be as ‘grande’ (large in Spanish) as one would expect. However, it was actually big for Indonesian standards. When you order Nachos in Indonesia, you usually get a few pieces of tortilla with half-heartedly put tiny pieces of meat. So looking at this serving made me quite happy.

Beef Nachos Grande – 43.9k

Our next entree is a hidden gem. It is also appropriately named as the Exotic Delight! The image might not do justice as it only showed French fries and capsicums. However, I can tell you that they are not your usual French fries.

Exotic Delight – 34.9k

I ordered Nasi Goreng Kambing (lamb fried rice) because I wanted to make a comparison (that might sound a little bit unfair) to the legendary Nasi Goreng Kambing Kebon Sirih. In terms of aesthetic, there was no doubt that their fried rice fared a lot better than the legendary site. It was still a good alternative if you didn’t want to travel to Central Jakarta.

Nasi Goreng Kambing – 35.9k

They also have decent-sized ribs, such as Iga bakar balado or Rib original barbecue. Iga bakar balado had quite a unique taste to it as it was meant to be hot and spicy (not your typical ribs, eh?). Rib (notice that it is only one rib) original barbecue on the other hand resembled your typical ribs with slightly juicy twist, Indonesian-style.

Iga bakar balado – 78.9k

Rib original barbecue – 78.9k

The dish that I actually ordered myself was smoked chicken with creamy mushroom sauce. You get nearly half a chicken with a hint of salsa and green veggies at the top. The chicken was perfectly cooked (well, in this case, smoked) and I was impressed with the combination of mushroom sauce and sweet and sour. They also have other flavours for the smoked chicken you are welcomed to try!

Smoked chicken with creamy mushroom sauce – 69.9k

I didn’t get to try the next two dishes. Its Spaghetti Bolognaise was nicely presented with two edible curiously-looking things sticking out of the noodles. If you look at its Lasagna alforno you have to admire its juicy and messy feel to it! Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty in it!

Spaghetti Bolognaise – 36.9k

Lasagna alforno – 36.9k

The final verdict for Choco Corner

All of the dishes were beautifully presented and done at Choco Corner Mal Artha Gading. Our favourites of the day were the Exotic Delight and Smoked Chicken. They were exotically different than other dishes I’ve eaten in Indonesia.

Did you know?

Choco Corner was a brainchild in 2009 of a reunion of classmates from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB – Bogor Agricultural University) that wanted to promote cacao commodity. From a simple coffee corner, they expanded to full-blown restaurant service without leaving their core cocoa values!

Details:

Mal Artha Gading – Ground Floor

+62 21 458 641 99

Oct 24, 2014
First Drop Cafe

Rating:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: $15 – $20

Place: 7.5/10

Review:

This week we are visiting First Drop Café because of my coffee aficionado friend. It is a quite homey corner cafe with such a believable waitress. She convinced us with a story that the New York Style Peanut Butter Shake ($5.50) was the people’s favourite and swayed me away from my original Summer Juice ($5.90)! (Watermelon, Pineapple, and Mint) It wasn’t quite what I expected tho. The shake was quite savoury and it could use a bit more sweet in it.

Since it was not quite afternoon yet, we decided to order from its breakfast menu. They have quite a few choices with mouth-watering descriptions. Check out their Harvest Benedict ($15.90): Sauteed spinach and grilled asparagus on a bed of thyme infused oven baked field mushrooms… fancy! On this occasion, they did forget to put the asparagus on the plate, but it was quickly rectified.

They also have Schwarzenegger Omelette ($16.90), but you must be prepared to quote Arnie if you order this: ‘I’ll be back!’ It is a meal truly for Arnie: High protein egg white omelette with atlantic salmon, asparagus and capers.

I was tempted to order Homemade Beans ($17.90) because it had the in bracket ‘Our Signature Dish’. However, I didn’t really fancy beans and my friend actually ordered it. It was actually quite a nice combo of beans, chorizo and poached egg, with extra sour dough for the kill! Taste wise? It didn’t disappoint but still not my cup of tea.

I ordered Rustic Chorizo Breakfast ($15.90) that I thought had the best description on the menu: Scrambled eggs with free range chorizo, sprinkled with paprika, sitting on a bed of fresh spinach, topped with an onion jam, served with Sonoma sourdough. I’m not quite sure how free range chorizo would look like, but that’s another matter J they had a generous serving of chorizo and onion jam which I think is going to be my new favourite breakfast dish!

The final verdict for First Drop Cafe

I was very happy with the food and service at First Drop Cafe. If it wasn’t for the shake, I would have given them an 8.

If you want to see their lunch menu, please visit this page.

Details:

69 Baptist Street, East Redfern, 2016

02 9690 1611

First Drop Cafe on Facebook

Oct 24, 2013
Grandma’s Little Bakery

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Grandma’s Little Bakery has moved out of this location.

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Rating:

7.5 / 10 Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $10 – $20

Place: 7.5 / 10

Review:

I’m not quite sure when this restaurant was opened however its facebook page suggested that it was created in 2012 (Confirmed by them: they’ve been in Sydney for a year and a half). Grandma’s Little Bakery is a nice little café in Alexandria with quiet cheerful polka dot table cloths. They have shiny iPads for its menu (although you can’t really order from it). You can also have a buffet bar lunch and even vegetarian buffet bar (if you wish).

Let’s start off with something easy and always delightful: scones. The mistake we made was thinking that it was light! Quite the opposite, the scone was actually filling. The home-made butter and jam added the smooth and sweet dimensions.

We also had Celery and Lamb with grandma’s turmeric rice. The lamb and celery stew had a well-balanced flavour and went really well with the rice. Beef and mushrooms Vol-au-vent was also good (and best priced at $10) with over-flowing fillings! Even for a big guy like me, the dish was enough for lunch.

If you think you can handle a big breakfast or lunch, maybe you can try their Shakshuka Bolognaise. According to Wikipedia, shakshuka was originated from Tunisia. It’s quite an interesting dish (and large!) as it was served in a pan! Two eggs poached in bolognaise sauce would be enough to entice meat-lovers to enjoy this dish. There were also a side of organic bread slices if you must eat your carbs.

The unexpected came in last: Malabi. ’Delicious rose cream dressed with fragrant rose syrup, pistachio nut and coconut. A must try!’ – That was the menu description and we did try! It was a very rich and sweet dessert. I love the way the coconut and pistachio balanced its richness. Enter the pistachio biscotti and you got yourself a treat!

The final verdict for Grandma’s Little Bakery

You know it is a good restaurant, when at the end of the meal you had a dessert you can remember for a long time. Grandma’s Little Bakery did just that. I still cannot forget about its Malabi!

Did you know?

If you still think the dishes we reviewed were too small, you still can order its buffet bar for under $20 (I think it was $25 for Saturday)! There are quite decent healthy selections.

Details:

42 O’Riordan Street, Alexandria 2015

02 9690 0069

http://www.grandmas.com.au/

Oct 9, 2013
The Grounds of Alexandria – Breakfast Review

Rating:

8 / 10 Taste: 8/10

Price: $11 – $19 breakfast main

Place: 8/10

Review:

The Grounds of Alexandria is one of the hottest restaurants in Sydney. When I heard my friends describing it, it was always ‘come before 8 AM or you’ll be forced to wait for at least an hour!’ However, they also said ‘it was worth the wait.’

I finally got a chance to visit this fabled restaurant last week and I must say I am impressed! … and on a side note: No Queue! (I admit I cheated a bit by coming there on my day off Thursday Morning). Before you jump in to your car to visit the restaurant, make sure you turn your GPS on or you might need to make a very far U-turn if you missed it.

The Grounds of Alexandria gave us more than just a place ‘To eat and To drink’, it was a place to experience great coffee in a relaxing environment (you will see more pictures below). The front page of the menu also mentioned it was ‘made with skills and precision.’ There weren’t that many dishes that we tried this time because there were only the two of us.

Coffee was obviously our main focus coming to the restaurant. It reflected on what the waitress asked us to begin our breakfast ‘What coffee would you like to start with? ‘. I ordered my usual Café Latte. In addition to its great coffee, if you paid attention to the green saucer below (there was a small chip on it), it was actually designed like that.

The menu was divided into two, breakfast and lunch. Since we arrived quite early, we only could order from the breakfast menu. We ordered two dishes that caught our eyes the most.

Our first one was House Cured Ocean Trout – $19. It had quite a hi-tech description from the menu: Soft boiled eggs with dill crème fraiche, pickled cucumber, micro herbs and sourdough. I can simply say: one fine dish! The combination of cucumber and crème fraiche was incredibly refreshing and the soft boiled egg was perfect. Enter the trout and you got yourself a really good dish for breakfast.

On the opposite side, Lemon Myrtle Mushrooms ($16) looked dead simple and I loved the selection of mushrooms; Shimeji, enoki, field, baby button and woody mushrooms. These tasty mushrooms were cooked in The Grounds lemon myrtle butter. The lemon toned down the mushrooms’ woody and charred taste to a delectable level. To make it consistent, the fried egg and brioche enhanced the dry look of the dish.

The next two pictures had nothing to do with The Grounds’ food and beverages. I wanted to show you that even if you didn’t get a seat inside, the outdoor area was about the same size. There was no table service for outdoor area.

The final verdict for The Grounds of Alexandria

The Grounds of Alexandria really lived up to my expectations and I was happier as I didn’t need to queue to get a seat! The House Cured Ocean Trout was fabulous and I have tasted nothing like it before.

Did you know?

In the block where The Grounds of Alexandria is located, there are three other shops opened. With very limited parking spaces, finding a parking around the area might be a difficult task.

One of the shops there deserved a special mention: Salt Meats Cheese. They sell some things that I’ve never seen anywhere in Sydney.

Details:

Building 7a, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria 2015

Phone: +61 2 9699 2225

Dec 26, 2012
Kitchen by Mike

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Unfortunately, Kitchen by Mike has closed its doors in 2016. Chef Mike opens a new restaurant called No. 1 Bent St.

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Rating:

8 / 10 Taste: 8/10

Price: $11 – $54

Place: 7/10

Review:

Kitchen by Mike fantastically transformed a very old warehouse into a rustic, communal-type restaurant. Interestingly enough, they only served breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Their menu is constantly changing depending on the seasonal product available on the market. Instead of the usual table service with menu, Kitchen by Mike displayed all dishes they cooked today in a display table.

On the left most of the table were stacks of sourdough bread and a fattening-looking butter. It was a quite pricey Sourdough slice and butter ($3.5). However since my last sourdough disaster, this one tasted so damn good. To top it off, the butter was delicately soft and tasty.

The only meaty dishes for Kitchen by Mike were the first couple of dishes on the table. It was really hard to miss the Ham, Cumberland sauce and Champ since it was intimidatingly massive. The addition of Cumberland sauce gave it a nice and sweet flavour and champ (mashed potatoes with spring onion) added a smooth complexity of the mashed. At a price point of $11.5, this dish is really worth buying.

For the same price, we could also opt for Roasted chicken, sweet corn, and Harissa. Harissa is a chili (piri piri) sauce originated from Libya or Tunisia.

The bulk of their dishes are salad. They are both cheaper and vary in colour and taste. Although I am not a big fan of it, I still managed to order two dishes. Cabbage and walnut apple salad ($4.5) was the better of them two. It was a crunchy type salad with delectably refreshing. Woodfired butternut squash, pomegranate and coyo was the more expensive one at $5.5 and not the one I particularly liked.

Kitchen by Mike also catered for small eater where you could get a whole range of sandwich, tart and tartine from the next part of the menu.

Finally, dessert time! There were five options for this but our eventual choice went to Olive oil sponge cake with strawberry ($7) since we really couldn’t take that much for a lunch. I remembered my son really loved this dish but I just couldn’t get past our earlier dishes.

Even after tasting that many dishes, there were still a lot more that we didn’t try this time. There was a Chorizo and Chickpea soup in a pot that we could not see. Other salads, including Watermelon Salad, looked oh-so-healthy. There was also a massive looking pizza that was most likely be Margherita Pizza.

The final verdict for Kitchen by Mike

Kitchen by Mike is interestingly different than any other restaurants. Not only they are closed for dinner (with the exception of private functions), they also didn’t have a fixed menu. You can see and choose the dishes you want to eat.

Did you know?

Kitchen by Mike is connected to a furniture show room, Koskela. This joint space created a spacious effect to the restaurant.

Details:

85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery NSW 2018

+61 2 9045 0910

Oct 26, 2012