Avec Moi at Thamrin, Jakarta

This time around let's head to Avec Moi. Got an info from other reviewer that this is a must try restaurant. It's a French restaurant. Shall we compare it with Boka Buka? Okay, let's start with the interior design and the decoration of the place.

 By the first floor there's 2 section, with and without sofa. The one by the sofa has small pillows with entertaining writings. The decoration also be different. By the sofa is filled with paintings and plain cement wall. Making it looks artsy. While the one by chairs only is more of casual feel. Where you can choose by the window or by the big shelves full of cans and bottles. The hanging lamps are very interesting though. The cables are very messy but yet looks very intriguing. Tuko likes this.

 Move up to the second floor and also where the toilet is, there's 3 more tables which can holds up 16 people. Next to the table is actually the kitchen. It's open kitchen type but block with glass so that the smell won't reach the dining area but still can look into it. The funny part on this area is the chairs, they have bunny ears.

This is actually a little note from the chef / owner of the place. He turns out to be was a chef also at Gunther's back in Singapore. That was a quite well known restaurant in Singapore. Where you might actually need to consider making a reservation first before going there during peak season.

Rabbit seems to be their logo. Do notice that the ear of the bunny made out of fork and knife. While the translation of Avec Moi suppose to mean Be With Me. No idea where the bunny from. But it's their own right to choose though.

Ok now let's move to the food. Tuko ordered a few here. Wanna test them out. Let's start with the salad.

The name is Salade Avec Moi. There's a very calculative amount of ingredients here. For example exactly 4 pieces of half cherry tomato and 2 slices of chicken. I believe this means they probably already consider if the salad will be shared by 2 people. Because of Tuko can't identify some of the ingredients so Tuko took a peek at the menu. It says there's Mesclun. That's weird, Tuko never heard of vegetable named Mesclun. The salad dressing is actually very interesting. It's Avec Moi's own recipe of dressing. It tastes like Gado Gado's. But not as thick and creamy. Not bad. The mixture works.

Tuko tried to find out and turns out to be mesclun is a salad mix of assorted small, young salad leaves that is available in France. The mix includes chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive.

The price for this salad is IDR65,000 or around USD5. This price is very acceptable. Cause the taste and the quantity really is nicely done.

Next move up to the escargots.

The name is French Escargots. The presentation is interesting. A big plate with a flat area and only the middle part is sinked in for where the escargots are put. But to compare with the Boka Buka, that one is better. Because they prepare the escargots tong and small fork. But this one here already served with the snail's meat taken out. In addition there's garlic bread. The escargots is not salty enough. Should have probably squeezed up a little lemon by the pesto sauce.

The price for escargots is IDR65,000 or around USD5. Boka Buka's better. Avec Moi's escargot is just an ok. But I'll not order this on the next visit though.

Next is the drink. Which is quite unique in both name and presentation.

The name is Jamaican Punch. Well you can tell it really represents Jamaica with the color and the watermelon. But why have this in the menu? France and Jamaica is not that close. Different continent. Well that's ok, Tuko doesn't really bother on the location though. Let's just komen on the taste now. The taste is really good. Not too sweet as how Tuko likes it. Because of the syrup is not being poured in too much. Usually to pleases guests, people will use more syrup to have a richer taste. But it actually kills it. And Tuko also likes the idea of presenting the drink unmixed. Usually punch will be served mixed and ready to drink.

The price for this punch is IDR35,000 or around USD2.70. That's quite costly considering just banana and watermelon. But is there orange too? Can't really say yes because maybe it's really vague.

Next will be the main course.

 First will be the Seabass Grenobloise. Quite tricky to spell that out. It's mainly is fish, vegie and rice. The rice being use here is Pilaf Rice. No idea what that is, but it taste buttery. The fish is good. Very soft but yet the flavor and the sauce use can easily be tasted. The extra sauce all around the plate is also helpful to make the taste to be stronger.

The price is IDR98,000 or around USD7.50. That's a generous price considering the taste. Not too expensive but yet also not so cheap. Well done guys.

Next is the 6 Hrs Sous Vide Chicken. Tuko really no idea is that 6 hours or it's that French slang for the first course of the set menu (hors d'oeuvre). Well let the chef do their job, Tuko job is to komen on it only. The chicken is roasted while the vegie is grilled. Add a little mashed potato. With additional creamy but yet there's a hint of spicy in the sauce. The chicken itself is good. The skin is not crispy but still taste good. There's some fats left though, need to clean it up before gulping it down. The chicken's meat is a little dry though. Still good, but dry. So it's like you enjoy ice cream, but if it's a little less cold will be better. Tuko doesn't mean the chicken is not good but the dryness makes it a little off. The mashed potato is ok though. But the vegie is not good. Tuko doesn't like vegie to begin with and with this kind of preparation making it even less tasty.

And then let's move to the last part, dessert.

That's a Valrhona Chocolate Fondant. The menu says the ice cream is from Haagen-Dazs. Well done if it's true. Usually other restaurant will just from a local brand of ice cream. The orange sauce is very delightful. That's orange Tuko assume. It's sour but not sharp like what passionfruit taste will give out. The fondant comes with melted chocolate inside. It also taste good. But unfortunately it's not as good as the one by Hermitage.

The price is IDR65,000 or around USD5. For the price when compared to Hermitage, Tuko will choose this one. Since the price is almost half of Hermitage. Which actually wins the heart of Tuko's wallet over the taste.

When the receipt came in, there's 5% charge for service. And 10% charge for tax. Very generous for this class of restaurant. Certainly is a good place to consider to hang out with lover / spouse.

Thanks for the great service of the staff too Avec Moi.

Tsurukamedou at Grenvil, Jakarta

That's the look from outside. Pretty cool. Simple but yet looks very interesting to get in and see.

The trip this time Tuko went to Tsurukamedou at Grenvil area. Because of some comments heard from friends, Tuko wanted to give it a try. Since most have been giving a mixed review. Which makes it kind of in unbalance of whether it's good or not.

The place is rather empty. When Tuko got in, no other table is filled. So Tuko can choose whichever table to take. And Tuko took the one nearest to power plug, to charge the phone.

There's a lot of Japanese books being provided by the cashier. So if there's guest who can read Japanese, have a visit by the cashier's counter.

After a while, there's 2 more tables being filled by other guests.

 

Ok for the food, Tuko ordered Tonkatsu Shisen Ramen and Tori Karaage.

The ramen is not too shabby. The meat is nicely cooked. The meat is pork, so it's a non halal restaurant. Sorry again my moslem friends. The soup is not too thick and not overly rich of flavor. So this is a good base. But than the ramen is a little too skinny. If only they make it slightly fatter, it'll be fantastic.


Price for the ramen is IDR45,000 or around USD3.50. For this price compare to taste and amount per portion is a little bit over priced. I'll say IDR35,000 will be perfect.

The soup is actually even better than Hakata Ikkousha Ramen. But the ramen got lower score compare to Ikkousha though. That's a different ramen restaurant, but Tuko hasn't comment on yet. Will do that next time.

The karaage is really sucks. Too oily. Way too oily. And the fats are still easily found. You need to clean it up more and use a different oil maybe. Aside from the oily, the chicken's rather good. They did the marinating very well done. But again with cholesterol and fats to be considered. The lemon slice is too thin, you can't even squeeze out any drop from there. Please also redo this part.

The price for this karaage is IDR32,000 or around USD2.50. This is again way too pricy. I suppose you got to do a revaluing the entire menu.

For the drink Tuko ordered Hot Ocha.

Ok the ocha is just plainly dissapointing. What kind of brand do they actually use? Or how many times do they reuse the tea leaves? This doesn't have any taste of green tea. Just a plain hot tea.

Price for the ocha is IDR8,000 or around USD0.60. And it's free refill. Ok for this one you got the price right. Bravo.

After the meal, the waiter came over and asked for permission to take out the plates and bowls. And then they served a complimentary konyaku jelly.

Not too big to satisfy the stomach, only 3 teaspoonful to finish this. Well the taste is just an OK. Not too sweet, which is good. But the judging is still just and OK, not more.
After the bill came, there's additional of 3.5% service charge and 10% tax. Well this is very reasonable. No comment on this.

So will Tuko come back here again? Not until they redo the pricing. Because the food is actually not too bad. Only the pricing is a little off. Please redo.

Boka Buka at Cipete, Jakarta

Last time Tuko came here was ages ago. And the location surely wasn't here. I believe they already got bigger and more famous. The concept is still kind of the same though, but the original is better. Much more homey.

Boka Buka is a French restaurant. But don't worry about the price, because it's considered cheap for a French delicacies. And it tastes good too.

When Tuko just sat, the waitress immediately hand out the menu. And then not long after she came back bringing a shot of drink, and it's on the house. Forgot to ask what's the name and took picture of it. Tuko was just too thirsty and gulp it down instantly.

Aside from the drink there's also free bread entree. Since it's complimentary, it tastes good. Free is always good.

The decoration is still following the old concept, feels-at-home kind of thing. But the size of the restaurant now is bigger so it's not as homey. The decoration by the ceiling is interesting. They made a net and spread spices on top.

 

Let's start with the order. Tuko ordered Escargots De Bourgogne (12 PCS).

You hold the snail with a special tong and use the small fork to scoop out the meat. The one escargot that i've liked so far from many French restaurants i've tried is here. It's dripping with oil but it doesn't feel like it's oily when you ate it. The saltiness is just so right too. And no funny smells.

The price is IDR111,570 or around USD8.80. When you compare the taste and price, it's totally wort every penny.

And then for the main dish Tuko ordered Classic Chicken Butter Rice and Beef Fillet.

 The Chicken butter rice is just an OK, because now you can feel that it is oily. I'm not entirely sure what's on top of the chicken, but it tastes like fried onion. And a lot of it. But the side dish, the rice is good. I didn't finish it though, but it's good.

The price is IDR70,247 or around USD5.50. Since it's not so good, I'll say that I prefer to eat chicken butter rice elsewhere.

The beef is very simple. That's not quite surprising though, since the name itself is also simple. Tuko ordered a medium well. But i think they cook it using a little too big of fire. Because the outside part is quite tough. While the inside still pinkish and the mixture blood and fats still leaking out. The sauce is good though. Tuko actually dip the chicken with this sauce to make it taste better.

The price is IDR99,174 or around USD7.80. If only they cook it properly, it'll be so good. But for this particular one the served is kind of dissapointing.

For the drink Tuko ordered Butter Beer Latte and Avocado Coffee Blend.

This is good. The Avocado Coffee Blend is good. There's still a hint of avocado can be tasted, the coffee is not so strong. Just a great combination for non-coffee-holic drinker. The Astor biscuit kind of just for decoration, since it doesn't give any improvement with it put together. Don't eat the coffee beans on top, that's actual coffee beans.

The price is IDR30,578 or around USD2.40. It's not too shabby or overpriced. Make it cheaper will be perfect for the drink's price.

I'm not really sure why it's called beer. No beer inside this drink. And I'm not pretty sure why there's a cinnamon stick too. Since no cinnamon mixed inside too. The drink taste almost similar to Indonesia's Bajigur. Refreshing but not something I'll order next time.

The price is IDR28,926 or around USD2.20. Yeah this confirms that I'll not order this next time.

There's an offer of a free waffle ice cream if you pay using CIMB Niaga's e-money. So let's take that.

When the waffle came out, turns out to be it's Dame Bruxelles. It's taken directly from the menu. I really thought it's going to be just a complimentary type of food. When we look at the price, it's IDR68,000 or around USD5.30. Not a bad promotion at all. Good job.

The waffle also taste good. The rules of everything free is good doesn't apply here. Because it actually is good. The waffle is crispy but yet soft-spongy in the inside. The ice cream is good. And the chocolate is actually a baking use chocolate, so it tastes bitter. Tuko likes bitter chocolate / dark chocolate. But yet again, what's with the Astor stick? Is there a reason why Boka Buka uses a lot of Astor stick?

After getting the bill, there's a service charge of 10%. and restaurant tax of 11%. For a restaurant of this class, I think it's a little too much. But because of the service is really good, Tuko doesn't mind. The waiters are very polite and helpful.

So eventhough this trip Tuko didn't pick the goodies on main dish, Tuko will still willing to come back here again. There's a branch in Pondok Indah Mall, will it taste the same? Maybe next time Tuko will try there.

Nongshim - Shin Cup at Jakarta

Tuko was so hungry and had no cash on hand. So the only way to survive is to open up the drawer and look for available food. Luckily there's this cup noodle nicely stored in the instant noodle cabinet. And the expiry date is still quite some time from today.

The packaging is nice, better than most of local cup noodle products. Surely there's a few local cup noodle product's packaging can beat this South Korean's product easily. But Tuko is just comparing to the most common to find.

Opening it, the noodle with extra ingredient like dried vegetable, mushroom and shredded pepper are already put together. Unlike some of the local cup noodle have the extra ingredient packed in a separate packaging.


But the seasoning is actually like the local product, being put inside a separate sealed packaging.

So without further ado, Tuko mixed some hot water in. Close up the lid and put a book on top to let it "cooked" up. After 5 minutes, Tuko open it up and found out that turns out the noodle is a little soggy. Seems like 5 minutes is too long. Or maybe the water is too hot. Or is it probably this brand's noodle doesn't need even 5 minutes to prepped.

Ok and then Tuko used own chopstick rather than using the folded fork provided in the package. Stirring it makes the noodle soup really tempting to eat. The color becomes beautifully reddish.

 
 
Well after eating it, Tuko still prefers normal Indomie. This can't beat our local's hero. Tuko doesn't know how much is the price for this cup noodle. But it should be more expensive than the Indomie. Maybe next time Tuko will try and comment on Indomie.

Hermitage - L'Avenue at Menteng, Jakarta

Tuko was strolling the area of Menteng. Not intentionally though. Tuko was on the way back from a friend's wedding reception. After getting out, Tuko mistakenly took a wrong turn and in the end found this intriguing to see hotel. The name is Hermitage.

From the outside it's very nice. The aura of old classic but yet classy hotel remains. And it seems very exclusive since there's not so many cars parking around it. So Tuko decided to try going in and see what's inside.

Greeted by a very nice security guy guarding the gate. Walking through the security check was also being greeted by this polite security guy. On the inside, a nice traditionally dressed girl greeted Tuko and ask if she can help Tuko. So Tuko asked what's the specialty for non staying guest(s) here. She recommended to try the roof top bar. She showed the way on how to get to a quite a walk getting into the elevator.

But along the way we can actually be mesmerized by the glamor of classic design. There's a guy playing a grand piano by the hallway even though there's no bar or restaurant or anything to play for. The guy still plays elegant and passionately.

Reaching the top floor, there's a gym right in front of the elevator. Next on the right hand side is actually the swimming pool and a bar on the other end. The bar's name is La Vue. As the nice girl directed, Tuko gone up the stair next to the swimming pool. And Tuko was so amazed by the view from the top. This is not a high building but than the view was amazing. Jakarta by night, this is something you should all see.

Unfortunately Tuko was a bit late, and it's a full house. So Tuko can't hang out and order something there. Surprisingly even though there's area where bar stool can be put and more guests can sit, but they don't do that. Perhaps this is due to they would like to keep the area less crowded and maintain the nice ambiance atmosphere of the place. Amazing. Because usually any other restaurant will do their best to try fitting in the guest by setting new tables or chairs or even suggesting the guest to stand by the counter.

So tuko went down and go to girl again and ask what else can be done. She showed 2 restaurants facing each other next to the front door. On the right hand side is the restaurant with local food being served. On the left hand side is the restaurant with French food being served.

Tuko went to the French food, the restaurant's name is L'Avenue. The design of this restaurant clearly different from the other one. This has the aura of a fine dining and classy spot. Right after seating, the waiter asked permission to open up and put on the napkin on guest's lap. And then they asked whether is tap or sparkling water to guest's preference. Tuko went for the sparkling. After that they hand the menu.

 Looking at the menu, clearly this can be considered as medium to high class restaurant. Since Tuko just came back from a wedding reception with lots of free food, Tuko went for the dessert. Souffle Aux Agrumes and Valrhona Chocolate Fondant.

The souffle when served was looking really good. The souffle didn't rise really high though. By the time Tuko tried to take picture and getting the right angle, the souffle kind of sunk in and gets as flat as the cup's edge. But the puffiness is still feels so right. Even in the end Tuko can't get a good angle to take picture of. Cause the room's light kind of kept dimmed. Price for the souffle is IDR120,000 or around USD9.60.

And then the choco fondant is also being beautifully presented. The chocolate melts instantly poured out right after you cut out the fondant. The ice cream on the side will cool off the heated chocolate, even though it's not burning hot. The sour cream on around the fondant which was asked by the waiter to be poured by him or to done by ourselves taste so good. It tastes like passion fruit, but Tuko forgot to go ask to confirmed it. Price for the fondant is IDR120,000 or around USD9.60 too.

By the end of the day, the receipt came and Tuko was kind of surprise because the water actually billed into it's IDR95,000 or around USD7.60 each and by the way it's a San Pellegrino. Tuko thought it'll be a complimentary since the waiter asked as if it is. But that's not something to dwell about. Because honestly Tuko really felt good dining there. There's 10% service charged and 11% tax.

Next time Tuko will want to try the Hermitage Lounge, which served the local delicacy and the La Vue. But than please next time remind the guest that the drink is not complimentary.