Sunday, June 25, 2017

Kudos, the Highly Affordable Homey Space

I wasn't expected that chance did bring me back to Kudos this early; the second visit upon my first one last year. Different companion, different foods ordered, and I did notice some changes made to the venue. It used to have the space for dine-in at the first floor, yet now it seemed to be transformed into book shop already. Nonetheless, this coffee shop was still as cozy as it was a year ago, and everything listed on the menu apparently didn't change much, in terms of the portfolio as well as the prices - still affordable as they used to be. 










Actually, this 3-level coffee shop wasn't that gigantic, yet I thought the mind behind the set-up was indeed smart in arranging the seating, making it having quite high capacity without giving the feeling that the cafe was overly packed even at times when the occupancy rate of the venue was high. Having various types of tables, from the communal ones to accommodate bigger groups to the petite ones for couples or smaller groups, it was a total solution to diverse needs. They even had sofa and outdoor space at the third floor, which would best suit those who wanted to spend longer time chilling and those who might want to smoke or simply sat at open-air spot, respectively. 







Not only the wooden furniture and the white walls; the tiny flower pots, book racks, and wall decoration did deliver that Kinfolk-ish theme in this coffee shop. The unique house-alike-shape when spotted from the outside, even made it look more like a photo studio or furniture shop to me, than a coffee shop. The additional thing that surprised me was the fact that the dining sets were personalized and shipped all the way from the island of paradise - Bali, to this city of shark and crocodile - Surabaya (PS. Don't get confused please since that's the meaning behind Surabaya's name. You might now get it why Surabaya's logo having these two wild animals in it. Another fun fact ;) ). 





Hot Cappuccino (IDR 30k)
It's pretty funny yet it's exactly what happened in actual that in Surabaya coffee shop, we're having the coffee sourced from Jakarta. This time it's the one belonged to the owner of the infamous Es Kopi Susu Tetangga. Yes, you got it right, the one that I guessed all Gojek drivers in Jakarta must know too well, Tuku! Besides, you did have the option to request for another beans coming from Yogyakarta's Kopi Ketjil by adding IDR 5k. 


My friends and I opted for the first, of which I actually wasn't a first-timer since my initial trial happened in Jakarta. Made of the same main ingredient, it was simply as good as the one handcrafted in Tuku's original coffee bar, aromatic medium roast one with nicely smooth after taste. You might want to go for double ristretto if you wished to have bolder coffee touch in your cup. 

Hot Irish Cappuccino (IDR 30k + IDR 5k)


Alternatively, if you did love extra flavor in your cup, you might go for something like me, extra shot of Irish syrup. I really loved how my coffee taste was still bold, well-blended and not overwhelmed by the sweet Irish. I intentionally picked Cappuccino instead of latte, just to ensure it's neither overly milky nor too sweet. 

French Toast with Nutella (IDR 25k)


I was initially surprised that this french toast only costed me a quarter of that red paper money with the faces of Mr. Soekarno and Mr. Hatta (if you know what I meant). Landing on the table, my question seemed to get its answer. The two slices of toast were merely given Nutella spread on top and sprinkles of icing sugar. I could barely feel the butter touch on my taste bud, neither was I able to smell the buttery aroma; the two most important ones I expected to get as the name did carry 'French Toast' in it. Well, this dish might still work for simple bread breakie, yet nothing's special and I did believe I could quickly make it at home *no offense*

Cookies and Cream Croissant 


So perhaps if you did love sweets for your first meal of the day, it's more preferable to go for the croissants, coming with several stuffing including this cookies and cream. The croissant itself was flaky and the stuffing was generous, just that instead of serving creamy custard-alike filling, it brought the airy-type cream. It might be the matter of preference, but for me this type was the okay one that's acceptable yet I wouldn't call it my favorite. 

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (IDR 45k)


Not really getting hitched by the sweet dishes, I was fortunate that I still had the savory ones to try. Starting with something lighter, this Eggs Benedict opened the transition between the two opposite flavors. Though it might need slight improvement on the Hollandaise sauce taste as my palate desired it to be more flavorful, the perfectly runny yolk and the generously given fresh salmon slices were entertaining enough. I could even say it's a good deal to make, considering what I got on the plate at this highly affordable price.

Shrimp Aglio Olio (IDR 35k)
Another option I recommended you to have when visiting Kudos is their pasta menu. Besides the portion was quite satisfying, they did provide various choices, both in terms of the pasta type as well as the sauces and the protein accompanying the carbo served. I didn't know the particular reason behind each pair of particular pasta and particular sauce made by Kudos, yet I did think the two I tried did make perfect match. 



Calling it as seafood day for the savory meals I had, I went for this Shrimp Aglio Olio, which basically served Fusilli. You didn't need to worry in case you're spicy-intolerant since this one wasn't as spicy as the common Aglio Olio. Nonetheless, in case you belonged to the other side who demanded this one to come in very spicy version, perhaps you might made prior request just to ensure your pasta was cooked as per your expectation. The highlights of the dish were this corkscrew-shaped pasta was cooked al dente, the oily and garlicky taste from the sauce was surely indulging, and the shrimps were served in crunchy and firm texture. Before I forgot to mention it, anyone who was allergic to shrimp shouldn't be anxious as the shrimp could be substituted with tuna *I saw relieved-smiles on some faces now*.

Lemon Cream Tuna (IDR 37k)
Feeling incomplete when having one type of pasta as well as one kind of sauce only, I gave a try to another one, Lemon Cream Tuna! Yes, as this was a totally different one from the prior, you could now have more reference in case you're more into creamy sauce for your pasta. Furthermore, this one was actually more interesting to me since I guessed farfalle was quite uncommon to be served. For you who might be even not aware of this particular one, it's the bow-tie pasta whose name meant butterflies.



Having lemon hint in the creamy sauce, basically I would say this combination was a nice mix since the heavier creamy flavor was well-balanced by the lighter and fresher lemon. The parmesan came as impeccable complementary ingredient as I believed most of you did agree that creamy and cheesy crafted such perfect couple. I wouldn't miss to call out the tuna chunks as well, as it couldn't suit the other elements in the plate better.



Overall, it's a worth-to-visit cafe and for me personally, I was more into buying the ambiance than focusing on the meals served since it's indeed the place that would be my main reason for coming back here. So final sayings, Kudos to Kudos who has been able to serve my friends and I with great place <3


Taste: 7/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 8/10


Thanks for reading! :)


KUDOS
Address: Pakuwon Square AK 2 No. 3, Surabaya
Phone: (+62 31) 9901 6791 / (+62) 812 4994 0948
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 10pm


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