Saturday, November 25, 2017

SIKU Dharmawangsa

Elbow?? *Hmmm* If that’s the first thing coming into your name when hearing of this name, you might shoo away those thoughts as this was another ‘Siku’. Well, I did make my guesstimate only, but I was definitely more confident with this justification. In my thinking, Siku would be the representation of the position of the outlet itself, which was precisely at a hook located in Dharmawangsa area. Yep, if your mind had read it correctly since the beginning the way I did, it would be pretty easy to find the place since you just needed to go to the end of the road. 






Taking the hook was not a coincidence for sure, as there’s an intention behind that. Oops, or perhaps I should correct my prior statement. It could actually be either the founder did purposely take the hook to realize the concept I was about to tell you right after this, or because of getting the hook space then the founder invented this particular concept that you would get exposed to real soon. OK, no need to take longer time, basically the theme I kept talking about before was picnic ambiance, with the cafe providing a small green yard at one of the corners. Mat seating, short table, open-air space; the natural feeling which you might rarely have in recent days as people have shifted to the lifestyle where the entertainment places were mostly shopping malls. It’s doubtlessly a lovely concept, bringing back the strong boundary and high quality time. 







Nevertheless, for you who still preferred sitting in a full air-conditioned room, you needn’t worry as your wish was still the command here. You would certainly get what you demanded and even the indoor area was actually more sizable. The interior wasn’t less competitive to the outdoor space, with colorful homy concept. I did love the idea of featuring ceramics as it made the overall venue looked classy and elegant, while still cheerful due to the combination of colors. I couldn’t hold myself from snapping another one picture as each spot did have its own distinctive point. 



Not only the decoration that’s lovely, the service did deserve thumbs-up. Starting from the very first time you opened the door, the waiters and waitresses had been able to show their professionalism in greeting with warm welcome, directing to the table, and assisting with the order placement. Some recommendations popped up from them to give me a clue in making my final choice on what should be landed on the table. Having a studio at the same physical building, I did hear that Siku also served some Ketogenic dishes to satisfy the palate of the ‘Keto fighters’. 






Seafood Cakwe (IDR 48k)


Not few choices were provided for the appetizer group and honestly there were some capturing my attention, before I finally picked this cakwe. Featuring the ‘title’ seafood there and being valued with this price tag, I honestly expected more than what I saw delivered on my table. Well the batter was indeed blended together with some seafood like prawn particularly which tasted the strongest among others, but still it didn’t reflect that level of price yet in my blunt opinion. I didn’t say that it’s not good, as I did love how it’s being crispy and not greasy, and I did fall for the sweet and spicy dipping sauce. My only ‘hate’ part in this love-hate relationship with the dish was the fact that it’s overpriced. 

Grandma’s Chocolate Cake (IDR 38k)


If you loved chocolate as much as I did, you would surely be hitched by this particular dessert when skimmed through the menu. Yeah, it’s pretty much self-explanatory when you knew that it featured chocolate mousse, chocolate truffle, and chocolate sauce. It’s like 3-in-1 with all chocolate elements. 


When it’s delivered from the kitchen, my first impression (which might match to your current thought as well) was like ‘Oh it’s quite mini’. Nonetheless, I couldn’t lie that the presentation made the Cake looked tempting for me, especially that generous chocolate sauce and my other favorite ingredient, cookie crumbles, which’s there on the plate as well. 


Having the premiere bite, it was good, balancing sweetness and bitterness from its different chocolate components; but my fussy taste bud still expected something beyond. 

Sunshine (IDR 35k)
  

Nothing has been able to beat the cuteness of this mocktail. Called as Sunshine, I guessed it’s not only the color that looked similar to the name, but its gorgeous looking was such a true wake-up call. The glass mixed the common quartet of orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and macadamia syrup; but further added one extra ingredient, which for my palate immediately took the spotlight as the taste turned out to be the boldest. I wished this additional element of Kaya jam wasn’t only unique but also tasted luscious, yet my taste bud seemed to disagree. There’s particular smell that I guessed coming from the Kaya spread, which didn’t suit that well into the combination of other ingredients. If only I could have the rest without it, perhaps I would enjoy it at its fullest. 

Hot Piccolo (IDR 35k)


Having the coffee afterwards, somehow this cup came as the savior, serving medium to strong roasted beans. Though the after-taste was slightly bitter, but it’s still a decent one, at the level that’s acceptable to my preference. A bold and aromatic cup to satisfy my caffeine craving. 



In general, offering a cozy and nicely designed space, Siku hasn’t only added one more option to the list of cafes in South Jakarta area, but also has landed one additional line on the flourishing list of cafes offering picnic concept.


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


Thanks for reading! :)


SIKU
Address: Jl. Dharmawangsa X No. 120A, Jakarta
Phone: (+62) 811 522 0120 / (+62 21) 2277 6376 / (+62 21) 2277 6687
 Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 7.30am - 10.00pm


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Threelogy Coffee

It might be not precisely correct to call Threelogy as a new comer since it’s been months from the first time the entrance was opened for public. Used to only serve starting noon at 12pm, this place is now an early-bird. Providing such distinctive point (well yeah I would call it special since it’s very limited coffee shop did that here in this city of heroes), you could already picture in your mind that the place was quite packed especially early in the morning. 



It firstly got me through the design, which was dominated by clean and bright white. Entering the front gate, you would first meet the outdoor area with individual and small-group cement-based seats. For me it’s a great spot for awesome pictures supported by natural lighting, nonetheless sitting there wasn’t my preference as I guessed I might get molten just in minutes. Yeah, those who’ve been to Surabaya especially during the hot sunny weather certainly knew what I was talking about. 




Having said so, I preferred the indoor space, being full air-conditioned and was covered in glass windows so I should be no longer worry about the support for my snaps. The cafe wasn’t that gigantic and perhaps could be said as pretty petite with the capacity of 15 people max for the indoor area. 

Just like typical tiny-sized coffee shop, the bar table was right in the middle, being the center of business in the cafe. The interior was actually lovely, being very simple and nothing’s too heavy for the sight. 




When I was about to place my order, the waiter was so friendly trying to offer several options from each of the group on the menu, starting from light bites till the main courses. Just unfortunately, it’s indeed not much being offered there. Kind of disappointing, but when I was about to opt for pastries, there were nothing but the croissants which were sold as a set with the coffee as promo on particular hours. As the hours had passed, despite they still had the croissants and I was willing to pay for them, the baristas said they weren’t available for sale *phew*!


Cheesy Ham Toast (IDR 35k)


Though I still couldn’t deny that I was kind of irritated with the fact that I couldn’t order the croissants, I knew I had no choice but to move on. Well, tough choice to be made when you had to do it right away while all the options weren’t your first pick. Finally I decided to go for this savory toast. 


I was at first quite surprised looking at the price as I initially thought it would be the fancy brunch kind of dishes. Nevertheless, when it’s finally landed on the table, I could then tell why the prices were pretty affordable, and perhaps now it’s not that cheap since it’s a quite simple one with basic ingredients. Yep, the name literally told the stuffings, ham and mozzarella cheese. Great thing, the protein was so abundant that you might even barely feel the taste of the toast itself. Overall, it’s okay-ish for my palate, but it would definitely be nicer with extra flavors to balance the strong cheese taste. 


Raspberry Cheesecake (IDR 33k)


Being the only dessert option on the menu, so it’s the lucky pick. The presentation was decent and surprising at the same time as I’d never pictured in mind this would be the appearance of the raspberry cheesecake. I believed you did think like me, that it would be either a slice of cheesecake topped with these gorgeously red berries, or a slice of pink cheesecake as the batter itself had already been pre-mixed with the berries juice. 

Served in the transparent glass, this dessert was mainly mousse that’s moist in texture and pretty airy, so it might suit those who’re in demand for lighter type of dessert. It twisted sweet and sour taste so it’s refreshing enough to come as the closer to the dining session. I wouldn’t call it my favorite, but surely not a bad one. 

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 30k)


Going to the last one which I did think would be the owner of the spotlight. Not only because the place was indeed initially spotted due to its coffee, but also because the cup did prove it right. It was a bold-typed one that would give you an effective wake-up call. Despite that I went for cappuccino, the body was already strong enough and suited my preference well. The smooth finishing made it started great and ended awesomely. 


In a nutshell, the place deserved the try for their coffee, but for the companions (read: foods), I guessed much improvement could still be done there. It’s a nice space to stop-by and indulge yourself with the pampering cup of caffeine.


Taste: 6.5/10
Place: 7/10
Service: 6.5/10
Price: 7/10

Thanks for reading! :)


THREELOGY COFFEE
Address: Jl. Majapahit No. 46, Surabaya
Phone: (+62 31) 567 6650
Operating Hours: Sun - Thu 7am - 9pm, Fri - Sat 7am - 10pm


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Sunday, November 19, 2017

Oranje Juicery, where Being Healthy is Indulging

Hello to all the health-concern fellas out there! Well, I guessed nowadays more and more people moved into this particular group, realizing that it’s no longer a certain lifestyle or trend, but it’s something mandatory to ensure you lived your long life nicely. 


With this increasing demand of healthy stuffs lately, people didn’t stop till exercise, supplements, or medicines. They’re now craving for high quality foods and beverages as well, which didn’t only taste good on the palate but also bring goodness for the body. Healthy catering, diet menu, low-fat drinks, and many many more; just name it. One thing not to forget, the healthy cafe, the place I named to the cafes serving healthy foods and beverages. It sometimes came in the form that’s as simple as juice bar, but could also go much complicated, serving a selections of smoothie bowls, salad, organic snacks, ‘green’ wraps, cold-pressed juices, and smoothies - just exactly the option Oranje was taking. 



Occupying a hook space in the arrays of shophouses in Gading Serpong area, the space was a quite sizable one if you combined the indoor and outdoor spots. The theme was literally orange, just like how you called this cafe. For me it’s a smart pick since it did give the fresh and natural ambiance in the overall venue. The stronger element delivering the concept was the small yard located in front, where the cafe put several mat-seating for the guests to enjoy the feeling of having picnic and going back into the nature while having their orders. Unfortunately it was raining heavily at the time I visited so I did have to ‘say bye’ to that awesome scenery *deep frowned*
  

Not only from the yard seats, you could still spot the clear blue sky from the other open-air space, which was actually just next to the yard. Quite many tables for small groups were there, made it a great spot when the weather went friendly enough. 


The indoor one wasn’t bad as well, with long wooden seating at one corner and small chairs on the other hand. With the petite fruit-shaped bolsters decorating the seats, the place simply looked beautifully colorful. 



Oranje Lemonade (IDR 25k)


Despite the heavy rain, the weather was pretty hot and humid, making me craving for something refreshing. However, as I was already full enough, having had my lunch prior to coming there, I opted for something lighter and the cold pressed juice was my choice. There were actually quite many variants mentioned on the menu, but the available ones were limited *frowned*. Yeah, only those displayed on the fridge, which if I recalled correctly not even more than 5 kinds. 


My choice then fell to one of the most mainstream as the other I did want to try wasn’t there. Like typical lemonade, Oranje’s version featured lemon and sugar, but it added another ingredient to make it more special, which was the Himalayan salt. This ‘extra bonus’ did work for my palate as I enjoyed that salty hint in the fresh beverage. Perhaps if they could provide the variant with less or no sugar, I would be even more delighted since this one was slightly too sweet for me. 

Berry Sunrise (IDR 45k)


In the mood for clean eating? Your desire would completely be served here. The size might look petite in picture, but wait till you had it yourself. These mini bowls were fulfilling enough as the mixture of ingredients was indeed not light one. It might take quite some time for them to prepare all the orders, so do expect quite long wait especially if you come in bigger-sized group and order different meals. 


Starting from the general one, Acai bowl! Oranje’s version was actually pretty rich as it’s not merely acai with other berries, but they did feature banana and pineapple being blended together with the main actor. On top, then you would get your quadruple happiness from the granola, coconut flakes, almond, and fresh apple slices. It’s a nice play of texture as the toppings were pleasantly crunchy. They did add extra sweetness to the overall bowl, but still at decent level. 


Tropical Mango (IDR 38k)


Stepping up to a more peculiar one, which you might be rarely meet or even never meet in other places selling similar foods. Pretty similar with the previous ones in terms of the complementary components as this one did use banana and pineapple in the mix, but differentiated by the main one as this time it’s the tropical fella - mango, as the substitute to acai. Still had granola, almond, and coconut flakes as the toppings for sure; however this bowl’s tropical name wasn’t only represented merely by mango (both the smoothies and the diced-cut ones). It did give you much more than that with extra coconut flesh, coconut milk, and star fruit! Yesss you heard it right guys, a super generous bowl with overflowing elements inside to ensure your tummy got its peak of prosperity. 


Cut the long story short, I would say that this place was worthy to be visited, especially if you were kind of struggling to find the place serving luscious healthy food at affordable price. One note, no blame on me for addiction ;) . For myself, I would definitely go back to try their wraps, rice bowls, and all the rest!

Taste: 7.5/10
Place: 7.5/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 7.5/10


Thanks for reading! :)


ORANJE JUICERY
Address: Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara, Ruko Golden 8 Blok I No. 22, Gading Serpong, Tangerang
Phone: (+62) 877 1101 3338
Operating Hours: Mon - Sat 7.30am - 8pm, Sun 7.30am - 6pm