AH Resto & Cafe, Hotel Ibis Budget Cikini

Hi Eaters.

Back to classic! Indeed sometimes some things classic are just way better than anything else. When I talk about a restaurant in which I classified as a classic, it doesn't mean that it has a retro kind of ambiance or anything. Well, AH Resto & Cafe might be one of those I consider to be a classic since this place brings reminescence of my early teenage years. Back at those days, I often went here with school buddies just to grab a bite to eat. It was located at the now-standing Menteng Huis (as far as I remember CMIIW) before it is relocated at Hotel Ibis Budget Cikini.
Ah the good old days..

I find myself back to this restaurant, now to attend Qraved foodies meet up on a bright Saturday noon. To my surprise, the restaurant is now more modern in concept, more youthful in the way the interior was set up, and has more vibe since it now served coffee! Yup, coffee, you read that one right.

It excites me more that the coffee beans used were Common Grounds coffee beans, one of my favorite coffee beans. The barista was also quite experienced thus making the coffee more enjoyable. I truly do love their cappucino.

Though the restaurant is named AH which stands for American Hamburger but it is 100% local establishment and not some franchise from overseas brand.
That Saturday noon I had the chance to try some of their new menus, still revolves around fast food. So just scroll to see what menus did this classic restaurant offered me.

Spicy Fried Chicken - IDR 33,636 (with rice and Nestea)

Basic fast food dish, the fried chickens. Basically this is my kind of fried chicken with crispy skin. To be honest, well, there was nothing special about this dish. It was just common fried chicken you can find at any fast food joint. The seasoning should be more stunning if this dish wants to stand out. But if you like fried chicken the way you used to enjoy it elsewhere, you will like this one.

Double Cheese Burger - IDR 35,000

Burger with double beef patties and double cheese. This one was quite good, but for my preference the patty should be more bigger and the burger should have lettuce or tomato or maybe pickles. It tasted okay, but it felt like dry since there are no vegetables like tomato that would put extra juiciness in every bite. Again, this is my personal preference.

Spaghetti Bolognaise - IDR 22,727

What I love about this dish is that the pasta was cooked al-dente. The bolognaise sauce was okay, I like the thickness and the flavors were quite tasty, however it kinda needed more meat inside the sauce and maybe more portion of that sauce on the pasta would be great.

Original Hot Dog & Beefy Hot Bunz - IDR 18,182 (each)

There were two kinds of hotdogs: the Original Hot Dog and the Beefy Hot Bunz served that day. Original Hot Dog is just buns with sausage and ketchup mayo dressing, and the Beefy Hot Bunz is sausage with chili con carne. My favorite would be the one with chili con carne. As for the one with ketchup and mayo dressing, I would prefer (again) that the hot dogs should have vegetables inside, maybe lettuce would be a good option.

Overall conclusion, it was a nice brunch (is that what you call it when you eat at around 11am?) at this memorable restaurant. Surely back on my early teenage years I mostly opt for the steak menus but the menus I tried that Saturday shouldn't be called disappointing either. One thing for sure, they now got some killer coffees. I would surely be back for those.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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AH Resto Cafe

Ibis Budget Hotels Lantai 1

Ph: (021) 314 5342
Cikini Raya #75

Jakarta Pusat

Sunday Brunch at Rosso, Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta

Hi Eaters.

Kickstarted my Sunday with yet another Sunday brunch. Certainly a habit I won't ever avoid. Sunday is always a day I intend for fun, and nothing better than enjoying good food as an escapade from tiresome Monday through Friday hectic office stuffs.
Shangri-La Hotel, as one of the best five-stars hotel you can find in the capital, certainly was a great option for Sunday's foodgasm fulfillment. You can name some fantastic restaurants that reside at Shangri-La, such as Satoo and Jia. But don't forget their top Italian restaurant, Rosso.

Undoubtedly this is one beautiful restaurant to dine. Shangri-La certainly had a good touch when it comes to decorate. Well, I've seen the wonderful job they've done at Jia, and Rosso certainly was treated the same.
Rosso also serves buffet. Another choice for you brunch goers if you feel like you need another option to try at Shangri-La besides their well-known Satoo. But my point of visit that day was to try the ala carte menus which consist of 8 menus.

The Sunday brunch starts from 11.30 - 14.30. Prices range from:
IDR 490K ++ (includes mineral water, juices, soft drinks)
IDR 878K ++ (includes red wine, white wine, beer & prosecco)
IDR 1,378K ++ (includes red wine, white wine, beer, prosecco & champagne)

Without further a due, strap on you seat belts cause this is gonna be a delicious ride.

Uova Alla Franco

Black Bun with Poached Eggs and Salmon Tar Tar served with Truffle Hollandaise Sauce

From my first experience trying egg benedict at El Asador then my second time at Loewy, definitely have grown my love for this yolky dish. This one at Rosso uses black buns so it gives a nice distinctive color that contrasted from the plate. The salmon tartare certainly was seasoned nicely and the hollandaise sauce was delicious. The poached egg with the runny egg yolk was just perfect as you can see from the pics above.

Uova Strapazzate

Ciabatta Bread with Scrambled Eggs, Pecorino Cheese, Rocket served with Black Truffle Paste and Red Pesto

Another egg-y dish is next on the list. The Uova Strapazzate or the Italian version of scrambled eggs is served on a ciabatta bread. It was quite nice. Scrambled eggs always everyone's favorite, and this one was nicely cooked. The rocket salad added freshness to the dish. Overall a good dish, but wasn't my favorite pick of the day.

Uova Al Prosciutto

Toasted Soft Bun with Fried Egg, Parma Ham, and sauteed Parmesan Spinach

The third egg-y dish is this Uova Al Prosciutto in which the egg is fried sunny side up. So for the time I've enjoyed egg cooked 3 ways: poached, scrambled, and the last one was fried.

I must say that as much as I enjoy fried eggs, from all 3 egg dishes, the one with poached egg was the winner for me. I'm not saying this one wasn't good. It's actually pretty tasty. The parma ham was salty enough yet delicious for my palate.

Franco’s Panino

Focaccia Bread with Fresh Tomato, Rocket, Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese, served with Pesto Sauce

Nope, the name Franco doesn't relate to the actor James Franco nor the Italian footballer Franco Baresi. The name took its origin from Rosso's head chef, Chef Gianfranco Pirrone, the mastermind behind Rosso's wonderful dishes.

The flavors were quite plentiful in this sandwich. Sweetness from the tomato, a hint of saltiness from the cheeses and that nice savory finish from the pesto sauce really combined nicely. Even though there's no meat what so ever in this sandwich, it was still enjoyable.

Spaghetti Polpa Di Granchio E Acciughe

Spaghetti with Crabmeat and Anchovies served with Fennel Sauce and Spicy Bread Crumbs

You just can't leave pasta out when you're talking about Italian food. For me, personally, this spaghetti dish is quite delicious. I love the way the pasta was cooked perfectly, the crabmeat was seasoned beautifully. I think the use of bread crumbs is just brilliant. It gives a nice crunchy texture to the dish. The fennel sauce was creamy and delicious too, yet light and just in the perfect amount not to make you bloated.

Filetto Di Manzo

Beef Tenderloin and Foie Gras served with Sauteed Parmesan Spinach and Gorgonzola Sauce

Definitely my favorite of the day! Every component on the plate was just spot on. The highlight of the dish I think was the foie gras. Cooked beautifully! I mean, look at that gorgeous dark brown color. Isn't it lovely? It tasted as good as it looked too. The beef was nice, perfectly cooked and the gorgonzola sauce was just wickedly tasty. This is the kind of dish that sure knows how to pamper my taste buds.

Agnolotti Di Bufala E Pesto

Homemade Agnolotti filled with Buffalo Mozzarella served with Basil Pesto Sauce

It's fun to see how Rosso keep infusing pesto in many of their dishes. The agnolotti was also served in that delicious basil pesto sauce. The cheese filling inside the agnolotti is surely tasty but what dominates this plate I think was the pesto sauce. I think if the agnolotti wants to overcome the sauce then it needs maybe a meat filling.

Filetto Di Cernia

Grouper Fish Fillet in Mediterranean Tomato Sauce served with sauteed Mixed Vegetable

This one was also delicious, though I don't favor it as much as I would with the Filetto Di Manzo. The presentation of the dish was certainly beautiful, and visually will bring up your appetite. That sauteed mixed vegetables were a good addition as the side for the dish. The fish was so nice, it's tender and nicely seasoned as well. Combined with that tomato sauce base, the dish is bursting in flavors.

Anyway, Chef Gianfranco Pirrone makes delicious risotto. I tried some of that risotto on hand being delivered by the Chef himself. The best one I've tried so far.

Overall conclusion, it was an excellent brunch with 8 dishes that is just out of this world. Shangri-La never fails me, and Rosso is just another one that convince me that every culinary journey I take at Shangri-La is never a disappointing one. So thank you Rosso and also Shangri-La Hotel for having me. I wish you the best of luck always!

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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Rosso

Shangri-La Hotel, Lobby Level

Ph: (021) 2939 9562 

Jalan Jendral Sudirman Kav. 1, Jakarta Pusat

The Den of Kalaha, Sommerset Grand Citra

Hi Eaters.

Last Saturday I got invited to a foodtasting event organized by FoodyID. Well, it's been almost a year since last time I went to a FoodyID event, which was held at Oku. You can read the review about it here. This time the event is held at The Den of Kalaha, which is located inside Sommerset Grand Citra. And that Saturday was not like my regular Saturday. I've got 3 foodtasting events that occured in a slightly tight hours, but lucky enough the distance between those places were not that far so I managed to squeezed all of them in one day.

The place itself was quite fancy as in terms it is well decorated and mostly quite instagenic. I certainly loved the ambiance, the dominant-wooden-theme applied in the restaurant, and those swinging chairs in the outdoor dining area. It is a well-thought and 'well-dressed' restaurant. 
We were directed to the outdoor dining area where the event was going to take place. Luckily it was kind of a cloudy day, so it wasn't a hot noon and the natural light was quite sufficient to take good pictures.
And like many others foodtasting event, we must share the food. Not that I'm complaining, since this is not my first time joining and experiencing this kind of event, but I do think the food that was served should fit the quota of the guests though. It was like maybe almost 20 people (or maybe more?) that came and certainly sharing 6 pcs of escargot that much people is rather silly and absurd.

So this is going to be my most objective review, considering I didn't try all the components in every single dish. Yes, it seemed that I must do a re-visit just to get and to feel the proper taste of every dishes served on that event.
Here goes..

Mushroom Soup - IDR 50K

Creamy and fresh mushroom soup, served with garlic bread. This one was quite good. The taste was nice and I can certainly feel the taste from the mushroom and those cream. What I would suggest is that for the garlic bread to be served on the side of the plate instead of having it dipped inside the soup. Well, for my personal taste I would prefer my garlic bread to stay crunchy and to dip it myself. I also would love if the soup was more thick. Again, this two suggestions are just based on my personal preference.

Foie Gras - IDR 150K

Pan seared duck liver served with peach and red wine reduction. I simply loved the way this premium ingredient was plated. Unfortunately I only got the chance to try maybe just an itsy bitsy bite of this dish, and only the duck liver part too. I didn't get to try the peach or even tasted the red wine sauce. I simply can't give any objective review on this dish. But I must say the duck liver was nice and tasty. Don't know about the other components though.

Escargot - IDR 60K

Baked snail sauteed onion, garlic, with garlic bread. The escargot here was pretty nice. This is one dish I have been putting my eyes on since the first time. Yeah, I like escargot. Some find it maybe a bit gross but I sure do love the chewy and spongy texture of this dish. This one had all that texture and certainly its garlicky flavor was my favorite too.

Bamboo Charcoal Pizza - IDR 100K

Black style pizza with 4 different toppings: seafood, cheese, herb, and meat. So this dish was served in a portion of 8 slices, in which every 2 slices consist of a same topping. I only tasted 1 slice in which I think the topping was seafood. It's pretty good though. I like this kind of pizza that has thin crust, giving it a nice crispy texture in every bite. The topping was okay, in terms that it didn't wow me in a certain way. Overall it was okay, pretty curious about the taste of the other toppings.

Pan Seared Salmon - IDR 100K

Salmon with sauteed vegetables, baby potato, tarragon sauce. This is one gorgeous dish. Indeed the colors and the plating were so inviting. I'm so loving how they seared the salmon to a golden-brown-ish color that really captivated me. The crispy skin is another mezmerising thing about this dish. Overall this was the dish of the day for me.

Seafood Paella - IDR 150K

Rice cooked with saffron, seasonal seafood, and seafood stock. This one was quite good. The rice was nicely cooked and also quite fragrant. It's good that they stick to the root of using saffron to make this paella. The seafood was nice and fresh, and the seafood stock had a nice taste too.

Volcano Shrimp - IDR 110K

Grilled herb shrimp served with mashed potato, grilled vegetables, egg and hollandaise sauce. Well, noticing the name of the dish, I would expect it too be spicy. But nevertheless it didn't turn out that way. The shrimps were grilled perfectly. You can see that nice red-ish color that looked so intriguing. The egg and hollandaise sauce was nice, and it was in a good consistency. Surely making a good egg and hollandaise sauce is not an easy job, so I think they did very well on delivering it on to this dish.

Cutlet Curry Rice - IDR 70K

Japanese curry served with rice and topped with breaded chicken cutlet. For this dish, there is another option of meat you can choose, which is pork. This dish was okay for me. This is good, the taste was fine, but it's not something that again would wow the hell out of me. I feel that this dish still needs more innovation, because it basically just tasted like any other curry dish you can find at another restaurant. Maybe they should try other kind of protein instead of just poultry or meat. Seafood maybe?

Chicken Diablo - IDR 75K

Breaded chicken thigh with mustard cream sauce, sweet chilli sauce, and German potato. Another chicken coated with thick batter of breaded crumbs. For my personal taste, their kind of breaded dishes just tasted okay. The sauce was not my cup of tea. I prefer they only use the mustard only. But I have to say their condiments (the German potato) were delicious.

Overall conclusion, it was a pretty good restaurant to spend time with friends, colleagues, or loved ones. The ambiance is nice and cozy. One would just love to spend hours here since it is quite solitaire even though located next to a very busy street. The food has its plus and minus, but nevertheless it didn't disappoint me in any terms. Probably since I didn't get the chance to try most of the dishes served that day (or at least the complete components of the dish). Maybe next time I should make a personal visit to feel the maximum taste of the dishes. Care to join me?

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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The Den of Kalaha
Somerset Grand Citra Lt. G

Phone: (021) 29956848

Jalan Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 1

Jakarta Selatan