[REOPENING] The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Plaza Indonesia

Hi Eaters.

It was a packed-up, full-scheduled Saturday for me since most of the food tasting invitations which were supposed to be held the previous Saturday had to be postponed to the next week due to the demo rally. I had to list amongst the invitations, which one goes after which one. Yes, this kind of situation feels rather difficult sometimes because I know there are quite a number of places I certainly don't wanna miss to visit, such as this one: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at Plaza Indonesia.

If you had never know any information about The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, well, here's a short brief about it.

"The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (sometimes shortened to simply "Coffee Bean" or "The Coffee Bean") is an American coffee chain by Herbert Hyman in September 1963, as a coffee service for offices. It is owned and operated by International Coffee & Tea, LLC, which has its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, California. As of August 2015, the chain has over 1000 self-owned and franchised stores in the United States and 24 other countries.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Indonesia was established in 2001 and was managed by PT. TRANS COFFEE which is a subsidiary of Transcorp since 2006. Transcorp is an Indonesian corporation which has large numbers of successful businesses in media, entertainment, fashion, retail as well as Food & Beverage while under the leadership of Chairul Tandjung. One of PT. TRANS Coffee’s core objectives is to be a leader in Indonesia’s Food & Beverage industry.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is introducing a new concept to our stores, which will allow customers to enjoy high quality coffee & tea drinks more comfortably. The first store which adopts the new concept can be found at Central Park Mall, West Jakarta on December 21st, 2011. Lotte Mall Bintaro soon followed at December 22nd, 2011 as well as Ciputra World, Surabaya at December 23rd, 2011. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf currently has 108 stores all over Indonesia."

I visited their new reopened outlet at Plaza Indonesia. If you have ever visited this outlet before then you'll notice that this outlet has moved from its previous place just not far away across. It's better, I think, since now the new reopened outlet has an outdoor area so it can cater better for customers who smoke cigarettes. 

The interior still as many other Coffee Bean outlets, offers a vibrant and youthful ambience. Though the place couldn't accomodate too many customers but yet I still think it's quite comfortable.

Besides taking a look of their fresh new outlet, I also had the chance to try some of the food. As you know, I am a die hard coffeeholic. And I certainly loved visiting coffee shops. Yet that day I didn't try any coffee (sigh..) but nevertheless there are some food I think were worthy to try.

Cakalang Roll - IDR 49K

This first one is the Cakalang (skipjack tuna) Roll. In Indonesia, this kind of fish is known to be cooked spicy. So hearing the menu's name: Cakalang, my hopes were expecting it to be quite spicy. But yet, the spiciness was fine. You shouldn't worry it'll burn your tongue out. The taste was on spot for me, and the puff pastry was also my cup of tea. But IMHO the price tag is a little too high.

Chicago Cheesecake - IDR 40K

This one is DA BOMB! Sooo good! Well, maybe I just said it out loud cause I'm a big fan od cheesecake compared to any other. But, to be honest, hands down, this is so soo good!

The cake is creamy, moist, and the cheese is soooo delicious!!

40K is so so so sooo worth it for this baby!

Teriyaki Tori Burger - IDR 65K

Burger with deep-fried chicken breast drenched in teriyaki sauce filling. This one tasted quite good. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and I must say the sauce is quite nice. But still, with a tag of 65K I was expecting more on the plate. Maybe some salad or french fries to accompany the burger. The Lays potato chips were okay (I mean, who wouldn't say no to Lays?) but to fit the tag I do consider (and recommend) more condiments.

Green Tea Cappuccino - IDR 35K

Green tea lately has become a booming trend (again) and I think most people do love green tea in their respective ways. I, myself, like green tea as it should have been. A bit bitter as it is, the better it gets. This one, actually, was a little too sweet for me. It's not my cup of tea. And frankly I always loved my cappuccino not to be sweet. So maybe this is more perfectly to be called frappuccino? Well, you decide yourself.

Deciding one's taste is never easy since food must accomodate many palates. But sincerely I think that food must stick to its origin.

In a nutshell, I do still consider The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as one of the spot to leisure and have a cup of coffee or tea. That cheesecake would be my ultimate prey if I should visit this place again.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Plaza Indonesia Unit L1 #102-103, Ground Floor

Phone: (021) 39838778

Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 28-30, Jakarta Pusat

https://www.google.co.id/maps/dir/''/The+Coffee+Bean+%26+Tea+Leaf,+Plaza+Indonesia,+Plaza+Indonesia+Lantai+1%2FF103,+Jl.+M.H.+Thamrin+No.28-30,+Kota+Jakarta+Pusat,+Daerah+Khusus+Ibukota+Jakarta+10350/@-6.1938413,106.7524525,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x2e69f42146feedb1:0xd965f31950c2f510!2m2!1d106.8224931!2d-6.1938459

Brewerkz, Senayan City

Hi Eaters.

I was invited to Brewerkz at Senayan City for a short course of "How to make your own beer". To be frank, I was in a full tummy condition that day, having been just visited another foodtasting event before. But that moment I thought to myself, why not just go ahead and come. Though I'm not a beer drinker, nor alcohol fan, but the knowledge of "brewing beer by yourself" got me pretty curious.

Anyway, let's talk a little about Brewerkz itself. I come to know Brewerkz from football matches. Yup, I'm a big fan of Chelsea FC and the Chelsea Indonesian Supporter Club has oftenly held a "Nobar" here at Brewerkz. So at certain time I would find myself here, wearing my Chelsea FC jersey with pride and mingled with other supporters to watch a Chelsea FC's match together.
Brewerkz is a Singapore's award winning microbrewery restaurant founded in 1997. In Singapore, it has already has 4 branches and now it expanded its wings to Indonesia, opening 2 branches, 1 in The Breeze, Serpong, and another one is here at Crystal Lagoon, Senayan City.

The interior was classy in my opinion. The usage of leather goods for the sofas, the dominant use of wood, and the dimmed lights really brought a comfortable ambiance to the restaurant. I like its kinda rustic look applied to most of the interior. This is the kind of place I would go for a long "me time". The service was nice and the waiters and waitresses were certainly super friendly that day.

It kickstarted with the bartender explaining about beer and then asking a frequent guest who apparently have succeded in making his own beer. Later then, they offered to try some of their signature beers. I'm not a beer drinker so this part will be skipped from my review. But it sort of looked like the other foodies enjoyed the beers. So if you're a beer drinker, just try and let me know then.

Let's continue on with the food.

Tapas - IDR 210K

A big platter of food to accompany your beer experience. There are Mac & Cheese, Calamari, Duck Quesadilla, Chicken Satay, Chicken Boxing, Chilli Cheese Fries, and Potato Skin.
For a price tag of IDR 210K I must say it's a great deal, not mentioning you'll get a wide amount variants of protein and carbs in one package. My favorite was certainly the chicken satay, which I think came with a great flavor and seasoning applied. But nevertheless, the others were quite scrumptious and tummy-fulfilling too.

Bacon Wrap - IDR 95K

Fried pork wrapped with bacon. This one was also quite delicious. The taste was savory, and the bacon complimented the fried pork without overpowering what should've been the hero on the plate. The dipping sauce was something special too.

Pork Knuckle - IDR 350K

My favorite food that day. I absolutely loved this dish! The crispy skin was super delicious. And the pork was soooo juicy and delicious. I loved the combination in my mouth when the crunchy skin blended with the melted juicy pork. Super yumm! A very recommended dish to try!

Overall conclusion, it was a very great lunch I had that day. Coming in with a full tummy, I just couldn't resist myself from those delicious food that Brewerkz offered, especially the Pork Knuckle. Gosh, its taste still lingered in my mind and really make me wanna go back there to have it again!
I loved the ambiance, I loved the service, and most definitely loved the food. Can't wait to be back!

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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Brewerkz
Senayan City, Lower Ground, Crystal Lagoon
Phone: (021) 29235788
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot 19, Senayan
Jakarta Pusat

Dolar Shop Resto

Hi Eaters.

I recently visited an unique hotpot restaurant located in the vicinity of Gajah Mada region. What's unique about it was that I could never think of it as a restaurant. Obviously some people share the same thought as I do. Dolar Shop was the name. Let me tell you more below.


If you only hear people saying the name of the restaurant, you will certainly mistaken it for a money changer. I, myself, thought that way when I first heard the name. But the name didn't came with a purpose. So the word 'Dolar' was actually derived from 'Dou Lao' in Chinese which means fishing and earning a lot of money. They eventually tried to find an English word which sounded and pronounciated almost the same like 'Dou Lao' and voila, Dolar was chosen.
Why they didn't use the word Dollar instead? Beats me..

So, Dolar Shop is another franchise from abroad. Macao, to be exact. Apparently, Dolar Shop is quite infamous in China and has already had 45 branches itself in the mainland. This one in Gajah Mada is its first branch outside of China.
Bearing the concept of hotpot shabu-shabu, Dolar Shop didn't go with the conventional way of serving a big pot on the table. Instead they served individual pots for people to experience different flavors of soup available. And the best reason of all is hygiene! With individual pots, you can rest assure that other people's eating utensils will dive into your pot.

The interior of  the restaurant was nice, clean and modern. To get here first you must take the elevator to the 6th floor and you'll find a vast dining area which can accomodate up to 100 people and also a VIP and VVIP room which can hold 9 and 15 people respectively.

Dolar Shop offers 9 kinds of soup for you to choose. Original, Tonic, Tonic Mushroom, Curry, Tomato, Spicy, Spicy Fish, Special Fish, and Tonic Fish. To accompany the soup, there are also so many variants of sauces to try. You can even mix and create your own preference of sauce from those available. Great right?

I've got the chance to try their Original soup which has a light taste, quite savory and delicious too.

Here you can also enjoy a wide range of ala carte menus starting from IDR 24 - 100K. You can also enjoy the choices of set menus ranging from IDR 135 - 175K. A standard price tag for shabu-shabu menu. But after you see what I had, you'll say it's so worth it.

That day I enjoyed one of their set menu, the Set Lunch C - IDR 175K ++ which consisted of:

• Soup
• Sauce
• Mix Ball
• Special Mixed Beef
• Fish Fillet (Dori)
• Mix Tofu
• Oyster Mushroom
• Mix Vegetable
• Fresh Egg
• Handmade Noodle / Steamed Rice
• Iced Tea / Hot Tea

This beef was amazing. I mean. looked at the marbling.. stunning! I really loved how juicy it was, even after being dipped in the pot. It really absorbed the soup and the succulent texture was fantastic.

It's great that Dolar Shop hand-made most of their food, like these meatballs and noodles. Let me suggest you to try their noodles instead of just having rice like your common shabu dining. The noodles were really fluffy, chewy, and the quality was just thumbs up.

The hand-made meatballs came with 4 flavors in a plate. Awesome! They were beef meatballs, shrimp meatballs, squid meatballs and fish meatballs. These suckers are just a must try also!

The vegetables were fresh! And for a price tag of 175K ++ they came in a big portion. Ideal for two to dine. I certainly loved the silky tofu. Super yumm!

Not all things can go perfect. Too bad the dory fish was a disappointment. It's got that bad earthy smell which didn't came as an enjoyment. The main reason was because the usage of local dory. But consider it as my bad day, I personally think this will be improved in the future. Not to worry, cause they serve fresh ingredients here.

In a nutshell, it was a nice lunch I had at Dolar Shop. The ambience, the service, and the food (most of it) were certainly satisfying. Their unique style of individual pot in my opinion is a strong selling point to those who chose shabu because of its healthy preferences. The place is also suitable for you who would want to have family dining, business gathering, or even just a nice lunch or dinner with friends. So why don't you give it a try and tell me your opinion.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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Dolar Shop

Apartemen Mediterania Gajah Mada, Penthouse TUD 16
Phone: (021) 6336880 / (021) 6336881 Ms Rosa She
Jl. Gajah Mada 174, Jakarta Barat
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 11:00-04:00; Fri-Sun 11:00-05:00