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

TableShare, Lippo Mall Puri @ St.Moritz

Hi Eaters.

The area around Puri, West Jakarta isn't exactly the kind of area I frequently go to. To be honest, it's a bit far and the roads could be confusing sometimes. But over the last couple of weeks I seemed to be visiting this area quite a lot. Either it is for a birthday invitation or just a quick meetup with some old friends. It's actually confusing why they have to choose this area, but some said just to avoid traffic.
And just about last week I went back here again, to Lippo Mall Puri @ St.Moritz, to attend an event held by HandsInFrame at TableShare.

We meet. We share.
That's the tagline of this restaurant. I was presuming this restaurant is the kind of those that serve big portion dish to be shared. Well, some of the dishes I tried that day certainly came in a massive portion, but most were just single portion for one. We'll get to that later, but for now let's see what this place looks like.

I have to say the place is quite comfortable although the yellow-ish lighting is (never) my favorite kind to take decent food pics. Most of the interior are made of wood so it gave a warm kind of ambiance, but I think the music should have a more slow tune to match the soothing ambiance.
But enough of that, let's talk about the food.

Chicken Cajun with Butter Rice - IDR 100K

Boneless chicken legs marinated spiced with cajun rub and served with butter. This one is massive dish, and it could be share for 3-4 persons. For me, it's quite tasty. I like the flavor of the cajun seasoning on the chicken, and I also loved how the chicken was so tender and moist. The butter rice was quite good, though I hope they could make it more buttery.

Ayam Bumbu Rujak - IDR 55K

Grilled chicken with red chilli seasoning served with steam rice. So apparently this restaurant also serves Indonesian dishes. Bravo for that. This is the kind of this that's so familiar and surely will win my heart. The great thing is that the chicken is boneless, so eating is not gonna be troublesome. The seasoning was pretty good. I like this kind of bumbu rujak which is not too oily and in the right level of spiciness.

Sop Buntut Bumbu Bali - IDR 105K

Oxtail Soup served with pickles and emping crackers. Actually there is a soup that is a package with this fried oxtail but I missed to take pics of it. But nevertheless I did try a sip or two and it tasted delicious. The soup was so savory, it really was so good. But the real champion was the oxtail with its Bali seasoning. You know how Bali seasoning could be pretty spicy, but I think this one was delicious. The oxtail was so succulent, I can easily peeled the meat off the bone. Delicious!

Iga Bakar Mangga Pedas - IDR 100K

Grilled short ribs with special mango sauce, complete with rice. I only tried a bit of the ribs, but seriously I think it's kinda lacking in flavor. The ribs need more seasoning although it was juicy.

Fish Burger with Orange Caramelized - IDR 79K

Breaded dory fish burger prepared with orange sunkist, sliced cheese, lettuce, kyuri, mayonnaise sauce, complete with potato chips. My comment about this dish.. well .. hmm.. TOO SWEET! Actually I'm saying this not in a positive way cause this dish was not my cup of tea that day. The orange sauce was too dominantly sweet, it just sunked all the other component just as easy as that. The fish should be the champion, but it got lacklustered by the overly sweet orange, and the cheese was just like useless being inside a burger. It's like eating a candy stucked between two black buns. The good thing is the potato chips were not that bad though.

Miso Katsu - IDR 65K

Deep-fried chicken with special miso sauce, complete with poached egg. This one is pretty good. The miso sauce was nice, thick, creamy, and savory. The chicken was also nice, quite a decent portion on top of rice, and the batter was not too thick, so the crunchiness was just perfect. A simple dish, but it tasted pretty nice.

Meat Lover Pizza - IDR 75K

A medium sized thin-crusted pizza with toppings like sausages, chicken, and I think some pepperonis.

This one was quite delicious. The meat toppings were so abundant and so was the cheese. I always loved thin crusted pizza like this, so I won't get easily full just by a bite or two. The sauce by the way had a bit sweet taste, but I think it's really nice to balance the cheesy toppings and the savory meat.

Green Tea Pancake with Strawberry Topping

I fail to see where the green tea is located or even infused. Seriously, come on now, where's the green tea? Can anyone tell me? It's kinda weird to see a pancake named green tea pancake when I can't even tasted any trace of green tea in it. Maybe they should change the vanilla ice cream to green tea ice cream to betterly suit the name. But nevertheless, it's a good pancake, the texture was soft, light, and spongy, also not too overly sweet so the ice cream had an important role in elevating the flavors. The strawberry sauce was nice, sweet and a bit sour. Anyway, TableShare collaborate with Pancake Parlour for their pancake menus. So I think I have to ask Pancake Parlour this question: where is the green tea?

Well, that's all the menus I've tried that day. Of course there were some other menus, like Tom Yum Pasta and some other pancakes which I missed on trying. But I have to say for some menus, TableShare did a fine job in execution, although some may need more improvement.

Thank you HandsInFrame for inviting me. Hope to see more events in the future!

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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TableShare
Lippo Mall Puri @ St.Moritz - 2nd Floor
Jl.Puri Raya Blok U 1, Puri Indah
Kembangan, West Jakarta
Phone : (021) 22582756
Instagram : @tableshare.id