U-Thai Cafe & Resto, The Foundry 8, SCBD

Hi Eaters.

Thai food is always my favorite. Well, honestly, I don't eat Thai food that often or as much as I have been recently, but the resembling taste and the richness of the herbs and spices with Indonesian food certainly have become that factor that puts this certain cuisine on my favorite list.
Another FoodyID invitation brought me to try this Thai restaurant called U-Thai Cafe & Resto, located at The Foundry 8, SCBD. This is a food district I never visited before. There's always a first time for everything, right?

The design of the restaurant is actually pretty eye-catching. An industrial-theme with unfinished brick wall, wooden chairs and tables at some parts of the restaurant, and black steel chairs and tables on the other parts. For youngsters, this is a place that I think will suit their interest, but I think for families it's a little bit over the edge, especially for children since it's quite dimmed inside and the choice of music was more youthful than soft easy listening.

I failed to try some dishes that day, so to be objective, I'm not gonna review the dishes I didn't try. Here are some dishes I tried that day.

Nea Pai

Beef meatballs, beef slices, rice vermicelli, and steamed bean sprouts in dark beef soup. A good consistency on the rice vermicelli, perfectly cooked and springy. The meatballs were nothing special, but the beef slices were quite tasty. The soup was okay, I am quite fond with garlicky soup like this one, but still I think the flavors should be more bold. This one felt like it almost reach its destination but deliberately took a turn before finishing the trip.

Khao Cook Gapi

Khao Cook Gapi is truly one of the hardest Thai cuisine to find. Unlike other Thai rice cuisine, such as Khao Man Gai etc, the Khao Cook Gapi isn't always available on restaurants since it is commonly sold as a take away consumption.
The rice is not any ordinary steamed rice. It is stir-fried with shrimp paste so it has that light aroma and taste of shrimp paste. This menu has a variety of toppings, such as shrimps, chicken, mango salad, scallions, chilli, cucumber, and omelette. This one was my favorite. The rice had a nice signature flavor of that shrimp paste, the way I like it. The chicken and the shrimp were also tasty. 

Kaeng Kiaw Wan Nea

Anything with curry is my favorite! Yeah I'm a curry lover. This green curry beef soup is no exception. I love how it uses shredded chilli to give a nice spicy flavor. The soup was great, it's not quite thick and the coconut milk was quite savory enough. The beef was excellent. I would rate this dish as one of the recommended.

Gai Hoer Bai Toey

Thai pandan wrapped chicken. Usually this is one of the-must-order dish for me in any Thai restaurant. Slightly this one was my least favorite dish. For my personal preference, the chicken was too dry. I would like it to be more tender and juicy.

Tom Yum Talay

Thai's most famous dish, Tom Yum is certainly must be the number one pick in any Thai restaurant. Looking at that red-ish soup I would expect it to be spicy, the way I like Tom Yum as original as the one I have tried in Bangkok. Certainly the heat hit the mark there, but it lacked in freshness since I felt the sourness of th soup was a bit under my expectation. That main character which is the signature flavor of Tom Yum just wasn't there. But the seafood inside the food was nice and fresh.

Pad Woon Sen

Fried vermicelli sauteed with chicken and vegetables. I find this one pretty good. Apparently they treated every vermicelli dish in the right way. Nicely cooked and nicely seasoned too.

Khaoniao Mammuang

It's everyone's favorite Thai dessert. The infamous Mango Sticky Rice. Really loving that fresh and sweet mango! The glutinous rice was okay, quite sticky too. Too bad there wasn't much coconut milk given. It would be great if there were more coconut milk generously given.

Lukchup

This is the dessert originally made for Thai kings. Well, unfortunately I missed to try this one. It was all out as I came back from taking photos of other dishes. Too bad. So I can't really give you any thoughts about this dish.

Overall conclusion, U-Thai maybe has its ups and downs but I feel that some flavors were certainly more likeable nevertheless. Would love to make another visit to try other signature Thai dishes they made, perhaps the Pad Thai.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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U-Thai Cafe & Resto

The Foundry No. 8, Lt. 2

Phone: 0877 76630888

Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, SCBD

Kitchenette: Christmas Feast, New Menus

Hi Eaters.

It's another Ismaya's foodtasting invitation. And this time I got the chance to try some new menus from Kitchenette, one of the stunning restaurants affiliated under the management of Ismaya group.

A short description about Kitchenette, it is a homey restaurant with a concept of giving you the feeling that you're inside of a bestfriend's kitchen who happens to be a crafty cook.
The interior supports that concept by showcasing items you might see in a daily basis kind of kitchen, like cabinets and kitchen utensils. Unique right? Well, welcome to the world of Ismaya then, LOL.

Kitchenette called this foodtasting invitation as Christmas Feast. Indeed Christmas is the time of the year to be happy and enjoy great things, including food. And in this Christmas Feast, Kitchenette introduced 12 new kind of menus, ranging from appetizer to main course, from Asian to International food respectively.
Please take note that I didn't get the chance to try all 12 menus. Some were skipped, but I will try my best to describe those that I tried.
So what are those 12 menus? Scroll below! 

Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls, Minced Chicken, 

Carrots, Jicama & Chilli Vinegar Sauce

This appetizer kickstarted my day. Spring rolls are just like crispy small pillow filled with happiness. This one is uber good. If you're not familiar with the name Jicama, you might know it in Indonesian as "Bengkuang", the kind of fruit you might commonly eat in a Rujak dish.
Actually this spring rolls tasted pretty salty, but in a good way though for me. I kinda like salty food and I think it's still pretty decent. The whole package seemed right and I find this dish quite delicious for my palate.

Tokyo Style Tater Tots with Togarashi Spice, 

Japanese Mayo, Roasted Seaweed & Sesame

I always find potatoes best as snack. You know, the kind of french fries, hashbrowns, and even tater tots like this one. Tater tots combined with togarashi (the kind you find in takoyaki or okonomiyaki) turned out pretty good. A well balanced dish, with good seasoning, and the portion was plentiful too.

Enchiladas "Carne Molida" Baked with Chilli Con Carne, 

Jalapenos, Cheddar Cheese Sauce & Sour Cream

Picture courtesy of Jessica Gaby (Instagram: @jessica_gaby)

Haven't had much share of enchiladas, well I mean I don't eat this pretty often, but I have to say this is a good executed dish. It's got all kinds of flavors like savory from the chilli corn carne, a bit of heat from the jalapenos, decent saltiness from the cheddar cheese, and sour from the cream. It's like a party of flavors but the combination was all good in the end.
Anyway, I must thank my friend, Jessica Gaby, for this pic. It was a crowded event, and somebody seemed to took this dish out of those which were supposed to be the displayed dishes, before I can take photos of it. I suggest for that person to better wait more patiently next time. I'm sure the event organizer will provide the dish to your table. What you've done is just so unprofessional.

Oriental Chicken Salad, Kale, Grilled Corn, Cucumber & Sesame Dressing

It's got all those freshness and deliciousness a healthy food could give. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and those fresh vegetables combined with the peanut-ish sesame dressing was just excellent.

Spaghetti Albacore Tuna with Chilli Aglio Olio & Poached Farm Fresh Egg

A nice plate of perfectly al-dente cooked spaghetti, with spicy cooked tuna. Some of my friends found it spicy but I still think it's pretty decent. It may looked like so spicy with all those chilli mixed in the spaghetti, but the taste was delicious for my palate. Don't forget to break the poached egg and let the runny egg yolk drizzle up the spaghetti. Yumm!

Tuscan Chicken Leg Parmigiana Pasta tossed in Fresh Basil & Garlic

Nope, the green color is not because of pesto, but from basil. Actually the spaghetti is not green at all, but the basil oil just gave it a nice glazy green coating which is so visually beautiful.
Tastewise? It's tasty. I kinda like garlicky dishes (I always ordered my Ketoprak with lots of garlic, LOL) and I find this dish delightful. It kinda had that Christmas-themed color with the green and red. Agree?
The chicken was quite good, and juicy too.

Lasagna A la Nonna with Bechamel & A Hearty Tomato Sauce

Thick layer of pastas with abundant beef fillings and tomato sauce that looked like it's gonna sink up that lasagna. This dish was also nice. I seemed not able to find any dish that disappointed me up to this stage. The tomato sauce i think was the elevating factor. You know how it can get messy when you order a lasagna and ended up having the tomato sauce too sweet and it's too dominant and exceeding the pasta and the beef? Well, this one is not one of those lasagnas.

Classic Double Cheese Burger, 

Red Cheddar, Tomato, Lettuce & Pickles with Potato Chips

Nothing beats a classic. This burger is just oh so juicy! Look at that melting cheese! Who could resist that double beef patties which are drizzled in cheese? The patties were oh so juicy, like a tempation for my diet program, LOL. Well, enough said, I just got to wipe out my drool first.

Crispy Chicken "Cabai Hijau" with Hainan Rice

This one is pretty spicy. The cabai hijau surely delivered quite a heat to my tongue. Some of my blogger friends found it to be too spicy, but I sure as hell loved it. As an Indonesian, I think the spiciness was very good, and it combined nicely with the juicy and tender chicken. Btw, the hainan rice was fantastic.

Thai Chilli & Cashew Nut Chicken tossed in A Spicy Sauce 

with Steamed Jasmine Rice

If you prefer your rice and chicken to be not spicy, then opt for this dish. It may have the word "spicy" on its description, but let me assure you it's not that spicy at all. The taste was pretty fond, if you like kungpao chicken (my friend thought it tasted pretty similar) you might like this dish. It's more to the sweet and savory instead of spicy. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and I think the whole dish on the plate was delicious.

"Little Saigon" Grilled Pork Chop Platter with side of Vietnamese Spring Roll, 

Fried Egg, Chagio Dressing & Jasmine Rice

The seasoning on the pork chop was just delicious. On the other hand, I find the pork chop was not so juicy. If only it was to be juicy, it would have made a perfect plate. But yet again I was comforted by the delicious spring roll.

Wagyu Beef Brisket Balado with Jasmine Rice & Urap Vegetable

Save the best for last, the proverb says. Well, yes I did. This last dish on this review was DA BOMB. I'm super loving this dish. It is spicy, let me tell you that, but oh so deliciously spicy good!
The wagyu was clearly the star of the plate. It's so soo tender and juicy. I feel it was like melting in my mouth as I eat it. It was that good! Kudos to the Chef for such a fine execution on the wagyu brisket. I highly recommend this one, but again I warn you, it's spicy.

Overall conclusion, Ismaya has done it again. They never fail to deliver good dishes, and I think I am so lucky to be a part of this Christmas Feast. 
Again, this is a line of dishes surely not to be missed. Do highlight your holiday with delicious food from Kitchenette.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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Kitchenette

Plaza Indonesia Level 2

Jalan M.H. Thamrin No.28-30

Jakarta Pusat

Phone: (021) 29923580

Agendaz Beach Club, Nusa Dua Bali

Hi Eaters.

Dating way back to February, me and my partner decided to take a break from work, from the hectic city of Jakarta and go somewhere for holiday.
As it was also happened to be Valentine then we decided to go somewhere romantic where we can enjoy private moments away from anything stressful.
According to the book Eat, Pray, Love then you will know for sure (if you have read it, or seen the movie) that the part love was entirely situated at our pride island, Bali. A perfect destination for a short getaway.
I've been thinking about blogging my entire trip of Bali, but now let me tell you first of my first destination as soon as I stepped my feet on the island of god.
Let me tell you about Agendaz Beach Club.

Located as a part of The Bay complex, Agendaz occupies a vast area and stretches widely at one of the finest beach in Bali, Nusa Dua. As I enter the premises I was astonished by the large swimming pool in the center of the club, the purple-ish environment, a radiant view of the beautiful ocean, and by so many gazebos spread throughout the vicinity of the club.
It was a hot day and yet the gazebo was the perfect lounging place to avoid from the striking heat of the sun.

I can imagine this venue to be so alive by night with the massive sound system (even at day) and the huge stage used for hosting DJs and party host.
So why choose the name Agendaz? If you notice the name starts with the letter A and ends with Z, just like the alphabet. This referring that you can find all sorts of entertainment you need in one place, Agendaz Beach Club.

But I didn't come there to party. Nope, not indeed. It was still noon and I'm not much of a party-goer. I came there to eat. Most definitely. And to my surprise, Agendaz has a number of casual dining areas which serve Thai food. The Siam Kitchen of Agendaz serves up an authentic selection of Thai favourites, from soups, vegetables, chicken, seafood, and up until pork.
I was literally amazed since I thought Agendaz will serve yet another western or international cuisines like most of the beach clubs in Bali. Thai food seems to be a good option considering there's not much Thai restaurants in Bali (not that I know of).

But FYI, now Agendaz has changed its concept from serving Thai, now it serves Western food. But I still believe if they can make delicious Thai food, then the new Western concept is worth to try.
And again I apologize since this is a late blog post, which means that on my day of visit all the food I tried was still their Thai food, then this blog would only talk about those dishes. I consider it as a nostalgic moment. I mean, I am seriously missing their Thai food and really regret why they have to change concept. Hiks..
So here goes those delicious Thai food which I missed so bad.

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs - IDR 197K++

My indulgence kickstarted with this delicious dish. 4 massive pork ribs on top of Asian greens and drenched over by Thai BBQ sauce. OMG, I was overlyjoy to see pork. Bali is the perfect place to try many variants of pork dishes, and trying out pork in Thai BBQ sauce is a new experience for me.
The taste? Super delicious. I took a lot of time taking photos til the dish became quite cold but yet it still tasted so good! I can imagine just how good it will be when it's still steaming on the table. The pork ribs were so juicy and succulent. Yummy! I can literally peel it off the bone. The champion still has got to be the sauce. Damn, now I just wanna go back and have another portion! Too bad it's not available anymore.. (sobbing..)

Tom Yum Goong - IDR 85K ++

Coming to a Thai restaurant will not be complete without trying its Tom Yum Goong. For me personally, this dish is like a benchmark for the other dishes in the restaurant. If the soup is good, the others should follow.
The spicy and sour coconut broth had 3 huge prawns inside, and the soup tasted delicious. Pretty close to the Tom Yum Goong you'll find in Thailand. I truly loved the heat, though it was a hot day and the soup was quite spicy. 
I'm sure gonna miss this dish too.. (sobbing again..)

Agendaz sunrise - IDR 55K ++

An instant refreshment from the hot weather came from this fresh beverage. Really liking its citrusy, sweet, and relaxing taste. Truly an oasis in the middle of the heat.

Frozen Mojito - IDR 100K ++

As if the first round of drink was not satisfying enough, I was again indulged by the refreshing mojito. This one is a non-alcohol mojito, since I had other plans and places I have to visit. But you can request for the alcoholic version from the baristas at their Purple Bar..

The Vert Matcha - IDR 55K ++

It didn't look too dark-green-ish as matcha should be. Looks more like a melon juice, right? But I admit it's quite refreshing. A bit milky though, so the trace of the matcha was quite biased. 

Mango Sticky Rice - IDR 77K ++

A mandatory dessert in any Thai-serving restaurant. Who doesn't love the mango sticky rice? What I really (I mean really) like is the coconut milk. It's quite different from any other Thai restaurant I've tried. It's more savory, while the sticky rice was not overly sweet so it didn't overpowered the sweet mango. You know how it feels when the sticky rice is too sweet and so does the mango. I definitely don't want to get an early sugar-high. So this dessert fit me perfectly. Again, I regret that it's not available anymore.

Overall conclusion, I'm loving the atmosphere of Agendaz Beach Club. Its vast and beautiful panoramic scenery, its strategic location in the beautiful beach of Nusa Dua, its lovely interior, swimming pool, cozy gazebos, and wonderful yet impeccable service. 
Hands down, one of the best beach club in Bali. A perfect place to bring your family, loved ones, or colleagues to enjoy the sun while having fun in the water. 
One thing I regret was the changing concept of the food. I sincerely think their previous Thai food to be one of the best I've tried so far. But I'm also curious about the new Western menus now being served on the restaurant.
Maybe I should plan another visit to Bali and try them out. But their beverages are still up for grabs so you can try their delicious Frozen Mojito. Yeay!

So if you have plans coming to Bali, or if you're reading this blogpost right now and you are in Bali, then you should come to Agendaz Beach Club. Enjoy the view, the venue, the service, and mostly enjoy the food!

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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Agendaz Beach Club
The Bay Bali, BTDC Lot C-O

Phone: (+62) 361 894 8168
Jalan Nusa Dua
Kuta Selatan 80361
Badung, Bali

Opening hours: Mon-Sun 10.00–22.00