Favorite Snack: HOT CHEETOS!

So, when I lived in the USA, I became especially fond to a certain snack, hot Cheetos. I remembered my first encounter to it was from the school's vending machine, it was the baked kind. I thought, well, it''s Cheetos, what could go wrong? As y'all know, in Indonesia, we don't have hot Cheetos. We have, cheese and roasted corn and other mild flavors. I was excited to try this American snack. I was pleasantly surprised! It was acidic yet spicy, so, sooooo goooood. And addictive. I was pretty heartbroken when I realized I could not find any here, and I've looked in lots of imported goods grocery stores. Until that day I was casually walking around in Kemchicks, and I found this piece of heaven!!!! It's tins and tins of Flamin' Hot Cheetos! I was so happy I basically squealed. It was pretty expensive though, Rp 48.700 if I'm not mistaken. My mom was being nice that day and I got to get a tin!! Tastes just like old times. Needless to say, finished the whole thing before three days even pass!

[BANDUNG!] Kaki Lima: Bebek Borromeus

Fried duck screams simplicity. But if you look deeper, there's a complexity to it. At least to me. Fried duck looks like fried chicken, but it's so much more. All I want in a fried chicken is nicely cooked meat. But with duck, my desired doneness includes moist, soft flesh, crispy skin, succulent, juicy fat, and crunchy bones. I expect more, because when done wrong, the meat will be very gamey, the fat all liquified and the dish will just be another passing poultry dish. In this unassuming joint, I definitely get what I want, and more.

That's it. Just white rice, the duck, some lalapan, and the plate of sambel tomat. It looks just like every other fried duck. I ate with my boyfriend Bram, who is obsessed with this place and planned to make me as obsessed, and he told me the first thing to do, especially for a first timer like me, is try the sambal. Just dip your fingers in and lick em. Boy, it was good. There's an oily, fried feel to it, adding to the savoury and spiciness of the sambal. It's not searing hot, just comfortably so. It didn't make me scramble for a glass of water, neither did it make my eyes water or anything like that. It has a level of heat that's, as I said, comfortable. Just right to put a punch in every mouthful, but not too much. 

I teared open the flesh of my duck, and can see, and feel, the beautiful fat beneath the crispy skin. Took some meat, skin, and fat, dip it completely in the sambel, scooping with me the chunks of tomatoes, put it on the rice and had a mouthful. I was speechless. Bram looked at me knowingly, fully aware that I was basking in the glory of his favorite Bandung street food. The fat and skin was so amazing, and that sambal, I just can't get enough. We were quiet as we plow through our meal, absorbing the thousands of calories we're consuming. Afterwards, we would sit in the car, glowing in the afterglow of a great meal, and couldn't stop raving about how good it was. 

Yes, it was THAT good.

This awesome place is located beside RS Borromeus, the sign says Syailendra. Serves other dishes, but the duck wins. Everytime.

[BANDUNG!] Kaki Lima: Mi Kocok Kikil, Jl Riau

In every city, there is bound to be a place spoken about like an urban legend. Word of mouth spreads like wildfire, yet not every person who has talked about it has eaten there. They seem to be discouraged by its hole-in-the-wall location, insiders-only crowd. 

Maybe I went overboard. But still. For me, this place is one of those legends. My cousins used to talk about this place, how a bowl was never enough, how no matter how many mi kocok stalls dot this city's streets, this one would still be the best. If I wasn't with my family, I wouldn't have the guts to go and order a bowl. There's something menacing about ordering food in a completely foreign place, where everybody seem to know how things work, except you.

My parents placed the order, and came before me a bowl of steaming, murky broth, accompanied with some noodles, sprouts, bakso, and kikil. I seasoned it to my liking, which is (as always) a generous helping of salt, vinegar, and chili. Absolutely no kecap manis. I mixed everything together, and tried the broth first.

Man. It was heavenly. For me, the beauty of dishes like this is its unpretentiousness, something I value highly. It's just food, honestly prepared. Steaming hot and spicy, the broth fatty. Every spoonful should contain some noodles, kikil, and sprouts. I used to hate beansprouts. But now, it's like the life of the party in my bowls of food. In pho, mi kikil, and several other dishes, sprouts provide that freshness, that crunch, that unmistakable fragrance of beautiful vegetables. You'll find your spoonful miraculous. That hot broth, the soft noodles, the chewy and awesome kikil, and that crunchy sprouts. In another spoonful, be sure to include pieces of succulent bakso. In between spoonfuls, grab a kerupuk kampung and sip on good ol' teh botol. You'll be full, happy, and find yourself longing for seconds.

This piece of heaven is located just by the Summit factory outlet. Unlikely, huh?

THE BEST BUNDLES OF CALORIES EVER: Martabak Keju Spesial San Fransisco, Jl Burangrang, Bandung

Martabak dan Bandung goes hand-in-hand. Udara yang sejuk dan martabak yang panas, gooey, super manis memang pasangan yang oke. Nah, pertanyaannya, dimana gue bisa mendapatkan martabak yang merupakan epitome dari semua martabak lainnya? Pencarian gue berakhir di Jl Burangrang, yang juga merupakan rumah dari bubur ayam favorit gue. Say hello to my treasure, Martabak San Fransisco.

Tempatnya sangat modest, tapi lo pasti akan melihat orang2 bergerombol menunggu martabak mereka selesai diberi sentuhan magic terakhir dari para pakar martabak teroke di dunia. Martabaknya macem-macem banget, ada asin dan manis tentunya, tapi sekaran kita fokus ke manisnya. Ada keju, coklat, wijen, kismis, jagung (?), dan masih banyak lagi. Ada ukuran biasa, medium, mini, dan tipker (tipis kering, in martabak talk). Tapi, superstarnya adalah KEJU SPESIAL. Harganya juga superstar cyin, 51ribu. Tapi worth every penny in every bite. "Tik, kenapa sih lo tergila-gila banget sama martabak ini? Martabak keju kan sama aja dimana-mana?" Salah! Martabak keju tidak diciptakan sama. Kalo ada kasta-kasta martabak, martabak sanfran ini udah brahmananya brahmana.

Keliatan nggak juicynya base martabak ini? Dan setelah gue perhatikan, untuk membuat seporsi martabak keju spesial, membutuhkan sebalok keju kraft dan buanyak susu kental manis. Terus saat udah dilipet, diluarnya dilumuri dengan a very generous amount of butter wysman, alias dewa-nya mentega. Bayangkan berapa ribu kalori. Lebih bayangkan lagi kenikmatan luar biasanya.

Yup, kayaknya kejunya aja satu senti. Ditambah dengan juicynya kulit martabak + susu kental manis + butter wysman, SURGA. Gue nggak tau harus menjelaskan gimana lagi. Yang jelas martabak ini enak sampe 3 hari. Di hari ketiga pun tetep nikmat walau udah keras. Tentu saja, best served hot. 

I'm really bad at ending passages, so I'll just say don't forget to stop by next time you're in Bandung. DO NOT FORGET. Or you'll face a big lump of regret in your heart everytime you read this post.

MY FAVORITE CHINESE: Din Tai Fung

I've always been intrigued by this restaurant. I mean who isn't, when introduced to the fact that they are one of the best restaurants in the world according to the freaking New York Times? I was dying to try them, especially after Bram told me that they have great food. So one night, I decided to go to the one nearest to my house, Pacific Place (where else? haha). My favorites are their Xiao Long Baos, gyozas, and mango pudding.


I knew they're famous for their Xiao Long Baos. What is a Xiao Long Bao? It's a kind of dumpling, with some broth inside it. I've seen them before. I've seen Tony Bourdain enjoy them. I've seen people in China slurping the broth happily. I didn't dare try them in China because I knew it was laden with pork and/or lard. So I was excited to try DTF's version.

(pic not mine)

I ordered the chicken and crab XLB. I read the directions on how to eat them properly. So, we are supposed to put one in our spoon, pierce it so the broth flows out, slurp it,  put a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger in the spoon, and eat the whole thing. OH MY GOD. Holy deliciousness, Batman! The broth was warm, silky and buttery. The skin was soft. The filling was heavenly, and the taste of the condiments complements everything nicely. It was SO AWESOME. Yes, I wrote that in caps on purpose because it was just so good.

Next, their gyozas. I can't find a proper picture :( I basically love gyozas, and always order them wherever. I figure if they have good dumplings, they must have good gyozas. And their gyozas are simply the best I've ever had. The char on the bottom is so crispy and gives a nice crack when you bite into them, and their filling is great. Their dipping sauce was awesome, very strong. I could eat 20 gyozas easy, because they have such an amazing blend of textures and flavors.


Save the best for the last! MANGO PUDDING.

(pic not mine, found it off google)

When they're not raving about XLBs, people are raving about how delicious DTF's mango puddings are. When I was there, everybody ordered one. Not wanting to miss out, of course I followed suit. It has whipped cream on top (extra points for this, I'm a slave for whipped cream) and a small shot glass of vanilla sauce. I poured the sauce on the pudding, and tucked in. I couldn't speak. I closed my eyes and relish the flavors. The softness of the pudding, the beauty of the sauce, how amazingly their flavors blend together....... It was almost a high. I was high of pudding, imagine that. I always say, "If in heaven there's a pudding, it will definitely be Din Tai Fung's mango pudding." I can't say anything more, everybody that loves mangoes MUST try this.

In conclusion, Din Tai Fung is awesome. Price-wise, they're pretty expensive, but everything is worth every penny. The other things I love are their tom yum noodles, fried rice with fried chicken, soft shell crab with mango sauce (Te Sate's is better tho), and szechuan beef noodles. You'll never go wrong when you come eat here. Because truly, if there's gonna be chinese food in heaven, Din Tai Fung will be providing it.

MY FAVORITE FROZEN YOGURT: Miki-Yo, TIS Square

I'm pretty obsessed with frozen yogurt. My ultimate goal is to try every single stall of frozen yogurt in town. One day, I tried Miki-Yo. They're just like other fro-yo places out there, their yogurt doesn't stand out by any means. But it turns out  they serve syrup with their yogurt!! I've tried their strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate syrups, but the blueberry is the clear CHAMP OF ALL SYRUPS IN THE WORLD. It's silky, light, sweet, fresh, and it complements the yogurt amazingly.

I love their presentation too when you eat in. It's cozy too, so this is my favorite fro-yo place in Jakarta.

A Classic Jakartan Lunch: BAKMI GM

This post isn't about anything adventurous or new. It isn't about taking leaps of faith and trying menacing food. It's about comfort food. And mine comes from Bakmi GM.
Okay, I have a confession to make before we start. I HATE Bakmi GM's noodles. I know, everybody loves 'em. I can stand 'em only when I have it yamien. I hate the fact that it's so thin and doesn't taste noodle-y at all. Hate on me, hate on me. BUT, I LOOOVE these two menus. They're so good, there's nothing that can come close in this city.
1. NASI TIM

Since I was a wee kid, my mom has been feeding me this, especially when I'm sick. It's warm, soft, so easy to eat, the rice tastes so buttery and it melts in your mouth, and when eaten with the hot broth, everything just comes together. When you're sick and you can taste nothing, you'll still taste the warmth and the softness of this dish. It's the DEFINITION of comfort food. This is even better than a huge bowl of Velveeta macaroni&cheese (my other comfort food). Satu kata yang bisa mendeskripsikan nasi tim GM: gurih. Gurihnya itu pas. Meresap di setiap potong ayamnya yang lunak, di setiap sendok kuahnya yang panas. Duh, pokoknya the best dish in GM.
2. PANGSIT GOREEEEENG!!!!!!

Pertanyaan satu: siapa yang nggak tau pangsit goreng GM. Pertanyaan dua: siapa yang nggak suka pangsit goreng GM??!!?!?!?! Kayaknya jawaban dari kedua pertanyaan itu adalah nggak ada. Tekstur dari pangsit goreng ini belum pernah gue temui dimanapun selain di GM. Dicelup di saos nya yang juga merupakan saos puyung hai itu, rasa asam manisnya pas banget sama rasa enaknya tepung digoreng. Dan prize nya adalah mata pangsitnya men. Dikala di sekitarnya digoreng crunchy dan super crumbly, ayam di tengahnya itu lembuuut banget. So moist. It's the best thing in the world. It's so absurdly good.
Apa yang kedua dish favorit gue ini have in common? Gue udah mencari ke pelosok2 jakarta, dan nggak ada satu pun nasi tim atau pangsit goreng yang rasanya mendekati. Kalo ada yang nemu, kasih tau gue, dan kalo gue setuju, gue traktir lo setengah porsi pangsit goreng GM.

MY FAVORITES: MAGNUM CAFE!!

So....I had ice cream for breakfast. hahaha yep today me and Bram started our day a little early to get a seat in Magnum Cafe. Siapa sih yang nggak tau Magnum Cafe??? Notorious for its crazy queue, people hesitate to go and try its magnificent delights. I'm going to give you a little introduction to the place where you're closest to heaven that you'll ever be.
Magnum Cafe awalnya buka untuk mensupport campaign Magnum yang gila-gilaan. Pertama-tama buka, antrenya kayak antri air di padang pasir. Puaaaanjang bener. Gue juga awalnya ciut. Namun, gue menemukan fakta bahwa sebenernya antriannya itu dua lapis! Lapis pertama yang nggak nahan adalah orang-orang yang mau dine-in, dan lapisan kedua yang seringnya kosong melompong adalah orang-orang yang mau take-away. Gue pun mencoba take away an nya.
Take Away: kalo lo mau take away, ada dua pilihan. Magnum ketengan yang kayak lo bisa beli di indomaret, atau magnum yang datang dari surga. Sekarang gini aja deh. Ngapain lo jauh2 ke GI cuma buat beli magnum yang ada di supermarket terdekat?? Magnum dari surga ini adalah magnum yang bisa lo kreasikan sesuai hati lo. Vanilla atau coklat? (VANILLA) Dicelup dark atau milk chocolate? (MILK) Lalu pilih 2 topping. Toppingnya ada dua kategori, King's atau Prince's. King's itu kayak kacang2an macam almonds hazelnuts etc. Prince's itu biskuit2/sereal, seperti choco crunch, choco rice, vanilla dan oreo cookies etc. Favorit gue yang sudah sangat tried and true adalah VANILLA COOKIES DAN CHOCO CRUNCH. Widih milk chocolatenya itu lho yang nagih. Gue sih makan 1 aja, kalo Bram yang beneran Magnum Mania, 3 atau 4 biji sekaligus. Kayaknya dia sangat cocok jadi maskot Magnum. He thinks it's more addictive than weed. Oh iya harga, kalo lo pesen Prince's, 20 ribu, King's 25 ribu saja.
Dine-In: Dining in Magnum Cafe is an experience that requires adequate preparations and planning. Gue dua kali dine in, dan selalu datang jam 10.30, sementara cafe nya sendiri buka jam 11.00. Hal ini dilakukan untuk menghindari antri yang amat sangat. Kalo lo berani diatas jam 12 ke sini, siap2 snack sama keranjang piknik deh, karena nunggunya bisa lebih dari 1 jam. Untung belom pernah. Hari ini hari Senin. Gue tiba jam 11 kurang 10, dan udah ada 2 keluarga menanti di depan pintu masuk magnum cafe. Jam 11.15 pintu dibuka (ngaret, I know, gue udah memberi mas2nya tatapan sinis abis2an), we're ushered to our tables by a costumed man that's pretending to be our royal server or whatever. They call us 'my lady' and 'my lord'. Hari ini, gue mengorder Strawberry Surprise kalo ga salah namanya, which is a stick of magnum vanilla ice cream with strawberries, bananas, strawberry jam or sauce, and dark chocolate, lalu Bram pesen Waffle Aristocrat, yaitu waffle yang disiram coklat dan karamel, dengan 2 stik magnum, plus taburan kacang dan sebuah puff pastry dusted with powdered sugar, dan untuk berdua kita mesen Fiesta del Rey, a chicken, cheese, and bellpeppers quesadilla.


(crappy pics are crappy, I again forgot my camera so these are pics I snapped with my crappy phone camera)
Verdict:
1. Strawberry: damn this dish is good!!!!!!!!! Perfect balance between sweet, sour, and creamy. And there's really nothing better than the best vanilla ice cream + strawberries + bananas + chocolate. There is nothing better.  When you lift your ice cream stick and give the dish a stir, it's like a soup of pure goodness and calories. Strawberry sauce is mixed with chocolate and drips of vanilla ice cream. God I can eat this thing all day.
2. Bram's waffles: my verdict: too much, too sweet. His verdict: "Ini enak banget!!!"
3. Fiesta del Rey: decent. This is because I've had way better quesadillas. Bram's verdict (he's never had a quesadilla): "Buat aku ini enak banget!" Jadi kalo lo pernah makan quesadillas beneran, ini biasa aja, tapi judging from betapa sulitnya nemu quesadillas di Jakarta, gue bahagia. Kalo belom pernah, enak banget.
TL;DR, MAGNUM CAFE IS GOOOOOOD. Magnum cafe dan Holycow adalah dua hal yang nggak pernah lelah gue rekomen ke sanak famili, dan biasanya they go hand in hand (Magnum after a nice wagyu is SO AWESOME). Anytime you're in GI, grab a take away. Anytime you have a free morning, eat dine-in.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PIZZAS: Y&Y!!

I think I only have three favorite places for pizza. Red Tomato for their HEAVENLY creamy mushroom pizza, Sopra which has AH-MAZING pizza, but I can't find good pictures online and I figure I should go eat there again before I write a review, and Y&Y, whose pizzas are TO DIE FOR. Yes I tend to use superlatives a lot in describing my favorite food haha this post is dedicated to two of the best pizzas I've ever had, Y&Y's Minced Wagyu pizza and Cheese pizza.

The wagyu is the part on the left. It's decorated with zigzagging chili mayo, and trust me, it's probably the best chili mayo you'll ever have.

That's the quite crappy pic I took of the cheese pizza.
Let's start with the wagyu. As you can see from my last post about Holycow, I LOVE wagyu. Suatu hari, pasien ibu gue ngebawain pizza wagyu ini. Dan gue jatuh cinta se jatuh cinta jatuh cintanya gue sama seloyang pizza. Pizzanya thin crusted, tipis, crunchy, dan wagyunya banyak. Kejunya nggak ngalahin rasa wagyunya, which is important, dan mayo nya itu lho. Oh, chili mayo, you've never tasted this good. Semuanya pas. Saat disajiin di restoran, ada lettuce diatasnya, kayak di cheese pizza itu. Semuanya membuat rasanya jadi pas. Wagyunya, being wagyu, lembut dan juicy, spices yang membumbui pizza ini sangat mendukung rasa dari wagyu. Tekstur, rasa, warna, semuanya perfect.
Cheese pizza!! Gue emang dasarnya sangat suka cheese only pizza. Dan weekend kemarin, gue lagi lunch cantik dengan teman2 cewek gue, dan temen gue Ajeng memesan cheese pizza ini. Gue ga ada harapan tinggi, secara cuma cheese pizza. Tapi saat gue mencicipi............daaayuummm. Tipis, crunchy, tapi kejunya sangat substantial. Rasanya entah kenapa lebih nikmat daripada cheese pizza biasa dari, say, Pizza Hut. Mungkin karena tipis jadi rasanya pas dan ga overwhelming. Apalagi kalo dicelup tartar sauce milik fish and chips haha pokoknya the best cheese pizza EVAAARRR.
Kalo lo suka pizza yang tebel dan fluffy, this is not for you. Kalo lo suka pizza yang lebih fancy dan lebih asyik, lebih enak, lebih segalanya, tancap bro!!!

photos aren't mine, found it off google.

MY FAVORITE STEAK: Steak Hotel by Holycow!

Wagyu. Potongan daging sapi yang terkenal akan harganya yang mahal dan seringnya bisa didapatkan di hotel-hotel berbintang. Wagyu. Sapi yang dibesarkan dengan penuh harta dan cinta. Wagyu. Sapi yang digendutkan khusus untuk anda. Wagyu, out of reach? Ternyata nggak. Enter my favorite steak place in the whole wide world: Steak Hotel by Holycow!



Holycow adalah tempat steak yang nggak gede, lokasinya ada dua, di Senopati (yaitu 3 menit dr rumah gue) dan di Radio Dalam. They sell cheap but awesome wagyu. Pertama kali gue dateng, gue pesen Australian Sirloin, bukan wagyu. Bumbunya emang enak banget. Kedua kali, gue tancap lah, pesen wagyu sirloin dengan saus mushroom yang memang andalannya. Gue sebelumnya belum pernah makan wagyu. Gue pesen medium well, karena YOU DO NOT ORDER WAGYU WELL DONE. I'll get into that further down. Gue cicipi lah, dan wow. Sensasinya!!!! Dagingnya super lembut, bumbu2 rubbing nya emang juara banget, dan lemaknya itu lho. Lemaknya. Meleleh di mulut lo. The definition of foodgasm. Once you go wagyu, you NEVEERRRR wanna go back to regular meat. Lalu, gue coba pesen wagyu ribeye. Dan gue lebih jatuh cinta lagi. Ribeye lemaknya terkonsentrasi di tengah, jadi lebih lembut lagi, tapi dagingnya lebih tipis. Saus mushroomnya itu kayak saus pasta alfredo gitu, putih creamy. Paling mantap kalo pesennya dimix sama black pepper. Gue hampir setiap weekend makan di sini, sampe mas-mas di Senopati udah tau banget muka gue. Gue ga pernah capek ngerekomendasiin tempat ini ke semua temen gue. I'm so in love with this place. Suatu hari gue pun sampe menang kuis twitter untung mencicipi menu baru mereka hahaha
Menu wagyu mereka: wagyu sirloin 93ribu, wagyu ribeye 98ribu, wagyu tenderloin 185ribu, wagyu rump kalo ga salah 75ribu, dan bergyu (burger wagyu) 30ribu. Yes, that's all on top of my head. Yes, I probably have memorized their menu and all the promos they have. Kalo lo ulangtaun, berbekal KTP lo bisa mendapatkan wagyu gratis, apapun wagyunya. Kalo lo ngetweet dan mention @holycowsteak, akan dapet tiramisu gratis while stocks last. Tiramisunya juga enak lho! Soft, subtle, sweet. Untuk minuman, cuma ada soft drinks, mineral water, sama 3 jenis iced tea yang bisa refill: green tea, blackcurrant, lemon tea. Gue selalu pesen green tea, Bram selalu pesen blackcurrant. Selain steak, ada potato wedges juga yang bisa dipesen.
Tips lain yang sebaiknya lo percaya adalah tingkat kematangan steak lo. Suatu hari gue mendengar Tony Bourdain berkata, having your steaks well done is butchering and murdering the meat. It dries up all the juices. Dan lo nggak mau kan lemak dan segala kelembutan wagyu lo kering cuma gara-gara lo pengecut ga mau pesen medium/medium well? Banyak orang yang pesen well done karena takut steaknya berdarah-darah. Sama sekali nggak. Medium well is so awesome. Ga ada darah, lembut, lemaknya lembut, pokoknya paling pas. Medium rare terlalu mentah buat gue, tapi kata Bram enak-enak aja. Yang penting jangan well done lah temen2. Sayang lo keluarin duit 90 ribu buat makan steak yang potensi maksimalnya lo bunuh.
Gue tidak akan pernah capek merekomendasikan tempat ini ke semua orang. For more info, follow @holycowsteak. Dan plis jangan banyak mikir, just go down to this place and have your first encounter with the beauty that is wagyu.

BEST DESSERTS I'VE EVER HAD: BAKERZIN

Akhir-akhir ini gue sangat sering makan di Bakerzin. Karena gue dan adek gue jatuh cinta. Head over heels. Tergila-gila. Basically, apapun yang lo pesen di Bakerzin pasti enak. Tapi, dessertsnya itu gue yakin turun langsung dari khayangan. Gue sangat curiga koki nya itu titisan dewa masak. All pics are googled, dan oh betapa menyesalnya gue ga bawa2 kamera untuk mengabadikan desserts cantik ini. Gue rela menyantap a few hundred extra calories for desserts as good as these. Gue punya 5 bestest dari Bakerzin, dan ini adalah urutan berdasarkan yang mana yang gue favoritkan.
5. Napoleon

Napoleon adalah sebuah pastry and cake hybrid, I must say. Gue nggak tau definisi pastinya, tapi yang jelas rasanya indah. Lapisan krim lembut yang tebal diantara crispy pastry sheets, yang diisi beberapa potong strawberries segar, dan ditaburi gula halus. Saat lo potong, kres kres the pastry crumbles nicely. Perpaduan teksturnya lah yang membuat kue ini sangat fenomenal.
4. Souffle (not the raspberry one, not the Baileys one, I totally forgot the name)

Gue mulai tertarik dengan souffle karena Masterchef US, lebih spesifiknya episode dimana mereka pressure test nya bikin souffle. Si Gordon Ramsay mendeskripsikannya sebagai dessert yang indah, lembut, dan dibuat dengan presisi. Jadi, gue pun memesannya karena super penasaran. Kepuasan sendiri banget memotong souffle ini. Lembut, ringan, puffy, spongey, airy, sweet, amazing. Ditemani vla yang super, it's quite the perfect dessert. Kata Ramsay, souffle harus segera disajikan setelah dibuat, karena 3-5 menit setelahnya, it will collapse. Dan ternyata, it did collapse! Nggak lama setelah datang, souffle gue mulai kempes. Tapi ga mengubah rasanya tentu. Gue akan mencoba souffle rasa yang lainnya next time.
3. Creme Brulee

Gue memesan creme brulee sehari setelah nonton Masterchef Australia edisi Masterclass bikin dessert ini. (Yup gue korban Masterchef, can you tell?) Yang gue inget banget dari episode itu adalah komponen penting dari kelezatan creme brulee adalah crispiness of the caramelization. Saat pesenan gue datang, gue mengetuk sendok gue ke lapisan atasnya, and it clinked. I got excited, this is just like Masterchef!!! Lalu gue sendok krim lembutnya, dan saat gue cicipi, gue tengelam dalam kenikmatan. I literally stopped moving, closed my eyes, and just savor everything I tasted. Wow man, I've never tasted anything quite magnificent. Krim vanilanya itu kayak versi lebih kentel dari vla nya souffle, dan rasanya itu nggak terlalu manis, dan krimnya nggak terlalu makhtekh, pokoknya pas. Buat yang suka vanila, wajib banget coba ini. Plis.
2. The Famous Bakerzin's Warm Chocolate Cake

Pertama-tama, coba lihat indahnya presentasi dari cake ini. Sebuah chocolate cake yang luarnya crispy, diatas seiris jeruk segar, diberi satu scoop es krim vanila ter indah, dikelilingi saus raspberry dan potongan strawberries. Gila, dessert tercantik. Gue punya ekspektasi yang sangat tinggi untuk yang satu ini, karena review dari orang2 yang pernah makan itu bagus2 banget. Ini adalah item favorit banyak orang dari menu Bakerzin yang cukup ekstensif. Saat gue belah cakenya, coklatnya meleleh keluar, dan aromanyaaaaa widih. Dicampur dengan sedikit eskrim dan sausnya, WOOOOOWWWW. Surga. Beneran deh. Es krimnya adalah satu2nya es krim vanila yang rasanya bisa menandingi rasa vanilanya Magnum. Coklatnya bold banget rasanya, tapi diimbangi dengan light nya vanila dan segarnya rasa saus plus sisa2 jeruk yang nempel di bawah cakenya. Just perfect. Ini dessert favorit adek gue, tapi kalo gue, ada yang lebih nikmat.
1. PANNA COTTA

That picture does not do this pretty dish justice, but that's the best I got from teh internetz. Gue selama ini mengenal Panna Cotta sebagai sebuah dessert yang berada di dunia maya Cooking Mama. Pasti semua orang yang pernah main Cooking Mama, apapun platform nya, tau Panna Cotta. Temen gue Ratih sampe nggak percaya bahwa dessert ini nyata, saat gue mendeskripsikan keindahannya. Penampilannya hampir sama sama versi kartunnya di game tersebut. Puding putih dengan saus merah. Saat gue mencicipinya, gue sangat kaget dengan teksturnya. Gue pikir bakal kayak puding gitu, with a jell-o like consistency. So wrong. Teksturnya itu creamy banget, dengan saus kental. Rasa cream nya sendiri sangat subtle. The softest hint of vanilla, in the most luxuriously creamy cream. The sauce is a thick raspberry sauce, sweet with just the right amount of tang. Kenapa gue memilih ini sebagai pemenang walau gue juga tergila2 sama Warm Chocolate Cake? Karena gue bisa ngabisin lebih dari satu porsi Panna Cotta sendiri karena sangat light, tapi gue belum tentu bisa ngabisin satu porsi Warm Choco sendirian. The lightness does it for me. Warm Choco terlalu berat, dan cuma enak kalo dimakan berdua atau bertiga. Kalo Panna Cotta, gue sih nggak mau bagi-bagi.
All pics Googled, definitely not mine and I am not takin credits for them.

FOIE GRAS.

Post ini didedikasikan untuk salah satu epitome dari french cuisine: foie gras. Apa itu foie gras? Hati angsa yang udah digendutin supaya nikmat. Karena gue sangat rajin membaca tentang petualangan2 idola gue Tony Bourdain (who is French and a chef in a French restaurant), gue tentu sangat menginginkan mencoba foie gras. Cara dia menjelaskan indahnya foie gras when cooked right membuat gue menganggap kalo lo mau bilang diri lo foodie sejati, lo harus coba foie gras. So one night I went to a French restaurant. Rive, yang berada di bilangan jakarta pusat (sebaris sama Ragusa). Gue kesana karena adek gue ngidam escargot (dia escargot mania banget), tapi much to my pleasant surprise, ada foie gras di menu!!!! Gue pun dengan nekat dan gegabah memesan.

Kira-kira tampangnya kayak gitu, walau itu hasil googling. Bedanya, di Rive ini, sausnya kental karena merupakan some kind of raspberry reduction atau mungkin sejenis demiglace, dan juga disediakan 3 thin pieces of toast. Gue pun segera mencicipinya. Dan, W-O-W. Man. Dahsyat. Lembuuuuut banget, teksturnya kayak lemak wagyu. Rasanya juga kayak lemak, tapi ada taste rasa hati nya. Gue serasa diteleport ke sebuah desa kecil di Perancis (padahal belom pernah). Gue berasa ada Tony Bourdain di depan gue lagi nyuruh gue untuk meresapi kenikmatannya. Tapi emang rasanya lumayan overwhelming, kayaknya gue ga bakal kuat kalo makan lebih dari satu porsi. Adek gue gue suruh nyicip, hampir muntah di tempat. I guess I should say it's an acquired taste. But for y'all who love fancy and truly good food, harus coba. Versi Rive nggak terlalu mahal, gue pikir harganya bakal mencapai 500ribuan, tapi kalo gue ga salah inget sekitar 150an kok. Dan sekarang gue dengan bangga bisa memproklamirkan ke dunia bahwa gue sudah pernah makan foie gras, and saying it feels damn good.
PS: di Rive, selain foie gras, yang sangat enak adalah baked escargot. tapi escargot paling enak menurut gue ada di Y&Y, kalo kata adek gue di Potato Head. Maybe we should trust her on this one, she's a total escargot-head.

Best Macarons in The Woooooooorld.

I love Singapore. It's such an awesome country with SO MUCH awesome food. I can go on and on talking about what Singapore has to offer, but now let's just talk about these little pieces of heaven: TWG tea-infused macarons.

Suatu hari, gue hanya sedang jalan-jalan di mal raksasa kesayangan kita semua, ION Orchard. Saat mau keluar cari taksi, gue menemukan TWG. Tempatnya cantik banget, gue yang udah gembel karena shopping sendirian lumayan terintimidasi. Terus gue liat barisan-barisan macarons warna-warni di dalam sebuah display case kaca, dan man was i tempted. Gue belum pernah makan macarons sebelumnya, and I was so eager to taste one. Dengan impulsif, gue pun masuk dan memesan 3 buah macarons tanpa tau rasanya sebenernya kayak apa, berdasarkan warna sama namanya aja. Gue ga salah pilih. Bener-bener lo harus berani ambil keputusan yang belum pernah lo pertimbangkan sebelumnya. Kalo gue ga melakukan hal itu, gue udah kehilangan kesempatan makan makanan indah ini!!!! Gue menggigit macaron hitam yang judulnya Napoleon Tea and Caramel, dan keajaiban terjadi men. Shellsnya sangat crumbly dan renyah, isinya lembut dan meleleh keluar. Rasa tehnya subtle banget, ditemani manisnya karamel yang wuihhhhhhhh enaknya. Plis temen2 kalo kalian baru pertama kali mau beli macarons di TWG, beli yang ini. Ga ada lagi yg lebih enak dari si hitam manis. Dan sekarang, gue tidak pernah meninggalkan Singapura tanpa sekotak macaron TWG. Selain di ION, ada juga di Marina Bay Sands.
PS: kalo lagi ngeteh2 cantik di TWG, jangan lupa pesan es krim creme brulee, karena tidak ada kata-kata yang dapat menggambarkan kenikmatannya.
Photo not mine, found it off google.