Wednesday, September 18, 2019
BOOST JUICE INDONESIA - GANDARIA CITY
Monday, August 5, 2019
BRUN CHOCO: BEST CHOCOLATE DRINK IN TOWN!
Ever since I posted about BRUN on my Instagram, miraculously until today people have been asking me questions about BRUN and tagged me their BRUN purchases, and I am super thankful about it, simply for trusting what I always recommend you guys! This blog is written to talk about BRUN in details while recommending you my personal favorites!
Some of the most frequently asked questions about BRUN is whether this is a local/international brand, how should I put it, well this is a local brand with international quality, they claim to use the blend of premium Italian and Belgian chocolate for their drinks and I notice first hand with my very own eyes that their hot chocolate is made from chocolate blocks with milk mixture (photos below).
PS: they have a few outlets in Jakarta but I went to the one in Emporium Mall, you can also find their outlets at Central Park Mall, Gandaria City, Supermal Karawaci and Living World!
PS: they have a few outlets in Jakarta but I went to the one in Emporium Mall, you can also find their outlets at Central Park Mall, Gandaria City, Supermal Karawaci and Living World!
I noticed they sealed the chocolate blocks with plastic, hygiene checked!
Now the chocolate block is the base for all of their drinks and it needs milk to dilute the intensity and make it more "serving and drink appropriate".
Their chocolate drinks come in variations such as: BRUN Signature Chocolate, BRUN Specialties (Spicy Chocolate, Coconut Surprise, Seasalt), FLAVORED (Banana Chocolate, Hazelnut Chocolate, Orange Chocolate, Peppermint Chocolate, Mojito Chocolate). Price range for their drink is from IDR 28k-35k.
I notice they recently launched this new drink called Power Pack Iced Chocolate with Rum, almost like on the go breakfast meal-drink for that boost of morning energy. I absolutely love this drink, beautifully creamy, the cereal starts off crunchy when freshly poured on top but by time softens when bathed in the chocolate drink, the rum was definitely there but didn't overpower the performance of the chocolate.
I tried some of their best sellers and I have to say I LIKE everything, none that I find myself disliking, strictly because I feel each variant is different, unique and tasty in their own way. I thought I would not like their pink salt chocolate (just from thinking about it) and turns out it's one of my favorites, somehow the saltiness from the pink salt blends so well with the sweet creamy chocolate, the peppermint chocolate is also good, it doesn't taste like this shitty artificial drink, it did give you this peppermint spice and aroma that I found enjoyable when I'm in the mood, but if you ask me to name my MOST FAVORITE, it has to be their BRUN Signature Chocolate, BUT the creamier kind, okay let's just put it this way, I am a classic guy, I love classics and their signature chocolate is indeed, in my opinion, without a doubt, for sure (awkay) one of THE BEST in town: it's so creamy, thick but didn't bloat me out, I can tell it's high quality chocolate from its performance and how it didn't left this weird texture on my mouth's ceiling, still had that enjoyable bitter quality, and the perfect amount of milk infused. ABSOLUTELY LOVE BRUN!!!
Just how creamy their chocolate drink is! All nature, didn't have artificial sweetener infused!
Some days, I am easily pleased, some days I am just totally bitchy and demanding, but when it comes to chocolate drink, I am easily pleased when it's done right, vice versa when it's a joke, and BRUN is exactly one that left that sweet taste in my mouth <3
BRUN
FIND ME HERE
email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com
Monday, June 17, 2019
XING FU TANG INDONESIA
More and more foreign brands are opening in town, and from what I see they have successfully captured the hearts of Jakartans from the long long daily queue! I, myself haven't had the chance to try Tiger Sugar Indonesia (hopefully soon), but recently I was invited to the opening of Xing Fu Tang Indonesia in Lippo Mall Puri and I felt lucky that day because I didn't need to queue and they were very generous in providing us with their drinks, I managed to try most of them and I am going to review them in this blog post!
Xing Fu Tang is a relatively fresh brand, originated and established in Taiwan, in just a short span of existence, they have managed to open branches all over the world, including Jakarta now! I met the owner of the brand on the opening night but forgot to have any picture together, but he was nice, outgoing and friendly! Xing Fu Tang Lippo Mal Puri is located at the LG level of the mall, not too far from Momoiro!
As soon as I reached the store, I noticed one thing that captivated me instantly: THEY MAKE THEIR OWN BOBA, and I do appreciate that because then you'll have fresh bubbles, and if they know how to perfectly cook them they will turn out to be perfect texture wise! I heard people waited 2-3 hours just for the drinks so I did have quite an expectation towards this one!
The main reason why I love brown sugar drinks is probably because this kind of drink is not overly sweet, and here you can experience the overall making process from scratch and all live. The bubble's made from the mixture of prepped dry batter, brown sugar and water, molded and cut into small pieces (PS: their bubble is slightly smaller compared to the common bobas you find on the market right now), followed by the cooking process, chilling and further cooking process together with the brown sugar! After that they will start marking the glass with the brown sugar bubble, mix the milk and cream in, topped with brown sugar brulee (torched) and ready to serve! Check out this video to match the visual you had in mind.
milk + cream
topped with brown sugar, then torched brulee style!
They are very good with the balance of the drink BUT you have to stir everything properly so each ingredient blend well together (they have this 18 stirs rule FYI but a formality because they believe 18 is a lucky number), the overall taste doesn't feel overly milky and sweet, but a tad less creamy that I expected, the brown sugar's properly given and gotta give it to the bubble because the texture, moisture and firmness was just SPOT ON! I tried their Grass Jelly Brown Sugar Milk and apparently I like that better than the Brown Sugar Boba Milk, not sure why but I felt the balance was just better with this combo.
If you ask me whether it's worth the queue, well I don't queue for food (or drinks), I am the "okay next time" type and willing to wait for the moment to fade a bit then jump in, so three hours for a drink feels non-sense, but if you are willing to do so that's 100% your right LOL, and if you ask me to name my favorite, my number one is still R&B Tea in Singapore and Kokumi's different compared to the other ones.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
TAPAS CLUB JAKARTA: ONE OF THE BEST SPANISH RESTAURANT IN JAKARTA??
PS: you know the drill, just because I got invited to the event doesn't mean that I would give positive reviews, review is always going to be based on my personal experience, and honest.
Let's start with the gorgeous interior, I love it! It's classy while still keeping it homey and overall simple, the brick wall gave this warm vibe that I love, not sure whether it's a Spanish restaurant thing or to built the homey vibe, but the red bricks, I mean, just fits the concept so well, and the other details on the leather sofa, the orange seats and all just screams class!
Rack of good Spanish wines!
I feel like I need to explain you guys a little bit about Tapas, let's just put Tapas as the Spanish version of Japanese Izakaya, normally dishes that's served in small portions and meant to be shared, the key is SHARING and normally people enjoy Tapas with some alcohol: cocktails, wines, Sangria, but if you don't drink alcohol you can absolutely drink it with whatever you want, no rules, feel free.
Sangria - IDR 125k/glass, IDR 440k/jug
OMG when it comes to staple Spanish drink, nothing is more Spanish than Sangria, it's basically red wine mixed with juice (normally orange juice) with various chopped fruits (apple, orange, berries), it might sound simple to create but to be honest, out of the ones that I've tried, the amount of wine and juice just has to be right, but Tapas Club's is actually pretty good!
Croquetas De Pollo - IDR 55k
THE MUST ORDER HERE! This one was so good that my table decided to order another portion (well not in a shameless way but after gladly offered by the restaurant's manager)! Their take of chicken croquette is different compared to others, apparently NO POTATO is involved in the cooking process, they use thick cooking cream and chicken, slowly cooked everything together until they turn pretty solid, shaped and deep fried! I don't get how the coating can be crunchy or how the shape is maintained when it's cooked (instead of breaking apart or melt), but anyway this one is MUST ORDER: you got the flavor (properly seasoned for me), the texture and the addiction later!
Creamy but not overly thick for my liking!
Tortilla da Patatas - IDR 55k
Japanese style omelette with generous potato chunks, it was good but not out of the world good.
Gambas Al Ajillo - IDR 110k
TAKE NOTE, another favorite of mine from the lunch! Another Spanish staple: garlic prawns! Oh my goodness this one's SUPER GOOD but really it's all in the prawns, if they're not fresh in the first place then the dish is failing! The prawns were so fresh that it's so crunchy and naturally sweet but cooked with garlic, olive oil and seasoned just beautifully that it's just spot on savory, salty and aromatic, I literally forgot the breads were there (heard supposed to be combined but I didn't need them! LOL)
I suppose, how you should eat it?
Huevo, Patata Y Jamon - IDR 80k
I notice that the lunch that day was pretty heavy on potatoes, which is a good thing ;), anyway this one is delicious, probably another favorite, consist of bed of moist potatoes topped with ham, soft boiled egg and truffle oil dressing! All in the ham baby, so fresh and so good!
#eggporn
Torreznos Con Trinxat - IDR 90k
Wanted to like this more but apparently I am not the biggest fan of sour cabbage, but the grilled pork belly was good tho!
Paella Mixta - event special size, but normally IDR 190k
I will put the review on what should be good in a Spanish restaurant: PAELLA! Paella is one of my favorite Spanish food and if it's done right, my fond level towards a restaurant just raises a few points LOL! The chef showed us the making of the giant paella, a lot enough to feed 50-ish people that were on the event that day! Speaking of Paella, it's a Spanish rice-dish with various toppings (normally seafood), cooked with stock and seasoned with mainly salt and pepper.
Their version of paella is... I think I am going to use the word "original" because it did taste like the one that I had in Spain, very lightly seasoned, maybe not THAT savory as how you would expect, but they cook it perfectly, the rice was nicely done, seafood's fresh and if you ask me, and since I appreciate originality and authenticity, I like it!
My concern is that maybe most of you would expect more seasoning.
Churros Con Chocolate - IDR 40k
Sweet closure to end the lunch that day and talk about Spanish dessert... CHURROS aka Spanish long fried bread! I absolutely love their churros OMG it has this gorgeous thickness and consistency, not oily (which is important to steal my heart), the chocolate dipping might not be as thick as I imagined but that's not a big problem for me, the churros alone was among the best ones in Jakarta. Period.
Pampered with food and friends, thank you for having me, last notes: Tapas Club is a serious restaurant (not like expensively serious), AND oh I was surprised by the pricing, it's just okay for Jakarta's hip restaurant standard, and they serve good authentic Spanish food! Oh fuck I am thinking about their chicken croquette now okay byeee!
Tapas Club
Setiabudi One Building 2 unit 103
Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 62
Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan 12920
021 - 5290 7135
Opening hours:
11 AM-2 PM, 4:30 PM-11 PM
(Fri & Sat closes at 12 AM)
Average spending for two: IDR 300k
Dresscode: none
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