Beside coffee shops, another trending food in Jakarta is definitely "Ramen", I feel like noticing new brands and branches opening here and there it's almost like you can't get enough and me personally, I want to try each and every single brand!

Got invited to try out some of the creations of Kazan Ramen at its first ever outlet in Indonesia located in Food Avenue, Lotte Shopping Avenue Jakarta. This particular outlet applied the 'express' concept, technically it's located in a food court but CLEARLY you can't just underrate the food at the food courts and I'm getting there very soon.

For an outlet located in a food court, Kazan Ramen Express had a pretty spacious kitchen station, it's an open kitchen so you can see the whole production process, nothing to hide!

The red pails were used to pour the soup.
The cooking process and the presentation of the ramen served in Kazan Ramen Express was slightly more different than those I have had so far. As you can see below, they're using HOT POT (HOT STONE) as the bowl instead of the common ceramic bowls. The hot stone pot is heated until it reaches 300 degree celcius to keep the soup searing hot and remain warm until the approximate time for customers to finish a bowl.

After it reaches around 300 degrees, the noodle's inserted along with some other vegetables. I love the fact that they're using thin noodle (that's my favorite form right there), the yellow noodle generally had a lovely texture of consistency, it was slightly chewier than those I had in some other places.


Pour glory pour!
They have two soup base: vegetable broth or savory broth (meat: chicken or pork).
 "Kazan" itself means 'volcano' in english an it's clearly the reflection of the presentation because the serving concept is the volcano look-a-like from the red steel cover with a hole in the middle as the way for the smoke to blow out. Clearly a unique presentation.

When it comes to food, I am clearly someone who is a little more captious because I always want my food to be broiling hot, especially soups! I was more than thrilled to know that my food (ramen) was served in a hot stone pot that you clearly don't want to touch or you'll get serious hand injury...logic! I accidentally touch the freaking hot stone pot when I was taking pictures.

Look at those filthy delicious boiling soup! Such a foodporn.


The kind peeps from Kazan Ramen Express gave me not only one but four different variants of ramen to dig in, but the pleasure didn't stop there, I also got the chance to try out some of their appetizers and desserts. I was seriously pleasant and touched for their kindness *wipe tears*. I took Aline to gorge with me, imagine having THAT MUCH food just for myself, I'd probably be a fed up baboon, so thanks Aline for accompanying me!

Let's start with appetizers!

Boiled Egg
IDR 9,8k
The boiled egg (tamago) had a pretty nice texture and consistency overall even though I was expecting the inner yolk to be a little more runny.

Japanese Fried Chicken
IDR 9,8k
Now this I love! This was actually being served like a chicken skewer and one skewer contains of two Japanese Fried Chickens. The meat was juicy and tender, the coating was not exactly crispy but I didn't find it as problem.

Fried Dumplings
IDR 24,8k
The fried dumplings also had a lovely filling, pretty generous yet with juicy meat and proper seasoning. I just found the skin to be a little thin for the wrapping, they should've made a thicker version and chewier consistency.


Tori Kazan Shoyu
IDR 49,8k
Before I start explaining more about the ramens, I want you to take away all those imaginations out of your brain if you were expecting the flavor to be like those common and 'popular' brands like Hakata Ikkhousa, Ikkudo, Tsurukamedou, Marutama, Santouka because this ain't those and it had its own uniqueness.

I honestly first thought and expected the flavor to be like those I mentioned above, but here I learn that you shouldn't expect and let yourself in to what the restaurants serve you and you can judge later. The soup was a little light in both consistency and flavor if you have it alone but as soon as you mix everything on the hot stone pot together, it started to mix with the seasoning (which apparently hidden somewhere underneath the noodle stack) and the consistency of the soup started to get thicker and thicker and also milkier (guessing also from the cooking noodle). The longer you have this, the better the flavor! The soup had this overall chicken broth flavor with soysauce, it's just gloriously yummy if I have to put it short! The chicken was also tender but I don't know if you like having the chicken that way or shredded.

A little early to decide but from the four served, this was my most favorite!



Tori Kazan Karamiso
IDR 49,8k
If the previous ramen was using 'shoyu' as the soup base, then this one used 'miso' as their base along with the broth from chicken. The flavor was slightly richer and bolder than Tori Kazan Shoyu as well as milkier with a little hint of nutty flavor. The flavor was slightly different because I guess this one was a little spicier and more complex but in a fun delicious way. A portion of this also including spicy minced chicken. This happened to be Aline's favorite because she's very into spicy food.


Tori Kazan Shio
IDR 49,8k
A little recap and knowledge sharing... "shoyu" means using soy sauce, "miso" is a little hard to explain because the flavor was a little more complex but freaking yummy: a little bean flavor, tangy, milky, thick or simply what most Tonkotsu ramen preferred to use and "shio" is easily described as salt. Yes, this following ramen used chicken broth and salt as the soup base, clearly the consistency and flavor was probably the lightest, but I found it quite impressive that the color of the soup was not 'clear' as those I've seen almost everywhere, it's in fact white milk color.



Tori Kazan Curry
IDR 54,8k
Appearance wise, this was probably one of the most tempting but when I had the first sip of the soup, I knew exactly that the soup needed a little more kick, it was not exactly bad but I found it to be a little curry flavor lacking and a little basic seasoning additional would do.



I must confess that I was not crazy enough to finish all those four, the last two I just tried a little and then done, at the same time I am happy because I eventually found out that my stomach is not a bottomless pit.

Next, desserts!

For the desserts, we were happily presented with their signature Cold Stone ice creams! I mistaken the desserts because I thought that "Cold Stone" was actually the name of a famous ice cream brand but in fact they're using cold stone pot as the plate! They must have a lot of stone pots!

all three sold for IDR 29,8k and they all had mini cookies LOL!
Banana Chocolate
Told you a zillion times that Banana and Chocolate are almost impossible to go wrong and this was another living prove! Hands down, my favorite out of the three, the ice cream had a nice vanilla flavor and amazing consistency! Thanks to the cold stone pot, the ice cream remained cold and hard even though it took us tenths of minutes to finish this (we were really full). Highly recommended!


Strawberry Milk
This was also another decent one but the previous one stole my heart from the very first scoop. I noticed they're using milk here so I didn't have that much of this, but I definitely tried one scoop and the milk flavor was still tolerable, but if you love milk then you gotta love this one a lot better than I did.


Caramel Peach
The caramel sauce made this ice cream to taste even milkier so it had to be my least favorite for personal reasons, but I appreciate the generous amount of big chunks peach given there!

In a nutshell, visiting Kazan Ramen Express left a pretty good impression at my heart, I was thrilled by their food, the humble service and definitely their uniqueness. I warned you before that if you expected and are more used to the flavor like those miso-based thick savory pork broth like the brands I mentioned before (see above) then you might find yourself trying to understand, but I do LOVE this, to try food and expanding your food encyclopedia wouldn't hurt afterall!

THANK YOU KAZAN RAMEN EXPRESS JAKARTA FOR THE AMAZING DINNER!

Kazan Ramen Express Jakarta
Food Avenue, Lotte Shopping Avenue Jakarta (4th fl) unit FCS-03
Jl. Prof Dr. Satrio Kav. 3-5
Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12940
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM


The coffee shop scene in Jakarta has been growing rapidly and for a coffee enthusiast like me, it has been really-really fun, and a new coffee joint/kopitiam is now opening, brewing and feeding y'all hungry tummy, give it up for the new 'baby': Koffie Warung Tinggi a/h Tek Soen Hoo!

This particular coffee shop claimed itself to be one of the most legendary coffee shops in Jakarta and has been on the scene since 1878, frankly speaking I just knew this, probably because of its placement in the more happening and famous area like Grand Indonesia shopping mall. Koffie Warung Tinggi is being organized under the Opco group which by the way also managed some famous names like Yellowfin, Portico, Stark Bierhaus, Domain and many more.

Koffie Warung Tinggi is actually pretty spacious with dark colors and dim light all over the cafe, I noticed it didn't have any separation between the smoking and non-smoking area which sort of unfortunate for me, but I would say that how they set the seating and the ambiance of the room was pretty convenient, plus I noticed they had pretty good Wi-Fi connection, there's a thing with Wi-Fi connection lately, honestly, I am such a sucker for internet connection, it's almost like everytime I noticed a cafe without Wi-Fi I would skip. I know that sounded so lame but I just need wi-fi okay! Don't tell me you don't open your social medias or doing your business even when you're eating, it's like the biggest lie ever.



I didn't order that much, but I think you know how "my not much" is not much ;).

Beside coffee as the main star, they also had range of appetizers, main courses (Indonesian-Dutch-Chinese), mocktails and desserts for you to choose. I ordered their peach ice tea (IDR 32k), hot tea (IDR 28k), and one plate of Nasi Uduk (IDR 48k). Okay, the peach tea was pretty refreshing and fragrant but I guess you know the measurement of how good ice tea can be right, their hot tea was exactly...how tea tasted like (-.-), it's available in some flavors that you can choose depending on your preference and they're refillable (hot water). Their version of Nasi Uduk was pretty good along with the distrubing nice fragrance and appetizing look, but I guess if they push the kick from the seasoning of Nasi Uduk, that would be better, you know the feeling when you're reaching 80% of the food climax and went "uh...", just a little more and it would probably be perfect.

I know right, not the best way to explain how good the food was.

Peach Ice Tea
IDR 32k


Hot Tea
IDR 28k


Despite the almost perfect Nasi Uduk, gotta love the fried chicken, it was really good, cripsy, nicely seasoned with perfect savoriness to it. The soya beancurd and soya bean cake were just okay.

Gotta be back for more trials, I had my eye on their Bitterballen and cakes but I was too full that time so I skipped. Overall I had a pretty convenient experience here, and yes thanks again to the awesome Wi-Fi connection! (Gotta stop the emphasizing the Wi-Fi!).

I had high expectations for this coffee shop and looking at the amount of costumers coming to have a pleasure time here was like noticing hope, good luck and welcome to the jungle Koffie Warung Tinggi!

Koffie Warung Tinggi d/h Tek Soen Hoo
Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, 5th fl. (West Mall)
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta Pusat 10310
021 - 2358 0312
Opening Hours: 11 AM - 10 PM
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Yes!!! Another post from my Singapore trip and right now I am going to talk about this cozy bakery that I went to. My days in Singapore were gloriously fattening and delicious but one good thing, after all those thousands of calories per day getting in the system, I freaking walk everywhere! Well of course not from Changi to (let's say) Orchard, I'd probably die and lost 20 pounds!

The Fabulous Baker Boy is located in the Liang Court area, I didn't notice any signboard of this particular bakery but the thing is, when you see "Viridian Art House" signage outside the area, you're in for a treat. 
Technically, this bakery has an "outdoor" seating area and the inside part is the cashier as well as where the dreamy cake displays are "hiding"! Those eyegasmic cakes which by the way looking sinful already behind those glass covers were running out pretty fast, if you knew exactly what you wanted and it happened to be sold out at the moment, then you need to wait for the freshly baked cakes. There were four choices available during my visit, but since I have done a little research, I knew I wanted their "Red Velvet" and luckily it was the last one to come to papa!

The inside's interior was simple, neat, minimalist and sort of vintage-ish.





I went with no other than Christopher who became such a great "tour-guide" (thank you, Chris!) and we were honestly filthy full after having a pretty fancy lunch at Tim Ho Wan (about that later) and "late breakfast" at The Wild Honey earlier (I KNOW MAD!), but I guess there will always be a little room for the sweet treats and while I was there I guess too unfortunate to miss this.

We ordered two cakes to share: Ab Fab Red Velvet (S$9), Nutty Monkey (S$8) and one cup of flat white (S$4.5). Their version of Red Velvet was indeed mazor-yum-delicious as what those Singapore food blogs been raving for, it had that perfect sweetness, nice moist texture and thank goodness it was majority chocolate instead of cream cheese! MUST TRY! Their Nutty Monkey was also nice and moist along with that awesome collaboration between banana and chocolate that simply almost impossible to go wrong.



Their Flat White was also pretty decent with that incredible balance, consistency and beautiful latte art.


When it comes to dessert places hunting in Singapore, The Fabulous Baker Boy just can't be missed! Not only they have fabulous cakes, they also have pretty good range of savory meals like sandwiches, soup, salad and pasta during the weekdays. Menus like pancakes and eggs benedict are available during the weekend brunch.

They are currently on renovation and scheduled to re-open on March 16th 2014! I am surely going back here whenever I visit Singapore! You guys should to!

The Fabulous Baker Boy
70 River Valley Rd.
#01-15 The Foothills
+65 6694 8336
Opening Hours: (Closed on Mondays)
Tue - Thu: 11 AM - 6 PM

Friday: 11 AM - 11 PM
Saturday: 10.30 AM - 11 PM
Sunday: 10.30 AM - 5 PM
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM


Couple of weeks ago, I went to Stockroom, it was a sudden visit because me and some other bloggers were wondering where to go after Dapur Solo, and then the name Stockroom came up and since Kemang and Panglima Polim was not a thousand miles away, we decided to pay a visit before having diner at HYDE, and yes, those three were accomplished in one freaking day, such ambitious bloggers.

I noticed that Stockroom was not only an eatery, but it's also a trading place (easily described: a distro) located on the upper floor and they sold leather items (LOVE!) and some fashionable items which were mostly high fashion but hipster-ish IMO, didn't take any picture because I thought it's not allowed but it was around the same width as the eatery below, the eatery itself was not very spacious but the ambiance was perfect. Loving their usage of earthy materials, reminded me of those cafes in Melbourne.



We ordered some of their treats on the menu and share everything! We went by having their Fish and Chips and Roasted Chicken for main courses and tried some of their beverages such as:

Iced Lychee Tea
IDR 25k
They have selections of flavored ice teas such as this one, peach and strawberry. This was pretty refreshing even though nothing really special.

Fruit Loops Milkshake
IDR 45k
If you happen to visit Stockroom, make sure you tried their milkshare series as it's what they're best known for and recommended. This Fruit Loops Milkshake was pretty good with awesome balance of sweetness, nothing very fragrant and the not so overpowering milk flavor (thank goodness). This surely worth your try.

Iced Caramel Machiato
IDR 32k
I had high expectations for their coffees but too bad the coffees were total meh, it's almost like drinking a coffee-water, it didn't have the coffee kick, too plain, too light, it was just wrong, told this to the manager and he explained that Stockroom wasn't specialized in coffee, a little unfortunate honestly because Stockroom actually looked like a place that serves decent coffees, they should really work on their coffees because I could imagine my self hanging out here for one or two cups of coffee while doing my works. I didn't give a damn about latte art because I personally think latte art was not the super essential part of coffee, it's just making the appearance of the latte to look prettier, but flavor must be good!

Fish and Chips
IDR 78k
Aside from the not so pleasant coffees, their food was freaking amazing, they reflected food which were made by professionals. Loving this Fish and Chips, it had that pleasant flavor, the skin coating might not be extra crispy but that's certainly not a problem. As simple as their fries were really good and nicely seasoned. The Dory fish meat was still on the smooth and silky texture. Must try!


Roasted Chicken
IDR 68k
Pleasure didn't stop on the previous main course, their take on roasted chicken deserved my thumbs up! Loving how they executed the cooking process for this roasted chicken, it was nicely roasted (must be on a decent temperature!), lightly seasoned and it had strong scent from the rosemary leaves that risen my sense of appetite. The baby potatoes were also nice both texture and seasoning.


To be honest, when I first stepped in to Stockroom, I wasn't expecting the food to be that good, I thought the coffees were the bombs but the thing is it was the exact opposite. Not recommending you to have your coffee time here but the food was really really good, and as well as their ambiance. Please please improve the coffee at least for me!!!

Stockroom: Trade and Dishes
Jl. Kemang Selatan VIII #55A (Belle Point)
Kemang, Jakarta Selatan 12730
Opening Hours: 12 AM - 10 PM (everyday)
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM