Friday, December 28, 2018
Monday, December 24, 2018
COCA RESTAURANT - CITYWALK SUDIRMAN
If you ask me to name my favorite suki restaurants in Jakarta, well I have a few, but one of the strongest on my list has got to be COCA RESTAURANT! Not too long ago they opened their latest branch in Citywalk, finally a closer one to home!
The Thailand originated Suki restaurant has been my favorite for quite some time now and it's mainly because of the quality that speaks for itself. Being an avid fan of Tom Yum (and since I often opt for Tom Yum soup), so far I haven't found Tom Yum soup that's better than Coca and that complements all the ingredient better than Coca's, well again it's all about preference, maybe some of my readers don't like Tom Yum at all and that's completely fine.
So what differentiates this branch to their other branches? For me, this one is the simplified version of their other branches and honestly built to cater those who fancy hassle free lunch (office workers, lunch meetings, etc.), quick scan of their menu and I found that the pricing's also slightly cheaper here with options that are less, but not significant! They even have this shabu package for lunch which is priced fairly at IDR 80k.
The ala cartes are also affordable, ranges from IDR 37k-50k! Expect to find selections of Thai rice dishes, noodle, kwayteow. For those who are feeling a bit extra and wanted to indulge on roasted duck, they also have one here but I didn't get the chance to try it on my visit (but I did try the duck rice maybe it's the same kind). I found the menu online so you can click on the photo below to enlarge and check out!
Crispy Fish Salad - IDR 31k
An appetizer that's affordable and tasty in the same time! The salad was fresh & altogether has this right balance of flavor and that hint of tanginess that I absolutely like!
Tom Yum Soup Base - IDR 80k
To be frank, this is also the simplified version of their famous Tom Yum soup, still pretty decent!
Coca Special Personal Set B - IDR 95k, with additional ala carte options (prices may vary)
Coca Special Personal Set B consists of Beef Fillet, Special Dumpling, Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage, Black Fungus, Pocai, Rolled Fish, Fish Glue, House Shrimp Ball, Tofu, Rice! For more pricing details of the ala carte menus check out the attached menu above.
Mixed Vegetable Platter - IDR 21k
Fish Glue - IDR 23k
Another personal favorite! Still very "fishy" and meaty the way that I like and not too floury and fake.
OOOOPPPPSSSS...the ala cartes are for the bigger shabu we shared, sorry was hungry don't judge meeeeeeee LOL!
Chicken in Pandan Leaves - IDR 35k
Beautifully fried, well seasoned, fragrant, decent balance of savory and sweet. Simple yet YUM!
Deep Fried Shrimp Cakes - IDR 39k
Another simple savory goodness that's fragrant and nicely seasoned! Recommended appetizer!
I found their food to be really hassle free, simple but nicely executed and this BBQ Duck Rice is definitely one of them, when you look at the presentation and the purpose, you know it's such a simple feast and designed to be that way! Around 5 slices of duck seasoned with hoisin soy sauce, served with vegetables, pickles and chili. Flavor's there man!
I have had their Pad Thai before as additionals that I pair with their suki (yes I eat a lot do not judge) and I found them to be pretty good too! Not overly sweet, but fragrant with this hint of smokey aroma and flavor.
I think they use the same tom yum soup base as the one that I had at the Suki Set, this one might be my least favorite, just because the suki set is everything better compared to this hahaha, but if you're looking for hassle free tom yum dish, then this for sure!
Coca Restaurant
Citywalk Sudirman
Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur
Jak Sel 10240
021 - 2970 4024
Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 150k
Dresscode: none
FIND ME HERE
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
RIVARENO GELATO BALI - ITALY'S BEST GELATO NOW IN BALI!!!
First of all, special thanks to RivaReno Gelato for inviting me to Bali for the grand opening of the so-called Italy's Best Gelato, being an avid fan of gelato (and I guess for a lifetime) I was absolutely super excited, so again, thanks for having me on the grand opening! I remember when I posted about RivaReno Gelato on my story, I have tons of people replying to me saying they've tried this one in Sydney and some even said that RivaReno is better than Messina!
Welcoming RivaReno Gelato to Seminyak neighborhood, RivaReno is located just beside Vin+ at Petitenget! Super nice strategic location!
RivaReno Gelato is originated from Bologna, which is one of Italy's most prominent gastronomic city, and the name RivaReno itself is a tribute to Reno river and Bologna itself (Bologna is located at the shores of Reno river), their very first shop was opened in Milan back in 2005 and since then they have expanded their business to places like Italy, Spain, Malta, down under Australia and I guess we're more than proud to welcome the brand to... BALI! I heard they initially wanted to open in Jakarta but thank goodness they chose Bali, I personally found it's an awesome debut location!
A little trivia: RivaReno is founded by four people: a former gelato maker, a lawyer, former journalist and former Italian car executive, I guess it's true that passion knows no background or you don't need to be from a certain background to have a dream to open a terrific gelato shop! Anyway, let's do a little virtual tour of the shop shall we!
Spirit espresso machine, also known as one of the most expensive espresso machine in the world!
The store was simply designed, clean, neat and, well air-conditioned (first world problems because Bali could be so friggin hot sometimes), and oh, if you see the photo below, they have electrical outlets too in case you urgently need to charge/you wanna spend time working here while having their gelato, so very welcome!
Their gelato's guarded safely in the Pozetti Pan, a little trivia: Pozetti Pan aka Carapina is one of the greatest way to store gelato as it will lock the moisture, texture and humidity of the gelato at their best state!
RivaReno has their own gelato lab inside their stores and we were granted the access to experience the lab and gelato/sorbet production process yay! I can tell you that from what I saw with my very own eyes, their gelato and sorbet are free from artificial colorings & ingredients, preservatives, monogly & diglycerides, just all natural like Alpine milk, cream and FYI they use real grape sugar as sweetener! The whole production steps is giving me this ASMR vibe, just so satisfying and calming in a way LOL!
Let me introduce to Mr. Nicola Greco, the gelato master and one of RivaReno founders too! I witnessed the making of Nicola Greco's signature Raspberry Sorbet and short to say, IMPRESSED!
They use nothing but high quality fruits too, well lucky for them as they're based in Bali and Bali is the home to a lot of great fruits (and exotic ones)! Their sorbets consist of average 70%-90% fruits, water, base-frutta and natural sugar, and not to mention that extra something special touch for that unbelievably smooth gelato. I am a firm believer that one's cold hands may creature results that differ!
Electronic scale for that precise measurement! I swear I just saw and knew about this machine from my visit here, this machine is freakin' REVOLUTIONARY HAHA!
Prepare, scale, mix and freeze!
Cattabriga EFFE 6B artisan gelato machine (right)
Look at that pretty terracotta red color and smooth sorbet texture. Everything!!!
I think it's safe to say that I just had one of the smoothest sorbets I've ever had in my life!
There are four serving options small, medium, large and extra large and with price ranging from IDR 50k (small)-95k (extra large), I know some of you might think that it's a tad more expensive compared to the other gelato houses in Bali, which is true and I can't deny, but the quality is something that RivaReno is taking the cake for: flavor and texture wise, absolute BEST! Anyway if you ask me to name my favorite flavors then it's the classic Pistachio, Cremino Dark with Pistachio (this one is too good), Cioccolato (with African chocolate). Don't be surprised if the gelato easily melts or not in the most photogenic shape, that's because the gelato is THAT smooth and they use no artificial ingredients (and not to mention Bali can be just freaking hot at times)!
Besides gelato they also have various interesting menus like Gelato Sandwich, Gelato Cake, Semifreddo Cake, Milkshakes and more!
Cremino Dark
After experiencing the production process to actually trying their products, I think it's safe to say that RivaReno is indeed one of the best, if not, the best gelato in Bali at the moment. It's seriously that good. That good!
RivaReno Gelato Bali
Jalan Petitenget No. 3
Seminyak, Bali 80361
Opening hours: 12 PM-11 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 150k
Dresscode: NONE!
FIND ME HERE
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