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!
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Map for Rivareno Bali

Monday, December 3, 2018

MIE SEDAAP - MI GORENG RASA MI AYAM ISTIMEWA

I think it's totally undeniable that instant noodle is an important part of everyone's life, you you and you whoever is reading this right now (including who's typing this right now *ahem*), so the question is: "are you a noodle soup person or are you the fried noodle person?". I am a little bit of both!

Special for this entry, I am going to be talking about fried noodle (mie goreng) and for those who haven't heard of this before, let me introduce (and review) you guys to this new product from Mie Sedaap Instant: Mie Goreng rasa Mi Ayam Istimewa! Lately Mie Sedaap has been pushing new products to the market, and so far my response has been positive, let's just say I am a fan of their Mie Sedaap Tasty (click to read).
So what's inside each pack? Pretty common: instant noodle with various blend of ingredients, soy sauce, chilli, dried spring onion, but one that really stands out is their fried shallot! So crunchy, fragrant and considered generously for a single serving. Always yes for extra flavor and texture play.
If you ask me whether how the noodle texture is compared to its peers, well I believe from what I noticed, their noodle is slightly wider and when you cook it perfectly, it's chewy, moist, hence easier to SLUUURP! Another thing that differs Mie Sedaap Mi Goreng is their soysauce, while most instant noodle tend to include sweet soysauce, theirs is the savory-salty soy sauce! I highly recommend you to cook the noodle at least 3,5-4 minutes for the best state, but really if you like your noodle softet, that's totally up to you!

Aside from that, the amount of other ingredient (seasoning, soy sauce, chilli sauce, veges, fried shallot) is definitely proper, even some people don't eat spicy stuff so they might eliminate the chili, some don't consume fried shallot, so it really depends.
My mom helped me with the shoot and she help cooked the fried noodle for me...AND everything that comes out of her hands I most likely LOVE!!! Even when I didn't ask, she always add in the extra kindness in the form of fried egg! Fried noodle + fried egg = MAJOR YES!
Firm yet chewy, ingredient and soy sauce covers the noodle well! I really can have this at all times, and not to mention the plate licking aftermath when no one sees LOL!
Is this eatandtreats approved? For sure! What's not to love from a delicious, satisfying, tasty, packed-with-flavor instant noodle that you can double or triple if you're really hungry! LOL. Mie Sedaap has been more and more serious with their products recently, maybe something to bring with you when you travel?
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018

TANPOPO JAPANESE IZAYAKA YATAI - NEW OUTLET IN PLUIT!

I have heard that Tanpopo has improved its performance, because quite frankly, my very first visit wasn't exactly the most memorable, but you know what? Even as soon as I revisited Tanpopo and the moment I arrived after the last time, the vibe itself was quite different in a good way, but not sure why, but anyway, here for the food!

As I am typing this blog post, Tanpopo just recently opened a new outlet in Pluit (across Pluit Village), but I went to their original outlet in Gandaria, which is located not too far from Gandaria City. For those who are not familiar with the brand, Tanpopo focuses in serving Izakaya Japanese cuisine in forms of teppanyaki, yakiniku, suki, shabu-shabu and hamayaki, altogether in this Japanese food stall space where you can access the options easily, and not to mention, the live open kitchen.

GOOD NEWS for my Muslim friends, Tanpopo is 100% halal and besides beef, guests can enjoy selections of chicken and seafood too! For health watchers out there, they don't cook their food with MSG here.
Hamayaki Karubi (IDR 25k), Hamayaki Momo Teriyaki (IDR 15k), Hamayaki Squid (IDR 25k)
Angus Tenderloin in the making...
Grilled Chicken
The chicken was quite tender, properly cooked but it was the white sauce that's really giving more flavor as well as enhancing it.
Angus Tenderloin
Dice-cut Angus beef served with garlic chips, sauteed vegetables and drenched in creamy white sauce!
Teppanyaki USDA Short Ribs - IDR 45k
This one happens to be one of their best sellers and one of my personal favorite too: thinly sliced tender beef with sauteed vegetable on the side, gracefully seasoned, savory goodness with a hint of sweet, overall tasty.
Teppanyaki Beef Chunk - IDR 55k

Okay, here's where things got different compared to my last visit: THEY NOW INSTALL charcoal grill on the table for communal grill, where on their early days they used the personal grill which was super inconvenient due to the amount of smoke it produced and right off the dinner, the smell of grill smoke was all over me, good job on that!

More to that, more new menus, like this large sukiyaki pot to share. I love the sweet tasty soup! The broth was really meaty, savory with the right amount of sweetness infused! The beef was fatty but I found it to be the rightest for this kind of serving (due to the melting fat giving more flavor), and you will also find various veges too.

Some cuts and slices that I had for yakiniku that night: USDA Short Ribs (IDR 35k), Angus Tenderloin (IDR 80k), Basil Chicken. I recommend that thee Angus Tenderloin is sliced before cooked because if you cook it in full, it will take more time to cook and it will firmer in texture! As for the carefully sliced short ribs, no problemo!
The chicken, if you cook it right (and FYI do cook chicken longer because you can't have it half-cooked), it can be properly tender, so when it comes to yakiniku, my answer will and always be depending on how you cook it, but I think the base proteins are fresh enough!
The price tag for the proteins and dishes are affordable, and I think Tanpopo is the kind of place that you go to get your Japanese food craving fulfilled, along with the affordable price tag and friendly vibe, but do note that you go here not to get the best meat/the most premium meat, what you pay is what you get.

Tanpopo Japanese Izakaya Yatai
Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 99E
Arteri Pondok Indah (across Gandaria City)
Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta Selatan
0877 - 7758 - 3858
Opening hours: 6 PM-12 AM
Average spending for two: IDR 250k
Dresscode: casual
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Map for Tanpopo Jakarta