Doppio is Dope, yo!

I keep coming back to Doppio Cafe for a good peaceful me time. Although the music they play is far from being quiet, depends on the mood but they tend to play classic oldies a lot, but the atmosphere here at this petite cafe is very enjoyable. Located at this particularly small alley at Jalan Kartika, Kuta, Doppio Cafe is the place to go for you early-birds who enjoy a good cup of Flat White and a hearty plate of Italian Classic Chicken Sandwich for breakfast. 

I’m a big fan of its’s Flat White. It came in two sizes, small and large, and I usually go for the small because it fulfills my daily need of caffeine just fine. The milk and coffee ratio is just on point and the flavor maintains from time to time; medium body, dominated with bitterness, with just a hint of acidity just like how I love my coffee to be. 

I can’t eat much during mornings because I can easily feel bloated from all the food intake, so my go to is usually the Smoothie Bowl. Once, I had me the Morning Delight, and on another day I tried to get a spoonful of the Organic Detox. Both are equally delightful and very refreshing. The texture of the smoothie bowl is not the least bit runny, yet not that solid either. Topped with colorful toppings, like pumpkin seeds, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, shredded coconut, and granola, this baby will definitely fill your stomach as quick as a snap of finger. 

When you feel like having something a bit heavy for lunch, you can always go for the sandwiches and wraps. They also have burgers for all of you burger lovers out there. 

One afternoon, after spending more than four hours at the cafe working on my writings, I got hungry and decided to order myself a nice meal. I went for the Italian Classic Chicken Wrap. Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding and what served was a sandwich instead of a wrap. I was disappointed, really, but the waitress quickly composed the whole situation properly and offer me a swap. Of course I declined because, if I comply with her offer, the sandwich would probably be thrown away and I was not in the mood to be a bitch. So, I settled with the sandwich. 

To my surprise, the sandwich was very delicious! They used toasted sour dough to sandwiched my tier of chicken breast, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and it was a nice change of air. I do enjoy a good sourdough, with all its’ chewy and crunchy texture, and the combination of all the ingredient used to make my dish worked well with each other. 

I didn’t take any pictures of my sandwich because, at that time, I was too disappointed to even approve the whole dish. Eventually, I ate all of it and made peace as it tasted so damn good!

Most of the people who visit Doppio Cafe are foreigners. On one particular day, I was the only local who dine in at the cafe. I was expecting a bad service, since most of the cafes here in Bali serve international tourists way friendlier than local tourists, but I was stand corrected. The waiters and waitress here at Doppio Cafe are friendly to all of their customers. Even the owner, who is not a local, sometimes lend a hand to handle the customers. 

The price range of the food and beverages is somewhat budget-friendly. You can get a nice cup of coffee for less than Rp30.000,00 depends on the type of coffee you order and the food here tasted as good as the price itself. Totally recommended for a good productive time!

Doppio Cafe Bali

Jalan Kartika, No. 18

Across Get Inked at Bali Ink

Kuta, Kabupaten Badung

Bali 80361

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 8AM - 6PM

Contact:

+61 400 262 462

Instagram

Website

Santi's Cake's Spiku Kenari

Just as I got home, there was the mail man with a big box just in front of my house. I took a quick glance and spotted the word “makanan”, which is “food” in English. I was expecting for a delivery, either today or tomorrow, and turned out my package was delivered today. “Is it for Kinan,” I asked the mail man. He nodded and handed me the big box that had stickers on it that said, “URGENT” and “FOOD. DO NOT FLIP”. I went inside the house, excitedly opened the box, and was welcomed with two boxes of Santi’s Cake Spiku Kenari, woohoo! 

Urgent delivery for Kinan!

Choose the size of your liking.

Quality check is a must!

Just how on earth shouldn't I be excited.

So, last week, the owner of Santi’s Cake, who goes by the name David, reached out to me and said that he wanted to send me his homemade Spiku. Spiku (most Indonesian are more familiar with the term Spikoe, or Lapis Surabaya) is actually derived from an Indonesian-Dutch dessert named Spekkoek. Although the two are somewhat different from one another, the basic method of baking the cake is pretty similar, which is baking stacks of layered batter. While Spekkoek, or Kue Lapis Legit, has numerous layers and consists of Indonesian spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg, Spiku has only two to three layers of cake and is made entirely of cake batter and natural food coloring, like cocoa powder. 

Mom holding the entire cake effortlessly. 

Walnuts galore!

Just a slice away and I couldn't wait any longer.

David might did some alteration to his cake by adding a dash of modernity because his Spiku Kenari has no layers. It’s just a large, yet light and fluffy, cake with a sprinkle of diced walnuts. (Now, the walnuts we have in Indonesia are much different than those walnuts you see on Tv. I may be wrong, because the two, when translated to Indonesian, are both “kacang kenari”, so I apologize in advance if I gave the wrong information. Do enlightenment on this subject!) It is very thick, but I bullshit you not about how light it was. Mom and I got to try lift one of the cakes, which was the big one, with each of our hands and we both agreed that the cake is far from heavy. I don’t think it even weights a kilo! 

Look at that cross-section!

Doesn't it reminds you of a sunflower?

Mom took the liberty of slicing the cake. She didn’t need any effort to ram the knive into the cake as it was very fluffy and moist. With one quick move, she managed to slice the cake evenly. No crumbs, no cracks, just a perfect cross-section of it, and boy was it beautiful. The brown surface of the cake hid a beautiful perfect yellow cake inside. I love how the color combination reminded me so much of a beautiful sunflower.  

It was a full house today, my aunty and my cousins were at home, so the five of use got to try a slice of the cake each. The first thing that popped in each of our heads was the same: fluffy. The cake was very fluffy and fairly moist. At first glance, I thought the cake would be dry, yet I stand corrected after my first bite. The texture reminded us of how a sponge cake should be, yet it was more moist and more dense. On the other hand, it was not as heavy, nor as solid, as a Lapis Surabaya. So, in terms of texture, it goes without saying that it ranks above sponge cake, yet below Lapis Surabaya. 

Another slice 'cause one will never be enough.

Hello, beautiful!

The sweet flavor is not sickening, although we could hint the piquant vanilla essence that dominated the whole flavor wheel. I assume no spices were used in the making of this cake because there was no significant kick of nutmeg, nor cardamom, whatsoever. Unfortunately, I’m no fan of walnut, so I did no justice in distinguishing its’ role in the cake. To me, walnuts taste bland. Period. But, I do love to have a different crunchy and chewy texture to chew on in between my cake, so it was good nonetheless. 

The color combination fulfill my aesthetic needs.

Don't you just want to have a bite of this Spiku Kenari?

The cake was probably sent all the way from Surabaya yesterday and it landed safely at Bekasi today, and the fact that it arrived safely intact and still have a good quality to it awes me. 

For those of you who live in Surabaya and Denpasar, or other cities in Indonesia, and want to get a bite of this cake, y’all can head straight to Santi’s Cake Instagram to obtain the information you needed on how to order this cake. It’s time to give modernity a shot! 

Dig in!

Santi's Cake

Available for online order

Contact:

Surabaya: +62 815 5211 1800, or +62 812 3262 767

Denpasar: +62 819 9906 5826

Instagram 

Website