A Sanctuary Named Sophie Authentique

I really need to get away from everything. I need a place where I can be with me, a place where I can be myself, a place where I can enjoy the simplicity of myself without having a care about what people may think about me.

Back then, I found this place at Kemang named Sophie Authentique, a petite bakery on the side of the road that specialize in French cuisine. I fell immediately in love the moment I step into the bakery. The atmosphere is very nice and friendly. Simple white walls with minimum, yet sophisticated, decorations. Very appealing placement of tables and chairs, along with adorable furniture to go with. Sophie Authentique screamed aesthetic at its' every corners.

The food, despite the fact that they may cost a lot for college students, is breathtakingly beautiful and delicious. I have always been a fan of bread and what I had that day was a Croque Madame. Slightly different with Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame has the same ingredients to make, but with an addition of an egg. Nicely toasted loafs of bread, sandwiching a hearty amount of beef and cheese, then topped with more cheese, and garnished with a beautiful sunny-side-up that goes along well with the complimentary salad on the side. What a breakfast.

I had a cup of Cappuccino to go with my Croque Madame. As I remembered, the Cappuccino was nice and it didn't have that extra sourness that comes up whenever the espresso was served too early. It came with a flower-shaped sugar cookie that tasted non-other than how a sugar cookie would taste like.

Mom had her share of sandwich and hot beverage also. She went with the Beef Croissant, with salad on the side, and a mug of Hot Cocoa that looked beautiful with its' tulip late art on the surface.

To end my breakfast that morning, I had a piece of this beautiful brown French dessert named Canellé. Very chewy in texture, a bit sticky on the outside judging from the caramelized sugar that they used to make this delicious munchies. The taste of it reminded me of a traditional Indonesian dessert that can usually be found at most traditional wet market. Its' name is Kue Cucur. With a shape that looks like a typical flying saucer in comic books, this traditional snack is one of my favorite because of its' sweet taste and chewy texture.

Oh, how I wish I could feel at ease. I wish I could feel happy living my life without having any care about what the future got in store for me. I wish I could go back to the time when happiness could be obtain just by a single bite of ice cream. Now, I don't think food can save me. I don't even know what am I in to have a thought of wanting to be saved.


Sophie Authentique
Jl. Kemang Selatan 1, No. 20A
Kemang, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 8AM - 5PM

Contact:
(+62)21 728 0011

Falling With Style

My Mom and I flew with Qatar Airways to Qatar, and our seats were in the Business Class. The stewards were very nice and polite to us, they treated us as if we were Kings, and they continuously asked us wether or not we want to be served with drinks or something to nibble on. A minute before the plane took off, one of the steward offered us something to drink. Mom replied politely, saying that she would like to have a glass of orange juice. I decided to have a glass of apple juice because I was not in the mood for some oranges.

The steward returned a minute later, holding a tray that was occupied with two glasses of drinks. One was Mom's orange juice and the other one was my apple juice. Mom's orange juice came with a slice of orange inside the glass, which looked very pretty like those fancy drinks from a five-star restaurant. I love the presentation of the welcome drinks, very simple yet elegant. The steward handed our drinks with some tissues as replacements for cup coasters, which had drawings of Qatar Airways' famous Orix logo. "Feel free to call me if you need anything," said the Indian steward. I felt like one of those first class ladies from Titanic.

A glass of orange juice for my Mom and some apple juice for me

Better than a glass of champagne 

After the plane took off, the same steward came back to offer us some after-take-off refreshments. I didn't have dinner because I was at school attending the senior year's graduation celebration, so I did not refuse when he brought me a plate of funky looking dish. It was a well-boiled beancurd, filled with cooked white noodles, slices of mushroom, and other vegetables, decorated with a slice of cherry tomato, rockets, and purple cabbage. Despite the fact that I have ate this dish a few times, I still have not found the appropriate way to eat it. I started by eating some of the white noodles first because I might choke if I immediately gulped down the whole thing, then slowly eat the stuffed beancurd. It tasted nice, somehow made me feel like as if I were a vegetarian.

A fancy appetizer on a plane

This dish tasted amusing

It turned out that the beancurd dish was just an appetizer. Soon, after I finished the whole dish, the same steward brought a nice plate of beef sandwich. Good Lord, that sandwich looked exquisite and mouth watering! A nice brown sandwich bun, filled with some generous slices of savory beef along with a handful of sauerkraut and melted swiss cheese, topped with a stick of thime leaf and decorated with some rocket and purple cabbage. Can you imagine how many dashes of rainbows and stardust was used in the making of this beautiful sandwich? It looked beautiful and it tasted beautiful.

The beef has some crushed candle nut on its side, making it savory and full of flavors. The plate was warm when the Indian steward handed it to me, and also was the sandwich. I was mesmerized by the melted swiss cheese. I could tell that the sliced cheese had some holes on it by looking at the pattern on its melted self. To summarize it, the sandwich was EPIC!

Best airplane sandwich I have ever tasted!

A few hours later, a couple of hour before the sun rose and the plane landed, the whole aircraft was lit. It was time for breakfast! Again, the same steward approached my Mom and I, and offered us some breakfast. He handed us the menu so that we could glance through it and choose what food to have for breakfast. My all time favorite energy drink was written on the menu, the Strawberry Banana Energizer. I have travel with Qatar Airways countless times before and I'm grateful that they haven't change the breakfast menu. 

The Strawberry Banana Energizer had a milkshake-like texture, thick and flavory. It smelled mostly of banana, but when you get a mouthful of it, you'll taste both fruits inside. It tasted sweet and very delightful! If I could drink such delicious drink everyday for breakfast, I bet I will have splendid days ahead. 

Then, a bowl of bread was served. There were two kinds of toasts, a piece of danish brown, a warm white bun, and a croissant. It came with a small plate of shaped butter. We were offered some jams too, and I took the liberty to ask for a small jar of marmalade jam. This jam tasted best if you eat it with the crispy toast. As for the croissant and the white buns, butter would make the perfect combination between the two of them. The danish brown is my favorite because it was filled with some delicious chocolate jam.

My love for Qatar Airways' energy drink is eternal

Some bread, with butter and marmalade jam, for breakfast

A minute later, came a plate of fruits. A couple slices of pomelo, some oranges, and a pair of kiwi fruit. The plate was square in shape and decorated with greek yogurt. Both of the pomelo and the orange were sour so, I only ate some. The kiwi was delightfully sweet though, and tasted even more delicious if you eat it with the yogurt.

Fruits are always good for breakfast

Just look at how that greek yogurt beautifully decorated the plate

I had a plate of spinach frittata for the main course. Some champignon mushrooms, grilled tomato, fried onion, some rocket, and some purple cabbage accompanied the frittata. The presentation was great. The food looked as if they were cooked and decorated by Chef Ramsay from Hell's Kitchen. It tasted like five-star cuisine as well! The frittata contained some potato cubes in some parts. The spinach was countless until the main dish looked like blue cheese. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of mushrooms so I had to put them aside. The whole dish tasted delicious. All in all, my breakfast was great and beyond delightful!

A couple slices of Spinach Frittata to start your day

I'm not Popeye, but I have to say that spinach tasted pretty nice

Enjoy your meal with Qatar Airways