The Smoky Mr. Roastman

“M Bloc Space: the House of Vibrant Gigs and Creative Culture”

Established on September 2019, M Bloc Space is this new kid on the bloc that managed to captivate the hearts of local Jakarta citizen with its’ old-school, yet hype, atmosphere. Its’ unique and very much ’90s-esque design makes it beyond easy to be lovable, hence resulting in a full house during most weekdays and every weekends. Not only that this place has various dinning places that serve scrumptious food, there are also numerous tenants that fulfill the needs of music and art of some people. Cassettes and vinyls are available in one of the tenants that attends to music, while local comic books are also available to be purchased, as well as its’ limited edition merchandise. I personally love to hang out at M Bloc Space because the food availability. 

My personal favorite is this particular casual-dinning place, named Mr. Roastman. This restaurant serves various smoked meat options, as well as cold beverages, breakfast-themed food, tea-time snacks, and coffee. For those of you who would love to just kill time and catch up with your homies, with some flavored tea and canele de bordeaux to share, you can definitely occupy the front outdoor seatings with its’ picnic-themed benches. But, if you’re in for a splendid dining experience, the upper indoor seating is your go to because, that way, you get to enjoy your smoked beef accompanied by an endless array of pop music playing from the speakers. 

I’ve been here a couple of times with my beloved ones and here were some of the dishes that I got to try. 

Mr Roastman Burger Combo

A quadruple-decker burger filled with tons of good stuff - meaning, this burger is four stacks high! Consists of a generous layer of pulled original Mr. Roastman’s smoked beef, chicken katsu, some beef pâté, beef bacon, caramelized onion, smoked cheese, and juicy greens hugged in between a thick buttery brioche buns. The size of this burger is quite intimidating, but I’m sure a person can devour this dish in a blink of an eye with no doubt. You can also share this burger with your best buddy if you would, like I did. 

I only tried a bite of the brioche buns because I was on a diet at the time me and my friends visited Mr. Roastman. It was quite light, though is seemed a bit compact, and it was deliciously fluffy. I could definitely distinguish the generous butter that was slabbed on the brioche, making it full of fragrance and flavorful. 

The fillings, on the one hand, were delicious to say the least. The pulled smoked beef was very smoky and rich in flavor, while the beef pâté was plain juicy and savory. I love the combination of all the meat with the sweet caramelized onions, it was just delightful! Though I’m not really a big fan of greens in my burgers, the fresh veggies definitely managed to neutralize all that grease and calmed my tummy down. There wasn’t anything to complain about Mr Roastman’s Burger Combo other than the fact that I wanted more of it. 

Southern Smoked Ribs with Fries

This was what boyfriend had at our date night at Mr. Roastman. I’m not a fan of fatty meat, so the Southern Smoked Ribs wasn’t the option I took. Boyfriend, on the other hand, loves his meat juicy and fatty, so he opted for this smoked ribs. 

Its’ size was bigger than both of my fists combined and it sure looked amazing, despite the simply presentation of the dish. Boyfriend ordered his meat to be cooked medium well and a nice set of pinkish ribs was what he got. The waiter gave him a set of fork and knife to indulge on his ribs and I think it was a mistake, because the moment that fork jabbed into the ribs, the tender meat just fell out involuntarily without it being sliced. It was THAT tender! What else do you expect from something that had been smoked for 18 hours straight? 

Mr. Roastman truly has the best smoked dishes I have ever tasted in my life! The smoky flavor of the meat invigorated my tastebuds after that one bite from the boyfriend. The smoky flavor definitely eclipsed the savoriness of the ribs, yet the seasonings that were smothered on that slab of meat were still distinguishable. Though the concept of the restaurant is casual, the dishes were definitely luxurious and rich. 

Iga Bakar Madu

As I stated before, I’m no fan of fatty meat and this particular dish has fat smothered all over it. Although the Honey Grilled Ribs share the same meat part with the Southern Smoked Ribs, this particular dish had the ribs cut into bite-sized. I tried a bit of it and regret my decision because of how fatty it was. Yet, I’m sure you fatty meat lovers out there would go crazy for this baby. 

The meat melted right away the moment it got in your mouth before you could even chew it. It was honey glazed, hence the overpowering sweetness that dominated the entire flavor wheel. It was served with a bowl of warm rice and pickled vegetables, and they sure went well with each other. 

Smoked Beef Brisket (Lean/Moist)

Now, this is my go to at Mr. Roastman! The beef brisket came in two options, lean and moist -  in which, the lean one is straight up meat, while the moist one has a good handful of fat in it. You can also chose a 100g serving, a 200g serving, or a 200g serving with potato chips. I know I ain’t weak, so I opted for the lean 200g serving with potato chips. In my head, I imagined my sliced beef brisket to be thin and lanky, hence, the decision of ordering the 200g serving. Turns out, them meat was sliced thick! I was in shock when the waiter served my order on the table. It was somewhat intimidating, but not when compared with boyfriend’s Southern Smoked Ribs. But, still quite intimidating. 

My smoked beef brisket was smoked for 18 to 24 hours and it was served with a generous amount of Mr. Roastman’s creamy and spicy signature sauce. I ordered mine medium well and, boy, it was tender! Unlike boyfriend, who was served with fork and knife to indulge in his meat, I was given a spoon and it managed to cut through the beef brisket with no effort needed. Although it was a tad bit dry, I love this dish with all my heart. Smoky, meaty, flavorful, not to mention very fulfilling, you should definitely give this one a try!

Writing this food review during quarantine is making me having this urge to go out and give M Bloc Space a visit, but I won’t. I just hope that this pandemic will be over soon, so that we can all dine again at Mr. Roastman. For the time being, let’s just stay at home and lessen the possibilities of us getting infected with the virus. 

Mr. Roastman

M Bloc Space, Pedestrian Selatan

Jl. Panglima Polim Raya, No. 37

Senopati, Jakarta - 12160

Opening Hours: 

MON : 15 PM - 10 PM

TUE - THU : 10 AM - 10 PM

FRI - SUN : 8 AM - 11 PM

Contact:

+62 819 219 9998

Instagram

The Killers of Burger Cartel

I don’t think I can ever be bored with Burger Cartel. I mean, I lost count already on how many times I’ve been here, yet I still keep wanting more and more. This time, I returned with my Dad for dinner after spending two days diving on the north east side of Bali. We were famished and we planned on getting ourselves filled with some nice mouthful burgers. 

As always, I go for the Mozzarella Sticks for appetizer. Unlike how it used to be served, this time I got four piece instead of the usual three and they were not served on a bed of greens. The sweet and savory bolognese sauce is always my go-to dipping sauce to pair with the Mozzarella Sticks. It adds flavor and tanginess here and there to the pure savory deep-fried cheese. 

Apparently, it was my lucky day. After a few failed attempts of not being able to swap my buns with anything that doesn’t have carbs in it, I finally got the chance to substitute the delicious brioche buns with mushroom, yay! I took the liberty to ask Richie beforehand whether or not I can still swap my buns with anything that doesn’t have carbs in it. “Yes, the full menu is adjustable. You can add and replace whatever you want,” he said. So, I had my burger with mushrooms. I know, this may be a let down to some of you burger lovers, but, hey, as long as I don’t have to bail on my diet, I’m all in. 

I nudged my Dad to have the Piggy Blinders and he complied the moment he acknowledge that the burger consists of pulled pork. He was in the mood of having pulled pork anyway, so it’s a win-win solution. As for me, I had me the Killers, which consisted of fried chicken and beef patty in one stack. Talk about cardiac arrest, am I right? But, I guess, that’s why it earns the name the Killers. 

I wrote about the Piggy Blinders before, but not about the Killers. Now, this burger, like I stated before, consisted of fried chicken and beef patty. Then, came along the other ingredients, such as cheddar cheese, red onion, pickled cucumber, pickled red cabbage, and some sauce to complete the flavor wheel. Since I had mushrooms to go with my burger, the truffle mayonnaise got extra strong. I’m not a big fan of truffle, the flavor is just too strange for my taste bud, but I got to enjoy it this time, maybe because the flavor blended so well with the mushroom. The fried chicken was not dry, despite it being well-fried, but not excessively juicy as well. It was to my liking. There was a hint of spiciness here and there when I bite into the chicken, enough to add some flavor, but not too strong for those who can’t handle spices. As for the beef patty, I asked mine to be cooked medium well. Thank God, the chef complied with my request. The meat was juicy as hell, the tenderness was on point, and I enjoyed every delicious bites. 

The Killers, with mushrooms as buns substitute, is definitely a great option for those of you who are currently on a diet. It’s definitely fulfilling and you don’t get this guilt after devouring the whole thing clean. Care to try? 

The Burger Cartel

Jalan Raya Pengosekan, No. 108

Ubud, Bali - 80571

Opening Hours: 

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 11 PM

FRI - SAT: 11AM - 11:45 PM

Contact:

+62 812 9586 5347

Instagram

The Piggy Blinders of Burger Cartel

It has been a while since the last time I paid my visit to Burger Cartel. One afternoon, I packed up my journal gear, got into the car, and drove my way to the burger joint down in Jalan Pengosekan. Guess who joined me for lunch? Richie himself!

I got there earlier than I planned. I was famished since I was saving up some space to indulge on Burger Cartel’s newly launched menu, but I couldn’t wait any longer so I opted for some smoothie. I had me the Super Magic Energy, which consisted of frozen banana smoothie blended with dates and raw cacao powder, then topped with tropical fruits, coconut flakes, and some granola mix. I thought it was going to be a smoothie, as in blended fruits in a glass, but, turns out, it was a smoothie bowl. For some reason, although smoothie bowl is just smoothie in a bowl, all the toppings made my stomach got somewhat full. 

The raw cocoa powder made the smoothie had a strong chocolate flavor. I could definitely tasted the banana, but the chocolate was overpowering. Among all the toppings I had, my personal favorite was the mixed granola, which were mainly chocolate rice puffs. They were light and puffy and the chocolate flavor was just delightful. The other toppings didn’t go quite well with the chocolate smoothie as they were more suitable to be paired with fruity smoothie. But, I gotta say, the tropical fruits used in this smoothie bowl were very sweet and fresh! 

Just as I was halfway munching on my smoothie bowl, Richie came and joined me on my table. Thin sky blue blouse paired with a light brown shorts, along with a pair of earth colored sandals, Richie has mastered the art of Balinese fashion - very casual and laidback tropical getaway vibe, yet also on point for a meeting with a pack of restaurant’s staff. We chatted for quite some time, sharing thoughts and ideas about Burger Cartel’s menu reconstruction, as well as some insights about life. 

Since I was thrilled about Richie’s genius idea about these new burger options at his burger joint, I let the man decide what I would be having for lunch. “Do you like pulled pork?” he asked. Without any second thoughts, I nodded rapidly. “Okay, so, you’re going to have pulled pork burger today. I’m gonna tell the staff to make one for you,” he said while dashing to the restaurant’s kitchen. “Do you want some of those Mozzarella sticks as well?” he confirmed, and I replied with some more nods and a thumb up as a positive respond. 

After a few words with his staff, he came back and we picked up where we left. He shared a lot about himself and the life that he lived before he moved to Bali about one year ago. One thing I admire about Richie is the fact that he has this carefree attitude towards life and all the lemons that he might stumble upon on his journey. In a way, with the ups and downs that he had been through, his life is an adventure and he is a warrior to say the least. People said that life begins at forty, but this term didn’t apply to Richie as life began for him when he was still young. But, that’s a story for another day. 

A few sips of lemon infused water later, came Mbok Pita with my plate of feast. The sight of the breathtaking burger and side dishes struck me like a bolt from the blue. There was a stack of burger with bacon on top and on its’ sides were a handful of thin fries, loaded with cheese and chili, and a couple of deep fried Mozzarella Sticks. I couldn’t hide the excitement as I was smiling from ear to ear. I asked Richie for some time to take my money shots and he was more than pleased to give me all the time that I needed. So, I immediately repositioned the food onto another table with better natural lighting, took my documenting gear, and started taking pictures and videos from numerous angles. 

It took a while for me to wrap it up as I was absolutely mesmerized by the breathtaking food presented on my plate. The burger was beautifully staked, with melted cheese and abundant sauce oozing from every sides. I spied with my two eyes a couple of well-fried bacons, as well as some french fries, at some layers of the burger. The pulled pork, on the one hand, was plentiful, not to mention the coleslaw lounging on the bed of the brioche bun. And, on the top of the burger, was this extra piece of bacon pierced onto a thin wooden stick that jabbed through the whole burger. Never in my life I see anything like this in the flesh. 

At first, I thought it was bolognese sauce that decorated the top of the fries other than melted cheese, but later on I found out that it was, in fact, Chili con carne. Chili con carne, or chili with meat literary translated, is a spicy stew containing meat, red beans, chili pepper, and seasonings. Now, the recipe for this chili that Richie constructed incorporates a load of chili, hence explaining why it gave out this kick of spiciness on the back of my throat after consuming a mouthful of it. Richie took it better than me as he stuffed himself with bites after bites after bites. As for me, I couldn’t handle spiciness quite well although I’m a fan. 

The Mozzarella sticks were golden brown in color as a result of being perfectly deep-fried. There were streaks of melted cheese going around on some parts, which made the whole dish look even more appetizing. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them deep-fried cheese, so I took the opportunity to dissect them first before the burger itself. It was true, what they said about Burger Cartel having the best Mozzarella sticks in town. Richie explained to me about the ingredients that made this appetizer the people’s favorite. Fortunately, it’s not a secret, so I might as well share it with you, readers. 

“This is pure fried cheese,” said Richie. I could see that by the way the Mozzarella cheese stretched when I pulled them apart. The melted cheese stretched as far as my arm went and I believe it can stretch even more. Once, I saw this Instagram story that Richie posted on Burger Cartel’s Instagram account, and on the video was a man eating the same fried cheese and the cheese was drawn out excessively the man had to got up on a chair and asked for a help from another person to draw the cheese strings even longer. I was too shy to ask Richie to lend me a hand, so I played with my food myself. 

Like he said, he’s purely using cheese to make these Mozzarella sticks, so the flavor was not that complicated. No seasonings, no added condiment, no salt and pepper, just cheese. The breadcrumb batter was thin enough to not give any funky flavor to the appetizer, but more than enough to hold the oozing melted cheese together. I had my deep-fried cheese with some tomato-based dipping sauce, which tasted sweet and slightly sour, yet very refreshing. If you happen to visit Burger Cartel, I do recommend you to indulge on these while they’re still hot. The combination of the crunchy batter with the gooey cheese will send you straight to heaven!

The time for me to devour my burger had finally come. It goes by the name Piggy Blinders and I’m pretty sure that you can already enjoy this particular dish at the burger joint by the time this article is posted. Before I indulged myself on this heart attack on a plate, I made sure that I get a nice shot of the cross section so that you, readers, can get a nice look on this newly launched menu. 

The pulled pork was a plenty, though it had somewhat the same ratio with the coleslaw. I’m not a big fan of the coleslaw because it was using this type of sour cream that I’m not very fond of? I’m more into the sweet type of coleslaw, like the cheap ones with a jarful of mayonnaise that you can get at a fast food restaurant. This one at Burger Cartel had a more upper class vibe, so expect your food to be classy as heck with high quality ingredient. None of those cheap mayonnaise shit. I had to separate the coleslaw from the burger and finished it as it is so that I can just enjoy my stack of proteins and carbs. As for the pulled pork itself, though I’m sure it was using barbecue sauce, the chef certainly didn’t use those cheap ass barbecue sauce that is actually ketchup. I could definitely taste some pepper and the texture of the meat was tender. It was savory, sweet, a bit spicy, and very much delicious especially combined with the brioche bun and the melted brie. 

The thing about bacons is that bacons are always good with everything, including this burger. I got two slabs of bacon inside my burger, and an extra one on top of it, and the cut was thick, so I had my share of bacons quite enough that afternoon. There were also some thick french fries in between, which was crispy and chewy. Unlike my boyfriend, I like my french fries crispy and fresh from the oven, so I would definitely give this extra touch a two thumbs up. 

It took me a while to finish my meal and I definitely managed to devour all of it in one go. Of course, Richie was very supportive by helping me on munching a bit on some of my loaded fries. In terms of portion, rest assure that you won’t go hungry for a good few hours after eating this big baby over here. I was filled to the brim to the point that it was challenging for me to even breath. My stomach got loaded it felt like I was about to become one of the casualties in the Alien movies. It wasn’t something to feel remorse about though. It was a heckin’ delicious meal and I will always be back for more when I have the chance. 

The Burger Cartel

Jalan Raya Pengosekan, No. 108

Ubud, Bali - 80571

Opening Hours: 

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 11 PM

FRI - SAT: 11AM - 11:45 PM

Contact:

+62 812 9586 5347

Instagram

Burger Dates

Boyfriend and I have been really enthusiast about burgers these days. During most of our dates, we would usually go to any dinning place that serves good meat, or mouth-watering burgers. I know it’s not good for my diet, because burgers are nothing without the buns, but I think I can have a cheat day, or two, once in a while. 

Byurger

Pasar Cipete

Jl. Pangeran Antasari, No. 10

Fatmawati, Jakarta

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 10 PM // FRI - SAT: 11 AM - 12 AM

Located at Pasar Cipete, this small burger joint serves very juicy burgers, with different options of fillings and sauces. The price of the burgers ranges from Rp30.000,00 to Rp70.000,00, depending on what kind of burger you’re having. They also provide a DIY burger for those of you who are feeling creative, or maybe picky regarding what you eat. The prices of each ingredients ranged from Rp5.000,00 to Rp50.000,00. 

Boyfriend opted for the Chi Chi Burger, which consisted of ground beef patty, caramelized onion, confit garlic aioli, curly lettuce, beef bacon, and pickles. I had me the Uncle Phil Burger that was made out of sliced beef and cheese, aioli, and caramelized onion. Both came with the fluffiest and most succulent buns I have ever tasted within a burger. They were crazy soft you don’t have to poke it to make a hole. 

My Uncle Phil Burger was delicious and very very juicy. The sliced beef shared a similar texture with Yoshinoya’s original beef bowl’s beef, which is very thin and fatty. The flavor created from combining the sliced beef with caramelized onion was just bomb! 

I tried a bite of Davie’s Chi Chi Burger and was slightly disappointed by how dull it tasted. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious to say the least, but it was lacking of surprises. There was no umph, and Davie agreed with me. 

Lawless Burger Bar

Jalan Kemang Selatan 8, No. 67H - 67I

Kemang, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 10 PM

FRI - SAT: 11 AM - 12 AM

Upstair's Bar: 11 AM - 1 AM

We took down the Lemmy during this one afternoon and we couldn’t move afterwards. The ginormous burger was just too much to handle by myself I didn’t finish the top bun because I was just too full. We should have ordered one burger and shared it, but we were too hungry when we arrived at the burger joint we decided to get this monstrous burger each. 

The Lemmy here is the most epic burger that you can find at Lawless Burger Bar. It consisted of two thick meat patties, beef brisket, melted cheese, a generous amount of onion rings within the burger, beef bacon strips, a slab of pickle, a sunny-side-up, and a generous serving of sauce. It costed approximately Rp135.000,00 (excluding tax) for this particular burger.

Read the entire story here. 

Outback Steakhouse

Kuningan City, Ground Floor

Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio, Kuningan, Jakarta

MON - SUN: 11.30 AM - 10 PM

This is, by far, the fanciest burger place we have ever visited. Again, we were so hungry during this particular evening, we decided to get a burger each. Little did we know, the burger came with a handful of hand-cut fries and a medium-sized dinner roll. 

The Typhoon Burger is what they call this humongous burger. Consisted of Outback’s homemade fried onion rings, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, a funky sauce that goes by the name Typhoon Bloom, and of course a thick-ass juicy beef patty. Gosh, we both had a really hard time finishing our meal. I could only finish the bottom bun and I only ate half of the fries because I was too full from munching on the dinner roll earlier while I was waiting for my burger to be served. 

This dish was no joke. All the ingredients used to create this baby are high quality ingredients. One of the butler, who was taking our order, asked us beforehand about how we wanted our beef patties to be. We opted for medium-well and medium-well was what we got - brownish grey on the outside and slightly pink on the inside. The meat went well with the onion rings - they were thick, battered in breadcrumbs, deep-fried, and well seasoned. I ate my french fries by dipping them into the Typhoon Bloom sauce, which tasted like a spicy mayonnaise, but didn’t put any on the burger because the burger was that flavorful it didn’t need any extra seasoning. 

I love the burger buns! The inner part of the buns was fluffy and soft, yet the outer part was crispy and chewy. One bun was enough to fill my tummy, though. This meal costed us Rp149.900,00 (excluding the tax) each. Not that cheap, but doable once in a while. 10/10 would come back for more. 

Burgushi

Jl. Panglima Polim V, No. 38D

Dharmawangsa, Jakarta

MON - SUN: 10 AM - 10 PM

A fusion of a burger and a sushi! We had the Beef Monster Burgushi, which didn’t look anything like the advertisement, but plenty enough to fill both of our stomach. It consisted of deep-fried sushi rice battered in breadcrumbs sandwiching two beef patties, two slices of cheese, cuts of beef bacon bits, a sunny-side-up, and a generous amount of Takoyaki sauce, wrapped in crispy seaweed. This burger costed us Rp39.000,00. 

In my opinion, rice and beef patties don’t work well when they’re combined. I would prefer to have my rice with salmon and spicy mayonnaise if I knew that the flavor combo would be this weird. Nonetheless, we managed to finish the whole thing because we needed that extra energy boost before LANY’s Malibu Nights World Tour concert started. 

Read the entire story here. 

The Lemmy is God

One day, boyfriend took me to this burger joint that serves some thick-ass juicy burger and alcohol. It was noon, and apparently we don’t really give any damn about when happy hours was going to start, so we settled on the second floor of Lawless Burger Bar and had the ultimate combo of B&B for lunch. And by B&B, I meant burger and booz. 

Started off big, we got ourselves the Lemmy Burger each. Now, Lemmy here is the dopest dish that you can find at Lawless Burger Bar. Consisted of two thick meat patties, a generous amount of onion rings, beef brisket, melted cheese, bacon strips, bacon strips, and more bacon strips (unfortunately, they’re beef), then added with a dollop of sauce, along with a slab of pickles, and, finally, garnished with the most breathtaking sunny-side-up. This thing is huge, and tall, and overwhelmingly majestic. It costed me Rp135.000,00 for the burger only, but it was worth it. 

The burger was so tall I couldn’t bite into it properly. I had to dissect the whole thing and eat it with a fork and a knife like how the royals eat in the Princess Diaries. But, in this case, you won’t be a sight for sore eyes because this thing is messy as hell! 

Davie here is a fan of meat. He cooks meat, he judges meat, and he definitely knows his meat. Boy said that he really love the meat patties as they were very juicy and very tender. “They were not overly cooked,” he said as he pressed down his hand on his burger to let the savory juice overflow ceremoniously. It escapes me wether the staff asked us about how we wanted our meat to be, or not, but one thing for sure that the meat patties were not cooked well done. They were probably somewhere around medium well and medium. 

I’m not sure how many sauce there were in the burger, but I remembered tasting a sweet and refreshing Thousand-Islands-like sauce, along with some black pepper sauce, a slab of ketchup on the inner part of the buns, and a hint of barbecue sauce. To my surprise, they sauce did not overpowered the entire filling combination and the flavor was amazingly delicious. I mean, come on, the crispy and thin onion rings combined with three different types of meat, along with some melty cheese, then neutralized with the sour and juicy pickles are just the flavor that everyone needs. It was epic! The most epic burger I’ve ever eaten, yet!

I seriously have to warn you about how massive the Lemmy burger was, tho. A lot was happening on our tray to the point where we had to take a cigarette break from munching (yes, the second floor is smoker friendly indoor seating area). The whole thing was so heavy and room-taking, it took me two hours to finish it all. Well, not all, I only ate one bun as I was too full. The Lemmy was so meaty you might get a heart attack. “Might”, I said “might”!

For the drinks, Davie had a bottle of Bintang Raddler, while I had me a glass of cocktail, the Sambalada, just because it was served in a skull-shaped glass, which I fancy a lot. You see, I’m not a fan of pairing any food with alcohol. For me, the beverage that I take during a meal has to be refreshing, or at least helps make the food go down, and alcohol is definitely not my go-to item. But, that day I decided to step out of my comfort zone. Did I like the combination of pepper-infused tequila with burger? No. Did I like the presentation of the cocktail? Sir, yes, sir!

If you’re someone who love burgers, drink alcohol, smoke at least a pack of cigar a day, and favors the Black Sabbath, Lawless Burger Bar is your safe haven, man. Go for the Lemmy. You won’t regret it!

Lawless Burger Bar

Jalan Kemang Selatan 8, No. 67H - 67I

Kemang, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 10 PM

FRI - SAT: 11 AM - 12 AM

Upstair's Bar: 11 AM - 1 AM

Contact:

+62 813 8306 7839

Instagram - Website - Zomato

My Go-tos at Crumb & Coaster

Okay, so, Crumb and Coaster has officially become my family’s go to place whenever we feel like fulfilling our needs for good food and aesthetic visuals. For the past month, we’ve been coming back and forth for, like, two or three times already and we always leave with satisfaction. Dad and I finally took Mom to the restaurant for lunch one day, since Dad and I are the ones who usually roam around the streets of Kuta to find new places to eat, and she loved it, thank God!

These were the food we ate a few days apart,

Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich

The tittle says it all. But, what it doesn’t say is that the crew here at Crumb and Coaster are using a chewy and crunchy sour dough instead of a usual bread loaf and that in between those layer of breaded chicken breast and sour dough is a generous pile of colorful and juicy coleslaw. It also came with some House Fries on the side and a portion of ketchup, along with a slice of lime, to go with. This dish truly has a breathtaking visual!

I can assume that the chef are using high quality chicken breast judging from its’ presentation and flavor. The chicken breast were very thick and it was breaded nicely and well fried. I have to admit, it tasted a bit dry, especially combined with the sour dough toast, but the flavor was smacking I ended up finishing everything that was on my plate even though I promised myself not to eat carbs. There wasn’t much seasoning on the chicken and the sour dough, the flavor was very subtle, so adding some ketchup into your sandwich can be a good alternative. Don’t forget to ask for chilly flakes! Add some into your ketchup. It will elevate the whole flavor wheel. 

The coleslaw really helped by adding those wanted juice along the way of munching. There amount of mayonnaise inside the coleslaw was proper for my taste - just a few amount of it because I don’t like my food be all saucy from the mayo - but for those of you mayo lovers out there, if you don’t think there’s enough mayo in your coleslaw, you can definitely ask for more to the waiters and waitresses. 

On the one hand, the House Fries was bomb - thinly cut, fried to perfection (golden brown fries are my jam!), crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, topped with some fresh parsley, dashed with a pinch of salt and pepper, and the portion served as a side dish was just on point! If you’re a fan of having your french fries with ketchup, like me, I say, “Go for it!”. 

BBQ “Naughty” Pull Pork Burger

This was Dad’s dish. The visual of this naughty burger is as pleasing as my sandwich, but if I have to chose between the two, I would probably go for the burger. 

Constructed out of two amazingly solid, yet chewy, buns with sesame seeds on top, Crumb and Coaster’s signature barbecued pulled pork, homemade coleslaw like the ones I have in my sandwich, and a generous drizzle of melted cheese. It also comes with some House Fries on the sides and a generous serving of ketchup. 

 I tried a bite of the barbecued pull pork and, boy, it was very delicious! The meat was shredded and cooked well, hence the tender and juicy texture, with barbecue sauce making it very flavorful and somewhat caramelized. For me, the amount of barbecue sauce is very overwhelming to the point of sickening when I ate too much of it. But, other than that, this dish right here is a must try! It’s my Dad’s go to meal whenever we come to Crumb and Coaster because he can’t get enough of it. 

You better prepare yourself before you devour this baby. You ought to empty your stomach and get ready to be messy! 

Wagyu Classic Beef Burger

Mom’s choice for lunch was the Wagyu Classic Beef Burger, with the meat cooked at medium well-done. Although the presentation of this burger might be a runner-up compared to the naughty burger that my Dad had, it sure has its’ own persona and charisma that makes one curious regarding how it’s going to taste (and by “one” I meant me). 

A classic burger usually consists of meat patty, lettuce, onion, tomato, and a dollop of sauce in between the meat. Crumb and Coaster might add a little twist to the term “classic” by adding another element that sure bring the whole being of the burger to another level, which is a sunny-side-up. Correction. A sunny-side-up with a runny yolk! Gosh, I might faint from all the food porn imagination I have in my head. If you squash the sunny-side-up with the top part of the bun, I can guarantee you a very satisfying frame of runny egg yolk streaming down your wagyu and onion to the very bottom of the burger tire that would definitely gain hearts from your Instagram follower. I mean, who doesn’t like a good food porn, right? 

My Mom ordered her meat patty to be medium well-done and it was served, thankfully, like her expectation. The outer part of the meat was grayish brown with a bit of charcoal mark imprinted here and there and the inside was only the slightest bit pink in the middle, just like how medium well-done are supposed to  be like. The meat patty was very juicy it dripped until the bottom bun along with the egg yolk!

Falafel Salad Bowl

Ah, my go to meal during my diet days. Consisted of sliced zucchini and a whole other bunch of greens, this salad is the proper go to dish that usually get when I feel like eating fancy without feeling guilty afterwards. Other than just greens, it also had some sliced horse radish and bell pepper in it, as well as four pieces of falafels which I love so much!

Them falafels may be the best falafels I had, so far! They were fried to perfection, golden brown and very crispy, and the texture was not just mushy, yet it had this whole bits of pea in it. Love it! And, although the flavor was very nutty and savory, it helped a lot in digesting the whole other bland leafs as I didn’t use any of the white sauce served because I was afraid that I would gain some extra fat on my bums if I did. 

Cold Beverages

I always go for the smoothie. My favorite, so far, is the Farm Berry Smoothie because it tasted really refreshing, very creamy from the yogurt, and it came with three pieces of blueberry on top. My second favorite is the Inner Strength Smoothie because banana can never go wrong with a handful of peanut butter. 

Now you know some of the things that I love to indulge in at Crumb and Coaster. It’s time for you to find yours!

Crumb and Coaster

Jalan Benesari No. 2E

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 7.30AM - 10PM

Contact:

+62 819 9959 6319

Instagram

The Burger Cartel, Ubud

Today’s lunch was burgers, woot! Dad was in the mood for some burgers and I decided to go along with his cravings, even though I didn’t feel like having carbs. We searched for a proper burger place in Ubud on Zomato and it leaded us with two choices: Halal Ubud Burger, and the Burger Cartel. It didn’t take long for us to decide which burger joint we want to visit. Can you guess?

Welcome to the Burger Cartel!

Oh, I'm satisfied alright! 

Yep, the Burger Cartel! Managed by the dynamic duo, Ricard and Koco, this restaurant is going places! Despite the fact of it being a newcomer in Ubud by being open for business for only three months, the Burger Cartel is currently climbing the ladder of success. The cozy and aesthetic interior design of the restaurant sure does attract a lot of visitors, both local and international, with its’ warm, yet vibrant tropical colors. Decorated with real and synthetic plants, the Burger Cartel managed to bring out the holiday spirit and positive vibe of Bali. 

The beautiful decoration of synthetic plants above our heads.

I'd spend hours at this place just for chilling.

If you're in the mood for some booz, head straight to the bar. 

I had a quick chat with one of the waitress who was serving us today, Mbok Pita, who patiently explained to us about the set of dishes they serve at the Burger Cartel as well about the restaurant itself. I love the way she treated us locals with friendly and polite manner, along with a smile that never seemed to fade away from the moment we stepped into the restaurant until the moment we left. After a wee while of scanning through the menu, Dad decided to go for a well-done Cartel Burger, while I settled with a medium-well Moody Meat Burger.

Lunch is served!

The crispy potato wedges that was plain delectable. 

It took a while for our burgers to be served, I managed to light around three cigarettes and finished half of my drink, but, I bullshit you not, the waiting is totally worth it. Mbok Pita came with both of our burgers, each stacked beautifully in this breakfast tray. My first impression on Dad’s burger was not that good as it looked a bit plain and pale. But, then, I saw mine. Good Lord. I had this momentary rush of excitement and happiness and I knew nothing can go wrong with this burger just judging from the look it self. I mean, look at it! Look at this beautiful baby!

Both burgers came with a bucket of crispy potato wedges, along with mayonnaise and ketchup on the side. The ketchup caught my attention as its’ presentation doesn’t look like the usual ketchup I had in any other restaurants, you know the one that came from the bottle and is manufactured in Indonesia, but it looked more like a homemade bolognese sauce or some kind? The texture of the ketchup really did remind me of how bolognese sauce looks like, and it taste slightly similar too! It had this sweetness of a tomato, yet a slight spicy kick into it. I am not against this sauce at all. 

My burger was big, but I didn't feel like sharing it.

My Moody Meat Burger is basically a humongous skewer of stuff. It consisted of pickled cucumber, sautéed mushroom, caramelized onion, a medium-well black angus beef, tomato slices, fresh onion, a slab of Old Amsterdam Cheese, two slices of home-dried bacon, and a handful of crisp rocket lettuce sandwiched in between bagel-like buns in which its’ inner part was smeared with mustard mayonnaise sauce. So breathtaking. 

Like always, I usually deconstruct my burger before devouring it. I couldn’t finish both buns in one go, so I took away the top part for take-away later. For the first bite, I stuff a bit of everything in my mouth barehanded. No fork, nor knife, just hands. Chomp chomp chomp! “Oh God, is this for real,” I thought to myself, “this is epic!”. 

Dad's Burger Cartel.

Boy, look at that melted cheese!

The meat, guys oh my God the meat, was very juicy! The seasoning used on the meat was on point as it had this umami kick that was just plain satisfying. The flavor combination from the meat and the sautéed mushroom was superb, followed by the crispy and savory bacons and the rich melted cheese that sticked on the beef patty like stamps on postcards. 

Now, I know how every main star can shine on their own, but sometimes they shine because of their supporting cast, in this case the onion rings. I don’t think I have ever seen such beautiful onion rings before in my life. The ones they serve at the Burger Cartel was thickly well-battered and very very crispy. There was a dash of black pepper on the deep fried batter and some chopped green inside, which made it not tasteless. Very enjoyable and delicious, and it brought the whole burger to a whole new level of deliciousness. 

Oh, and also, shout out to the buns as they were very delicious to be munched on itself! The texture of the bread was fluffy, yet chewy and very dense, like the texture of a bagel. Although it was a bit heavy, just eating one part of the bun itself already made me feel stuffed, but it was very enjoyable. It had this slight sweetness in every bite, which I love!

The thirst-quenching freshly squeezed orange juice, with no added anything.

It didn’t take long for Dad and I to finish our meal. 15 minutes tops. For the whole time when we had our first munch on our burgers, we focussed ourselves in devouring and enjoying our dish as if we hadn’t had any proper food for the past couple of days. After we were done with our meal, we finished it off with a couple of cigarettes and some final sips of our freshly squeezed orange juice. 

Care to join the challenge?

The Burger Cartel

Jalan Raya Pengosekan, No. 108

Ubud, Bali - 80571

Opening Hours: 

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 11 PM

FRI - SAT: 11AM - 11:45 PM

Contact:

+62 812 9586 5347

Instagram