Coffee and Lamington

Back in April, me and boyfriend visited this coffee place in Cikini, named Giyanti Coffee Roastery. It was a Tuesday morning, the traffic in Jakarta was at its’ peak hour, but we managed to get to the roastery in one piece. Lady luck was on our side when we arrived at Giyanti as we were welcomed with numerous options of seats and tables. We settled with at the outdoor area because what’s coffee without the companion of cigarettes, right?

Before getting to Giyanti, I took the liberty to scan the menu that they posted on Zomato. Out of all the cakes and pastries that they serve, Lamington Cake was the one that caught my attention - shaped in a rectangular prism, chocolate in color, and covered with coconut shreds on its’ entire surface. The drinks that they have at Giyanti were all coffee based. Without having to look through the beverage menu, I knew what I wanted to order already. 

“One Lamington Cake and a cup of Flat White, please,” I said to one of the waitress who was taking our orders. “Light, medium, or strong?” she asked. I went for the light roast because I tend to get this really bad acid reflux in the morning. On the other hand, Davie ordered himself a cup of Magic, which was basically a Cappuccino. In less than ten minutes, our breakfast was served. 

I did a cross section on the Lamington Cake and I was in awe when I saw, what in fact was, a three-layered sponge cake hidden within. The sponge cake was golden yellow in color, stacked beautifully with layers of chocolate cream in between each cake. The presentation was very simple, yet very eye catching and aesthetically pleasing. Me and Davie took turns to get a taste of the cake. It took us a while to savor the flavor of the Lamington Cake as it had a range of flavor that varies within every bites. At first I tasted peanuts, then I tasted coffee. Davie had an idea that it was mocha, which made me rethink of my opinion about it having a peanut flavor. We both agreed that the cake had a rather dominant chocolate aftertaste, as well as some kick of coconut here and there. The texture of the cake itself was very fluffy and spongy, so I had to assume that it was, in fact, a sponge cake. The sweetness was on point, as it didn’t overpower the whole flavor wheel. We took sips on our coffee in between each bite to neutralize the sweetness, which turned out to be a great combination of food and beverage pairings. 

My Flat White was just delightful, not too strong, very frothy and milky, and had a hint of sweet aftertaste despite the fact that I didn’t put any sugar in it. Davie’s cup of coffee was too strong for me, yet also enjoyable in terms of its’ tasting note. 

We spent a good couple of hours at Giyanti Coffee Roastery before we continued our journey to Lawless Burger Bar. But, that’s another story to tell! 

Giyanti Coffee Roastery

Jl. Surabaya, No. 20

Cikini, Jakarta 

Opening Hours:

TUE - SAT: 9 AM - 6 PM

Contact:

+62 21 3192 3698

Instagram

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

Excelso's Cup of Cappuccino

A few months ago, I met a friend of my friend who worked as a Barista at Excelso in Summarecon Mall Bekasi. He was very kind for letting me try out the espresso machine that they have at the counter. The machine was less complicated than the one I used at Gudang Rottie, not that hard to operate, and rather small. Unlike Gudang Rottie, where we have to do things manually to make a cup of Joe, we can let the water flow from the water reservoir to the steam wand with a press of a button. The usage of instant coffee capsules is common at Excelso, which, in my opinion, was a let-down because I prefer my coffee is made from fresh ground coffee beans. 

On the other hand, the presentation of the beverage was very simple, yet beautiful. All of the cups and plates were plain white, but the design was somewhat unique; for example, the beverage coaster that they use had that typical round corner where you put the cup on, but instead of located at the center of the coaster, it was slightly around the edge - hence, the space available to put a small cookie on it.

I ended up making a glass of Cappuccino for myself because my friend said that he ran out of Hazelnut syrup to make me a glass of Hazelnut Latte. I worked the gizmo and voila! a cup of coffee at two hours before midnight. It had been a long time since the last time I made latte, so I ended up with a rather weak foam to work with. I asked for Caramel syrup and a thermometer to my friend, but he didn't have any, so I had to improvise with the edge of a spoon. Not much that I could do, so I ended up with a simple flower petal as the design. Very simple, you only have to pull lines from whichever angle that you favor. 

The coffee tasted bitter and dull, even after I added two spoonful of sugar in it. I still prefer Gudang Rottie's Joe than Excelso's. 

Excelso's cup of Cappuccino

Excelso 

Summarecon Mall Bekasi

Ground Floor FB #107

Jl. Jendral Sudirman

Bekasi 

Phone: (021) 2957 2545

Opening Hours: 

10 AM - 10 PM

A New Level of Design

I have been watching some Latte Art videos on Youtube and found some cools designs, such as Snail and Hibiscus. Those designs are pretty simple and they don't require much techniques, so, I decided to give it a try. My first attempts turned out nice and decent!

First attempt on Snail Latte Art

Second attempt on Snail Latte Art

Lattice Latte Art

Hibiscus Latte Art

What is Magic Without a Wand?

It has been three months since my first encounter with a shot of Espresso and a pitcher full of steamed milk. I constantly failed at making the basic shapes in Latte Art - the Heart, the Rosetta, and the Tulip - but I kept trying and trying just because I want to succeed at drawing with steamed milk. I only succeed at making a Heart twice.. out of God-knows-how-many Cafe Latte and Cappuccino I made. 

So, I said to myself, "Why stop at Heart and Rosetta? Why should I keep focussing in making shapes that I suck at when, maybe.. just maybe, I can make other drawings?". I was very determined and motivated. As soon as we got an order of a cup of Cafe Late or Cappuccino, I immediately took over the Espresso Machine. 

It felt like as if I was in Snape's Potion Class. Making a shot of Espresso properly, using a timer to time when to stop the flowing of the black liquid and to measure the bitterness and the acidic taste in it. Steaming the milk, concentrating on how many kissing sound I should make and when I should stop the machine by feeling the increasing of the temperature of the pitcher with my left hand. I pour the Espresso into a cup, as well as the steamed milk, getting ready to make drawings on my hot beverages. But, what is magic without a wand? In this case, the thermometer is my wand.

Sir Floss the Bitter

Baron Muffin

Momo of Fudge Nation

I ended up making my very own basic shape of Latte Art - Sir Floss the Bitter, Baron Muffin, and Momo of Fudge Nation. I was very happy with my creations! It turned out that drawing with a thermometer is more fun and more enjoyable, not to mention the only thing that you require is your imagination. So, don't be afraid to try new things! Now, go make yourself a cup of Cappuccino and draw Batman. 

Last Friday Night's Achievement

Last Friday night, I succeed at making my first Cappuccino, along with a heart latte art. All thanks to a friend of mine, a former barista at Gudang Rottie, named Ichsan. He taught me how to make Espresso and how to steam milk, which are the essential foundations on making Cappuccino. Finally, after a month-long learning on making hot drinks and latte art, I did it!

My first proper Cappuccino, woohoo!

Latte Art is Bitter-Sweet

Tulip and Heart Latte Art, by Kak Vandy

It has been a week since I started working at Gudang Rottie as a waitress. Other than the fact that I serve people food and drinks, and recommend buns and bread to customers, I finally able to learn about Latte Art. There are three Baristas, a person who makes drinks, at Gudang Rottie. Kak Ichsan, Kak Vandy, and Kak Rizky are very handy in making latte art, that's why I decided to learn to make latte art from them. 

Latte Art is a method of preparing coffee by pouring some steamed-milk into a shot of espresso. The texture of the steamed-milk and the espresso have to be perfect for drawings to be made. It takes practice to make the simplest design in Latte Art, which is the heart shape. Gudang Rottie's Baristas are very skillful in terms of making Latte Art they mastered making the heart shape, and they can even improvise by making a failed heart shape into a cute fluffy whale. 

Bunny Latte Art, by Kak Rizky

I have been watching those three Baristas do their magic with espresso and steamed milk, and boy can they draw. The technique of making latte art looked very simple to me, but then I decided to give it a shot.

I flunked at my first proper latte art making. I was doing good during the first few second of my first attempt at making Rosetta Latte Art, but then came the wiggly movement I made with my hand. It turned out, Latte Art is not as easy as it looks. "If you're making latte art, you have to let go of your ego," said Kak Rizky, "I even hold my breath when I make latte art." 

Rosetta Latte Art, by Kak Vandy

One time, during my night shift at Gudang Rottie, I decided to practice making latte art with Kak Ichsan. We waited until customers order drinks that we can use to practice our drawing. It seemed like Lady Fortuna was on our side as papers with "Hot Chocolate", "Cafe Latte", and "Cappuccino" written on them kept on arriving at the Baristas' bar. 

At first, I was going to make a heart latte art, but I failed and it turned out sharing the same shape as Teru Teru Bozu (a traditional Japanese rain-caller doll made out of white paper cloth). Then, I was going to make another heart latte art, but the steamed-milk destroyed the texture of the hot chocolate, which made my heart-shaped steamed-milk look like meteorite-dragon-ball. 

Marble Latte Art, by Kak Rizky

The more often I fail at making latte art, the more I want to succeed. Either it be a heart shaped latte art, or a fancy Indian in a cup, I want to be able to draw on espresso with steamed milk. Practice makes prefect, and that is exactly what I intended to do. So, come on down to Gudang Rottie and order yourself a glass of Cafe Latte, for the sake of me pursuing my dream of being able to make latte art!

Instant Cappuccino

A glass of hot cappuccino is what we all need when we are lacking of sleep and the need to be productive has to be fulfilled. Why don't you stop by at your nearest supermarket and buy yourself some instant cappuccino, the ones that are being sold in a paper cup. It's easy to make, not to mention it's way cheaper than those fancy cappuccino that you can get at Starbucks. Other than the fact that this drink will keep you sober and productive, you might as well practice your latte art when you're making a glass of this energy booster.